An Evil Spirit Out of the West

Chapter 7

In the freezing cold dark of the desert we buried the stiffening corpses of the Kushites. Snefru informed me that the corpses of the others had been similarly concealed. We dug deep in the hot sand. Afterwards the Veiled One gathered us together.

‘What you have done,’ he declared gently, as if addressing a group of friends, ‘has been ordained and is fitting punishment for traitors. No one lifts his hand against the Son of the Divine One. You are now to return.’ He gazed round, peering at them through the dark as if memorising the faces of this group. ‘Go back to the palace but return individually. Should anyone ask, you know nothing of this. Indeed, for time immemorial, you shall know nothing of this.’

Once they were gone, padding away through the night, the Veiled One took a brand from the fire and burned his pavilion. Then, taking his sword, he hacked at the chariot like a man possessed, denting its finery, shattering the decorations, splintering the javelin holder and damaging the quiver. The splendid Bow of Honour, his favourite weapon for the hunt, was also gouged and marked. Javelins and arrows were thrown onto the sand. Bereft of his cane, his ungainly movements assumed a menace all of their own. I was not invited to join him; he acted like a man demented. When he stopped, he stood, arms drooping, eyes glazed, chest heaving with exertion. He fell to his knees and threw sand over his face. Then, he drew his dagger, lurched to his feet and staggered towards me. He looked as if he was going to trip. I went forward to help but he moved quickly, his arm coming up, the knife slicing my upper arm and nicking my left wrist. I flinched in pain and drew away but he followed on, grasping my tunic and tearing it. I made to resist.

‘Mahu, think! We have been attacked by Libyans, Desert Wanderers.’ He fashioned makeshift bandages to staunch the wound then inflicted similar cuts on himself. All around us was darkness, in this haunted place with the roars of the night prowlers drawing closer and the biting wind turning our sweat cold, coating us in a fine dust which stung our eyes. I ached from head to toe. The wounds from the razor-edged knife smarted as if I had been burned with fiery coals. Once satisfied, the Veiled One took another brand from the fire and stared around. He looked eerie in the dancing flames with his long face and awkward body yet his eyes were steady. When he spoke, his voice was soft as if talking to himself or praying, I don’t know which.

‘Come, Baboon, we are finished here.’

We unhobbled the horses, the Veiled One patting them reassuringly: the beasts could smell the blood, and the dark shapes of the night prowlers increased their alarm. We climbed into the chariot and were gone, out of that ghost-filled gully, hooves pounding, wheels rattling as we fled like birds of ill omen under a starlit sky back to our quarters in the Malkata Palace.

Snefru and the others acted as if nothing untoward had happened. Naturally, of course, the Veiled One’s appearance without his Kushite guards, the state of both ourselves and the chariot raised uproar and alarm. Messengers were despatched to the palace. I assisted the Veiled One to his quarters, helped him strip, wash and don new robes. He did the same for me as if we were two boys desperate to escape the effects of our mischief. Royal physicians arrived. They questioned my master, scrupulously searched for any injury, then they turned on me. We both acted our roles and sang the same hymn: how we had gone out into the Eastern Desert to hunt and been ambushed by Libyan Desert Wanderers. The Veiled One acted all mournful, as did I. He described how his Kushite guard had put up a brave fight. Some were killed, others probably captured whilst, as the Veiled One hinted, the remainder may even have deserted.

Of course, no one could disprove our story. Great Queen Tiye, accompanied by the Crown Prince Tuthmosis, soon arrived. This time the Queen came in all her haughty beauty, garbed in costly robes, gold sandals with silver thongs, and a bejewelled head-dress. Crown Prince Tuthmosis looked more anxious than his mother. He was pale, rather thin from the loss of body fat. He ignored me and remained closeted with his mother and brother. At the end of their meeting Queen Tiye demanded to see me alone in the hall of audience. Tuthmosis had been sent to guard the door. The Queen acted her part, all anxious-eyed, a little nervous, solicitous and grateful that we had escaped — though I could tell from the amusement in her eyes that she knew what had truly happened.

‘I am concerned,’ her voice rose, eyes full of mockery, ‘I am concerned at my son’s security.’

‘Excellency,’ I replied, kneeling before her, ‘I have already taken care of that. I have armed a number of the Rhinoceri servants. Many of them have seen military service. I believe your son, my master, thinks that security enough.’

