Salvation in the Sun (The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  The Lost Pharaoh Chronicles

  Salvation in the Sun

  Lauren Lee Merewether

  Edited by

  Spencer Hamilton

  CreateSpace

  Contents

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  GLOSSARY

  Prologue

  1. The Time of Amun-Re

  2. The Time of Rebirth

  3. The Time of Unrest

  4. The Time of a New Crowning

  5. The Time of Reuniting

  6. The Time of Guilt

  7. The Time of Growth

  8. The Time of Exile

  9. The Time of Death

  10. The Time of Relinquishment

  11. The Time of Pharaoh

  12. The Time of the Aten

  13. The Time of Rebellion

  14. The Time of Aketaten

  15. The Time of Change

  16. The Time of Decline

  17. The Time of Division

  18. The Time of Quarrel

  19. The Time of Wine

  20. The Time of Silence

  21. The Time of Suspicion

  22. The Time of the Son

  23. The Time of Lies

  24. The Time of Obsession

  25. The Time of Plague

  26. The Time of Torture

  27. The Time of Desperation

  28. The Time of Betrayal

  Epilogue

  A LOOK INTO THE PAST

  WHAT DID YOU THINK?

  EXCLUSIVE READER OFFER

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  For Mark

  Copyright © 2018 Lauren Lee Merewether

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  ISBN: 1523205881

  ISBN-13: 978-1523205882

  Created with Vellum

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  GLOSSARY

  CONCEPTS / ITEMS

  Deben – weight of measure equal to about 91 grams

  Dynasties – Old Kingdom, then Middle Kingdom, then New Kingdom (where this story takes place)

  Eagle-Omens – ancient belief that an eagle either represented in dreams or spotted in real life can signify importance in dream-interpretation and prophecy

  Hedjet – white crown worn by Egyptian regents of the 18th dynasty

  Ka – spirit

  Modius – the crown for a Queen

  Pharaoh - the modern day term for the ruler or King of Ancient Egypt

  Pshent – the great double crown of Pharaoh

  Sed Festival – celebration of Pharaoh’s thirty-year reign, and then every 3–4 years

  Shendyt – a pleated royal apron or skirt lined with gold, worn by Pharaoh

  Sidelock – a long lock of hair above the ear, kept despite a shaved head, to signify childhood; is usually braided

  Sistrum – a musical instrument of the percussion family, chiefly associated with ancient Iraq and Egypt

  Vizier – chief royal advisor to Pharaoh

  GODS

  Amun – premiere god of Egypt in the Middle Kingdom

  Amun-Re – a name given to show the duality of Amun and Re (the hidden god and the sun) to appease both priesthoods during the early part of the New Kingdom

  Aten – the sun-disc god of Egypt (referred to as “The Aten”); a minor aspect of the sun god, Re

  Bes – Egyptian god of childbirth

  Ptah – Egyptian god of creation, art, and fertility

  Re – premiere god of Egypt in the Old Kingdom; the sun god; in the early part of the New Kingdom, Pharaohs began to associate with Amun rather than Re

  Tawaret – Egyptian goddess of childbirth

  PLACES

  Aketaten – Egyptian city of modern-day area of Amarna

  Akhe-Aten – necropolis for the city of Aketaten

  Ipet-isut – modern-day Karnak of Thebes, “The Most Selected of Places”

  Malkata – palace of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Men-nefer – Egyptian city of modern-day Memphis

  Saqqara – necropolis for the city of Men-nefer

  Waset – Egyptian city of modern-day Luxor

  PEOPLE

  Aburiash (“Burnaburiash”) – King of Babylon

  Ainamun – steward of Kiya

  Aitye – steward of Nefertiti

  Alashiya – King of Cyprus

  Amenhotep III – father of Amenhotep IV and Thutmose III

  Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten – second son of Amenhotep III and Tiye

  Anen – Second Prophet of Amun; brother to Tiye and Ay

  Ankhesenpaaten – daughter of Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Ay – Nefertiti’s father; brother to Tiye and Anen

  Beketaten – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Beset – priest who performed burial preparations for the deceased

  Henuttaneb – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Horemheb – Egyptian Military Commander; future Pharaoh

  Huy – vizier to Pharaoh for Lower Egypt

  Huya – steward of Tiye

  Iset – daughter and royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Jabari – chief royal guard

  Kasmut – daughter of Anen

  Kiya – Mitanni princess sent to seal foreign relations through marriage to Pharaoh

  Maya – First Prophet of Amun; succeeded Meryptah

  Meketaten – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Meritaten – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Meryptah – First Prophet of Amun; highest-ranked prophet of the Amun priesthood cult of Amun

