Nefertiti Trilogy, Part 3 , livre ebook

Troubador Publishing Ltd - Michael Ketit

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85 pages

English

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A few years after Pharaoh Akhenaten's death, Nefertiti had ascended the throne and began her quest to prove once and for all that she was a worthy Pharaoh. She had completed the construction of a new capital of Egypt, but her grip on power was still by no means secured. Many high officials regarded her as an invalid lacking the masculine spirit of a true Pharaoh. To make matters worse, Moses, an old childhood friend had suddenly returned from exile and seemed bent on challenging her authority. With his powerful magic, he had brought Egypt to its knees, leaving it in ruins. The people of Egypt were openly resenting Nefertiti's rule and the High priest of Amun was secretly plotting her downfall. Should she forsake her friendship with Moses? What can a woman Pharaoh do to regain full authority over Egypt? Will she and her family survive? Or will her legacy be forever erased from the glorious history of Egypt?

Sujets

Historical fiction

Egypt

Egipto

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Publié par	Troubador Publishing Ltd
Date de parution	14 janvier 2020
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781838597948
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	4 Mo

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0150€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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Copyright © 2020 Michael Ketit

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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To my Mom, Simba Ugat and my sister, Susan Ketit

“Cursed will be number 41.
41 will perish by water.”

Prophecy from the Oracle of Seth
Contents
List of characters

Rebellion in Nubia
New capital of Egypt
Construction of Men-Nefer
Warriors’ Festival
Moses and the holy fire
At the governor’s mansion
Moses arrives in Goshen
At the supervisor’s shelter
Moses and the Hebrew elders
Nefertiti meets Moses
Merytaten back from hunting
Abuzz about Moses
Merytaten goes to Goshen
Merytaten returns to the palace
Dinner at the palace
Babair impresses his foreman
Moses meets Nefertiti again
Zipporah returns to Midian
Ten plagues of Egypt
Plague number one – Waters of blood
Plague number two - Frogs
Merytaten fetches Moses
Commander Nubi met Babair
Plague number three – Gnats
Babair tells Nubi about Moses
Plague number four – Flies
Babair the new Egyptian
Plague number five – Pestilence
Babair plots to kidnap Abigail
Plague number six - Boils
Nubi sets off for Thebes
Abigail abducted
Plague number seven - Hail
Treacherous journey to Thebes
Back in Men-Nefer
Commander Nubi in Thebes
Vest of Amun revealed
Plague number eight – Locusts
Commander Nubi in Amarna
Back in Men-Nefer
Pharaoh tours Men-Nefer
Commander Nubi sets off for Giza
Plague number nine – Darkness in Men-Nefer
Darkness engulfs Commander Nubi and his troops
Back in Men-Nefer
Passover Sacrifice
Plague number ten – Death of firstborns
Commander Nubi back in Men-Nefer
Exodus
Crossing the sea
Time to rebuild
List of characters
Actual historical characters:
Nefertiti, fortieth Pharaoh of Egypt
Merytaten, eldest daughter of Nefertiti
Tasherit, fourth daughter of Nefertiti
Setepenre, sixth and youngest daughter of Nefertiti
Tutankh, son of Akhenaten by secondary wife, Kiya
Moses, leader of the Hebrews
Zipporah, wife of Moses
Gershom, eldest son of Moses
Eliezer, son of Moses
Aaron, eldest brother of Moses
Miriam, younger sister of Moses
Joshua, Hebrew man, son of Nun, from the tribe of Ephraim
Vizier Ay, chief adviser to Pharaoh

