House of Scorpion Read online

  “Oh?”

  “Nubt’s most powerful elite is a man named Pentu. When our prior king died, Pentu supported my father as king. In return, Father pledged me to his son, Baki. I was only five years old. Father pledged my half-brother, Hetshet, to Pentu’s daughter, Nofret.”

  “The brother who just died?” Iry asked sympathetically.

  Was murdered. “I suppose Father and Pentu will arrange for Nofret to marry Sabu now. Probably already have. Truth be told, Father hates that he’s beholden to Pentu for his throne, but he’s afraid to stand up to him. Which is a good thing. Pentu makes every decision that matters in Nubt, not Father. I think Father actually hates his situation because he wishes he was like Pentu, instead of weak and shortsighted.” My words suddenly washed back over me. Why had I told Iry so much? Especially things damning to Father? I’d just freely given Iry information that Scorpion could use against Nubt. My frustration with Father and my anger at Sabu were making me incautious.

  “Do you love Baki?” Iry asked.

  “Of course not. But what does it matter? I can’t escape him.”

  “The fate of most king’s daughters. Speaking of which, what do you think about Heket?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “No reason in particular.”

  Iry suddenly looked uncomfortable. I’d seen him sneaking peeks at Heket during our tour too. I’d attributed it at the time to her beauty – I was nowhere near as pretty as her. Then it hit me – king’s sons were used to cement alliances the same as kings’ daughters. I’d figured out that Scorpion might intend for Iry to rule Nekhen. Heket was the daughter of Nekhen’s about-to-be king. What better way to seal an alliance between Tjeni and Nekhen than a marriage between Iry and Heket. I might be wrong – but I might be right. And if I was Nubt would be surrounded by enemies.

  “From what I’ve observed, Heket’s arrogant and pompous and has an inflated sense of her own worth. She was born to run a king’s per’aa and boss around servants. And spend hours every day making herself look beautiful.”

  “I take it you don’t like her.”

  I needed Iry to be thinking about me if I was going to continue dragging information out of him, not Heket. Time to flirt more aggressively. “Does it matter? It’s not like I have to spend the rest of my life around her.” Let that sink in. “I doubt she’ll care who she’s forced to marry. She’ll be happy spending her life raising babies and presiding over banquets, just as long as her husband’s a king.”

  “Which yours won’t be.”

  “Frankly, I’ve been trying to take advantage of what little freedom I can steal before I’m sentenced to Baki.”

  “Like being alone at Nekhen with a total stranger?”

  What an opening… “We don’t have to remain strangers, Iry,” I purred.

  His face flushed.

  Good. I hadn’t lost my touch.

  We entered a cleft, this one reaching farther into the cliff face than the dozens we’d investigated so far. Countless wasters – sherds of misfired pottery – crunched under our feet as we moved into its depths. Some of those sherds were ancient based on their style – black-topped, or decorated with white or buff or dark red images. I looked up. On a flat rock face above a smoke-blackened section of cliff was the etching we were seeking – two boats, one with four people on deck, the other with two, both headed towards a star.

  “A thousand are her souls,” I whispered. My milk mother had taught me the ancient saying, explaining that each star in the night sky was a dead person’s soul. To this day I wondered which one belonged to my real mother.

  “The stories are true,” Iry said reverently, craning his neck and studying the etching. “Someone did add Abar on the boat created by Sety’s ancestor Amenia. The original body represents her grandmother, Ipu.”

  “And so Abar will live forever.” I gazed at the etching for a long time. I thought about Hetshet, his body lost in the river, probably eaten by crocodiles, his spirit with no place to return. “I wish I was as bold and brave as Abar,” I said fervently. “I wish I wasn’t afraid to risk my life to protect those I love and strike a blow against injustice.”

  “You seem strong and resolute to me, Matia.”

  Kind words from Iry, but he didn’t know me. I’d witnessed injustice of the worst kind – Hetshet’s murder by Sabu – and I’d remained silent and let him get away with it. I vowed that when I returned to Nubt I’d etch Hetshet’s image on a rock face in the desert west of the settlement, just as someone had done for Abar. That, at least, I could do for him. Even though by now it was probably too late to do him any good.

