House of Scorpion

by Mark Gajewski

  “Mekatre and Nebta,” I whispered.

  Nebta tugged her skirt into place with her free hand and giggled some more.

  “Your brother and the daughter of Farkha’s ruler,” Matia said disgustedly.

  “His usual behavior, Matia. We’ve been at Nekhen for a day and I’ve seen Mekatre with three women so far – an elite daughter, a serving girl, and now a ruler’s daughter. Same as at Tjeni. He’s always with a beautiful woman. Will be after he’s married too, I suspect.”

  “Are you like that, Iry?” Matia probed. “After all, I don’t really know you.”

  “I’ve never felt about any woman the way I feel about you, Matia.”

  “We barely know each other.”

  “I knew what I felt the moment I saw you.”

  Matia caressed my cheek with her fingers. “You’re sweet.”

  “I’ll always be faithful to you,” I promised. “I’ll never forget yesterday, Matia, when I fell in love with the most wonderful girl in the entire valley.”

  “And I’ll remember what it was like to feel like a girl, not a king’s daughter and a pawn in men’s machinations. A time when I chose for myself who to love.”

  Matia raised her face to mine, her eyes shining in the moonlight. I bent my mouth to hers. I couldn’t help think I just might be able to do this, and far more, every day for the rest of my life. The thought filled me with happiness.

  ***

  I stood in the baking sun in the oval court along with three thousand others from Nekhen and the surrounding region who’d gathered for Khab’s coronation. We royal children and elites were facing the flower-decorated throne atop the shaded dais. The kings and rulers were seated on leather-bottomed chairs beneath a sunscreen to the left of the dais, with Nekhen’s elites to the right. The kings’ and elites’ and hamlets’ standards – images atop dozens of tall slim poles – were set in an arc along the curve of the oval, just as in the ancient stories Sety had told me. Behind me to the left red linen banners snapped in the breeze atop the four poles of the court’s monumental entrance. Directly behind me at the far end of the oval a copper-clad falcon glittered atop a very tall thin pole. Commoners who owed fealty to the new king filled the bulk of the bone-ringed grounds.

  Matia was a dozen paces from me, her long hair swirling in the breeze. We’d purposefully been avoiding each other in public during daylight hours this week so Sabu wouldn’t catch wind of what we were up to. She and I had been conveying messages between Father and Pentu every evening in secluded spots, except for the two days Father and the other rulers had been participating in Khab’s hunt. Pentu and Sety were going to meet face to face for the first time during this afternoon’s coronation banquet to lock down the final details of the alliance. All of us who’d been involved in the negotiations believed we were about to forge a lasting peace in the southern section of the valley. And take a giant step forward on the path to unification.

  Matia and I had spent every evening together, sometimes sitting atop the heights overlooking the valley, sometimes walking beside the river, sometimes talking atop the outcrop. We’d been drawn together the first day by a purpose important to us both, but that task had led to so much more. I treasured the time we’d spent together. Matia was lively and interesting and smart and I’d never met anyone like her. To say I’d fallen for her was an understatement. She was generous with her kisses and I could hardly wait for what was to come once we shared a bed.

  The kings and minor rulers had marched into the court first, single file, each announced by a herald in stentorian voice. Then had entered their wives and children and advisors in a group, including me. The kings’ and elites’ older daughters had followed, singing and dancing, Heket in the lead, afterwards taking their places among the rest of us. I’d had eyes only for Matia, the most graceful of them all, her voice the sweetest and clearest.

  There was a stir in the court. A man entered carrying Nekhen’s standard – an image of Horus atop an ebony pole. Then a man holding high the palette I’d seen in the oval court workshop a few days ago. Khab strode through the entrance and followed the two men towards the dais through the narrow corridor left vacant in the middle of the crowd. He was wearing only a white kilt, his head bare, without any jewelry or symbols of power. All of us bowed as he passed. The kings, of course, did not.