We spoke one thing with our mouths and another with our eyes. Tuthmosis, however, was not so easily mollified. He came striding down the hall, coughing into his hands. When he stopped before me, I saw the piece of linen furtively thrust up the voluminous sleeve, pushed under a wrist strap which dangled rather loosely.

‘Mother, guards should be brought from the palace!’

‘Yes and no,’ Tiye replied. ‘My son is disturbed. I think it’s best if he feels secure, for the moment at least.’

They left shortly afterwards. The Veiled One summoned me to his quarters. He was sitting cross-legged on his bed staring out of the open window and watching the sun set.

‘All life comes from him, Mahu. He who dwells on all things and supports all things. The One who numbers our days and metes out judgement. I am his Beloved.’ He looked over his shoulder at me and rubbed a finger up and down that long nose, his lower lip jutting out. ‘All life is sacred, Mahu. Be it a bird on the wing or a fish in the river.’

‘And the Kushites we slaughtered?’ I asked.

‘They died because their lives were not sacred any more.’ He turned to gaze out of the window. ‘What will happen to us, Mahu? We are like children, being chased by shadows. We can turn and hide and fight, but still the chase goes on. My father will send other soldiers or a gift, some tainted wine or poisoned food. What will happen, Mahu?’

I knelt down. It was the first time the Veiled One had ever really asked me a question. The tone of his voice revealed that he was waiting for an answer. I don’t know what prompted my reply but the words came tumbling out before I could even reflect on them.

‘You will become,’ I continued in a rush, ‘Lord of the Two Lands, Holder of the Diadem, he who speaks with true voice, whose heel will rest on the neck of the People of the Nine Bows.’

The Veiled One lifted his hands. He was staring fixedly at the setting sun. Then he clambered off the bed and came towards me. I kept my head bowed, staring at those strange feet with their elongated toes and bony ankles. He stopped, grasped me by the hand and pulled me to my feet, his face wreathed in smiles, his eyes bright with life. He placed a hand on each of my shoulders and stared at me as if he was seeing me for the first time. Then he clasped me to him. I could feel the bones of his pigeon chest, the strength of those long arms; I could smell the perfume on his flesh.

‘Blessed are you, Mahu,’ he whispered, ‘least yet first amongst men. It is not flesh and blood which has revealed this to you but my Father who dwells beyond the Far Horizon and whose fingers have touched your heart so that you speak with true voice. Blessed are you, Mahu, son of Seostris, friend of Pharaoh.’

He released his grip and stood back. Hobbling over to a side table, he removed the cloth from a jug and filled two goblets of wine, serving me mine as if I was a priest in a temple.

‘Do you know what you said? Do you recognise the truth of my reply?’

In fact, I didn’t. On reflection what had prompted me was Tuthmosis, pale and narrow-faced, that blood-speckled napkin being thrust up his sleeve, and this enigmatic ungainly young man who could sing a song to a butterfly but kill like any panther from the South. We drank the wine and the Veiled One, drawing me close, whispered what I was to do. From that evening on I became responsible for his safety and security. Snefru, still nervous after the killing in the desert, became Captain of his guard.

The following morning a cart arrived, a gift from Queen Tiye, not food or drink or precious robes but the finest weapons and armour from the imperial storerooms. I gave Snefru two tasks: to train his men and recruit others who could be trusted, and to hire more servants from the village of the Rhinoceri. The Veiled One had a hand in this. He gave each of his new bodyguards an amulet, a scarab depicting the Aten, the Sun in Glory, rising between the Two Peaks in the East. He made them kneel in the dust of the courtyard, as he passed from one to another, gently asking their names, thrusting the insignia of office into their hands and softly caressing the head of each man. I was not so gentle but gave them a lecture Weni and Colonel Perra would have been proud of: their loyalty was to me and to their Prince. They were guarantors of each other’s fidelity. The treachery of one was the treachery of all and the good of their Prince was the glory of all. I then distributed the weapons, the leather kilts, the shields and spears, organising a roster of duties, interviewing each new recruit, accepting some, rejecting others.

