House of Scorpion

by Mark Gajewski

  “Of course, Raherka. But you already know what it’s going to be.”

  They both laughed. The tension that had filled the room was instantly gone.

  After dinner, while Sety and Raherka conferred further, I decided to visit the southern trading area. I was in the North to learn, after all. I trod a path on the very crest of the ridge. The river to my right, lined on its far bank with rich green fields, was taking on sunset’s colors. Wadis and stark desert were to my left, beyond the settlement’s edge. I passed through a section of much finer houses than the huts surrounding them; I assumed they belonged to traders and the men who employed craftsmen. Plumes of smoke rose from one area down the slope, likely where workshops were located. I heard the ringing of stone against stone. No doubt the vase makers.

  The trading area consisted of a long line of large wattle-and-daub huts. Porters were placing containers they’d carried from the traders’ boats into some of them. Others were filling containers with items from the huts to carry back to the quays. A few men, obviously traders, stood in small groups, some arguing, some gesturing, some concluding deals and smiling, some stalking off angrily.

  The first hut I entered contained jars filled with carnelian beads, all with holes drilled so they could be easily strung. Carnelian was an exceptionally hard stone and drilling was a labor-intense process. I was impressed. The next jar held figurines carved from hippo ivory.

  “Hippos roam the delta in great numbers,” a trader told me. “They wade from the water to graze on farmers’ barley at night. Some delta men hunt them full-time to protect the crops. A bonus for craftsmen who live at Farkha and carve these figures.” He pointed to another container, filled with a blue stone. “Lapis lazuli. Exceedingly rare. It comes from a single land in the Far North many months travel from the valley.”

  Another jar held shiny obsidian. I stepped outside the hut. Stacked on its far side were exceptionally fragrant logs, each of them far longer and straighter and bigger around than any tree that grew in the valley.

  “Cedar,” a trader said.

  I was familiar with it; Father had sent an expedition to obtain some the first year of his reign. It was even now being used in his per’aa.

  “The trees grow on the slopes of low mountains along the seacoast in the vicinity of Jebail, a port in Retenu,” the trader continued. “I’ve seen logs as much as forty or fifty feet long. That’s as large as most boats can transport.”

  I entered a hut crammed with rows of large earthenware jars, all with ledge feet and handles.

  A trader pried the lid off one. “Olive oil,” he said, inviting me to dip a finger inside and taste. “Enhances the flavor of food.” He moved to another row. “This is resin.”

  Similar to the substance Tjeni’s boatmen obtained from local trees and used to seal seams in their boats, but this was richer and far more aromatic. Better suited for use as a cosmetic.

  I stepped inside a third hut.

  “These jars hold wine,” a trader said.

  I’d never seen so many in one place, not even in Father’s storerooms. I observed the trading area for an entire hour before heading back to Raherka’s. I could see why Sety was torn between his duty to Father and the survival of Maadi. That such an important settlement was about to be wiped away after hundreds of years of existence without even a token fight was a testament to Father’s might and long reach. I thought about Sabu. He had no idea what his attack on Heria had unleashed, and the price he was going to pay for having done it. Any man who crossed Father was a fool.

  As I neared Raherka’s house I spotted Lagus and Khensuw lying in each other’s arms just behind the crest of a low sand dune. They were less inconspicuous than I assumed they’d intended. It hadn’t taken my brother long to seduce her. But, he was heir to Father’s throne, and so hard to resist for that reason alone. I recalled overhearing Mekatre and Nebta similarly occupied at the foot of the outcrop at Nekhen. What was it about my brothers that so easily drew women to them? Whatever it was, I didn’t have it. Then Matia’s face flashed before me. If not for Sabu, Matia and I would’ve engaged in the same activity Lagus was currently enjoying many times by now. I wondered if I’d ever have figured out she was only pretending to love me, or if she’d have been able to carry off her deception indefinitely. Or if she’d simply have left me once Sabu was dead. On the spot I vowed I’d never trust a woman again, no matter how sincere she seemed. I wouldn’t let myself fall in love. Ever. I’d simply accept whatever political marriage Father arranged for me, probably to Heket, and make the best of it, no matter how intolerable.

