Heretic of the Nile

010

"Are the gods pleased with our progress?" King Sneferu asked, watching with solemnity as the high priest rose to his feet and brought the communing ritual to a close.

Tjethy bowed, then nodded his head. "Indeed, Your Majesty. Blessings be upon the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt, for Ptah is in high spirits. Our great Lord of Eternity, Begetter of the First Beginning, is most invigorated by what he sees. Upon its completion, the pyramid will become a shining beacon that watches over the wealth of your kingdom for many years to come."

Standing a short distance behind his father, Kha let out a soft snort. He could see the look of sheer delight on the beaming face of chief architect Baahir and it took a great deal for him to resist smacking the arrogance out of the man's bloated cheeks.

Today, on the first day of the second month of Akhet, the king's entourage was gathered in front of the entrance passageway to the half-constructed pyramid for the unveiling of the first statue of Ptah that would grace its inner chambers. The imposing stone statue towered several heads above everyone and had been carved by the most skilled craftsmen of Memphis over the course of a full year, and had been escorted to Saqqara by the High Priest of Ptah himself. Kha watched as the labourers secured the statue with rope and lifted it steadily into the air, to be transported into the pyramid itself through the gaping opening in the middle. In the background, the setting sun cast a warm, magnificent glow upon the rising image of the creator god, and it was impossible for anyone not to believe that Sneferu's reign was truly blessed by the heavens.

"You have done well, Tjethy," Senferu said, clapping the high priest on the shoulder. "I am most reassured—"

The king suddenly broke into a fierce coughing fit, much to the distress of his chief steward and all the retainers in the vicinity. The crowd descended into a flurry of activity, with people rushing to offer water, honey and well-meaning advice to their monarch.

Much ado about nothing, Kha thought to himself. One might think that a little cough could kill a man, judging by how everyone was overreacting.

"I am most reassured to hear that Ptah's favour is upon us," Sneferu continued after his ailment had settled. "Come, you have done much over the past few days. Let us feast and celebrate."

The obsequious Baahir immediately stepped forward to lead the way, not forgetting to inject several lines of empty praise for the high priest as he walked. Tjethy merely smiled and nodded civilly in response.

Both of them were equally sickening, in Kha's opinion.

He wondered why his father chose to surround himself with such blatant hypocrites. Was it for their skills and talents? Or perhaps merely for their influential family backgrounds? Politics of the royal court was something that he was certain he would never wrap his head around. His brother Nefermaat, on the other hand, took to these games like a fish to water.

As he trailed reluctantly along, Kha searched through the sea of heads to locate Mereneith, who had been intentionally keeping a low profile since Tjethy arrived. That meant that she could not stay by his side and had resorted to hiding in the kitchens and storerooms doing menial tasks like peeling onions and sorting lentils.

He would certainly see her tonight though, because tonight was the very reason the girl had begged him to bring her here. For the first time since embarking on this dull royal tour, Kha felt a rush of excitement course through his veins.

Tonight, there would be adventure and mystery. He could already feel it tingling in his bones.

"Your Highness, I am sure you will be most satisfied with what we have prepared this evening," Baahir's greasy voice dragged him back to reality. The architect had somehow floated to his side, and was sticking his face so close that he could make out the flaring pores on the man's face. "It is a pity that you will be leaving Saqqara tomorrow, else it would have been my honour to be able to show you around the vicinity. Beyond the necropolis there is actually much beauty to behold, and the women in the nearby villages"—he nudged Kha at the arm and gave him a knowing wink—"are such nubile creatures. I've arranged for some of them to dance at tonight's feast. If you're interested..."