  Merytre – steward of Nefertiti

  Mut (“Mutnedjmet”) – Nefertiti’s half-sister; daughter of Tey and Ay

  Nakht (“Nakhtpaaten”) – vizier to Pharaoh

  Nebetah – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Neferneferuaten Tasherit – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Neferneferure – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Nefertiti / Neferneferuaten-Nefertiti / Neferneferuaten – daughter of Ay, chief royal wife of Pharaoh

  Negral – Babylonian warlord

  Paaten (“Paatenemheb”) – Egyptian military general

  Pawah – Fifth Prophet of Amun

  Ramose – vizier to Pharaoh for the Upper Egypt

  Satau – treasurer to Pharaoh

  Setepenre – daughter of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Sitamun – daugh
ter and royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

  Smenkare – Sitamun’s son

  Temehu – Nefertiti’s mother

  Tey – Nefertiti’s wet nurse and step-mother

  Thutmose – firstborn son of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and Queen Tiye

  Tiye – chief royal wife of Pharaoh Amenhotep III; sister to Ay and Anen

  Tutankhaten – son of Pharaoh Amenhotep IV / Akhenaten

  Wennefer – First Prophet of Amun during the reign of Pharaoh Horemheb

  Prologue

  Pharaoh Horemheb observed the five prophets’ pale faces: lips, trembling with victory; eyes, tinged with triumph. Their wicked deeds would soon be erased once he signed the edict laid before him. The reed brush drizzled ink into a slosh on the table as he held it, re-reading the papyrus scroll for the fifth time. His stomach turned over on itself and heaviness pressed into his chest.

  It will be better for Pharaoh and for Egypt if future generations did not remember the heretic line of Pharaohs before and the wickedness of the priesthood, he reminded himself. The sharp intake of breath behind him made him grip the brush harder. His wife and queen, Mut, stood there. He felt her tears as his own, but he was in the wolves’ den and so hardened his will. In his hand, he held the legacy of those who came before him. Pushing the chair back, he stood up with a graceful grandeur and placed the brush in its well.

  The five prophets of Amun leaned forward in their seats, gnashed their teeth, ready to pounce, but Pharaoh Horemheb raised his hand to silence them. His guards stood at either side, spears in hand and swords sheathed.

  “You said you would sign,” one of the pale faces said in the silent moments after. “For the greater of E—”

  “There are none greater than Pharaoh.” His stare cut through the tension in the room, centering on the one who had spoken; the man drew his jaw in and forced his lips closed. “Before we sentence the past to death, you”—he raised his finger to all five prophets in the room—“you will remember.”

  Wennefer, the First Prophet of Amun, narrowed his eyes at Pharaoh. “But we all know the past. It is for the future generations to not know about the weakness of Akhenaten or the transgressions of those who opposed him. It is for Egypt.”

  “You will hold your tongue, First Prophet.” Pharaoh’s glare met Wennefer’s equal. The two most powerful men of Egypt stood, seeing who would break their stare first. Finally, Pharaoh struck him down. “I, Pharaoh, the sole divine ruler of all of Egypt, appointed you, Wennefer, as First Prophet of Amun, and I can remove you.”

  Wennefer’s upper lip twitched, but he slowly bowed to Pharaoh and then took his seat. “As Pharaoh says.”

  The other four prophets’ faces became paler. This Pharaoh would keep his reclaimed power over their leader.

  “By signing this edict . . .” Pharaoh Horemheb’s finger jammed again and again into the papyrus on the table. “By signing this, Pharaoh is condemning the memory of those now gone to eternal erasure, damning their memories to the bottom of the Nile, never to be seen again.”

  “Yes, Pharaoh,” the prophets muttered. A few eyes began to roll and a few heads began to shake, but at the hot glare of Pharaoh, all movement ceased.

  I just threatened their leader; they so easily forget, Pharaoh Horemheb thought.

  “We discussed this edict. It is what is needed,” Wennefer said to Pharaoh as the other prophets nodded and murmured in agreement.

  “And yet you feel no remorse.” Pharaoh’s eyes were centered on Wennefer, but his words were to all. “I, Pharaoh, have seen your drooling, your dancing feet, your hunger for this everlasting punishment to be pronounced. You, oh great, wise prophets of Amun—you desire this . . . but you are no better than those we are about to erase. You do not deserve to be remembered. Your wickedness lives on, but your deeds will be covered.”

  Pharaoh Horemheb’s voice was no more than a whisper, yet strong enough to move mountains, causing Wennefer to shake at the knees and sit back down. They all muttered indecipherable words to explain away their demeanor.

  Once again Pharaoh silenced them. “Only because this history undermines the power of Pharaoh—not just in the eyes of our own but also those of our foreign allies and enemies—will I, Pharaoh, sign it.”