  ***

  Shortly after departing Maadi the next morning we reached Ta-mehu, an endless sea of waving green grass and reeds and papyrus as far as I could see in every direction. The plateaus and hills that had defined the borders of the river valley all the way north from Nekhen were gone. For the first time in my life I could see all the way to the horizon. For the first time I didn’t see any desert at all. Gone too was the omnipresent dust that swirled by day in the valley. I could see why Sety chose to spend as much time as he could on his delta estate.

  Reeds and rushes and papyrus rippled and swayed in the breeze, all taller than a man, all alive with birds. Off in the distance I heard the roar of a hippo, and an answer. Confirmation of the trader’s tale in Maadi. Turtlebacks dotted the delta, scattered, far between, low ridges five or ten feet higher than the surrounding land. A few thin plumes of smoke were curling from one miles to the west, no doubt the location of a small isolated hamlet. I spotted herds of cattle feeding on rich grass.

  “The crests of turtlebacks generally stay dry during the inundation,” Sety said. “All the delta’s hamlets lie atop them. Three turtlebacks abut each other at Farkha, in fact.”

  We reached another river branch a couple of hours later. Our boat moved into it.

  “My estate,” Sety announced proudly late in the afternoon as we rounded a slight bend in the river. Oarsmen poled us in the direction of a substantial quay, one of five that thrust into the river, three of which were occupied by other boats. The floodplain west of the quay was green with rippling knee-high barley. I spotted a small field of flax. Off in the distance I noted herds of cattle, the largest I’d seen so far. The estate itself was atop a turtleback ten feet higher than the river. Sety’s house was old, large, rambling, of mud-brick. It wasn’t the only structure on the ridge. Numerous huts clustered lower on the slope, likely housing his workers. I spotted several large storehouses, a slaughterhouse – based on the bawling of cattle – a threshing yard, workshops. A garden with rows of vegetables climbed the opposite end of the slope, and beyond it an orchard.

  “Are those monkeys in the trees?” I asked, squinting.

  “They’re trained to harvest fruit,” Sety said.

  I saw young girls grinding grain near the workers’ huts, and ovens close by where women were baking bread. I picked out a brewery and a pottery and a carpentry shop. Fish were drying on wooden racks atop the riverbank, adjacent to a dozen reed punts moored there. A few nets were spread on the ground near the boats, drying. The estate appeared to be self-sufficient and prosperous. No wonder Sety had foodstuffs to spare for the settlers of Ptah’s Settlement.

  We landed. A woman, and a boy a couple of years younger than me, were waiting on the quay, smiling broadly. I’d mostly recovered from my fight with Iynefer during our journey. My bruises had faded and my ribs had healed. I moved down the gangplank with alacrity.

  “My wife, Merit,” Sety told us after he and she shared a long embrace. “This is my son, Senebi, second of his name.”

  After appropriate greetings and bowing we all headed towards the house, walking a narrow path through a barley field, Sety and Merit’s arms around each other’s waist, the rest of us following.

  “Why barley instead of emmer?” I asked Senebi. I was walking next to him.

  “It’s more robust. It tolerates the wetter conditions of the delta better.”

  “Too
much water’s our problem, unlike in the valley,” Sety said.

  “Cattle grow larger here than in the valley, too,” Merit added over her shoulder.

  A captain barked an order and oarsmen poled one of Sety’s wooden boats into the channel. Sety and Merit and Senebi and I paused to watch it depart. A few crewmen placed long palm fronds just inside the bow to catch the prevailing breeze while oarsmen began to churn the water white.

  “Isn’t your boat leaving pretty late in the day?” I asked. “I assume it’s headed for Ptah’s Settlement. It can’t possibly get there before dark.”

  “The captain’s going to pick up a load from another estate an hour south of here,” Sety said. “He’ll stay there tonight.”

  We continued towards the house. Lagus and Mekatre had hurried ahead of us and had already attached themselves to a group of comely serving girls who were reveling in their attention. Sety didn’t look pleased, but I knew he dared not dissuade sons of a king from seducing his servants. His relationship with my brothers was not close like his and mine was. Clearly, my brothers were going to disrupt Sety’s estate during their stay and there was nothing Sety could do about it. As for me, I wasn’t going to fool around with Sety’s girls. I’d come to the North tasked with learning about it and helping Sety establish settlements to kill Maadi. That’s what I was going to focus on. I wasn’t going to let anything or anyone distract me. And, hopefully, as I labored at Sety’s side, I’d figure out something I could do to raise my visibility in the eyes of Tjeni’s elites so they’d choose me to succeed Father. Something important that would keep me from being sentenced to Heket and Nekhen.

