Egypt (27 page)

But he did not sound truly convinced of his own arguments.

‘Just because he is beautiful does not mean his private desires lie in … other directions,' I said. ‘And even if they do, who is to say such a man would not make a fine King and still father heirs? The Prince seems to me noble and accomplished, and he must have had to discover the courage to be himself in a land that would hardly value his qualities.'

Nakht absorbed these words quietly. He and I had never discussed the reasons for his not having married and raised a family of his own.

‘Indeed, the
Tale of King Neferkare and the Military Commander Sasenet
is a story of just such a secret love,' he said quietly. And then he glanced at me carefully.

There was a moment of silence between the three of us.

‘This is all very well, but tales of love will not help us to return the Prince to Egypt without misfortune,' said Simut. ‘That in itself will be a dangerous task.'

‘The sooner we return to Thebes the better. Time is running out. Who knows what events may have passed in the court? Perhaps Ay is already dead…'

‘You are both forgetting something. The killer is here. Aziru is the most likely suspect, and he has not been caught,' I said. ‘He knows about us. We cannot afford to leave this matter unresolved. We cannot afford to have him shadow us, and then attack again, outside the city, when we do not have the protection of the King.'

Nakht was about to reply when there was a loud knock on the door. It was the Chief Steward returning with the King's instructions for our return.

‘The King considers the sea journey from Ura to Ugarit too dangerous. The currents, as you know, flow against the return journey, and risk taking the ship too close to the Alashiyan coastline. Besides, it may be known to foreign spies that you have already travelled that way, and it is bad strategy to repeat your movements,' he said.

‘But Ura is a Hittite dominion, and Ugarit is loyal to you, so surely the King can ensure the safety of a convoy through those cities?' said Nakht.

‘As you know, the King's second son is Viceroy in Aleppo. Therefore a Hittite military convoy will accompany you to the border town of Sarissa, and beyond to Aleppo. We have garrisons, of course, but it is approaching winter, and our troops will be returning to the homeland. So from there, you will be on your own. But your own army is engaged in the wars there. I believe the divisions have not all retired to Memphis. Therefore you can call upon their support,' replied the Chief Steward.

‘My lord, it is well known your eastern borders are insecure, and that the reason the King's second son, the Prince Telepinu, has been sent to Aleppo, is to quell anti-Hittite forces in that area,' said Nakht. ‘I mean, of course, the Army of Chaos are known to be active in that territory.'

The Chief Steward looked uncomfortable.

‘My lord Envoy, your information is out of date. Hittite authority is well established in the east. Our forts and watchtowers will provide security and accommodation. Our watchmen of the Long Road will be responsible for your safe passage. And surely you must know, according to our laws, all citizens of every locality are held personally responsible for the safe passage of all merchants and dignitaries. If any harm comes to them, then restitution must be made.'

‘That will be little satisfaction to us if we are already dead,' replied Nakht.

‘Hittite honour is at stake in this. Such a thing is unthinkable,' replied the Chief Steward quickly.

‘It is not only thinkable, it is also alarmingly plausible. We could not be more vulnerable, and any ill fortune that might befall us would be simply catastrophic, for both sides. I hope you understand that? I hope you understand my concern about the alarming internal discord within the royal family?'

‘The Crown Prince is reconciled. You need have no fear of reprisals,' replied the Chief Steward. ‘And we have accomplished an agreement to create the circumstances of peace between our empires.'

‘But that will not be confirmed until the marriage is performed, and so everything remains in peril. There is great dissent among you. There is a killer here in your city and it is most likely Aziru himself. Where will he strike next? We are travelling through unstable, dangerous territory. It offers him the perfect opportunity to assassinate us. You can see my point.'

The Chief Steward nodded and shrugged, exasperated. ‘I have done my best. These are the commands of the King. For the moment, the Crown Prince has his ear. We must make the best of it.'

Once the Chief Steward had departed, we fell quickly into discussion.

‘He's right about not retracing our steps. They will have to guard us all the way through the Hittite lands,' said Simut. ‘And then we can travel west, and take a ship south, or join up with the Way of Horus; either will take us quickly back to Egypt.'

‘We have no choice. But how can we trust these guards? I fear some further revelation of the Crown Prince's treachery,' said Nakht.

‘I would like to point out that the land route takes us into territory where Egypt has no alliances, no forts, and no way stations. We will have to pass through what is essentially the noman's-land between ourselves and the Hittites. And remember, too: the last thing we need is for Horemheb to discover us. That would be worse than meeting the Army of Chaos!' I said.

‘The Way of Horus is probably safest. I will be able to send letters ahead of us. We can pass again for a commercial delegation, provided Prince Zannanza assents. And as for Horemheb, the war is over for this season; the Hittites are retiring to Hattusa. He has no need to waste his time on the front. He has more pressing matters at home. He will need as many of his troops as possible back in Egypt. For obvious reasons.'

We left the city the following afternoon. The future marriage had been announced, and so the processional way was lined with nobles, bureaucrats and dignitaries; our own convoy was surrounded by a troop of Hittite guards, bearing spears and axes. The King rode before us, with the Crown Prince and Prince Zannanza on either side of him. The Queen rode behind them, but at no point did she turn in Nakht's direction. I looked around, searching the countless faces of the crowds, desperate to catch a glimpse of the Levantine face I had seen at the banquet. But there was no sign.

