House of Scorpion

by Mark Gajewski

  “Really? No illusions? You two were together every day at Nekhen. Don’t pretend you aren’t interested in her despite her so-called pledge.”

  “Father told me to spend time with Matia to find out what I could about King Ika.”

  “Likely excuse. Pledged or not, I’d have talked her into a tumble or two if I hadn’t been otherwise occupied. Then she’d never have given you a second look.” Mekatre walked away, laughing.

  I couldn’t wait for King Ika to die and for Father to award Nubt to me. Taking that throne instead of Mekatre would be my revenge for every disparaging remark he’d ever made. That day I would savor.

  I sat near the steersman the rest of that afternoon, watching Matia. I was warmed by memories of her lips against mine, our bodies pressed close, her smooth skin, her windblown hair caressing me. Another day and I’d have her forever.

  We tied up the first night along the river. I had hopes of speaking with Matia but the men and women were purposefully kept separate due to the pending alliance and so I couldn’t.

  The negotiations finally began the afternoon of the second day.

  “It’s amazing, seeing the kings of the two most powerful settlements in the valley together like this, don’t you think, Pentu?” Sety asked innocently. He casually sipped his wine.

  Pentu nodded. “Most powerful for now, at least.”

  “What do you mean, for now?” King Ika asked.

  “Since my ancestor Nykara created the first wooden cargo boat nearly two hundred years ago we in the South have been expanding northward,” Sety replied.

  “Lucky for us the settlements in the delta are unorganized and content to trade singly with us in the South and have no ambitions to expand,” Father said. “But all it would take is one man who covets the South to rise up and forge a Northern alliance. A united delta could turn Tjeni and Nubt into settlements like Nekhen in a matter of years.”

  “Like Nekhen?” Ika queried.

  “A mighty settlement reduced to a shell of what it used to be,” Sety said.

  “We royals and our elites need luxuries to set us aside from lapwings, to make public displays that we’re better, to assure that lapwings remember their place,” Father said.

  “Wine, lapis lazuli, fine oils,” Pentu interjected.

  “When our ancestors first set out in their wooden boats two hundred years ago they made the North and its luxuries accessible to Tjeni and Nubt and Nekhen,” Father continued. “But the Nekhenian ruler Ma-ee created a rift between his settlement and mine. Beginning then and to this very day, my predecessors and I have kept Nekhen’s boats out of the North. Nekhen trades now only with Nubt and the Deep South.”

  “And Nekhen’s luxuries wind up in Tjeni through exchange with us,” Pentu interjected.

  “At a considerable markup,” Sety noted.

  Pentu smiled.

  “In Ma-ee’s day, many of Nekhen’s elites fled to Tjeni and Nubt because our settlements’ kings could provide them the luxuries they needed to set themselves apart in quantities Nekhen’s king couldn’t,” Father continued. “We’ve both seen Nekhen firsthand. Which would you rather rule, King Ika – Nubt or Nekhen?”

  “Nubt of course.”

  “We in the South are as vulnerable as Nekhen if the North ever decides to unify and take control of the river,” Father said. “Certainly, the South has a foothold in the delta, thanks to estates and settlements founded by Sety’s ancestor and others – fifteen so far. Even my immediate predecessors founded estates. As have I.”

  “But they compete with twenty settlements founded by natives or barbarians,” Sety said. “All larger. All more established. All with strong ties to the Far North.”

  “We in the South have always believed in expansion,” Father continued. “The North has always been peaceful and content. The question is: are we going to sit by and wait for the North to wake up and do to us what we did to Nekhen, or are we going to seize control of the Northern trade routes that are the lifeblood of we royals and our elites to protect ourselves?” Father shook his head. “I for one refuse to let the South fade away. I will act.”

  “What’s your opinion of King Khab, Majesty?” Sety asked King Ika. Just as we’d discussed doing beneath the willow tree.

  “Hostile. Warlike. Aggressive. Too inexperienced to know his limitations.”

  “He made his intentions for Nekhen clear at his coronation,” Pentu added. “To restore Nekhen to its former prominence.”

  “Warlike is correct, King Khab,” Sety said. “He personally told me he could easily isolate Nubt by blockading the river between you and his northern border, and by seizing control of the trade routes crossing the desert roads in the paw of land west of Nubt.”

  “Those routes belong to Nubt!”

  “Indeed. What would happen to Nubt if you lost them?” Father asked. “No more products from the western oases? Barbarians freely raiding the hamlets that pledge fealty to you?”

