by Overton, Max
Huni followed Scarab down the hill, moving cautiously from hummock to boulder across the exposed moonlit slope. They crept up behind the thin bushes and burrowed their way into the sparse vegetation, clearing a line of sight down fifty paces to the water's edge and the anchored barge. The campfires had burned low and apart from a dozen sentries standing with their long spears, the rest of the men appeared to be sleeping. Scarab and Huni settled down to wait for morning.
The waning moon still hung in the western sky by the time the first flush of dawn started to wash the stars out of the sky. The sentries stood down as the camp awoke, smoke spiraling upward in the crisp morning air as campfires were prodded back to life. Shadows of men moved about the camp, performing ritual duties and trooping down to the river to wash.
Huni, who had been dozing, touched Scarab on the arm, awakening her. "They are moving," he whispered. "Soon it will be light enough to count them. See, I have prepared counters in the night." He held out a handful of bark-stripped Acacia twigs. "Each one is five men."
"You cannot count beyond five?" Scarab asked.
"There has never been much need. A man in my village showed me this trick."
"But if you have a handful of twigs, each of five men, how do you know the total?"
Huni grinned. "I don't, that's why I'm not an officer, but I can show my twigs to one and he'll know how many there are."
Scarab grunted. "Then keep your twigs safe, Huni." She turned to examine the camp. "Where's the commander? I don't see him."
Odours of cooking reached them in the scrub, awakening rumbles of hunger. Scarab plucked a blade of grass and chewed it, concentrating on her task and ignoring her pangs. The light grew stronger and as the first rays of sunlight broke over the low eastern hills, almost every man in the camp stopped what they were doing and turned to face the new day. A powerful voice rang out in prayer, the soldiers delivering a scattered response.
Scarab strained to hear the words. "Heru? They greet the hawk god? Why?"
"Perhaps the commander holds Heru in high regard," Huni whispered.
Scarab nodded. "Djedhor is a general and commander of the Heru legion. I thought he was stationed with the northern army, but perhaps he has been given this task."
"Is that him?" Huni pointed to where a white-haired older man was finishing up the song of praise. The man had his back turned to them but the muscles in his back revealed a man whom age had not yet weakened.
"May the Nine be with us," Scarab muttered, staring at the distant figure. "That is not Djedhor, though I have but seen him once."
"Who then?"
Scarab did not answer; keeping her eyes fixed on the man as he dismissed the men and, taking a loaf of bread and a skin of wine, climbed the slope of the hill to sit a few paces below them. He ate and drank as his men struck camp and took their baggage down to the barge.
"I could take him," Scarab breathed. Her hand grasped the hilt of her knife and half drew it, the tiny metallic rasp loud in the still morning air. The man, only half a dozen paces below the scrub cover, paused, the wine skin part raised, his head cocked to listen. A stone clattered below him as a lizard emerged to bask in the sun and the wine skin continued its journey to the man's mouth.
Even if it means my death, I can kill him , Scarab thought. My brother will praise my memory, for the act will ease his passage back to the throne . She eased the knife out of its sheath and readied herself.
Huni glanced from the man to Scarab, noting her drawn dagger and judging the distance she had to cover. He shook his head slightly and touched her arm. "No," he mouthed, and pointed to where a soldier climbed up from the men gathering near the barge toward them.
"The men are ready to embark, my lord."
The old man swallowed the last of the bread and drank from the skin again. "Have them board, Mose. I shall be there directly." He rose to his feet and watched the soldier move back down to the barge.
Scarab readied herself again. Last chance. Five paces and throw myself forward. Stab for the lower back . She rose into a half crouch, aware of Huni readying himself beside her.
The man turned and looked directly toward them. Scarab froze, her limbs taut, certain they had been discovered. As the long moments dragged on, her muscles trembled with the strain and her eyes misted with rage and chagrin that she could not even achieve this one act for her brother. Then it sank into her consciousness that the man was relaxed rather than readying himself for action and she slowly dropped back down to the ground behind the thin screen of leaves. The man tossed the empty wine skin aside and raised his kilt, directing a strong stream of urine onto the dry ground. The liquid splashed and spattered the stones and the pungent stink of the day's first water wafted over them.
