The Way of the Seed_Earth Spawn of Kalpeon

by Richard Dean Hall

  “Worthy . . . of a king,” he said, nodding and carefully positioning the bow back in the case.

  “Worthy of a king,” Ott repeated.

  Satisfied, Horemheb motioned to his aide and pointed to the case. As the aide closed the case and slid the shroud in place, Horemheb signaled to a palace attendant. As the man approached, Horemheb again turned to Ott.

  “Thank you, Otteri. And you, Chaeri, Graferi, Yaaneri. What you have presented is beyond my highest expectations and appreciated as such. This attendant will answer any questions you may have about the palace. Ask him for anything you desire. You are my honored guests here for as long as and whenever you desire.”

  Horemheb paused for a short moment and then continued with a hint of a smile. “Tonight, you shall attend the festival in the hall of the kings as my guests.” He walked toward the dock with his aide trailing behind clutching the bow case to his chest with both arms.

  77

  It was a rare occasion when the young king showed emotion. He had been taught from childhood that decorum and personal demeanor reflected the confidence and wisdom expected of the king of the greatest civilization in the known world. Horemheb was accustomed to Tutankhamun’s placid, almost stoic countenance, and he expected little response as he placed the bow case on a large table in an antechamber adjacent to the cathedral-like throne room. He motioned his aide out of the chamber and seated himself on a large, ornate wooden chair with armrests fronted by carved, gilded lion’s heads. He stared at the bow case for a moment and then turned his gaze to the entrance and the sound of padding sandals.

  Horemheb rose as the king and his retinue of advisors, attendants, nobles, and priests approached. The young king stopped, turned to those following, and ordered them back to an area well out of earshot. He looked at Horemheb and motioned for him to be seated. Horemheb sat without speaking. As was court protocol, no one spoke before the king.

  “General, your king is grateful for your accomplishments. Your actions in quelling the civil unrest and your destruction of the Mitanni forces have brought harmony to the land, and we live in maat.

  “As king, my foremost concern is to maintain the universal order of Amun and to ensure as best I can that it continues after my rule. By your actions, you have shown your love of the Remeth and the way of maat. Because of that, I bestowed on you the title of hereditary prince and protector of the land in hopes that when I join the gods, you will succeed me as king.”

  Horemheb sat motionless as the king pointed to him.

  “If I pass to the afterlife to join the gods, I ask that you assume the throne and continue my legacy as a king who strives to keep the land of the Remeth in balance and harmony.”

  The young king was wise far beyond his years and took his responsibilities to the people and the kingdom as a sacred trust. The way of the king was truly the way of maat.

  With all thoughts clear, Horemheb leaned forward. “If you travel to the afterlife and I remain, then I pledge to rule to protect the kingdom and maintain the way of maat as you have.”

  Tutankhamun nodded approvingly. There was nothing more to be said. He rose to take his leave, but before he could turn away, Horemheb stood and raised his finger.

  “A gift of appreciation for the honor and trust you have extended.” He pointed to the shrouded bow case.

  With a glimmer of a smile, the king stepped closer to the table and watched as Horemheb undid the ties and slid the shroud free.

  When Horemheb had commissioned the bows, he had known all too well there were few gifts that could impress Tutankhamun. The king had been born to and raised in the highest privilege of the wealthiest land in the known world. He had never wanted for anything. But Horemheb also knew the king had a passion for archery and the hunt.

  The king stared at the case for a long moment and then leaned closer as Horemheb opened it. He removed the first bow and studied it closely. When finished, he repositioned it and turned back to the general.

  “Your gift is appreciated, Horemheb. I have seen none finer. When I join the gods, it shall be placed in my tomb for use in the afterlife,” he said.

  The words were spoken softly and with no real outward emotion, but Horemheb knew the king was pleased. Only the most important and valuable items were selected to be entombed with the mummified body of a king.

  “It pleases me that you find the bows acceptable,” Horemheb said.

  “Who is the artisan that crafted the bows and case?” Tutankhamun again stroked his hand over the closed case.

