Close Up the Sky (24 page)

The sun was warm,
so Pharaoh was attired only in a short white kilt and sandals. Though in his
middle fifties, he gave the appearance of a much younger man. He stood with his
arms folded across his bare chest, his back straight,
bald
head
held high. His arms and chest were well muscled and firm, and his
darkly tanned face was relatively unmarred by the passage of years. Penetrating
brown eyes and a large aquiline nose gave him a hawkish appearance, a look
complimented by his reputation in war, but belied by his statesmanship. Two
narrow bands of silver encircled each of his upper arms and his kilt was edged
in gold bunting. Other than that, he wore nothing to indicate his lofty status
as the Living God of Egypt.

In all the annals
of history, Egypt had not known a more venerated or feared king. He was the
undisputed ruler of civilization from the jungles of Ethiopia to the shores of
the great northern sea. His sword had spilled the blood of Egypt's enemies for
over thirty years, and in all that time he had known true fear only once. Today
the king knew its bitter taste again, and felt its icy fingers touch his heart.
Unconsciously, he stroked his left forearm where a jagged scar ran from elbow
to wrist; a scar put there many years ago during a great battle with the sea
people. Sometimes in dreams he still felt the searing metal rake his flesh.

He cut his eyes
slightly to the left. Though he could not see it at this distance, he thought
of a place where the Valley of the Kings ended and the great desert began. In
his mind's eye he saw a bright streak of fire in the night sky as the gods
hurled a flaming star to the Earth. It had been the eve of his birthday, and
the priests had interpreted the event as an omen predicting eternal life and
wealth for the pharaoh. Members of his personal guard and many slaves proceeded
to examine the place where the star had fallen. They returned with a
magnificent glowing stone that he had named the Eye of Amen. With his own
hands, and in great reverence, he had placed the stone on the altar of the
sacred temple and gave thanks to the gods. Afterwards, he had knelt and prayed
for hours while the Eye filled the temple with beautiful green radiance. All
the jewels in his treasury could not compare with its scintillating splendor. Throughout
the entire world there was nothing as magnificent as the Eye, and he alone, the
Living God of Egypt, possessed it.

A gong sounded
behind him, interrupting his thoughts. He did not turn toward the sound, but
leaned forward and placed both hands on the terrace railing. The barge he had
been watching was further along the river now, and a few small boats had put
out from the banks in search of fish. Ramses knew the gong announced the
arrival of Balkem, Commander of the Egyptian Division, who knelt in the
background awaiting an audience. He let Balkem wait while he continued to
observe the barge. It was not proper for the Living God to acknowledge the
presence of mortals too quickly. Though he was anxious to hear the commander's
report, his manner did not reveal it. Making Balkem and others of high station
wait upon his pleasure was an exercise he had been taught since childhood. All
great kings knew that remaining aloof and untouchable increased one's power
over those they ruled.

When an
appropriate amount of time had passed he turned and motioned for Balkem to come
forward. The scabbard of the commander's sword rattled against his armor as he
quickly rose and moved to within a few feet of the pharaoh where he again
knelt, head bowed. Ramses did not command him to rise or even to look up. He
regarded the old soldier silently for a long moment. "Has the strange one
been cared for, Balkem?" he finally asked.

Balkem hunched his
broad shoulders and bowed his head even lower before answering. He had been one
of Ramses's most devoted servants for many years and occupied a high place in
his master's eyes, yet the sense of awe he felt when near him never diminished.
Most men feared the power of the Living God, and in that respect Balkem was no
different. The one thing that set him apart from others of his station was that
he not only feared, but also genuinely loved his lord. He had been a soldier in
Egypt's service since the time of Ramses's father, the great Ceti. He had
served the father well, now he faithfully served the son. "Yes, my
lord," he answered reverently. "As we speak he is upon the Nile,
according to your command."

Ramses turned and
looked at the river. One of the fishing boats had turned away from its
companions and was following at some distance in the wake of the barge. The
slanting rays of the sun made its sail change alternately from orange to white
as it rolled in the wash of the larger boat. Without taking his eyes from the
barge he asked, "Have the boatmen been properly instructed?"

