Part 1, Chapter 4

ch. 4 - Year 861



The seer came out of his meditation with a low moan. Every joint and muscle in his body ached, and his head swam with nausea. An acrid odor told him that the incense in the golden brazier before him had burned out some time before. He moved to light fresh incense but, exhausted, sank back into his meditation position and prepared for a healing relaxation instead. As he recited a mantram to bring the energies of his aura into balance with the systems of his physical body, he remained unaware that his ordeal had not gone unnoticed.

Thoth stood framed in the doorway to the meditation sanctum, watching his master with sorrowful eyes. Twenty years old now, and as slim as the palms in the temple gardens, he stood a full head taller than Amon-hotep. His face had never lost its youthful half-smile, and he had become as renowned as his mentor for his engaging wit - a wit which had proven time and again to put new students completely at ease in their unfamiliar surroundings; many considered him a virtual mirror of the seer.

But he was not thinking of jests now, as he watched the seer's attempt to rise. He knew, even before it happened, that Amon-hotep would slide back down, and so did not stay to hear his master's new mantram. Instead, Thoth turned and entered an antechamber. There, on a small table, framed by two holy candles, sat a clay pot and several cups. He lifted the pot and poured some of the water it contained into one of the cups, then set the pot down and held the cup to his solar plexus. He closed his eyes, chanting softly, and felt the peaceful energy of his third chakra enter the cup, cleansing the water therein. When the ritual was done, he returned to the meditation room and found the seer fiddling with the brazier. "Master Amon-hotep," he began, "I have brought some holy water for you. You looked a moment ago like you needed some."

The seer turned from his attempt to light the remaining incense and greeted his fellow High Priest with a slow smile. "You're getting good at this, Thoth. How long were you observing me?"

"Almost since you began."

Amon-hotep nodded. "I thank you. This meditation was more difficult than most."

Thoth shook his head. "No, Master. I meant that I have been observing your meditations for the last three years - since Khaemwaset's letters about the prince stopped."

The seer thoughtfully regarded the younger man before him. He might have guessed Thoth's actions - the pair had few secrets from one another. "A moment, please." he asked. As Thoth bowed and stepped back a pace, Amon-hotep held the cup to his own solar plexus and, closing his eyes, thanked the Eternal for the gift of cleansed water - as well as for the cleanser - and drained the cup of its contents. Turning his back, he placed the cup on the table, re-lit the candles, and resumed the process of cleaning and relighting the brazier. "All Khaemwaset could tell me was that he had been commanded by the Eternal to send the prince to Elijah, in Samaria. Paren-nefer accompanied him. They stayed with the prophet awhile, then departed. No one knows where."

"And you've been astrally searching for them ever since?"

"That, alternating with petitions to the Eternal about their well-being. I have received no answer." He closed the brazier as the incense began to smoke.

"I see." Thoth said. "Actually, you keep hitting a - how do you call it - a ‘blank wall', correct?"

The seer nodded without saying a word, and Thoth continued, "Yet you yourself have taught that in such an occurrence during meditation, one should break off for such a 'blank wall' is itself your answer."

"'An answer from the beyond to be patient, for the truth will soon be revealed."' the seer finished. "I know my own teachings, Thoth."

"Then why do you persist?"

Amon-hotep reseated himself for meditation as clouds of aromatic smoke climbed to the ceiling, filling the room. "Because to Khaemwaset was revealed part of the pattern of the prince's life. I need to know the other part."

"But why? It has been ordained that we not interfere - by your own admission! Why do you still persist?"

The seer chuckled. "Now you are sounding like Khaemwaset! The answer to that, my young friend, is that the prince, when he becomes king - and he will, of that we are certain - will bring both glory and destruction to Kemet. I must know how this is to come about. Perhaps we can mitigate or even forestall what may come to be. Remember, the future is not preordained! We have it within our power to make it what we will! That is the glory of the Divine Spark within, Thoth!"

"But if the prince's path has been pre-ordained - for a purpose we cannot as yet understand - then perhaps you yourself may bring about this destruction by fighting what must be."

Amon-hotep's head slumped on his chest, then dropped into his open palms. He appeared to be weeping. "Thoth, my beloved disciple," he whispered at length, "I fear you may be right. But it goes against the very depths of my being to meekly accept this. There must be another way! I must know!"

Thoth sighed and squatted in front of his master. Impassively, he stared at the seer through unblinking eyes. "You will not find your answer, Amon-hotep, not in this manner. If you continue, you will destroy the energy of your spirit the way you destroyed your eyes. Then, you had Ineni to give you a different way of seeing things. But who would rebuild your spirit today, son of Hapu? Did Ineni teach you that, too?"

"Then what do you think I should do, 'master of wisdom'?"

Thoth rose and laughed heartily. "'Master of wisdom'?" he cried. "Surely that description is apt for one named as I! Amon-hotep, son of Hapu, learn to relax and ask the Eternal for guidance to see you through! Be patient! Persevere, yes, but know when to humbly submit to the Divine Order! Do this, and you will always act in the proper manner, at the proper time. Is that not also what the Brotherhood teaches?"

By the flickering light of the candles, the seer noticed that Thoth's countenance had changed, and his mystic vision saw into the younger man's aura. That Thoth was not the one who had been speaking had been apparent to him when he had risen before him. But who the unknown Presence possessing him was Amon-hotep could in no way determine. Try as he might, the brilliant green and dazzling white that pulsated around Thoth's sapphire aura remained elusively, yet intensely familiar...