  I barely paid attention to the long and elaborate coronation ritual – the smoke of burning incense rising to the heavens, Nekhen’s elite girls reciting ancient chants, the sacrifice of a bull. I was watching Matia, allowing myself to dream. A few days from now she’d be mine, and thanks to our marriage, before many years passed, I’d rule Nubt. A handful of generations from now, one of my and Matia’s descendants would finish the task my ancestress Abar had set in motion two hundred years ago in this very settlement and rule a united valley. I was feeling part of something very much larger than myself.

  Nekhen’s elites formed a line. One by one they ascended the steps of the dais and presented Khab with symbols of power – a lion’s tail, a shepherd’s crook, a flail, a solid gold necklace, gold armbands. Finally, Nekhen’s most important elite stepped behind Khab and placed a bulbous white crown made of leather atop his head, a crown similar in design to the one Father wore. Its obvious source.

  Sety ascended the dais. He bowed to King Khab, then turned to face the crowd. He removed the talisman from around his neck and held it high for all to see. “This talisman was cast from the sky in a fireball more than two thousand years ago!” he cried. “The falcon god himself led my ancestress Aya to it. I am the one hundred twenty-third member of my family to bear it.” He lowered the talisman. “Seven hundred years ago my ancestress, Tiaa, confirmed a man named Kairy as Nekhen’s ruler in this very court. Every king gathered here today owes a debt to Tiaa and Kairy, for Kairy was the first man in this valley to rule more than a single settlement. Every patriarch from every hamlet in this region pledged fealty to Kairy that day. Today – in the oval court sacred to the falcon god, Horus, in the settlement sacred to Horus, I confirm and bless King Khab.” Sety touched the talisman to Khab’s forehead. “May your years be long and your reign fruitful, Majesty!” Sety moved to the side.

  King Khab rose. He held his crook and flail high.

  “Long live the king! Long live the king!” echoed over and over throughout the court.

  Khab let the cries wash over him for a very long time, then gestured for all to quiet. “When Tiaa confirmed Kairy as ruler, and in the generations that followed, Nekhen was the most powerful settlement in the entire valley. Our craftsmen produced the most prized goods. Our wooden boats ranged from the cataract to the sea. Our god – Horus – pervaded the valley. People from other settlements adopted our customs and our way of life.” He took a step forward. “Nekhen has faded the past two hundred years. The ancestors of some of the kings gathered here today are responsible for that. So are some of these very kings.” He glanced towards where Father and the other rulers were seated.

  I saw shock and frowns and outright anger on various rulers’ faces, including Father’s. To be so accused in such a setting was unprecedented. The murmurs of agreement in the crowd were unsettling.

  “I promise you, my people – I will restore Nekhen’s glory! No man in this valley will stop me! It’s my solemn pledge!” He turned and addressed the rulers. “From this day, I will send no luxury objects north on the river until Nubt stops taking a share of goods I send and receive! I will send no luxury objects north until Tjeni allows Nekhen’s boats to travel freely all the way from here to the sea! Until that time, I will trade solely with the lands south of the cataract and the oases in the western desert. I will deny the elites of this valley its finest luxury goods. This I promise! This will be!” Khab seated himself to cheers.

  Rumors of Khab’s ambition and belligerence were rumor no more. I couldn’t help wonder if Sabu had managed to bring Khab into his alliance. That would explain Khab’s unbridled confidence. After seeing Nekhen for an entire w
eek, it was clear to me that Nekhen couldn’t stand up to Nubt by itself, much less Tjeni. At any rate, Khab’s threats made the alliance Matia and I had arranged even more important.

  As soon as King Khab and his fellow rulers departed the oval court it emptied. Everyone hurried to partake of the coronation feast that had been laid out on the plain just outside. Cows and sheep and goats and various types of wild game had been roasting since morning, and lines formed to heap platters with meat, a luxury for commoners that was restricted to special occasions like today’s. Serving girls filled cups from countless jars of beer to slake thirsts. People began to settle in the fitful shade of what trees there were to eat their fill. We royals feasted beneath a number of sunscreens that had been set up adjacent to the court. I sat far from Matia, on purpose, observing the other royals. King Ny-Hor was hanging all over Matia’s older sister Nebetah. I took that as a sign that Antef had spoken with his father about Sabu’s offer and he’d accepted. Otherwise, why would Ny-Hor have paid attention to a nineteen-year-old girl? He was more than twice her age. If I hadn’t known Matia loved me I’d have been in agony seeing Antef seated next to her, the woman Sabu had pledged to him as wife. That was the clearest sign yet that Sabu hadn’t guessed his alliance had been undone. Matia seemed to be having a pleasant time with Antef, smiling, laughing, overly attentive. Even though I knew she was acting interested so he wouldn’t guess his alliance was no more I couldn’t help be jealous.

