Blessed Lands Egypt Chapter Twenty Eight
Blessed Lands Egypt
Author: J Carrell Jones
Table of Content
Chapter 28
Theoris watched as Pharaoh moved across the room to his chair. She had to admit, he was exquisite looking. His build was just as good as Honute's.
Pharaoh sat down. "Dr. Theoris, make yourself comfortable."
Theoris sat in a chair across from Pharaoh. Theoris thought it odd for a man to have rooms the size of parks he would have his office the size of a broom closet. It, of course, was larger than a broom closet, but going from cathedral sized rooms to an office the size of her's gave Theoris a cramped near claustrophobic feeling.
"May I call you Theoris?"
She nearly tumbled out of her chair. "Mighty Pharaoh? You never have to ask for such a thing."
He laughed, "My dear Theoris, you may relax around me."
Theoris sat with her back flushed to the chair. She tried to slouch, but came off as someone not comfortable with being relaxed.
Pharaoh laughed again. He smiled and pressed a button on his desk.
A moment later a servant walked in with imported wine from the southern province. It was in a white stone pot. The servant poured the clear wine into stone cups. The wine steamed.
Pharaoh said, "It is called Sake. You sip it. It is hot." Theoris did as instructed. She let it touch her lips and she inhaled lightly. It was warm but slipped over her tongue pleasantly. "Quite good." She said.
Pharaoh nodded. “Next week I have a meeting with Nihongo’s leader. They don’t have Honey wine and we don’t have this Sake. I think it’s a good start.”
Theoris nodded and sipped more of the sake. She was looking forward to seeing it in the stores.
Pharaoh, himself, sipped at his cup. After a moment he put the cup down and sat back. “Theoris, I read your report. It is most enlightening. Particularly the conclusion that Honute may have been the worst candidate for the experiment, emotionally and physiologically. Is he that unstable?”
Theoris thought about the question. “Mighty Pharaoh –“
“Just plain Pharaoh, please.”
Theoris almost said just that but instead bowed her head and continued, “Pharaoh, I think he is stable enough. It seems that his powers work on the instinctual level and when he is deeply upset. His conditioning is extraordinary. I can not distinguish between the before and after without carefully asking specific questions. This Honute is the Honute. The old Honute is gone.”
“That’s your professional opinion?” Pharaoh asked.
Theoris nodded. “It is. I also gut feel it too. I like Honute. He is the humble priest.”
Pharaoh thought for a moment then said, “Tonight at dinner I’m going to put your professional opinion to the test.”
Theoris gasped. “Pharaoh?”
He smiled.
Under different circumstances she would have swooned.
“Ferruk is going to get a surprise. He will be allowed to strike against me. Would Honute instinctively react to save me?”
Theoris swallowed the rest of the wine and put the cup down. Would he? She was ninety-nine percent certain. She nodded, but that one percent nagged viciously at her gut. “I believe he would try and save you.”
Pharaoh laughed. “It’s the word ‘try’ that worries me.” And he laughed harder.
Theoris forced hers. It was the word ‘try’ that worried her as well.
Honute walked into the main dinner room. A huge stone table sat in the middle. Beautifully ornate chairs with carvings of Ma'at, Mut and Bast carved deeply in them surrounded the table. Underneath the table's polished surface lay hand size squares of painted images. Honute read as many as he could see and realized it was Pharaoh's family history. One square outlined the first Cursed Land wars, about 600 years ago, another was a child's poem, probably an original since Honute didn't recognize it. Each square was different and in a way fascinating to read. Pharaoh, himself, assembled the table and it gave an interesting look at the complexities of the man, the living god.
Each place set had a name on it. Pharaoh needed no nameplate. He was at the head of the table. His first-wife on his left, Theoris next to her. There was a place for Arrutyi and Ayruyi - which was very rare. Honute sat immediate right, with Akila next to him. Ferruk was placed at the far end, with Pharaoh's junior wife, Hydrulia. When Ferruk saw that his servants would be eating at the same table as he was did he get perturbed, but when he saw that he was placed at the far end he was insulted. Pharaoh was playing his nerves.