After a lengthy period of introspection, Amon-hotep did indeed submit to the Divine Order. For the next few years, he plunged heavily into building and strengthening the Order, and for his patience and perseverance was amply rewarded. For the opening of Pharaoh Amonhotpe's thirtieth year saw the induction into the Order of its three hundredth member. The initiation ceremonies were conducted in the Brotherhood's Theban temple with greater-than-usual solemnity, and the seer himself spoke with greater wisdom and fervor than ever he had done in his long life. And for such a momentous occasion, his old friend Khaemwaset came to Thebes, bringing a profound happiness to the seer's heart. But for all his joy, the day remained etched in Amon-hotep's memory for a different reason. The High Priest of Heliopolis brought news of Pharaoh's missing son.





Year 858:



"He is where?" Amon-hotep thundered.

"You have heard my words, old friend. Our young prince is indeed in Mitanni." Khaemwaset shook his head, clicking his tongue against his teeth in obvious disapproval. "And try to remain calm. You're disturbing the vibrations of your own meditation sanctum."

"Which, being mine, I can cleanse and restore at any time!" Amon-hotep snapped. He began pacing in earnest, his staff clacking against the stone floor in odd symphony with his sandals.

"And stop pacing. The breeze of your passage is blowing out your candles!"

"What would you suggest - another meditation?"

"It would calm you, and help release whatever is troubling you."

The seer stopped his pacing in front of the main candelabrum, and allowed the warmth of the flames to envelop his being. "It is my meditations that are the problem, Khaemwaset! Ever since this second son of the king was born, I have seen trouble for Kemet in my spirit-visions! Since he left your care, my suspicions and concerns have only deepened. And now, when you told me of his whereabouts, I felt the same fearful grip at your words'"

"But why? What possible trouble could come from Mitanni? Is not Mutemwiya, the mother of Pharaoh, of that country? And did not Pharaoh himself take as a secondary wife the Lady Gilukhipa, daughter of the Mitannian monarch?"

"That is all true, my old friend," the seer replied, "but should I then discard my feelings in the face of it? This chill of fear at the prince's presence in Mitanni is the same as that which comes with the storm-clouds in my meditations! Khaemwaset, I cannot ignore this!"

"Then if you will not seek meditation, what will you do?"

"I will take action." Amon-hotep strode defiantly to the sanctum's entranceway. "Thoth!" he bellowed. In an instant, the young priest appeared on the run.

"My Lord! What is it? What's wrong?"

"Secure a sedan chair." the seer spoke urgently, "large enough for three. We must see Pharaoh, but make it known that I desire a private audience! He will understand. Now go, quickly!"

For a brief moment, Thoth seemed rooted to the spot, an eyebrow cocked at an odd angle. A moment later, he had disappeared. "What will you tell Pharaoh?" Khaemwaset asked as the seer returned to the candelabrum.

"Nothing." Amon-hotep replied ominously. "You will tell him."



Pharaoh Amonhotpe's slaves ushered them into the king's presence, and Khaemwaset and the blind seer both groaned inwardly. For the monarch of Egypt was found, not in his throne room, nor in his private quarters in the massive palace, but floating on his back in the garden pool just off the south portico. The same portico, the mystics realized, where, over twenty years before, Khaemwaset had kidnapped the king's year first-born son - the same boy who now stood between them, still unknowing of his true origin. Fitting indeed, they both thought. Fitting, and at the same time, incredibly ironic.

"Ah, my good friends of the Mystic Brotherhood!" Pharaoh called as the slaves bowed low and departed. "Come forward! Sit and dangle your legs in the water. Refresh yourselves!" He rolled over and in a few strokes was beside them. As he heaved himself out of the water and sat with them on the pool's edge, the mystics noted with deep sadness how their king had aged. The opulence and luxury that was Thebes the Gleaming had added uncounted pounds to his once-lean frame, particularly his belly; Amonhotpe now spent much of his time floating in the garden pool for this very reason. He had stopped hunting lions, for which he had once been famed and justifiably proud, years before. But the seer, alone, knew that the disappearance of his first son - to Pharaoh still a mystery - had caused him pain and grief enough to often lapse into fits of depression and lethargy, contributing ever further to his physical collapse. Sometimes the king had even become apathetic about state affairs, and at such times Queen Tiy and her brother, the Councilor Ay, in concert with the seer, had actually run the government in his behalf, affixing his cartouche to documents and receiving dignitaries in his stead. The seer fervently hoped that their news would rekindle their king's sagging spirit, and bring back to life a dying man.

The four sat in silence for a while, each with their own private thoughts. At length, Pharaoh put his arm around Thoth's shoulders, as a father would caress a son. "Amon-hotep informs me daily of the good work you are doing for the Order, Thoth." he said. "I want you to know that I am greatly pleased. The Sacred Brotherhood has prospered in the time you have been here." He frowned. "Exactly how long has it been?"

"Seventeen years, three months, my lord." Thoth replied, a trifle embarrassed at the praise.

"Seventeen years!" Pharaoh whispered. "Each year goes by so slowly, yet when they are finally added together-" Absent-mindedly, he began making contrary circles in the water with his feet, sending ripples upon ripples throughout the pool. "The kingship wearies me, my friends, and I am old before my appointed time. I have never been initiated, so I cannot use your methods of longevity, and my heart tells me that now is far too late to begin." He jostled Thoth affectionately "Do you know the tale of 'The Man Who Was Tired Of Life'?"

"Of course, my king. It was one of my earliest writing exercises. Master Khaemwaset taught it to me." At this, the High Priest of Heliopolis smiled, remembering how frustrated Thoth had been when trying to copy the text. But after all, he had been all of four years old at the time...

