The Mask of Ra by Paul Doherty

Author:Paul Doherty [Doherty, Paul]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780755350247
Publisher: Headline
Published: 2012-09-24T16:00:00+00:00

Isis: principal goddess of Egypt, often depicted as a young woman with the hieroglyph for a throne.

CHAPTER 9

Amerotke left Omendap and went out of the hall, down into the great courtyard before the palace. Here mercenaries milled about, dressed in their distinctive armour. The Shardana with their lean, sharp faces under horn helmets; the Dakkari in their striped headdresses, round shields slung on their backs; the Radu in long cloaks and embroidered belts, earrings and necklaces glittering in the torchlight, their dark skins covered with blue tattoos; Shiries, in caps, armed with short horn bows; Nubians black as the night in their leopardskin kilts and feathered headdresses. All these lounged in porticoes or beside the walls, weapons piled beside them. They looked surly-eyed as Amerotke pushed his way by them but he smiled politely, excusing himself. The mercenaries glimpsed the pectoral and ring of office and reluctantly stood aside.

The tension was tangible. The regular troops were under Omendap, and would march when he gave them the sign. However, these mercenaries were controlled by Rahimere and he was slyly pushing them forward, placing them closer to the palace. While the regular troops remained loyal, the guards regiments and the chariot squadrons, these auxiliaries, who fought only for profit, would not lift a finger.

Amerotke reached the gates and gazed back. If Rahimere struck, he reasoned, the palace would be overrun. The revolt would spread. The poor would swarm out of their hovels down by the quayside. And what would he do? No justice would be dispensed and the mob would certainly attack the villas and mansions outside the city. No sanctuary would be safe. Amerotke thought of friends in Memphis, or even garrison commanders further down the Nile; he must make plans.

Amerotke left the palace and entered the great concourse which stretched before it. Blazing torches, lashed to poles, drove back the darkness, enhancing the light of the full moon which hung like a silver disc in the blue-black night sky. He sensed no tension here. The midnight crowds, as usual, were more concerned with bartering and trading, taking advantage of the good weather and the rich harvest it promised. A group of white-robed priests went by, the standard of Amun-Ra borne before them. They were escorted by some of the mercenaries. Amerotke paused to let by a funeral procession. A family who had lost their household cat had, as custom dictated, shaved their eyebrows and were now taking the mummified animal in a casket down to the river Nile for transport to the cat necropolis of Bubastis. The family had hired professional mourners who sprinkled ashes on their heads and went before the funeral procession, digging up clouds of dust and throwing it over them. These wailed incessantly at their sad loss and prayed to the gods that the cat would journey to the west and eventually be reunited in paradise with its owners.

Amerotke looked about, searching for Shufoy. He was distracted by a group of slaves clustered under an olive

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