Scarab closed her eyes, her fist clenched about the dagger still in her hand, and when she opened them again, the man was already on his way back to the barge.
"I thought you were about to get us both killed, my lady," Huni whispered.
Scarab let go a ragged sigh. "So did I, but it would have been worth it."
Huni grunted. After a moment, he slid his sword back into its sheath. "So who was he that his death is more important than our lives? Not that I'm complaining, my lady, I'd just like to know."
"That was Horemheb."
Huni's breath whistled through his teeth. "Horemheb? General of all the Armies of Kemet? What's he doing down here hunting for our small band of survivors?"
"He...or rather Tjaty Ay...must think my brother is still dangerous. That knowledge alone will be valuable, but we must count his men too. See, they are boarding."
For the next several minutes, Huni and Scarab independently counted the men of Horemheb's force as they filed aboard the barge. When the sailors drew up the anchor stone and turned the bow upstream, Scarab examined the small pile of sticks in Huni's hand.
"Thirty--a hundred and fifty men. Plus about fifty sailors. That makes him too strong for my brother. Did you see any insignia?"
"I saw Ram's horns and a Sunburst. I don't know what they mean though."
Scarab nodded. "I saw the Hawk too and others without insignia. These are men taken from different legions--Amun's Ram, Re's Sunburst and Heru the Hawk. Horemheb has scraped together a force rather than just bringing men from a single legion."
Huni frowned. "Is that good or bad?"
"I'm not sure. These are either the best men from every legion or all he could find at short notice. Either way we must find my brother. We must warn him." Scarab rose to her feet and unmindful of the barge sweeping out into the current not far offshore, set off up the hillside and over the ridge out of sight, Huni on her heels.
The river ran strongly above Kubban and because of the narrowness of the gorge, the wind gave little assistance to the sails on the barge. Cutting across the ridge before heading back down on the river trail, Scarab and Huni remained ahead of Horemheb's force. They also caught up with Khu and his little band of wounded soldiers. A dense grouping of palms provided welcome relief from the noon sun and Huni spied the men lounging in the shade long before they got there. He lifted a finger to his lips and, grim-faced, led Scarab off the trail, cutting quietly through the undergrowth from the direction of the river.
They crouched behind a bush near the palms and looked at the six men sitting and lying in the shade. The only alert member of the little party was the donkey which looked fixedly at their bush, ears forward inquisitively. "Fools,' Huni whispered, "They are in enemy territory and they set no guards." He contemplated them a few moments longer before sighing. "Well, they are my fools."
Standing up, Huni bellowed at the top of his voice. "Attack! Take no prisoners!"
Khu leaped to his feet, a wild expression on his face and whipped his sword out so fast he nearly cut himself. The wounded soldiers scrambled up, limping and grabbing at injured parts as they huddled with their backs to the palm trunks, clutching whatever weapon was closest to hand. Pamont had been unable to find a weapon and stood with his fis
t outstretched as if holding a sword. Only Nebhotep had not moved. He sat up as Huni and Scarab stepped out from behind the bush and nodded knowingly.
"I was wondering why the donkey was so interested in that bush."
"Don't wonder next time, physician, find out. People die having idle thoughts like that." Huni turned to his men with a disgusted look on his face. "As for you, you pack of layabouts. Just one soldier could have sent the whole lot of you into Amentet, the western shadows. Haven't you learned anything in the army?"
"Fornicate you, Huni," Sepi whined. "There was no need for that. I've pulled a muscle jumping up so fast."
"Besides," Kahi added, grounding his spear in the dirt. "If I'd thrown this I could have killed you. You need to stop playing these stupid games."
"Silence!" Huni roared. "Must I remind you that I am your officer, a Leader of Five, duly appointed by royalty in the field? I will have you all up on insubordination charges. Now get into line and get to attention, you miserable maggots. I have something to say."
