Queen of the Heavens (34 page)

“With this I can heal Ramesses.”

Itet looked up at me. “The talisman is the tool that can make a healing possible, but it is your love that will heal your son.”

I snatched a small bottle of lotus oil from my dressing table and ran to Ramesses’ bedside.

“Itet sits in my chambers,” I told Nebet. “She looks like a wretch, but she is divine. You will stay with her, and treat her as you would me.”

“My Lady, Ramesses’ breath has stopped,” Nebet said as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I should stay with you.”

“I will attend to my son. You attend to the old woman.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, Nebet,” I snapped. “Leave now. I must be alone with Ramesses.”

I removed my mantle and slipped the straps of my dress over my shoulders and arms, baring my breasts. I anointed my heart center with lotus oil and poured the rest of the liquid in the bottle over Ramesses’ chest. I placed the cord holding the
ankh
around my neck and lowered my body across my son’s, our heart centers opposite each other with only the
ankh
between us.

I felt a tingling in my lower spine that expanded down my legs and upward into my torso, then down my arms. Brilliant white light streamed through my crown and my body grew hot as a fire.

Each time you have drawn your bow, you have opened your heart a bit wider, my son. Now open your heart more widely than ever before and accept my love and the love of the Cosmos as it passes through the carnelian and into you, multiplied a thousand-fold by the power of the ankh.

My body shuddered, as did Ramesses’, and the earth quaked beneath us. As love flowed into my son, a great whirlwind formed at our chests, and before me appeared the magnificent pattern I had seen as a child, on the night Isis entered my being. It was the Flower of Life, with many circles, each containing six petals of shifting colors. I was a petal, and my son a petal next to me.

The Flower of Life began to swirl faster and faster, as it had before, forming a great and powerful vortex. My petal became one with my son’s petal, and as our consciousness passed through the vortex, we became one with all things in a realm of perfect peace and bliss.

As water from a jar poured into the Nile becomes the sacred river, I have become the Cosmos. If this is death, I am reborn.

Time did not matter, for there was no time. Death did not matter, for there is no death. I was not in eternity. I was eternity.

When the swirling began again in the opposite direction, I did not object.

I must return, for my role in the Divine Pageant is not yet complete.

When the swirling stopped, I found myself under a linen covering, lying in a bed. I opened my eyes and saw an apparition standing nearby. As it took solid form, joy filled my heart as I beheld Ramesses looking down upon me.

“You are so beautiful, Mother. I love you.”

XXXIII

“Ramesses. You have returned to me.”

“Yes, Mother, and you have returned to me. Two days ago, I awoke to find you slumped across my chest, all but dead. Father told me what happened. I owe my life to you. Again.”

As my eyes cleared, I realized I lay in my chambers, brought there no doubt by my servants. A gentle breeze blew in from the terrace, carrying to my nostrils the scent of sandalwood from incense burning on a table nearby. I reached out to my son, who took my hand. He still wore a bandage around his head.

“Your wound. How is it?” I asked.

“A physician visited me this morning to apply an unguent of oil and honey. He was amazed how quickly the wound was healing. It hardly bothers me at all.”

I tried to sit up, but was so weak I could not do so without my son’s assistance. He placed a cushion behind my back, brought a chair to the side of the bed and sat down.

“Twice in the last month I faced death,” Ramesses said, “but for some reason, I’m still alive.”

“Your destiny is not to die young, but to be a great ruler,” I replied. “Sety told me about your encounter with the sand dwellers, but he didn’t say much about the battle with the Hittites, except that you came close to death then as well.”

Ramesses beamed. “It was so exciting, Mother. At one point, the Hittites surprised us and attacked our rear. The bowmen in the chariots sent hail upon hail of arrows into our ranks, which we returned in equal measure. I’m sure I killed some Hittites with my own arrows. Many of the soldiers around me died, but I didn’t suffer a scratch.”

“I asked Sekhmet to protect you against the Hittites,” I said, “but I failed to ask her to protect you against your other enemies. Had I done so, the sand dwellers would not have harmed you.”

