"The Wrath of Amun" -- Installment from the novel

The next installment of "The Wrath of Amun." We will learn a bit about the poor deceased woman and the new Chief of the Medjay.

Having assisted with the morning ritual, Qaa with two Medjay escorts headed across the Nile to the verdant fields on the East bank. They found Semti, with his wife and children, tending an emmer field; he was lowering the shaduf into the water channel while his wife and children weeded. Qaa motioned to the man he wished to speak with him privately. Off to the left of the emmer field, there was a small personal garden; the plants appeared to be barley, radishes, leeks, and onions. As a farmer in service to the temple, he also had a few goats, sheep, and geese, for his family’s consumption, grazing in pens in front of the mud-brick house. He was a small, wiry man dressed only in a loincloth, flint cutting blade with a wooden handle tucked into the waist, bare feet caked with mud; Semti barked orders to his family to keep working. He carried himself like a man who was accustomed to being obeyed.

“You are Semti, father of Iput, the woman who was murdered at the temple?”

“I am. Who are you, hem netjer?” Semti looked up at the imposing figure, sporting a reed switch tucked neatly into the waist of his kilt.

“I am Qaa, the new Chief of the Medjay. I have been called to Waset to look into the death of your daughter. Did you see your daughter on the evening of her death?”

“No, Medjay. I had worked all day in the fields and had another long day ahead of me.” Semti bowed low before Qaa.

“Was your daughter happy in her marriage?”

“Unas was divorcing her. He came to me and asked to send her back. She was barren; what other use is there for a woman except to pleasure her husband and provide him with children. She was trouble all her life; I told him she was his wife, not my responsibility. I had no use for another mouth to feed.” Semti seemed untouched by Iput’s murder.

“You say she was trouble. Did you beat her as a child?” Qaa’s stomach lurched, remembering the abuse he had seen on Iput’s body.

“I had to. She wouldn’t cook, do her chores, work in the fields. How else could I get her to do anything?” Semti looked to Qaa for sympathy, man to man.

Qaa was outraged. He tried to keep his voice measured and his anger in control. “Did you tell Unas how to make her obey?”

“Of course.” Semti smiled broadly. “He needed to know how to handle her. Unas always did like the wild ones. Her mother was like that when I took her the first time. Screamed and kicked, almost bit my ear off. She still has some fight left in her, but I too know how to use a switch.” He chuckled to himself.

In one swift motion, Qaa withdrew the switch from his waist, raised it above his head, and struck the farmer a sound blow across the cheek, drawing blood. Qaa fought hard against lashing out in anger, preferring combat in battle, but intentionally inflicting pain on a woman was something he would not tolerate.

“If you have lied to me, farmer, I shall return and shall not stay my hand at just one blow.”

***

After traveling back across the Nile to the West bank, and still in the company of the two Medjay, Qaa found Unas at one of the temple metalworking tents. Wearing only a loincloth, he was sitting on a stool in front of a brazier, tongs in hand, a glowing piece of metal in the charcoals. Even from this distance, the heat was palpable and breathing was an effort. Qaa motioned to the overseer to bring Unas to him. The overseer spoke to Unas who put down the tongs, stood, and compliantly followed the overseer’s instructions.

Qaa appraised Unas, having seen the brutality on Iput’s body. The man was about his own age, but at least a cubit shorter. He had powerful hands and shoulders from working the various metals, and bore numerous burns and scars, both fresh and healed. His hands had the familiar appearance of crocodile skin, brown, scaly, and toughened from the heat of the crucibles and hearths. He sported a dagger at his waist, bronze with a bone handle. He moved with the swagger of a man too self-confident; he exuded an air of importance though he was only an apprentice.

“I am Qaa, the new Chief of the Medjay. I am looking into the death of your wife. Did you know she had left your home to go to the temple the night she died?”

“I was asleep. She must have slipped out; she did that often. I suspected she had taken up with another man. I had no use for her, she was barren and I was going to divorce her.”

Qaa’s temper simmered just below the surface of his calm exterior. Semti had put him in a foul mood. This man’s wife is brutally murdered and he speaks disrespectfully of her. He withdrew the switch and slapped his own palm with it. “Did you beat her often?” Qaa’s voice had taken on the tenor of a confidante, one man to another.

“She would not submit to me. I would have to bind her hands and feet in order to mount her.” Unas laughed.

Qaa could feel his anger dangerously close to exploding. Even a reed switch, in his hands, could inflict serious injury. “She may have been more receptive if you had been patient or kind with her.”

