Qa'a (The First Dynasty Book 3) Page 11

  “They are so boring and self-important, are they not?” With that, Qa’a urged Nomti to fill his mug with beer and join him.

  “So, tell me what business you are in.”

  “I am a trader, Master, a dabbler in goods that can be acquired cheaply and sold to members of your family and other wealthy people who will sanctify the baubles as exotic luxuries, so that they and their friends are willing to pay exorbitant prices.”

  Again Qa’a looked at the man to see if he was serious, before he burst out laughing. I saw Khenemet and Buikkhu trying to follow their conversation.

  “Lately I have been trading in ivory, exotic jewelry, and ebony. This is my third trip to Pwenet.”

  “And these trips have been profitable?”

  “Oh, yes, or I would not tolerate the miserable conditions needed to get here. I give the ebony wood to furniture makers I hire and they turn it into elegant pieces for my wealthy customers. I hire carvers for the ivory. The jewelry I sell directly, or else just give it away to my most valuable customers, such as you, my King.”

  “Me? I do not believe I have purchased anything from you.”

  “Oh, you have, Master, but indirectly. The ebony box that Khenemet gave you for your coronation was from my workshop, as are the carved ivory combs in your mother’s hair. You look at me questioningly, yet those are but two of many other items in your palace that came from my business.”

  Qa’a sat back in his chair, staring at Nomti. “Hmmm, you are a shrewd businessman, Nomti.”

  “Perhaps yes and perhaps not, Master, but it may not matter much after this trip. I may give up this trading route and instead head northeast into Lebanon or even further.”

  “But why? You will certainly not find exotic goods such as these that the Royals covet over there.”

  “That is true, but then again the trips will be far easier.” Nomti hesitated for a moment, looking into his beer mug. “May I speak what is in my heart, dear King?”

  Qa’a looked uneasily at Nomti. Khenemet was already approaching, but the King waved him away. “Yes, of course you may speak about anything you like.”

  “Here it is then. The trip across the Eastern Desert has got to be the worst possible trade route. Traveling along Wat Hor to Lebanon, even during the furnace of Shomu, is easy compared to it. That is the only reason my business thrives, because few others would dare to do it regularly. I am young and tolerate it, but not much longer.”

  “Perhaps, but on the other hand the variety of goods and the profit you extract from them makes it worthwhile. Is that not right?”

  “I am not sure I agree with you, Master, for if I must say so I do love making deals and I am confident I could do so in other lands with other goods. But I have been thinking of a solution that would make the trip here far easier. In fact, I believe we could increase trade ten-fold with Pwenet if you were to implement it.” Nomti took a long swig of his beer and placed it on the table. “However, I worn you, the solution is quite… well, some might call it crazy.”

  Qa’a thought for a moment, sizing up Nomti’s ba as well as he could. “Well, must the brother of Horus beg you to reveal your plan to me?”

  Nomti laughed, turned his chair toward Qa’a and downed the rest of his beer. “All right, here it is. Simply build a boat canal from Mother Nile to the Red Sea. Gebtu would be a good starting place since it lies closest to the Red Sea.” With that, Nomti sat proudly back in his chair.

  Qa’a sat silently for a moment, before breaking out laughing. “Build a canal! Build a canal, you say. No, you said ‘simply build a canal.’ Ha! I am getting wise to your humor, Nomti!” He leaned forward and slapped Nomti on the back.

  Nomti smiled awkwardly. Qa’a’s laugh slowed and soon he sat and stared at Nomti. “You are joking, right?”

  “I am not an architect, nor am I an engineer for your public works. I am a simple businessman, Master, trained by my father. But think on this for just a moment. Right now we must disembark from Mother Nile, unload all cargo, break apart our ships, caravan a hot, miserable, viper-infested desert, reassemble the boats, and reload them before we set sail. What if we did not have to disembark at all? What if a steady stream of boats could be going to and from Pwenet?”

  “By Horus holy name, you are serious! You actually believe this could be done!”

  At this, Nomti let out another laugh. “Oh, no, dear King. I have no idea whether this could be done or not. I’m just a young, foolish businessman. I just think what if and then imagine all the good that would come from it. But I do not know what such a venture would cost your treasury, nor do I know if it is possible to engineer it, or how long it would take. Only you and your advisors could determine that.”

  “Well, it was an interesting thought, anyway,” Qa’a said dismissively. He waved for Khenemet to join them. “I have enjoyed meeting you, businessman Nomti. I suspect we will be doing more business in the future.”

  Nomti stood and bowed again to Qa’a, before leaving.

  “It certainly seems like you two were having a good time,” Khenemet offered in his usual dour tone. “What was so interesting?”

  “Nothing. Just some foolish talk from a businessman who wishes to sell us more trinkets. Tell me how you feel our trade mission is going.”