"Recall, then, if you will," Pharaoh continued, "what the man in the dialogue had to say about weariness." And, fixing his eyes on nothing in particular, Pharaoh began to speak in a far-away voice. "I am like the man in that tale, my friends. These last few years I have grown tired of living. I have never been a greatly religious man - though I conduct the temple services for the people as Pharaoh should! - yet recently I have found myself talking inwardly, discussing the end of life with my soul. And one night, it seemed to me that I indeed became The Man Who Was Tired of Life. I told my soul that I wanted to die, and my ba replied that I 'cling to life like a man of wealth'! I rebutted, saying that though I had not died, I felt I had lost everything." Pharaoh paused momentarily, then continued, reciting the text from memory:



“ ‘My soul opened its mouth to me that it might answer what I had said: "If you think of burial, it is a sad matter; it is a bringer of weeping through making a man miserable; it is taking a man from his house, he being cast on the high ground; never again will you go up that you may see the sun. Listen to me! Behold, it is good for men to hear! Follow the happy day; and forget care!"



“ ‘I opened my mouth to my soul that I might answer what it had said:





" 'Behold, my name is detested,

Behold, more than the smell of vultures

On a summer's day when, the sky is hot.

Behold, my name is detested,

Behold, more than a woman

About whom lies are told to a man.

Behold, my name is detested,

Behold, more than a sturdy child

Of whom it is said: "He is the offspring of adultery."

Behold, my name is detested,

Behold, more than a town belonging to the monarch

Which mutters sedition when his back is turned.

To whom can I speak today?

Gentleness has perished

And the violent man has come down on everyone.

To whom can I speak today?

Men are contented with evil

And goodness is neglected everywhere.

To whom can I speak today?

Men plunder

And every man robs his neighbor.

To whom can I speak today?

Faces are averted,

And every man looks askance at his brethren.

To whom can I speak today?

Hearts are rapacious

And there is no man's heart in which one can trust.

To whom can I speak today?

There is no contented man

And that person who once walked with him no longer exists.

To whom can I speak today?

I am heavy-laden with trouble

Through lack of an intimate friend.

Death is in my sight today!

Like the perfume of lotuses

Like sitting on the shore of the Land of Drunkenness.

Death is in my sight today!

Like a trodden way,

As when a man returns home from an expedition.

Death is in my sight today!

As when a man desires to see home

When he has spent years in captivity.

Verily, he who is in the realm of the dead will be a living god,

Averting the ill of him who does it.

Verily, he who is in the realm of the dead will be a sage,

who will not be prevented from appealing to Ra when he speaks.





"What my soul said to me: "Cast complaint upon the peg, my comrade and brother; make an offering on the brazier and cleave to life, according as I have said. Desire me here, give up this idea of dying, and desire death only when it shall come in the natural order of events, so that I may alight after you are weary; then we shall make an abode together"."

Pharaoh paused to let his words impress themselves on his friends' minds before continuing. "In the end I agreed," he said, "but not for myself. Pharaoh must endure for the people's sake. But my heart is not with it. The weight of the double crown is heavy, and I have no wish to bear it any longer." He sighed. "I have lost two sons to its power, and to Amon. One disappeared and must be considered dead. The other one was taken away for safe-keeping yet I have not a single clue to his whereabouts, nor even if he would wish to take the throne after me. Tiy, the Great Queen, never wanted to lose our young Amonhotpe, and now blames me so much that we no longer have relations. I greatly fear, my friends, that Kemet will not have a king after me. I will fail in Pharaoh's most cherished and sacred duty - the preservation and continuation of ma'at. Is it any wonder that I seek death? Indeed, I feel myself dead already."

Khaemwaset glanced at the seer, who nodded, knowing what his friend wished to do. Without a word, Khaemwaset placed his right hand over the king's head, then chanted the name of Hat-hor (Hathor) three times invoking her healing aid. "The king, my lord, is yet full with life,” he continued, “and I and my companions will help set things aright. Behold, Nebma-Re Amonhotpe, we have come to you with news of your son! Not, alas, your first, but your second, your namesake. The Eternal has told us that, even now, he resides in the land of Mitanni, and is well. And fear not, for he will indeed be Pharaoh after you! It has been decreed!"

For a moment Pharaoh did not move, then, slowly, he turned to the seer. "Is this true, favored councilor?"

"It is, my king. Master Khaemwaset spoke thus to me scant hours ago, and my visions have confirmed it. We came to you as soon as we could."

"Come, then, all of you! There is much to be done!" With surprising agility, Pharaoh got to his feet and clapped his hands for his personal servant. "Seneb! Go and fetch the Great Lady Tiy! I must see her at once! Here!"

"Yes, my lord!" As quickly as he had come, the servant bowed and departed.

"My king, what is your desire?" Thoth asked as he lifted himself from the poolside.

The fires of joy and relief were strong in Pharaoh's eyes as he regarded the young priest. "I would visit my son." he said.

And the storm-clouds grew ever angrier in the mind of the blind seer...





Year 858:



Even as Pharaoh Amonhotpe began his preparations for the journey, a journey which would, of necessity, be undertaken in secrecy, his second son - seventeen-year-old Nefer-khepru-Re wa'enre Amonhotpe - stood under a spreading juniper in the far-away land of Mitanni, listening to one of its many wandering sages speak of the glories of xvaetvadatha, the Mitannian code of sexual ethics. With him sat his servant, the ever-faithful Paren-nefer, clutching his amulet of Horus, still hoping to ward off evil. But Naphuria, as Amonhotpe was still known, had long since ignored him. Though interested in the sage and his words, most of Naphuria's attention was centered on the girl he held - his arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder. Her name was Tadukhipa, and she was the younger sister of the Mitannian princess Naphuria's father had wed several years before. The pair had met in the Mitannian temple where Naphuria and Paren-nefer had gone immediately upon entering the country to sacrifice and offer prayers of thanks for their safe arrival, and the attraction between the two was both mutual and instantaneous. Tadukhipa had arranged shelter for Naphuria and his servant, and that night had initiated him into the arts of love. Though clumsy at first like any young boy, Naphuria had proven as quick a student of the mysteries of woman as he had been of the mysteries of the Sacred Brotherhood. In the year they had spent together, a genuine love had grown so between them that they had now come to the point of considering marriage. But before that could take place, Tadukhipa knew she must teach her husband-to-be of xvaetvadatha, of which she was both a minor priestess and an ardent practitioner. She had thus prevailed upon Naphuria to come with her to hear the aged Ardama speak on this most ancient and splendid rite which, it was said, the gods themselves had sanctioned. Like Elijah, Ardama preached in the wilderness, but unlike the Hebrew prophet, he was beloved by all and held in high esteem; none had reason to fear him. Nevertheless, Paren-nefer had pleaded with his charge not to go, and only accompanied his master when assured that nothing like what had happened on Elijah's mountain would occur. Unconvinced, Paren-never had continued his prayers to Asar (Osiris) and Auset (Isis).

Naphuria nibbled playfully at Tadukhipa's neck, bringing a murmur of sensuality from the young girl. She caught at his hands caressing her belly, trying to calm him. Though she adored her admirer’s love-making, she was well aware that his youthful passion could make itself known at any moment. "Not now, my lover," she whispered. "We have come to hear Ardama, remember?"

"I remember," he replied huskily, brushing aside her lustrous raven tresses and tenderly kissing her behind the ear. She sighed. The spot he had touched was one of her most responsive, and she quickly felt her control ebbing. Love-making in public was not contrary to her upbringing but she had so wanted him to hear the sage...! Naphuria kissed her again, more urgently this time, and her resolve vanished as though it had never been. With a deep moan, she pressed her naked body backwards into his - for what priestess of xvaetvadatha would even consider the inhibitions of clothing? - and grasped his open palms, pressing them against her full, rounded breasts. She tilted her head, meeting Naphuria's open mouth with her own, and as her tongue worked expertly against his, she felt her nipples harden under his steadily circling hands. Holding the kiss, she turned into him, freeing his rigid member from underneath its confining kilt, and impaled herself upon him. Their hands fell to each other's buttocks, and they began the slow, agonizing grinding which leads to the explosive fulfillment of passion. Paren-nefer had disappeared.

When they had finished, the lovers held each other tenderly, gently kissing and caressing. When he finally opened his eyes, Naphuria was startled to discover that the open field, which had held over one hundred people seeming moments before, was now deserted. "It would seem, beloved," he whispered, "that we have missed your honored sage. I am sorry."

Tadukhipa did not look up. Bathed in the warmth of the afterglow, she managed to murmur, "I know, my hungry lover! Some things I can sense. I am disappointed, yes, but perhaps the gods have decreed that this is not the time. Let us return to the temple." Reluctantly disengaging from him, she turned and to her surprise, beheld Ardama sitting alone on a boulder by the side of the main road. "Naphuria!" the girl cried in delight. "He is still here! Come, let us go to him!" Clutching his hand, she raced down the hill to the road, her erstwhile lover barely able to keep up with her.

When Tadukhipa reached the sage, she sank to her knees and took his right hand. She pressed it to her forehead, mouth, both breasts, and her still-damp pubic area, each time saying a short prayer. When she had finished, Ardama, in turn, gripped her hand tightly and, placing his other hand over her head, made a circling motion with it while intoning a melodious chant. Several times Naphuria caught the holy name of Varuna, which he knew to be a Mitannian god, and he recalled that as the people had passed by Ardama previous to the lecture, the sage had blessed each individual in the same manner. He was filled with a sudden rush of respect and awe for the revered teacher and was not surprised to find himself on bended knee with bowed head.

"Rise, my children, both of you," the sage said at length, "and walk with me. There is much I would tell you." Extending his hands, he assisted Naphuria and Tadukhipa to their feet. "Now come, and as we walk, I would wish that you, Naphuria, tell me of your extraordinary experience on Elijah's sacred mountain. Your lovely priestess here had told me of it, but I wish to hear the full story from you."

Though more than five years had passed, Naphuria remembered the incident - and his resultant meditations - with exacting clarity, and, scarcely pausing for breath, related the tale of Elijah's purification of his people through the divine intervention of the terrifying apparition in the sky. His recitation took a long time, during which the Mitannian sage listened attentively and Tadukhipa pressed herself close to her lover's side. "And Elijah referred to this - apparition - as a manifestation of his god?" Ardama asked finally.

"He did, honored sir." Naphuria replied. "But in my later meditations, there seemed to be other names associated with it - names of very old gods still venerated in the inner sanctuary of Heliopolis."

"I see." the sage smiled knowingly. "And were these names perhaps Temu, Aten, and Neb-er-Tcher?"

"Why, yes!" Naphuria exclaimed. "And Asar (Osiris) and Auset (Isis) as well, though these are worshipped throughout all Kemet. You know of these deities?"

Ardama laughed heartily. "But of course, Naphuria, for we worship the same gods here in Mitanni, though we call them by different names. Mitra, for example, and Ishtar, Varuna, Nasatiya, Shiva, and Vishnu. But the most important of all the gods is the ancient father Brahma, who is the same as your holy and venerated Asar (Osiris)." He stopped and sat, motioning his companions to do likewise. "Your coming here was preordained, Naphuria, and soon you will learn of the forces which have shaped your destiny here in the physical world. But that tale is not for now, for you must first learn of other things.