“Sekhmet was with me then, too. I’m sure of it. Dazed by the clubbing, I rolled over on the ground and looked up as my foe delivered a second blow. Somehow he missed, and hit the ground a hair’s breadth from my head.” Ramesses raised a hand as if wielding a weapon. “As he prepared to strike for a third time, one of our soldiers thrust a spear into his side. Had Sekhmet not been with me, my skull would have been crushed.”

I shuddered as I listened to Ramesses’ harrowing tale. I already had lost one son and could not have borne the anguish of losing another. Silently, I thanked the lion goddess for keeping Ramesses alive so I could later heal him.

“Sekhmet was with Father, too,” Ramesses continued. “He led the army into battle bravely. We regained much of our land. Someday we’ll march eastward again to take back the rest.”

“Where is your father now?”

“At the Great Temple of Amun, giving thanks to the gods for my life and our victory against the Hittites, and asking them to save you. I’ll go to the temple and tell him you have awakened.”

“First seek out a crippled old woman named Itet.”

“Is she the wretch staying in the palace?”

“Yes. Have you met?”

“I’ve seen Nebet waiting on her, but we haven’t spoken. Why is she here?”

“Do you remember the story I told you of the woman who interpreted my dream as I journeyed to Thebes to join your father as his wife?”

“Of course.”

“Itet is that woman. The other evening, she interpreted another of my dreams, which enabled me to heal you. Don’t be misled by Itet’s appearance, for she is divine. Thank Itet, then ask her to come here.”

Ramesses gave me a hug. “I will, Mother. Now get some rest.”

After a while, Itet entered the room, walking with a cane and leaning on Nebet.

“Why do you struggle so?” I asked. “The soldiers would have carried you here in a chair as they did before.”

“I’m a simple woman, My Lady. I prefer to walk and stand before you so I can give Egypt’s Queen a proper bow.”

Itet bent from the waist as best she could. I nodded to her. “That is sufficient. Now you will sit.”

Nebet helped Itet into the chair, and then retired to a corner of the room.

“Are you being treated well?”

“Like royalty. Your servant has been most kind, and even the young Prince stopped by to thank me and wish me well. He’s a fine lad, and quite polite. You should be proud of him.”

“I am. Because of you he will live to become Pharaoh.”

“I played but a small role in his recovery, My Lady. He owes his life to you, not me.”

“Don’t be so modest, Itet. As a reward, you will live in luxury on the palace grounds for the rest of your life and be treated with the respect you are due.”

A glum expression crossed Itet’s face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I’ve enjoyed your hospitality, My Lady, but such a life is not for me. I’m an old woman who soon will receive a gift of peace all the wealth of Egypt cannot purchase. If you insist, I will stay at the palace, but I would prefer to live out my days in my home in Dendera. Friends there will care for me as I pass from the earthly realm.”

Itet’s words humbled me. The splendor of the palace had never brought me happiness. My joy came from my children and the intermittent sense of tranquility brought by the Neters, not from the luxury afforded to me as Queen. Why would Itet be any different?

“As you wish, but there must be something you will accept for your services. Name what you desire.”

Itet thought for a moment. “A fine wooden coffin for my mummy.”

“You will have it, along with a granite sarcophagus and a magnificent tomb. I also will endow
ka
priests to pray for you throughout the ages. People should know of your greatness and honor you as they do Imhotep.”

“My Lady,” Itet said with shock in her voice. “My name should not be spoken in the same breath with Imhotep’s. The great architect and physician became a god.”

“You, too, are divine. Your gift of interpretation is too great for you to be anything else.”

Itet bowed her head. “If someone else were to tell me this, I would say they misjudge my importance, but I will not argue with a Queen, or question the word of Isis.”

“Give me your hand,” I said. “May the Neters watch over you throughout eternity.”

The love flowing from Itet’s eyes entered my soul.

“Though I’m a crippled old woman whose ugliness causes most people to turn away in disgust, the Neters have always blessed me. May the Neters bless you and your family as well.”

Nebet helped Itet from the chair. My eyes became misty. “This will be our last meeting.”

Itet smiled. “Perhaps in this world, My Lady, but we’ll meet again in the next.”

