The Quest tes-4

by Wilbur Smith

  Lostris moaned and her image receded. She faded in the same way that her star had often been eclipsed by the light of coming day. The last whisper of her voice came back to him from out of the night: 'I have tasted death once, and now I must drink the bitter cup to the dregs.

  Farewell, Taita, whom I loved. If only you could have loved me more.'

  J

  Then she was gone and he sank on to his knees to let the waves of remorse and loss break over his head. When he had the strength to lift his head again, the sun had risen. Already it had climbed a hand's span above the horizon. Windsmoke stood quietly beside him. She was dozing, but as soon as he stirred she threw up her head and turned her eyes on him. He was so reduced that he had to use a rock as a mounting platform to reach her back. He swayed there, almost losing his seat, as she started along the path towards the encampment.

  Taita tried to order the jumble of emotions that filled his head. One salient fact emerged from his confusion: it was the manner in which Windsmoke had stood calmly, without the least sign of perturbation, during his encounter with the phantom Lostris. On every other occasion she had detected a manifestation of evil long before he had become aware of it himself. She had bolted when the moon was devoured, yet she had shown only mild interest in the wraith of Lostris and her phantom steed.

  'There could not have been evil in them,' he began to convince himself. 'Did Lostris speak the truth? Did she come as my ally and friend to protect me? Have I destroyed both of us?' The pain was too much to bear. He pulled Windsmoke's head round and drove her into a full gallop back towards the delta. He checked her only when they burst out on to the rim of the escarpment, and swung down from her back on the exact spot at which Lostris had vanished.

  'Lostris!' he shouted to the sky. 'Forgive me! I was mistaken! I know now that you spoke the truth. Verily and indeed you are Lostris. Come back to me, my love! Come back!' But she was gone and the echoes mocked him: 'Come back … back . . . back .. .'

  They were so close to the holy city of Thebes that Taita ordered Meren to continue the night march even after the sun had risen. Lit by its slanting early rays the little caravan descended the escarpment and struck out across the flat alluvial plain towards the walls of the city. The plain was desolate. No green thing grew upon it.

  The black earth was baked hard as brick and split with deep cracks by the furnace heat of the sun. The peasant farmers had abandoned their stricken fields and their huts stood derelict, the palm-leaf thatching falling in clumps from the rafters, the unplastered walls crumbling. The bones of the kine that had died of famine littered the fields like patches

  of white daisies. A whirlwind swayed and wove an erratic dance across the empty lands, spinning a column of dust and dry dhurra leaves high into the cloudless sky. The sun smote down upon the parched land like the blows of a battleaxe upon a brazen shield.

  The men and animals of the caravan were as insignificant in this sullen landscape as a child's toys. They reached the river and halted involuntarily upon the bank, caught up in horrified fascination. Even Demeter dismounted from his palanquin, and hobbled down to join Taita and Meren. At this point the riverbed was four hundred yards wide.

  In a normal season of low Nile the mighty stream filled it from side to side, a torrent of grey, silt-laden waters, so deep and powerful that the surface was riven by shining eddies and dimpled with spinning vortices.

  At the season of high water the Nile could not be contained. She burst over her banks and flooded the fields. The mud and sediment dropped by her waters was so rich that they sustained three successive crops during a single growing season.

  But there had been no inundation for seven years and the river was a grotesque travesty of its former mighty self. It had been reduced to a string of shallow stinking pools strung out along its bed. Their surface was stirred only by the struggles of dying fish, and the languid movements of the few surviving crocodiles. A frothy red scum covered the water, like congealing blood.

  'What causes the river to bleed?' Meren asked. 'Is it a curse?'

  'It seems to me that it is caused by a bloom of poisonous algae,' Taita said, and Demeter agreed.

  'It is indeed algae, but I have no doubt that it is unnatural, inflicted on Egypt by the same baleful influence as stopped the flow of the waters.'

