Dead and Damned

Day 29 of month Ka-her-ka in Peret, season of the emergence

On the eve of Nebit’s execution, Hori had arranged to meet with Nakhtmin. They already had an opening knocked into the wall between their two estates, so it was a short trip to his friend. With a shudder, he recalled how he used to endanger his life every time he tried to see Nakhtmin. A spring in his step, he entered Nakhtmin’s new house through a backdoor.

His friend embraced him. “Welcome at my table. My previous dwelling was no match for this one. Oh, you’ve never been there.”

Hori slid onto the offered chair and let his gaze wander over the dishes. “After the long moons in the weryt, even simple peasant food tastes wonderful, but all this looks delicious.”

“Don’t tell me you weren’t well provided for over there! I always thought the king supplies the weryt with everything?”

Hori grinned. “Hey, if we wanted a bite of meat there, we had to eat the dead. Just don’t tell anyone.”

Nakhtmin jumped up. “What? You can’t be serious! That… No, I don’t believe you.” He clamped a hand over his mouth as if he were about to throw up.

Hori cracked up with laughter. “Sorry, but your lame attempt to find out more about the living conditions in the weryt called for that. You should have seen your face.”

“Just great. Now I’ve lost my appetite,” Nakhtmin grumbled. “I didn’t mean to sound you out. Keep your secrets. They taste like maggots in my mouth.”

“Oh, come on.” Hori grabbed a stuffed vine leaf. “Delishoush,” he mumbled. Fortunately, Nakhtmin recovered quickly from the gruesome joke, and they feasted and drank sweet wine stored in the pantry. “When will you bring Mutnofret to her new home?” Hori asked.

Nakhtmin looked up and dipped his greasy hands in a bowl of perfumed water. “I don’t want the execution to cast shadows on our first days as a married couple, so we’ll wait a little while longer.”

Hori nodded. “Has the engagement with Shepses been officially dissolved now?”

Nakhtmin gave him a puzzled look. “Of course. I mean—dear gods! I don’t know. I would think so. After all, it never was a real engagement, only pretense.”

“Still, there’s a sealed contract. Does Shepses even know his bride never wanted him? He’s now the head of the family and can insist on compliance with the contract.”

His friend groaned. “He still lives with his mother. His wish to get out of there set everything in motion.”

Hori thought of the verdict. As soon as the judgment was executed, the royal treasury would confiscate Nebit’s possessions including the magnificent estate. Sitamun would only be allowed to keep whatever assets she brought into the marriage, and that would have to suffice to find new accommodation for her and her three children. Shepses couldn’t seriously expect Mutnofret to marry him under these circumstances. His inheritance was gone, and he wouldn’t be able to afford his own household in the near future. Unless… “I don’t like this. Sitamun knows all the secrets, which are supposed to die with Nebit tomorrow. I don’t trust her. With her knowledge, she could still cause major harm. With Shepses presiding over the family now, he could press adultery charges or threaten to do so.”

Nakhtmin froze. “By Seth’s balls! Would she dare?” He brushed the tresses of his wig out of his face. “No, Shepses wouldn’t go for it. He hates his mother.”

“And he loves her—somehow.” Memories of Shepses’s mother giving him sexual pleasure flared up in Hori’s mind. He had sure enjoyed that. “You should talk to your father-in-law as soon as possible.”

“Ameny will have taken care of it. I hope.” Nakhtmin shook his head. “While we’re talking about fathers, have you spoken with yours in the meantime?”

Groaning, Hori leaned back. His father was a constant thorn in his flesh. He waved dismissively. “Let’s not ruin this beautiful evening with unpleasant things.”

“Oh. You thought the question about Muti’s engagement with Shepses more pleasant?”

“That’s not what I meant. It’s only—I had high hopes placed in my acquittal and appointment as the king’s physician. But he chews on it like on gristle. He loathed having to thank me for his promotion.” Hori tried to ban the ugly scene, with little success. His brother Teti had thrown his arms around him with gratitude and happiness. Sobekemhat, however, had acted as if he were entitled to the appointment. He regarded Hori’s conviction as just punishment for his unsteady way of life. At least his father was glad to see him free and rehabilitated if only because his reputation wouldn’t suffer any longer. His mother, though—she had been truly happy for him. All things considered, Hori really appreciated having escaped the paternal regimen, which would have felt like another prison after his time in the weryt.

Neither Hori nor Nakhtmin wanted to attend Nebit’s burning. Ameny, though, needed to witness the punishment of the man who killed his daughter. That evening Hori accompanied Nakhtmin to the estate of the second Amun prophet. A young woman flung her arms around his friend in exultation. Hori pursed his lips as he appraised her. Mutnofret was a beautiful woman, and he could see how much she was in love with Nakhtmin.