  Queen Mut let out a despairing breath behind him. He forced himself to ignore her.

  “But first,” he continued, “we will remember those to be denied a place in history. We will know the truth, and we will acknowledge they lived and breathed. They are worthy of much more than this pitiful end. You will remember, and their lives will stay with you until the day you die. They will weigh heavy on your hearts, and they will haunt your minds even as you journey to the afterlife.”

  A silence settled in the room, inching its way further inside the bones of those attending there.

  “As . . . Pharaoh . . . says.” Wennefer clenched his jaw and crossed his arms over his chest. Leaning back, he nodded his head. “Where shall we begin with this . . . chronicling?”

  Looking to the statue of Amun standing behind the prophets, Pharaoh drew in a deep breath. Amun had granted him his victory. “We shall begin with Pharaoh Akhenaten and the birth of his beloved . . . Queen Nefertiti,” Pharaoh said as he rested back into his chair.

  Queen Mut’s hand came to his shoulder, as if to thank him for starting with her half-sister.

  Chapter 1

  The Time of Amun-Re

  Outside, the rock’s ashes blew under the sun spells of the earth. The fiery winds whistled, carrying the cries of a newborn babe. Death crept and life blossomed. A mother whispered, “Her name shall mean ‘The beautiful one is come.’ ”

  Stroking the baby’s buttery soft cheeks, the nurse Tey cradled the little girl, letting the mother hold the baby’s tiny hand. With a soft whisper, Tey crooned, “Your name shall be Nefertiti . . . the Beautiful One . . . a name worthy of your mother’s legacy.”

  Temehu smiled in the last moment of her life. A midwife placed aside the statues of Bes and Tawaret and closed Temehu’s eyes, telling her to dream of life with Amun-Re.

  Nefertiti let go of her mother’s hand, and it fell with a thud. As if sensing her mother’s death, Nefertiti’s little brow furrowed, and cries came forth.

  Tey hummed an enchanting melody, forcing a smile even as the midwives and servant girls in the room wailed in mourning. She carried Nefertiti from that room filled with death and with life, toward the master’s bedchambers; it was time for her to be blessed by her father, Ay, brother of the Queen of Egypt. She slowed to a stop as Nefertiti fell asleep in her arms.

  As she looked at the closed doors to the bedchambers, that morning’s breakfast grumbled in her stomach and bile rose in her throat.

  Temehu, her master . . . so kind and loving . . . was gone. Dead.

  Tey had now inherited the duty to tell Temehu’s husband that he would never see his wife again.

  The servant boy opened the door for her. She swallowed and walked inside Ay’s bedchambers.

  “Ay,” Tey murmured as her tears finally fell.

  Ay turned to scold her for not using his official title, but at the sight of her watery eyes he held his breath, fearing the worst. “Temehu . . . or the child?” Ay asked, leaning the full weight of his body onto the dressing table. His eyes scanned the baby bundle she held with sudden dread.

  “Scribe of Pharaoh, Overseer of Pharaoh’s Horses . . . your chief wife,” Tey said as Ay closed his eyes, hating himself for wishing Tey’s next words regarded the baby instead. “Your Thousand Splendid Suns, your Temehu, has passed from this life.”

  Our Temehu . . . my Temehu, she thought.

  Ay clenched his fists and blew out the air he held captive in his chest. Sliding his fist to his forehead to shield his tears’ escape, his strong shoulders slumped. His heart fell into his stomach as if someone had dealt a blow to the core of his soul. He had but one wife, Temehu; he longed for no other woman. The other men of his stature had many wives with one chief wife, but he had
only Temehu . . . his one, his cherished, his beloved.

  Wanting no witnesses to his pain—his weakness—he bellowed, “LEAVE!” The blast of his yell defeated the candlelight on the table, and his servants scurried out of his bedchambers.

  Tey made a bold decision and remained. The doors closed behind her.

  Ay pulled off his wig and fell to his knees. He let out a guttural moan and slammed his hands into the dresser, not noticing Tey still stood at his door. He examined his wig’s intricate human hair braids interwoven with golden beads as the sweet smell of perfume reached his nostrils. His hand grazed his bald head as he threw the wig off to his side. Years of working to obtain an official’s wig meant nothing now.

  “Scribe of Pha—”

  “I said leave!” he spat through his teeth as he spun to face her. The moonlight glistened on his tear-stained face. The shadows in the room hid the smudged kohl surrounding his eyes, but as he spoke, the same kohl revealed itself as it began to streak down his cheeks.

  Tey could understand his anger at the life he had been handed. She wanted to collapse to the floor as if it were her own; instead she stood strong for her master’s husband and walked toward him.

  “Leave, I said!” Ay entreated her once more.