nothing in Egypt will be as it should until these deaths are resolved. I swear to you, Khufu, I will find who did this.”
“No!” Khufu stood. His robe fell from one shoulder. “The pyramid must be your only focus.”
I frowned. “Surely you want justice to be restored?”
Khufu began a reply, but the sound of a crowd entering the palace cut him off. Behind us, a swarm of men, priests it appeared, tramped into the Great Hall like an army crossing the desert.They brought with them the smell of burnt offerings, filling the room with the odor of sacrifice.
Khufu scowled. “You approach the Son of Ra without permission?”
An old priest emerged from the crowd. I recognized him as the former high priest of On, recently replaced. He had not shaved his head for some days, sprinkling of white on his dark skin. He still wore the priestly skirt and belt, and a leopard skin over his shoulders, the head hanging down his back. “So you still claim sonship with the god?” he said.
My blood pounded in response to this shocking disrespect. I stepped to the platform where Khufu stood, knowing the king would prefer me at his side.
Khufu sat and lifted the crook and flail, symbols of his Ra-given authority, and crossed them over his chest. “You have come to complain about your recent dismissal,” he said. “Take your complaints to the gods.”
The priest shrugged. “You have made yourself Ra on earth. Why should we not complain to you?”
I stepped forward. “You dishonor the king by bringing this rabble of malcontents into the Great Hall.”
The old priest raised his voice. “And the king has caused the death of a much-loved queen with his heresy!”
I heard Khufu’s quick intake of breath and turned to him. He clenched the lion-head arms of his throne. “You blame the Beloved of Horus for the death of the queen?” he said. “You prove yourselves more inept than I had thought!”
The room erupted with outrage, like a herd of angry cows bellowing their disapproval. I moved closer to the king and leaned my staff across him like a shield.
Where are the palace guards?
The High Priest would not be silenced. “You have defied the gods!” he declared, his finger pointed in accusation. “In pride and arrogance you have stolen the worship of Ra from its rightful place in On. You have brought it here to Giza solely to control and manipulate the rites.” Spittle flew from his lips. “But the gods will not be controlled!”
Khufu waited for the ensuing buzz to settle, then lifted his voice above the priests. It was smooth and even, the voice of a monarch. Or a god. “You were given land and wealth, each of you. I was not required to act with such kindness. I am Ra on earth, and I do as I please.”
The high priest shook a fist at Khufu. “Then why have the gods punished you by taking the Great Wife from you with violence?”
I could remain quiet no longer. I stepped in front of Khufu and raised my staff over their heads. “Get out! All of you! You dishonor yourselves and the gods you serve with your insane accusations! The queen has died at the hands of a human evil. If the gods are truly worthy of our devotion, they do not deal with man as you would have us believe!”
The high priest moved toward the throne, but I met him halfway with my staff held aloft like a club. The priest’s eyes were cold with hatred, but he stopped.
“You will not be rid of us so easily,” he hissed. His glance went to Khufu. “We will be heard!”
“Not today,” I said, with a flourish of my staff. “Get out!”
They backed away in clusters, the high priest the last to turn and stalk out of the Great Hall. When he was gone, I lowered my staff and turned to Khufu, my chest tight with anger.
The king had regained his throne and sat stoop-shouldered, eyes closed. He looked both small, like the young boy I remembered, and old, like his father who had many years ago gone to the west.
“They will calm down in time,” I said.
“No!” Khufu stood. His robe fell from one shoulder. “The pyramid must be your only focus.”
I frowned. “Surely you want justice to be restored?”
Khufu began a reply, but the sound of a crowd entering the palace cut him off. Behind us, a swarm of men, priests it appeared, tramped into the Great Hall like an army crossing the desert.They brought with them the smell of burnt offerings, filling the room with the odor of sacrifice.
Khufu scowled. “You approach the Son of Ra without permission?”
An old priest emerged from the crowd. I recognized him as the former high priest of On, recently replaced. He had not shaved his head for some days, sprinkling of white on his dark skin. He still wore the priestly skirt and belt, and a leopard skin over his shoulders, the head hanging down his back. “So you still claim sonship with the god?” he said.
My blood pounded in response to this shocking disrespect. I stepped to the platform where Khufu stood, knowing the king would prefer me at his side.
Khufu sat and lifted the crook and flail, symbols of his Ra-given authority, and crossed them over his chest. “You have come to complain about your recent dismissal,” he said. “Take your complaints to the gods.”
The priest shrugged. “You have made yourself Ra on earth. Why should we not complain to you?”
I stepped forward. “You dishonor the king by bringing this rabble of malcontents into the Great Hall.”
The old priest raised his voice. “And the king has caused the death of a much-loved queen with his heresy!”
I heard Khufu’s quick intake of breath and turned to him. He clenched the lion-head arms of his throne. “You blame the Beloved of Horus for the death of the queen?” he said. “You prove yourselves more inept than I had thought!”
The room erupted with outrage, like a herd of angry cows bellowing their disapproval. I moved closer to the king and leaned my staff across him like a shield.
Where are the palace guards?
The High Priest would not be silenced. “You have defied the gods!” he declared, his finger pointed in accusation. “In pride and arrogance you have stolen the worship of Ra from its rightful place in On. You have brought it here to Giza solely to control and manipulate the rites.” Spittle flew from his lips. “But the gods will not be controlled!”
Khufu waited for the ensuing buzz to settle, then lifted his voice above the priests. It was smooth and even, the voice of a monarch. Or a god. “You were given land and wealth, each of you. I was not required to act with such kindness. I am Ra on earth, and I do as I please.”
The high priest shook a fist at Khufu. “Then why have the gods punished you by taking the Great Wife from you with violence?”
I could remain quiet no longer. I stepped in front of Khufu and raised my staff over their heads. “Get out! All of you! You dishonor yourselves and the gods you serve with your insane accusations! The queen has died at the hands of a human evil. If the gods are truly worthy of our devotion, they do not deal with man as you would have us believe!”
The high priest moved toward the throne, but I met him halfway with my staff held aloft like a club. The priest’s eyes were cold with hatred, but he stopped.
“You will not be rid of us so easily,” he hissed. His glance went to Khufu. “We will be heard!”
“Not today,” I said, with a flourish of my staff. “Get out!”
They backed away in clusters, the high priest the last to turn and stalk out of the Great Hall. When he was gone, I lowered my staff and turned to Khufu, my chest tight with anger.
The king had regained his throne and sat stoop-shouldered, eyes closed. He looked both small, like the young boy I remembered, and old, like his father who had many years ago gone to the west.
“They will calm down in time,” I said.
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