  Games followed the meal. I didn’t take part in the archery or wrestling – both Lagus and Mekatre excelled – though I beat almost everyone in the race from the oval court to the upper terrace and back on the wadi path. Afterwards, drenched with sweat, I had good reason to head to the river and wash off with no one suspecting my real purpose. As if anyone was paying attention to me.

  Matia and Pentu and Sety were waiting for me beneath the branches of a willow tree along the riverbank where all of us but Sety had met several times. Matia had already introduced the two men.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we?” Pentu said pleasantly.

  I sat, still dripping from jumping in the river to wash sweat and grime away.

  “I believe we have the framework for an alliance and a plan to get King Ika to approve it,” Pentu said, business-like. “I’ll summarize.”

  “Please,” Sety invited.

  “King Scorpion and King Ika and their elites and sons will board King Scorpion’s boat in the morning and travel together from Nekhen to Nubt. A six-day journey.”

  “What about the royal women?” I asked, eyeing Matia.

  “We’ll travel on Father’s boat, behind yours,” she said.

  “Best not to divert the men’s attention, or let the women overhear what’s being discussed,” Sety added.

  “We’ll merge women and men on the same boat once the alliance is announced,” Matia said. “Wives will travel with husbands.” She smiled at me.

  “The first day will be filled with pleasantries and eating and drinking and entertainment,” Pentu continued. “On the second, King Scorpion will casually bring up the danger King Khab poses to Nubt and will ask King Ika if he’s concerned.”

  “He should be, after what Khab charged this afternoon in the oval court,” Sety said. “Khab was directly attacking King Ika and King Scorpion. Promising to cut their elites off from the objects produced by Nekhen’s craftsmen was outrageous. But ultimately futile, given that both kings have access to the luxuries of the North.”

  “His Majesty is concerned and he’ll say so,” Pentu assured us. “The king told me during the coronation feast that he considers Khab to be extremely dangerous, especially because he’s inexperienced and determined to prove himself to his elites. King Ika assumes King Khab will do something outrageous to back the pledge he made today. Nubt’s the nearest settlement and the logical target.”

  “Khab played right into our hands,” Sety noted.

  “I’ll steer the conversation after that towards an alliance between Tjeni and Nubt to protect us both from a resurgent Nekhen,” Pentu said.

  “Are you sure King Ika will agree to the alliance?”

  “I guarantee it,” Pentu said. “I’m in favor, and King Ika yields to me in all things.”

  “Very good.”

  “We’ll seal the alliance with marriages, as agreed,” Pentu continued. “King Scorpion’s youngest daughter, Heria, will marry King Ika. King Scorpion’s oldest daughter, Weret, will marry King Ika’s heir, Sabu. King Ika’s oldest daughter, Nebetah, will marry King Scorpion’s heir, Lagus. And Iry and Matia will marry.”

  Both Pentu and Father had agreed to Matia’s and my proposal with barely any discussion.

  “Iry will rule Nubt after King Ika dies,” Pentu continued. “I’ll serve as his advisor.”

  Along with Matia. Our secret. I nodded slightly and she smiled.

  “Eventually, Iry’s and Matia’s son will succeed King Scorpion,” Sety said.

  “The succession plans for Nubt and Tjeni will, as agreed, stay between the four of us and King Scorpion,” Pentu said. “Neither King Ika nor Sabu will know the details. King Ika will never find out because he’ll be dead when Iry takes his place. Sabu will find out when King Ika dies, but if he himself isn’t already dead he will be shortly thereafter.”

  A promise I’d reiterated to Matia every single day.

  “Hetshet will be avenged,” Matia said with satisfaction.