  “King Khab assumes he can act with impunity against Nubt because he believes there’s enmity between Nubt and Tjeni,” Sety said. “He assumes King Scorpion will stand by and let him cut you off.”

  “But if Tjeni and Nubt were allies…” Father began.

  “King Khab wouldn’t dare move against Nubt,” Pentu finished.

  “Nekhen’s population is small,” Sabu interrupted, his voice clipped. He had the look of a man whose own alliance was being threatened. A man who had no idea we knew about it. “Nekhen’s no match for the army we could field to protect ourselves. Nekhen might frighten Tjeni, but Nekhen doesn’t scare me.”

  Father merely smiled. He didn’t care about Sabu’s insult. Especially knowing, from our week’s worth of negotiations, that he mattered not at all.

  “Forgive my son, Majesty,” Ika said hurriedly. “He doesn’t always think before he speaks.”

  “You’re right, King Scorpion, and King Ika’s son is wrong,” Pentu said. “Whether King Khab has men enough to threaten Nubt is irrelevant. He has the will. He’ll find a way. He’s already drawn a line in the sand – he’ll trade no more Nekhenian luxuries to either of us until we give his boats free passage to the delta.” Pentu glanced at Sabu. “King Khab has wealth enough to buy warriors from south of the cataract. Or barbarians from the western desert. His lack of Nekhenian manpower doesn’t matter.”

  “I control trade along the river from the foot of the delta to my border with Nubt,” Father said. “You control trade routes into the eastern and western deserts, King Ika. If we allied ourselves we could stop Khab dead in his tracks. In fact, we could together isolate Nekhen even more, weaken Khab, force him to pledge fealty to us, ensure he’s no threat to you.”

  Sabu’s face turned ashen.

  “A unified South,” King Ika said thoughtfully.

  “Who’d rule the South?” Sabu asked Father angrily. “You, Majesty?”

  “I would indeed have primacy. Mine is the mightiest settlement anywhere in the valley,” Father said pointedly.

  “Tjeni has slightly more people than Nubt,” Sabu scoffed. “We’re wealthier, with our gold mines. I dispute your claim that you’re more powerful.”

  “A dispute better not put to the test,” Sety interjected. “A waste of time and resources for both our settlements.”

  “How would an alliance between Tjeni and Nubt work, Majesty?” Pentu asked. As we’d rehearsed.

  “The sections of the valley King Ika and I control would combine. Initially Nubt would remain independent, and under King Ika’s leadership. King Ika would, of course, pledge fealty to me. As would his successors.”

  “I promise you, King Scorpion – I’ll never pledge you fealty!” Sabu exclaimed.

  Father shrugged. Sabu wasn’t going to succeed King Ika. He and King Ika simply didn’t know it yet, and Sabu wouldn’t until it was too late for him to do anything about it.

  “How would we seal an alliance?” King Ika asked Father.

  “You can’t give in so easily, Father!” Sa
bu exclaimed. “Why are you caving to this… this…”

  “Silence!” Ika snapped at Sabu. “I’m king of Nubt. Not you. Not yet.”

  A look passed between Pentu and Sety. Sabu obviously wouldn’t yield the succession gracefully. He’d just ensured his death. As I’d promised Matia.

  “Marriages,” Father said. “My youngest daughter, Heria, to you, Majesty.”

  King Ika brightened. “I’ve buried three wives, Majesty. A young strong fourth would be most welcome.”

  I felt badly for my youngest sister, even though I’d helped arrange her marriage. A girl barely a woman, married to a king three and a half times her age. My heart went out to her. She deserved better. In some ways she reminded me of Matia. She was spirited. I hoped Ika wouldn’t break her. Though Matia has assured me Heria would be able to control her father. I supposed that one day, if Matia and I had daughters, I’d have to arrange their marriages to benefit my political needs despite their wishes. That was a responsibility of kingship. I hoped they wouldn’t hate me for it.

  “My oldest daughter, Weret, to your heir, Sabu,” Father continued.

  The means of maintaining the illusion that Sabu would eventually be king of Nubt.

  “Your eldest daughter, Nebetah, to my heir, Lagus,” Father said.

  “Wife of a man who’ll someday rule Tjeni,” Ika said with satisfaction. “A good match, King Scorpion.”

  Not as good as he hoped assuming Matia gave me a son. He’d be Tjeni’s next king, not Lagus.

  “My son Iry to your daughter Matia.”

