The Sons of Isaac (47 page)

The torches had been extinguished and the great hall was almost clear of people. Only some old hags remained, and they were leisurely sweeping the marble floor with short brooms made of reeds. The fire on the altar was dying down and the golden calf stood gleaming on his pedestal. Bilqis paused to glance in his direction. Suddenly his ruby eyes flashed and glinted, emitting some strange power that seemed to paralyze her.

With a gasp of horror she turned from the fearful sight and hurried out the door and down the marble steps to her palanquin. Once inside she ordered the curtains closed tightly and the bearers to hurry. She had been badly shaken, but by the time she reached the palace she was composed and determined to block the whole episode from her mind.

*  *  *

The next morning when she came to the Hall of Judgment, she noticed it was more crowded than usual. She noticed there were some Egyptians of rank present and she wondered what they would propose. She must remember to save time for them after the usual business of the day.

As she entered, the people fell to the floor in waves, leaving a path down which she walked. Her eunuchs, great black Nubians given her by the Egyptian pharaoh, stood behind her throne while her counselors came and went among the people sorting out the most important cases. With a flourish of standards and the traditional shout of allegiance from the people, she mounted the six steps and seated herself on her throne.

Always at such times she felt the exhilaration of the challenge before her. Her counselors were cultured, learned men who were quick to notice any flaw in her judgment. She could see in their eyes the constant questioning of her ability to hold this exalted position. She could demand nothing of them. She must rule by her wits and she must never take anything for granted.

The morning went quickly and she was satisfied with the judgments she had made. She could see approval in the eyes of some of the older men, and she knew she had not disappointed them. Though her power was absolute and her decisions were final, still she needed this encouragement.

The last case was brought by one of her father’s old counselors. He was loyal and helpful to her for her father’s sake, but he was known as a man to be feared. The man with him was obviously wealthy. “Saiid Majd comes with a complaint against this young man and his mother,” the counselor said.

The counselor had mounted the steps to the throne and was holding his voice to a low level so no one else could hear. “The young man has had the audacity to accuse Saiid Majd of moving the boundary stones at the edge of his property.”

“Let the young man or his mother speak,” Bilqis ordered.

The young man hung back, but his mother pushed him forward. He fell on his knees while everyone laughed at his confusion. “My father left the land to us,” he managed to say before the counselor interrupted.

“You can see, my queen, that this young man is still a child. It’s impossible for him to care for the land, and his mother is incapable of hard labor.”

At this the woman rushed forward and threw herself at the queen’s feet. “Your majesty,” she said, “we are poor people. This piece of land is all my son has as an inheritance. Both of us are willing to work from morning to night.”

“It is better this woman goes back to her father’s house,” the counselor said in clipped tones.

“It is a small parcel of land,” the wealthy man said, shrugging his shoulders.

“It is all my son has from his father. Never will he be able to get more land that is near the dam and well irrigated.”

At this point Bilqis looked at the wealthy man and then at the crowd of her own counselors. It was obvious they cared nothing for the woman’s problem. It had never been expedient to side with the poor. It was settled from the beginning. The woman should never have brought her son. She should never have complained. It was best that she go home to her father.

“It is settled,” Bilqis said. “The marker remains.”

She was pleased to see the instant approval on the faces of her counselors and the gloating look of triumph that passed over the wealthy man’s face. She had made what they all considered a wise decision.

She hardly noticed the woman and her son leaving the hall of judgment as Saiid Hajd knelt before her in gratitude and her chief adviser, Aidel, leaned forward and whispered, “Very wise, my queen. The boy and his mother have no influence or position while this man can be of great service to you. Wisdom means using your power to gain the greatest advantage to yourself.”

Bilqis did not answer but instead ordered her eunuchs to clear the audience chamber of everyone but her chief counselors. The cases that had not been dealt with would have to wait until the next day. She had other, more important business to tend to. It had been whispered that an Egyptian officer of rank waited in the vestibule with urgent news from the pharaoh.

