Mystery of the Temple

by Nathaniel Burns

  Her action startled the girl, causing Seota to jolt back a pace, her expression anxious.

  Neti had always been cautious around the girl, not wanting to feed any suspicions or fear. However, from the girl’s response, Neti might as well have grown a pair of horns and swung a whip. Her response had Neti grappling for a reason, something more plausible than a mere feeling that touching the shabaties would be dangerous. Even the shuttie looked at her in alarm.

  Drawing in a deep breath Neti said the first thing that made sense to her. “No,” she again repeated, less harsh. “Don’t. Shabaties are the servants of the dead in the afterlife. We embalmers believe that one should not touch them unless you intend on purchasing them.”

  Seota looked at her, confused.

  Neti smiled at the shuttie as she continued, “Just as we speak chants while we prepare the body, so also the carver of the shabati speaks.” Neti gestured to the shabaties on display. “By touching them, the shabati is connected to your spirit. If you don’t intend to barter for them they will think you mean harm to whomever later becomes their owner.”

  Seota calmed a little and then looked at the shabaties as Neti continued, “These are finely crafted shabaties, which mean the craftsmen took extra care while making them. They would be enchanted by the strongest of protection spells. It is best not to tempt one’s fortune.”

  Neti again smiled at the shuttie before guiding Seota from the dray. Several steps farther Seota flatly stated, “That was a lie.”

  Neti continued to walk. “Yes, partially, but a necessary one.”

  “What do you mean, partially?” Seota asked.

  “Those shabaties are enchanted.” Neti stated, before stopping and turning to Seota. The girl’s disbelief was obvious, so Neti continued, “Look around you, what do you see?”

  “A market,” Seota answered, “…just like any other.”

  “Yes, just like any other. Why would he then be willing to barter such elaborate shabaties? Shabaties fit for a pharaoh?”

  Seota’s eyes enlarged upon realization. “You mean they are stolen.”

  “Yes, and possibly powerfully cursed.”

  “I could have…” Seota said, shocked.

  “Come now,” Neti said continuing their path. “I think I found what I was looking for.”

  “Water skins?” Seota asked, confused.

  Neti only shook her head.

  Chapter Nine

  The sun had just cleared the horizon when Shabaka secured the last of the supplies on the donkey, checking everything again to ensure it was secure before untying the animal from the rail. He looked up at Neti as she handed Seota a shawl.

  “Best to cover your hair. We will be traveling in the desert once we leave the city.”

  Seota took the shawl from her, opened it, and swung it to cover her hair.

  “That bisk looks familiar,” Shabaka said, indicating the caftan Neti wore.

  “It is the one Dalva made me before we crossed the desert looking for you.”

  At the mention of Dalva’s name, Seota looked at Neti and then the caftan. On seeing the girl’s response, Neti said, “She made the one you’re wearing as well. It will protect your skin from the sun.”

  The girl pulled at the thicker fabric covering her, her fingers smoothing over the fabric, but she did not say anything.

  “We had better be going,” Shabaka said, leading the donkey into the road.

  “You know, you never told me where you got the donkey from,” Neti said as they fell into step next to him.

  “There are some benefits to being a prefect,” Shabaka said, glancing at Neti and smiling at her disbelieving scowl. “He belongs to the mejay. We are just borrowing him.”

  “Does he have anything to do with the naked parade you had the other day?”

  “Not really. I just asked if they had a pack animal for me. Honestly, I would have preferred a camel – they are less stubborn.”

  “So are you going to tell me what the naked parade was about then?”

  Shabaka scoffed, “You want the short or the long version?”

  “I’ve got time.” Neti said, shrugging.

  “He was the commander of the mejay.”

  “Was?” Neti asked, confused.

  “Any commander who shows more concern for his own pleasure than the safety of the citizens they have been tasked to protect should be stoned.”

  “You didn’t?” Neti asked in disbelief.

  Shabaka shook his head. “He’s been stripped of all rank and placed in the detainment chambers until our return. Depending on what the mejay find, I will make a recommendation to Ramesses as to his apathy towards his duties.”

  “And if they let him go?” Neti asked.

  “I placed a Nubian in charge. He knows his family’s honor is attached to his actions.”

  “You think he will manage?”

  “I think he has something to prove. Besides, the information you provided from the marketplace should give them enough of a head start.”

  “It might. I’m just wary of what we will find.”

  “So am I,” Shabaka said.

  They traveled until just before the sun reached its zenith and then sought shelter in the shade of some bushes.

  Shabaka picked up a stone and cast it into the bush. Neti also kept to the ritual before sitting. Seota looked at both of them, confused.

  “We Nubians believe that casting a stone into a bush drives away any evil spirits.”

  Seota looked at Neti questioningly. The girl seemed pale but also picked up a stone. Shabaka shook his head. “They have already been cast away. So sit down before you fall down.”

  The girl as good as flopped down in the shade and Neti handed her a water skin. “Drink.”

  It was not long thereafter that Seota drifted off to sleep.