The walls and gates of the Silent Pavilion were now closely guarded. No one arrived or left without my knowing; even the servants who went down to the marketplace were watched carefully. To all appearances the Veiled One’s household was depleted, disorganised. The Prince, our master, was sheltering in his chamber after the hideous incidents out in the Eastern Desert. The truth was very different. Security was the order of the day, the protection of the Prince our constant watchword. Food and wine were rigorously checked. A servant girl who could not explain why she had left the market in Thebes to visit the Temple of Isis quietly disappeared. At the same time the Prince opened his treasures. The Kushites had been paid from the House of Silver; now every one of his bodyguards was lavishly rewarded by the One they served. Of course God’s Father Hotep came sauntering into my master’s residence, walking through the gates, escorted by a gaggle of priests and officers from the Sacred Band. I quickly recognised the faces of Horemheb and Rameses: burned dark by the sun, garbed in their dress armour, they moved with all the swagger and arrogance of their kind. I met Hotep at the gates to the Prince’s garden.

‘I bring a request from my master,’ I whispered, bowing low. ‘He asks that your retainers’ — I heard a gasp of anger from some of the officers — ‘your retainers,’ I repeated, ‘either stay in the courtyard,’ I gestured round, ‘where there is shade, and where food and wine will be brought, or perhaps beneath the trees beyond the gates.’

Hotep held my gaze, those bright, sardonic eyes studying me carefully.

‘So you do not wish my companions to be wandering about?’

‘Excellency,’ I bowed again, ‘you and yours are most welcome here. However, you must remember, the Prince has lost the Captain of his guard — that vile attack in the Eastern Red Lands …’ I spread my hands. ‘My master is not a warrior or soldier …’ My voice faltered as if I, too, was nervous. Hotep turned, fanning his face, and gazed round, noting the guards at every doorway, spears at the ready, archers with their bows unslung. He grinned lazily at me and tapped me on the chest.

‘Horemheb is right. You are a clever baboon.’ He turned to his retainers. ‘Gentlemen, you may stay here. I bear messages from the Divine One.’

And, brushing by me, he entered the garden where my master was waiting for him in the pavilion. His escort rather self-consciously broke up. Some drifted towards the gate or made for the shade of the trees. Horemheb and Rameses, gold collars gleaming in the sun, remained standing alone, tapping their staffs of office against their legs.

‘My friends!’ I exchanged the kiss of peace with each of them.

Rameses pinched my arm mischievously.

‘You’ve climbed high, Baboon,’ he whispered before letting me go, so I could clasp Horemheb’s hand. The great soldier had filled out, muscular in his shoulders and arms, strong of grip, dark eyes in that hard, granite-like face. Both he and Rameses had their heads completely shaven. Horemheb had a scar high on his right cheekbone. He noted my gaze and rubbed this.

‘A Libyan arrow.’ His mouth smiled but his eyes didn’t. ‘Brother Rameses and I have been out in the Eastern Desert pursuing these marauders who attacked your master.’

‘We found some javelins and arrows, bones whitening under the sun.’ Horemheb squinted up at the sky. ‘As mine will if we don’t get into the shade and have some wine.’

I ushered them into the house, to the small tables I had prepared in an alcove beneath a window which overlooked the garden. I served them sweet white wine and a dish of glazed walnuts smeared with honey on strips of flat bread. They both ate, noisily smacking their lips, dabbing their fingers in the water bowl and wiping them on the napkins as they stared around. Horemheb noticed the guards standing in the shadows and grinned.

‘How good are they, Mahu?’ he asked, nodding his head. ‘As skilled as the Kushites?’

‘They are loyal and they will kill.’ I smiled and toasted him with my cup.

Rameses laughed behind his hand. ‘Soldiers with no noses,’ he taunted, ‘and little military training. Have they been drilled by you, Mahu?’

‘Tell me,’ I replied, ignoring his question, ‘what do men fight for the most? For money? Plunder? Women?’

‘Glory,’ Horemheb snapped. ‘The glory of To-mery, the Kingdom of Egypt.’

‘What about their own glory,’ I retorted, ‘as well as that of the One they serve?’

The smile faded from Horemheb’s face. ‘The Divine One could send the regiment here,’ he whispered, ‘and soon take care of these toy soldiers.’

‘Attack his own son?’ I replied. ‘Queen Tiye’s beloved? My friends, I shall tell you something: there are moments in life when you make choices. On these choices your life, your fame, your fortune depend.’

‘What are you saying?’ Rameses snarled, his lean face ugly with the anger seething within him.