The four soldiers scrambled into a semblance of order as fast as their injuries would allow. Khu stood lounging against a palm tree with a huge grin on his face, while Nebhotep still sat on the grass, watching curiously.
"What about them, lady?" Huni asked, jerking his thumb at Khu and Nebhotep. "Do I have power over them too?"
Scarab smiled, her eyes sparkling. "Not over our good physician, he obeys a higher law. But over Khu, well...for today, yes you do."
Khu's grin vanished and his mouth dropped open, but with a glare from Huni, he quickly got into line too.
Huni swaggered up and down in front of his five victims, working himself into a rage. "You misbegotten sons of whores," he said quietly but with force. "How dare you so forget yourselves as to relax your guard in enemy territory? Setting sentries is something that even a new recruit, a fresh-faced farmer still stinking of pig shit would know about. You know about sentries don't you, or has the stink of pig shit addled your minds? But perhaps I'm being too hard on you...am I being too hard on you, Hapu?" He stopped and glared at his chosen victim.
"No, sir," Hapu muttered, keeping his eyes carefully fixed on a spot above his Leader's head.
Huni grunted and looked at the next man. "What about you, Sepi?"
"Well, I think..."
"I'm not interested in what you think!" Huni roared, spraying the unfortunate man with spittle. "I made a mistake; you are not farmers stinking of pig shit. You're not even his god-forsaken pigs, you are pig shit itself." Huni resumed his pacing. "Now if it was just yourselves that were at stake, I'd say 'fornicate the lot of you' and piss on your bodies afterward, but it's not, is it?" He stared up at Khu. "Is it, Khu?"
Khu gulped. "Er, what was the question?"
"What was the question...what?" Huni's voice dropped ominously low.
Khu glanced at Scarab, his eyes trying to send an appeal. She shook her head and mouthed a word at him.
"Wh...what was the question, Leader of Five?"
Huni grunted again, managing to convey disappointment in that short sound. "I said it is not just your own sorry lives at stake. Whose life is threatened by your terminal stupidity, farm boy?"
"Scarab's."
"Whose?" Huni's quiet voice was starting to frighten Khu more than his shouting. It seemed to promise hurt and shame.
"The Lady Beketaten's, Leader of Five."
"Very good, Khu, you are correct. Everyone...whose life is threatened by your stupidity?" The five men repeated Khu's answer, degrees of shame showing in all their faces. "All right, we will move on from stupidity to incompetence. Why is it that when you all leaped up it was only the farm lad who is used to nothing more dangerous than the blunt knife he eats with that had a sword to hand? He was at least wearing one. The rest of you just grabbed blindly and Pamont here looked as if he had hold of his penis a moment before, because he certainly had nothing else in his hand. Or was it still your penis, Pamont, just so small I couldn't see it?" He glanced over his shoulder at Scarab. "Begging your pardon, lady."
"Granted. Please carry on, your words are inspiring."
Huni preened, and his voice lost its sting as he resumed his harangue. "The two things go together, men. Vigilance is paramount, but you must also be prepared at all times. I can see I'm going to have to train you all again if you are going to live long enough to protect this lady and serve your king." He turned and saluted Scarab. "I've said my piece, my lady. Anything you'd like to add?"
"Just this. Horemheb, Kemet's best general, is on that barge out there, no doubt with the best of his troops. He is coming after the king and we must warn him. Huni, you and Sepi know the countryside. What is the quickest way to Kurgus?"
"The quickest way would have been the road the king took, past the gold mines. You think we should go back and try that, lady?"
"It'll be dangerous," Sepi added. "Any guards will have been alerted by the king's passage."
"Is there another way?"
"The Derr Valley, over the crest of the mountains and into the upper Tanjur. Long and hard and with little water."
"We have no choice," Scarab said. "Where is this valley?"
"Two days south of here."
