Day 7 of month Ka-her-ka in Peret, season of the emergence
Summoned by the king! Hands sweaty, Nakhtmin followed the messenger and appreciated Ameny’s presence more than ever. “Why do you think his majesty—life, prosperity and health—requests our presence?” he asked.
Ameny shrugged. “It’s not very common for the vizier of the Two Lands to be charged with murder. Most likely he wants to hear what happened.”
That made sense. Nakhtmin was really glad they wouldn’t need to mention Hori’s involvement in the investigation. They’d caught Nebit in the act. So they had plenty of evidence to sentence the man. Except, he’d only be convicted of murdering Penu and attempting to kill Mutnofret. Was that the kind of justice the king’s court owed to all the other victims? It didn’t seem right to Nakhtmin. And what if Nebit somehow managed to talk his way out of the whole affair? Even worse: what infamous actions was Sitamun capable of once she lost her facilitator? This viper shouldn’t get away without punishment. He took a deep breath. “We should tell him the complete truth.”
“But…” Ameny checked if the pharaoh’s servant was far enough ahead, then lowered his voice. “But we agreed to leave it at charging him for what he did to Penu and Mutnofret.”
“That would be against Maat though. No atonement for Hetepet’s murder, and the deaths of the other girls would never be revealed as crimes. What rankles most, Nebit will protect his wife. I want to see her punished for what she did.”
Ameny grimaced. “A doctor has to teach me in matters of religion! You’re right.”
They stopped before the large double gates. The guard greeted them and let them enter without further ado. Obviously they were expected. Nakhtmin cast a shy glance around. Except for his testimony at the Great Kenbet and his visit to the royal gardens, he’d never been inside the palace. This time they didn’t enter the large hall where he’d given his statement with trembling knees. Instead, they followed the envoy through a labyrinth of corridors that all looked the same. The bare, whitewashed walls were only broken up by doors, some of which were marked with symbols, for easier orientation, he guessed. Behind these doors the administration of the Two Lands was managed. Here flowed the juices of Kemet, the Black Country; here the officials managed every hamlet, every town, temples as well as farms. Nakhtmin felt tiny among the many people hurrying through the hallways with determination. He hoped somebody would guide them back outside since he’d be hopelessly lost in this maze.
At last they stopped before a door no different than all the others. “The heart of power,” he blurted. How fitting that it looked just the same as the rest. After all, the country’s body needed all organs in order to flourish.
The room they entered was as undecorated as the corridors. Pharaoh Senusret sat at his desk. In one corner Thotnakht, the first scribe of the king, had settled on a cushioned mat.
While Ameny greeted the pharaoh with many words, Nakhtmin only bowed. When he straightened up again, he spotted an ancient-looking chest with ivory marquetry—the only luxurious and adorned object in the room. Nakhtmin puzzled over this piece of furniture when he noticed Senusret had followed his gaze.
“This chest once belonged to the mother of Ameny, the founder of our dynasty. She was from the land of Kush and brought it with her when she married an Egyptian. I treasure it very much.”
Embarrassed, Nakhtmin nodded reverently. His curiosity might come across as disrespectful. Senusret didn’t seem to mind though. He turned back to Ameny. “This morning, the head of the Medjay called on me and reported Nebit, my vizier, was arrested in your house last night with you pressing charges. This is unheard of. Tell me what happened.”
Heart pounding, Nakhtmin bit on his lower lip.
The Amun prophet appeared uneasy as well. Now he stealthily wiped his hands on his shendyt. “Your majesty, this will be a long story, which started several moons ago. The trial of Hori, son of Sobekemhat, is part of it as well. Before I reveal everything, I’d like to express my puzzlement over this uncommon verdict.”
At these words, Senusret cringed. The king’s eyes narrowed. Nakhtmin imagined he saw a bad conscience flinching.
Ameny continued, “I studied the protocols of the trial. Although I am no judge of the Great Kenbet, I do recognize injustice when I see it. I am convinced Nebit bribed several witnesses. Nakhtmin here can testify how the vizier approached him. Hotep, son of Nebit, revoked his original, false testimony.”
Nakhtmin held his breath. Even the swish of Thotnakht’s stylus silenced at the enormity of Ameny’s allegation. The pharaoh placed one hand on the table as though he wanted to push himself up. “Answer my question, priest.”
