Fall of the House of Ramesses, Book 3: Tausret Read online

  "Who...who are you?"

  The Kushite rose to his feet, towering over his king. He grinned, white teeth gleaming in the fitful light. "I am Qenna, Son of Re. Lord Sethi sent me. We must hurry for already the palace guards are on their way."

  Menmire nodded. He dropped the chair and grabbed a kilt from a nearby table, fastening it about his waist and slipping on a pair of sandals. "You have a weapon for me?"

  Qenna handed him a sword from a fallen guard. "This way, Son of Re. Come quickly."

  Shouts and the stamp of many sandaled feet could be heard outside the chamber and the Kushite warriors called urgently to their leader. Qenna strode to the main passage and saw the glint of metal as guards hurried toward them. He turned and ran back into the suite and pointed toward the window.

  "Quickly, into the garden. Perhaps we can lose them if we head past the menagerie."

  The warriors vaulted through the window into the shrubbery beneath and helped their king to clamber through. Surrounding Amenmesse with a thin cordon of bronze, they set off across the gardens toward the cages and pits that housed a small collection of wild and exotic animals, while behind them the calm of the night was shattered by the clamour of armed men.

  Brightly coloured birds screeched and monkeys screamed as Qenna led his men at a run past the enclosures, and a lion coughed and rushed the bars, snarling at the men just out of reach. Torches flared in the doorways and windows behind them, and soldiers poured out in pursuit.

  "There," Qenna panted, pointing to the narrow strip of land that lay between the palace outhouses and the crumbling brick wall of the palace estate. "Once we're in the streets we can lose them."

  "How do we leave the city?"

  "By boat, Son of Re. I have other men waiting at the docks."

  They ran through the gap between building and wall and emerged into a small open space. In the first grey light of dawn they saw the way forward was blocked by a detachment of soldiers led by General Setnakhte. Qenna looked behind them and saw other soldiers cutting off their escape. He grinned, and flexed his spear arm.

  "We shall protect you to the end, Son of Re."

  "It will not come to that," Amenmesse replied, pointing to where the colours of the opposing soldiers could now be seen in the early light. "They are of the Amun legion and are loyal to me."

  Amenmesse strode forward and lifted his arm, calling out, "Stand aside, soldiers of Amun, for it is I, Menmire Amenmesse, who stand before you. Take that traitor Setnakhte into custody or strike him down, and then join me in freeing Amun's City of my brother's yoke."

  Setnakhte laughed. "It won't work, Messuwy. These are loyal Amuns, not the weak-livered lot you commanded. They obey me and the rightful king."

  "I know not this Messuwy. I am Menmire Amenmesse, rightful king of Ta Shemau, and I order you to stand aside."

  "You may have been once, but now you are just plain Messuwy again, traitorous brother of the true king Userkheperure."

  Amenmesse cursed, but tried again, appealing to the soldiers now clearly seen in the dawn light. He promised them gold, but none of them responded, standing firm with their weapons at the ready.

  "Surrender, Messuwy, and I will let you live--you and your men. Or you can die, here and now--your choice."

  "You would not dare," Amenmesse shouted back. "I am an anointed king of Kemet and my body is sacred."

  "So was your brother, yet it did not stop you seeking to kill him."

  "That was war, and besides, he guaranteed me my life. He made you promise to honour his wish. You dare not kill me."

  "Perhaps, but I made no such promise concerning your men. Surrender now or they die." Setnakhte murmured an order and a dozen archers stepped through the ranks and drew their bows, aiming them at the Kushites. "Leave Messuwy unharmed, but cut down every other man on my command."

  Amenmesse lowered his head in defeat. "Put down your weapons," he instructed his men.

  Qenna threw down his spear and with a quick movement ducked behind his king and then raced for the crumbling wall of the palace estate. A fig tree had loosened the mud brick as its roots slowly tore it apart and the Kushite warrior scrambled up and over even as the first archers loosed their arrows at him.

  The other Kushite warriors gripped their weapons and hurled themselves at their enemy, yelling out the war cries of their tribes, but they had barely started forward before arrows cut them down. Only Amenmesse was left standing as his men died around him.

