Mystery of the Temple

by Nathaniel Burns

  Neti nodded. “Silence is often the only option we have when people ask questions, but then you have not said anything either.”

  “I respected your father too much to turn on his daughter. But that does not mean that, like others, I was not envious of the rank you hold.”

  Neti just shook her head in disbelief.

  “Today, this afternoon, I realized exactly what your position entails, and that it is not as glamorous as I imagined it. I realized just how important you are to Moses and Shabaka when they turned to me for answers. Answers to questions I could not even begin to understand, never mind find answers for. They expected reason when nothing made sense. I realized that because you have always had an inquisitive mind, and because you question things about death many of us do not even care to understand, you see things differently. And that it was your mind, and that ability, that got you the position – not the alluded love affair with the Nubian prefect.”

  “You thought that?” Neti demanded, almost outraged.

  “Many thought that,” Marlep corrected her. “It was not until I was placed in your position, when Shabaka turned to me and expected answers to questions unasked, that I realized I did not have the ability to relate what I saw with any experience or knowledge I have. I could see the expectation of an answer, could see that he really expected me to have some explanation for what had happened – and why not? I am the Head Embalmer of Thebes! One would think I would know such things. Why else would you request of me to witness such an event. But it was only when Moses mumbled something about my inexperience that I realized how badly I had misjudged you. I had watched you grow, learning a skill women are thought unsuited for. I realized that I owe you an apology.”

  “There is nothing to apologize for. You have always aided us whenever we needed help.”

  “Yes but I could have done more in the past, been more helpful. I promise to do so in the future.”

  Neti just smiled. “You have, will always remain, a master to me, the one chosen to guide all embalmers. If I cannot trust in you then who should I?”

  “Your father would be proud of you.”

  “I know he is.”

  Marlep put down his cup and lowered his head into his palms. He took a deep breath and released a heavy sigh. “All that said, it does not provide a solution for these events. And you know as well as I do that the people of Thebes will not welcome news of another plague.”

  “We don’t know if it is a plague. Or if it is just those men.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If it were a plague, then those in contact with the men should also die,” Neti reasoned. “We first need to discover if these two deaths have anything in common, if the men met or were at the same place somewhere. We don’t even know what killed them. Their bodies could have died long before their Ba left them.”

  Marlep looked at her in alarm, “You mean they were the walking dead? You cannot be serious – such a thought…people will think you mad!”

  “It is the only reasoning I have at the moment,” Neti stated flatly. “It is the only way my mind will accept what I have seen and how it could be that a man’s flesh just disappears into the air. It was as if someone was cutting it away with a knife.”

  Marlep nodded, “That is what it looked like this afternoon, only there was no one, and then the spiders…”

  “We also know that once fluids have been removed from a body, the flesh goes nowhere,” Shabaka said from the doorway.

  Neti turned to look at him, for a moment wondering just how long he had stood there. Still, she smiled in greeting.

  Marlep also turned to look at him, “And not only does the flesh disappear from the bones. The bones are clean as if they have been cooked, like meat in pottage.”

  Shabaka entered the room and settled on the reed mat.

  “Has Moses gone to see Yani?” Neti asked.

  Shabaka shook is head, “He is in a strange mood.”

  Neti said nothing. Instead she rose from her seat and collected Shabaka a cup of wine. She held it to him stating, “It makes the discussion easier to stomach.” Then sat down. “So where has Moses gone?”

  “He said something about looking for a connection between the two men, but I think he has gone to a beerhouse.”

  Neti nodded, “He is good at that.”

  “But back to your thoughts of the walking dead,” Shabaka said.

  “You really think it could be that?” Marlep asked, astonished.

  Shabaka shrugged. “I don’t know the cause. And if you do not know of a reason why flesh would rot so fast and fall from a body, Neti’s idea is the only one that puts this into some perspective.”

  “But it’s not even possible.”

  “A lot of what we have seen recently I would not have deemed possible,” Shabaka deadpanned.

  “What does he mean?” Marlep asked.

  Neti glared at Shabaka for a moment before turning to Marlep. “What he means is that not all Ba leave the earth to go to the heavens. Some remain here to protect their loved ones, while others are not as friendly.”

  Marlep nodded. “That explication I can accept, since not everyone can afford a proper burial.”

  “Even so, we will have to seek the connections in this matter – in the morning,” Shabaka said.

  “You and Moses will have to tend to it,” Neti said.

  “What?” Shabaka demanded, shocked.

  “Tomorrow is Dalva’s funeral rite. We are taking her body to Deir-el-Bahari. Or have you forgotten?”

  Shabaka shook his head. “I had not realized it was tomorrow. I thought there were still a few days. We will have to tend to the matter then.” Shabaka turned to Marlep, “What are you going to do with the bones?”

  “I think they should be burnt.” Neti looked at Marlep in astonishment, knowing how difficult it was to burn bones. Noticing her surprise, Marlep continued, “We do not know the cause of their deaths, and bodies that have had their haw and hearts removed should be burnt.”

  “How?” Neti asked.