"Recall, then, if you will, the stories Paren-nefer told you on your travels while he was your chief tutor - tales of the creation of the gods and of your beloved Kemet. Do not worry about your servant for he has returned to the temple and awaits us there! Now these tales, while not false, have been improperly passed down from the Beginning. It is the same in all lands, and the truth is known only to the very few.

"The Kemetans - indeed, all peoples - worship many gods. But in the Beginning, only One was worshipped, for there was only the One! Great He was - and still is, for He is eternal! He is Brahma, Asar (Osiris), Shamash in Assyria, and Elohim, the elder god of the Hebrews. He once shone in the sky brighter than our present sun and his rays actually touched the earth, bringing the power of truth along with the light of day and all good and necessary things. Your symbol called the ANKH is a living reminder of this time!

"One day, The Great One was attacked and dismembered by the forces of darkness and driven from the skies, only to return, triumphant, to his rightful throne. But his form had changed and the people knew not who he was, and so called Him by different names. He did not rule long, and was driven from the skies once again, in the midst of the Great Flood. The people then no longer believed in him and so the Great God vanished. Only a few now alive know where he presently dwells. It is given to those few to keep His memory alive until the day of his glorious resurrection, for it is prophesied that He will return."

The sage paused. Naphuria's eyes were lifted to the heavens and he appeared to be searching. "Master, the apparition appeared to me as an ANKH on its side. Since Elijah claimed it to be a manifestation of his god, it must surely have come from the Great God you speak of, whom we call Asar (Osiris). Is this a sign that I am the one whom you speak of - the few who will keep His memory alive?"

"I believe it is more than that, Naphuria. I believe that the Great God Himself has chosen you to prepare the way for His imminent return! It is possible that you are to become the new Avatar of this age who will return the people to their former worship and instruct them in the ways of the Elder God. For this forerunner, too, has been prophesied! All your experiences, I believe, were designed to bring you to an awareness of this one fact. You have a great work to do in your homeland, but you cannot return there yet. Be patient, for there is much yet to be done."

The trio sat in silence after that, observing the Mitannian sunset. Naphuria gazed intently at the shrinking orb, as though by will alone he could direct its course...



Several months passed before Naphuria had an opportunity to converse with Ardama again. But he heard the sage speak many times, as Tadukhipa made certain that they missed no more of his lectures - and permitted no further interruptions. Naphuria would listen for hours, enchanted by the sage's powerful and compelling delivery as he elucidated the histories of gods and men, and of how men should act in order to please their gods. The young Egyptian became mystified at Ardama's extolling of the virtues of xvaetvadatha, at once repelled and fascinated by the holy rite. At first he was horrified by the notion of a physical union between mother and son, or between father and daughter, and of postulated marriages between the children of such unions. He was further astonished when he learned that not only did Mitannian law condone and commend xvaetvadatha, but that it was demanded of those taking part in certain religious ceremonies. Greatly upset, he took Tadukhipa aside one day and asked her about it. "Does this not trouble you?" he had asked. "How can these children properly understand life if their mother is also their sister, or their father is also their own brother?"

"My dear Naphuria!" Tadukhipa had laughed. "Does it matter? We are all children of the Great God! It matters little who is the bearer of the seed, or who implants the seed! By not being tied to physical parents, we can better appreciate our true spiritual parents - both of whom are one in the Great God!"

Naphuria was not convinced. "And who is your physical mother, Tadukhipa? Is she not your sister?"

"In my case, no. She who bore me is Janakh, the High Priestess of Varuna. You may meet her, if you wish." She frowned, concerned. "Xvaetvadatha disturbs you deeply, does it not, my lover?"

"It goes against all that I have been taught."

"Is it not possible that what you have been taught was not entirely correct?"

Naphuria's expression told her that he had not considered that possibility.

"And further," Tadukhipa continued, "does it also upset you that I am the result of a holy union? Both my mother and my father - who is the king Tushratta, as you well know - were the fruit of the divine union! Tushratta slept with his own mother one night in the holy sanctuary of the temple, and the Lady Janakh was the result. When Janakh came of age, the king lay with her, and I was the fruit of that union!" She entwined her arms around his neck and pulled him close. "And I know I do not displease you, my hungry lover! How can such disturbing unions give you a woman such as I?"

Naphuria bent his head and drank deeply of her burning kisses. /How indeed/ he wondered.



"Do you still feel ill at ease, Amon-hotep?" Thoth inquired.

The blind seer nodded impassively as the pair bowed as one and silently entered the inner sanctum of the Mitannian temple. The exotically curved doorways and rug-strewn floors were totally unlike anything they were familiar with in Kemet, and more than once both had felt alien and helpless as in an unsettling dream. Strange images of the various Mitannian dieties, horrifically and intricately carved, seemingly swarmed around them, many of them paired in the most graphic posturings. A cloud of intense, yet strangly aromatic incense hung above them, obscuring the roof and muting the sunlight which strained to enter through small windows set high in the massive walls. Ahead of them, Pharaoh Meb-maRe Amonhotpe and Tiy, the Great Queen, had already entered and were at that moment being greeted by a smiling Ardama and the priestess Tadukhipa. The seer grunted at the latter's nakedness, perceived, as always, through his mystic vision. "No garments! Have these people no shame?"

"Is not the human body the noblest work of the Creator?" Thoth whispered in rebuttal. "If they choose to display it thus, it is their karmic choice, for better or ill. Where is the shame in that?"

"I refer not to the nakedness of her body but to the emptiness in her soul. I know of their practice of xvaetvadatha, and it is a most unholy aberration! Where is our young prince, I wonder?"

As if in reply, Ardama passed from greeting Tiy and stood before the seer. "Beloved councilor of Pharaoh and most honored sir, I give greetings in the name of Holy Varuna! I am Ardama, he who is privileged to be caretaker of this, his most sacred temple. Be welcome!"

