Here I was again, having to choose between the only attractive decision-walking out of there-and the inevitable one-following this through to the end.
‘The only loyal supporter I have been granted so far is a man who cannot tell the difference between a fine wine and well water. And even his loyalty is not beyond question.’
‘I see.’
She went to a door, which I had not even noticed before, and knocked quietly. It opened, and into the chamber stepped a familiar figure, on his face an expression of profound amusement struggling to masquerade as respect.
‘Morning, sir.’
‘Khety!’
He bowed to the Queen.
‘Khety has been under my command since you arrived. I would trust him with my life. I trusted him with yours, although you did not know it. He will escort you to a safe house in the city and inform you of the things you need to know. ’
I didn’t know whether I wanted to punch him or hug him. He had certainly sustained the illusion of a young fool very convincingly. I turned to the Queen and bowed.
‘We will talk further,’ she said, ‘but now you must rest, before we move forward together.’
We followed the dawning light up the staircase and emerged into an enclosed courtyard, full of plants. At the centre, water pulsed into a stone basin. Birds experimented with short calls and trills.
We separated to rest.
So I sit and write this down, in sunlight, in the warmth of the new day. I know what I have to do, and why. I know Nefertiti is alive, and why she has cast me in a role whose purpose is greater than I had imagined. My feeling of foolishness is dissolving slowly, leaving me with a new sense of purpose, and, I must confess, a wish above almost all other things to earn again the smile that had graced her face. Would it be possible to accomplish the task? She, Khety and I are almost alone against the great forces at work against us, with all their advantages of knowledge, security, wealth and power. But we have one advantage: we are invisible. No-one knows where we are, whether in the next world or in the shadows of this one.
30
Khety continued to look unnecessarily pleased with himself. ‘Oh, the great seeker of mysteries…’ He kept nudging me and winking like a stage fool, as if there was now between us a complicity of trust, and not only that, but an equality of accomplishment. So when he said ‘Did you really not work it out?’ for the third time, I had to reply.
‘Khety, your impression of an idiot was so good that it never occurred to me you had a sand grain’s worth of sense in your whole character. Perhaps the reason is that you were not altogether acting a role. Perhaps there was some truth in it.’
He looked hurt for a moment. ‘Well, I told you several things about myself that were completely true. And by the way, I do like wine and I love almonds.’
Perhaps I was merely trying to repress my own sense of foolishness. I detest being caught out. We both sulked like children for a few minutes.
We were sitting in the shade of the courtyard protected from the sun by overhanging eaves and lengths of linen shades.
‘You understand the seriousness of the situation in which we find ourselves?’
Khety nodded. Once again, he knew everything.
‘You know the Instruction of Ptahhotep: “Do not take control of a matter whose ending you will not be able to control”? Well, that is exactly what we have no choice but to do. I’ll need you to enlighten me on all the background matter. I still can’t understand why you didn’t tell me before when you knew how much was at stake.’ He tried to interrupt but I put up my hand to silence him. ‘Yes, no doubt you were sworn to utmost secrecy. No doubt there were other, greater issues at stake. Now, I need to know about a safe house, and about the security measures for the Festival. Above all I need to deal with Mahu.’
‘How can I help?’
‘I want to pay a visit to the Medjay information archives. Can you help with that?’
‘Yes, but why?’
‘They hold information on everyone. On you, on me, on Ay, even on Mahu himself. We need to get deeper into the underworld of what’s happening here, so we have to know more about the plotters and conspirators and their secret histories.’
Khety thought it through. ‘I have a contact, a scribe. He could get us in and help us find the relevant documents.’
‘Can he be trusted?’
He grimaced. ‘He’s my brother.’
‘In these days no-one, not even one’s brother, can be trusted.’
‘He’s my younger brother.’
‘That makes it worse then: younger brothers often betray and murder their elders. Sibling rivalry.’
Khety just laughed. ‘He likes music and reading; he’s not interested in politics. He’d rather spend his time in the library. Trust me.’
Nefertiti entered the room. I confess I could not take my eyes from her. There was something incandescent about her presence.
‘This will not serve as a useful safe place for you both in the next days,’ she said. ‘However, Khety knows a house in the workers’ suburb-a secret location. I’m afraid it is not particularly comfortable. But I imagine no-one will think to seek you there. And I’m sure you can find a way to disguise yourselves among the arriving populations.’
It was a sensible suggestion. The poor are invisible to the rich.
‘We will be, as the saying goes, poor men in the house of the rich,’ I said.
There were no doors or windows to the outside world in the walls of this building. The only way out was down into the labyrinth again. So we bade a swift farewell and descended a set of winding stone stairs. This time plentiful lamps and rush torches illuminated the way. I noticed wonderful images on the walls-birds, animals and gardens lit up by an underworld sun and moon.
‘Khety, where are we?’
‘You remember when we went to the Queen’s House? And you sat in her chair and looked out across the river?’
The low fort on the far shore. He had known all along.
‘If you are smiling that smug little smile of yours again, Khety, I’m going to push you down these stairs.’
His laugh echoed away down several passageways that disappeared off into shadow. The last of the daylight slanted down to where we stood.
‘Well, as the adventurer said, “all paths lead somewhere”,’ he replied.
‘Very wise. But as I recall in that story the adventurer never returned home. Which of these takes us where we need to go?’
‘The passages are designed to trap intruders for ever. Fortunately, I know them like the back of my hand.’
He nodded towards one of them. We each took a torch in our hands and set off in silence among the strange company of our footfalls and shadows. Soon we came to a junction. Khety hesitated.
‘What?’
‘Just trying to remember the way.’
He set off with purpose in one direction, then suddenly stopped. I walked into him.
‘What now?’
‘Sorry, wrong way.’
