House of Scorpion
A Tale of Predynastic Egypt
Mark L. Gajewski
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This book is a work of fiction. Its contents are wholly imagined.
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Copyright @2019 by Mark L. Gajewski.
Table of Contents
3260 BC: 6th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3259 BC: 7th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3258 BC: 8th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3257 BC: 9th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3256 BC: 10th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3255 BC: 11th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3254 BC: 12th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3253 BC: 13th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3252 BC: 14th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3251 BC: 15th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3250 BC: 16th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
3260 BC: 6th regnal year of Scorpion, King of Tjeni
Peret (Seed)
Matia
“Are you going to let King Scorpion seize Nubt without a fight, Brother? Or will you stand up to him before it’s too late?”
Loud angry words from the stretch of riverbank a few paces ahead brought me to a halt. I was hurrying home to Father’s royal residence, his per’aa, from Harwa’s farm, trodding a palm-shaded path beside Iteru, the great river that sliced through the heart of the valley. I’d spent all day at the farm, catching fish with Harwa and his wife Khentetka. Even though she was a commoner and I was the youngest daughter of Ika, Nubt’s king, I enjoyed spending time with her. Her mother had been my wetnurse; we’d grown up together in the per’aa and we’d been inseparable up to the day of her marriage five years ago. Anytime I wanted to escape the drudgery of the royal women’s quarters, or an onerous task such as today’s weaving, I snuck off to her farm a mile and a half north of Nubt. Harwa kept my visits secret; he appreciated the delicacies I smuggled to him every time I came. Sometimes I helped Khentetka tend her garden. Sometimes I helped her grind grain or bake bread or set snares to trap wild fowl in thickets of reeds and rushes in the floodplain. Sometimes we simply gathered fragrant lilies and talked. Today, Harwa had let us fish with him, he poling one reed punt, Khentetka and I another, a net strung between them. I enjoyed days like this the most; being outside, warmed by the sun, drifting on the shining river as birds swooped and soared all around, flashes of color and snatches of song among the sycamore and willow and papyrus and swaying palms on the plain. Living free was what I craved, not being shut up indoors doing tedious mindless repetitive work. I’d vowed years ago to take advantage of every moment of freedom I could steal while I was still able. It was just a matter of time until Baki, a man not of my choosing, took me to his bed. An arranged marriage. My fate as the king’s most inconsequential daughter.
The sun was less than an hour from dipping below the rim of the western plateau – Desheret, the red land that stretched from the river to the ends of the earth. Soon shadow would engulf the fertile plains along both sides of the river – Kemet, the black land. I needed to skirt whoever was arguing as quickly as possible so I could reach Nubt before dark; walking beside the river after nightfall was extremely risky. Crocodiles and hippos lurked amidst marshes and reed patches that covered the floodplain between cultivated farms and I didn’t intend to encounter one. The river to my left that flowed north for hundreds of miles from mysterious lands south of the cataract all the way to the delta, Ta-mehi, and on to the sea, the Wadjet Wer, reflected the yellow and red and orange of sunset. My skirt, soaked from stepping into the river from my punt to get to land, was still drying in the heat and clinging to my thighs. Every time I’d crossed the end of a farm field after leaving Harwa’s I’d kept to the shadows among small clusters of date palms that lined the river, moving swiftly across the open spaces between them. I didn’t want anyone to catch sight of me and question where I’d been. I wasn’t going to risk my hard-earned freedom by being careless.
“Well, will you?”
I recognized the voice. Sabu. The younger of my two half-brothers. Haranguing the elder, Hetshet. Angry, as usual. Sabu was a hothead. He believed only his perspective mattered, no matter the issue, and was rarely troubled by facts. Sabu was berating Hetshet in one of the most secluded spots in the vicinity of Nubt, smack dab in the middle of an uninhabited swamp a quarter mile from the nearest farm both north and south. If they were arguing in secret, something was up. Getting to Nubt was going to have to wait. I slipped behind the ridged trunk of a slightly-leaning date palm and peered around. Luckily, the sun was behind me; Sabu couldn’t see me because of the glare. He was standing chest to chest with Hetshet. Baki was a little behind Sabu, saying nothing, but obviously supporting him. Three long shadows stretched towards the river.