  "After that man," Setnakhte cried, pointing to where Qenna had disappeared. "Bring me his head." Soldiers rushed to obey him, some scrambling over the wall and others running to cut him off in the temple grounds that lay beyond.

  Meanwhile, Setnakhte sauntered across to where Amenmesse stood dejectedly among the bodies of his Kushite warriors. "You will not get another opportunity to escape," he told him.

  Amenmesse shrugged. "That is with the gods."

  "Come." Setnakhte led Amenmesse back to his outer chamber and doubled the guards on the door, and adding more outside the window. He left him inside the room and went to speak with the Captain of the Guard.

  "There are to be at least ten men awake and alert at all times, Ahhotep. Any man sleeping on duty will be executed, so make sure you change them around often. Any command to the contrary is to be refused and reported directly to me. Understand?"

  Setnakhte walked back into the room and crossed to where Amenmesse now sat on a chair. "The king is dead," he said without preamble.

  "What?" Amenmesse leapt to his feet and stared at his captor. "My brother is dead? Then...then I am Kemet's only king."

  "His son Seti-Merenptah is the natural heir, and in case you think you can best an infant, I dare say Queen Tausret will rule for him, backed by the loyal legions."

  "Why are you telling me this?"

  Setnakhte smiled. "Not to give you any hope, but rather the contrary. Imagine how much the Queen must hate you, and now that the king has ascended to Re it is only a matter of time before she orders your execution. Make your peace with the gods if you can."

  Menmire Amenmesse drew himself up and looked down his nose at the other man. "I do not need to make my peace; I have only done what was right. The gods will not desert me." He turned and walked into his bed chamber, paying no further attention to General Setnakhte.

  Chapter 2

  Interregnum

  Userkheperure Seti ascended to his father Re at the end of the season of Inundation, just as the cycle of seasons turned to Peret, the time of Emergence. The soil on the banks of Iteru, the Great River, was still damp from the annual flood and the fields were in perfect condition for the planting of crops. Few people availed themselves of this opportunity, however, for the Kingdoms were stunned by the sudden death of their young king. Coming as it did less than a year from the end of the civil war that had racked the kingdoms, when brother warred with brother; it seemed as if the Ma'at of Kemet was to be shattered anew.

  The powers within the kingdoms were aware of the unsettling effect of the king's death too, and were working to settle things down, though they had different ideas about how to accomplish it. The problem was that the young king had left only an infant son to succeed him, and his traitorous brother a son only a few years older. Whichever boy eventually mounted the throne of Kemet, he would face many years of minority rule under the guidance of a regent.

  This regent would almost certainly be Queen Tausret, the widow of the dead king, and mother of the king's infant son. There was no doubt in her mind as to the identity of the next king, but anger tightened her features as she stared at men standing in the throne room of the palace in Men-nefer--men who dared oppose her, who dared suggest the son of the traitor.

  "There can be no debate," Tausret said. "The king's son Seti-Merenptah must succeed him on the throne of his father."

  "With respect, Great Wife, that has not yet been decided."

  "You forget your place, Tjaty Hori," the Queen said, glowering at Ta Mehu's Chief Mini
ster. "I have decided, and I need no other opinion."

  "Please, Beloved Queen, listen to your ministers," pleaded Chancellor Bay, "for we have the good of Kemet in our hearts."

  "Of course you would say that, Bay, for the only other choice is your nephew Siptah."

  "Your nephew too, Majesty."

  "Do not remind me of my relationship."

  "Userkheperure accepted him, Majesty."

  "Only as an innocent son of his father. Never as king."

  "We cannot be certain of that, Great Wife," Hori interposed.

  "I am certain of it," Tausret said flatly, slashing with her hand to cut off further argument.

  "So we are to accept an infant on the throne of Kemet?" General Iurudef asked. "That way lies unrest and chaos."

  "Seti-Merenptah is the only son of Userkheperure," Besenmut, Commander of the Ptah legion, pointed out. "As such, he is the natural heir."

  "And a baby," Commander Emsaf said. "We need a strong king; someone who can defend Kemet against the Nine Bows."

  "That's what we're for," Ament growled. "Strong generals and strong commanders--though I have my doubts about some commanders."