‘We are children of the Kap,’ I replied. ‘I am not threatening you, or describing the way things should be, just the way they are. I gave Sobeck good advice and he ignored it. I did what I could for him. Don’t you expect me to do the same for you?’

Horemheb wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and got to his feet. Rameses followed. He was about to walk away when he came back and smiled down at me.

‘I’ve got two new dwarves,’ he said. ‘I never forgot that night, Mahu,’ his smile widened, ‘and the horrors of the crocodile pool. You are right. You never know when you can be swept away.’

He and Rameses sauntered lazily to the door. They’d hardly gone when Hotep appeared. He gestured at me not to rise and sat down opposite.

‘Well, well, well.’ His furrowed face broke into a smile, eyes watchful, like a hawk on its perch. ‘Quite a few changes here, Mahu.’

‘It is important that the Prince feels secure.’

‘He’s under the care of the Divine One; we all rest in the shadow of his hands.’

‘Of course,’ I replied. ‘Still, prudence and wisdom are gifts of the gods.’

Hotep picked up Horemheb’s cup and sipped at it. ‘Tell me again what happened in the Red Lands.’

I did so. Hotep sat nodding his head. ‘And Imri?’

I gave him a description of our calamitous journey on the river. ‘An unfortunate accident,’ I concluded.

‘And all of Imri’s guard were killed out in the Red Lands?’

‘So it would seem.’

‘And you went hunting there?’

‘We went hunting,’ I replied, holding his gaze. ‘Gazelle and ostrich, whatever crossed our path.’

‘But you never took Saluki hounds?’

I hid my disquiet — a mistake we had overlooked.

Hotep put the cup down. ‘Why didn’t you take Saluki hounds? They are as fleet as any deer.’

‘My master knows my dislike of Saluki hounds,’ I replied quietly. ‘My Aunt Isithia had one called Seth. He killed my pet monkey — I never forgot.’

‘Ah yes, Isithia.’ Hotep scratched his neck. ‘I understand you don’t visit her.’

‘She is never far from my heart.’

Hotep smiled thinly. ‘She said that your fates were intertwined.’

A prickle of fear curled along my back. ‘Whose fates, Excellency?’

Hotep sipped from his cup to conceal his own disquiet.

‘Why was I sent to the Kap?’ I asked abruptly. ‘My father was a brave soldier but Thebes is full of the sons of brave soldiers.’

‘Your aunt petitioned me whilst your father’s bravery was known to the Divine One, but that’s in the past, Mahu.’ Hotep smiled. ‘The evils of one day are enough and we must look to the future. What will happen to your Prince when his brother succeeds?’

‘May Pharaoh live for a million years,’ I replied.

‘Of course,’ Hotep agreed, ‘and enjoy a thousand jubilees. My question still stands. You talk of choices.’

‘When did I talk of choices?’

Again the crooked smile.

‘Don’t you know, Mahu? Even the breeze can carry words. You must make choices.’ Hotep spread his hands. ‘Which path you are going to follow? Whom will you truly serve? Ah well.’ He brushed some crumbs from his robe and got to his feet. ‘I don’t want your answer now, but one day.’ He plucked a fan from his sleeve to cool his face. ‘You know where I am.’ He turned away but then came back. ‘Your master, he talks to you?’

‘Like my aunt talked to her Saluki hound.’

Hotep smacked me across the face with his fan. ‘What do you think of your master, Mahu?’

‘I don’t think at all about him, Excellency. I do meditate quite often, at the way things are and, perhaps, the way things should be. I remember the poet’s words. You may know the line? “It is easier to hate than to love. It is better to love than to hate. But sometimes, you must hate to protect what you love”.’

‘A riddle?’ Hotep stepped back.

‘The solution is easy, Excellency. I could take an example from agriculture. They say that you are the son of a farmer?’

‘And?’

‘As the vine is planted,’ I replied, ‘so shall it grow.’

‘Are you talking about yourself?’ he queried.

‘No, Excellency, I am talking about all of us.’

I have been asked where it really all started, when I became aware of the real cause. I have been asked to speak with true voice. I do find this difficult. It’s like a fire in a house. You smell the smoke, you see the wisps but you are not certain where the fire is burning. So it is with the one they now call the Accursed, Akhenaten, the Grotesque, the Ugly One, the Veiled One, the Beloved of the Aten, the Lord of the Diadems.

