“Her Majesty tells me you’re part of a plot instigated by Mekatre of Tjeni to kill me and take Pe and Dep’s throne for yourself, Wesy,” Antef accused.
“Majesty! I’m not! I’ve pledged you my fealty! I’d never turn against you! You have to believe me!”
Antef studied Wesy intently.
Sweat began beading on Wesy’s forehead. His right leg began to shake.
“You’re lying,” Antef said calmly. “Guard. Kill Ita.”
I’d chosen the right king to get the truth quickly.
The guard drew his knife.
Ita screamed.
Wesy jumped between the guard and Ita. “No, Majesty! Please!”
“Ita’s life for the truth,” Antef snapped.
Wesy shrank visibly. He had the look of a condemned man. “Mekatre promised me your throne in return for killing you tonight.”
Ita sank to her knees and looked up at her husband. “What have you done, Wesy?”
Antef stood. “I suppose we should go pay Iry a visit, Matia.”
***
Antef and Wesy and Ita and half a dozen guards I’d rounded up on the way from Antef’s boat to Iry’s ascended the gangplank. I was shocked to see Mekatre and Lagus sitting with Iry inside the pavilion. Torches at each of the four corners cast golden light, flickering in the breeze. Serving girls were pouring wine and passing platters of meat and bread. Mekatre seemed surprisingly cheerful for a man who’d just buried his father. Lagus, on the other hand, was extremely nervous. I realized the vessel was strangely empty. No elites. No royals. All the guards and all the servants except the two girls in the pavilion were missing. Had I come too late? Were rulers dead already?
Mekatre spotted us. “What are you doing here, Matia? With Antef? We brothers are talking. Take your friends and leave.”
I addressed the serving girls. “Get off the boat. Now.”
They put down their jars and platters and dashed across the deck and clattered down the gangplank.
“What’s this about, Matia?” Iry asked. He eyed Antef uncertainly. He eyed me uncertainly.
“Mekatre and Lagus are going to attempt a coup tonight, Iry. They’re going to kill every ruler who’s here at Abdju. They’re going to try to seize control of the entire valley.”
“A lie!” Lagus spluttered.
“The truth,” Antef corrected, his hand resting on the hilt of the knife tucked in his belt. “Wesy’s supposed to kill me and take my throne, Iry. He confessed.”
Mekatre looked at Wesy and shook his head in disgust. He’d chosen at least one conspirator poorly. “Can you blame me, Iry?” Mekatre asked. “Father dreamed of uniting the South.” Mekatre’s eyes glimmered in the torchlight and he clenched his fist. “Father dreamed too small. At this very moment we brothers have the perfect opportunity to make the entire valley ours. All we have to do is kill every ruler who’s camped here at Abdju. Right now! You don’t have to do anything, Iry. My loyalists will kill them. Then you and I can parcel out their settlements to men loyal to us.”
“Men loyal to you, you mean,” Iry said.
“That’s right, Iry,” I said. “Mekatre’s planning to kill you and me and Gehes.”
“Well, Mekatre? Are you?” Iry asked.
Mekatre smiled. “Of course I am! Matia, you’re the daughter of an enemy king and your loyalties lie with Nubt, not Tjeni. Iry, you’re a weakling and a coward.”
“You’d never have risked your life to kidnap Sabu the way Iry did, Mekatre,” I replied. “You have no idea how strong and brave your brother is.”
Iry didn’t let Mekatre’s insult get under his skin because he didn’t respect his brother. “No, Mekatre. I’m not going to murder the valley’s rulers. Neither are you.”
“It’s an excellent opportunity, Iry,” Lagus said hesitantly. “Are you sure?”
“Excellent, Lagus?” Iry asked. “Really? Didn’t you pay attention to what happened after Nubt surrendered? Resistance. Particularly after Mekatre poisoned the settlement against us. Our resources are still tied up trying to keep order. Will be for years. Multiply what happened in Nubt by the number of kings and rulers camped here with us. We couldn’t hold the rest of the valley for a week.”
“We don’t have to hold it,” Mekatre insisted. “I’ve lined up elites in every major settlement. They’ll rule in my name.”
“You’re delusional, Mekatre,” I said. “You’ve lined up a bunch of ambitious elites willing to murder rulers in your name. But they’re doing it for themselves, not you. Once they hold their various thrones they’ll resist your attempts to gain their fealty.”
“Resist – hah! I cowed Nubt’s elites after I hung the ones who were going to overthrow me.”
“No one was going to overthrow you, Mekatre.” I was livid. “Ani tricked you into hanging my relatives because you’re so easy to manipulate. Unquestioning. Gullible.” I’d never get over what Mekatre had done to my family.
“Silence, Woman! We men are talking. Nothing you say matters. I don’t recognize your regent’s stick. Neither does anyone else. And you don’t have Father to protect you anymore.” He turned to Iry. “You should’ve left well enough alone instead of interfering in my rule of Nubt, Brother. The rest of the valley’s elites would’ve bowed before us, knowing the fate that awaited them.”