  Suddenly I heard Sabu’s raised voice just outside the entrance to the cleft.

  “Tell me, Antef – is your father concerned about King Scorpion?”

  My heart fell. Sabu was obviously doing what he’d promised Hetshet – forming an alliance against Scorpion. Behind Father’s back. Within hearing of one of Scorpion’s sons. What an idiot! Iry would tell Scorpion. Scorpion would attack Nubt. That’d be the end of us. At least Sabu would never sit Nubt’s throne, a measure of justice for killing Hetshet. But visions of my life as a prize of war flashed before my eyes. Very unpleasant visions. Sabu was a careless reckless fool and it was up to me to stop him before he said something truly incriminating. I had to protect Nubt. The same way Abar had protected Amenia’s family hundreds of years ago, without regard for her life. I started to rush from hiding to interrupt the discussion.

  Iry grabbed my arm.

  Too late!

  “Antef? Heir of Pe and Dep?” Iry whispered.

  “And my brother, Sabu,” I whispered back, instantly miserable. All I could do now was let the discussion play out. And then deal with the consequences. Dire consequences.

  “No,” Antef replied. “Should he be?”

  “There’s no one in the valley more dangerous,” Sabu replied. “To every king.”

  “Including your father?”

  “My father’s too blind to see the clear threat Scorpion poses – even with Scorpion lurking in plain sight on our border.”

  “Nubt’s, maybe. But not Pe and Dep’s.”

  “Not now. But once Scorpion conquers Nubt who do you think will be next?”

  “Why would Scorpion want to conquer Nubt?”

  “To seize our gold mines and trade routes.”

  “Tjeni’s already the wealthiest settlement in the valley.”

  “Scorpion won’t rest until he has what’s ours. And yours.”

  “Why are you telling me this, Sabu?”

  “Frankly, Antef, a few low inundations in a row would exhaust Nubt’s grain reserves. We’d be forced to turn to Scorpion to feed our people. He’d demand our fealty in return. Nubt would collapse with a whimper. It’d be the end of Nubt’s independence.”

  I was appalled. Sabu had just revealed to Iry Nubt’s main vulnerability.

  “Doesn’t your father care, Sabu?”

  “He’s old. He’s comfortable with prosperity.”

  “Is it true your brother died recently? You’re heir to Nubt’s throne now?”

  “I am,” Sabu replied. “The circumstances were unfortunate. A hunting accident. An encounter with a crocodile. Perhaps it was the will of the gods that my brother died. Now I’m positioned to save Nubt.”

  If Iry didn’t still have hold of my arm I’d have confronted Sabu. I wanted to strangle him. Sabu had made himself Father’s heir, not the gods. I’d often wondered the past weeks why they hadn’t struck Sabu dead for what he’d done.

  “My brother Hetshet was as cautious and contented as my father, Antef. It’s up to me – and you – to recognize the threat Scorpion poses – we’ll rule after our fathers are dead. We’ll have to deal with Scorpion. Better right now, before he’s too strong for us to defeat.”

  “How can Pe and Dep possibly help Nubt?” Antef asked, caution in his voice. “Our twin settlements are located on the seacoast, hundreds of miles from here.”

  “Simple. S
eize the foot of the delta and block trade on the river. How long do you think Scorpion would last as king if he couldn’t supply his elites with luxuries?”

  “He’d come after us if we tried.”

  “And take three weeks to reach you once he found out. The moment his army departed Tjeni, mine would move in and take control of his entire region. He’d be trapped between us, without a base or food enough to feed his army. He’d have to surrender to us.”

  “If I was to ally myself with you, Sabu – what’s in it for me?” Antef’s voice indicated interest.

  Iry’s grip tightened on my arm, unconsciously.

  I grimaced, gave a muted cry.

  He released me, sheepish. “So sorry,” he whispered.

  I rubbed my arm.

  “I’ll sit the combined thrones of Tjeni and Nubt after we dispose of Scorpion. The delta will be yours, Antef. We’ll trade freely with each other. The two of us will become exceedingly wealthy.”