I suppose it all began the night after Hotep had left. They came for me when the darkness was deepest, sliding into my chamber, stifling my mouth, binding my hands and feet, wrapping me in a coarse blanket. I struggled, lashed out, but they carried me effortlessly, moving like shadows along the passageway down the stairs and across the courtyard. A cold breeze pierced the blanket and froze my sweat. A gate opened. The smell of wood, of flowers, of crushed grass; more voices talking swiftly, hoarsely indistinct. Orders were being issued.

I was thrown into a cart which moved; every jolt of its wheels felt like a blow. This time there were different smells, the sounds of the night, the screech of an animal in pain, the cry of a bird. The breeze grew colder; I heard the slop of water. I was being taken aboard a barge. My terrors increased. Images came and went of the Danga dwarf being swept towards the crocodile pool, of Imri fighting for his life. Who were my abductors? Had the Veiled One changed his mind? Had Hotep taken matters into his own hands? Or had the Magnificent One, tired of his wife’s intervention, despatched his assassins?

I heard the scrape of the barge on the sandy shale and tried to relax, becoming more aware of the tight ropes round my wrist, the gag thrust in my mouth. Another cart-ride, jolting as before. I found myself sliding downwards, so the cart must be moving up a slight incline, probably into the Western Desert. The cold grew more intense. The sound of the night stalkers echoed ominously: a heartwrenching roar, the full-throated hunting cry of lions, followed by the yips, snarls and barks of those who followed this ferocious hunting pack.

At last the cart stopped; I was lifted out. The blankets were pulled away, the gag released and the ropes binding my ankles were cut. I was aware of fire, light, icy winds, starlit skies, dark shapes around me. Then a shroud was placed across my head, sealing me once again in darkness. My breathing sounded for an eternity. I was forced to kneel; sharp pebbles cut my knees. I received a stinging blow across my back.

‘Well, well, Mahu, Baboon of the South. We brought you out here to the desert where so many men’s bones lie. Tell me, Mahu, what happened the night your master went hunting?’

‘I have told you,’ I spluttered. ‘We were attacked by Desert Wanderers, Sand Dwellers, I don’t know! They crept in, loosening shafts through the night. We tried to gather round the chariot. Some were killed, others were driven off.’

Again the stinging blow across my back.

‘Lies!’ the voice snarled. ‘And what else, Mahu? Imri’s death, a keen hunter, a man who knew the Nile and its dangers?’

‘An accident!’ I screamed.

‘So many accidents,’ the voice murmured. ‘What does your master say to you, Mahu? Does he plot against the Divine One?’

‘He tends his garden,’ I retorted, ‘and visits his House of Paintings.’ For one eerie moment the image of that beautiful woman standing by the gate in the torchlight returned to haunt me.

‘People visit him,’ I spluttered. I felt a cut on my ankle, a knife slicing the skin. The cut was so unexpected, the knife so razor sharp, the blood was pouring out before a stab of pain coursed through my leg.

‘We have only just begun, Mahu. We’ve drawn blood, we’ll let it trickle then we’ll bind your feet and leave you here.’

The questioning continued; about the fate of the Kushites, Imri’s death, what my master did — who visited him? The questions came so fast I couldn’t determine who was questioning me; in truth, I didn’t care. My body shook. My legs trembled in a cold sweat. Sometimes I’d drift into sleep; dreams came, memories from the past. Weni lying in that pool, floating face down on the surface. On his back, my pet monkey Bes. In the trees beyond, Sobeck and his lover locked in a passionate embrace, her arms and legs around him, her long hair falling, unaware of the hunters racing towards them. The Veiled One sitting on cushions, his almond-shaped eyes staring at me intently. Queen Tiye slapping me across the face, Isithia dragging me by the hand. Cold water was thrown over me, another blow to my back and the questioning continued. At last I collapsed onto my side.

‘Enough!’ a voice cried.

The coarse-smelling blanket was taken from my head, the bonds on my hands were cut. I was half-dragged across to the roaring fire. A wineskin was forced between my lips, a platter of bread and soft delicious lamb thrust into my hand. I ate and drank.

‘Mahu! Mahu?’