  The blood-coloured pools were separated from each other by the exposed banks of black mud, which were littered with stranded rubbish and sewage from the city, roots and driftwood, the wreckage of abandoned rivercraft and the bloated carcasses of birds and animals. The only living things that frequented the open sandbanks were strange squat creatures that hopped and crawled clumsily on grotesque webbed feet over the mud. They struggled ferociously among themselves for possession of the carcasses, ripping them apart, then gulping the chunks of rotting flesh. Taita was uncertain of the creatures' nature until Meren muttered, in deep disgust, 'They are as the caravan master described them to me.

  Giant toads!' He hawked, then spat out the taste and stench that clogged his throat. 'Is there no end to the abominations that have descended upon Egypt?'

  Taita realized then that it was the sheer size of the amphibians that had puzzled him. They were enormous. Across the back they were as wide as bush pigs, and they stood almost as tall as jackals when they raised themselves on their long back legs to their full height.

  'There are human cadavers lying on the mud,' Meren exclaimed. He pointed to a tiny body that lay below them. 'There's a dead infant.'

  'It seems that the citizens of Thebes are so far gone in apathy that they no longer bury their dead but cast them into the river.' Demeter shook his head sorrowfully.

  As they watched, one of the toads seized the child's arm and, with a dozen shakes of its head, tore it loose from the shoulder joint. Then it threw the tiny limb high. As it dropped the toad gaped, caught and swallowed it.

  All of them were sickened by the spectacle. They mounted and went on along the bank until they reached the outer walls of the city. The area outside was crowded with makeshift shelters, erected by the dispossessed peasant farmers, by the widows and orphans, by the sick and dying, and by all the other victims of the catastrophe. They huddled together under the roughly thatched roofs of the open-sided hovels. All were emaciated and apathetic. Taita saw one young mother holding her infant to shrivelled empty dugs, but the child was too weak anyway to suck, and flies crawled into its eyes and nostrils. The mother stared back at them hopelessly.

  'Let me give her food for her baby.' Meren began to dismount, but Demeter stopped him.

  'If you show these miserable creatures food, they will riot.'

  When they rode on, Meren looked back sadly and guiltily.

  'Demeter is right,' Taita told him softly. 'We cannot save a few starvelings among such multitudes. We must save the kingdom of Egypt, not a handful of her people.'

  Taita and Meren picked out a camp site well away from the unfortunates.

  Taita called Demeter's foreman aside and pointed it out to him.

  'Make certain that your master is comfortable and guard him well. Then build a fence of dried thornbush to protect the camp and keep out thieves and scavengers. Find water and fodder for the animals. Remain here until I have arranged more suitable quarters for us.'

  He turned to Meren. 'I am going into the city to the palace of Pharaoh. Stay with Demeter.' He kicked his heels into the mare's flanks and headed for the main gates. The guards looked down on him from

  the tower as he rode through, but did not challenge him. The streets were almost deserted. The few people he saw were as pale and starving as the beggars outside the walls. They scurried away at his approach.

  A sickly stench hung over the city: the odour of death and suffering.

  The captain of the palace guards recognized Taita, and ran to open the side gate for him, saluting respectfully as he entered the precincts.

  'One of my men will take your horse to the stables, Magus. The royal grooms will care for it.'<
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  'Is Pharaoh in residence?' Taita asked, as he dismounted.

  'He is here.'

  'Take me to him,' Taita ordered. The captain hurried to obey, and led him into the labyrinth of passages and halls. They passed through courtyards that had once been lovely with lawns, banks of flowers and tinkling fountains of limpid water, then on through halls and cloisters that in former times had sounded merrily to the laughter and singing of noble ladies and lords, of tumblers, troubadours and dancing slave girls.

  Now the rooms were deserted, the gardens were brown and dead and the fountains had run dry. The heavy silence was disturbed only by the sound of their footsteps on the stone paving.

  At last they reached the antechamber of the royal audience hall.

  In the opposite wall there was a closed door. The captain knocked upon it with the butt of his spear, and it was opened almost immediately by a slave. Taita looked beyond him. On the floor of rose-coloured marble slabs a corpulent eunuch in a short linen skirt sat cross'legged at a low desk stacked with papyrus scrolls and writing tablets. Taita recognized him at once. He was Pharaoh's senior chamberlain. It had been on Taita's recommendation that he was selected for such an illustrious position.