When we reached the Lion Gate, the King publicly embraced Prince Zannanza–but I have rarely seen a colder, less effusive embrace between father and son. Prince Zannanza turned to look back at his home, and he must have known he would never see it again. The Crown Prince slapped him vigorously on the shoulder, and whispered something in his ear that caused Prince Zannanza to stiffen and redden as if he had been cruelly mocked and cursed.

And then, deafened by the cacophony of the fanfares that followed, we were led through the long dark tunnel of the great gate. We emerged into the light. The carved lions leapt from their stone. I looked up at the crenellations of the city walls, which were crowded with people. I searched them for any glimpse of the man I had seen staring at Nakht, or a man with red hair. But there was nothing, and our path was set, our journey was only just beginning. Before us lay the dark forests, and the long, dangerous road home.

If thou openest not the gate to let me enter,
I will break the door,
I will wrench the lock,
I will smash the door-posts, I will force the doors.
I will bring up the dead to eat the living.
And the dead will outnumber the living
.

Ishtar approaches the gates of the Underworld

The ancient gates of the city of Aleppo opened at dawn, and we joined the throng of labourers going to the fields and of merchants and tradesmen setting off to work. We were glad to leave, for the second Prince of the Hittites, Viceroy of the City, had accommodated us with ill will. There was no brotherly love between him and Zannanza, for whom he displayed only a sneering condescension. Here also we had reached the border of Hittite-dominated territory. The Hittite guard, which had accompanied us from Hattusa, across the arid plains to the north, down through the poor villages and border towns, over the curling tracks of the cold mountain passes, dense with dark pines, and then across the plains towards Aleppo itself, would now turn back. They followed us a little way out of the city, suddenly stopped, stood to attention, offered a modest salute, and then simply rode away, as if relieved of a worrisome, distasteful responsibility. During the whole journey they had not exchanged one word, or one sign of friendliness with us.

Finally we were on our own. What lay ahead of us were unknown, uncertain wastelands, which for the last thirty years had been fought over, and for much longer had been extremely perilous to all travellers. Nakht had decided to take the trade road to Hamah, about five days to the south of Aleppo, and from there turn west, to rejoin the Way of the Sea at Byblos. The Hittite Crown Prince had arranged for us to be accommodated in fort-towns along the way, and given us documents to that effect.

It was a beautiful day. We set off into the unknown, our guards jogging before and behind. The road was lined with meadows, the dew was still heavy upon the fields, and birds sang in the branches of the trees and swooped along the trickling water courses. For the first time in many days, despite the perils that lay ahead, we all felt a weight lift from us. Even Prince Zannanza seemed to be touched by the beauty and the freshness of the early morning. Nakht said something politely to him, and he nodded, and almost smiled. For the whole journey up to this point he had been sunk in a profound, speechless depression; he had barely eaten, he had drunk little, and lack of sleep circled his elegant eyes with dark rings.

We rode together, Prince Zannanza in the middle, Nakht and I on either side, Simut and his guards before and behind. Nakht tried once again to engage the Prince in conversation.

‘Queen Ankhesenamun's beauty is remarkable. Isn't that so? Rahotep, I was just failing to find the words to describe her grace and her intelligence. She is quick-witted, and delightful in conversation.'

‘So why has she had to beg for a husband from her greatest enemy?' Prince Zannanza asked quietly, in perfect–if accented–Egyptian.

Nakht began to answer him, but the Prince interrupted.

‘I am not a fool. I know what families will do for power and glory. My father has sold me; I am merely a commodity, bartered for political gain. And when I am no longer useful, I know I will be disposed of without a second thought.'

‘That is not so, Your Majesty. As long as I live I will serve you, and protect your life with my own,' replied Nakht earnestly.

Prince Zannanza gazed at him.

‘And how long can I hope to survive in your Egyptian royal court, which is so notoriously full of assassins and betrayers?' he replied. ‘And who are you?' he said, turning to me unexpectedly.

‘Life, prosperity, health, Your Majesty. I am Rahotep.'

‘Tell me about yourself,' commanded the Prince.

I could hear Simut coughing with amusement behind me.

‘What would Your Majesty care to know?'

‘You are not a noble, yet you are not a guard. Why are you here?'

I glanced at Nakht, who was following the unexpected progress of this conversation carefully.

‘The Queen of Egypt commanded my presence,' I said. ‘I am a Seeker of Mysteries and worked for the Thebes Medjay.'

‘She must value your loyalty highly,' he replied.

I could think of nothing to say to that. He gazed at me.

‘I see something else in your eyes. You carry a dark anger in your heart, don't you, Rahotep, Seeker of Mysteries?'

I was taken aback.

‘I recognize the signs all too well. I, too, was not made for the darkness of men's cruelty. But the Gods make fools of us all,' he continued. And then he spurred his horse, and cantered forward a little, to return to his solitude.

Simut winked, and clapped me on the shoulder, whispering into my ear: ‘I think the Prince has taken a liking to you. “The Gods make fools of us all…”'