Dagger

Sailors and men on the shore began to haul the vessel firmly to its berth.

The quay was stone-built, not wooden. Though unoccupied at present, it projected far enough into the river to dock a pair of vessels the length of Samlor's on either side, i A causeway, also stone, led a hundred feet inland to the! walled courtyard and temple which stood on the firmer ground at that distance from the riverbank. Drums were beating in the courtyard, and already a group of regally-garbed priests were hurrying to join the handful of servants on the quay.

The vessel edged against the downstream side of the dock. Sailors snubbed it while Shay bawled orders and horrible threats.

"Hush, dearest," murmured Ahwere. "Hush, sweetness. Soon it will stop."

The bank to either side of the stream was a rich green backdrop of palmettoes and reeds in their Spring colors, before the sun and the lowering river dried them golden. The temple's extensive fields were hidden behind the screen of natural vegetation.

Not far upstream from the quay was a massive wall built against the bank for no evident purpose. Like the temple and its outworks, the wall was stone: but the blocks comprising it were cyclopean and of immense age. In the center of the wall-a dam backed against a section of riverbank no different from those to either side of it-was a bas-relief which seemed to be a stylized face, though mud from recent flooding and the patina of age made it impossible to be sure.

A gaggle of musicians had run to the dock with the priests. A plump man with an image of the god Tatenen on his breast gestured to them. They broke into a flute-and-drum tattoo whose timing suffered from the fact most of the performers were panting from the haste with which they'd run from the temple enclosure.

The priest shut them off with another gesture and an angry glare which smoothed to buttery slickness as he turned and bowed toward Samlor. "Prince Nanefer," he said. "Princess Ahwere, little prince Merib-come ashore, please. 1 am Tekhao the chief priest, and I offer you the full hospitality of the Temple of Tatenen."

Six other priests with scarlet sashes-Tekhao's whole tunic was dyed red-bowed in shaky unison behind their chief.

Samlor nodded to them and handed his wife to the rail ahead of him. Temple servants steadied her as she stepped to the dock, though the babe in her arms and the servants' determined obsequiousness made the job even more awkward than it needed to be.

Takhao himself offered Samlor a hand as he followed Ahwere. "Your father is well, Prince Nanefer?" he asked.

"Certainly, very well," Samlor responded. His current body did not have the aches which had accumulated with the years in his own form, though they were noticeable only now that he lived in their absence. On the other hand, stepping up to the dock was an unexpected effort: Samlor/ Nanefer wasn't fat, but neither was he used to efforts more strenuous than strolling through the gardens of his palace.

He was only socially truthful, also. King Merneb hadn't been at all well when they sailed from the capital… but that was no business of a temple functionary.

Besides, the king would cheer up as soon as they returned. His present state was mostly because of his concern about his only son and daughter, and their child, his grandson. Samlor was utterly sure that his knowledge was equal to this undertaking, but his father, King Merneb, refused to believe that.

The musicians resumed playing as the party walked toward the temple. "The banquet we have-" Tekhao began.

"And have you assembled the quantity of wax 1 require?" said Samlor, at close enough to the same time that both men could pretend the prince had not broken in to silence a yammering priest.

"Why yes, your highness," said Tekhao without dropping a beat. "That is to say, most of it is on hand at this moment, and the rest should arrive by-" he glanced at the

sun, a finger's length above the reedtops " – well, by early tomorrow at the latest. You must realize that the, ah, the size of the levy was unexpected, though of course the Temple of Tatenen never hesitates to carry out the desires of the King."

"Yes, you've done quite well, then," said Samlor with an attempt to make the words sound appreciative rather than ironic. Tekhao was a toady, but he had carried out a difficult task in a short time.

They stepped beneath the arch into the temple enclosure. Two-story buildings were built along the right and left sides of the courtyard, while the facade of the temple closed the end facing the gate and the river beyond. Four caryatids representing aspects of Tatenen, the Creator, supported the temple pediment whose reliefs showed the Court of Heaven over which Tatenen presided.

The courtyard was crowded with folk ranging from those who cultivated the temple fields to priests' wives garbed as richly as the functionaries themselves. They began to cheer when Samlor and his family entered the enclosure.

"Ah, your highness," Tekhao murmured with his lips to Samlor's ear. "It's our understanding that the temple's contribution to the royal granary this year will be reduced by the value of the wax. May we assume that the wax will be valued at the rate prevailing in the capital on the date contributions are due?"

Merib, startled by the cheering crowd, began to wail again, but his cries were lost in the enthusiasm.

"You may assume that the affairs of scribes will be handled by scribes," Samlor retorted loudly enough that he did not need to bend close to the chief priest. "No doubt they will be aware that goods turned over to the king are valued at the place where they come into the hands of the royal agents."

"Of course, Prince Nanefer, of course," boomed Tekhao, smiling so that all his subordinates could see how well he was getting along with the king's son. "We'll conduct you to your chambers, now, and perhaps at the banquet later we can discuss some of the special problems with which a temple estate in this district must deal."

"Of course," said Samlor, irriated at having been so tart a moment before.

The crowd cheered, and Ahwere glanced at her husband across the crying visage of their son.

CHAPTER 13

"WE'RE SO HONORED by the presence of your highness," said Tekhao's wife-for at least the third time during the course of the banquet-while her beaming husband served Samlor the dessert, a compote of limes and white grapes, with his own hands. The other priests, temple administrators, and wives watched the two couples at the high table with expressions of awe and envy as their temperaments dictated.

"Perhaps you can tell me, Tekhao," said Ahwere as she accepted the ladleful of fruit the chief priest was offering. "There's an odd-looking wall next to the dock. Well, near it. What do you use that for?"

Tekhao sat down and filled his own cup from the serving bowl. "An involved question, your highness," he answered with a smirk in his voice. "In a ma

He had forgotten to serve his own wife. Her scowl was one that would wake thunder later when the couple was alone, but now she said sweetly to Samlor, "A child is always such a responsibility, Prince Nanefer, and for you, knowing that your lovely boy will succeed you as king, well. . The State is fortunate that such a responsibility is in hands so capable."

Samlor managed a smile. His mouth was full of fruit and his attention was focused on the explanation the priest was giving Ah were.

"You see, your highness," Tekhaosaid, "we didn't build the wall. That is, human beings didn't. It was placed on Earth by Tatenen himself when he created the cosmos."

Tekhao permitted himself a brief smile to indicate to his visitors that he was too sophisticated to believe such a myth-if they were-but without committing himself to heresy if Ah were and her husband took a rigidly accepting approach to their religion.