“Bowed? They’d have fought with every ounce of their strength because you hung innocent men,” I interjected. “Innocent elites under Scorpion’s protection.” Mekatre wasn’t going to shut me up.
“Matia’s right,” Iry said.
Mekatre stabbed his finger at Iry. “Matia’s bewitched you, Brother. You’ll agree with any nonsense she spouts. Why? Are you planning to take Father’s place in her bed?”
“Matia’s going to be my wife. Yes. To keep her out of the hands of men like you.”
Mekatre hadn’t expected that answer. He looked from Iry to me and back. Then he laughed. “At least your wife will be royal this time. Not a lapwing.”
How Iry kept himself from lunging at Mekatre and strangling him on the spot I’d never know. One thing was certain – Iry was going to make Mekatre’s death very unpleasant.
“You’re a fool, Mekatre,” Iry said.
“And you’re almost a king. Act like it!” Mekatre snapped.
“Act how, Mekatre?”
“Kill our enemies. Tonight. I’ll kill Antef myself. Right now.”
Antef drew his knife.
The guards I’d brought on board looked at me, uncertain. They didn’t know who they were supposed to protect and who posed a threat.
I put my hand on Antef’s knife hand to restrain him.
“You’re not going to touch Antef, Mekatre,” Iry said.
“I know the names of the assassins,” I told Iry. “We can end this coup right now.”
“And so we will. Guards! Seize my brothers!” Iry commanded.
“Don’t you dare touch me!” Mekatre snarled.
The guards hesitated.
I held up my regent’s stick. “Do it!”
The guards grabbed Mekatre and Lagus. Both resisted. The guards were stronger.
“Tie them up,” Iry ordered. “Keep them on board. Get them out of my sight. Guard them vigilantly from here to Tjeni.”
“Yes, Majesty.”
“Matia, go find Sety. He’ll help you round up the conspirators. Commandeer as many guards as you need. I’m going to take every traitor to Tjeni, no matter the settlement. As soon as I’m crowned I’m going to personally execute every one of them in the sacred court.”
“Except Wesy,” Antef growled. “He’s mine.”
Ita began to cry.
Wesy was trembling.
“Antef’s help was invaluable tonight, Iry. I made him a promise in return.”
“I’ll honor it,” Iry said. “Whatever it is. And Wesy’s yours to deal with as you see fit, Antef.”
“Thank you, Majesty.” Antef bowed the slightest bit.
Antef and Wesy and Ita de
parted.
I followed them down the gangplank, to find Sety.
***
It was nearly dawn when Sety and I boarded Iry’s boat and announced we’d rounded up the last of the conspirators. They were all safely under guard. There were many angry kings and rulers in the camps alongside the river right now, all aware of the coup, all aware I’d saved them. Sety and I sank wearily to seats flanking Iry. Heket hurried to pour us cups of wine.
“Gehes?” I asked anxiously.
“With Nofret. Asleep,” Heket said. “He’s been on board since shortly after you left. Niay’s guarding them.”
A relief.
“How did you sniff out the plot?” Iry asked me.
“Myt, Maya’s wife, my aunt, warned me after Scorpion’s burial, not long after you and I parted. She’d overheard Maya boasting to his brothers about the plot. I knew I couldn’t accuse Mekatre without proof. Knowing Antef, I was sure he could quickly get a confession from Wesy. He did. We came immediately to the boat to warn you. When I saw Mekatre and Lagus already on board I thought I’d come too late.”
“I’m in your debt, Matia.”
“We need to reward Myt. We’d all be dead right now if not for her.”
“I’ll see to it.”
Heket took the seat beside me.
I glanced at her, then Iry. “Have you told Heket yet?”
“That we’re to share a husband, and the terms?” Heket asked. “Yes, Matia, I know.” She put her hand atop mine. “It’s fine with me.”
Sety looked slightly shocked. I assumed Iry would explain it to him later.
“Sety, as soon as I’m crowned I’m going to turn my attention to the North,” Iry said.
“Because of my dream?”
“A dream Mekatre tried to short-circuit, and failed,” I noted.
“And because the years I spent at Ineb-hedj opened my eyes to what’s important,” Iry said. “Your dream makes it clear that one of Matia’s descendants will come out of Nekhen to unify the valley. So I’m not going to waste my time or resources trying to take Nekhen for myself. Weret’s marriage to Kama assures I’ll gain control of it after Khab dies. I can afford to be patient.”
“You’re going to ensure the entire river between Nubt and Ineb-hedj is loyal to your house,” I guessed. “You’re going to make it easy for the future king from Nekhen to take the final step and link the entire delta to the valley.”
Iry smiled. “I’m in the presence of the two most intelligent people in the valley. Oh – except it’s our house, Matia. Not just my house.”
That was in fact true. And would be more so after he took me to wife.
“Someday this entire valley will be unified. Not by Mekatre, not by me, not by any ruler here at Abdju with us.”
“By a man not yet been born,” Sety said.