  “The gift was created by foreign merchants whose families have traded on the river for many generations. When in Misr, they maintain residence in el-Lisht among the wealthiest of the traders and merchants. They are called Otteri and Graferi, and they travel with their wives, Chaeri and Yaaneri,” Horemheb answered.

  “Are they in Misr now?”

  “Yes, they are my guests here at the palace. They would accept no payment of gold or silver for the work, so I offered them visitation for as long as they desire.”

  “They are traders and would accept nothing in return for this?” The king pointed to the case with a questioning frown.

  “They refused any offer of payment, saying their families had traded in Misr for many generations. They were honored to craft the gift for the privilege of living in a land of both peace and beauty, a land of maat.”

  The king shifted his gaze to the case and then back to Horemheb. “I would like to know these people. Bring them to the throne room at the jubilee tonight.” He motioned one of his attendants to come forward. The attendant hurried in, and Tutankhamun pointed to the case and back to the entrance. The attendant scooped up the case and scurried back out.

  The king remained silent for several moments. “Your allegiance and your gift are greatly appreciated, Horemheb.” Tutankhamun rejoined the waiting group.

  Yes, Horemheb thought, the young king had been taught well and was wise beyond his years.

  78

  It was late afternoon when two simply clad attendants approached the entrance to the quarters of Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan. They stopped short of the entrance and stood with bowed heads. One carried a large, rectangular chest fashioned from woven papyrus. The other carried a smaller, black, wooden chest decorated with inlaid ivory and colored glass.

  Yaan spotted them first and motioned them in. The attendants entered and placed the containers on the large table to the side of the pool.

  “This contains additional clothing for your stay,” said the first attendant, pointing to the larger of the containers. “And this one contains gifts from General Horemheb.” He tapped the lid of the ornate box. “The general instructed me to tell you that everything is a gift of appreciation. It is not in any way to be considered payment for your services.”

  As the attendants bowed and exited, Ott smiled and motioned for Yaan and Cha to open the containers. When Yaan reached for the woven box, she noticed on the top a beautifully painted image of a woman in a colorful, snug dress. Above the woman, as though suspended from her head, was a set of bovine horns with a circular disk in between.

  Cha stepped closer and examined the image. “Hathor,” she said, stroking a finger over the image. “Goddess of beauty, pleasure, and love.”

  Yaan smiled, removed the lid, and retrieved a stack of carefully folded linen packets, which Cha began unfolding. Each contained a different piece of fine jewelry fashioned from gold, silver, amethyst, agate, turquoise, and lapis lazuli. Each piece was intricately crafted by master jewelers. Most were encrusted with precious and semiprecious stones. A final large packet contained four cinch belts of supple leather overlaid with twisted threads of gold and silver, with more precious stones attached. The complete cache consisted of pendants, broaches, armbands, anklets, bracelets, necklaces, and an assortment of finger and toe rings.

  As everyone examined the magnificent assortment, Yaan selected a gold-and-jeweled necklace from the pile. “Horemheb must have been very pleased with the
gift for the king.” She smiled as she lowered the necklace over her head.

  “As much as you seem to be with his gifts.” Graf smiled back.

  As Cha and Yaan selected clothing and adorned themselves with jewelry, Ott watched in bemused silence and thought once again of the strange timeless existence they all shared. As he recounted the ancient places and cities they had experienced, he realized that of all of them, Misr, the land of the Remeth, was surely the most beautiful of all. As Ott and Graf sipped beer at the edge of the pool, Cha and Yaan disappeared into one of the large sleeping rooms, carrying a small box taken from the jewelry chest. Several moments later, Ott was snapped from his thoughts by a gasp from Graf. At the far end of the pool, Cha and Yaan stood smiling. They wore flowing linen dresses so sheer the naked curves of their bodies were discernable through the fabric. Their eyes were painted with kohl, a black eyeliner used by courtesans. Jewelry gleamed in contrast to their tanned skin, and they wore shiny, shoulder-length black wigs of intricately woven and plaited human hair.