In the confusion and turmoil that followed as the people were led from the hall, she found herself thinking again of her uncle and the tribesmen who were pressuring her to marry. “I’ll never marry that weak, sniveling cousin. It’ll serve them right if I surprise them and choose Ilumquh instead.”

She saw that her uncle and cousin had remained with her counselors. This was their right, but it irritated her. Her resolve was firming to meet the god himself. To bear a son by that god. What power that would give her son. She couldn’t even imagine what such an encounter would be like. She ran her hand over the leopard-skin covering of the cushion she sat on. Here in Sheba their emblem was the leopard, and on festive occasions she wore the skin with the head fitted over one shoulder and the smooth, spotted hide draped down over her back. Leopards weren’t afraid of anything, and neither was she. Even the god’s lustful, ruby eyes were not going to frighten her.

Slowly she became aware of the silence that filled the room and realized her counselors were all assembled and waiting. With a nod of her head the trumpets were raised and the great doors opened, revealing a group of richly dressed men surrounding a fat, balding dignitary that was obviously the Egyptian ambassador.

As usual they prostrated themselves before the throne and had brought an array of elegant gifts from the pharaoh. Finally, as the pages and slaves moved back, Bilqis invited the ambassador to join her at the throne.

When he was at last settled and had delivered his pharaoh’s greetings and small personal messages, he proceeded to pull a scroll of papyrus from an intricately decorated silver case hung on his girdle. With great deliberation he unrolled it and handed it to one of the scribes to read.

The message was more direct and less flowery than usual, and the whole assembly was impressed with the urgency of the pharaoh’s concern. “A certain king named Solomon is planning to bypass the old trade routes,” the scribe began and proceeded to read at length all that the pharaoh had gleaned from the threatening venture.

When the scribe had finished, Bilqis spoke slowly and deliberately. “I know of this king and have heard rumors of this venture. He is famous for his wisdom and rules in a mountainous area very far from the sea. I would think it impossible for him to find men to build the ships, master the monsoons, and find the merchandise.”

“The pharaoh has definite proof that the ships have already been built and have made at least one voyage down the Red Sea.”

“May I ask what proof he has?”

Here the ambassador leaned over so the court could not hear him as he whispered, “It is on the best authority. The pharaoh’s sister is married to Solomon and reports everything that happens to her brother.”

“She is a spy.”

“You might say so.”

“Does Solomon know?”

“Of course not. He loves and trusts her.”

“And what does the pharaoh suggest we do?”

“It is quite simple. If all of us along the various trade routes band together and hold firm, we can defeat him and bring his fancy plans to naught.”

“And?”

“If it comes to war we will march together. He cannot stand against us.”

“I would like to think there is a better way.”

The ambassador looked puzzled. “It would be hard to find a better way, but we are always ready to listen.”

“I have no plan right now. Now is the time to gather facts. We must find out all we can about the fleet of ships and even the king that has dared attempt such a thing. Perhaps nothing will come of it.”

“And if no other way can be found?”

For a moment Bilqis was silent, studying his face. When she spoke it was with strength and determination. “Then we will cast our lot with Egypt. We have no other choice.”

With a few other formalities she dismissed the ambassador and his men. They would be well entertained, and in the meantime she was determined to glean more information. Turning to one of the pages, she ordered, “I have been told the camel driver named Badget has again been seen at the gate. Go find him for me. I want to talk to him.” With that she dismissed them with a wave of her hand.

The two sleek, well-groomed leopards were led out by their trainers, the banners were taken from their sockets by eunuchs, and the palace guards lowered their spears as they walked in front of the queen leaving the Nubians to march in formation behind her.

*  *  *

Late that night Badget was found sitting by the fire at the local inn talking to some of the other traders. He was at first frightened and then pleased to hear that the queen wanted to see him. “She wants to hear certain news of your king,” he was told by the messenger. Badget was always ready to spread the news he gained on his travels and to be called by the queen would give him more to tell in the future.