I raised my head. The Veiled One was sitting across by the fire, dressed in a Sand Dweller’s striped robe, the hood pulled back. At his side sat his mother Queen Tiye, similarly dressed, her hair falling down either side of her unpainted face. Beside them was a man who kept in the shadows, his face indistinct, although I could make out a sharp nose, glittering eyes and a bushy moustache and beard. I gazed around: a circle of men protected us, their drawn weapons glinting in the firelight — shields, spears and swords. Others were armed with bows, the arrows already notched. Beyond them another line of men held torches, keeping away the night prowlers, the beasts of the desert. I groaned and took a slurp from the wineskin.

‘I am cold.’ I grasped my ankle. The blood had stopped flowing, leaving an open, aching wound. ‘Why this?’ I protested. ‘What games do you play?’

‘Life and death,’ Queen Tiye retorted, pushing her hands up the sleeves of her gown. ‘You were visited today by God’s Father Hotep, emissary of the Divine One. He sat with you in the hall of audience, didn’t he?’

I nodded.

‘He urged you to reflect about choices, what paths to follow.’

I nodded. The Veiled One sat gazing at me. In the light of the fire his face seemed more beautiful than grotesque, the eyes soft and liquid, the full pouting lips parted in a smile.

‘Don’t you trust me?’ I asked. ‘Is this what we have come to?’

‘We had to make sure, Mahu.’

‘Haven’t I proved my loyalty already? What other evidence do you need?’

‘It’s not about the past,’ Tiye interrupted, ‘but now and the future.’

She spoke in a tongue I didn’t understand to their companion who withdrew. Queen Tiye gestured at me to join them. They moved back from the fire so we could sit facing each other. Tiye urged me to eat and drink, holding the wineskin herself.

‘You can sleep tomorrow, Mahu. Tonight you must listen. I have told you about my son’s birth, the pain, the way he was abducted, kept by the priests and abused.’

The Veiled One snarled as if his mother’s words pricked his memory and boiled the hatred seething within him.

‘Ignored and abused,’ Tiye continued. ‘What the priests also knew, Mahu, were the dreams I had whilst I carried my son in the egg, whilst he danced in my womb. Dreams of grandeur, Mahu, of a Pharaoh who would rise high on the far horizon. Of course I was delighted! I chattered to my husband, the Divine One, who shared this knowledge with the priests. They cast their own horoscopes and Pharaoh became troubled. The priests did not share my joy but whispered about the Accursed, about a ruler who would mete out justice to the other gods of Egypt.’

I stared half-drunkenly back. I never cared for dreams or horoscopes. Aunt Isithia had cured me of all that.

‘You don’t believe us, do you, Mahu?’ the Veiled One demanded.

I recalled my words to Hotep. ‘I believe in the effects of love and hate. Of a child being alone and abused.’

The Veiled One laughed softly.

‘Is that why you brought me out in the desert?’

‘Look around you,’ Tiye urged. ‘Who are these men, Mahu?’

‘Ruthless killers,’ I replied. ‘I ache from head to toe.’

Again the soft laugh.

‘Desert Wanderers, Sand Dwellers,’ I yawned, rubbing my arms.

‘No, Mahu,’ Queen Tiye smiled. ‘They are my people.’

I caught my breath. In the Kap I had heard the stories and rumours, of how the Magnificent One had been captivated by this young woman from Akhmin. How he had broken with custom set from time immemorial that the Pharaoh always married a foreign princess. Tiye was the exception. Oh, how we had giggled behind our hands about her presumed expertise and prowess in bed. Now the laughter seemed sour and unworthy.

‘My family come from Akhmin and soon you shall meet others from my tribe.’

The face of the Beautiful One returned.

‘But for now,’ Tiye continued, ‘we are the Sheshnu, the Apiru, tribes who wandered across Sinai from Canaan many years ago, drawn by the wealth of Egypt, the black soil of the Nile, its fertile crops and the favour of Pharaoh. We have become one with Egypt. Well,’ she shrugged quickly, ‘at least some of us have. Others stay away from the cities, tending their flocks, serving their god. My family have followed other paths. Oh yes, Mahu, I am a Priestess of Min. I have danced and cavorted in his temple before his statue but that’s only on the surface, like grass and bushes carried by the river. The customs of Egypt are like a garment I can put on and off whenever I wish.’

I sat impassive, no longer aware of my aches and pains, the soreness in my ankle, the cold wind, or the chilling sounds of the night.

