8. Finding the Stars

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In the grey light of morning, Seti was pushed along over the beach by a group of tired, irritable solders. He tried not to look too closely at their blood-splattered torsos and kilts, nor far up the beach towards the smoking remains of the Babylonian camp as he stumbled over the sand and towards the tree-line. A strong, chilly breeze was blowing and the tall palm trees waved and shook high above. 

Neb-ka stood waiting for him, a self-satisfied grin on his face and one hand resting on the handle of his curved, bronze sword.  

"Time for you to retrieve the stars, Scribe! Negotiations have been. . . concluded."

A few soldiers laughed, and Neb-ka's smile got even bigger.  

Seti shook his head. "They didn't tell me anything about the stars. I don't know where they are."

He hoped he had said the right thing. Perhaps he would simply be sent back to wait on the ship until this was all over. He didn't think that was likely, but he clung desperately onto what little scrap of hope he had left. 

"Of course they didn't tell you. Why would they? But you know where they are anyway, so get going. We're right behind you." 

Seti shook his head again. Not only was this man malicious, he was also thick. Seti dug in his heels. "But I don't know where they are. I have no idea. No one told me anything." 

The smile disappeared from Neb-ka's face and was replaced by a look of growing annoyance. 

"Don't play games with me, Scribe. We were told you would find them, so find them! I'm not in the mood to stand about chatting. Remember those intestines? There may not be jackals on this island, but trust me, I can find a substitute." 

Seti didn't doubt that for a moment. 

"He's a sensitive, not an adept," a calm, clear voice from behind them said. Seti turned and saw Mehu, a simple linen shawl draped over his shoulders, the knotted fringe dancing in the hard breeze. He wasn't wearing any of his finery and almost looked like a normal person. Seti was instantly relieved he was there, but not hopeful he would be able to do anything to help him. If he was even inclined to help him.  

"You know as well as I do what they said about him. Don't expect miracles," Mehu said. 

"I don't expect miracles, I expect stars." 

"He doesn't know who you are or why he's here. Don't expect miracles I said, you mannerless goon." 

To Seti's surprise, Neb-ka laughed. "Right you are, cousin! This peon would have no clue who I am, would he?" 

Turning to Seti, Neb-ka said, "I think you've met my cousin's father, haven't you? The great Amunkheper? I bet that was a surprise for the likes of you. But, there is absolutely no reason you'd ever have met my father or even have an idea what he looks like, is there? Now, who could he be?" Neb-ka crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Seti. "I'll give you three guesses." 

Mehu snorted. "First you you can't wait to get the stars, and now you're playing games and wasting time. Tell him who you are and what you want him to do, or I will. I'm growing tired of this myself." 

"You always were a killjoy."

"Get on with it."

"Fine. To please my esteemed cousin, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Prince Neb-Ka Amunhotep Rasenach Mer-anteb. First born son of the Living God."

"By a secondary wife," added Mehu. 

"By your aunt." 

One of Pharaoh's sons! No wonder he'd disappeared into the royal complex and been saluted like that!  

Set had no idea how he was to behave before a prince by a secondary wife. Throw himself on the sand? Bow as deeply as he could without toppling over?  Even minor princes were important, although rarely depicted in official portraits. They were generally bored, languid men who held high rank in major priesthoods, but were mostly given to hunting, throwing parties and marrying well. 

Unless they were of that rare, ambitious sort with something to prove.  

Was that Neb-ka? Did he have something to prove? Was that why they were here and why the personal interest? Mehu had said it was a joke and that he'd be pleased to hear Seti had referred to him as 'a bruiser'. Did he want to appear far more powerful and tougher than he was? The blood smears on his clothing and arms told a very different story.

Seti chose to bow fairly low. 

"You will find the stars wherever they are on this island, Scribe. I was told you had the ability to communicate with the Goddess and all the oracles pointed to you as the one who would be successful. Although, why the Goddess would chose you and not someone of rank. . . " Neb-ka shrugged. "But women do strange things. Who can say what's in their minds." 

"Our information says you are sensitive to the powers of the stars, Seti. That's why we want you to try and locate them," Mehu said. 

"Not try. Succeed," said Neb-ka, jabbing an index finger at Seti. "I've just slaughtered off a good thirty Babylonians and there are certainly a few more scattered in the jungle I'll be spending the next days hunting down. Want to join them? Then fail."

"I think he gets the picture," said Mehu. 

"Good," barked Neb-ka, his jaw setting itself into a deeper expression of annoyance. "You'll start looking where the foreigners made their trails. And hurry up if you know what's good for you. I want to get those stars as quickly as I can. We need to get back to Egypt and fast." 

It was hard going. 

The terrain in the interior of the island was mountainous and thick with vegetation, the likes of which Seti had never seen. Strange grey trees with thick, grey limbs like men holding up their arms that ended in tufts of palm fronds gave way to other trees with tan and red multicoloured bark that seemed to be insect-free. Delicate purple bells of flowers decorated the undergrowth along with red and white clumps of climbing vines. And there were animals, too. All manner of creatures that darted and buzzed and  shook the foliage. 

