Kaemwaset motioned toward the door, signaling them to precede him out of the room. “Ah, yes. Your father is the physician Ptahhotep. He’s been a frequent visitor to the archives for as long as I can remember.”
“You know him?” Bak asked, surprised.
“Very well indeed. I toiled in the hall of records for several years when first I came to the mansion of the lord Amon. Before you were of an age to come with him.” The priest glanced at Hori and smiled. “I think the idea was to eliminate my childish exuberance by giving me tasks of an exceedingly boring nature.”
Hori grinned. “I thank the lord Amon time and time again that my first task was with Lieutenant Bak and his company of Medjays and we were sent far away to the southern frontier.” No one could mistake the sincerity in his voice.
Bak ruffled the young scribe’s hair. “Will you help Hori, Kaemwaset? Will you show him around the archives? Show him the system for filing the documents and how to find them?” Bak, aware that the lesser priests were assigned tasks they had to complete and were not always free to do as they liked, added, “If you can’t help him, can you tell me who can?”
“I must get permission from the fourth prophet, of course, but I’d be delighted to aid him.” Kaemwaset glanced at the doorway behind him and wrinkled his nose in distaste.
“You’ve no idea how weary I am of the mundane tasks I’m given each time I’ve finished my regular duties.”
He offered to help them obtain permission right away, then smiled and rubbed his hands together, demonstrating his eagerness. “Your task promises to be most interesting, Lieutenant, and rather daunting.”
“In what way?”
“Many of the old records were lost during the time of chaos, before our sovereign’s ancestors gained control of the land of Kemet. We ofttimes find one or two related documents where originally there may’ve been ten or twenty scrolls. Sometimes we find none and sometimes we find them all. We never know.”
“I ask only that you do the best you can.”
“I agree,” Maiherperi said, pacing the length of the shallow reflecting pool, Bak by his side. “We must do all within our power to see that no attempt is made on Senenmut’s life.
You were wise to come to me.”
“I pray an extra company of guards will be sufficient.”
Maiherperi gave him a sharp look. “Do you know something you’re not telling me, Lieutenant?”
“No, sir, but. .”
“Speak up! I detest men who seal their lips, forcing me to discover unpleasant truths for myself.”
His sharp voice startled a brown goose, which took to the air and flew low over the pool, throwing its shadow across several clusters of water lilies growing from pots scattered around the bottom. A frog sitting on a pad leaped into the water with a splash. Alarmed, a flock of egrets skimmed the surface of the flooded garden with a whir of wings, wheeled around, and settled back down to feed. A slight breeze carried the strong, sweet scent of the lilies, whose petals were closing at the end of day.
Bak smiled to himself. Maiherperi had not changed since first he had met him. He was a straightforward, honest man and he demanded the same candor from others. “Several days ago, a priest suggested that the malign spirit was created to discredit our sovereign, to make her look weak in the eyes of her people. I’ve never taken the idea seriously, and if you ask me why, I can’t give you a good reason. But if I’ve erred. .”
“Why would a man injure and slay so many people if not on a matter of import?” The commander looked puzzled, more by Bak’s doubts than by the question itself.
“I’m not sure, sir.”
“You must realize that the most likely individual to wish our sovereign ill is her co-ruler and stepson Menkheperre Thutmose.”
“He’s not that kind of man, sir.” Bak, like many men in the army the young king had begun to rebuild after years of neglect by Maatkare Hatshepsut, truly believed he should be the sole ruler of the land of Kemet, wielding the power of office his father’s sister-widow had grasped while the boy was hardly more than a babe.
The commander’s voice turned wry. “One never knows how low the best of men will stoop when the object they desire is tempting enough. However, I’m convinced that young man is much too preoccupied with playing soldier in Mennufer. The thought of wreaking havoc at Djeser Djeseru would never enter his heart.”
“I agree, sir,” Bak said vehemently.
“One of his followers might-or hers, for that matter-if they wished to cause trouble. But why spill a jar of wine when it holds considerably more pleasure when drunk from a bowl? Especially since both Maatkare Hatshepsut and Menkheperre Thutmose seem content with the situation as it is.”
Relieved that the commander had chosen to remain neutral rather than side with the woman to whom he reported, Bak decided to air a thought that had been nagging him throughout the day. “I’ve begun to think the malign spirit is more interested in personal gain than in who holds the reins of power in the land of Kemet.”
Maiherperi conferred upon him a long, speculative look.
“Tell me.”
“Are you aware of the old jewelry that’s been found on ships bound for far-off lands? Jewelry that had to have been taken from tombs dug during the reigns of Nebhepetre Montuhotep and his family?”
“Amonked has told me, yes.”
Bak went on to tell the commander of all that had occurred since he had first set foot on Djeser Djeseru. While he talked, they walked side by side along the white graveled paths that ran through the lush garden behind the royal house. Flowers in a multitude of colors, herbs, and shrubs graced walkways shaded by palms, sycamores, acacias, and tamarisks. Mon-keys swung through the trees, setting bright birds to flight.
Gazelles, too shy to draw near, shared the flooded garden with egrets and ducks and other wading birds.
Ending his account, he asked, “What better way for tomb robbers to direct our thoughts away from their nighttime activities than to create a malign spirit who’s not merely frightening but dangerous as well?”
“What better way?” Maiherperi agreed. “If you’re right, if this is a simple matter of tomb robbery, Senenmut’s life is not necessarily at risk.”
“Such would be my guess. However, if the robbers have found-or believe they’re close to finding-a tomb of great potential value that they don’t dare break into as long as the workmen remain at Djeser Djeseru, they might well bring about a fearsome accident while he’s there. One so horrendous he’ll recommend to our sovereign that the project be stopped and the valley abandoned.”
“She’ll never stop construction of her memorial temple. It means too much to her. Not simply for the continued offerings it will glean for her journey through eternity, but for the message it will carry of her divine birth and all her accomplishments while she sits on the throne.”
“I’d wager she’d stop the effort for a month or two, given sufficient reason.”
“Such as?”
“If she could be led to believe that, to stop the accidents, she must propitiate the lord Amon during some important occasion.” Bak paused, building his thoughts, nodded. “For example, during the Opet festival, which will take place in a few weeks. Construction would be delayed, not stopped entirely, and would give the robbers time to enter and rifle the tomb without fear of being caught.”
“Have you heard such a rumor?”
“No, sir, but any similar tale would do. Or another serious accident where men are injured and lives lost. The workmen are already talking of laying down their tools and leaving the valley. They came very close to doing so after the last rock slide.”
“You’ve given this some thought, I see.” Maiherperi swung around and headed back to the building that housed the royal guards. “I’ll make sure Senenmut’s well guarded while at Djeser Djeseru, and warn the officer in charge to expect the worst. Then we must all bend a knee to the lord Amon, praying the worst doesn’t happen.”
Later, as Bak prepared to leave, he paused beneath the portico outside the building where Maiherperi toiled. “I’ve yet to thank you, sir, for sending a man to look to my father’s well-being.”
The commander smiled. “Sergeant Huy is one of my best men, awaiting reassignment to the royal house in Mennufer.
You’ve nothing to worry about with him standing guard.”