  “I know one of the iron masters. I will ask him if we can put them in a forge when they repack one.”

  Just then Hamez came up to them, “We have finished, Embalmer Neti.” He then placed his hands together.

  Neti dismissed him. “Then go home. You will be needed in the morning.”

  “I should also be leaving,” Marlep said. “Come and see me when you return from the West Bank.”

  Neti nodded and rose with him. She watched Marlep leave before she turned towards Shabaka, “Care to break bread with me?”

  Shabaka smiled. “I would be a fool to turn down a meal Yani had prepared.”

  Chapter Four

  The sun had just lifted above the distant skyline as Neti and Seota made their way to the per-nefer. They drew aside the cloth closures of the doorway and fastened them. Neti’s bearers arrived, and without a word Garah and Fari moved the body into the sarcophagus. They then placed it on the bearing platform. Neti placed the canopic jars into a smaller wooden crate, before placing the plate on the platform besides the sarcophagus.

  Sutten arrived not long thereafter, carrying a small earthen jar and a scroll. His eyes flirted over the body in the sarcophagus for a moment, resting on that of the baby, before drawing in a deep breath. Reaching into the earthenware pot, he extracted a large heart scarab. The scarab had been intricately fashioned out of a red gem, with artwork to rival even those of the Pharaoh’s craft halls.

  Sutten stepped closer and placed the scarab where Neti indicated and then said, “To the woman who brought light to my life, lightness in my step, and fire to my loins,; who awoke me to the pleasantness of companionship yet remained such a short time within my life.” Sutten cleared his throat before continuing, “I gift this scarab so that it may protect your heart and guide you to the afterlife, where we will once again be united.”

  He then reached into the pot again and shifted to where the baby was. Neti again pointed to the locati
on. He pulled from the pot a smaller but just as intricately made greenstone heart scarab and placed it on the body stating, his voice heavy with emotion, “To a son brought forward by love and passion, a gift from the gods yet taken before I had the opportunity to meet him, I gift you this scarab to protect you in your passage and look forward to the day we meet in the afterlife.”

  Neti swallowed against the burning sensation in her throat and saw Sutten’s shoulders drop. She reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. She knew that the longest, and most difficult, part of the burial still lay ahead.

  Sutten looked towards her and she indicated for him to step back. Hamez and Fari then stepped forward, lowering the cover of the sarcophagus in place. Neti turned to Sutten, handing him back the papyrus scroll.

  A noise outside the per-nefer drew Neti’s attention. She looked at Garah who nodded and left, only to return several moments later with extra bearers. They moved into position next to the bearing poles and lowered down to their haunches. Together they gripped the poles and lifted the sarcophagus to shoulder height. A drum struck and everyone outside fell silent. They positioned themselves in the correct formation as Neti collected up the crate with the canopic jars.

  Slowly the sarcophagus was moved from Neti’s per-nefer, with Neti and Sutten falling into their allotted positions behind it, followed by Seota and one of Sutten’s servants. Two extra bearers made up the rear.

  As they stepped into the daylight, the professional mourners also fell in step, chanting as they went along. To Neti it was the most irritating aspect of a burial rite, since the noise, hollering, and high-pitched artificial wails of the people accompanying the sarcophagus wore heavily on her nerves.

  They progressed slowly down to the pier where the burial bark awaited them. On arrival, the mourners moved to either side of the pier, allowing the bearers through. A heavy sensation filled Neti, like a weight pushing down on her heart as the sarcophagus was moved towards the burial bark. Her father had always claimed that the sensation was cause by a procession of souls who had come to accompany another on the path. He also said that only true embalmers could feel their presence.

  Shabaka, Moses, and Yani waited at the end of the pier. Neti frowned for a moment at the placement of Shabaka between Yani and Moses. Shabaka caught her eye and pointed to the opposite side of the walkway.

  Neti’s heart sank when she saw the High Priest of Amun awaiting them. Sutten noticed it at the same time and stiffened next to her.

  “I did not know that you requested him,” Neti whispered.

  “I didn’t.” Sutten replied.

  “That only means he plans to have another rant,” Neti said, her voice flat.

  “Well it is his style,” Sutten said. “And it is only to be expected, since she was claimed by the plague.”

  “He does not know that,” Neti countered. “No one said anything.”

  “But he suspects it.”

  As they approached the pier, the high priest lifted his hands and halted the procession. Everyone fell silent as he approached the sarcophagus. His eyes narrowed into a glare, which he directed at Neti before he turned to look at the cover. “I will not allow such blasphemy! This body should have been burnt with the others. Its soul has been condemned, struck down by the gods no less!”

  His haughty manners irked Neti, especially since they had been unable to connect him with the kidnapping of the young princess. They had also failed to connect him in any way to the rooftop deaths, and thus he could not be removed from his position – although Ramesses had been tempted.

  The high priest perused the coffin, which Sutten had commissioned only his best scribes and known artisans to work on. The inscriptions were perfectly formed, the coffin texts and spells meticulously spaced. On its own, the sarcophagus was a work of art worthy of royalty.