  "I am as loyal as the next man," Emsaf protested. "I know my duty. I was just pointing out..."

  "Emsaf is right in one respect though," General Iurudef said. "The men will fight better for a strong leader than for an infant."

  "They will fight for Seti-Merenptah because he is the son of Userkheperure," Besenmut declared. "And if that's not enough, then we have Queen Tausret. Have you forgotten how she held the city of Perire for four days until the army of Baenre could arrive, or destroyed the nobles who sought to rebel against Userkheperure? The men would follow her anywhere."

  "Yet she is a woman," Hori pointed out. "Forgive me, Great Lady, I state that not to lessen you but only to point out that a man must lead Kemet. It is custom."

  "Yes, it is custom," the other Hori said--the one who was Hem-netjer of Ptah and father to Tjaty Hori. "Yet no matter which boy sits on the throne of his father--and both have royal fathers--it is likely that Queen Tausret will act as regent."

  "That is my intention."

  "And as a woman regent you will need strong men about you--experienced men who can advise you and act for you."

  "Loyal men," Tausret added.

  "Of course loyal men," Hori the Elder said. He looked around at the men in the throne room. "Every man here is loyal to Kemet and seeks what is best for the Ma'at of the Two Lands."

  "Then there is no argument. My son Seti-Merenptah ascends the throne and I rule as regent until he comes of age."

  Tjaty Hori cleared his throat and looked down at the tiled floor. "I regret, Great Lady, that there is still disagreement on that point."

  Tausret's jaw clenched and her hands gripped the arms of the throne. "I am the Queen of the Two Kingdoms. I rule, Hori, not you."

  "Undoubtedly, Great Lady, yet..." The Tjaty shrugged his shoulders.

  Tausret glared at her chief minister in the north. "Yet?"

  "I am sure no man would openly oppose you, Great Wife, but the rule of an infant is a recipe for disaster, even with a regent in place. The people..."

  "The people love me."

  "Indeed, Great Lady, but they love peace more. We have just come through a war that set kingdom against kingdom, brother against brother, and the prospect of a return to those times would lead to great unrest, a lack of confidence, a rise in crime."

  "And the alternative is to put Siptah on the throne instead of the rightful heir? How is that restoring Ma'at?" Tausret cast a hostile glare at the gathered men. "Are you all against me in this? Speak, for I would hear it from your own lips--each of you."

  "Never against you, my lady," Ament murmured.

  "Faithful Ament." Tausret bestowed a brief smile on the commander. "And the rest of you?"

  "General Setnakhte also supports you, my lady," Ament said. "He told me of his thoughts before I left Waset."

  "He is biased," Iurudef declared. "A child is preferable to an infant, no matter his parentage. I am loyal to you, Great Wife, but I say Siptah should be king."

  "As do I, Great Lady."

  "Of course you do, Chancellor Bay. I would expect nothing else. Tjaty Hori, you have already argued against my son, so I know your thoughts. What about you, Hem-netjer Hori? Will you turn against me too?"

  "The grandfather of both boys was 'beloved of Ptah'. The god has not made his preference known."

  "Commander Besenmut?"

  "For your son, Great Lady."

  "Commander Disebek?"

  "Your son."

  "Commander Emsaf?"

  "I must stress my loyalty to you personally, Majesty, but I believe Kemet is best served by the older child."

  "Commander Samut?"

  "The Amun legion declares for Seti-Merenptah, as does Tjaty Paraemheb. I was instructed to pass on his support, Majesty."

  "Commander Panhesy? You too are from Waset. Is your loyalty also to the rightful heir?"

  Panhesy of the Mut legion licked his lips and glanced about him nervously. "Majesty, there is another candidate. An anointed king already exists, ready to sit once more on the throne. I speak of Menmire Amenmesse..."

  "Traitor!" yelled Besenmut and Samut together. Even Iurudef and Tjaty Hori, who openly supported Siptah, shook their heads and muttered.

  "You cannot countenance handing the throne to that man," Ament shouted. "Why did we all fight him if we are now to bend our knees to him?"

  "Unheard of," Emsaf murmured.

  "And it is not going to happen," Tausret stated. "Not while I live."