The solders boldly hacked their way through whatever lay before them, but Seti had no idea where he was going. They'd trekked the better part of a day and he was just as lost has he'd been when they'd started out. 

How was he supposed to find the stars? And he'd been chosen out due to some oracle? What oracle? He was a sensitive? What did that mean? He couldn't speak with the Sky Goddess! Who thought he could do that! What was this about? Another one of the prince's 'little jokes'? 

The Babylonians had said the stars were dangerous. Their gods had ordered them destroyed and now they were all dead despite his warning. Was he to blame? If he'd not said anything, would they still be alive? And Mehu? Just how involved was he in this, this. . . whatever it was? 

Seti was convinced he was walking in circles. Not only physically, but mentally, too. 

He would never find the stars. He'd simply wander around until they figured out he was useless and kill him.  And maybe that would be a good thing! The Sky Goddess had shown him he was an expendable pawn. Perhaps, he entertained for a moment, his real mission here was not to find the stars.  Had the Goddess chosen him because he would fail and keep the stars out of Pharaoh's hands? That was at least a reason. 

He didn't want to die. He wanted to transcribe his dispatches and drink his after-work beer with other scribes who neither liked nor disliked him. He wanted to watch the afternoon sun creep over the threshold of the Third Writing Hall. He wanted Seshat to hug him and tell him he was seeing connections where there weren't any and none of this was a bizarre, sinister plot. He wanted to go home and sigh in relief at his own insignificance.

Seti was so lost in thought that he almost didn't see it.  It had to reach out one of its thin, green arms and shake a few branches to catch his attention. 

Seti halted and stared at the place he'd seen movement, fully expecting a snake to appear. Instead, he slowly made out a small, smooth face wearing a tall hat peeking through the branches of one of the island's strange trees.  

Almost there, it whispered. Keep going

The creature slowly dissolved back into the branches of the tree as if sinking under water. Reaching out a hand, Seti brushed aside some of the fronds to see if the creature was merely hiding -- but nothing. Just a tree.   

"Find something?" said one of the soldiers who had halted a few strides behind him. 

Seti shook his head and kept walking, his attention now fully on his surroundings. 

And suddenly, they were everywhere. Peeking out at him from trees, under vines and sometimes simply sitting on the ground scratching themselves behind their ears. Some noticed him, some didn't. They weren't people and they weren't animals, they were. . . he didn't know. 

After the first shock settled, Seti suddenly realised what he was seeing. Gods. He was seeing the god of every tree and flower.  Hundreds of them! 

A sense of dread gripped him, and it felt like the earth itself was reaching up to grip him around his ankles and weigh him down. Why was he seeing gods? He didn't want to see any more gods.  He didn't want to be almost anywhere but home with his wife. 

Out of nowhere, a crater wider than the size of two men opened up in front of him. At the centre sat a black stone embedded in the earth like the hard, dark pit of an exotic fruit. 

Seti climbed over a few uprooted trees, startling a few gods in the process and causing them to scramble to the side, to stare at the rock.

"Is that what we're looking for?" one of the soldiers clumped behind him asked in a hushed voice.

"I think so," Seti answered. The form was different, but the colour was very similar to the Star of Bekumen. After a few moments, orders were given and three soldiers descended into the crater to lift the star out and place it in the woven transportation net that hung from two long, thick wooden poles. 

As it was about to be put in the net, Seti thought he heard something. 

"Wait! Put it down!"

"Why?" asked the soldier in charge. "Changed your mind? Is this not one of them?" 

"I think . . . just put it down for a moment, please!"  

The soldiers did as they were asked and stepped back a few paces. Scrambling down from the uprooted trees, Seti knelt by the small star and leaned in so close his ear almost brushed the surface. 

Greetings, greetings, we knew you would find us. . .  the star murmured.  We are here to help you and we are here to harm you, trust and do not trust, the Sky Goddess sends you this warning. . .

Seti couldn't breathe. The heat from the jungle, the visions, the worry for his own life, the confusion and now this. He put both hands on the ground, closed his eyes, and pushed his fingers into the dark earth as if attempting to dig into a safer reality as he listened carefully to the voice of the star as it continued to speak. 

It told him about a plot, and a counter plot

It told him his role was neither to help nor hinder either party, but to allow the Goddess' plan to unfold. 

It told him that Pharaoh was not involved, but would be soon.

It told him the priests of several gods were involved, but would not be soon.

It told him Neb-Ka and Mehu were both murderers and heroes. 

It told him he would die by the hand of one of them, but live to see his home again.

 It told him that all progress was loss

It told him that Egypt would bleed, and that Egypt would be victorious.

It told him that that was the gift of the Sky.

When the murmurings petered out and Seti finally opened his eyes and looked around, he found the soldiers staring at him, wide-eyed and panic-stricken, from many paces away.

"What?" he asked, straightening up again. He felt queasy and had to hold onto the star for balance.

After a few moments, the leader of the soldiers stepped forward, cleared his throat and said, "I don't know how you did that or what you did, you were glowing, man. Both you and that stone.  You both were fucking glowing." 

---

A/N  For interested readers, this is happening in on the Canary Islands.  

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