  “I think it is best if we rest here, pushing her could only worsen her condition,” Neti said. “We can start again in the morning.”

  “It would make the trip longer,” Shabaka said.

  “But safer,” Neti countered.

  They continued on their journey the following morning, again pressing on for most of the morning. The top of Khufu’s pyramid was clearly visible on the horizon when Neti again turned to look at Seota. The girl was visibly drained, her feet dragging in the sand.

  While they had done their best to avoid the dunes, not all could be circumnavigated. The largest was obstructing the view of the Sphinx.

  “It will not be long before we reach Ramesses’ villa. She can rest in comfort then.”

  “You do not think we should have sent them a messenger first?”

  “And warn them of our arrival?” Shabaka asked sarcastically. “How else could one ensure that they are actually fulfilling their duties to the Pharaoh?”

  The sun was already lowering on the horizon when they entered the villa’s arrival court. Flies swarmed about in droves and a stench hung in the air.

  “Two things that are never welcoming,” Neti said as she waved her hand over her head. “And these are biting flies, even worse.”

  Shabaka brought the donkey to standstill, but the animal kept moving around restlessly, irritably swishing its tail and stomping its hooves.

  “I think we should camp somewhere else and investigate this in the morning,” Neti said, gesturing for Seota to turn around.

  “We should investigate it now,” Shabaka countered.

  “Whatever it is, it has been dead for some time already, possibly crawling with maggots. No one is going to take it. Besides, we haven’t seen anyone since we left Memphis.”

  “We should check to see if anyone is still here,” Shabaka pressed.

  “I strongly doubt you will find anyone alive. We will have more light and time in the morning.”

  Shabaka unwillingly followed Neti and Seota, with the donkey eager to leave.

  They settled some distance from the villa and set up camp. While the flies remained irritating, they were no longer the bitin
g type.

  The following morning, Neti and Shabaka returned to the villa. Neti handed Shabaka a cloth mask before tying hers to cover her nose and mouth.

  “You’ve become particularly fond of these lately,” Shabaka said before tying the mask to cover his nose and mouth.

  “I trust my father’s belief that death can be breathed in. And seeing as we have no idea what killed these people, I would rather be careful.”

  Shabaka nodded. “Although I expect it would be the same as the men in Thebes.”

  “The flesh dissolved off the bones,” Neti said before pointing to the villa. “But from the stench and the multitude of flies, these bodies, for some reason, rotted.”

  “Well, we will see,” Shabaka said, leading the way.

  They entered the arrival court again, only to be beseeched by biting flies. The masks dampened the stench some but did not completely eliminate it.

  “I can see why you left Seota at the camp,” Shabaka said as they made for the entrance.

  “No matter how much she’s matured, I do not think walking into a home with multiple dead bodies will contribute to her physical well-being at the moment, especially since we have no idea what killed these people,” Neti said.

  “And here I thought you left her behind to look after the donkey,” Shabaka jested.

  “Well there is that too, you know. The last thing I need is to have to pay for the donkey if it goes missing,” she teased back.

  “Don’t remind me. If we don’t find a clean source of water soon, it will die before we return,” Shabaka said as he pushed against the entrance door. It shifted for a short distance and then stopped. Shabaka checked to see what was causing the obstruction and cussed.

  “What is it?” Neti asked, concerned.

  “It looks as if someone tried to stop the door with a heavy pot. They placed it in such a manner that the door opens just enough for someone to squeeze through.”

  “What about the other entrances?” Neti asked.

  “We could try them. But if this villa was secured the same as any other of Ramesses, those could be barred from the inside,” Shabaka said, stepping back.

  “Let’s try those,” Neti said.

  Shabaka led her into the private court, but soon halted outright, nearly causing Neti to walk right into him.

  “What?” she asked, shocked.

  “Just an estimate. On the smell, how long would you say they’ve been dead?”

  “At least two days. That’s usually when they smell at their worst. Why?”

  Shabaka pointed to the animal stalls. “Ramesses keeps a trip of goats here for milk.”

  Neti looked to where he was pointing and said, “There are none there.”

  “The goats would be almost dead if they were.”

  “You think someone took them?”

  Shabaka walked over to the small shelter. “Ramesses always insists that the pens for his animals must be secure, that animals must not be capable of escape. You have no idea how many people have tried to claim grain from him by stating his goats had gotten into their fields or gardens.” Shabaka looked about the pen, then checked its gate. “There is water here and it appears to have been opened,” Shabaka said, and then looked about the court.

  “You think someone might be here?”

  Shabaka shrugged his shoulders. “We know so little about what is affecting these people. It could be that whoever let out the goats could still have been healthy enough to take them out but not return them.”

  “But don’t goats come back on their own?”

  “Not unless they found something to eat.”

  “Which makes things even more confusing, since there is little enough chance of us finding a body in the desert.”

  Shabaka only nodded before making his way to the nearby doorway. “This should lead into the kitchen.” He pushed against the door and it gave. “Strange,” Shabaka said, looking at the door. “This should have been barred with the others.”

