‘No. Has the Pharaoh beaten the Aamu. Is that why you are back?’
‘No, My Sweetness, the Pharaoh is killed, our army destroyed and the army of the Aamu march on Kemet.’
At the dreadful news Teu‘s eyes went wide and she seemed to be shocked into silence, but then the instinct to protect her family kicked in and said, ‘We must take the children and flee.’
‘Yes, I know, that’s why I am here.’
‘I’ll wake the children and we will go tonight.’
‘No, we have time, it will be a least a week before the Aamu arrive.’
‘We will got to Memphis, we’ll be safe there, the authorities with gather the army and fight back.’
Kefu held her hands in his looked into her eyes and tried to get her to understand. ‘No, you don’t understand, there is no army to gather, it is completely destroyed.’
He could see the look of disbelief change to that of despair and she cried, ‘If there is no army, what shall we do?’
He held her tight, stroked her hair to calm her and promised that they would get away. ‘We’ll go to Memphis and book passage on one of the ships going to Thebes.’
‘Will we be safe there?’ she asked, her voice muffled by his arm.
‘Yes, I’m sure the south will survive, but the north and the delta will be overrun.’
The next morning, after warning the rest of the villagers of the oncoming army, Kefu remove the hearth stone and dug up the jar containing his savings, loaded the children and a few necessities onto the animal and set off at walking pace for the capital. He had been hoping to cross over by ferry to Memphis at Tura, but when they reached the village it was deserted. The news of the coming of the Aamu might have bypassed his own village, but by the looks of things it had reached Tura and everyone had fled across the river to seek safety in the capital. He scouted around, but there was little he could do in the dark. So they settled down for the night in one of the deserted houses.
After bedding the children down for the night, Teu came and sat beside him on the doorstep, leant her head on his should and asked the obvious question. ‘How will we get across the river?’
It was a question he had been asking himself and so far he had no answer, other than to wait until daylight. ‘In the morning we will search the river bank, there may be a boat of some kind.’
‘And there may not,’ said Teu. ‘what will we do then?’
That was another question for which he had no answer , but he would find a way. He hadn’t travelled all this way to fail at the first obstacle in his path. ‘We’ll find a way. Now, let us go to bed.’
In the morning Kefu stood on the river bank. In the distance he could see many heavily laden ships sailing southward and small figures as they scurried about the docks loading all manner and size of vessels. While beyond on the higher ground even smaller figures poured like ants from the river gate of the white walled city and headed down to the docks. It appeared that the city was being abandoned and he was in no doubt that the larger ships leading the exodus would contain the royal court. There would be no resistance, the royal city of Memphis was being abandoned to the rape and pillage of the Aamu army and there was nothing he could do about it. All that he could do was to save his family and to do that he must find a boat to carry them across the river before the last of the ships left for the south.
Mounting the animal he followed the river bank to the south, after travelling for about an hour and finding nothing he returned to the village. Teu didn’t ask how he had got on, she could tell from his face, instead she said, ‘Sit and break your fast before continuing the search.’
He was inclined to say no, they hadn’t the time and needed to cross before the ships all left, but thought better of it, she was worried enough. So he forced himself to eat what she has prepared and then mounted up and set off along the river bank this time to the north. An hour into his journey he had reach a low lying marshy area where the reed beds spread a long way inland and he had again found no sign of a boat. It was obvious that the people from this side had fled to the other and his search for a boat was a fruitless exercise that he may as well abandon.
He dismounted to stretch his legs before returning empty handed and that was when he smelt the smoke. Looking about him he could see nothing in any direction, but could definitely smell smoke and cooking fish. It seemed to be coming from somewhere inside the reed bed. He parted the reeds, stepped through and found himself chest deep in water. Climbing back out he circled around looking for any sign of a pathway. The delta a vast marsh of reed beds bisected by the seven main branches of the river and crisscrossed by a myriad of minor waterways. It was the home of fishermen, wildfowlers and reed gatherers who tended to live on small raised islands deep in the reeds.
He didn’t have to go far to find what he was looking for, it was a narrow barely discernable opening that would have been unnoticeable to a passer-by. It wasn’t however a path and he should have know it wouldn’t be, for those that inhabited the reed beds did all the travelling by boat. It might not have been a path as such, but it appeared to be a well defined route that would lead him to the island within.
Stepping into water that only came up to his knees he followed a winding trail deep into the reed bed. Finally the smell of smoke and fish grew strong and he slowed his pace not knowing what his reception might be. Creeping forward he came to the a point where the reeds ended and the island began. It was nothing more than a low sand spit upon which a mud brick hut had been erected. He had arrived at the back of the hut and the smell of cooking that had his mouth watering was coming from the other end of the ramshackle building, he called out, ‘Hello, anyone there.’
He thought he heard the scruff of feet , but there was no reply. Sliding warily along the wall he reach the front of the hut and was about to stick his head around the corner when some sixth sense made him duck. The copper blade wielded by the wild man who sprang at him, sliced into the wall above his head, and without thinking Kefu grabbed the man pulled him forward and head butted him in the face. The man clasped his hands to his nose, fell backwards and lay on the ground moaning as blood ran through his fingers. Picking up the blade he prodded the man to his feet and made him sit with his back against the wall.
