He turned to Meren. 'I am going into the city to the palace of Pharaoh. Stay with Demeter.' He kicked his heels into the mare's flanks and headed for the main gates. The guards looked down on him from
the tower as he rode through, but did not challenge him. The streets were almost deserted. The few people he saw were as pale and starving as the beggars outside the walls. They scurried away at his approach.
A sickly stench hung over the city: the odour of death and suffering.
The captain of the palace guards recognized Taita, and ran to open the side gate for him, saluting respectfully as he entered the precincts.
'One of my men will take your horse to the stables, Magus. The royal grooms will care for it.'
'Is Pharaoh in residence?' Taita asked, as he dismounted.
'He is here.'
'Take me to him,' Taita ordered. The captain hurried to obey, and led him into the labyrinth of passages and halls. They passed through courtyards that had once been lovely with lawns, banks of flowers and tinkling fountains of limpid water, then on through halls and cloisters that in former times had sounded merrily to the laughter and singing of noble ladies and lords, of tumblers, troubadours and dancing slave girls.
Now the rooms were deserted, the gardens were brown and dead and the fountains had run dry. The heavy silence was disturbed only by the sound of their footsteps on the stone paving.
At last they reached the antechamber of the royal audience hall.
In the opposite wall there was a closed door. The captain knocked upon it with the butt of his spear, and it was opened almost immediately by a slave. Taita looked beyond him. On the floor of rose-coloured marble slabs a corpulent eunuch in a short linen skirt sat cross'legged at a low desk stacked with papyrus scrolls and writing tablets. Taita recognized him at once. He was Pharaoh's senior chamberlain. It had been on Taita's recommendation that he was selected for such an illustrious position.
'Ramram, my old friend,' Taita greeted him. Ramram jumped to his feet with surprising alacrity for such a large person, and hurried to embrace Taita. All the eunuchs in Pharaoh's service were bound by strong fraternal ties.
'Taita, you have been gone from Thebes for far too long.' He drew Taita into his private bureau. 'Pharaoh is in council with his generals so I cannot disturb him, but I will take you to him the moment he is free. He would want me to do that. However, this gives us a chance to talk. How long have you been gone? It must be many years.'
'It is seven. Since last we met I have journeyed to strange lands.'
'Then there is much that I must tell you about what has befallen us in your absence. Sadly, very little is good.'
They settled down on cushions facing each other, and at the chamberlain's bidding a slave served them bowls of sherbet that had been cooled in earthenware jugs.
'Tell me first, how fares His Majesty?' Taita demanded anxiously.
“I fear you will be saddened when you see him. His cares weigh heavily upon him. Most of his days are spent in council with his ministers, the commanders of his army and the governors of all the nomes. He sends his envoys to every foreign country to buy grain and food to feed the starving population. He orders the digging of new wells to find sweet water to replace the foul red effluent of the river.' Ramram sighed and took a deep swig from his sherbet bowl.
'The Medes and Sumerians, the sea people, the Libyans and all our other enemies are aware of our plight,' he continued. 'They believe our fortunes are waning, and that we can no longer defend ourselves, so they muster their armies. As you know, our vassal states and satraps have always grudged the tribute they have been forced to pay Pharaoh.
Many see in our misfortunes an opportunity to break away from us, so they enter into treasonable alliances. A multitude of foes gathers at our borders. With our resources so grievously depleted, Pharaoh must still find men and stores to build up and reinforce his regiments. He stretches himself and his empire to breaking point.'
'Any lesser monarch could not have survived these tribulations,' Taita said.
'Nefer Seti is a great monarch. But he, like the rest of us lesser beings, is aware in his heart that the gods no longer smile upon Egypt. None of his efforts will succeed until he can regain their divine favour. He has ordered the priesthood in every temple throughout the land to render ceaseless prayer. He himself makes sacrifice three times a day. Although he has tried his own strength to its limit he spends half of each night, when he should be resting, in devout prayer and communion with his fellow deities.'
Tears filled the chamberlain's eyes. He wiped them away with a square of linen. 'This has been his life for the last seven years, during the failure of the mother river and the plagues that have beset us. It would have destroyed any lesser ruler. Nefer Seti is a god, but he has the heart and compassion of a man. It has changed and aged him.'
'I am indeed cast down by this news. But, tell me, how fares the queen and her children?'
'Here, too, the news is gloomy. The plagues have treated them unkindly. Queen Mintaka was struck down and lay for many weeks on
the verge of death. She has now recovered, but is still much weakened.
Not all of the royal children were so fortunate. Prince Khaba and his little sister Unas lie side by side in the royal mausoleum. The plague carried them away. The other children have survived, but—'
Ramram broke off as a slave entered, bowing respectfully, and whispered in the chamberlain's ear. Ramram nodded and waved him away, then turned back to Taita. 'The conclave has ended. I will go to Pharaoh and tell him of your arrival.' He hoisted himself to his feet and waddled to the back of the room. There, he touched a carved figure on the panel, which turned under his fingers. A section of the wall slid aside, and Ramram disappeared into the opening. He was not gone long before a shout of surprise and pleasure echoed from the corridor beyond the secret door. Immediately it was followed by rapid footsteps and there was another shout: 'Tata, where are you?' It was Pharaoh's nickname for him.
'Majesty, I am here.'