Unas leaned in to speak low, so only Qaa would hear. “Chief Medjay, do you have a woman? Trust me when I say they need to be beaten regularly. How else can you make them submit?” He stepped back and continued to speak. “I now have a woman who knows her place and will do whatever I demand. Is that not the duty of a woman?” He smiled broadly.

Qaa wanted to retch. Brought up in an abusive home, married to an abusive husband, what chance did she have? Were all the men in Waset this brutal toward their women? He could not contain his anger any longer. “In the future, apprentice, when you see me, I expect you to bow before me, showing your respect. Medjay, hold this man while I interrogate him further.”

Each Medjay grabbed an arm of Unas and held him tightly. Qaa began beating Unas on the back, just as Unas had beaten his wife to submit to his needs. “How does it feel, Unas, to be powerless? Do you think she enjoyed her beatings? If you have lied to me, I shall be back. And if I hear of you beating any more women, you shall wish I had killed you.” Qaa’s chest heaved and sweat trickled down his back, having taken out his anger on the man who had inflicted much of the torment on Iput. He again raised the switch above his head.

“My Chief that was twenty lashes.” The Medjay saw the wrath in Qaa’s eyes and fell silent. His rage spent for now, he lowered the switch. Qaa straightened up, wiped the bloody switch on Unas’s loincloth, and slid it into the waist of his kilt.

After taking a deep breath to bring his emotions under control, Qaa spoke smoothly and authoritatively. “Medjay, you may release him.” When the Medjay released Unas’s arms, he fell, in a crumpled heap at Qaa’s feet. He looked down, spat on him, and turned back to the temple, followed by the Medjay.

***

"The Wrath of Amun" - Fifth Installment

Another installment of "The Wrath of Amun." Hope you are enjoying the posts.

After the preparation of the unguents and the noon ritual, Thanuny and Qaa retired to their private quarters. Qaa took out a new scroll and wrote notes about his observations of the poisoned wine and what the priests had told him. When he had finished, he secured the reeds in the palette, took the scroll and palette with him, and crossed the corridor to Thanuny’s room.

“Thanuny, may I speak plainly? The king has appointed me First hem netjer; I need to know if you had hoped to gain the position.”

“I am quite content with my duties here at the temple. I often have to act on behalf of the First hem netjer, but without all the political intrigue that comes with the position. I do not envy you your task. I shall serve you well, just as I did Raneb. Harkhuf, Weni, and I are the only permanent full time priests here, as was Raneb. I shall notify them of your appointment. Whatever you need, hem netjer, I am at your service.” Thanuny bowed to Qaa.

“I would prefer informality from you and hope to count you as a friend, Thanuny. I have spent much of my life in military service, never settling in one place very long. My previous appointment, Viceroy of Kush, required my dedication to protecting our southern border. I hope to settle in Waset and would enjoy the company of my fellow priests.”

“You may depend on me, Qaa, if I may address you as such.”

Qaa smiled for the first time in the presence of the priest. “Yes, Thanuny, you may. There is much I need to know, and you are my eyes and ears. Please sit and we may begin.”

Thanuny sat on his bed and Qaa sat on the stool at the writing table. He spread the scroll on the table, set the palette next to it, prepared the inks, and consulted his notes.

“Thanuny, do you have the bowls and vessel? I think I would like to examine them first.”

The priest motioned to a side table. Qaa was able to reach them from his position at the writing table. The bowls contained some sediment, but it was difficult to determine if it was from an herbal mixture or just from the wine itself. The vessel, however, was much more informative. Just looking down the neck, Qaa could see a great deal of “mush” in the bottom. He gently tapped the clay vessel on the edge of the table to crack it. With his large hand, he grasped the neck and broke it off, to expose the inside. The first item of note was the unmistakable odour of lotus flower. It was often used for pain or to quiet those suffering from demons, but in large doses it could lead to unconsciousness and death. The plant material looked like it had been filtered through cloth; there was little that was recognizable. From the smell, however, he suspected one of the ingredients could be monkshood or henbane. He placed the broken vessel on the table, scribbled some notes on the papyrus scroll, and then turned his attention to Thanuny.

 “You and Raneb carried Iput into the preparation tent, after the hemet netjer had been settled in her quarters. Tell me what he said of his observations, as well as what you observed. No detail is unimportant.”