  By the end of the ten-day, all trading had been done and all goods we brought with us bartered away. The soldiers, sailors and merchants worked together in the heat and humidity to load the Pwenetian goods onto our ships. With our business concluded and our trading partnership mortared, the two Kings bid each other goodbye and we set sail for our homeland. By now we had been away for three moon cycles and with our sails full and our boats laden, we turned our thoughts to home.

  SCROLL NINE

  Before A Crocodile Strikes

  Merkha

  The return sail was uneventful and we spent our days in conversation. Khenemet and Buikkhu often had scrolls spread before them, planning projects. They would then board the King’s boat and give him their counsel. I also noted they had scrolls from the treasury and spent much of their time explaining to Qa’a the concerns of businessmen, priests and rekhi, how the treasury worked, the need for new laws, and the status of our relations with the nations that surrounded us. At times their conversations were quite animated.

  On a day during which I accompanied Khenemet and Buikkhu on Qa’a’s boat, I was asked to sit in on many of the discussions so a record would be kept of the decisions that needed to be made. The two priests had provided Qa’a with details about how trade had grown between Kem and her neighbors.

  “There is one more issue today that I feel needs to be discussed,” Khenemet said. He turned to Buikkhu. “Go ahead.”

  “Since Unification, as you know from your lessons with Merkha,” Buikkhu said, acknowledging me, “there have been periodic uprisings in the Delta. Since Meryt-Neith’s reign, quiet has more or less prevailed. New roads and new temples and administrative offices have helped both Lands improve business. Even the rekhi have benefitted by having ready jobs. They no longer fear famine due to the granaries that the Kings before you have built and stocked.”

  “Yes, and the temples now receive money from my Treasury for social needs, right?”

  “Yes. That helps in times of family crisis.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as for the family of a soldier who has died in battle or a …”

  “But we already have a separate fund for that purpose, do we not?” Qa’a asked.

  “Yes, excuse me, Master, I was in error. But let’s say a man, well, we had a case recently where a fisherman was killed by a hippopotamus. A Temple of Isis gave the family some money to survive until the poor man’s brother was able to take her and her children in to live with them. It is a fund for those types of emergencies.” Qa’a nodded in approval.

  “However, even with these programs we have noticed lately that unrest seems to be surfacing once again in the Delta.”

  Qa’a’s wrinkled bro
w mirrored his concern. He leaned forward. “To what do you attribute this? I mean, not too long ago I was in a battle to save them from Ta-Tjehenu raids. We do as much for the Delta as we do for Upper Kem.”

  “There are many factors at work, Qa’a,” Khenemet added. “Yes, the Apep priesthood is mostly subdued. Some still practice it, but their fervor appears to be gone. I’ve said this before that Kem suffers from its success. We are blessed far beyond other lands. But in some ways, due to those blessings, our people have grown soft, and I speak not only of the wealthy families.

  “This has given an opening for many different gods, in some cases gods from foreign lands, to gain sanctuary here in Kem. The Delta is the center of this, since they are closer to the lands to our east, like Lebanon and Babylon. These gods do not demand much of their adherents, only their gold and silver. Delta businessmen and women support them with large donations.”

  “How does that lead to unrest?”

  “The people have become lazy,” Buikkhu continued. “They are easily led, or perhaps misled. They are subject to the desires of those who wish to gain more power for the Delta.”

  “But I’ve heard nothing about unrest there.”

  “Your father sheltered you from these matters. We have been planning to brief you in more detail once you were settled in your role. Our priests are hearing reports of alliances that are being formed by some of the more powerful Delta families.”

  “Alliances?” Qa’a asked. “What kind of alliances?”

  “For now business alliances, groups of tradesmen, wealthy investors in goods from foreign lands. But we suspect…”

  “We suspect more lies beneath the surface, Qa’a,” Khenemet interjected. “Before a crocodile strikes all you see are its eyes. So, yes, the Delta is quiet at the moment, but as is always true with them, the pot simmers and simmers until at some point it boils over.”

  “Was my father aware of these rumblings? Did he take action?”

  “He was busy with other matters,” Khenemet offered. “In most things he favored strong action, but the Delta was never his priority, since matters appeared to be quiet there; too quiet in our estimation.””

  “And your recommendations?” Qa’a asked, looking at all three of us.

  “I cannot urge you strongly enough that we feel you must demonstrate your bull power,” Khenemet suggested.

  “The treasury is strong. We can afford to send in more soldiers, as well as tax collectors,” Buikkhu added.

  “And you, dear teacher, what is your recommendation?”

  “I… I have not been privileged to the knowledge of my superiors.” I felt Khenemet’s hard gaze upon my cheeks. “But, if you are asking about lessons from past Kings in your divine lineage, that is a different matter.”

  “Yes, I am asking you for that, then.”

