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Ramses: The lady of abu simbel 207
tion, not to mention the brick storerooms, the library, and
the priests quarters.
Planted in Year Two of Ramses reign, the Ramesseum s
acacia tree had also grown amazingly fast. The lacy foliage
was already providing welcome shade. Nefertari stroked the
young tree s trunk.
The king and queen swept through the main courtyard.
Awestruck, the stoneworkers laid down their mallets and
chisels to watch them.
After conferring with their foremen, Ramses quizzed
each of the men about the problems encountered. The king
had not forgotten the thrilling weeks he spent in Gebel el-
Silsila as an adolescent; he had once even hoped to make a
career of stonework. To these men he promised a special
bonus: wine and top-quality clothing.
The royal couple continued on their way to Seti s memo-
rial chapel. Suddenly Nefertari froze, clutching at her heart.
Danger . . . it s very near.
Here, in this temple? Ramses asked in amazement.
The moment passed. Then the king and queen ap-
proached the chapel where prayers for Seti s soul would be
offered for all eternity.
Don t touch the door, Ramses. The danger is there,
behind it. Let me open it.
Nefertari nudged the gilded wooden door.
On the threshold lay a carnelian eye, smashed into sev-
eral fragments. By Seti s statue at the back of the chapel was
a red ball made from the hair of desert animals.
Invested with the power of Isis, the great magician-
goddess, the queen put the eye back together. If the king s
foot had touched the shattered and desecrated object, he
would have been instantly paralyzed. Then Nefertari bun-
208 Christian Jacq
dled the red ball in the hem of her dress, not letting it touch
her fingers, and carried it outside where it could be burned.
The evil eye, the couple agreed. That was what some
dark villain had dared to use in an attempt to sever the link
between Seti and Ramses, reducing the Lord of the Two
Lands to a simple despot, without benefit of his prede-
cessor s supernatural counsel.
Who but Shaanar, thought Ramses, could be so
depraved? Who but Shaanar and his sorcerer accomplice?
Who else would be so determined to destroy what his own
grudging heart could never hold?
thirty-four
oses hesitated.
He had to accomplish his mission from Yahweh,
M
but now he was stymied. There was no way around the fact
that Ramses would never capitulate. Moses knew the King
of Egypt well enough to realize that when he said he con-
sidered the Hebrews an integral part of his country s
society, he meant it. And he would act on it.
Yet the concept of an exodus was gaining ground; day by
day, resistance to the prophet s cause weakened. Many
thought that Moses special relationship with Ramses would
Ramses: The lady of abu simbel 209
make it easier to win his approval. One by one, the tribal
chieftains had come around. The last time the elders met,
there was no opposition when Aaron presented Moses as the
leader of the Hebrew people, united in faith and purpose.
Now that the rifts were healed, the prophet had only one
more enemy to overcome: Ramses the Great.
Aaron interrupted Moses meditation.
A brickmaker is asking to see you.
Take care of him, will you?
He won t talk to anyone but you.
What about?
Promises he says you made him in the past. He has faith
in you.
Show him in.
With a white band securing the short black wig that cov-
ered the forehead but left the ears exposed, Moses caller
had a deep tan, a short beard, and a ragged mustache. He
looked more or less like any other Hebrew brickmaker.
Yet something about him set off an alarm. Moses had
seen this man before.
What do you want from me?
We used to share the same ideals.
Ofir!
Yes, Moses, it s me.
You ve changed.
I m a wanted man.
With good reason, I ve heard. Is it true you re a Hittite
spy?
I won t deny I worked for the Hittites, but my network
has been destroyed and they no longer pose such a threat to
Egypt.
Then you lied to me. You were only using me to get at
Ramses!
210 Christian Jacq
No, Moses. We both believe in a single all-powerful
God. Now that I ve worked with the Hebrews, I m con-
vinced it can only be Yahweh.
You fooled me once. Why should I believe you this
time?
Even if you doubt my sincerity, I ll serve your cause. It s
the only one worthy of being served. I seek no personal
reward, mind you only salvation.
Moses was confused. Have you renounced your belief
in Aton?
I realize now that Aton was only a glimpse of the True
God. Now that I ve seen the light, I ve put the past behind
me.
What happened to that young woman you were hoping
to bring to power?
She was brutally murdered, and I was deeply upset by it.
The Egyptian police accused me of a horrible crime I didn t
commit. I took the tragedy as a sign. Today you re the only
man who can stand up to Ramses. That s why I ll support
you for all I m worth.
What do you want, Ofir?
To help you spread the belief in Yahweh, nothing
more.
Do you know that Yahweh intends my people to make
an exodus?
It s a grandiose vision, and I approve. If it entails the
fall of Ramses and the arrival of the true faith in Egypt, I ll
be overjoyed.
But once you re a spy, aren t you always a spy?
I no longer have any contact with the Hittites, and
they re in the throes of a power struggle. That part of my
life is over. You represent the future, Moses; you re my
hope.
Ramses: The lady of abu simbel 211
How do you think you can help me?
Fighting Ramses won t be easy. My experience with the
occult could be useful.
My people simply want to leave Egypt, not rebel against
Ramses.
What s the difference, Moses? You re challenging
Ramses, however you look at it. He ll reply in kind.
In his heart of hearts, the Hebrew had to admit that Ofir
spoke the truth.
I need time to think.
I leave it up to you, Moses. But let me offer one bit of
advice. Don t try anything while Ramses is gone on his
journey. You may be able to negotiate with him, but his
lackeys, Ahmeni and Serramanna not to mention his
mother will prove much less indulgent toward your
people. To maintain public order, they ll call for a bloody
repression. Let s make use of the royal couple s absence to
solidify our cause, convince the fainthearted, and gird our-
selves for the inevitable conflict.
Ofir s determination impressed Moses. While not con-
vinced he should enlist the sorcerer, there was no denying
the soundness of his advice.
The Theban chief of police insisted that his men had
spared no effort in tracking Shaanar and his potential
accomplices. Ramses had given them a description of the
assailant who had fired arrows at him during their skirmish
on the river, but so far the investigation had been fruitless.
He s left Thebes, asserted Nefertari.
You think he s alive, as I do.
212 Christian Jacq
I sense a dangerous presence, a dark force . . . is it
Shaanar, is it the sorcerer, or even one of their henchmen?
It s Shaanar, Ramses said flatly. He tried to sever the
link between me and Seti, depriving me of my father s pro-
tection.
The evil eye he left will have no effect. The fire elimi-
nated its magic. With a special resin glue, we were able to
repair the carnelian eye they stole from the temple of Set in
Pi-Ramses.
He used the hair of desert animals to make the red eye.
Those animals are creatures of Set. Shaanar was trying to
turn Set s terrible energy against me.
He misjudged your connection to Set.
Even so, I ll never stop watching my back. The moment
you look the other way, Set s fire can turn against you.
When are we heading south?
As soon as we ve had a look at our death.
The royal pair drove out toward the southern edge of the
hills around Thebes, to the vale called the Place of Re-
birth or Place of Lotuses. This Valley of the Queens
would be the final resting place of Tuya, Ramses mother,
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