Death Comes As the End (18 page)

At just about this same point too. What was it that Satipy had heard, to make her look suddenly behind her?

Footsteps?

Footsteps
…but Renisenb heard footsteps now
following her down the path
.

Her heart gave a sudden leap of fear. It
was
true, then! Nofret was behind her, following her…

Fear coursed through her, but her footsteps did not slacken. Nor did they race ahead. She must overcome fear, since there was, in her mind, no evil deed to regret…

She steadied herself, gathered her courage and, still walking, turned her head.

Then she felt a great throb of relief. It was Yahmose following her. No spirit from the dead, but her own brother. He must have been busied in the offering chamber of the Tomb and have come out of it just after she had passed.

She stopped with a happy little cry.

‘Oh Yahmose, I’m so glad it’s you.’

He was coming up to her rapidly. She was just beginning another sentence–a recital of her foolish fears, when the words froze on her lips.

This was not the Yahmose she knew–the gentle, kindly brother. His eyes were very bright and he was passing his tongue quickly over dried lips. His hands, held a little in front of his body, were slightly curved, the fingers looking like talons.

He was looking at her and the look in his eyes was unmistakable. It was the look of a man who had killed and was about to kill again. There was a gloating cruelty, an evil satisfaction in his face.

Yahmose–the pitiless enemy was Yahmose! Behind the mask of that gentle, kindly face–
this
!

She had thought that her brother loved her–but there was no love in that inhuman, gloating face.

Renisenb screamed–a faint, hopeless scream.

This, she knew, was death. There was no strength in her to match Yahmose’s strength. Here, where Nofret had fallen, where the path was narrow, she too would fall to death…

‘Yahmose!’ It was a last appeal–in that uttering of his name was the love she had always given to this eldest brother. It pleaded in vain. Yahmose laughed, a soft, inhuman, happy little laugh.

Then he rushed forward, those cruel hands with talons
curving as though they longed to fasten round her throat…

Renisenb backed up against the cliff face, her hands outstretched in a vain attempt to ward him off. This was terror–death.

And then she heard a sound, a faint, twanging musical sound…

Something came singing through the air. Yahmose stopped, swayed, then with a loud cry he pitched forward on his face at her feet. She stared down stupidly at the feather shaft of an arrow. Then she looked down over the edge–to where Hori stood, the bow still held to his shoulder…

VI

‘Yahmose…Yahmose…’

Renisenb, numbed by the shock, repeated the name again, and yet again. It was as though she could not believe it…

She was outside the little rock chamber, Hori’s arm still round her. She could hardly recollect how he had led her back up the path. She had been only able to repeat her brother’s name in that dazed tone of wonder and horror.

Hori said gently:

‘Yes, Yahmose. All the time, Yahmose.’

‘But how? Why? And how
could
it be he–why, he was poisoned himself. He nearly died.’

‘No, he ran no risk of dying. He was very careful of how much wine he drank. He sipped enough to make him ill and he exaggerated his symptoms and his pains. It was the way, he knew, to disarm suspicion.’

‘But
he
could not have killed Ipy? Why, he was so weak he could not stand on his feet!’

‘That, again, was feigned. Do you not remember that Mersu pronounced that once the poison was eliminated, he would regain strength quickly. So he did in reality.’

‘But
why
, Hori? That is what I cannot make out–why?’

Hori sighed.

‘Do you remember, Renisenb, that I talked to you once of the rottenness that comes from within?’

‘I remember. Indeed I was thinking of it only this evening.’

‘You said once that the coming of Nofret brought evil. That was not true. The evil was already here concealed within the hearts of the household. All that Nofret’s coming did was to bring it from its hidden place into the light. Her presence banished concealment. Kait’s gentle motherliness had turned to ruthless egoism for
herself and her young. Sobek was no longer the gay and charming young man, but the boastful, dissipated weakling. Ipy was not so much a spoilt, attractive child as a scheming, selfish boy. Through Henet’s pretended devotion, the venom began to show clearly. Satipy showed herself as a bully and a coward. Imhotep himself had degenerated into a fussy, pompous tyrant.’