Nebet left with Itet, but my servant soon returned with mint tea and fish broth. I drank a bit of both, then fell asleep, awakening again at dusk when I felt a presence in the room. To my surprise, Sety sat at my bedside. He spoke softly.

“How do you feel, Tuya?”

“My strength is returning. Are you well?”

“I’m exhausted,” Sety answered. These have been trying times. First I worried Ramesses would die, and then I worried about you.”

“I should think my passing would relieve you of a burden.”

“Don’t speak like that, Tuya. You are a fine Queen and a wonderful mother, who poured her strength into her son without thought of her own life. I should never have doubted you. Ramesses lives because of your … because of Isis’ love and power.”

Sety took my hand and squeezed it. Tears formed in his eyes, and mine. After some moments, he stood, still holding my hand. “We must both rest, Tuya. We will talk more later. Do you need anything?”

“No, but I do have one request of you. Are you aware of the woman named Itet?”

“Yes. Ramesses told me about how she interpreted your dream.”

“She asked only for a wooden coffin for her efforts, but I promised her a granite sarcophagus, a fine tomb and
ka
priests to pray for her soul. After you are rested, meet with Itet and assure her she will have these things.”

“I will see her now, but what do you want, Tuya?”

The question surprised me. “Why would I want anything?”

“On the day we first met, did you not ask for a temple?”

My heart jumped. “Yes, a temple in which Isis could do her healing work.”

“You will have it. At the new Temple of Osiris being built in Abydos you will hold the status of High Priestess and be depicted on the wall as Isis. The fresco will have you wearing your magnificent wig. I will build another temple for the order of healers over which you will preside. You may name the order after Isis, or call it the Order of Tuya if you prefer.”

A few moments passed before I could speak. “The Order of Isis would be more appropriate.”

“Then that is what it will be. You are the Queen of the Heavens, and you will reign as such, in Abydos and throughout the realm.”

As my husband left the room, I settled back down in bed. “The Divine Pageant is magnificent,” I whispered, then closed my eyes and knew peace.

XXXIV

The next morning, I awoke feeling much stronger, and within three days I was well enough to make the trip to Memphis.

The evening before our departure, Ramesses and I joined Sety in his chambers for wine. After a few sips, my husband addressed our son. “In the morning, you will proceed directly to Memphis in a palace boat to assist in the planning of the great march into the city and the festivities to follow.”

“Perhaps I should go with Ramesses and help him,” I said.

“No, Tuya. Ramesses will do fine, and he’ll have plenty of assistance from my aides. You will accompany me to Memphis. I want to stop in several places, but first in Abydos to see how work on the new Temple of Osiris is progressing. I’d like your advice on the design.”

“I’m honored you would seek it.”

“Who better to consult than the woman with the power of Isis? The story of how you healed Ramesses is spreading quickly. Soon all Egypt will know of it.”

“Perhaps Ramesses should come with us. He’s still weak, and I worry about him.”

Ramesses looked perturbed. “Mother, will you never stop treating me like a child? I feel fine.”

“He does seem quite well, Tuya, and I want him to have more responsibility. He must start giving orders and helping me to govern, just as I helped my father.”

“Very well,” I said to Ramesses, “but promise me you won’t exert yourself on your trip down the Nile by trying to harpoon a crocodile or hippopotamus. You need to rest.”

Ramesses fidgeted. “I promise,” he replied in a tone that caused me to wonder how long he would remember his pledge.

The next morning at the river, I bade good-bye to my son and settled into the Queen’s cabin on the Pharaoh’s boat, to enjoy a restful journey myself. The morning after we arrived in Abydos, I donned the
ankh
with the carnelian and joined Sety on deck. As we stepped onto the quay, a hundred priests bowed.

The High Priest stood ahead of the rest. “My Lord, you honor us by your presence. You honor us as well, My Lady. We’ve heard of how you saved young Prince Ramesses’ life. Your power is great, and we praise you for it.”

I glanced at Sety. In the past, he always looked askance at those who acknowledged my abilities, but today he smiled. “Because of her greatness, my wife will occupy a special place in Abydos. I’ve asked for her help in preparing the new Temple of Osiris. Show us the design.”