Khu: A Tale of Ancient Egypt by Jocelyn Murray Page A

according to its importance. Odji felt no allegiance to the Theban king, and did not hesitate to betray his ruler. He felt no loyalty to anyone except himself.
    Odji had told Mdjai that King Mentuhotep often went down to Kush to see to his mines, trade resources, and to visit and collect taxes from some of the settlements along his route. He told his friend how the king was getting richer from the gold he often brought back. And in return, Mdjai also shared information about the political intrigues throughout the northern lands.
    The boatman had recently informed Odji that a revolt was being planned in Abdju. It was being led by King Khety of Lower Egypt, who ruled from the seat of his throne in Nen-nesu, south of the Nile Delta. Khety had been conspiring with forces from the settlement of Nekhen—which was not too far south of Thebes. With the help of Ankhtifi, who was the governing chieftain of the province of Nekhen, Khety planned to capture Abdju and then continue on south in hopes of capturing Thebes as well.
     
    Abdju had remained neutral in the political conflict dividing the once-unified powers of Egypt. It was an autonomous district, independent of the sovereignties of Lower and Upper Egypt. But some of its people wanted the protection and power that an alignment with Lower Egypt’s throne would afford. Odji’s friend Mdjai was one of them. Others, like many of the high priests in the temples, were more sympathetic to Mentuhotep and preferred to position themselves alongside the Theban ruler if neutrality were no longer possible.
    King Khety had his sights set on overthrowing Mentuhotep, seizing the throne of Upper Egypt, and consolidating the two kingdoms under his own rule. Gaining control of Abdju would be a pivotal step in the direction that would empower him over the divided lands.
    “Just try to distract your sovereign with local matters,” the boatman told Odji, as though it were that easy. “Then everything will fall into place.” He was relaying a message from Mdjai in Abdju.
    Odji just stared at the boatman , the lines between his eyes deepening. His mind was trying to sift through and organize all the information the man had told him. He knew that Mentuhotep was wise. It would not be easy to distract him with anything. The king would see right through the weakness of that plan, and wonder what he was up to. But Mentuhotep’s expedition to Kush could not have come at a better time. All Odji had to do was wait and hope that the king would be delayed by the Kushites. That would give King Khety the time he needed to capture Abdju.
    “You will be compe nsated well. The Lord King Khety himself will see to it that you get your own village in one of the more prosperous districts in the north.”
    Odji swallowed at the lure dangling before him. His time had finally come. He would soon quit Thebes for good, and go north to live as a lord overseeing a village. If only his father could see him now. Everything looked promising on that sun-drenched afternoon which even made the dirt roads sparkle. Power was the elixir that made his head spin, not unlike the potent ceremonial heqet brewed very strongly during times of great feasting.
    Odji pondered the boatman’s message as images of a thriving village over which he ruled flitted through his mind. There was a cruelty to Odji’s thin mouth that made the boatman nervous. The boatman kept glancing anxiously about him. He knew he was in danger here, and did not wish to be caught conspiring against the king. The punishment for high treason was death—death by decapitation. But that was not all. His filthy remains would be scattered in the desert, and left for the wild animals to devour. This terrible fate would leave him incapable of crossing the great divide to the Field of Reeds in the Afterlife. Without a body and proper burial, his immortal soul ka would forever be doomed to roam restlessly in the Netherworld.
    “When will the revolt take place?” Odji