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Ben’s eyes gleamed with barely checked excitement.
He loved what he did—the study of history. Of piecing together facts and theories. Finding the truth at the heart of every conjecture. It was the most enthralling mystery to unravel.
People took history for granted; they took books as gospel. But no written word was purely unbiased.
Humans were not machines. Everything we thought and felt, recorded and remembered, were colored by our own perspective and point of view. Thus, the truth was never as straightforward as the black and white pages of history tomes would have us believe.
“Thisslab talks about Hatshepsut as not only the Great Queen and Regent, but as the QueenMother. It was clearly engraved during Thutmose III’s time. From his point of view.”
“What’s so strange about that?” Ere wondered out loud.
“Sheishis Queen Mother—”
“No,” Ben interrupted.
“The Egyptians have strict distinctions between natural mother and step-mother. Especially as it relates to the royal lineage. There are established theories that Thutmose III destroyed much of the projects Hatshepsut worked on during her lifetime because he needed to legitimize his own son, Amenhotep II’s rule.”
Ben took a breath before continuing, talking too passionately and too fast catching up with him.
“Because Thutmose was supposedlynotborne of the Great Queen’s loins, but of a lesser wife instead. Therefore, his son’s blood was even more diluted, and his claim to a position close to the gods would be put into question.”
“But the engravings in this stone tells a different story. It tells of a son’s reverence for his real mother, for his mighty Queen.”
“But how can you know which inscription tells the truth?” Ere argued. “For all we know, the established history is the real one.”
“True enough,” Ben allowed.
“But there are also unsolved mysteries or inconsistencies in the modern interpretations of the widely accepted history. For example, if Thutmose III was merely Hatshepsut’s step-son, why didn’t she have him assassinated to solidify her own claim to the throne? Others in her position have done this before. Even had their own natural children killed if they truly wanted the power. Yet, she ruled peacefully throughout her reign, and there was not even one hint of any contention between her and her step-son.”
“Perhaps she was simply not that power hungry,” Ere suggested.
Ben shook his head.
“I think she wanted to be Pharaoh, and by all accounts, was one of the best Pharoahs of the New Kingdom. She even declared herself as Pharoah formally a few years after her Regency, while her step-son was still too young to step into the position. She changed her title from Hatshepsut to Hatasu, the masculine version. And all monuments constructed with her likeness showed a mix of feminine and masculine features, including the Pharoah’s beard.”
Ere and Sorin both wore thoughtful expressions as they mulled over the facts Ben laid before them.
“But what intrigues me is not so much what the slab says, but where it came from,” Ben said.
At his strategic pause, Ere could only utter:
“Where?”
“A secret chamber beneath the memorial temple at Deir el-Bahri, just across the Nile from Thebes. It was Hatshepsut’s magnum opus, used during and after her life for special religious rites. It survives to this day and is a marvel of architecture. She had her father’s tomb, Thutmose I, moved there to be buried with her, to keep her company in life and death, as she was his true daughter, the Royal Princess. And she claimed—his true successor.”
“What does that signify?” Ere asked further. “Aren’t all of these artifacts found in hidden chambers within secret tombs.”
“Thisstone record wasn’t meant to be found,” Ben insisted.
“According to the Director, they only came upon it by accident. It was buried deep beneath the temple, written informally, almost lovingly. It is no official record, but a man’s private diary, perhaps. Or a King’s.”
Ere’s unique blue-green eyes, shared only by his sire, Tal-Telal, and Ben flared with sudden understanding.
“If your hypothesis that Thutmose III is Hatshepsut’s son, not merely her step-son, is the truth, and all the rest of history as we know it is a lie, then perhapsheis the Secret Gift.”
Ben nodded, sharing Ere’s anticipation and excitement.
“At the very least, his true parentage was a secret. I am not sure why they would record something different. It seems much easier for all involved for Thutmose III to be recorded as Hatshepsut’s son in all formal documentation. This is a mystery in of itself. And my gut tells me it’s a lead we need to follow.”