The seer bowed as low as he dared - almost ninety now, he was beginning to experience severe back trouble. The longevity techniques he had been taught by Ineni only postponed old age, they did not eliminate its consequences. "And this is Thoth, my fellow priest in the Theban Order of the Inner Temple. May the Eternal bless you and the land of Mitanni for providing haven for the Prince of Kemet."

At the seer's words, Tiy could no longer restrain herself. "Lord Ardama, please! Where is my son? Bring him to me, now!" It was not at all a formal command but rather the plea of a distraught mother.

Ardama smiled at her and nodded. "As you desire, Great Lady. Tadukhipa?"

At once, the lithe young girl swept to the opposite side of the chamber and thrust aside a velvet curtain. There, naked against a backdrop of fiercely burning votive candles, stood Naphuria - the Crown Prince of Kemet, Nefer-khepru-Re wa'enre Amonhotpe. The seer gasped and clutched his side as a burning pain shot through him; a low moan, as an augury of forthcoming doom, escaped his lips. Thoth caught at him, about to speak, but the seer brushed him away, motioning him to silence. All eyes were riveted on young Naphuria, and thus none saw the brief tableau between the seer and Thoth. Naphuria strode forward, a shining-eyed Tadukhipa at his side, and stood directly before his parents. For many moments no one moved, then the prince spoke his first words to his father, words which forever changed the fate and course of his country. "You are Pharaoh, and I am your son, the prince who is to rule after you. Why was I raised in foreign lands, and not in the palace in Thebes the Gleaming?"

Stunned silence followed his question during which the eyes of the monarch of Kemet, helplessly and in vain, sought aid from his companions. All were as astonished as he. Naphuria repeated his question whereupon the king returned his gaze to his son, now a stranger to him. "Have you heard the tale of our revered Queen Hatshepsut and Solomon, king of Israel?" he asked.

"Paren-nefer has taught me much," the prince replied, "but this tale has nothing to do with me."

"Not directly, but it initiated a series of events which culminated in your presence here in Mitanni. My great-grandfather, Men-kheper-Re Thutmose (may the gods grant him life, prosperity and health!), established a sphinx oracle in Thebes to rival that of Heliopolis, whose cult had supported Hatshepsut and whose cult he later overthrew. He did not eliminate it entirely, however - you life is proof of it - but he made his Theban cult, and its Brotherhood, superior. These two who accompany your mother and I," he gestured toward the seer and Thoth, "are the high priests of the Theban Order. Since Thutmose's time, his cult, supported by the priests of Amon who control the oracle, have grown in power, and they now actually control the royal succession." At this Naphuria's eyes grew dark.

The king continued. "When the priests of Amon came to me in the first year of my reign and demanded I eliminate the cult of Heliopolis and its sphinx oracle, I refused, citing its popularity with the local Delta populace, and the fact that it was not a threat to the throne. This did not satisfy them, and so, on the first anniversary of his birth, the priests of Amon stole into the royal palace and abducted the Crown Prince - my first-born son."

Naphuria's expression narrowed. "Me?"

Pharaoh shook his head. "No. It was your older brother who was taken, and we never found him - we have declared him to be with the gods - nor did we ever find the abductors, though only the priesthood of Amon had any reason to act thus against me."

Naphuria crossed his arms across his breast and began to pace, nodding thoughtfully. "I see. I grieve for the brother I shall never know. What happened after that?"

"To spite Amon, I began giving more open approval to the cult in Heliopolis. I named one of my royal barges after the august god they venerate, the Aten," At this, Naphuria looked up sharply, his eyes flashing, but said nothing, "and I built a new royal palace on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes, in order to get away from the Amonnite priesthood. Whenever I could, I acted against their interests, but this has only increased the enmity between us.

"When you were born, I announced that your mother had delivered a still-born daughter, but sealed off the palace and had you taken in secret out of Thebes to Heliopolis. This is the man who accomplished the feat." With an expansive wave of his arm, Pharaoh indicated the blind seer. Amon-hotep and Naphuria bowed to each other, but the older man wondered why he did not sense gratitude in the prince's soul...

Pharaoh continued. "My son, things had deteriorated so badly that I feared for your life. I sent you away so that you might live. I was not prepared to lose you in a struggle that would have led to civil war. One son was enough."

Naphuria stopped pacing and turned to face his father. "But you took the cowardly way out! You are Pharaoh! How could you do this?"

"My actions insured your life! The very fact that you are now speaking to me proves this! My hands were tied, and I was not prepared to lose a second son!"

"Father, the theory of kingship is that you, as divine Pharaoh, are the personal representative of the gods and have sole power on earth! A king's greatest sin is to not use that power, especially when threatened! This you did not do! You betrayed your throne!"

"But you are alive! You can rule after me!"

"How?" Naphuria was shouting now. "You have no power to proclaim me - both by your own admission and by the guilt of your actions! If you had such power, I would never have had to be sent away in the first place, and would have been reared in Thebes the Gleaming as a royal heir should! And who would believe me, and accept me now? You could not make it so, and if I did return, such an action would almost certainly result in the civil war you dread!" Exasperated, he threw his hands up in despair. "Father, do you see what you have done? You have failed to preserve ma'at, the sacred order of things, and instead have created conditions that could destroy Kemet! Worse, your ancestors disturbed ma'at and you had the opportunity to re-establish it by fighting for the rights and lives of two sons. Yet you squandered that opportunity! You have failed in everything, father! Failed!"

