inquisitive and suspicious mind.’
‘It is getting worse.’
‘So, why are you asking me these questions, and why should I answer them?’
‘I am asking them to satisfy myself, and because doing nothing bores me. It may be that my help will be called for. If not, I will do nothing with the information you give me. It will be as if this conversation had never taken place.’
‘You are diplomatic.’ She embraced him with her eyes, pleased, and as she poured them both more wine, rewarded him with a view of her leg. Fine golden hairs, which but for the sunlight on them would have been invisible, shone against the soft brown skin of her thigh. What had happened to the old Taheb?
‘Ipuky is a civil servant. I am too young to remember but I think he began his career as a supervisor in the turquoise mines of the Northern Desert, towards the end of the reign of Nebmare Amenophis. I know that he was one of the ones who resented the rise of the military. He kept petitioning Amenophis to restrict the granting of golden battle honours — not that the battles were anything more than skirmishes then.’
‘Do you know what happened to him during the reign of the Great Criminal?’ Huy was grimly amused at how easily he could deny his former master’s name.
‘You don’t have to obey Horemheb’s decrees here, and we are not overheard,’ said Taheb. She seemed irritated that he had not taken her into his confidence by using Akhenaten’s real name. ‘The answer to your question is that I don’t know. But he was certainly in office — probably still in the mines department — and managed to hang on afterwards. Did you never see him at the City of the Horizon? There were plenty of career administrators and businessmen along with the idealists, you know. And they were just as necessary to Akhenaten — possibly more so.’
‘And most of them were forgiven.’
‘That should not make you bitter. Of course they were. They were given the chance to recant, they did so, and they went on with their work. They are the ribs and backbone of the Black Land, and the army is its muscle. Without them the heart cannot function, however much it rules them.’
‘Can it rule what it cannot control?’
‘Yes, as long as it thinks it controls. Akhenaten tried to break that pattern and look what happened.’
‘Tell me more about Ipuky’s family.’
Taheb considered. ‘There were three children. Iritnefert was the only daughter, and she was the youngest. She was unmarried, and there was no one in prospect as far as I know. Her mother divorced Ipuky and went to live in the north of the country with one older son. Paheri. He was already grown, and became a priest of the Aten.’
Huy drew in his breath.
‘What is it?’ asked Taheb. ‘Did you know him?’
‘Yes. He was Surere’s right-hand man. But I did not know that he was Ipuky’s son.’
They were silent for a moment, both thinking of the escaped quarryman-prisoner.
‘I wonder what happened to Paheri, after Akhenaten’s fall,’ said Taheb.
‘He disappeared, like so many,’ said Huy. ‘There would not have been many to mourn him.’
‘Except his mother. He always thought that she had been wronged by Ipuky.’
‘She must have been the only woman Paheri ever liked. His nickname was Sword of Surere. They may even have been lovers, though they parted company towards the end.’
‘What happened?’
‘There was a bitter row. Paheri accused Surere of taking too soft a line; but I also heard that he’d found Surere in bed with a stable boy. Surere certainly began to enjoy the fruits of power towards the end, but Paheri was a deeply jealous man.’ Huy made a dismissive gesture. ‘That is all history, and Paheri must certainly be dead. Where in the north did Ipuky’s wife go? I don’t think she ever came to the City of the Horizon.’
‘She came from Buto originally. I think that is where she lives still. She never remarried.’
‘But Ipuky did.’
‘Of
‘It is getting worse.’
‘So, why are you asking me these questions, and why should I answer them?’
‘I am asking them to satisfy myself, and because doing nothing bores me. It may be that my help will be called for. If not, I will do nothing with the information you give me. It will be as if this conversation had never taken place.’
‘You are diplomatic.’ She embraced him with her eyes, pleased, and as she poured them both more wine, rewarded him with a view of her leg. Fine golden hairs, which but for the sunlight on them would have been invisible, shone against the soft brown skin of her thigh. What had happened to the old Taheb?
‘Ipuky is a civil servant. I am too young to remember but I think he began his career as a supervisor in the turquoise mines of the Northern Desert, towards the end of the reign of Nebmare Amenophis. I know that he was one of the ones who resented the rise of the military. He kept petitioning Amenophis to restrict the granting of golden battle honours — not that the battles were anything more than skirmishes then.’
‘Do you know what happened to him during the reign of the Great Criminal?’ Huy was grimly amused at how easily he could deny his former master’s name.
‘You don’t have to obey Horemheb’s decrees here, and we are not overheard,’ said Taheb. She seemed irritated that he had not taken her into his confidence by using Akhenaten’s real name. ‘The answer to your question is that I don’t know. But he was certainly in office — probably still in the mines department — and managed to hang on afterwards. Did you never see him at the City of the Horizon? There were plenty of career administrators and businessmen along with the idealists, you know. And they were just as necessary to Akhenaten — possibly more so.’
‘And most of them were forgiven.’
‘That should not make you bitter. Of course they were. They were given the chance to recant, they did so, and they went on with their work. They are the ribs and backbone of the Black Land, and the army is its muscle. Without them the heart cannot function, however much it rules them.’
‘Can it rule what it cannot control?’
‘Yes, as long as it thinks it controls. Akhenaten tried to break that pattern and look what happened.’
‘Tell me more about Ipuky’s family.’
Taheb considered. ‘There were three children. Iritnefert was the only daughter, and she was the youngest. She was unmarried, and there was no one in prospect as far as I know. Her mother divorced Ipuky and went to live in the north of the country with one older son. Paheri. He was already grown, and became a priest of the Aten.’
Huy drew in his breath.
‘What is it?’ asked Taheb. ‘Did you know him?’
‘Yes. He was Surere’s right-hand man. But I did not know that he was Ipuky’s son.’
They were silent for a moment, both thinking of the escaped quarryman-prisoner.
‘I wonder what happened to Paheri, after Akhenaten’s fall,’ said Taheb.
‘He disappeared, like so many,’ said Huy. ‘There would not have been many to mourn him.’
‘Except his mother. He always thought that she had been wronged by Ipuky.’
‘She must have been the only woman Paheri ever liked. His nickname was Sword of Surere. They may even have been lovers, though they parted company towards the end.’
‘What happened?’
‘There was a bitter row. Paheri accused Surere of taking too soft a line; but I also heard that he’d found Surere in bed with a stable boy. Surere certainly began to enjoy the fruits of power towards the end, but Paheri was a deeply jealous man.’ Huy made a dismissive gesture. ‘That is all history, and Paheri must certainly be dead. Where in the north did Ipuky’s wife go? I don’t think she ever came to the City of the Horizon.’
‘She came from Buto originally. I think that is where she lives still. She never remarried.’
‘But Ipuky did.’
‘Of
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