“Unification will not come by war and conquest or subterfuge or secret alliances, as too many of the valley’s rulers believe. Unification will happen when the ruler of every settlement in this valley realizes that by himself he’s weak, but by joining with others he’ll be strong. None of us here at Abdju will ever have wisdom enough to yield to a single man. We’ll continue to cling selfishly to our individual power until the day we die. I will, and they will. It’ll take generations for our descendants to set selfishness aside for the common good.”
“But we know for sure they will, thanks to Sety and his dream,” I said.
“And you and King Scorpion, Matia,” Sety added.
“Ineb-hedj is going to become the most important settlement on the river before long,” Iry said with assurance. “The king from Nekhen will surely make it his capital after he unifies the valley because from there he’ll be able to control the delta. I need to make sure that Ineb-hedj continues to grow in the coming decades and continues to remain loyal to me and Gehes and his descendants.”
“You’re out of brothers, so who’ll replace Lagus, Iry?” Sety asked. “Will you marry a loyal elite to Heria? Or to Abar when she’s of age?”
“I have a much simpler and more immediate solution, Sety. I’m giving you Ineb-hedj to rule. And Senebi after you, and his son after him. I want your house to support mine until this valley is unified, and beyond.”
“Iry… Majesty…” Sety was shocked.
“Your family’s been loyal to Tjeni’s king since your ancestors Nykara and Amenia founded your estate in the delta two hundred years ago. You’ve personally served Father and me with devotion. I don’t see that changing.” Iry lifted the talisman around Sety’s chest with his fingertips. “Besides, hasn’t your god revealed that your descendant and Matia’s will marry and rule a united valley?” He let the talisman fall. “The ruling families of Nekhen and Ineb-hedj joined? Seems to me it’s the god’s will that you have Ineb-hedj.”
Sety bowed. “I pledge you my fealty, Iry. And my house to yours.” He addressed me. “And yours as well, Matia.”
“Good!” Iry exclaimed. “The moment I’m crowned I’m going to name Gehes my heir in front of everyone gathered at Tjeni. I’ll announce that I’m going to yield Tjeni’s throne to him the day he’s old enough to rule on his own.”
“That’ll dash the hopes of anyone who thinks he can position himself to succeed you by marrying either Abar or Neith,” Sety noted.
“Exactly.”
“What about Nubt?” I asked. “Will you split time between there and Tjeni as Scorpion did?”
“At least a little, so Nubtians will remember who they’re beholden to. But, as I said, the North will require most of my attention. So once I’m crowned I’m going to appoint Gehes as Nubt’s ruler. Matia, I’m going to appoint you his regent. You’ll oversee the settlement on his behalf. Once I yield Tjeni’s throne to Gehes, Matia, you’ll hold Nubt in your own right.”
I was absolutely stunned. Iry had just made me Nubt’s ruler. The post I’d trained for my whole life. The post I’d admitted to Iry I desired the day we met in Nekhen all those years ago. After everything that had happened between us – the pain, the deception, Tamit’s death – I could hardly believe he was placing so much trust in me. I wasn’t going to let him down. I wasn’t going to let myself down, or Gehes either. I’d be able to accomplish so much, given the rest of my life to sit Nubt’s throne. I’d be able to gradually erase all memory of the damage Sabu and Mekatre had done to my people. I’d be able to bring Nubt into true partnership with Tjeni. I was filled with gratitude. And love for Iry. I vowed that his faith in me wouldn’t be misplaced.
“Thank you, Iry,” I whispered, overcome.
“No need to thank me, Matia. You’ve earned Nubt.” He smiled slightly. “Ten years, and now we both finally have what we wanted. At least, most of what we wanted.”
Iry was thinking about Tamit.
“All kings are the embodiment of gods,” Iry reflected, his eyes on Sety’s talisman. “Here at Abdju we have many kings, and thus many gods. Every settlement has its own. But from this moment, and for as long as I and my house reign, one god shall hold primacy wherever in the valley my house holds primacy – Horus, the falcon god.”
“Given the dream we’re all pursuing, nothing could be more appropriate,” Sety said.
“I’m going to take a new name when I take my father’s throne, Sety, to make my connection to Horus clear to all. From that day I’ll be known as Iry-Hor, the Mouth of Horus.”
“May your house last a thousand thousand years, Iry-Hor!” Sety exclaimed.
“May it last a thousand thousand years!” I echoed.
Additional Publications
Predynastic Egypt
Daughter of the Falcon God
The Potter
The Women and the Boatman
House of Scorpion
Ancient Egypt
The Beadnet Dress
Beauty of Re
The Gardener and the Assassin
The Four Lakes Saga
Wingra
Madison, Wisconsin History
Forest Hill Cemeter
y
A Biographical Guide to the Women and Men Who Shaped Madison, Wisconsin, and the World
Bishops to Bootleggers
A Biographical Guide to Resurrection Cemetery: the Women and Men Who Shaped Madison, Wisconsin, and the World
House of Scorpion Page 58