  ***

  Peret (Seed)

  Matia

  ***

  Light from a bowl of oil illuminated the faces of three men sitting on reed mats across from Pentu and me in Harwa’s wattle-and-reed hut. Pentu had selected this isolated farm as a meeting place to avoid detection by Sabu’s prying eyes. Two were elites – my cousin Bebi, head of one of the Nubt’s most prominent families, and Maya, Hetshet’s uncle, leader of another. Sabu’s uncle Ani was the only important elite missing, excluded by Pentu because of his relationship with Sabu. Harwa was sitting next to Bebi, his ability to keep a secret vouched for by me. Khentetka stood in the shadows, jar of beer in hand, waiting to refill cups as necessary.

  I’d returned to Nubt from the coronation in Nekhen barely a week ago. I lived in Pentu’s house now, the most spectacular residence in Nubt besides Father’s per’aa, staffed with many attentive servants, decorated with wonderful objects, many of which were quite old. Pentu had already gifted me many fine skirts and golden bracelets and armbands and rings and girdles, and necklaces of carnelian and turquoise and quartz and lapis lazuli. A copper see-face rested on my wooden table in our bedroom, along with a bird-shaped siltstone cosmetic palette and ivory combs and pins, and stone and pottery jars filled with ocher and sweet-smelling unguents, and malachite for my eyes. Pentu was making an effort to please me, even knowing my only reason for sharing his bed was to stop Sabu from taking Nubt’s throne. So far, Pentu was treating me far kinder and with more dignity than I’d expected, given the circumstances. He was different when we were alone than I’d thought he’d be after seeing him assert his authority in Father’s audience hall for many years, not at all harsh and unbending and authoritative. I supposed he had to be that way in public so men would obey the decisions he made on Father’s behalf. In private he was more approachable.

  That I was attending this meeting was a sign Pentu was living up to his promise to involve me in Nubt’s affairs.

  “I’ve called you here for a reason,” Pentu began. “You were all present a week ago when King Scorpion vowed to conquer Nubt. We have to assume he’s already begun preparing to wage war against us. We need to prepare too.”

  “We’ve been at peace with Tjeni forever,” Bebi said. “We all heard King Ika announce an alliance between our settlements. Marriages were arranged. Less than an hour later one of Scorpion’s guards attacked King Ika’s new wife and everything changed. Some say Sabu was behind the attack. Some say Scorpion. No one’s given us a straight answer yet. Including you, Pentu.”

  “I’m going to tell you things you need to keep in confidence,” Pentu said. “If you can’t, leave right now.”

  Nobody moved.

  “It all started when Sabu murdered Hetshet,” Pentu said.

  “What!” Maya exclaimed. “Sabu said there was a hunting accident. So did Baki.”

  “Every elite was in the audience hall when they announced it,” Bebi said.

  Pentu looked at me and nodded slightly.

  “I saw Sabu slit Hetshet’s throat,” I said quietly. “They were along the riverbank, between this farm and Nubt. Sabu was trying to talk Hetshet into letting him arrange an alliance against King Scorpion when we went to Nekhen. Hetshet refused. Sabu murdered him.”

  “I’ll have his head!” Maya exclaimed.

  “There’s more,” Pentu said, taking hold of Maya’s arm to keep him seated. “Continue, Matia.”

  “While we were at Nekhen I overheard Sabu negotiating with Antef, the son of King Ny-Hor. Sabu did in fact create an alliance against King Scorpion with Antef and likely other kings and rulers.”

  “By the gods!” Bebi cried.

  “Iry, youngest son of King Scorpion, overheard their negotiation too. I was with him. I convinced him to convince Scorpion to stay his hand until we could present Scorpion with an alternative. Iry did.” I wasn’t about to go into detail on how I’d convinced Iry.

