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sound that had disturbed him. His lamp had gone out. Faint moonlight was filtering through the reed slats of the window hanging, casting bands of blurred grey on the floor. Footsteps were passing his closed door. After a moment Huy realized that they belonged to Anhur or one of his soldiers. He lay down again and turned on his side, but he did not fall asleep at once.
    Suddenly he remembered a comment Anhur had made regarding the speed with which Huy’s request for a guard had been answered. The Queen had given birth to a son. Egypt had an heir. What was his name? Anhur had not said. The news had been swallowed up in the excitement of their meeting. But with a pang of anxiety it came to Huy that Pharaoh had sent no summons to him to travel to Mennofer and See for the child. There had not even been a scroll announcing the boy’s arrival and warning Huy that he would be called upon at a later date. Why not? Huy asked himself uneasily. Surely the future of this Prince will be of vital interest to Amunhotep. Is the King afraid to know it, and if so, why?
    As if he had posed the question aloud to someone in the room, an answer came right away. All the wealth that now surrounded him, all the generosity of a grateful King, had been bestowed because Amunhotep had stopped outside Hut-herib on his way to do battle against the rebellious chieftains of the east, and Huy, being granted the privilege of actually touching the royal hand, had Seen the most vivid and detailed visions he had ever experienced. The King had later returned to Egypt triumphant, laden with all the gifts and booty Huy had predicted, and His Majesty had shown his appreciation by deeding this pretty little estate to Huy.
    But with the promise of victory had come a message for Pharaoh from Atum himself. The words rang in Huy’s head with perfect clarity as he lay tensely on his couch. “Tell my son Amunhotep the things I shall show you, and give him this warning,” the god had said to Huy, deep in the revelations opening out before him. “He must not depart from the balance of Ma’at I have established. Already he is tempted to do so.” How is the King tempted to disturb the balance of cosmic truth and earthly justice Atum decreed for Egypt? Huy wondered. He sat up and, swinging his legs over the edge of the couch, gazed unseeing into the calm dimness. “He must not depart … ” It was a caution, implying that Amunhotep had not yet begun to upset Ma’at but was thinking of doing so. With full knowledge of what he was doing? How can a King make Ma’at tremble?
    Huy rubbed his forehead and reached for the water beside him, all at once thirsty. He can do so in a hundred different ways. By subverting the cosmic laws. By ignoring justice for his subjects. By refusing allegiance to our gods, becoming ungrateful to them, setting himself above them. Huy drank and sat holding the cup in both hands. Supposing the King has succumbed to the temptation Atum was implying, his thoughts tumbled on. Supposing he remembers very well the words the god spoke to him through me but he does not care, he has set his face towards some evil believing it to be good, believing he knows better than the gods. Now his son is born. Egypt’s heir. The King does not want the child’s future revealed for fear I may see more than Amunhotep wishes. Or more than he himself desires to know. What course has Pharaoh embarked upon that will bring Atum’s disapproval? I can think of no other explanation for the King’s silence with regard to his son, and if I am right, then I will never be invited to See for the Hawk-in-the-Nest. Is there any evidence at court, in the affairs of the administration, that Ma’at’s laws are being subverted? I must ask Anhur tomorrow, but carefully; and in any case, there is nothing a Seer can do in such a situation. He must wait to prophesy until Atum provides an opportunity to do so .
    Huy lay back but could not sleep again for some time. He heard the patrol