In the nightmarish vacuum following Naphuria's condemnation, the seer spoke softly, his quiet words a sudden cacophony in the void. "What would you do, my prince, were you king? How would you protect and preserve ma'at, having no firsthand knowledge of the conditions in Thebes? Your father acted within the limits available to him, and though his final choice was not the best, still there is the possibility of the continuation of the kingship. There is at least that hope. And without hope, my prince, of what use is life itself?" His words, as always, conveyed his desire to know the future fate of the boy, and of the land of Kemet.

And again, as always, he was denied. "I would return to Kemet, respected seer," Naphuria replied, "but not immediately, for what I would do as Pharaoh is not yet fully formulated. Be assured, however, that there will be some changes made."

"Changes?" the seer echoed. "To preserve ma'at, you would make changes? What do you plan?"

"As I have said, my intentions are not yet complete; there is much I would think upon. But know this much, respected councilor - to correct what has been done, it seems to me that we must look to the past, to our sacred origins, and return to those conditions, for only under those conditions did ma'at truly prevail! Ma'at, in truth, does not live now, thus changes must be made. All men must live in truth, must they not?"

"But surely you realize that there are those who would fight you. Would you risk a war anyway?"

"That is what I must now think upon, honored sir." Naphuria admitted. "Would you all leave me now? I wish to meditate."

Shaken and angry, Pharaoh was the first to leave. He, too, had things to think about, yet in his heart he did not wish to face the possibility that his son had been right. Perhaps he had failed after all. And now he had found the son of his name - and had lost him forever. His eyes watered as he thrust himself roughly past the attendants of the outer chambers...

Tiy was about to follow her husband when she turned to her son. "I was against sending you away from the beginning. I know how, and why, your father felt as he did, but I want you to know that I think he was wrong."

At this Tadukhipa's eyes lit up with a radiance beyond measure and she whispered to Naphuria. The prince smiled in reply and strode forward, kissing his mother on the cheek and embracing her warmly. Then he stepped back and bowed low, his forehead scraping the floor. "Great Lady, you are honored above all and I promise you that you shall always occupy a special place at my side, and at my table."

Startled at the severe breach of protocol, Tiy stumbled over her next words. "Wh-when will you c-come home?"

Naphuria shrugged. "I do not know, Mother. I have much yet to do. I will come and claim the throne, however - of that you can be sure - but I do not think I shall set foot in side Thebes the Gleaming while your husband remains alive." The pains shot like a living thing through the blind seer's side and back while the storm-clouds raged once more within his mind...



Amon-hotep paced murderously, in the quarters that had been prepared for him and Thoth. The pains had not left his body but he had adjusted his mind so that the signals would not reach his brain. Over and over he paced, and only Thoth knew that his mentor's mystic self also prowled the astral plane, desperately searching for answers. The younger priest, settling into meditation, slowly shook his head. Would Amon-hotep never learn? He would probably wear a track in the cold marble floor before he was through.

The night had begun to fade from the eastern sky before the seer came to rest. Long before then, Thoth, exhausted, had tumbled from his seated position to sleep fitfully in a heap. Amon-hotep nudged him awake and after a few moments the two joined together in performing the morning ablutions and the ritual of The Greeting of the Day. Thoth marveled at the seer - his mentor had remained awake all night, concerned and upset, yet performed the morning rituals as though nothing had happened. Or so it would seem to the casual observer. Thoth's astral vision, trained by the seer himself, could see clearly into the older man's aura, and the red and black splotches he discovered there told him that his teacher's physical problems remained. "Turn around, Amon-hotep." he said quietly. The seer pretended not to hear, but when Thoth moved in behind him, he sighed and relaxed. "Ah, that's better, worthy master. Now hold still while I drain your negative energy from you." Thoth shook his hands, as one might throw off excess water, then pressed them together - the thumbs and forefingers forming a triangle, the other fingers spread wide - and placed the triangle over the seer's afflicted area. Closing his eyes, Thoth concentrated and took a deep breath. He held it as long as he could, until he could feel the energy of the ugly reddish-black scars seeping into his hands. In a sudden move, he wrenched his hands away and exhaled explosively, shaking his hands violently. Many times he repeated the process, then with a circular motion of his right hand he imagined his mind sending streams of blue and green light through his open palm to the areas just cleansed. When he had finished with the colors of tranquility and physical healing, he added a powerful white light through both hands to seal Amon-hotep's aura and balance his entire energy system, then sat down to rest. An hour passed before either spoke again. "How do you feel, venerable master?" Thoth inquired.

"Tired and hungry, as an aged one like myself should feel at this hour of the morning! But neither too tired nor too hungry to thank you for your cleansing."

Thoth smiled. "Your increased hunger is but a natural consequence of the energy you've expended since last night - your body now needs food-energy to replace what you've lost and to rebuild your energy pattern. But the physical healing you could have accomplished with ease - you are far more adept than I! I really did it to get your mind off your needless pacing and astral searching."

/That was too true/, the seer admitted to himself. When any healer attempts a healing, the patient's mind must be aware of what is happening, and his own mind was no exception. But in focusing in on Thoth's healing, he had forgotten entirely the problem of the night before. He turned to his pupil. "So! A trick to get me to release the problem to the cosmic realm!"

"When you refused to do it yourself. That is what has been causing your pains, Amon-hotep - your refusal to release things. If you continue to fight the Divine Will, the pains will return - the more you fight, the worse they will become. And that is not the will of the Eternal, but the natural consequence of your own unreleased energy."

The seer nodded, saying nothing, and resumed his pacing, albeit more slowly this time. He appeared to be thinking in a reflective manner. "Thoth, these hurricanes in my mind keep returning, and this time I fear they will not go away."

"What do you think they represent?"

"What they are exactly, I do not know. But they are an overwhelmingly major part of the problem with our young prince. I greatly fear now what he will do when he takes the throne, and there seems precious little we can do to prevent it."