Balkem cut his
eyes upward and ventured a secret glance at his lord's back. "Yes, great
one. They will deliver him to the caravan master who will be given your
instructions. He will not be released until they reach the final destination. And
as you commanded, the Eye of Amen was placed in a container to travel with
him.”

Ramses nodded as
he turned toward Balkem. The commander quickly averted his eyes. “Did you
observe anything unusual as he was being moved through the streets?” the king
asked.

“No, lord. Many
people followed us to the quays and watched as he was placed aboard the boat,
but I saw nothing to indicate that any of his kind were present.”

He regarded the
commander momentarily then said, “Rise, Balkem. As always, you have done well.”

Balkem’s chest
swelled with pride at the king’s compliment. He stood and joined Ramses on the
terrace. The king returned to his vigilance of the barge. Balkem traced his
line of sight until his own eyes found the craft. A small red pennant flew from
its mast. He recognized it as the one carrying the strange one.

“Will they
retaliate against us, lord?” he asked in a low voice.

Ramses remained
silent, considering the question. He felt a wave of fear again and fought
against it. Amen had saved him once from the wrath of the sea people, but would
he come to his aid a second time? Even he, the Living God of Egypt, did not
know the answer. “I pray that they do not, Balkem. We have done nothing to
warrant their displeasure. Our physicians did all within their power to save
the strange one. If he dies it will not be of our doing.”

When Balkem made
no immediate reply, the king’s attention drifted to the city spread out below
him. His thoughts returned to the battle he had fought with the sea people so
long ago. His brow furrowed and he glanced at his forearm where the scar made a
white streak against the tan skin. In all his life he had not prayed with such
intensity as he had on that day. For years travelers coming to his court had
been bringing tales of the mysterious village and metal structures the sea
people had erected in the desert. They told of huge ships that rode the waters
near the village, and the screaming birds that drove away anyone who approached
the area. There were also tales of a great tube that stretched across the sand
from the land of the northern tribes to the shores of the sea.

Egypt, as
undisputed leader of the world, could not permit such a threat to its security,
so the king had mounted a military expedition against the intruders. He had
personally led the elite Egyptian Division against them and had met with
unthinkable disaster. They had not even gotten close to the sea people's
village before the huge birds attacked them with roaring lances of fire. The
lances struck the earth in front of the soldiers with thunderous power, and
great pieces of the desert were torn out in clouds of roiling smoke. Horses and
men screamed in terror, and many fell in the stampede to escape the raining
death. The earth shook and trembled as though all the gods of eternity were at
war with his army. The arrows and spears of his soldiers were useless as the
birds swarmed around them. He felt the wind from their whirling wings as they
darted with incredible speed over the ranks of his army. But even in the face
of such unthinkable power Ramses had stood tall in his chariot, lance raised
high in defiance. At sight of their king’s strength the commanders had reformed
their units and urged them onward toward the village of the sea people. It was
then that the enemy had struck the decisive blow.

The birds had
suddenly departed, roaring away to the north, causing a mighty cheer from the
soldiers. The army had barely begun to move again when it happened. He and
Balkem had been at the forefront of the troops, and were among the first to see
the great streak of fire flying across the sky toward them. The men fell
silent, and thirty thousand pairs of eyes had watched as an enormous lance
began to descend toward the desert in front of them. When it struck it was as
though the
world had been smashed by the fist of Amen
.
There was a blinding flash of light, and an enormous fireball rose into the
sky. As the fire diminished, a blistering wall of hot air knocked half his army
to the ground. Pharaoh himself was struck by a piece of flying metal that
ripped the muscles of his forearm. Chariots, horses, men, and equipment flew
about as though the greatest storm ever known had swept over them. The desert
became a blinding whirlwind of sand that stung the skin and blotted out the
sun. Afterwards, when the first reddish rays of sunlight began to break through
the dust, the pharaoh knew that no earthly army could stand against the power
of the sea people. So when the commanders had finally reorganized their troops
the army turned back toward Egypt, never to return.