‘The Egyptian word for mankind is Remeth,’ Tiye continued, ‘which is the same word for Egyptian. In the beginning, Mahu’ — she leaned forward — ‘Egyptian, Libyan and Kushite were all one, serving the same, invisible omnipotent god. The Egyptians call him Aten, my people Elohim, or Adonai, the Lord. Different names for the same being. He dwells like the air we breathe. He is in us, works through us, sustaining all life yet he is also apart, all-loving, all-creative. That was in the beginning. Since then, mankind has gone its own way and fashioned gods for itself, making them in its own image, slicing the One God like you would a piece of fruit. A God of War, Montu; a God of the River, Hapi; a God of the Earth, Geb; the Sun God, Ra.’ She gestured with her hand. ‘Mahu, this is a time to put aside childish nonsense.’

‘Mahu is not a priest,’ the Veiled One broke in. ‘He does not care for the gods, do you?’

I gazed unblinkingly back.

‘You think I worship the Aten,’ he continued, ‘and so I do. But the glorious Sun Disc is only the symbol, the manifestation of my Father. My dream, Mahu, is to be Akhenaten, the Radiance of the Aten. It’s not only my dream, it’s my destiny.’

‘One other god amongst many,’ I argued back. ‘Even the Divine One pays homage to the Aten.’

‘Ah, yes.’ The Veiled One raised a hand, like a teacher in a hall of learning. ‘We worship the Aten and pay deference to the rest because that is the way things have to be, at least for a while.’ He bowed his head. ‘I know what you are thinking, Mahu.’ His voice became muffled, mouth hidden behind the folds of the cloak. ‘The Temple of Amun-Ra has thousands of priests. Its Houses of Silver are filled with precious stones, gold, silver, amethyst and jasper. The priests own estates and property from the Delta to beyond the Third Cataract. The temples have their own troops, chariot squadrons, scribes, a kingdom within a kingdom, Mahu. The priests determine the rituals and calendars of the year. They dominate every aspect of life. That is true of the temples of Karnak and Luxor. And what about the others — Anubis, Isis, and Ptah in the white-walled city of Memphis?’ He gestured with his hand. ‘Can you imagine, Mahu, what would happen if these temples united against the power of Pharaoh? Think of the wealth they conceal. Legions of priests with a finger in everyone’s pot, feeding the populace from their granaries and stores, the bribes they offer, the people they can buy. They must be checked.’ He glanced up at the sky. ‘The night is passing,’ he murmured. ‘You have been given a glimpse of the future, Mahu, and that future will happen.’ He grasped his cane, rose unsteadily to his feet and helped his mother up. ‘That is why we brought you out to the desert, Mahu. To make certain of you, to bind you closer so you can participate in the sacrifice.’

They left me alone for a while. People came and went in the darkness. More food was brought. I fell asleep, slouching forward. I was shaken roughly awake; the sky was already lighter though the wind was still cold. On a small hillock not far away I glimpsed an altar, fashioned roughly out of stones heaped together, now ringed by those who had brought me here. Queen Tiye and the Veiled One were already before the altar, faces towards the rising sun. My guards gestured that I join them. I was allowed through the circle of men and climbed the hillock. A strange experience: it was unlike any sanctuary or temple court I had ever entered before. No coloured pillars or frescoes, just a sandy, pebble-strewn hill on the edge of the desert. The altar table was a slab of rock resting on others. At each end glowed pots of incense. In the middle stood bread, wine, and a flask of oil, next to a freshly slaughtered kid, its throat cut, the blood already crusted and dried around the gaping wound.

One of the Shemsou pulled the carcass into the centre of the altar. Queen Tiye crumbled incense over it. The Veiled One grasped the flask of oil and sprinkled it liberally, covering every inch. A firebrand was brought; Queen Tiye held it up. She and her son, eyes on the Far Horizon, watched the glow of pink turn a fiery red. The flame of the torch danced in the wind. For the first time in my life I felt I was in the presence, not of something holy, but eerie, strange. These two people standing so fixedly in that silent ring of men. The Sun Disc appeared, a brilliant red glow on the horizon, its light racing out over the desert. Tiye lowered the flame and the offering was consumed in a blaze of fire, smoke billowing towards the sky. The air turned rich with the smell of incense, oil and burning meat. Once the sacrifice was lit, Tiye broke into a paean of praise: her son joined in and the refrain was taken up by the circle of men. A powerful song, it seemed to follow the smoke and flames as they rose to the sky.