Fictional characters
Nubi, ambitious man, about forty years of age, commander and governor of Giza and Goshen.
Wakta, Akhenaten’s cousin, commander and governor of Amarna
Abigail, granddaughter of Aaron
Babair, Hebrew man, admirer of Abigail
Krug, commander and governor of Thebes
Rebellion in Nubia
Commander Wakta was returning from Upper Egypt. His army and that from Thebes had joined forces and hurried into Nubia to crush a reported rebellion by some Nubian princes. But when they arrived there they only encountered sporadic enemy soldiers whom they annihilated with little effort.
He walked alongside Commander Krug of Thebes. They were headed towards Thebes. Thousands of their soldiers followed them in orderly files through the sparse forest.
“This has been a waste of time. This battle is not worthy of an Egyptian army,” Commander Wakta said. In frustration he snatched his sword from his sword-bearer and furiously slashed at the nearby tree. Branches snapped and the whole tree reverberated from his slashing and whacking. When he had calmed down he hurled the sword towards his sword-bearer who quickly picked it up from where it had hit the ground. His captains stood by and watched with utmost attention in case he should throw his spear at any of them to release his frustration. Nobody stands in the way when the commander is raging mad and fully primed for battle.
“I do apologise for having called you to help me crush the purported rebellion,” Commander Krug said in a solemn voice.
“Whoever informed you of the rebellion must have been deceived or drunk.”
“I will certainly punish the informers for this mistake,” Commander Krug said with a deadpan face.
“I can’t wait for the Warriors’ Festival in Men-Nefer.”
“Me too.”
“I hope this time Pharaoh will lead us to battle against a formidable empire,” Commander Wakta said.
“Time for Pharaoh to prove he is a man,” Commander Krug said.
“After what happened the last few days, I would be happy to die in a battle. And I need a worthy opponent,” said Commander Wakta.
“We will get our chance. Let’s all go back to Thebes. As an apology from me I will host all of your troops.”
Commander Wakta and his troops stayed for a few days in Thebes taking full advantage of Commander Krug’s hospitality. Commander Krug hosted them to sumptuous food and drinks to appease them of the false alert over the Nubian rebellion.
While Commander Wakta was still enjoying himself in Thebes a messenger from his palace in Amarna came to see him.
“What is it, my friend?” he said to the messenger.
“My Lord, somebody broke into your vault,” the young messenger said. Wakta jumped up from his seat.
“When?” Wakta said in a quivering voice. His face turned white and frail. The messenger quickly propped him up to prevent him from falling. The items in the vaults were the very treasures of Egypt which Pharaoh Nefertiti had entrusted him with.
“Happened a few days ago,” the messenger said, “Don’t worry, everything seems to be intact.” Commander Wakta felt a sense of relief hearing that everything inside was intact. It suddenly came to him that he was the only one who knew precisely what was in the vault. Nobody, except him, knew what would have been taken. The worried look returned to his face.
“But it is probably best for you to have a look yourself,” the messenger said.
“Yes.”
Commander Wakta hurried to see Commander Krug.
“I have to hurry back to Amarna, I’m afraid,” he said.
“Oh?”
“Minor domestic issues.”
“Anything I can help you with?”
“Nothing I can’t handle myself,” Commander Wakta insisted. “My soldiers will stay here for a few days. Then they will head back to Amarna.”
“Of course. They are free to stay as long as they wish.” After a long march through the southern region to quell a Nubian rebellion that did not exist, Wakta’s soldiers would certainly take advantage of Krug’s hospitality.
Commander Wakta quickly set sail down the Nile. When he arrived in Amarna his family and dignitaries greeted him. A senior official led him to the vault.
“We are not sure what happened. All the guards were executed by the thieves,” the official said. He briefed him as they headed towards the location of the vault.
“Anybody saw the thieves?” Wakta said. The chief of the palace guards joined them.
“Some of the palace slaves said that a group of about seven men overpowered and killed the guards. They were the ones who raised the alarm. It all happened so fast.”
The chief of the palace guards said, “According to one of my men one of the dying guards said the thieves were Amun soldiers.”
“Amun soldiers?” Commander Wakta cast a worried look. “Any idea what was taken?”
“My Lord, only you know everything inside the vault,” the chief guard said.
Wakta kept quiet. The chief guard was right; he had never told anyone about what was kept inside the vault. When they reached the vault, Wakta quickly peered in. When he saw that the pedestal holding the most important treasure was empty he immediately knew that it was the only item stolen. He fainted and fell on the floor. The chief guard who stood just a few feet from him could not catch him from his fall. Wakta was carried to his quarters and laid on his bed. Priests and sorcerers were immediately summoned to revive him.
He lay in bed for more than a day. His wives and family stood around looking at each other, not quite sure what to do. They wept and chanted holy lamentations to call the spirit of healing to protect Wakta. When he finally opened his eyes, they fell silent and let out a sigh of relief.
A few months earlier, Nefertiti, her family and a whole entourage of thousands of officials and servants had formally moved to Men-Nefer. She had entrusted Wakta to temporarily look after the vest of Amun. Nefertiti had a disdain for anything associated with the god Amun. But long-held tradition dictated that she would need the vest in the upcoming Warriors’ Festival to lead Egypt into battle. Akhenaten, Nefertiti’s dead husband and former Pharaoh of Egypt, had worn it into battle soon after he became Pharaoh, leading the Egyptian Army against the Hittites. Now Wakt