Child of the Morning by Pauline Gedge

Author:Pauline Gedge
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Chicago Review Press
Published: 2012-06-27T04:00:00+00:00

15

Seven days later, in the precious cool hours of early morning, the host of Egypt made rank on the desert, a mile south of Thebes. They were two days late because Djehuty and his men had become lost while trying to take a shortcut through the hills. In those two days Hatshepsut had fretted angrily. Aahmes pen-Nekheb, ever matter-of-fact, told her that in any case they would be too late to engage the Nubians before they reached the second garrison and two days would make little difference, but she stormed and paced anyway, in a fever of impatience to be gone.

Thothmes had spent the time with his mother, who had filled his ears with advice. In the end he had gone to Hatshepsut’s palace, but she had sent him away peremptorily, with short words. He had spent his last night in Thebes alone on his royal couch, looking darkly into his future.

In the morning he stood on the reviewing stand that had been set up, together with Hatshepsut, pen-Nekheb, Hapuseneb, and Nehesi. It was a fine morning, the breeze lifting the standards and fluttering the flags, the sun glinting on the ranks of spears and shouldered axes like a thousand sparks flickering on tinder. The stiff lines of infantry waited, eyes front, motionless. Far to the rear stood their tents, white cones clustered like little toy pyramids. On each side of the four thousand men stood the chariots, small and light, copper-plated, their big, spoked wheels gleaming dully. The horses waited also, tossing their brown heads, their plumes, white, yellow, and red, blowing gaily. Hatshepsut looked out over it all, the power and focal point, the stay of Egypt.

Before her stood the Division of Horus, their Standard-Bearer wearing the hooked beak and cruel eyes of the God. The generals, in full battle dress, had lined up at the foot of the dais. The Shock Troops were nearest to her, hard men with hard eyes, those who died first and who left the field last. Their officers stood among them, bows slung over their shoulders and spears butt down in the sand. The Prince of the Division of Horus was Hapuseneb. He had chosen to march with them instead of riding up front with Pharaoh. He waited also, his cold eyes never wavering from the woman on the dais. Thothmes had donned the Double Crown, but it was to Hatshepsut the men looked. She was wearing the dress of a commander, a short white kilt, a short leather helmet that hid her hair and touched her shoulders, and white leather gauntlets to shield her hands from the rub of bow and rein alike. She also wore white leather boots, and under the gloves her wrists held the thick silver bands of Commander of the Braves of the King. Only on her helmet did she bow to her true station. A little silver Cobra rose from her forehead, and even the men far back could see the sunlight catch it. Her eyes

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.