Red Sky Over Thebes ebook

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Red Sky Over Thebes

Red Sky Over Thebes

The Sphinx Emerald passed into other hands–to reappear centuries later when conquering Cambyses came storming into Egypt with his Persian legions...

NEKHT was his name. With a wooden-fork plow and a bullock, he was tilling his field outside the tiny Nile village of peasants, when the Greek captain came from Thebes with the news. An odd fellow, Nekht–tall, thewy, bronzed as any other farmer in the village, but with a hawk-nose and quick eyes of striking intelligence. He usually kept them half shut, and in the village itself passed for a fool. No one here knew or suspected his secret.

He lived alone with his mother, who told the Greek, named Peleus, where to find him. Nekht saw him coming along the edge of the fields, and recognized him; for although the soldier wore a tunic over his armor, the proud lift of the head and the step of authority could not be hidden.

“The captain of the temple guards,” Nekht said, and pulled the bullock out of the furrow. “That means a message for me. What now, friend Peleus?”

“Greetings,” said the other, who knew him well, “and news. I have a boat waiting; the high priest of Amon wants you.”

“And the news?”

“If the Nile ran the other way, the water would be red. There’s hell to pay, but the news must keep until we’re afloat.”

“I’ll take the bullock home, and go,” Nekht said simply. “Come along.”

He unyoked the bullock from the plow, and they started back to the village. As to the news, Nekht had heard enough to guess what it must be; he was already seeking beyond the words, mentally. He, of all people, needed no telling that Egypt was a leaky boat in a bad storm shaking the world. During the past two hundred years the great country had been gradually disintegrating. Still powerful, still crammed with all the looted riches of the earth, it had been ruled by Assyrians, Ethiopians, Greeks–anyone strong enough to seize the throne and defend the desert frontiers. The present Pharaoh, Samthek, was the grandson of an army general who had done just this, bringing Egypt up to a fragment of its former greatness, with Greek help.

THE last native dynasty, that of the great Ramses, had conquered practically the known world, pouring into Egypt an enormous flood of treasure and slaves. Softened, slothful, the old hard Egyptian race became easy-going. Now, in this fateful year of 528 B.C., Egypt still existed intact, like soft ripe fruit ready for the taker. Greeks had flooded in like a swarm of summer flies. The army was composed of Greeks–and the Persians were coming. During the past two years, the Persian ruler Cambyses had been pushing armies across the northern deserts, intent upon plucking this ripe fruit.

Yet one faint breath of hope lingered; somewhere in this great land, unknown, was a descendant of the last royal Egyptian line. Who? Where? Nobody knew. But the chief priests of the gods had announced it as fact. Prophecy said that some day all foreigners would be expelled, and the royal line of Pharaohs would again lift Egypt to greatness. When? Perhaps this year, perhaps a hundred years hence; but the hope lingered.

Four soldiers in the boat, Greeks like Peleus, saluted as he and Nekht appeared and got in; the boat pushed off, swung out into the current, and was on its way to Thebes, still the greatest city on earth. Nekht and Peleus sat together in the stern.

“The news?”

“The worst,” said Peleus. “Cambyses has captured Pelusium and is marching up the Nile. The army is completely destroyed, the Pharaoh a prisoner. Phanes of Halicarnassus, commander of the Greek troops, went over to the Persians. They’ll be in Thebes in two or three days. They’re coming up by ship.”

Nekht caught his breath. The worst, indeed! Egypt was no more.

Like a symbol, the shapes of ruined buildings along the river- banks caught his eye. Once barracks had stood here every few miles, each post holding two hundred iron chariots and equipment. Now all were empty, ruined, forgotten. Egypt was forgotten too. The blow was crushing.

“What–what hope for the city, for Thebes the glorious?” he asked, dry-lipped.