Nick Drake - Tutankhamun - The Book of Shadows

But then its ears pricked up, and it turned to look at a small commotion along the quay. A brief trumpet blast followed. The King’s slight, elegant figure appeared before a retinue of officials and guards. Ankhesenamun followed behind him, her head covered. They exchanged farewells, politely and publicly, and I saw Ay bending to whisper something into the King’s ear. Khay stood attentively to one side, as if he hoped he would be needed. Then Simut, in full military costume, invited the King to board the ship. Accompanied by his little golden monkey, Tutankhamun stepped carefully and elegantly up the gangplank, slim and wary in his white robes like an ibis wading in the reed marshes. When he stepped on to the ship’s deck, he turned, and made a gesture to those people still on dry land. It was a strange moment, as if he intended to make a speech, or to wave like a child. Everyone stood in silence, anticipating something. Then, as if he could not think of anything else, he simply nodded, and quickly disappeared into the cabin.

Ankhesenamun beckoned me over, while Ay was engaged in discussions with the captain of the ship.

‘Take care of him,’ she said quietly, as she turned the gold rings on her delicate and perfectly manicured fingers incessantly.

‘I am concerned for your own safety here in the palace. With Ay…’

She glanced at me.

‘I am used to being alone. And Ay appears to have decided to support what he could not oppose,’ she murmured.

‘Really?’

‘Of course, I do not trust him any more than I would trust a cobra. It is almost more disconcerting to have him as an apparent ally than as a clear foe. But he has brought with him the cooperation of the ministries, and the support of the priests. I suppose he believes he can still manage us according to his own grand designs.’

‘He is nothing if not pragmatic. He would have understood at once that opposition would have made things more difficult than collaboration. But he still has great powers…’ I said carefully.

She nodded.

‘I will not make the mistake of underestimating him, or of trusting him. But now there is a balance. His public operation of his powers has to be mediated through the King. And besides, he and I have a common enemy.’

‘Horemheb?’

‘Precisely. The King remains naive about the general. I am sure, wherever he may be, he will be plotting the next stage of his campaign for power. So take care in Memphis, for it is his city, not ours.’

I was about to reply when Ay, with his perfect ability to appear when least desired, interrupted us.

‘You have your authorizations and papers?’ he said, in his peremptory fashion.

I nodded.

‘The King has made his great proclamation, and those closest to him have supported him in his ambition. Now, the royal hunt must be seen to be accomplished. There would be grave disappointment should he fail to return with a lion as his trophy,’ he continued, more confidentially. His tone was dry as sand.

‘I know nothing about hunting lions. My responsibility is to keep him safe and well, and to return him here, and to a secure future,’ I said.

‘You will do exactly as you are ordered. And if you fail, the cost will be personally high.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘There can be no question of misunderstanding, surely?’ he replied, as if surprised by the innocence of the question.

And then, with no more words, he bowed, and proposed to Ankhesenamun that they prepare for the ship’s departure.

The sixty or so oarsmen took up their oars through the gunwales and with a series of great efforts, to the beat of the drum, they began to row the great ship away from the dock. Across the slowly widening distance I saw Ankhesenamun watching us leave, with Ay. Then without a wave, like a pale figure returning to the underworld, she disappeared into the dark palace. Ay remained watching until we vanished from sight. I looked down at the black water, which swirled and eddied in secret currents, as if some sorcerer were stirring up strange fortunes and storms of destiny.

Simut joined me at the stern of the golden ship, as the city slipped away behind us. Thebes, city of my birth and my life, dark under the night sky, the shadows of the suburbs and the shanties, the high steep walls of the temples and pylons, pure white where they faced the moon; and it seemed to me, for all the lives within it, that the city looked hollow, precariously balanced, made of papyrus and reeds, as if it could all fall down with one breath of ill wind. The imagination can conquer distance, I realized; but the heart cannot. I thought of the children asleep, and Tanefert awake in our bed, the candle still lit on the table beside her, thinking of me on this disappearing golden ship. I had decided to leave Thoth with her, to guard the house at night. The animal had looked disconsolate at my departure, as if he knew I was leaving him for some time.

‘Are you leaving a family here?’ I asked Simut.

‘I don’t have a family. I made a choice, early in my career. I had little family when I was young, and those I had were no help to me; so I decided I would not miss it as a grown man. The army has been my family. And it has been my whole life. I have no regrets.’

It was the longest speech he had ever made to me. After a pause, as if he had been considering whether to trust me with an even deeper confidence, he said: ‘I think this journey is more dangerous than protecting the King in the palace. At least there we could control the security situation. We could have managed access, stability…but out here anything could happen.’

I agreed with him, and yet here we were, overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control.

‘What did you discover from the Chief Architect of the temple, regarding the desecration of the carving?’ I asked.

‘He said the last weeks of the construction were chaos. Everything was behind schedule, the carvings were slow in being completed, and he assigned craftsmen according to the advice of the chief artist. Because of the panic, there were lapses in the vetting procedures, many of the workers and craftsmen were not registered as they should have been, and now of course no one will accept responsibility for the carving…It would not have been too difficult for some rogue element to gain access to the work site…’

He looked balefully at the dark foliage along the riverbank, as if unseen assassins lurked behind each palm tree.

‘I am no happier than you at the prospect of this mission. Memphis is a nest of snakes…’

‘I know it well. I received my training there. Fortunately, I have my own alliances in the city,’ he said.

‘And what is your opinion of Horemheb?’ I asked.

He gazed at the dark river.

‘In my military opinion he is a great general. But I could not say the same of his humanity-’

Just then a junior officer approached, saluted to Simut, and addressed me: ‘The King has asked for you.’

And so I was admitted to the royal apartments. Thick curtains had been drawn to make this reception space even more private. There was no sign of the King or his monkey. Lit by scented oil lamps, it had been richly, elegantly decorated. I looked around at the array of treasures, any one of which could have funded a family for its entire lifetime. I picked up an alabaster goblet fashioned in the form of a white lotus. It bore crisp, black hieroglyphic inscriptions. I read them aloud to myself:

Live your ka

And may you spend millions of years

Lover of Thebes

With your face to the cool north breeze

Beholding happiness

‘It is a beautiful poem,’ said the King in his light, high voice.

He had entered without my noticing. I replaced the goblet carefully. Then I bowed and offered him my wishes for his peace, health and prosperity.