Ten years had
passed since that day, and now the strange one had come among them searching
for the Eye of Amen. He had been captured while trying to enter the temple
under cover of darkness and had been brought before the pharaoh for judgment. That
he was one of the sea people there was little doubt. He wore a strange black
costume that shimmered like water in sunlight. He suffered from a terrible head
wound, and though he called it by an unfamiliar name, he babbled incoherently
about the Eye. He spoke the Egyptian language, but constantly slipped into a
strange tongue that not even the most learned of scholars could understand. It
was obvious that the wound had damaged his mind, and he had eventually fallen
into a deep sleep from which they could not awaken him.

Remembering the
power of the sea people, and fearing reprisal if the man was harmed further,
the pharaoh had ordered the court physicians to care for his wound and watch over
him. Many days passed before the stranger regained consciousness. When at last
he awoke he spoke only in the unknown language, and like a madman, fiercely
attacked anyone within reach. It was impossible to communicate with him, so the
pharaoh had issued orders that he was to be transported as close to the village
of the sea people as possible and set free. Early that morning his soldiers had
carried him to the river and placed him aboard a barge bound for the caravan
routes. Ramses now watched the barge on which he was confined as it moved
slowly along the Nile. With him went the king’s greatest treasure, the Eye of
Amen.

“Is there no
defense we can prepare, my lord?” Balkem asked, interrupting the king's
thoughts. But the commander already knew the answer; it was simply a gesture of
hope to ask it of the king.

“We have already
done what could be done,” Ramses replied. He grasped the railing and squeezed
until his knuckles were white and the cords in his forearms stood out like
cables. As a soldier he had always lived by the sword, leading Egypt’s armies
against her enemies in fair battle. Face your enemy, pit metal against metal,
flesh against flesh, and defeat him with superior tactics. To him there was no
other way to fight. But a foe who could not be reached, and who possessed such
enormous power, was beyond the capabilities of his forces. Against such an
enemy the army of Egypt was as helpless as a suckling child.

Since the day of
the disastrous battle he had considered the sea people to be Egypt's most
deadly threat, yet they had never retaliated for his attempted invasion. In
fact, the colossal weapon they had used against him had killed very few of his
soldiers. Noses bled, ears were deafened, and many were rendered unconscious by
the shock, but no real damage had occurred. It was customary for the victor to
sack the country they had defeated and demand tribute in slaves and treasure,
but the sea people had done neither. Moreover, he had been allowed to take his
army back to Egypt without pursuit. It appeared that if they were left alone to
carry out whatever mysterious mission in
which
they
were engaged, the sea people would not harm them further. For that reason the
desert tribes, including the formidable Egyptians, completely avoided them. He
hoped that the release of the strange one would be interpreted as a sign of
non-aggression, but only time would tell. By nightfall that person would be
well on his way to the caravan port of Ipu and Thebes would be out of danger. But
the Eye of Amen still troubled Ramses. Why had the strange one been so
insistent about that? Had he really come to steal it, and who had inflicted the
wound to his head? Were more of the sea people secretly here in Thebes at this
moment, and if so, what was their mission?

“Should I place
more guards around the palace?” Balkem asked, breaking the silence.

“No, there is
nothing to do but wait. I believe we will soon have the answers to our
questions. If he was really sent to steal the Eye of Amen, others may have
accompanied him and would have seen us place him aboard the barge.”

Balkem let out an
audible breath. Though he understood the wisdom of his master's words, doing
nothing made him feel impotent. However, he had considered their dilemma for
many days and could think of no better plan to offer the king. For that reason
he remained silent. He had no idea who or what the madman aboard the barge
might be. He only knew that he babbled in a strange language and spouted
prophecies of doom in broken Egyptian. The old soldier sighed and rubbed his
hands over his face, trying to wipe away the fatigue he felt.