Was Scorpion really planning to seize Nubt? I knew from spending time in Father’s audience hall that Scorpion was the most aggressive of the kings who ruled the three great settlements in the southern part of the valley – my father Ika here at Nubt; Khayu to our south at Nekhen; Scorpion to our north at Tjeni. Scorpion had taken his throne six years ago, when I was twelve. He’d been in his mid-thirties then; he’d waited a long time for Tjeni’s previous king, Bull, his first wife’s father, to die. Tjeni had already been the most important settlement in the valley then – slightly larger than Nubt, much larger than Nekhen – and he’d made it greater since. Tjeni wasn’t blessed with natural resources like Nubt – we derived our wealth from gold mines and siltstone quarries in the eastern desert – nor did Tjeni have accomplished craftsmen whose fine objects were craved by elites throughout the valley, like Nekhen. Tjeni’s advantage was position – it sat astride the river to our north, controlling trade both north and south. The very day he’d taken his throne Scorpion had started demanding a share of what every Nubtian cargo boat that passed Tjeni carried, skimming off the finest luxury items so he could distribute them to Tjeni’s elites to ensure their loyalty. Elite loyalty was important in this valley, especially in Tjeni and Nubt, for rule wasn’t hereditary in either settlement and so kings were chosen by elites. Scorpion was said to be a fierce fighter, relentless in pursuit of what he desired, generous to the elites who pledged him fealty, cruel when necessary to his commoners. He’d earned a reputation as the valley’s greatest hunter from when he was young – some said he’d killed so many lions he’d lost count, making him the envy of his fellow rulers. Lions were the most royal of beasts – lions and wild bulls symbolized kings, and by tradition only rulers and royals could hunt them. By contrast, my father had a single lion’s tail, and not from lack of trying. From Father’s perspective, Scorpion was the single most dangerous man in the valley, for with a word he could blockade the river between Nubt and the North, depriving our elites of luxury goods and our commoners of necessities. Ever since Father had been selected by Nubt’s elites and placed on his throne thirteen years ago he’d made it a policy not to irritate any king of Tjeni.
“Answer me, Hetshet! Will you challenge Scorpion before he’s too strong to defeat, or not?” Sabu stabbed his finger into Hetshet’s chest.
Sabu was twenty-one, three years older than me, two years younger than Hetshet. We were all children of King Ika, each of us born of a different mother. All three had died in chi
ldbirth – though Sabu’s had lived long enough to produce a daughter, Nebetah, four years after his birth. Hetshet was Father’s designated heir but Sabu was his clear favorite. Neither of my brothers had any use for me, nor did Father. He’d hoped for a third son. My brothers, on the other hand, were glad I was a girl, and no rival to them.
“Why are you so convinced Scorpion wants to seize Nubt?” Hetshet asked, taking a step backwards. He hated confrontation. “We’ve been at peace with Tjeni for hundreds of years.”
“Until Scorpion took his throne our boats traveled freely all the way to the sea,” Sabu snapped. “But he confiscates a share of whatever we transport past Tjeni. Luxuries that belong to we royals and Nubt’s elites. I guarantee he covets our gold mines and trade routes into the western desert. He’s going to seize them unless we prevent him. Scorpion’s a grasping greedy monster who won’t rest until he has what’s ours. Everyone knows it – except, apparently, you and Father.”
“Tjeni and Nubt and Nekhen all benefit from the current peace,” Hetshet argued. “Does the loss of a few luxuries really matter? We’re rich from our gold mines and acting as middlemen in the trade between Tjeni and Nekhen. Except for worshiping three different gods, our settlements are practically indistinguishable.”