‘I know–I know.’ Renisenb’s hands went to rub her eyes. ‘You need not tell me. I have found out little by little for myself…Why should these things happen–why should this rottenness come, as you say, working from within?’

Hori shrugged his shoulders.

‘Who can tell? It may be that there must always be growth–and that if one does not grow kinder and wiser and greater, then the growth must be the other way, fostering the evil things. Or it may be that the life they all led was too shut in, too folded back upon itself–without breadth or vision. Or it may be that, like a disease of crops, it is contagious, that first one and then another sickened.’

‘But Yahmose–Yahmose seemed always the same.’

‘Yes, and that is one reason, Renisenb, why I came to suspect. For the others, by reason of their temperaments, could get relief. But Yahmose has always been timid, easily ruled, and with never enough courage to
rebel. He loved Imhotep and worked hard to please him, and Imhotep found him well-meaning but stupid and slow. He despised him. Satipy, too, treated Yahmose with all of the scorn of a bullying nature. Slowly his burden of resentment, concealed but deeply felt, grew heavier. The meeker he seemed, the more his inward anger grew.

‘And then, just when Yahmose was hoping at last to reap the reward of his industry and diligence, to be recognized and associated with his father, Nofret came. It was Nofret, and perhaps Nofret’s beauty, that kindled the final spark. She attacked the manhood of all three brothers. She touched Sobek on the raw by her scorn of him as a fool, she infuriated Ipy by treating him as a truculent child without any claim to manhood, and she showed Yahmose that he was something less than a man in her eyes. It was after Nofret came that Satipy’s tongue finally goaded Yahmose beyond endurance. It was her jeers, her taunt that she was a better man than he, that finally sapped his self-control. He met Nofret on this path and–driven beyond endurance–he threw her down.’

‘But it was
Satipy
–’

‘No, no, Renisenb. That is where you were all wrong. From down below Satipy
saw it happen
. Now do you understand?’

‘But Yahmose was with you on the cultivation.’

‘Yes, for the last hour. But do you not realize, Renisenb, that Nofret’s body was
cold
. You felt her cheek yourself. You thought she had fallen a few moments before–but that was impossible. She had been dead at least two hours, otherwise, in that hot sun, her face could never have felt cold to your touch. Satipy saw it happen. Satipy hung around, fearful, uncertain what to do; then she saw you coming and tried to head you off.’

‘Hori, when did you know all this?’

‘I guessed fairly soon. It was Satipy’s behaviour that told me. She was obviously going about in deadly fear of someone or something–and I was fairly soon convinced that the person she feared was
Yahmose
. She stopped bullying him and instead was eager to obey him in every way. It had been, you see, a terrible shock to her. Yahmose, whom she despised as the meekest of men, had actually been the one to kill Nofret. It turned Satipy’s world upside down. Like most bullying women, she was a coward. This new Yahmose terrified her. In her fear she began to talk in her sleep. Yahmose soon realized that she was a danger to him…

‘And now, Renisenb, you can realize the truth of what you saw that day with your own eyes. It was not a spirit Satipy saw that caused her to fall. She saw what you saw today. She saw in the face of the man following her–her
own husband–the intention to throw her down as he had thrown that other woman. In her fear she backed away from him and fell. And when, with her dying lips, she shaped the word
Nofret
, she was trying to tell you that Yahmose killed Nofret.’

Hori paused and then went on:

‘Esa came on the truth because of an entirely irrelevant remark made by Henet. Henet complained that I did not look
at
her, but as though I saw something behind her that was not there. She went on to speak of Satipy. In a flash Esa saw how much simpler the whole thing was than we had thought. Satipy did not look at something
behind
Yahmose–it was
Yahmose himself
she saw. To test her idea, Esa introduced the subject in a rambling way which could mean nothing to anyone except Yahmose himself–and only to him if what she suspected was true. Her words surprised him and he reacted to them just for a moment, sufficiently for her to know that what she suspected was the truth. But Yahmose knew then that she
did
suspect. And once a suspicion had arisen, things would fit in too well, even to the story the herd boy told–a boy devoted to him who would do anything his Lord Yahmose commanded–even to swallowing a medicine that night which ensured that he would not wake up again…’

‘Oh Hori, it is so hard to believe that Yahmose could
do such things. Nofret, yes, I can understand that. But why these other killings?’