  "Majesty, it is not without precedent for brother to succeed brother," Chief Scribe Anapepy said. "I hasten to add that I support only the will of your Majesty, but it would be a solution."

  "And he is a grown man," Panhesy added. "He has already ruled as king in the south and as King's Son of Kush before that. He is the eldest son of Baenre Merenptah and brother to Userkheperure Seti. What better antecedents could he have?"

  "Except that he rebelled against my husband the king and sought to take his life," Tausret said. "Some even say that the black rot that killed him came from the hand of that man. I will not allow him to triumph."

  "And yet Userkheperure allowed him to live," Panhesy persevered. "Perhaps he foresaw just such a need as now arises."

  "Nobody else supports him, Majesty," Iurudef declared. "Dismiss him from your mind."

  "I have. So, five of you support me and three oppose--four if you count Panhesy and his traitorous utterance..."

  "We do not oppose you, Great Lady," Tjaty Hori said. "Only your choice of king...and not necessarily even that."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Circumstances change, Great Lady. We need a credible king on the throne of Kemet to restore Ma'at after the recent troubles, and Siptah is nine years old--almost as old as Nebkheperure Tutankhamen when he became king. But in eight or nine years, what then? Your son Seti-Merenptah is old enough to succeed, and Siptah is a sickly child with a withered leg. Who can say what the future holds?"

  "What are you saying?" Ament demanded. "That Siptah would only hold the throne for Seti-Merenptah? How would that work?"

  "It could not," Hori the Elder declared. "A man is raised to the godhead by the coronation process and he remains god-on-earth until he ascends to join his father Re. He cannot step down and relinquish his divinity."

  Anapepy cleared his throat. "Again, there is precedent. The Heretic stepped down..."

  "And look at the horror that was visited on the land for that impious act," Besenmut said.

  "But there is also a co-regency," the Chief Scribe continued. "There is a lot of precedence for a king to elevate another man to share the burden of rulership. Perhaps Siptah could rule alone until Seti-Merenptah comes of age and then they can rule as kings together?"

  "That might work," Tjaty Hori said.

  "And what if Siptah has a son before then and decides he wants him
to succeed rather than his father's brother's son?"

  "Queen Tausret would still be Regent," Iurudef mused. "For another five years at least. Siptah could not act alone while she rules."

  "It might be the answer," Disebek said.

  "Clarify your thoughts," Tausret demanded. "What are they saying, Ament?"

  "If I understand correctly, they propose that Siptah be made king and that Seti-Merenptah be made co-regent with him when he comes of age, or at such time as you choose, my lady."

  "Is that what you mean, Hori? Iurudef? You are keeping very quiet, Bay."

  "Yes, Majesty," Bay replied. "It might perhaps be wiser for me to stay out of this argument. I will serve you and the new king faithfully, no matter what the outcome."

  "That applies to us all," Iurudef growled. "We may have differing opinions, but we all know our duty." He faced the Queen once more. "Yes, Majesty, that is in essence what Hori and I propose. Siptah is made king, with you as regent, and then when Seti-Merenptah comes of age, he is elevated to the throne alongside Siptah."

  "Who inherits?" Emsaf asked. "Say both kings have sons--which one inherits the throne?"

  "The eldest," Hori said.

  "The son of Siptah would be logical," Iurudef added.

  "Then we have a problem," Tausret concluded. "I will not see my son's as-yet-unborn son dispossessed of his inheritance."

  "Can we not leave that to the gods?" Bay murmured.

  "That would be best," the elder Hori said.

  "There is something we could do." Ament spoke into the silence that followed the Chancellor's question and the priest's opinion. "Make Siptah king under Queen Tausret's regency, but have Siptah sign an irrevocable declaration that Seti-Merenptah is his heir even if sons are born of his body. Seti-Merenptah can still be made co-regent when he comes of age, and he will always be the next king."

  "Is that fair to Siptah?" Emsaf asked. "He will be king now, but will know that he cannot hand it on."

  Iurudef nodded, frowning. "Ament is right; it is the answer. The whole argument for having Siptah as king instead of Seti-Merenptah is so we have an older boy instead of a baby on the throne, not that he is inherently better. This way, he is a temporary measure until the rightful heir can take his place."