  'Ramram, my old friend,' Taita greeted him. Ramram jumped to his feet with surprising alacrity for such a large person, and hurried to embrace Taita. All the eunuchs in Pharaoh's service were bound by strong fraternal ties.

  'Taita, you have been gone from Thebes for far too long.' He drew Taita into his private bureau. 'Pharaoh is in council with his generals so I cannot disturb him, but I will take you to him the moment he is free. He would want me to do that. However, this gives us a chance to talk. How long have you been gone? It must be many years.'

  'It is seven. Since last we met I have journeyed to strange lands.'

  'Then there is much that I must tell you about what has befallen us in your absence. Sadly, very little is good.'

  They settled down on cushions facing each other, and at the chamberlain's bidding a slave served them bowls of sherbet that had been cooled in earthenware jugs.

  'Tell me first, how fares His Majesty?' Taita demanded anxiously.

  “I fear you will be saddened when you see him. His cares weigh heavily upon him. Most of his days are spent in council with his ministers, the commanders of his army and the governors of all the nomes. He sends his envoys to every foreign country to buy grain and food to feed the starving population. He orders the digging of new wells to find sweet water to replace the foul red effluent of the river.' Ramram sighed and took a deep swig from his sherbet bowl.

  'The Medes and Sumerians, the sea people, the Libyans and all our other enemies are aware of our plight,' he continued. 'They believe our fortunes are waning, and that we can no longer defend ourselves, so they muster their armies. As you know, our vassal states and satraps have always grudged the tribute they have been forced to pay Pharaoh.

  Many see in our misfortunes an opportunity to break away from us, so they enter into treasonable alliances. A multitude of foes gathers at our borders. With our resources so grievously depleted, Pharaoh must still find men and stores to build up and reinforce his regiments. He stretches himself and his empire to breaking point.'

  'Any lesser monarch could not have survived these tribulations,' Taita said.

  'Nefer Seti is a great monarch. But he, like the rest of us lesser beings, is aware in his heart that the gods no longer smile upon Egypt. None of his efforts will succeed until he can regain their divine favour. He has ordered the priesthood in every temple throughout the land to render ceaseless prayer. He himself makes sacrifice three times a day. Although he has tried his own strength to its limit he spends half of each night, when he should be resting, in devout prayer and communion with his fellow deities.'

  Tears filled the chamberlain's eyes. He wiped them away with a square of linen. 'This has been his life for the last seven years, during the failure of the mother river and the plagues that have beset us. It would have destroyed any lesser ruler. Nefer Seti is a god, but he has the heart and compassion of a man. It has changed and aged him.'

  'I am indeed cast down by this news. But, tell me, how fares the queen and her children?'

  'Here, too, the news is gloomy. The plagues have treated them unkindly. Queen Mintaka was struck down and lay for many weeks on

  the verge of death. She has now recovered, but is still much weakened.

  Not all of the royal children were so fortunate. Prince Khaba and his little sister Unas lie side by side in the royal mausoleum. The plague carried them away. The other children have survived, but—'

  Ramram broke off as a slave entered, bowing respectfully, and whispered in the chamberlain's ear. Ramram nodded and waved him away, then turned back to Taita. 'The conclave has ended. I will go to Pharaoh and tell him of your arrival.' He hoisted himself to his feet and waddled to the back of the room. There, he touched a carved figure on the panel, which turned under his fingers. A section of the wall slid aside, and Ramram disappeared into the opening. He was not gone long before a shout of surprise and pleasure echoed from the corridor beyond the secret door. Immediately it was followed by rapid footsteps and there was another shout: 'Tata, where are you?' It was Pharaoh's nickname for him.

  'Majesty, I am here.'

  'You have neglected me too long,' Pharaoh accused him, as he burst through the doorway and paused to stare at Taita. 'Yes, it is truly you. I thought you might continue to flout my many summonings.'

