Free The Assassins of Isis by P. C. Doherty Page A

villagers, isolated oases. So ruthless was he in his pursuit …’ The court was now hushed as General Omendap launched into a graphic description of an ordeal many people in Thebes regarded as a legend. ‘So ruthless was he in his pursuit of the enemy,’ General Omendap repeated, ‘that Colonel Suten became lost in a violent sandstorm which must have come straight from the Underworld. By the time the storm was finished, he had become separated from the rest of his companions. He made sacrifice to Red Eyes, Lord of the Storm, but his luck had run out. He and his charioteer were captured by a band of Libyans. They took Colonel Suten to a place of snakes in a rocky valley, a narrow tunnel scooped out from beneath the rocks. It was known as a place of abomination because of the hordes of snakes which swarmed there. Colonel Suten and his charioteer were placed in that place of horror and both entrances to the passageway were sealed with rocks.’
    Omendap raised his hand at the low moan from the people standing at the back of the court.
    â€˜Can you imagine, my lord judge, Colonel Suten and his charioteer squatting in that underground cavern while horned vipers, poisonous and deadly, curled and snaked all about them? The heat was intense, their mouths and nostrils were coated with sand, their eyes stinging. The sun turned the cavern into an inferno, baking the two men, provoking them to move, yet Colonel Suten sat still. He did not panic, he did not surrender to hysteria, but for hours persuaded his charioteer to stay as motionless as himself.’
    General Omendap paused for effect.
    â€˜Any other man, my lord, would have died from the heat, his ravaging thirst or the sheer terror of what was happening around him. Yet we have the evidence of Suten’s own charioteer, a soldier who has since gone across the Far Horizon, that the colonel showed no fear and persuaded his companion to remain still.’ General Omendap paused again to sip at a beaker of water brought by an attendant.
‘Now Colonel Suten had been captured early in the day. The Libyans thought he would die in the horror they had created. They decided to light a fire and celebrate their success, sharing out the plunder taken from Colonel Suten’s chariot. The smoke of their fires was seen by the rest of the squadron, who moved quickly to attack the marauders. They launched an assault at dusk. The Libyans had drunk deeply and were incapable of organising any defence. Our chariots swooped in like hawks. Every Libyan was put to death, except a young boy who showed the squadron where Colonel Suten and his companion had been imprisoned. The place of horror was opened, Colonel Suten and his charioteer were found safe. Even then the brave colonel did not panic or give way to hysteria. He ordered his rescuers to stay outside, quietly telling them to bring fire brands. Eventually a path was cleared and Colonel Suten and his companion escaped unscathed.’
    â€˜My lord,’ Valu purred, ‘I thank General Omendap for his evidence, which is vital to this case. Colonel Suten’s escape from that abode of abomination was an act of bravery but it scarred his soul. I can produce witnesses by the score who will testify that General Suten had a deep, abiding detestation of snakes. He survived the torture of the Libyan marauders but it cloaked his heart in darkness. Even members of his own household will testify that General Suten was most insistent that his house be searched morning, noon and night for traces of any snake. He imported specially trained mongooses to eradicate such reptiles, whilst his practice of using the roof terrace of his house was not just to catch the cooling breath of Amun; he also saw it as a place of safety. On the night he died, as witnesses will testify, General Suten, as was his custom, ordered the roof terrace to be scrupulously searched. This included baskets, the sheets upon his bed, beneath chairs and