“Indistinguishable!” Sabu exclaimed. “Two hundred years ago Nekhen was the most powerful settlement in the entire valley! Now it’s a pale shadow of what it used to be. That’s Tjeni’s doing, Brother. Tjeni broke with Nekhen in retaliation for some woman’s execution. Ever since, Tjeni’s king has prevented anyone except us from trading directly with Nekhen. If not for Nekhen’s superior craftsmen making luxury objects for our elites, and for us to trade north, Nekhen would’ve entirely faded away.”
“You truly believe Scorpion’s going to invade Nubt?”
“I do.”
“Impossible, Sabu. Tjeni’s only slightly larger than Nubt. Scorpion doesn’t have the manpower to capture and occupy Nubt and all the settlements beholden to Father – Abadiya and Iunet and Gebtu – not to mention all the hamlets. He doesn’t have gold to buy mercenaries either.”
“Open your eyes, Hetshet! Tjeni’s population is growing. Tjeni has limitless land to expand to its north to feed everyone. Nekhen has plenty to its south. But we’re caught in the middle between the two of them, hemmed in. We can’t expand in either direction – unless we take territory from our neighbors.”
“We can convert more of the marshland in our region into cropland,” Hetshet said. “We can irrigate more of the floodplain – we’ve done precious little of that.”
“Why? It’s easier to seize already cultivated fields,” Baki rejoined.
Baki was two years older than me. His father, Pentu, Nubt’s most prominent elite, had thrown his support to Father when our prior king died, setting Father on the throne. In return, Father had pledged me in marriage to Baki, and Hetshet to Pentu’s daughter Nofret. So far, neither marriage had been consummated.
“I don’t believe Scorpion intends to attack Nubt,” Hetshet said firmly. “Why incur the expense of a war? He’s grown wealthy these past six years, by all accounts. What more does he need?”
“Haven’t you been listening? Our gold and siltstone! Our craftsmen who work copper! Our trade routes into the eastern and western deserts! And our territory. It’s far easier for Scorpion to take our established farmland than for his people to carve new out of marsh and swamp to his north or irrigate more of their existing.”
“Are you seriously suggesting we attack Tjeni, Sabu? We wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Not by ourselves. But every ruler of importance the length of the valley is about to gather at Nekhen for the new king’s coronation.”
“What new king?”
“Father received word this morning. King Khayu’s dead. One of his grandsons, Khab, has been named his successor. Our entire royal household’s going to Nekhen to see him crowned. We should take advantage of the opportunity.”
“What opportunity?”
“To create an alliance to eradicate Scorpion before it’s too late.”
“With Khab?”
“Why not? Nekhen’s new king should fear Scorpion as much as we do. If Scorpion conquers Nubt he’ll entirely cut Nekhen off from the rest of the valley and Nekhen will die. Plus, my spies tell me Khab was given the throne by Nekhen’s elites because he promised to restore Nekhen to its former glory. He was the youngest grandson of the dead king, the least likely to take his place. Khab’s militancy might prove useful to us.”
“You have spies in Nekhen?” Hetshet was incredulous.
“And Tjeni. I won’t be blindsided by either Khab or Scorpion. Father may like being in the dark but I don’t.”
“How would an alliance with Nekhen help us when we lie between Nekhen and Tjeni – as you’ve pointed out?”
“We wouldn’t have to worry about our southern flank, Brother. We could draw on Nekhen’s men as soldiers. But I wouldn’t stop with Nekhen. We should ally ourselves with Ny-Hor too.”
“King of Pe and Dep in the delta?”
“He could entirely shut off the flow of goods from the delta into the upper valley on our behalf. Then Tjeni would have to deal with enemies both north and south. Scorpion would be weakened with his army divided.”
“Scorpion doesn’t have an army any more than we do,” Hetshet scoffed.
“He could raise one from among his farmers in no time. As we could.”
“Why would King Ny-Hor wage war against Tjeni? What’s in it for him?”
