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his guilt and is hounding him mercilessly. If Romay talks,
the trail will lead back to you. And practicing black magic
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 157
is a capital offense, especially casting spells on the royal
person.
Ofir s slight smile never wavered. Let s go into my lab-
oratory.
The cavernous room was full of scrolls, bits of carved
ivory, goblets full of colored substances and cords. Order
prevailed, and there was a pleasant smell of incense. It felt
more like a craftsman s studio or a scribe s office than a sor-
cerer s den.
Ofir stretched his hands out above a copper mirror on a
three-legged stand. He poured water over the surface and
beckoned Shaanar closer.
Slowly, a face appeared in the mirror.
Romay! exclaimed Shaanar.
Romay the steward is a good man, but weak, greedy,
and easily influenced. It took no special magic to work a
spell on him. The theft he committed in spite of himself is
eating away at him like acid.
If Ramses questions him, Romay will talk.
No, Your Highness.
Ofir s left hand traced a broad circle above the mirror.
The water bubbled and a deep crack appeared in the
copper.
Shaanar backed away in astonishment.
Will that be enough to silence him?
Consider the problem solved. I doubt that there s any
call for me to leave Memphis. This house is in your sister s
name, is it not?
Yes.
Everyone sees her come and go. Lita and I are her
devoted servants and prefer to stay close to home. Until
we ve broken through the royal defenses, neither the girl nor
I will leave this place.
158 Christian Jacq
And your congregation?
Your sister serves as my liaison. For the time being,
they re staying underground, awaiting a sign from Aton.
Shaanar departed, somewhat reassured. He had no use
for religious fanatics and wished he could see Romay elim-
inated with his own eyes. He could only hope this mumbo
jumbo worked.
Still, it was better to err on the side of caution.
The Nile was a marvelous river. Thanks to the strong
current, Shaanar covered the distance between Memphis
and Pi-Ramses in less than two days.
The king s older brother stopped at his office and called
a quick meeting of his key staffers in which he was briefed
on dispatches from abroad and reports from diplomats sta-
tioned in the protectorates. Then a litter took him to the
palace as rain clouds gathered.
Pi-Ramses was a fine city, though without Memphis s
patina and old-fashioned charm. When he took the throne,
Shaanar would strip it of its status as capital, especially
since it was Ramses creation. For now, a cheerful bustle
filled the streets, as if peace were eternal, as if the vast
Hittite empire had disappeared into a bottomless pit.
Shaanar momentarily acknowledged the attraction of this
simple existence, in tune with the rhythm of the seasons.
Perhaps he, like the entire population of Egypt, should let
go and accept Ramses as his ruler.
But Shaanar was not a follower.
He had the makings of a king who would go down in
history, a monarch with a vision far broader than that of
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 159
Ramses and his Hittite counterpart. His brainchild would
be a new world, with him as its master.
Pharaoh did not keep his brother waiting. Ramses had
just been conferring with Ahmeni, whose face had been lov-
ingly washed by Watcher. The king s private secretary and
the prince nodded coldly at each other. The yellow dog lay
down in a patch of sunlight.
Good trip, Shaanar?
Excellent. If you don t mind my saying so, I m awfully
fond of Memphis.
Who could blame you? It s a special place, and Pi-
Ramses will never be its equal. If the Hittite threat hadn t
reached such proportions, I wouldn t have needed to create
a new capital.
The Memphis government remains a model of profes-
sionalism.
The civil service is efficiently run here as well. Isn t your
State Department a case in point?
I spare no effort, believe me. But there have been no dis-
turbing messages, either official or officious. The Hittites
are silent.
What are our diplomats saying off the record?
That the enemy was stunned by your rapid strike. They
had no idea the Egyptian army was so powerful and deci-
sive.
Hmm.
Why doubt it? If the Hittites were so sure of their over-
whelming superiority, they should have responded by now.
I can t believe they plan to stay within the boundaries
Seti established.
Are you becoming a pessimist, Your Majesty?
The territorial imperative is the only thing the Hittites
understand.
160 Christian Jacq
But wouldn t Egypt be a bit much to handle, even for
them?
I doubt they think so. Hatti lives to fight.
Then we ll have to fight fire with fire.
Are you suggesting intensive rearmament, Shaanar, and
an increase in troop size?
What better solution?
The patch of sunlight had vanished. Watcher jumped
onto his master s knees.
That would be tantamount to a dare, worried Ramses.
There s only one language these people understand: the
language of force. That s what you really think, too, if I m
not mistaken.
I also want to consolidate our defenses in the north.
Make our protectorates a buffer zone, I know . . . a tall
order for your friend Ahsha, ambitious as he is.
Am I expecting too much of him?
Ahsha is young. You ve just decorated him and made
him one of the most important figures in your administra-
tion. Such a rapid rise may go to his head. No one denies
his talent, but shouldn t you be cautious?
The generals did feel passed over, I realize. But Ahsha
is the man for the job.
There s one minor detail I think I should mention. You
know how the palace servants gossip. Most of it is just
rumors, but once in a while I hear something of interest.
Now, my steward is on very close terms with one of the
queen s chambermaids, and he tells me this girl saw Romay
leave the palace with that shawl of Nefertari s.
Will she testify against him?
She s terrified of Romay, afraid of the repercussions if
she accuses him.
But this is Egypt. The goddess of justice rules.
Ramses: The battle of kadesh 161
Perhaps you should try to make Romay confess first.
Then the girl will corroborate his story.
Shaanar was taking chances, and he knew it. Criticizing
Ahsha was dangerous; reporting Romay might lead Ramses
too close to the truth. On the other hand, Shaanar was
gaining credibility with the Pharaoh.
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