The sun was rising fast, turning the cold air warm; the breeze, the breath of Amun blowing from the North, faded in the light and heat of the day. On the makeshift altar the fire began to die. The incense pot and what was left of the oil were poured over it. We stood back until nothing was left but charred, blackened remains, and the magic, the mystery, died with it. We were out on the edge of the desert under the strengthening sun about to face the searing heat of the day. I felt exhausted. Tiye was now issuing orders. The altar was dismantled, the stones being cast aside, the fires doused and, escorted by our retinue, cloaked and hooded, we made our way down to the rich pasturelands and back across the Nile.

On our journey home both the Queen and my master remained silent. We entered the palace grounds by a side gate. Our retinue with the carts disappeared, leaving the Queen, the Veiled One and myself to walk alone through the deserted gardens. We passed through guard posts; the Queen, armed with the imperial seal, was not checked or stopped, but given every deference. As we passed the House of Residence, the place where I had been raised, I paused in astonishment: the gates had now been removed from their hinges, the walls widened to allow the builders’ carts in. Stacks of timber lay next to slabs of masonry and builder’s tools. Already the masons, sleepy-eyed, were gathering. I hadn’t been there for some time. I’d heard vague rumours about refurbishment and rebuilding.

‘You are surprised, Mahu?’ The Veiled One took off his striped robe, throwing it over his arm. He stood like a hunting dog sniffing the breeze.

‘All things change, Mahu. This is going to form a new residence for me and my bride.’

‘You are to marry, Master?’

‘The bride is already chosen. My Cousin Nefertiti.’

‘The Beautiful One!’ The words slipped out of my mouth before I could bite my tongue.

‘Yes, that’s right.’ The Veiled One stared at me, head to one side. ‘That’s what her name means: the Beautiful One has arrived. How did you know this?’

‘I glimpsed her once.’

‘Impossible.’ He shook his head. ‘But, there again, Mahu is the Baboon who hides amongst the trees. My Cousin Nefertiti is the daughter of Ay, my mother’s brother.’ He grasped my hand. ‘You will meet her soon.’

Tiye was watching us strangely. The noise from beyond the walls grew: the shouts of masons, the creak of timber, the clatter of ropes and pulleys.

‘You know nothing of her, do you, Mahu?’ she asked, coming forward and pulling back her hood.

I noticed again how she wore no adornment, not one precious stone on her fingers, ears or around her neck. The same for her son, as if they had to enter the presence of their god purified, wearing nothing more than simple clothes.

‘The Divine One wanted a marriage with a Mitanni Princess’ — Tiye gave that twisted smile — ‘but I convinced him otherwise.’

She was about to continue when I heard the sound of running feet and Snefru, breathless and wide-eyed, came running down the path. He fell to his knees trying to catch his breath and he touched the ground with his forehead.

‘What is it?’ the Veiled One snapped.

‘My lord!’

‘Kneel back, man.’

Snefru raised himself back on his heels, wiping the sweat from his disfigured face.

‘A company of archers,’ he gasped. ‘The Strength of Khonsu are now encamped’ — he gestured with his hands — ‘not far from our pavilion.’

‘Troops?’ the Veiled One murmured, turning to his mother. ‘The Divine One has sent troops!’

‘Their officer,’ Snefru panted, ‘claims they are here to protect you against any further accidents or mishaps.’

The Veiled One’s face suffused with anger. Tiye seized his arm. ‘Let it be. Let it be,’ she murmured, ‘for the moment. Let us be like,’ she smiled, ‘yes, let us be like trees and bend before the wind.’

My master dismissed Snefru. He led me and his mother into a sunfilled glade. ‘Whom do people say I am, Mahu?’

‘You are Prince Amenhotep,’ I stammered.

He raised his hand to slap me but let it fall.

‘But who do men say I am, Mahu? What do they snigger behind their hands?’

‘The Grotesque? The Ugly One? The Veiled One?’

My master nodded. ‘You have spoken with true voice and so will I. I shall tell you my real name. I shall reveal it to you as I have to those who are close to me.’ He stared through the trees at the sun. ‘I am He-who-ispleasing-to-the-Aten, my true Father, who knows my name. At the appointed time I shall reveal it to others but now to you, Mahu. I am He who is pleasing to the Aten. My name is Akhenaten.’