Ameny was still a little pale around his nose but had composed himself. Still, Hori would have waited another day before asking Mutnofret’s father about the engagement. After the meal with the whole family, the men settled on cushions in the living space of the house.

“So, he’s dead?” Hori began.

Ameny lowered his head. “Dead and damned. I witnessed the king’s men scattering his ashes to the four winds. Nothing remains of Nebit, and he won’t bother us with his presence in the underworld.”

Hori saw Nakhtmin trembling. Goosebumps had spread on his arms. Knowing how much care was taken with the embalming and the efforts made to ensure an afterlife for the dead, he couldn’t imagine how the vizier managed to face such a fate with such calm. Or had he not? “How bad was it? The flames? Did he step up to the stake without protest?” He’d seen the smoke rising on the western shore of the river. The execution site in a mountain gorge was a place nobody in the Two Lands visited voluntarily. Powerful protective spells had to be cast before anyone could enter. The ka souls of the damned—sometimes he’d heard them howl in the night when he lay on the roof of his house in the weryt.

Ameny released a noise, half sobbing, half moaning. “It was horrible. You should be glad you didn’t see it. The screams, the stench—”

“Let’s forget all about this criminal. Everyone should do so, forever.”

None of them dared to speak the man’s name. His ka roamed the world without a home. To imagine they might draw him to them with the sound of his name. How dreadful.

Nakhtmin clenched his hands. “And she who is responsible for it all, walks free. The criminal has paid a high price for loving her.”

“I wonder if it isn’t punishment enough for her to be who she is. Now that she’s alone and without means…”

Ameny interrupted Hori. “Believe me, that viper will soon have found somebody else to keep her warm. She isn’t one to stay alone for long. Still a seductress, she’ll find a new husband soon, even though it might not be the vizier this time.”

Hori laughed at the notion of Sitamun slithering up to his father and finding him a hard nut to crack. Sobekemhat didn’t even feel tender love for the mother of his children. Somehow, Hori doubted his father was even capable of such emotions.

Nakhtmin cleared his throat. “Uhm, Ameny. I’d like to soon take Mutnofret to her new home. There are no reasons against it, are there? You’ve sorted out matters with Shepses?”

The prophet groaned. “Dear gods! I forgot!”

Nakhtmin jumped up and showered his future father-in-law with reproach. How strange, Hori thought. In their hearts, both men never seemed to have considered the contract a binding legal document. His father’s death didn’t void Shepses’s claims. Both parties had to agree on revoking their promises to each other—in front of witnesses. “Shepses will surely understand that circumstances have changed. Let’s go talk to him tomorrow and settle things before they have to clear out of the estate,” he suggested.

The men’s agitated voices fell silent. Sometimes Hori was rather glad he had never felt so strongly for someone. On the other hand, it would be nice to belong with someone who cares. Kheper’s family had welcomed him more than his own. Hori shook off his longing. Love made one vulnerable, and his father’s rejection hurt enough already.

The next morning, they met at Ameny’s house again. Together they walked the short distance to Nebit’s former estate. Ameny clutched the marriage contract scroll. The gate stood open.

From afar, Hori spotted palace servants carrying valuables from the house and loading them onto donkeys. “The pharaoh wastes no time,” he said and bit his lip. Although he’d never thought much of Shepses, now he felt sorry for him. Last time he’d come here, Shepses was able to blind him with his family’s riches. Today, he ranked higher than his colleague.

“Where’s the family? I only see servants of the palace,” Nakhtmin asked and looked around.

They stopped in front of the house. Ameny held up one of the workers about to disappear inside again. “Where do we find doctor Shepses and lady Sitamun?”

The man shrugged. “We found the gate open. The previous inhabitants haven’t shown their faces. I guess they’ve left already.”

The prophet groaned. “Just great. Now I’ll have to search all of Itj-tawy for the fellow.”

“Never mind,” Hori placated him. “You should find him in the House of Life. Since we’re here, however, I’d like to see the snake enclosure. Can you take me there, Nakhtmin? Or do you think the king’s men have already cleared it?”

His friend shook his head. “It was pitch dark that night. I can only guess. Likely the building is located in that direction, close to the river.” His finger pointed north.