  “Over the course of the following week, Matia and I and King Scorpion hammered out an alliance with Tjeni that would’ve trumped Sabu’s and assured Nubt’s survival,” Pentu said. “Under terms of that alliance Sabu would never have sat Nubt’s throne. Matia was to marry Iry, and after King Ika died Iry was to rule Nubt in fealty to Scorpion, with Matia and me as his advisors.”

  And I would’ve been the mother of a king. Ancestress of the unifier. But not now. “Sabu sabotaged the alliance,” I said. “He ordered the attack on Heria. Scorpion’s bodyguard was beholden to Sabu. He carried out Sabu’s orders.” I swept the men with my eyes. “If Father had handed Sabu over for execution that night King Scorpion never would’ve declared war on us. The alliance would’ve held. This mess we’re in is entirely Sabu’s fault.

  “Why have you called us here?” Bebi asked.

  Pentu scanned the assembled men. “It’s up to us to prepare Nubt for what’s coming. If left unchecked, Sabu will strip our fields of farmers and send them to their deaths in Tjeni within weeks. On the other hand, King Ika’s in denial. He thinks he can talk his way out of this. He thinks King Scorpion will cool off in time. He’s wrong. King Ika won’t take any action to defend Nubt until it’s too late. So we must. I’ll eventually make him see the wisdom of preparing for war but we can’t afford to wait for him to gain clarity. Preparing Nubt to withstand Scorpion is up to us.”

  “Withstand?” Bebi asked.

  “We can’t win an offensive war, Bebi. We don’t have the manpower or resources to attack Scorpion. We’ll have to retreat within our walls when he attacks and fight a defensive battle. We need to prepare for a long siege,” Pentu replied.

  “What do you want us to do?” Maya asked.

  “Maya, construct at least a dozen more granaries, as quickly as you can. We need to accumulate enough emmer and barley to feed everyone in Nubt for several years. If anyone asks, tell them King Ika ordered you to prepare in case of a low inundation. Harwa, visit every farmer in this section of the valley who’s beholden to King Ika. Tell them to put more land in irrigation this season so we’ll have emmer and barley enough to fill those granaries.”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  “Bebi, we need a fleet to carry soldiers in case we need to attack Scorpion’s boats between here and Tjeni to delay him. I’m putting you in charge of that. But build those boats at Waset, where King Ika won’t see, and possibly not King Scorpion, though I
suspect he’s already sent spies to live among us.”

  “Which we’ll also do?” Maya asked.

  “Apparently we already did,” Pentu said. “The guard who attacked Scorpion’s daughter used to be one of King Ika’s. I doubt he’s the only spy Sabu’s planted in Tjeni. But I’m going to send spies of my own. Sabu won’t share with me whatever his learn.”

  “What about soldiers?” Maya asked.

  “Sabu’s probably already reaching out to desert tribes to serve as mercenaries. But he’ll have no way to pay them – I control Nubt’s gold.”

  “Don’t we need them to supplement our farmers as soldiers?” Bebi asked.

  “Yes. But not until the time is right. I don’t want Sabu using them to attack Scorpion on the spur of the moment. We’ll need them to defend us.”

  “Makes sense.”

  “Bebi, assign your most trusted craftsmen to make and stockpile weapons,” Pentu continued. “As many as you can. Maya, choose trusted men to patrol the desert trails that crisscross the paw of land west of Nubt. Make sure the guard posts along the caravan track are manned day and night too. We don’t want Scorpion to surprise us by attacking from that direction. As for me, I’m going to strengthen the wall around the southern section of our settlement.”

  “What if Scorpion invades Nubt a week from now?” Maya asked. “Or a month? We can’t possibly arm ourselves and build boats and stockpile grain that quickly.”

  “We’ll retreat within our walls and wait him out. But I doubt it’ll come to that. Scorpion’s not a hothead like Sabu,” Pentu counseled. “He’ll make the same preparations we’re going to make, then wait for an opportune time when he believes he can overwhelm us. That may be years from now, or, as you say, months. I’d guess no sooner than the next inundation – Scorpion can’t afford to strip his fields of farmers at this time of year any more than we can. Anyway, we have to prepare for both contingencies.” Pentu gazed at me. “We need to begin these preparations immediately. At the same time, Matia and I will try to work out a way to make our preparations unnecessary. We’ll try to work out a way to mollify Scorpion and keep the peace.”