  Nefer Seti wore only open sandals below a linen skirt that covered his knees. His upper body was bare. His chest was broad and deep, his belly flat and rippling with muscle. His arms were sculpted by long practice with bow and sword. His torso was that of a warrior trained to perfection.

  'Pharaoh. I salute you. I am your humble slave, as I have always been.'

  Nefer Seti stepped forward and took him in a powerful embrace. 'No talk of slaves or slavery when teacher and pupil come together,' he declared. 'My heart overflows with joy to see you again.' He held him at arm's length and studied his face. 'By the grace of Horus, you have not aged a single day.'

  'Nor have you, Majesty.' His tone was sincere, and Nefer Seti laughed.

  'Although it is a lie, I accept your flattery as kindness to an old friend.'

  Nefer had set aside his formal horsehair wig, and his skin was devoid of paint, so Taita was able to study his features. Nefer's close-cropped hair was grizzled, and the crown of his skull was bald. His face was etched with the passage of time: there were deep lines at the corners of his mouth, and a cobweb of wrinkles surrounded his dark eyes, which were weary. His cheeks were hollow, and his skin had an unhealthy pallor.

  Taita blinked once and opened the Inner Eye; with relief he saw that Pharaoh's aura burned strongly, which betokened a brave heart and an undiminished spirit.

  How old is he? Taita tried to remember. He was twelve when his father was killed, so now he must be forty-nine. The realization jolted him. An ordinary man was considered old at forty-five, and was usually dead before fifty. Ramram had told him the truth: Pharaoh was much changed.

  'Has Ramram arranged lodgings for you?' Nefer Seti demanded, and looked at his chamberlain sternly over Taita's shoulder.

  'I thought to allocate him one of the suites for the foreign ambassadors,'

  Ramram suggested.

  'By no means. Taita is not a foreigner,' Nefer Seti snapped, and Taita sensed that his formerly even temper had quickened and was now more readily aroused. 'He must be lodged in the guard room at the door to my bedchamber. I want to be able to call upon him for counsel and discussion at any hour of the night.' He turned back to face Taita squarely. 'Now I must leave you. I am meeting with the Babylonian ambassador. His countrymen have tripled the price of the grain they sell us. Ramram will apprise you of all the most important matters of state.

  I expect to be free by midnight, and I will send for you then. You must share my dinner, though I fear you might not find it
to your taste. On my orders the court enjoys the same rations as the rest of the populace.'

  Nefer Seti turned back to the secret doorway.

  'Majesty.' Taita's tone was urgent. Nefer Seti looked back over one broad shoulder, and Taita hurried on, 'I am in company with a great and learned magus.'

  'Not as powerful as you.' Nefer Seti smiled affectionately.

  'Indeed, I am a child beside him. He comes to Karnak to offer aid and succour to you and your kingdom.'

  'Where is this paragon now?'

  'He is encamped without the city gates. Despite his learning, he is immensely aged, and feeble in body. I need to be near him.'

  'Ramram, find comfortable quarters for the foreign magus in this wing of the palace.'

  'Meren Cambyses is still with me as my companion and protector. 1 would be grateful to have him close at hand.'

  'Sweet Horus, it seems I must share you with half the earth.' Nefer Seti laughed. 'But I am delighted to hear that Meren is well, and that I am to have the pleasure of his company. Ramram will find him a place.

  Now 1 must leave you.'

  'Pharaoh, one more instant of your gracious presence,' Taita cut in, before he could disappear.

  'You have been here but a moment, and already you have wrung fifty favours from me. Your powers of persuasion are undimmed. What is it you still need?'

  'Your permission to cross the river and pay my respects to Queen Mintaka.'

  'If I refused, I would place myself in an invidious position. My queen has not lost her fire. She would treat me mercilessly.' He laughed with real affection for his wife. 'Go to her, by all means, but return here before midnight.'

  A soon as Demeter was safely ensconced in the palace Taita summoned two of the royal physicians to attend him, then called Meren aside. 'I expect to return before nightfall,' he told him.

  'Guard him well.'

  'I should go with you, Magus. In this time of want and starvation even honest men turn in despair to brigandry to feed their families.'