Ameny hesitated, swallowed with effort. “First I must know how this verdict came about when Neferib’s death was clearly an accident. The attempt on my daughter’s life is connected to it.”
The prophet’s persistence turned Nakhtmin’s legs to water as if they wanted to flow down the Nile. He’d never have dared to talk to the king in such a manner.
The pharaoh, however, didn’t jump up with indignation, as he’d expected, but placed his elbows on the tabletop and rested his head in his hands. “Thotnakht, you may leave.” Senusret’s voice sounded dull.
“My lord?”
The king straightened and looked at his scribe. “I have to talk with these two alone.”
Without another word, the scribe gathered his utensils and rose.
“Stay close. I might need you later.”
Thotnakht nodded and disappeared through a second door into an adjoining room.
This was very strange. Before them sat the most powerful man of the Two Lands, while they were only two humble subjects, and still Nakhtmin felt like their roles had reversed. The king behaved like a defendant. Nakhtmin said, “Your majesty, whatever you have to tell us, I for one swear a holy oath none of it will come across my lips. I’ll bury your secrets so deep inside my heart, not even the utu will find them.” He sank to his knees. “If you find out I lied, deal with me as you wish.”
Ameny followed his example. “I too swear this oath. You can trust us without hesitation. May the underworld open up and swallow me if I speak a lie.”
The king took a deep breath. His nose twitched. “I’ll accept your oaths and place my fate in your hands. I once made a mistake, which gave Nebit the means to force my hand.”
Ameny gasped, and Nakhtmin shuddered at the revelation.
“I’ll tell you how this came about. My lock of youth had just been cut when my father sent me to the House of War to train as soldier. Like every man, I loved to party with my friends, and quite often we did so near the harbor. We particularly liked to frequent one tavern where the innkeeper offered rooms and girls for an extra fee.”
Nakhtmin could well imagine. Senusret must have seen thirteen or fourteen inundations then. Many young men made their first sexual experiences at that age. Nevertheless, he immediately thought of the night at the Golden Ibis.
“I’d already imbibed serious amounts when I asked for a girl to be sent to the room. To my surprise, a mature woman awaited me, one of exceptional beauty! She sparked a fire in my groin like no other had done before. That very first night, I fell in love with her.” The king shook his head as if finding it hard to understand his youthful folly now. “Every evening, I was drawn to her. My bliss lasted two moons, then I marched with the army against Libu. When I returned, I couldn’t find her.”
“You never saw her again?” Ameny asked.
The king released a bitter laugh. “Oh, I did. Soon after my return, I was allowed to sit next to my father during a state banquet for the first time. We celebrated our victory, and my darling sat at the king’s high table since she was the vizier’s wife.”
“Sitamun!” Nakhtmin blurted.
Senusret raised his eyebrows and nodded. “Sitamun. And she was pregnant—with my child as she told me.”
Ameny groaned. “Adultery.”
Confused, Nakhtmin looked from one to the other. “But what was she doing in such a tavern, she could have…”
Ameny cast him a pitiful glance. “I know all too well Sitamun hunts wherever she likes.”
“You too?” Senusret looked flabbergasted.
“She was still young then. Who could have resisted her? I paid dearly a long time ago.”
The king shook his head. “What a gaping abyss! The child, however, a little girl, was born a few moons later.”
“But—she is Nebit’s wife. He might have fathered the child,” Ameny argued.
Pharaoh shook his head. “A whim of the gods. The girl carries my mark.” He rose and came around the desk, then bared his thigh.
Nakhtmin sucked in a sharp breath as he recognized the snake mark.
“Let’s all sit down.” Senusret waved to the mat, where Thotnakht had sat earlier. “You’ve seen the sign on little Henut?”
Nakhtmin nodded.
“Well, it turned out lady Sitamun had been well aware for whom she acted the harbor harlot. At first I thought her husband must have forced her. I begged her to divorce him. How she’d laughed! ‘And then what? Will you take me as your second wife? I want to be at the top,’ she said. I refused. Degrading my sister Sherit to a lower place than she was entitled to? I wasn’t that infatuated with her. Soon I realized she was anything but her husband’s victim. At first, she and Nebit promised to keep my misconduct secret.”