“Perhaps not Ny-Hor. He’s a cautious man, from what I’ve gleaned. Just like Father. But his son Antef – I’m sure he’ll join us with the right incentives – a promise he can rule the delta, for example. Or perhaps marriage to our half-sister Matia.”
I should’ve been surprised at the mention of my name, but I wasn’t. Why wouldn’t Sabu consider me to be a bargaining chip? Father’d used me as one, as did most kings with their daughters. But Sabu was giving me away in front of the very man I’d been promised to as wife since I was five years old. Why wasn’t Baki protesting? How would his father Pentu react when he found out Sabu was disrupting his well-laid plans? Pentu’s support of Father as king had been contingent upon my marriage to his son to tie his family to the royal house. What would Pentu do if Sabu followed through on his threat? Shift his support to someone else as king? There were only five truly important elite families in Nubt – one headed by Father, one by Pentu, one by Hetshet’s uncle, one by Sabu’s uncle, and one by my cousin. Was Sabu really proposing to take on both Scorpion and Pentu at the same time? Enemies within and without? Or was Baki’s presence here a sign that Pentu had given up on Father and thrown his support behind Sabu’s scheme?
“Nothing to say, Baki?” Hetshet asked pointedly. “No objection to my brother taking away your woman?”
“I’ve promised him Nebetah instead,” Sabu proclaimed.
Sabu’s full sister. A year older than me.
“Nebetah’s gorgeous,” Baki said enthusiastically. “She’s meek and submissive and compliant. Matia’s headstrong. I’ve better things to do than tame a wife.”
Tame me? As if you could! Any man who tried to rein me in would be a fool. Nebetah could have Baki, and good riddance. I had no use for or interest in him. Never had.
Hetshet snorted. “Father will never break his pledge to Pentu, or agree to attack Scorpion, or create an alliance against him.”
“I know. He’s short-sighted. He turned me down this morning when I broached the subject, right after he learned about King Khayu.”
“You actually spoke with him about this foolishness?”
“I just said I did.”
“You’ve come to me hoping for a different answer?”
“Father won’t always be Nubt’s king, Hetshet – you will,” Sabu said earnestly. “Just say the word. I’ll establish an alliance you can use to put Scorpion in his place once you sit Nubt’s throne.”
“Be realistic
, Sabu. Khab will be a brand-new king. He’ll have to focus on consolidating power within Nekhen, given how many rivals he must have had for his throne. I’m sure none of his older brothers and cousins are happy he vaulted over them. And Ny-Hor’s too far away. Over a month’s travel by river at least.”
“Again, Ny-Hor’s positioned to shut off trade from the North. That’s worth several armies to us. Especially in combination with Nekhen. Don’t underestimate Khab’s passion to make Nekhen great again. What better way to rally his elites behind him and shut down his opponents than a nice war?”
“Assuming that’s true, how do you think Tjeni’s elites will react if we ally ourselves with Nekhen and shut off their access to Nekhen’s luxury goods? They’ll fight back, Sabu.”
“We have limitless gold, Hetshet. In fact, a caravan arrived earlier today from the mines in the eastern desert. We can buy barbarians from the western desert or even from south of the cataract to fight for us. They can strike from the desert, where Tjeni will least expect attack. We’ll overwhelm Scorpion.”
Hetshet shook his head. “You’re crazy, Sabu. I won’t go along with your scheme.”
“You’re making a mistake, Brother.”
“It’s my mistake to make, not yours, Sabu. I’ll succeed Father, not you, and I say no.”
Hetshet turned and started to walk towards distant Nubt.
Baki stepped into and blocked his path.
“Get out of my way, Baki!” Hetshet tried to shove him aside.
Baki shoved him in return.
Baki was stout. Hetshet was slight. Hetshet stumbled, fell backwards into Sabu’s arms.
Sabu caught him. “Too bad you’re so obstinate, Brother.” Sabu had a flint knife in his right hand. He grabbed Hetshet’s long hair with his left and slit Hetshet’s throat.
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