  “What about Nekhen?”

  “A trivial matter. Easy enough to bring Khab to his knees once the two of us control the entire river. Just think, Antef. You ruling the North, me the South.”

  “Your proposal’s intriguing, Sabu. But how can I be sure you’ll follow through?”

  “We’ll bind ourselves together, Antef. Marriages. Take my sister Nebetah for your wife. Give me your sister Satiah.”

  Interesting. The day Sabu murdered Hetshet he’d planned to give me to Antef and Nebetah to Baki. What had changed in the past few weeks? Not that I minded. But I was sure Baki would.

  “I’d rather have Matia,” Antef said.

  I cringed.

  “Really? I’m surprised, Antef. Nebetah’s gorgeous. I think Matia’s exceedingly plain.”

  “I have my pick of beautiful women in Pe and Dep, Sabu. Being married to Matia won’t change that. But she seems fiercer than Nebetah. Something about her eyes, the way she carries herself. She’s practically begging to be tamed.”

  Begging? As if you could, you conceited fool.

  “Consider her yours, Antef.”

  Bartered away. Again. First by Father, now Sabu. For the second time. My face was burning with embarrassment. Treated like a cow or goat in Iry’s hearing. Though he’d probably barter his sisters away without a second thought too to make himself king. A woman’s worth was measured by what a man could gain in return for her, nothing more.

  “Assuming I can convince my father to support you, Sabu, he’ll demand Nebetah for himself,” Antef said.

  “Agreed. What’s another sister, more or less?” Sabu said cavalierly.

  I wondered how Baki was going to react once he learned of this arrangement, since Sabu had promised him Nebetah in return for covering up Hetshet’s murder. Would Baki be angry enough to come forward and name Sabu a murderer? If he did, Father would have no choice but to execute Sabu. Then he’d have no male heir, just two daughters with royal blood. Father had promised me to Baki, and so we’d be married as soon as Sabu was dead. After Father died Pentu would no doubt put Baki on the throne; elites would support him since Baki’s and my future son would be Father’s blood descendant. Sabu clearly wasn’t bright enough to think through the consequences of what he’d just proposed to Antef. Sabu never thought anything through.

  “Tjeni has more men of fighting age than Nubt, Sabu. Doesn’t that worry you?” Antef asked.

  “Not that many more. Plus, I can buy plenty of mercenaries with my gold, Antef. And there are more allies to be had in the valley. Many rulers fear Scorpion.”

  “Assuming I agree to your proposal, what would be our next step, Sabu?”

  “Do you? Agree?”

  “I suppose I do.”

  Iry clenched his fists.

  “Excellent! Feel out your father, Antef. Arrange a meeting between us while we’re at Nekhen. I’ll speak with other rulers who’ve come for the coronation. With luck, a year from now we’ll both be kings and rule the valley between us.”

  “May the gods be with us,” Antef said.

  They walked away together, presumably headed back to Nekhen.

  I released an angry exasperated breath.

  “I have to tell Father everything I overheard, Matia,” Iry said apologetically once we were again alone. “I’m duty bound.”

  “I know, Iry. I have to tell my father too.” Because of Sabu’s carelessness and foolishness, Scorpion would certainly launch a preemptive attack on Nubt to head Sabu off before he got his alliance off the ground. I couldn’t stand idly by and let that happen. It’d mean the end of Nubt. Somehow, I had to convince Iry to convince Scorpion to stay his hand, at least for now. I had to buy some time so I could try to turn this impending disaster around. Unfortunately, the only tool at my disposal to convince Iry with was myself. Most men considered me alluring and irresistible, or so enough had told me. If being alluring and irresistible to Iry was what I had to do to gain Nubt some breathing room, I’d do it. I put both hands on Iry’s chest, tilted my face to his, probed his eyes with mine. “As long as Father holds his throne he’ll never agree to Sabu’s alliance or attack Tjeni,” I said with assurance.

  Iry seemed surprised I was being so familiar. He reddened slightly.

  Good. I hadn’t misjudged my effect on him. “Father’s a man of peace, not war.”

  “Unlike your brother.”