“But that wasn’t the end of it?” the Amun prophet surmised.
“No. When my father set out on his journey to the Beautiful West, Nebit called on me even before the time of mourning was over. He demanded I confirm his appointment as vizier. Or else…”
“What an abomination!” Nakhtmin tried to put himself in the king’s situation. What would he have done?
“This affair had troubled me for a long time already. I knew Nebit could accuse me of adultery any time, and then I would have to confess. Apart from that, my crime weighed heavy on my heart. However, I was the successor to the throne, the only son of my father. If I’d already had a son then, I might have taken the risk.”
Ameny interjected, “Most likely you’d have been acquitted since you were not aware of the woman’s marital status.”
“Possibly—when I was only co-regent, maybe. Nebit picked the time for his coercing wisely. How could the king be both defendant and his own judge? I’d have felt obliged to sentence myself. Well, keeping him as vizier didn’t seem such a bad thing. I’d likely have confirmed him anyway. He didn’t ask me to do something that violated Maat, so I consented.” The king’s shoulders sagged forward. He buried his face in his hands. “I thought I could accept this crime against Maat, the adultery. May the adjudicators at the Judgment of the Dead decide. The Two Lands needed me. Who’d have benefitted if I sentenced myself to death as it would have been my duty?”
At a loss, Nakhtmin looked at Ameny. What a horrible predicament. “How did Sitamun manage to cast her netting so far and wide without ever getting accused?” he asked. “After all, I saw for myself how she had sexual intercourse with several men.”
Senusret cast a brief glance at the ceiling as if the answer might be written there. “The law says only the betrayed spouse or the head of the family can file charges. As long as Nebit doesn’t voice allegations and her lovers are unmarried or able to keep a secret, she’s safe. Besides, most cases of adultery aren’t even tried. Hurt feelings quickly send the offended party to the Medjay to press charges. As soon as they’ve calmed down, they shy from public scandal. Nobody wants to be mocked as a cuckold. Often the couple reconciles before the next court day. Then the legal complaint is withdrawn. Or there’s a clandestine divorce. Likely the punishment for adultery is so severe to make people think twice before taking a case all the way to its bitter end.”
“Is this the only reason for such horrible sentencing? It does seem strange.”
Nakhtmin’s question made Ameny laugh. “How young and ignorant you are. Imagine you wouldn’t know if your wife’s children are yours. What if she gets a divorce? Would you want to pay for another man’s brats? Should these children split your heritage among them? Even worse: would you want to rely on them to perform the sacrifices for the dead when you set out on your last journey?”
“Oh.” No, he wouldn’t want that. Fortunately, he could depend on Muti. She wasn’t like Nofriti. Whoever might take her one day… He forced his thoughts back to the matter at hand. “Still, I don’t understand these men. What a risk they take.” Nakhtmin recalled the night of the graduation banquet, the drunken frenzy. His friends probably hadn’t been able to think straight anymore.
“But let’s hear the rest of your story,” the priest said. “I assume Nebit demanded more at some point?”
The king sighed. “Yes, he did. He wanted Hori sentenced to death. I kept telling him what an offense to the divine order this would constitute. None of the other judges would have convicted Hori. Sobekemhat pleaded for his son’s life. And I…I couldn’t order the man’s death. It wasn’t easy to convince Hut-Nefer, the mer-ut, to accept Hori into the closed world of the weryt. In the history of the Two Lands, no king has ever interfered in matters of the weryt.”
“Thus Hori became the dead, who was allowed to live,” Nakhtmin mused and couldn’t suppress a grin. This man was king, but by the gods, his cunning matched that of a trader.
Senusret returned his smile. “It’s a relief to share this burden. Now I’m hungry and thirsty. I guess we still have plenty more to discuss?”
Ameny nodded. The pharaoh called an attendant from the adjoining room and ordered refreshments.
The priest led up to the second part of their discussion, “We’ve promised to keep your secret. Now we must ask you to return the favor, because what we will report could mean our deaths—and Hori’s.”
“You arouse my curiosity. I’ll give you my word. Or are you going to confess crimes?” He gave each of them a stern look.