“You should know the weapon was recovered. It was found next to the body. Raneb directed me not to wash it until he examined it. I placed the dagger on a piece of linen cloth and brought it into the preparation tent for him.”

“Tell me about the dagger and, if it is still in the preparation tent, I would like to examine it as well.” Qaa picked up the reed, dipped it in the ink, and took notes as he listened to Thanuny.

“It is an unusual dagger, foreign; I have seen daggers like that being traded in the marketplace. Many of them come from the Near East. Rather than describe the dagger, I shall show it to you when you have finished your questions.”

“Thank you, Thanuny. Tell me what Raneb saw when he examined the body.”

The older priest shifted uncomfortably on the bed. He had been troubled greatly by what he had seen.

“Take your time. I know this has been a very unsettling event. I have seen men killed in battle, but I have never seen anything as brutal as this.” Qaa looked sympathetically at Thanuny. “I would not ask for such information if it were not necessary.”

“I have been greatly affected by this murder; even sleep offers me no solace.”

“Then tell me, Thanuny, and allow me to carry the burden of this crime.”

The older priest took a deep breath and commenced his narrative, as Qaa made notes.

“Raneb examined her body thoroughly, just as you did. He also spread her legs and examined her genitals and rectum. Aside from the wounds you see, her attacker used an object on her, tearing her open in both areas.”

Both men sat for some time in silence, Qaa trying to understand how a person could do such a thing, Thanuny struggling with the horrors he had seen inflicted on Iput.

“After Weni helped Raneb pack the body cavity, Raneb dismissed the other priests and asked me to remain. He told me he was troubled by something he had seen and asked me to assist him. We removed some of the natron packets from the body and Raneb examined other organs.” Thanuny’s face was ashen, his voice quavered, and he looked quite ill.

“Let me get you some wine. We can speak of this later, when you are feeling up to it.”

Qaa exited the room and crossed the corridor to his room. He had a vessel of Kushite wine in one of his traveling chest. He extracted it from the chest and found the two new drinking bowls on a shelf in his room. He brought the bowls and vessel to Thanuny’s room, poured him a generous amount, and held the wine out to the older priest. With hands shaking, he took the bowl and drained it straight away.

“Qaa, you must not reveal what I am about to tell you. Only Raneb and I knew what he had found when he again examined that poor woman.”

Qaa poured more wine into Thanuny’s bowl, poured himself a bowl, and sat down again. When they had both drunk, Qaa spoke to the priest.

“Raneb was the Chief Medjay in charge of the investigation. It now falls upon my shoulders to complete his work. I need to know what he knew.”

“Iput was with child when she was killed.” Thanuny buried his face in his hands, trying to erase the scene from his memory.

***

More "The Wrath of Amun"

Another clip from The Wrath of Amun, which introduces my protagonist. Hope you enjoy. A wesekh is the broad collar worn by many in ancient Egypt. A hem netjer is a priest and hemet netjer is a priestess. I want to give you a little look at the novel, without giving too much away. In future posts, I will give you a look at the other books in the series.

As he strode from the docks, in the direction of the Great Gate, Qaa was astonished by what he saw. When he left Waset twelve years ago, construction on the mortuary temple of Ramesses III was just beginning. From the Nile, he had seen the completed complex, safely ensconced behind the high, vividly adorned walls and pylon gates. At the entrance, giant carved marble obelisks, capstones layered in gold, glinted in the harsh Egyptian sunlight. Waset buzzed with activity – workmen painting the columns, scribes and priests marking the symbols for the stone cutters, the distant sound of the goldsmiths. The din from the marketplace was just audible and the smells from the stalls, as well as the temple bakery, were more exotic than he remembered. But all that could wait; he would have plenty of time later to explore his boyhood home.

Blue and white banners, signifying the status of this enclosure as a mortuary complex, swayed lazily in the still air above the Great Gate. As he passed through the First Pylon, he could see the palace off to his left, flanked by columns brightly decorated with reeds and lotus flowers. Qaa quickened his step; he would much rather appear before the king early than be late. He had crossed half the courtyard when he saw someone approach. As the distance between them closed, he recognized the familiar kilt and wesekh of a hem netjer.

“The king wishes me to direct you to his private chambers. There has been a rather unfortunate event and he wishes to see you immediately,” the priest said.

He followed the priest through the palace corridors to King Ramesses’s private chambers. The only sound was the soft, crunching noise of the reed sandals, worn by both men, against the polished tile floor. Ushered into the room, they observed the seated king, deep in conversation with a Medjay, the elite guard of the palace.