Thoth stared at him, aghast. Was it possible that the seer had disregarded everything he had ever said? "Prevent it? How can you even suggest such a thing! It is cosmically ordained that he is-"

"-to rule after his father. Yes, yes, I know, Thoth, I know. Forget what I said. It is but the muttering of a disturbed old mind." He crossed the room and eased himself onto the edge of a window which opened onto a small garden; from his position, he could feel the morning sunlight on his face. "Thoth, would you see if the temple servants are about yet? Perhaps it is time we shared our first meal of the day." His sudden change of subject told his protégé that the conversation was ended for the moment and that the seer wished to be alone. Having long since become used to his master's moods, Thoth bowed low and departed.

As Amon-hotep sat quietly in contemplation, the stormclouds seemed to melt from his mind, and as the warmth of the sun increased he sensed the world around him growing brighter and brighter, ever brighter...

He saw the woman. Her image seemed to grow upwards from the very sun itself and at once, to the seer, she seemed as new as the day and as old as time. Short, petite, small-breasted and large-hipped, she possessed an elegant face that looked as though it had been sculpted from the most exquisite marble. Masses of soft, auburn hair cascaded down her naked back and her vibrant turquoise eyes danced merrily with the joy and fullness of life as she gazed warmly in his direction. Her laughter sent a thrill of pure ecstasy leaping across his spine. /Beloved!/ he wanted to cry aloud but checked himself./Who is this vision of unparalleled loveliness?/ he wondered. But although no answer seemed forthcoming, Amon-hotep knew, even as the beauteous vision faded from his astral senses, that he had met the woman before - in previous lives.

In many previous lives...



Tadukhipa rarely if ever disturbed the Mistress of Varuna during her morning meditation, and today was no exception. She stood by patiently as Janakh greeted the dawn, idly wondering what was going through her mother's mind. Had she known, Tadukhipa would have been greatly astonished.

For in the moment when Janakh greeted the sun by gesturing forward with her lithe, bare arms, then raised them, running her fingers through her long, wavy auburn tresses, her meditative vision had sent her a most amazing sight. Rising out of the very sun was the spectre of a man – an ancient of the land of Kemet. Bald, he walked with a staff, with one arm held out in front of him. With a gasp, Janakh understood. The man was physically blind. Yet with that realization came another - the man before her possessed limitless vision, and it was her karma to help him unlock it. The vision promptly faded, and Janakh instantly understood its meaning. She would -

"Your pardon, my lady." Tadukhipa interrupted. "You called out. Is anything amiss?"

Janakh whirled, startled that she had been observed. "No, my dear, all is well. Come, greet the day with me."

At her words, Tadukhipa melted into Janakh's arms, and the two kissed passionately. The women had made love many times before, yet Janakh sensed that this was not the time. Higher forces were at work this day, demanding her obeisance. Reluctantly, she broke free of her daughter. "Shh, calm yourself, my youthful lover! What is the message you bring?"

Tadukhipa sighed and composed herself, her entire body still tingling from her mother's touch. "I bring greetings from the Great Lady, Tiy. She asks you once again to come to her country and teach her court and mystic students what you know of the Sacred Mysteries." She smiled in adoration. "You are quite renowned, you know."

Janakh smiled also, as if basking in a most pleasing memory. "Yes, ever since my journey into the Valley of the Indus, and beyond, when I was initiated into the great and solemn Indian mysteries and took the name of their most famous philosopher-king." She turned and gazed out the window at the steadily-rising sun, recalling her vision. It was a strange and powerfully compelling one, she reflected. She wondered who the old man was. "Tiy has written me on many occasions," she continued aloud, "but I have always felt my place to be here, in Mitanni, serving Holy Varuna and his temple. But now, I think things may have changed. Hmm..." She turned back to the young girl, the memory of their succulent kiss lingering. "Return to the Great Lady of Kemet and tell her I will come. Not immediately, but very soon the time will be right when I will teach all Kemet."

"Yes, my lady. I go."

"Not so fast, my dear little lover!" Janakh laughed. "We have not yet finished greeting the day!" So saying, she took Tadukhipa's hand and led the naked young girl to her bed. They reclined and embraced, their mouths crushed together in furious passion...



Pharaoh Neb-ma'Re Amonhotpe stood silently, observing the growing dawn with casual indifference. He was a complete and utter failure - to his throne, to his wife, to both his sons, and worst of all, to the gods, if indeed they existed at all. He was no longer certain if he cared. He had indeed become The Man Who Was Tired of Life, and there seemed little he could do now to prevent Amon from taking the throne after he departed to the after world. /Hold!/ he thought. /I still need a successor. Since Tiy has denied herself to me, I still have the royal harim, and the right to declare a son born of a harim woman to be king!/ But he rejected the thought almost immediately. Amon would not accept such a king. Besides, nothing but daughters... It seemed hopeless.

But once, Tushratta had given his daughter, Gilukhipa, to him as a secondary wife! The precedent of taking the relative of a foreign monarch to one's bed had already been set! Amonhotpe felt a surge of renewed hope. Though Gilukhipa, too, had never given him a son, perhaps her sister...?

And it would provide fit revenge, too, he thought grimly. Revenge against a son who had rejected him and his policies, and show that son that Pharaoh was still a lion to be reckoned with! He was to see Tushratta and affix his cartouche to the renewal of friendship treaty before he left, and there he would make the formal request. Perhaps he would even make it a condition of signing the document...

The sun was warm on his face as he smiled with sardonic satisfaction. The gods willing, he might yet salvage something for his people out of the shambles of his over-long reign...



The storm-clouds and violent hurricanes haunted the blind seer throughout the long, arduous trek back to Kemet, as the gods denied him even one good night's sleep...