  I hesitated before continuing, so I could collect my thoughts. “Well, of course we all know of the force that King Narmer, may his name be blessed, brought to bear on King W’ash in order to unite Upper and Lower Kem. It proved that degree of force was necessary, because even his father, the great warrior King Scorpion, was unable to unite the Two Lands. But once King Narmer achieved Unification, he sought to gain their favor.

  “But I think the better example would be King Meryt-Neith, whose divine kingship teaches us much, despite her being a woman. She tried to weave the Delta and Upper Kem into one fabric, but peaceful means eluded her due to the treachery of Nubiti and the secretive Delta leadership and the corrupt Apep priesthood. It was not until she instructed her Chief of the Army to crush the rebellion that peace came to be, and it has reigned for this long. Well, more or less.”

  Qa’a sat for a long time, his chin on his hands, thinking. Finally, he stood. “I believe you are correct. A King must be strong; merciless in battle and gracious in victory. I will do as you suggest. Buikkhu, draw up a detailed plan for how this should progress and we will begin once we are back in Inabu-hedj. Be certain to include General Nebibi in every step of the planning. He must make all final decisions regarding the army.”

  As we all got up to leave the boat, Qa’a turned to us. “Oh, since you are all here, there is one more thing I wish to discuss.” We looked at each other and sat back down. Qa’a walked back to his chair.

  “I was given a suggestion, a rather strange and unlikely one, for a public works project and I wish to get your opinions on it. To stimulate trade with Pwenet, it was suggested that we consider building a… a canal from Gebtu to the Red Sea.”

  Khenemet’s brow was so furrowed, he looked like the water was blinding him. Buikkhu looked as if Qa’a had slapped him. I was not as surprised, for I had heard snippets of his conversation with Nomti.

  “What kind of nonsense is this?” Khenemet shot back. “Who would put such a crazy idea in your head? This is… what? Insanity!” he said, throwing up his hands.

  “I am sure it was Nomti,” Buikkhu added dourly. “He is an idiot, a spoiled one at that.”

  “And why do you refer to him in that way?” Qa’a calmly asked Buikkhu.

  “He was taught business by his father, who spoiled him, as Khenemet and I witnessed many times. He has never known deprivation or discipline and so is free to concoct crazy schemes like… like carving a canal in the hot sands of the desert!” At this, Buikkhu and Khenemet began to laugh.

  “His point was that if we could do it, and he did not imply that he knew anything at all about the challenges of doing so, it would boost trade with Pwenet.”

  “Well, of course it would,” Khenemet said, still laughing. “But it would be far easier if you would just convince your brother Horus to fly goods from here to there!” Even Qa’a smiled at Khenemet’s humor.

  “Like I said, Master,” Buikkhu went on, “Nomti is plagued with the curse of wealth. He has little else to occupy his time but dream up crazy schemes. Does he even stop for one moment to think about how absurd it would be to dig a canal tens of thousands of cubits long and enough cubits wide to accommodate two boats passing each other? We would need to draft every worker in Kem during Akhet, when Mother Nile’s floods render them idyll, and do that every year for your entire life to accomplish this, if it were even possible. No, I think we have many more important things to consider during your reign.”

  “I agree,” Khenemet said, waving his hand dismissively.

  “This is good,” Qa’a finally said, again standing to end the conversation. “I wanted to hear your opinions on this.” With that, our meeting was over.

  By now we had been gone for the rest of Shomu. None of us missed the searing heat and humidity, nor the plagues, of the hottest season of the year. We landed on our home shores just a ten-day short of Heriu-Renpet, the most revered holiday of the year, just before the New Year, a time when mut spirits roam throughout the land. No work was to be done during these five holy days. People prayed fervently, sought forgiveness for their transgressions and gave gifts according to a family’s ability to temples throughout the land.

  After conferring with Qa’a, it was decided that rather than returning directly to Inabu-hedj, we would row upstream the short distance from Gebtu to Nekhen to celebrate Heriu-Renpet and Wepet-Renpet, the start of the new year, when the bright body of Sothis appeared in the heavens after being absent for seventy days. Boisterous celebrations took place then throughout Kem. We all believed this stop at Nekhen was fortuitous, for the Temple of Horus at Nekhen was the holiest in the land. Khenemet mentioned that if Qa’a was going to strengthen his rule, it was good to begin from the birthplace of King Narmer, the god-King of the Two Lands. The trouble-makers in the Delta would be sure to understand the symbolism. Messengers were sent ahead to Nekhen to give time for the priests, priestesses, Governor of the nome, and town officials to prepare for their King’s arrival.

  So it was that the entire exhausted trade mission spent Heriu-Renpet in tents on a hill overlooking the town. Each day the King was carried from his large and decorated tent to the temple, where he offered
prayers to Horus and left gifts of myrrh incense brought from Pwenet, as well as animal skins and ingots of gold. Although I was used to Heriu-Renpet spent in the birthplace of King Narmer, Qa’a had never before experienced it and I could see that it had a good affect on his ba.