‘It is difficult to explain to you, Renisenb, but once the heart is opened to evil–evil blossoms like poppies amongst the corn. All his life Yahmose had had, perhaps, a longing for violence and had been unable to achieve it. He despised his own meek, submissive role. I think that the killing of Nofret gave him a great sense of
power
. He realized it first by Satipy. Satipy who had browbeaten and abused him, was now meek and terrified. All the grievances that had lain buried in his heart so long, reared their heads–as that snake reared up on the path here one day. Sobek and Ipy were, one handsomer, the other cleverer than he–so
they
must go. He, Yahmose, was to be the ruler of the house, and his father’s only comfort and stay! Satipy’s death increased the actual pleasure of killing. He felt more powerful as a result of it. It was after that that his mind began to give way–from then on evil possessed him utterly.

‘You, Renisenb, were not a rival. So far as he still could, he loved you. But the idea that your husband should share with him in the estate was not one to be borne. I think Esa agreed to the idea of accepting Kameni with two ideas in her head–the first that if Yahmose struck again, it would be more likely to be at Kameni than at you–and in any case she trusted
me to see that you were kept safe. The second idea–for Esa was a bold woman–was to bring things to a head. Yahmose, watched by me (whom he did not know suspected him) could be caught in the act.’

‘As you did,’ said Renisenb. ‘Oh Hori, I was so frightened when I looked back and saw him.’

‘I know, Renisenb. But it had to be. So long as I stuck close to Yahmose’s side, you would necessarily be safe–but that could not go on for ever. I knew that if he had an opportunity of throwing you off the path
at the same place
he would take it. It would revive the superstitious explanation of the deaths.’

‘Then the message Henet brought me was not from you?’

Hori shook his head.

‘I sent you no message.’

‘But why did Henet–’ Renisenb stopped, and shook her head. ‘I cannot understand Henet’s part in all this.’

‘I think Henet knows the truth,’ said Hori thoughtfully. ‘She was conveying as much to Yahmose this morning–a dangerous thing to do. He made use of her to lure you up here–a thing she would be willing to do–since she hates you, Renisenb–’

‘I know.’

‘Afterwards–I wonder? Henet would believe her knowledge would give her power. But I do not believe
Yahmose would have let her live long. Perhaps even now–’

Renisenb shivered.

‘Yahmose was mad,’ said Renisenb. ‘He was possessed by evil spirits, but he was not always like that.’

‘No, and yet–You remember, Renisenb, how I told you the story of Sobek and Yahmose as children, and how Sobek beat Yahmose’s head against the ground and how your mother came, all pale and trembling and said, ‘That is dangerous.’ I think, Renisenb, that her meaning was that to do such things
to Yahmose
was dangerous. Remember that next day how Sobek was ill–food poisoning, they thought–I think your mother, Renisenb, knew something of the queer self-contained fury that dwelt within the breast of her gentle, meek little son and feared that some day it might be roused…’

Renisenb shuddered.

‘Is no one what they seem?’

Hori smiled at her.

‘Yes, sometimes. Kameni and I, Renisenb. Both of us, I think, are as you believe we are. Kameni and I…’

He said the last words with significance, and suddenly Renisenb realized that she stood at a moment of choice in her life.

Hori went on:

‘We both love you, Renisenb. You must know that.’

‘And yet,’ said Renisenb, slowly, ‘you have let the arrangements be made for my marriage, and you have said nothing–not one word.’

‘That was for your protection. Esa had the same idea. I must remain disinterested and aloof, so that I could keep constant watch on Yahmose, and not arouse his animosity.’ Hori added with emotion: ‘You must understand, Renisenb, that Yahmose has been my friend for many years. I loved Yahmose. I tried to induce your father to give him the status and authority he desired. I failed. All that came too late. But although I was convinced in my heart that Yahmose had killed Nofret, I tried
not
to believe it. I found excuses, even, for his action. Yahmose, my unhappy, tormented friend, was very dear to me. Then came Sobek’s death, and Ipy, and finally Esa’s…I knew then that the evil in Yahmose had finally vanquished the good. And so Yahmose has come to his death at my hands. A swift, almost painless death.’