  Neti watched as he read the inscription on the coffin, saw his entire body still for a mere moment before he spoke, “Mother and child?”

  He then looked at Sutten, tipping his head before shifting his gaze to Neti. He continued to look at Neti who held his gaze, her heart thudding in her chest. She refused to say anything. She would allow him to draw his own conclusions, since he had no actual knowledge of the events that had occurred.

  They remained that way for some time before the priest finally stepped back and, without a word, they continued past him.

  “You are not going to correct his assumption?” Sutten asked as more men prepared to load the sarcophagus onto the bark.

  “He has not asked anything and I have not spoken, thus I have not lied and he has drawn his own conclusion.”

  Sutten looked at her in disbelief; a lie by omission is still a lie.

  “How can I answer a question he has not asked? Besides he has no right to judge her. Judgment should only be passed down by the gods.”

  “That may be so, but it has never stopped him.”

  “Something he will one day be judged for,” Neti said before handing the wooden crate she was carrying to one of the bearers. “I have to go speak with Shabaka. I will return before the bark casts off.”

  Sutten nodded.

  Neti moved away from Sutten, with Seota automatically following.

  Yani stepped forward and handed a cloth-wrapped parcel to Seota, the smell rising from it left no one in doubt as to its contents. “Her bread for the journey,” Yani said. “We may not have gotten along all that well in this life, but no one should go hungry in the afterlife.”

  Neti smiled in thanks and indicated to Seota that she was to board the bark. Once the girl had left she turned to Shabaka, “I will thank her for your life and for bringing Seota home.”

  Shabaka hesitated and cleared his throat before he spoke. “I have a great deal to thank her for and wish I could join her on this part of her journey. But as we are both aware, we have responsibilities to our pharaoh and the people of Thebes.”

  Neti nodded, but said, “It sounds as if you are addressing a hall of elders.”

  Shabaka pointed to the mejay standing off to the side of them. The man immediately stood taller at the action. “Zar is to accompany you on the journey.”

  Neti made to object but Shabaka halted her by shaking his head. “I am also charged with your safety at all times. If I cannot accompany you, I will provide you with a guard to fulfill that purpose. He has been commanded to protect your life with his own. He has been told that should he fail, he should not come back.”

  Neti reached up and laid her hand on Shabaka’s forearm, calmly stating, “Nothing will happen to me. I have made this journey many times before.”

  “That was before you became one of the Pharaoh’s prefects.” Shabaka flatly stated. “There are many who resent our presence. We have enemies simply because of our allegiance with Ramesses and our status. I will not take that chance.” He then added, his tone softer, “We nearly lost you once.”

  “That was different,” Neti countered.

  “It doesn’t matter. Zar will accompany you. He will not interfere or intrude.”

  “It is not needed Shabaka. I have my bearers with me.”

  “Your bearers, although strong, have not been trained for combat. They cannot fight. Zar is the best fighter in the Thebian mejay.”

  Neti knew she would not change his mind and thus changed the subject. “Are you going to look for connections between the two men?”

  Shabaka nodded. “Marlep has offered to help us and will report any similar deaths to us. He is concerned that it might be a plague.”

  “Yes, he is not too fond of my walking dead theory.”

  “To be honest, neither am I, ” Shabaka said.

  “Well, then let us hope it is not,” Neti said, moving to look at Moses. “Keep him busy. I will speak with Yani when I return.”

  “Do you really want to get involved?”

  “Moses is distracted by it. We need him focused.”

  Shabaka made to respond but was cut short by the captain’s call.

 
; She squeezed Shabaka’s arm in the hope of reassuring him that she was there, then moved from him. Zar followed her as she boarded the bark.

  The bark’s oar team prepared to cast off. It was a journey they made several times a day under normal circumstances. The passage was smooth, their timing in unison to the drumbeats. Even the jeer maintained their distance as the bark cut though the water.

  The passage was not long yet still called for vigilance since the river still carried numerous strange objects along with its passage, objects that at intervals were anchored against rocks by churning water before again breaking loose and continuing along the river.

  They docked at the short pier below the temple of Seti II and moved the Sarcophagus onto a dray. The distance to Deir–el–Bahari was too great for the bearers to carry it alone.

  Silently they made their way along the wide path, with several of the large palaces rising before them and then disappearing into the background again. The sun had started lowering on the horizon by the time they reached the hill housing the Deir. Its familiar carved recessed and elevated platforms was a welcoming sight as they passed through the first set of pylons and into the first courtyard.

  The dray was to accompany them to the second level. From there the bearers would transport the sarcophagus for the remainder of its journey. The steep walkway to the second level approached and the dray master pushed the animals forward. The bearers moved to keep the sarcophagus in place as they started their ascent.

  The various plants and gardens of the second layer always caused Neti’s breath to catch. She looked about her and decided to stop at the temple before their departure.

  On reaching the passageway that ascended to the third level, the dray master stopped the dray and the bearers again moved into position. Together they lifted the sarcophagus and made their way to where the High Priest of the Dier and several lower ranked priests awaited them.