“But you cannot just trust him,” Huni said. When he sees that I honour Sennenkhet as Kemet’s king, he will agree to serve king and regent in whatever capacity we see fit.” “I have told you before, Huni, Imhotep is a good man and an excellent official. “Dead men cannot disagree with your policies.” “It would be safer to have him executed, grandfather,” Huni said. However, I cannot have you publicly disagreeing with my decisions, so I must protect the king.” Such an action would be counterproductive…and wasteful. “Do not fear, Imhotep, I will not put you to death. The regent had noted Imhotep’s reaction and smiled. “Then what are your intentions, Lord Khaba?” Shock flickered in Imhotep’s eyes, swiftly covered over. “Sennenkhet does not need a Tjaty when he has a regent, and I do not need one either.” “I was afraid you were going to say that,” Khaba said with a sigh. ![]() Until Sennenkhet tells me to step down, I remain as Tjaty.” “The king needs my services more than ever. Imhotep glanced at the young man briefly before returning his regard to the regent. “Only the king can remove me from my post.” “What need is there for a Tjaty when there is a regent?” “As long as you do not presume to rule in your own name, I will continue in my duties as Tjaty of the kingdoms, striving to keep the peace and maintain the ma’at.” “That is why I ask again, can I trust you? Are you going to oppose me as I rule Kemet…for Sennenkhet?” Khaba asked. Khaba’s jaw clenched but he held his anger in check. When I stood in place for the king I did so from my own chair, not the throne.” “As Tjaty, I represented Netjerikhet and Sekhemkhet on many occasions, yet I would never dare take for myself the rights of kingship. If I sit upon the throne of Kemet, it is because I represent him.” Sennenkhet is the king, and I am his regent as agreed. “He is not ‘the boy’ or any other derogatory term, but the legitimate heir to King Hor-Sekhemkhet.” “And you should show more respect to the person of Sennenkhet,” Imhotep retorted. He effectively is the king until the boy is of age.” “You should show more respect to my grandfather. Sennenkhet should be sitting there, not you.” “Yet here we are in the throne room with you sitting on the throne as if you were king. “I rule Kemet in Sennenkhet’s name, as agreed by you, Imhotep.” “I am a man of my word,” the regent said stiffly. Are you going back on your word, Lord Khaba?” “He was a child yesterday when you made the promise. ![]() “You promised to uphold Sennenkhet’s claim to the throne, taking for yourself only the role of regent,” Imhotep reminded him. He stared hard at the previous king’s Tjaty, as if striving to discern the man’s thoughts. “I am what is best for Kemet,” Khaba said. “Lord Khaba, I only want what is best for Kemet.” Imhotep looked around the formal throne room of the palace in Inebu-hedj, at the man who had assumed the regency of the kingdoms, at his grandson who commanded the armed men who held the city hostage, and at the soldiers who stood close by, watching him carefully. “Can I trust you? That is the question uppermost in my mind.” ( ebooks are available from all sites, and print is available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and some from Angus and Robertson) The promise of a return to fulfilment is offered, but will they be able to grasp it? ![]() He and his burgeoning family struggle to survive, his relatives seeking out love of their own even as they look for opportunities to further their careers. It is left to his grandson and heir, Huni, to dream of greater architectural glories.Īrchitect Den has achieved love, but at the cost of ambition. Construction of a pyramid tomb is a secondary consideration, and the fortunes of those who desire to build them languish as he refuses further innovations. The throne of Egypt has passed to Khaba, an old man who seeks only to secure his family’s position. Just how these massive structures were built has long been a matter of conjecture, but history is made up of the lives and actions of individuals kings and architects, scribes and priests, soldiers and artisans, even common labourers, and so the story of the Pyramid Builders unfolded over the course of more than a century. The third dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt saw an extraordinary development of building techniques, from the simple structures of mud brick at the end of the second dynasty to the towering pyramids of the fourth dynasty.
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