  “Yes. Unfortunately, Sabu’s crazy enough to provoke King Scorpion behind Father’s back.” I moved even closer to Iry. Now our chests were touching. “I’m not sure I should have told you that. But somehow, Iry, I feel I can trust you.”

  His breathing grew more rapid. “You can, Matia.”

  “Sabu’s dangerous because he’s impulsive and stupid. What good would an alliance between Nubt and Pe and Dep really be, Iry? King Scorpion could gobble up Nubt before Antef even knew he’d launched an attack and could come to Nubt’s aid.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I love Nubt, Iry, as I’m sure you love Tjeni.” I let my hands creep to his shoulders. “There must be a way for you and me to head Sabu’s alliance off before he starts a war.”

  “I hope there is,” Iry said.

  Hope? I was disappointed in Iry. Hoping wasn’t going to accomplish anything. I didn’t need hope. I needed action. The way to stop Sabu was simple and quite obvious to me. But apparently not to Iry. Should I tell him? If I did, would he feel stupid he hadn’t figured it out himself, that he’d been shown up by a girl? Would that make Iry reject my solution out of hand? I couldn’t tell him. I had to prompt him to propose the solution and prompt him subtly enough that he’d believe it was his idea. Time to turn on my charm. I linked my fingers together behind his neck.

  Iry placed his right hand on my waist, tentatively, as if he feared I’d push him away. When I didn’t he reddened more. Clearly, he wasn’t used to assertive women. Advantage to me. Because I was going to have to assert my will on Iry to defeat Sabu.

  “I know we’re strangers, Iry,” I said huskily, gazing deep into his eyes. “I know it’s bold of me to admit this so soon after meeting, but I’m extremely attracted to you.”

  I could feel his heart beating faster.

  “I’ve never felt like this before, Iry.”

  “I haven’t either, Matia.”

  “Just think, Iry – if our fathers were friends instead of rivals perhaps we’d get the chance to spend time with each other.”

  “I’d like that very much, Matia. I wish they were.” Iry pondered a moment, then suddenly brightened. “That’s it!” he exclaimed. “A way to stop your brother!”

  “What! How? Really?”

  “What if our fathers weren’t rivals, Matia? And what if they were more than friends? What if they were allies?”

  “Allies?” Thank the gods. He’d figured it out. Iry was at least moderately intelligent. “What a fantastic idea, Iry! We could see each other whenever we wanted.”

  “Plus, we’d stop your brother’s alliance dead in its tracks!”

 
“Marvelous, Iry! That’d solve everything.”

  Iry basked in my praise.

  Time to ensure his advocacy for peace. “Maybe we could do more than just see each other,” I said hopefully. “Aren’t royal alliances always sealed with marriages? Like Sabu and Antef just arranged?”

  I could tell from his face that Iry had drawn the conclusion I wanted. He believed I’d just suggested that he and I be married. I’d just raised his personal stake in stopping Sabu’s alliance. Now the alliance he’d proposed was about him and me, not Tjeni and Nubt. He’d fight for it without a doubt.

  “I’ll suggest an alliance to Father this very day, Matia. I’ll tell him what you said about your father being a man of peace. I’ll convince him not to do anything rash because of your brother.”

  “Thank you, Iry,” I breathed gratefully, and I meant it. “My people’s lives are in your hands. My life’s in your hands.” I rose on tiptoe and gently kissed him.

  He responded.

  Our kiss wasn’t at all distasteful, even though I was merely acting. Iry was a decent man. Nothing at all like Baki or Sabu or their ilk. Under different circumstances I might not have had to act. After a moment I stepped away. Better to keep him wanting more. “I’ve never done that before, Iry – kiss a man I’ve just met,” I said truthfully.

  “Neither have I. A girl, I mean,” Iry stammered.

  I stifled a smile.

  We walked the mile back to the settlement down the wadi path side by side. The sun was setting behind us and the long slope was now touched with gold, the distant river reflecting the changing colors. I kept hold of Iry’s hand the whole way.

  About halfway to the oval court Iry stopped and turned to face me. “Remember what Antef said? That he wants you, not Nebetah?”