The queen had decided to receive him in the informal atmosphere of her outdoor pavilion. Badget found her seated on a dais covered with leopard skins. A taster sipped from a silver goblet and then handed it to the queen.

Bilqis drank slowly from the goblet but kept her eyes on Badget, who had fallen prostrate on the ground before her with his head touching the ground. As she handed the goblet back to the servant, she motioned to Badget. “You may rise,” she said.

Badget scrambled to his feet and took the seat she had prepared for him on the ground before the dais. “I am at your service,” he said in his most contrite manner.

“I see that you are used to appearing before royalty.”

“I’ve had my opportunities,” he said, trying hard to keep from smiling his pleasure.

“Tell me, has this king of yours really sailed ships down the Red Sea?”

“They have made their first trip, your highness.”

“But the storms and winds of the monsoons. Is he not afraid of them?”

Badget’s eyes grew large. Here was an opportunity to brag. “Your highness, this is no problem to one such as Solomon. He controls the rains and keeps the four winds in bags under his throne.”

“Come now. He is certainly a human being and not a god.”

“Aye, he is not a god, but he knows the god’s secrets and that is even better than being a god.”

“Tell me, how does he rule his people?”

“I can’t rightly say. It’s a bit of a mystery. He doesn’t need anyone to taste his food. That I do know.” Badget nodded in the direction of the queen’s taster.

The queen was immediately interested. “How can that be? Is he not afraid of poison? Does he have some medicine that is stronger than the poison?”

“No, it is not that. Though I’m sure he could do that too if he wanted to.”

“Doesn’t he have any enemies?”

“Oh yes. He has enemies, but not the kind your highness has.”

“What do you mean?”

Badget hesitated and then explained. “I was in the palace today and saw the wealthy fellow who had moved the land marker. Solomon wouldn’t have decided it that way.”

Now Bilqis was leaning forward with real interest. “What would this perfect king have done?”

“Why, he would have decided for the boy and his mother. The ones who owned the land.”

“I don’t understand? Why would he have done that?”

“There are laws, rules, even the king has to obey them in my country.”

Bilqis laughed a hearty, ringing laugh. “The king has to obey? I don’t obey anyone.” She ran her hand over the leopard skin and tossed her head defiantly.

“Well, the difference is the law. Some things are right and some wrong and the law tells you which are which.”

Again Bilqis laughed. “How ridiculous. What I say is right. I am the queen.”

“Well, all I can say is that he has no taster. If someone gets angry at a decision he makes, they blame the law not him.”

“What a strange country and what a strange king. He is so powerful he controls the winds in bags under his throne and yet he must obey laws.”

The queen seemed to be deep in thought. Badget shifted uneasily. He was no match for the queen. She spent a few moments with her fingers drumming on the arm of the chair and then stood up. “Badget,” she said, “I believe your name is Badget, don’t return home to your country until I give my permission. I am not through with you yet.”

She left the pavilion trailing the three slaves and five Nubians in her wake. She left the Nubians at the door of her apartments and the slaves followed her to the door of the inner chamber. “Bring Najja to me,” she ordered as she went to the balcony that overlooked the lush gardens of her private grounds.

Just as she had known, Ilumquh was totally gone from the sky. “Where did he go? Why must he always desert them?” She drew her robes tighter around her, a cool breeze had come up quite suddenly. It was the dark of the moon and on just such a breeze as this that the Afreet and Jinn traveled to work their evil magic on human beings.

With a bang she closed the shuttered doors and leaned against them. Only one lamp burned beside her couch. The corners of the room were dark, but through the open door came rays of light and the soft murmuring of her women. Her hands moved to clutch the jeweled scabbard of the short sword hanging from her girdle. It was made of iron, and the Jinn could not touch her as long as she wore it.

She had ordered a double watch at the dam and the priests would offer sacrifices and pray all night. The golden bull would stand in the midst of the temple and frighten away the evil spirits. “Najja,” she called and immediately heard one of the outer doors slam.