Worried, Nakhtmin glanced at Ameny, then took over. “The thing is, at the weryt, Hori discovered a crime. Murders that would never have been recognized as such if his trained physician’s eye hadn’t detected faint traces. He found a way out of the weryt so he could send me a message.”
Senusret gave an incredulous snort. “There is no way out of the weryt!”
When Nakhtmin told him about the canal, the king burst into laughter. “Dear gods, I’ll believe you, though I’d never have thought of it.”
“Hori neither, but one night the goddess Maat appeared and showed him the way.”
At once, Senusret turned serious. “If Maat takes on physical shape, she must be seriously off balance. This is a matter of utmost importance. Keep talking!”
Gradually Nakhtmin laid out the events before the king. The names of victims, who’d definitely fallen prey to Nebit, made Senusret groan.
“Ankhes, my ward!”
“And my daughter Hetepet,” Ameny added.
“That’s why the second prophet of Amun agreed to help me with my search for the perpetrator. I needed his support because Nebit had thrown quite a few obstacles in my path as doctor. As revenge for my speaking the truth at the trial instead of repeating the same lie as the other bribed witnesses. But listen where he found his next victim.”
Nakhtmin described how they’d discovered the dead barmaid, then relayed Mutnofret’s bold actions and how they only learned about them afterward.
“Your daughter is a brave woman!” Senusret burst out.
“Inconsiderate, I’d call it. She almost died.” Ameny finished their lengthy report with the events at the banquet and those of last night.
“I’m sure you understand why we need you to remain silent. Revealing that Hori left the weryt would cost his life—and ours. Who’d believe we didn’t learn any secrets harbored behind these wall, nor wanted to know any.”
The king leaned against the wall and stretched out his long legs, uncovering part of the snake mark. A muscle in the king’s leg twitched and it looked like the worm wriggled under the fabric.
“I still don’t understand one thing,” Senusret said. “You didn’t need to tell me about Hori. All of you would have been safe, while Nebit would have been convicted anyway.”
“It’s because of the goddess. Maat herself wants atonement for the dead women.” A shiver ran down Nakhtmin’s spine as he spoke these words.
Ameny rolled his lower lip between thumb and forefinger. “What are you going to do, my king, if Nebit tries to force your hand again? Your predicament is still the same.”
All three of them fell silent. Ameny spoke the truth. Coercion was a despicable crime. What could they do? An idea germinated in Nakhtmin’s heart. “We could give him a taste of his own poison! If he threatens you, put even stronger pressure on him.”
Senusret’s relaxed pose changed into the tension of a predator before the attack. “Explain!” he demanded, eyes flashing.
“I studied Nebit like a scroll in the House of Life. The man loves his wife beyond all reason. Not only would he do anything for her, but he leaves her free rein, no matter how disgusting her behavior.” He told the king of the incestuous act he’d witnessed. “If Sitamun desires something, he gets it for her. What she doesn’t like, he takes out of her way. It displeases her if one of her sons wants to go his own way, even worse if he prefers another woman—no matter how revolting this seems to us. Therefore Nebit kills those girls, who mean more than a temporary pastime to Shepses.” He heaved a deep breath. In his fervor he’d talked faster and faster. “Threaten him with death, and he’ll only grant you a weary smile. If he retorts with the menace to reveal your adultery, tell him you’ll not only charge Sitamun with the very same crime but also with her involvement in his crimes. In consequence, a burial would be denied to her, and her ka soul would belong to the condemned for all eternity.”
Senusret’s features brightened. “Excellent idea!”
“You forgot one thing though,” Ameny argued.
“What’s that?” the pharaoh and Nakhtmin asked in chorus.
“The wench also knows of the adultery. She might try to force you to drop charges or else she’d make Nebit accuse you. Although she’d risk her life with such an attempt, she knows very well you’ve got more to lose. Believe me, she has never set her heart on anyone but herself.”
“Then I’ll strike her there, in her own heart. What threatens me, threatens her. She won’t dare to pressure me.”
“What if one of them takes the risk?” Ameny didn’t give up.
“Guarantee her exemption from punishment for Nebit’s deeds,” Nakhtmin suggested.
“But only then!” Ameny blurted. “I want to see the bitch bleed for all the evil she has done!”
Nakhtmin squeezed his hand. “Me too.”
Senusret lay his right one on top and said with fervor, “And me even more so!”