“Your majesty, I have brought Qaa as you requested.” The priest bowed deeply to the king.

“Leave us. We have much to discuss.” The king looked troubled as the priest and Medjay both exited the private chamber. Qaa had not seen the man he once called “Father” for five years. He was no longer the warrior-king he fought so bravely alongside. Ramesses had begun to take on the guise of the Nile god, enlarged breasts, rounded belly. Egypt had been enjoying peace and prosperity these many years, and it showed upon the king. His face was weary and worn, as if he were a noble statue, too long in the sun and blowing sand. Qaa approached and bowed low, in deference to his king.

“Your majesty, I have come at your request. How may I serve you?” Qaa straightened and looked at Ramesses.

Ramesses smiled broadly. Qaa had served him well in the campaigns against the Libyans and the Sea Peoples, earning him the Flies of Valour for his bravery, which he still wore around his neck on top of his wesekh. For his unwavering service he had been well compensated by being elevated to the post of Viceroy of Kush. Unlike the sons of his body, Qaa would do anything his king asked. Ramesses stood, approached Qaa, and embraced him warmly.

 “Qaa, you do not have to observe formality with me in private. You are still like a son to me.”

The two men walked out to the palace gardens and sat overlooking the royal pond. It was a beautiful, lush oasis in the middle of this inhospitable desert. Tranquil and restful, the blue lotus flowers floated on the surface of the pond, their scent heavily perfuming the still air. Date palms and fig trees lined the perimeter, creating a barrier from the responsibilities of kingship, providing a private respite from the pressures of governing an empire.  For quite some time neither of them spoke. Qaa sensed Ramesses was burdened by whatever unfortunate event had occurred. Ramesses seemed quite content to just sit in his private gardens, breathing in the aroma of the plants that were now in full bloom. Qaa patiently waited for his king to speak.

“I had summoned you to head up the military, here in Waset, but the gods have interceded. I now need you more in another capacity. My advisors have informed me you are not only First hem netjer in Kush, but also fair and just in legal matters. Any good soldier may work his way up the ranks, but you have excelled in keeping the peace and ferreting out evildoers. It is in this capacity that I now need your skills.”

“My lord, I have always prided myself on my military accomplishments, but you know I serve you and my beloved land. I shall assume any role you feel appropriate.”

“My Chief of the Medjay, who also held the post of First hem netjer nt Amun, was found dead this morning in his home. He had been investigating the brutal murder of a woman found at the entrance of the temple complex. We were to meet this morning regarding the investigation. I now fear the crime may go unsolved, and I am uneasy about his death.” Ramesses stared directly at Qaa, his gaze never wavered from the young man’s unusual blue eyes.

“Had he been ill?” Qaa understood the seriousness of the situation. Waset was the capital city of Upper Egypt and a brutal murder was not an everyday occurrence. The safety of foreign travelers to the city could have a devastating effect on trade if this were not dealt with swiftly.

“Aside from having lived a long life, he was in good health. I need to know that the murder shall not go unresolved; it has disrupted my daughter’s life and she is quite shaken by it. She not only found the body, but in her capacity as hemet netjer nt Amun, she had counseled the young woman at the temple and was expecting her the very night of her death.”

“May I see the chief’s home and his body? I may be able to discern if this was an unfortunate accident or something more sinister. Do you suspect his death could be related to the murder investigation?”

“Raneb had told me he was close to solving the crime and he had been an outstanding officer for many years. If he wanted to see me, he must have had some information that was vital,” Ramesses said.

“What has become of the young woman’s body? Did her family have the means for a proper burial?”

“My daughter is taking care of her burial. She feels responsible for this woman’s untimely death. The body is at the temple embalming tents being prepared.”

“I shall examine her body myself and question the priests who handled her with Raneb. I do not know what he observed, but the priests may be able to shed some light on this matter. I shall also need to speak with your daughter at a later time, since she found the body, if that is acceptable with you?”

“I shall have Thanuny take you to Raneb’s house. His body is still there. When you have assessed the scene, the priests may take his body to the temple for preparation. Return here after you have seen the woman’s body. I shall summon my daughter when you are ready to question her. I trust your judgment in this matter.”

“My king, I shall consult you in all matters concerning this business,” Qaa stood, bowed to Ramesses, turned, and exited into the corridor where the priest was waiting to conduct him to the home of the dead Chief of the Medjay.