Hori set off. The garden was very large, and even in daylight, this jungle was a maze easy to get lost in. After awhile he heard reeds rustling in the wind. The river had to be near. He rounded a man-high pomegranate bush with almost-ripe fruit and found himself on the edge of a lawn. A shack stood on the opposite side. The snake enclosure? Then he spotted a slumped body in the grass. A woman. She looked like she needed help. Hori wanted to run to her when he heard a hissing noise. A long shape slithered through the grass. “Stay back!” he called to Nakhtmin and Ameny, who’d been following him. “The snakes are free.” His heart pounded.

“Is that Sitamun?” Ameny asked.

“I think so, yes. Who else could it be?” Would Sitamun still have any maids in the house? They’d surely have fled the moment they learned of her husband’s crimes.

“Cobras only bite when they are aggravated. If we take care not to startle them, we’re safe,” Nakhtmin explained and set one foot onto the lawn.

“Are you crazy?” Hori tugged on his arm, but his friend shook him off.

“No hasty movements. Very slowly. We’re doctors. We have to do something for her!”

Shame flooded Hori. Whoever lay there, she might be beyond all medical cure, but she suffered. Since when had he become such a coward, while Nakhtmin took the risk? He drew a deep breath. “All right, let’s recover her. Ameny, you’ll have to be our eyes when we carry her.”

Cautious, they inched forward until they reached the still figure. Hori grabbed her ankles, while Nakhtmin lifted her shoulders. Gently, they turned the woman around. It really was Sitamun, and she breathed, if barely. Hori found the snake-bite wound below her knee. The flesh was swollen and discolored. Served her right, he thought, then remembered Hetepet’s heart.

“She’s so cold, must have been lying here for hours,” Nakhtmin said.

With care, they carried Sitamun to the path, where Ameny stood and monitored all movement in the grass. As soon as they reached the gravel with their burden, they dared to strike a faster pace.

“Did you see? The door to the enclosure stood ajar,” Ameny said.

Hori looked up. Who’d release such dangerous animals? Had that been an accident, an oversight? Possible. On the other hand…Sitamun in her despair might not have seen any other way… No, that wouldn’t fit her personality. She wasn’t capable of self-reflection and remorse. Or… Hori mulled over it. “What was the exact phrasing of her arrangement with the king?”

Ameny recited the conditions.

“So they didn’t discuss her burial?”

“No.”

Sitamun moaned; her eyelids flitted.

“Could she have been searching for an easy way to regain her youth, beauty and power in the underworld?”

Ameny shook his head. “She’d certainly like that but I doubt she’d have the courage. Taking her own life is still murder. She couldn’t hope to fool the Judgment of the Dead with such a scheme.”

Hori recalled the ruses he’d learned in the weryt, the heart scarabs and assertions. But Sitamun wouldn’t know that.

Nakhtmin sucked in air. “Shepses,” he murmured. “He’d found a way to free himself after all.”

“Just as well it might have been Hotep,” Ameny argued.

They laid Sitamun down near the house. Not much longer now, and she wouldn’t regain consciousness anyway. A cobra’s bite was pretty much always lethal, and in her case, any help would come far too late.

Nakhtmin said, “Does it even matter? I, for one, feel no urge to find out the truth in this case.”

Hori looked at him in silence and nodded.

“Same here.” Ameny brushed a blade of grass from Sitamun’s cheek and studied it. “I think she might as well die here all alone.”

Day 14 of month Shef-bedet in Peret, season of the emergence

Hori’s first official act as royal physician was to examine the Great Royal Wife. “I don’t have to tell you what you already know, your majesty. Your husband’s seed grows inside you.”

Sherit clapped her hands with exultation. “May the gods grant us a son this time.”

Smiling, Hori bowed. The queen had already given birth to the daughters Senet-Senebtisi and Menet, two healthy little princesses. He accompanied Sherit to the royal nursery. To his surprise, he found a third girl there, a little older than the other two.

The queen noticed his puzzlement. “This is Henut. His majesty has taken her in as his ward after the poor child has lost both her parents.”

With big, brown eyes, the girl stared at him.

Shuddering, Hori turned away. The king had a good heart. Would he have had it in him to raise the viper’s brood together with his own children? Later he’d ask Nakhtmin the same question—if his friend found some time for him. Two days ago, Mutnofret had moved in with him.

After his mother’s death, Shepses immediately agreed to dissolving the engagement. He’d taken his share of their mother’s inheritance and headed for Waset. Best thing he could do: start afresh in a city where nobody had heard of the horrible events here. Hotep had gone with him. Maybe time would heal the wounds their parents inflicted on the brothers.

Besides the pharaoh and the executioners, only Hori knew the woman’s corpse had been burned like her husband’s body. Both were denied a life in the underworld, and that was exactly what they deserved. Maat would be satisfied.

Whistling, he left the palace and strolled home.