Most of dinner consisted of small chatter. Pharaoh, Akila, Theoris, Drethulia and Hydrulia partook in a liberal amount of wine. Honute sipped. Ayruyi and her father drank water. And Ferruk fumed and passed on most everything. Hydrulia, of course, noticed but did not comment. Ayruyi and Arrutyi noticed as well. Then as the last dinner plate was collected one of the servants brought out a large platter with a top on it. It was placed in front of Ferruk.
Ferruk looked up.
Pharaoh pushed himself away from the table, stood up, and addressed everyone seated. All the servants stood toward the end of the table. “Friends, I'm glad you were able to enjoy the food at my table. The gods have blessed us so well that I thought to share some things with you.” He looked at Theoris and said, “Dr. Theoris has again given the Blessed Lands reason to feel safe. Her work, with the help, of her assistant Akila, has demystified some of the unknowns to magick. With her research we can understand and cultivate this fantastic power.”
Then he turned to Honute, “Our newest family member, Honute. He served us well in the Cursed Land wars, and he will serve us well in our new house.” He turned to Arrutyi and Ayruyi. “Our children have come back to use in full circle.” Then he turned to Ferruk and said, “Ferruk, it has come to our attention that something is amiss. As it has been for a while but everything was not in the light, as it should have been. I am disappointed. We have given you one of the highest titles of the land and you have abused that privilege.”
Ferruk was stunned. Pharaoh had just chastised him in front of everyone.
“Ferruk, when I gave you Arrutyi and Ayruyi my heart was in the grips of pain. I was deeply fond of Ayruyi's mother. When she journeyed over to the underworld it hurt me deeply. And looking into Ayruyi face made me think of her mother. So, with a sad heart I gave them to you because I felt you worthy.” Pharaoh sighed heavily and said, “Even one such as I can misjudge strength of character.”
Ferruk paled and looked sick to his stomach. His worst nightmare was happening.
Pharaoh said, “I take back what I gave. Arrutyi and Ayruyi are no longer your servants. Honute is now their holder.”
Ferruk slammed his fist on the table.
Several guards ran up behind him but Pharaoh told them to stay back. “Lift the cover off the plate.”
Ferruk stared with his jaw clenched.
Pharaoh roared at the top of his lungs, “Take the cover off or I will strike you dead.”
Ferruk was startled. He fumbled for the cover and yanked it off. It clattered somewhere in the background. Ferruk stared at the contents. All his important papers, documents, and contracts. Printouts of bank statements with areas circled red. And a large knife sat nestled on top. Ferruk looked up to Pharaoh. His eyes puffed and watery.
Everyone on that side of the table got up and moved toward the front.
Pharaoh leaned forward. “The knife is for you, Ferruk. I have voided all your contracts and emptied out your bank account. Your property is mine. You have nothing left but your shame. What are you going to do?”
Tears started streaming down Ferruk’s face. He was hit by an uncontrollable fit of tears and couldn’t stop. He picked up the knife and pointed the blade at his heart. He looked at each person in the eye and then suddenly flung the blade at Pharaoh.
It was a split second really. Not enough time to even blink, but for Honute it took nearly forever. He saw Ferruk grab the blade and recoil his arm. Then the arm came down and forward and the knife twirled and twisted slowly in the air – it really was a bad throw, but Honute hadn’t thought that at the time, just only in retrospect. A foot before the point of the blade rotated down to hit Pharaoh in the face Honute held out his hand. He felt a burning sensation at his finger tips and just as the knife blade touched his hand the metal melted. It and the hilt landed hard on the table.
Ferruk was shocked. To his mind the throw had been perfect. It would have hit Pharaoh in the face, but somehow it didn’t. He looked at Honute and for the first time in a while he was afraid. The Oracle’s declaration, “He will kill you” resonated in his mind.
Everyone looked at the Pharaoh, the now solid splotch of metal on the table and a wide-eyed Honute.
Pharaoh turned to Honute and said, “High Priest Honute, Vizier of the Middle Regions, Friend of the Royal Family, and the Right hand of Pharaoh, thank you.”
The guards hauled Ferruk away.
Honute fainted.