  Finally. It was done. Matia was officially going to be my wife. I was going to marry the woman I loved and someday rule Nubt in company with her. Mekatre winked at me. It was easy to guess what he was thinking – that he’d caught me in a lie about my interest in Matia. Which he had. So what?

  “I believe that’s it,” Pentu said.

  “What about me, Father?” Mekatre asked.

  “I intend to arrange a marriage for you with a woman from the North. Perhaps Nebta, perhaps another. We can’t afford to neglect the delta.”

  That satisfied Mekatre. He likely relished the prospect of not being tied down to Nebta or anyone else just yet. He didn’t understand he’d just lost Nubt.

  “Perhaps joining your house to one of my courtiers’ would be of interest, Pentu,” Father casually said, as if the thought had just occurred to him. “I understand you have a daughter?”

  “Nofret, Majesty. A girl of fifteen. Quite marriageable.”

  “Sety, your son is about that age, isn’t he?” Father asked.

  “Senebi, second of his name, after my father,” Sety replied.

  “Another good match,” Father said approvingly.

  “A marvelous match, Majesty,” Pentu said. “A second link between South and North.”

  “Excellent!” Father exclaimed. “We’re agreed! King Ika, our alliance will be remembered by our descendants as the key step in the South’s unification!” He motioned to serving girls. “Wine for everyone! Time to celebrate!”

  Celebrate indeed. Peace. Unification of the South a step closer, and eventually the valley. Matia my wife. And me someday king of Nubt. This was the best day of my life. But not Sabu’s. He stalked from the pavilion, furious, Baki trailing him closely. I drained my cup hurriedly, then left the pavilion myself and paced the length of the deck, back and forth, over and over, too excited to sit still. I stared at the boat trailing ours every time I was pacing in the direction of our stern, at Matia sitting for the second day in the bow of her vessel. I nodded at her the first time I caught her eye. She knew what that meant. She smiled. I resisted the urge to jump overboard and swim to her and take her in my arms. That would’ve been unseemly and raised questions on the other boat and the answers weren’t mine to give. So I continued to pace, thanking the gods for my good fortune, watching as the sun slowly crossed the sky and began to descend. Nightfall and our stop to make camp couldn’t come soon enough for me.

  As we approached the evening’s landing place I noticed Sabu hunkered down between some storage containers piled near the bow. Only his head and shoulders were visible. He was talking animatedly with Iynefer, one of Father’s bodyguards, a loutish brutish man. They had their backs to me. Suspicious, curious, I casually sidled closer, caught a single snatch of conversation – “keep the marriages from taking place, Iynefer.”

  “I will, Majesty.”

  I made myself as unobtrusive as possible as they quickly moved away from each other. What now? Sabu was trying to stop the marriages his father and mine had just arranged and was conspiring with one of Father’s men to do it? Marriages that were key to the alliance and peace between Nubt and Tjeni? One of those marriages was mine, a steppingstone to my kingship. I couldn’t let whatever Sabu and Iynefer were planning succeed. But I couldn’t go to Father or King Ika and make some wild accusation based on an overheard snatch of conversation either. It’d be my word against Sabu’s, with no reason for anyone to believe me. Who’d believe Sabu knew Iynefer anyway? Though they’d looked well-acquainted to me. There was no way Iynefer would’ve made such a deadly promise to Sabu based on a single short whispered conversation. The implication was obvious – Sabu had placed at least one man loyal to him in Father’s court. Among Father’s bodyguards. No men were closer. I wondered if there were more. Grimly, I knew it was up to me to stop whatever Sabu and Iynefer were going to do.

  ***

  We royals and elites ate around a common campfire that night near the landing where the kings’ boats were moored. Several dozen men and women from two rival settlements were for the most part chatting amiably with their neighbors, all served by young girls. Bodyguards belonging to both kings ringed the area, including Iynefer. I was keeping an eye on him. Tall palms swayed overhead in the light breeze. The river was less than fifty yards away, the sound of its relentless current competing with the crackling fire. Wine was flowing freely. Girls were keeping platters of bread and fish newly caught and meat freshly killed filled.

  I barely touched the food. I was too anxious to choke anything down. Matia was sitting directly across the fire from me amidst the other women. They were chattering, happy, oblivious to what lay ahead for them a few hours from now. Except for one. Matia was radiant. Every time I looked at her she smiled. I wanted to take her in my arms. I had to keep Sabu and Iynefer from preventing our marriage.

  When bowls and platters were finally emptied and cleared away, Father and King Ika rose. They stood side by side at one end of the fire, facing the rest of us. The moment I’d been awaiting for days.