  Ott gaped. Cha and Yaan could easily have been the wealthiest and most beautiful of Remeth nobility. While Ott and Graf stared, Cha and Yaan looked at each other and erupted with laughter. Graf shook his head with a smile and handed Ott a cup of beer.

  Long shadows stretched by the late-afternoon sun were snaking through the columns, statuary, and palms when two attendants approached the entrance to the living quarters. They had been sent to guide Ott and the others through the labyrinth of columns and rooms to the plaza overlook adjacent to the throne room. With twilight spreading, they followed the attendants.

  In every direction, the palace and surrounding gardens and grounds vibrated with the laughter and chatter of hundreds of guests as attendants moved about carrying trays of food and serving vases filled with beer and wine. After a long and twisting walk through the palace complex, Ott and the others approached the plaza, where the crowd had thinned considerably. Finally they reached the entrance to the plaza, which was fronted by a solid line of military-clad sentinels.

  The plaza and the throne room beyond were reserved only for the royal court, high nobility, important city administrators, ranking military commanders, emissaries from foreign countries, senior temple priests, merchants and traders of eri status, and special guests of the king. The attendants approached the line of sentinels, and the guards peeled back to allow them through.

  Not wishing to offend Horemheb, Cha and Yaan had dressed appropriately for the festival. They wore the sheerest of the linen dresses, cinched at the waist with the woven gold-and-silver belts that draped to their knees. Around their necks they wore necklaces crafted of gold, lapis lazuli, and colored glass. Bangles of gold inlaid with semiprecious stones encircled their arms and wrists, and they wore rings of gold and silver on their fingers and toes.

  As they wove their way through the crowd, they were acknowledged with cordial nods and occasional greetings from wealthy traders and merchants they had dealt with. When they finally reached the far side of the plaza, they were seated on linen cushions surrounding a low stone table that overlooked the river. Arranged on the table were several glazed faience platters of blue and green hues with matching cups. In the center was a large, open-topped vessel of barley beer with a ladle protruding from the top. A second vessel held a dark wine. Additional platters were piled high with figs, dates, pomegranates, radishes, melon slices, fruits, and stacks of wheat cakes and assorted meats. Seated comfortably, Ott filled cups with beer as Cha poured wine for herself and Yaan.

  With their meal finished and a gray-silver moon on the rise, everyone sipped at their drinks as two imposing figures dressed in black kilts and sleeveless tunics approached. In the light of the torches, Ott recognized them, and everyone rose to greet General Horemheb and Ay, the commander of the elite Maryannu chariot corps. At the table, Horemheb extended and pumped his hands with thumbs up. The gesture was a greeting of respect known as ny-ny. Ott and the others returned the gesture. Horemheb acknowledged each of them by name.

  “I trust your quarters are comfortable and your needs attended to.”

  “Your generosity is beyond all expectations,” responded Ott.

  “And we especially thank you for the magnificent gifts,” Yaan added, tapping the exquisite necklace gleaming against her tanned skin.

  Horemheb gazed over her and Cha as they stood in the light of the full moon and flickering torches. They were as beautiful as any of the most attractive women of the royal court, but there was something else. They exhibited an ease of demeanor that radiated a confidence accentuated by a rare combination of physicality and womanly beauty. Horemheb snapped back from his thoughts and again looked to Ott and Graf.

  “As I have said, Otteri, the case and bows are the finest I have ever seen. It is as if they were inspired by Ptah himself.” The compliment could not have been greater. Ptah was the Remeth god of craftsmen. “And there is someone else who appreciates the craftsmanship.” Horemheb pointed in the direction from which he had arrived. “The king awaits your arrival.”

  With a mixture of curiosity and anticipation, Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan followed Horemheb and Ay down the plaza to a high, arched corridor. They proceeded to the end of the corridor, where two guards stood at either side. The guards stood erect and silent as Horemheb led everyone through the wide entrance. The throne room was immense, with hundreds of columns supporting a roof with a huge oculus centered over an atrium with a large reflecting pool. Everywhere, attendants went about the tasks of serving and tending to the needs of more than three thousand guests. The night air was an aromatic mix of incense, perfume, and prepared food.