  “What about Mekatre?” Pentu asked. “Won’t he argue he deserves to marry Matia since she’s a king’s daughter and he outranks Iry?”

  “I’ve convinced Father to tell Mekatre he’s decided to marry him to the daughter of a Northern ruler,” I said. “Mekatre’s spent a great deal of time with Nebta of Farkha this week.” I glanced at Matia. She reddened slightly. “I think that’ll please Mekatre.”

  “What about your son, Baki?” Sety asked Pentu. “Isn’t he pledged to Matia?”

  “I’ll find him a wife more suitable to his shortcomings.”

  “As we discussed, Pentu, your daughter Nofret will marry my son Senebi, to tie our houses together,” Sety said.

  “And eventually to mine and Matia’s,” I said. “According to your dream, Sety.”

  “I look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with all of you,” Pentu said.

  “We’re agreed then, Pentu.” Sety stood. “I’ll report to King Scorpion and let him know peace is at hand. I’ll see you on King Scorpion’s boat in the morning.”

  “Until morning,” Pentu said.

  Sety left. After a suitable interval Pentu departed. Matia and I remained.

  “I can’t believe we did it,” Matia said, smiling broadly, taking hold of my hand. “Stopped my brother in his tracks. Saved Nubt. Set Sety’s dream in motion. The gods must have been watching over us this week, Iry.”

  “Horus for sure, Sety would claim. Fitting everything happened here at Nekhen. From now on, Horus will be the god of my house, Matia, and I’ll serve him faithfully.”

  “Sabu’s going to be caught off guard when our fathers announce this alliance,” Matia said gleefully. “I can’t wait to see his face.”

  I took Matia in my arms. “And I can’t wait to be with you.”

  She kissed me. “Neither can I. My Love.”

  ***

  The first day on Father’s boat, as Sety and Pentu had arranged, the two kings mostly exchanged pleasantries when they weren’t being entertained by singers and dancers. They sat under a shaded pavilion amidships attended by their sons and most important elites – Lagus and Mekatre and Sety and Minnefer and Perneb and me in Father’s case; Sabu and Pentu and Bebi and Ani and Maya and Baki in Ika’s. I was seated next to Father; due to the conversation between Sabu and Antef that I’d overheard, he thought it best I be near so we could consult in a whisper once negotiations began, just in case he needed leverage over Ika though, according to Pentu, that seemed unlikely.

  Sabu didn’t try to hide the contempt he felt for all of u
s, nor his anger at being in our presence. He had no idea an alliance between his father and mine was imminent – keeping it secret from him was the main reason Pentu had been the only Nubtian involved in the negotiations besides Matia. I couldn’t wait to see Sabu’s reaction once the alliance was confirmed by the two kings. Sabu was undoubtedly convinced he’d successfully allied himself with other valley rulers to attack Tjeni. A day from now his alliance would be in tatters and his reputation as a reliable ally destroyed. Knowing he’d murdered his brother, he deserved everything that was coming his way.

  At one point someone brought out ivory throwing sticks and there ensued a tournament of chase and capture. It was a game my brothers refused to play with me, for neither could grasp its strategy and I always defeated them. Today Sabu took on and beat all comers – both of my brothers, Minnefer, Perneb, all of Nubt’s elites. Finally, brashly, arrogantly, he challenged me. He didn’t stand a chance. I delighted in defeating him in the open after I’d already defeated him in secret, in a game much more important.

  King Ika’s boat, carrying the women, closely followed ours. Early in the afternoon Matia made her way to the bow and I headed to the stern of Father’s boat. She smiled and waved.

  “You weren’t stupid enough to fall in love with her, were you, Iry?” Mekatre mocked, moving beside me. He was still unaware of the alliance. “The daughter of an enemy king? At least I seduced a girl whose father’s friendly to us. Though I suppose you’d latch on to any girl who’d talk to you for more than a few minutes.”

  Normally Mekatre’s digs made me lose my temper, even though I knew that’s what he was trying to do. But not today. My marriage to Matia was going to make me more important than Mekatre. Until it was announced, I’d obfuscate. “Matia’s been pledged to one of Nubt’s elites since she was five years old. I have no illusions.”