  “His Majesty and I agreed to an alliance between Tjeni and Nubt today,” Father announced.

  Murmured wonder and approval among the women and the elites who hadn’t been high-ranking enough to attend the kings on Father’s boat, and looks of expectation.

  “To seal our alliance we’ve arranged several marriages.”

  “Sabu, join me,” King Ika commanded.

  His son rose and stood at Ika’s right, tense, fuming.

  “Lagus and Iry,” Father called.

  We moved to Father’s left.

  “Weret,” Father said.

  She crossed the clearing and stood facing him.

  “Weret, you’re pledged to Sabu, King Ika’s heir.”

  She slowly moved to his right. They eyed each other, Sabu with disdain, Weret shyly.

  I almost hoped that Iynefer would prevent that particular marriage. Weret was an innocent fourteen-year-old girl and Sabu was a conniver and murderer seven years her senior. I’d promised Matia I’d have Sabu killed. I was going to see to it sooner rather than later. The thought of his hands on Weret turned my stomach.

  “Heria,” Father said.

  She walked to Father, uncertainly. Only thirteen, she was barely marriageable.

  “Daughter, you’re pledged to His Majesty, Ika, King of Nubt.”

  She moved in front of him and bowed. He looked her up and down lasciviously. She was
young enough to be his granddaughter. She appeared overwhelmed. He took her hand and pulled her in line next to him. At least she’d be the wife of a king and outrank Weret. That was something.

  “Nebetah,” King Ika called.

  She moved in front of her father. She glared at Heria. Nebetah was six years older than her new stepmother.

  “Nebetah, you belong to Lagus, heir to Scorpion, future king of Tjeni,” Ika said.

  Ika, of course, had no clue about the new line of succession in Tjeni. Nebetah moved to Lagus, her chin tilted regally. Nebetah was undeniably gorgeous – according to Matia the most beautiful woman in Nubt. Lagus was strong and handsome. Nebetah appeared quite pleased with her match. Like every king’s daughter she’d expected to be married for political reasons. At this moment she was undoubtedly certain she was marrying very well. The smile she gave Lagus was both genuine and triumphant.

  Lagus could hardly keep his eyes off her.

  “Matia.”

  I stared unblinkingly as she moved to face King Ika. I wanted to remember how she looked at this moment for the rest of my life.

  “You’re pledged to Iry, youngest son of King Scorpion.”

  Matia pretended to be surprised, for her father had no idea she’d been involved in the negotiations that had made our marriage possible.

  As did I. “My Lady.” I bowed. I took her hand and she moved next to me.

  She squeezed my fingers.

  Mekatre caught my eye and winked again.

  Let him mock me to his heart’s content. I had what I wanted.

  Father nodded to Sety.

  Sety stepped forward and faced the kings. He removed the talisman from around his neck and held it high over them. “I invoke the blessing of Horus, the falcon god, the most ancient god known in this valley, on this union of Tjeni and Nubt,” he cried. “May it last a thousand thousand years!”

  “And so we have peace in the South!” Father intoned.

  “And so we have peace!” Ika echoed.

  Father called for more wine and as the men raised their cups the women left in a group to bathe in the river, not just the royals, but the elite girls and women who’d accompanied the kings to Nekhen. I refused a cup. Now that the marriages had been announced it was my duty to keep them from being used to sabotage the alliance. Trouble was, I had no idea how or when Iynefer was going to act, or what he was going to do. Tonight? Sometime in the next four days before we reached Nubt? After both kings reached their own settlements? All I knew for sure was who was going to be responsible. Shortly after the women departed the fire I noted Iynefer slinking away from the circle of light into the darkness, trying hard to be inconspicuous. Whatever he was doing was going to happen tonight, and somehow involved the women. I slipped away from the campfire a moment later, making sure that Sabu didn’t notice, then followed Iynefer at a distance so he wouldn’t spot me. The moon was a week past full and brightly illuminated the floodplain abutting the river. The river flowing just beyond the palms that lined the riverbank was silver, sparkling in the gaps between trunks. Iynefer was keeping as much as possible to the shadows cast by trees, either singly or in clusters, himself a dark shadow flitting from darkness to darkness, visible to me only when he dashed across open stretches of the plain. He looked over his shoulder constantly to make sure he wasn’t being followed and I was careful not to be seen. All at once faint sounds of laughing and singing women came to me, and soon after that of splashing. Iynefer and I were nearing the place where the women were bathing.