It took them three days to reach the mouth of the dry Derr Valley. The distance was not great and the way reasonably well marked and easy, the road following the course of the Great River, but on the first day they were very conscious of the presence of Horemheb's men not far behind. In the end, as they were continually looking behind, Scarab forced them into hiding on a rocky bend of the river where they could see any traffic on the water. Less than an hour later, the barge hove into view and, oars beating, forged its slow way up against the current. They watched as it crept around the next bend and out of sight.
"Are we not going to follow?" Khu asked.
"Soon. I want to let them get a little ahead so we do not run into them by accident."
Scarab's tiny force followed on at walking pace, halting occasionally as they caught up with the barge. When evening fell and Horemheb's men came ashore to set up their camp, Scarab had hers a few thousand paces back and off to the side in the dry and stony scrubland. The men complained the first time, arguing that the ground was softer nearer the river and they could augment their food supplies with fish and wild melons.
Huni pointed out the error of their ways. "So you'll be sitting prettily by the water's edge, eating melons, when Horemheb's men come foraging, will you? They will be looking for fresh food too, so I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you'll be having no melons tonight."
The men grumbled a bit more but turned to collecting firewood instead. Huni sat and watched them gather a large pile of sticks and twigs, smiling all the while. When one of them knelt beside the fuel with flint in hand, he stopped him.
"There'll be no fire either unless you want the enemy on top of us."
"It's going to be cold tonight," Kahi argued.
"Learn to like it."
When they moved through the remains of the soldiers' camp early the next morning, as the chunk of the oars still echoed faintly off the hills, Scarab's men were disgusted to find the cold ashes of numerous fires and even melon skins amid the refuse.
"Look for some melons as we march today, boys," Scarab laughed. She dropped back to where the physician walked, leading the laden donkey. "Are you well, Nebhotep?"
"Well enough, lady. Thank you for asking."
"And the men? How are their injuries?"
"Nothing that time will not cure." Nebhotep glanced up to where Huni strode along, his watchful eyes roaming over every boulder and palm clump. "He takes his duties seriously. Maybe a little too seriously."
"What do you mean? He is charged with our safety. Is that not serious enough?"
"What I mean is that it is all very well savaging the men for their lapses, but even if they were alert and armed, they would not be able to put up any real defence if Horemheb attacked. Their wounds prevent them from fighting properly."
Nebhotep smiled. "They are men in front of a beautiful woman. Now don't misinterpret what I'm saying, Scarab. Not one of them has designs on you or anything, but men naturally preen and posture when a lady looks at them kindly. They are hiding their hurt as much as they can."
"So how badly hurt are they really?"
"We lost the only seriously hurt one the first night. The others would have held your brother's army back which is why he left them, but they can move slowly." Nebhotep considered for a moment. "Huni has an injury to his left arm and chest, so he can fight fairly well still. Hapu and Kahi have bad cuts to their legs. I'm sure you've seen them limping when they think you are not looking. Sepi's leg wound is minor but the slash to his right shoulder still looks red and inflamed. As for Pamont...well, his chest and side wounds are painful and that slows him. You saw he was the only one not to grasp a weapon when you surprised us."
"I didn't see you grab one either."
"I am a physician, Scarab. I heal rather than kill."
"What is your point then, good physician?"
Nebhotep sighed and smacked the rump of the donkey. Dust flew up and the beast turned an aggrieved eye on its tormentor. "Just that if you are looking for safety in this..." he waved a hand to encompass the parched and rocky terrain. "...in this hostile place, you must look elsewhere. They'll die for you Scarab, without thinking twice, but their deaths would be rather pointless if you ended up captured or dead yourself."
"There is no-one else...unless you mean Khu. A good lad but he's no soldier. Now if my Paramessu were here..."
"Stop it, right now! Scarab, if you start wishing for things you cannot have you will lose your edge. Concentrate. Look to Khu who is here. You are too hard on him; he's a better knife fighter than you."
"Ooh, that was a blow to the back." Scarab smiled wryly, remembering the voyage from Zarw to Waset and the fight she'd had with Khu, using sticks for knives. She had lost, and the lesson had shattered her sense of self-worth for a time. "What do you suggest?"