  The celebration was at a clamorous pitch. Everyone had finished their main meal, and the effects of the flowing wine and beer gave rise to a continuous buzzing of chatter and laughter as people milled about and the dancers and musicians continued nonstop. Ott noticed an area absent of people. It was a wide walkway of polished granite extending about thirty yards and lined on both sides by a knee-high wall. To the front of the walkway stood two black-clad guards like those positioned at the room’s entrance. At the far end was a large, raised area backed by towering columns. Side by side in the center of the raised platform sat the thrones of Tutankhamun and Queen Ankhesenamun.

  Stepping to the floor, Horemheb walked along the edge of the reflecting pool and led everyone to the walkway leading to the thrones. As he approached the guards, they stepped aside, and with Ott and the others trailing, Horemheb led them to the front of the raised area and the royal thrones. In the center of the walkway below the platform stood a black basalt statue of Anubis, the protector god, in his jackal incarnation reclining on a pedestal with cold quartz eyes staring at all who approached the throne.

  Horemheb led everyone around the imposing glare of Anubis and then stopped as Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan lined up behind him. Standing in silence, Ott gazed up. The throne of the king was solid gold, with gold-etched griffin wings flaring up from each side. The armrests were fronted by lion heads, representing Aker, the lion god who guarded the entrance to the underworld. The backrest consisted of a solid gold panel carved, etched, and painted with a scene of Queen Ankhesenamun anointing the king with oil. As Ott studied the throne, two black-robed priests with shaved heads emerged from the shadows of a chamber behind the platform. Ott shifted his gaze to the priests as they positioned themselves beside the thrones. Each priest carried a black wooden staff capped with a gold likeness of Anubis. When in position, the priests raised the staffs in unison and brought them down on the polished granite with two resounding clacks. Throughout the vast throne room, all eyes looked to the priests. A moment passed, and the priests repeated the gesture. The entire assemblage became silent, and without exception everyone faced the raised thrones.

  Several seconds passed in still silence. Then, from the shadows between the massive columns, Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun emerged and stepped to the front of the thrones, where they stood looking out over the room. The king wore a
blue-and-white nemes on his head secured with a gold band. Gold likenesses of the heads of a vulture and a cobra extended from the band. Secured from his neck and covering his chest was a large pectoral of gold, carnelian, and lapis lazuli in the shape of enveloping vulture wings. His long white kilt was pleated and hung in perfect folds to his ankles. On his feet were polished gold sandals. In one hand he held a ceremonial crook across his chest, and in the other a gold flail. The queen wore a gold diadem on her head and a flowing, sheer linen dress interwoven with gold threading. Gold slippers adorned her feet.

  The king gazed out over the crowd and then raised his crook forward and out over the room. Another few seconds passed in silence before the king straightened the crook and then clacked it on the granite. Immediately the clamoring and festivities resumed, and the room erupted in chatter, laughter, and music.

  As Tutankhamun and Ankhesenamun sat, one of the priests relieved the king of the ceremonial crook and staff. The king motioned the priests back and looked down to Horemheb and the others, who remained silent. He studied them, and then with a slight nod and flick of his hand motioned them forward. Horemheb led everyone up the low steps to the top of the platform, where they all waited for the king to speak. Tutankhamun looked to Ott, Cha, Graf, and Yaan individually and then returned his gaze to Horemheb.

  “These are the merchants who trade on the river and crafted the bows?” he asked.

  Horemheb responded by announcing Ott and the others in turn, using the eri suffix to designate his respect and high regard.

  With the introduction finished, the king turned his gaze to Ott. “General Horemheb has presented me with a gift crafted by you. It is the finest work of a bowyer that I have ever seen.”

  Ott nodded and then motioned to Graf. “The gift was created by me, and Graf,” he began. “I crafted the bows, arrows, and quivers, but Graf crafted and oversaw the completion of the case. We both are glad it pleases the king and thank General Horemheb for the privilege of being selected to craft his gift to you.”