  “Unless the last remaining person was a servant,” Neti said behind him, causing him to push the door open and step inside.

  “The kitchen seems bare,” Neti said walking to one of the platforms. She lifted the lid off one of the pots and checked inside. “It is empty.”

  “Were you hoping for flatbread?”

  Neti shook her head. “But I expected to find some grain at least.”

  “What are you not telling me?”

  Neti shrugged her shoulders. “The woman who bartered beer and flatbread in Memphis said that someone had entered her home during the day and taken anything of worth as well as all the grain.”

  “Grain remains the choice payment for barter,” Shabaka said. “I’m not surprised.”

  Neti nodded. “And the main ingredient for the two staples of our diet.”

  “Flatbread and beer,” Shabaka said. “So whoever was here is either intending to trade…”

  “Or is hungry,” Neti finished, placing her hand on the oven.

  “You found something?”

  “It’s still warm.”

  “But we smelled no smoke.” Shabaka said as he placed his hand on the oven.

  “The stench of the bodies may have covered it.”

  Shabaka nodded. “That means that whoever was here would have left the goats out.”

  “He could be anywhere then.”

  “What makes you so certain it would be a he?” Shabaka asked.

  “Because only a herder would still look after animals at a time such as this.” Neti cast her hand about the room. “And I have not heard of any female herders.”

  “It could also be that he was not affected by whatever killed the others.”

  Neti nodded. “Possible.” She then walked farther into the room, stepping through the doorway into the passage.

  Shabaka followed her. In one of the side chambers a body lay sprawled on the floor. Neti stepped around it and then dropped to her haunches, tilting her head first to one side and then to the other.

  “The smell?” Shabaka asked as he caught up with her.

  Neti shook her head, and then pointed to the body. “That is confusing.”

  “As if everything we’ve seen today is not,” Shabaka said, but looked to where she was pointing.

  “Whatever killed these people, it is not the same as that which killed the men in Thebes.”

  “It would have been nicer to be welcomed by bones and less of a stench.”

  Shabaka’s comment had Neti suddenly look up and frown. “Are you certain you did not see too much sun yesterday?” Her voice was laced with concern.

  “No. Why?”

  “You seem a bit…odd. Especially considering the circumstances,” Neti said, gesturing to the room and body.

  Shabaka shrugged. “You might be used to death and bodies, but I am not so comfortable around them, especially not this many.”

  Neti tilted her head and then nodded. “You’re reminded of the plague.”

  Shabaka nodded.

  “Well I can tell you that this person did not die of the plague,” Neti said before returning her attention back to the body. “To be honest, I cannot tell you what killed him.”

  “It’s male?”

  “Well, I’m guessing by the clothes and the fact that it appears to have been a laborer.” Neti grew quiet for a moment before suddenly exclaiming, “That cannot he right. What would a laborer be doing in the Pharaoh’s villa?”

  “He could be a guard,” Shabaka injected.

  Neti shook her head. “He would have had the royal colors, same as we do.”

  Shabaka lowered to his haunches, but only for a moment before rising again. “How can you handle the stench?”

  “Breathe slowly through your mouth, that way you will smell less of it.”

  “But the death in the air thing,” Shabaka countered.

  “That is what the mask is for,” Neti replied. She was, however, distracted by a particular point on the body.

  “You found so
mething.”

  “You could say that,” Neti said, shifting a bit before pointing, “You see that?”

  “Yes.”

  “See how the flies avoid that area?”

  “I don’t think flies are smart enough to do something like that,” Shabaka answered. “They like anything dead, the smellier the better.”

  “That is because bodies are ideal for breeding.”

  “I did not need to know that,” Shabaka said with obvious disgust.

  Neti turned her attention to him, “You know what is really strange?”

  “What?”

  “Us not being interrupted while determining a possible cause of death.”

  Shabaka gestured to the room, “There is only us here.”

  “And no one to trample things that might indicate something.” Neti said, again turning her attention back to the body.

  “Not that I think that would matter as much this time.”

  “You may be right,” Neti said, rising from her haunches. “I will have to look at the other bodies.”

  They left the room and proceeded down the passage to one of the public chambers. The room was in disarray, almost as it there had been a great struggle. “I think they may have been attacked,” Shabaka said.

  “Possibly, but why?”

  “We will have to go through everything. But even then, I would not be able to determine if anything is missing,” Shabaka said. “And from the look of this place…” He left the rest unsaid.

  Neti again lowered to her haunches at the nearest body, looking over it over for several moments. Before lifting to check another.

  On reaching the third body she said, “It looks like all of them had the same thing.”

  “What?” Shabaka demanded.

  Neti pointed to a patch on the servant’s skin. “They all have these.”

  “The patch the flies are avoiding?” Shabaka asked.

  Neti nodded. “But they don’t just have one. There are several.”

  “You are certain?” Shabaka asked.

  “If you know what to look for, they become obvious.”

  “And you think that is what killed them?”

  “No, it’s only on the skin. See, it looks as if they were burnt and the skin pulled away.”