The Murder of King Tut - James William Patterson [59]
Zannanza would be the new pharaoh and would possess a level of power not even known by his father. The messenger had told the prince that the Egyptian queen was a beautiful young woman. He had described her as “fiery” and “graceful.” Zannanza was eager to meet her and take her as his wife.
Now Zannanza drank from a water skin, then passed it to his vizier. “Do you see them?” asked the vizier.
“How could I not?” Zannanza replied.
It seemed that the queen had sent a welcoming party. A small band of Egyptians waited at the border, taking refuge from the sun in a verdant oasis. Zannanza imagined they would have something to eat—fruit, perhaps. And fresh water. He had ridden hard all day.
Zannanza and his soldiers and courtiers galloped toward the waiting Egyptians.
As they arrived, a small man with a potbelly trotted forward on his horse to welcome them.
“Greetings. I am Horemheb, the queen’s general. She sends her best wishes, Prince.”
“I am Zannan—”
The Hittite prince’s words ended abruptly. He had not seen the archers behind the tents, nor the arrow racing toward him straight and true that would pierce his forehead. He toppled off his mount, royal blood flooding onto the sand in a massive pool.
His entourage suffered a similar fate. Anyone who escaped the arrows was chased down and hacked to bits by Egyptians wielding swords and axes. As buzzards circled, Horemheb dismounted and walked over to Zannanza.
With his sword, he severed the prince’s head and held it high. Horemheb’s men cheered and then raced to loot the other bodies.
“For the queen,” Horemheb said with a sneer, throwing the head into a bag for its trip back to Thebes.
Chapter 84
Tut’s Palace
1324 BC
THE THRONE ROOM WAS DARK and depressing. Ankhesenpaaten and Aye had argued for hours, beginning just after dinner. Now it was midnight, and the queen and the royal vizier spoke by the light of the moon. This same debate had raged for more than a week, and this night the words chosen were no different.
The queen’s protestations were heated and loud, unmuffled by draperies and potted plants.
Anyone still awake in the palace could hear her frantic voice, and she knew it.
“Make no mistake: I will rule as king. And you will be my queen,” said Aye.
His hands were on his hips as he glared at the stubborn young woman. His sagging neck and paunch made him look more like her grandfather than a man capable of fathering a royal heir.
“I will not do it,” she shot back, panic-stricken as he moved closer.
Ankhesenpaaten paced, trying to buy time.
Yuye entered the room, as if on cue.
“What is it?” asked the queen. “Do you have news? Tell me.”
Chapter 85
Tut’s Palace
1324 BC
AYE BURST OUT LAUGHING. “Yes, she has news. Tell her the news. Tell her the fantastic news about her Hittite prince—who is riding here to save the queen and become pharaoh.”
Ankhesenpaaten glared at him. “You knew?”
“Of course I knew.” He laughed some more before turning his attention back to Yuye. “Your lady-in-waiting has been a useful spy. Please, Yuye. Tell the queen the news she has so longed to hear.”
Shame coursed through Yuye’s body, and she couldn’t meet the queen’s gaze. When she spoke, it was in a low monotone. “The Hittites received your missive, Majesty. Their king sent a son to Egypt to marry you and serve at your side as king.”
“And?” asked Ankhesenpaaten.
“And this prince, whose name was Zannanza, was met at the border by General Horemheb. They had a discussion. Then the prince and his men were slaughtered. A courier galloped here this day with the news—and this.”
Yuye placed a leather bag on a table. Aye stepped forward and emptied the contents onto the floor. The prince’s severed head hit the tile with a loud thud.
Ankhesenpaaten staggered backward. She could barely breathe as she looked at the head, then faced the vizier.
Aye showed no deference to her now. He mocked her openly. “You are a traitor. I control the priests, I control the money, and I control Horemheb,” he