ARTAYNTE walked quickly across the market place in the dusk of the evening. Knocking on the wooden door, she entered. Mordecai stood up. 'Artaynte, how good to see you.'
'And you, Marduka.'
'Do you have news of my Astur?'
'I do,' she said as she sat down. 'But first, I must inform you that she is worried about you.'
'Worried about me? Why on earth should she do that?'
'News has reached the palace that you are refusing to bow before the Prime Minister.'
'And so?'
'But why not? You always bowed before Lord Artabanus. Why do you refuse to bow before Haman?'
He sat down to face her. 'It is a long story.'
'You must tell me. You see, the King has specifically commanded that all bow down before the Prime Minister, whoever he may be.'
'And you think the King will enforce the law in my case?'
'It is the law. Khshayarsha will have no option if it is brought to his attention.'
He sighed. 'The matter goes back many years. Our ancestor was a man called Jacob who had a brother called Esau. Jacob grew up to be a man of God whilst Esau became a rebel.'
The Princess shrugged. 'Every family has its black sheep.'
'It is more serious than that, dearest Artaynte. Whereas Jacob's sons, the Jews, became a peace-loving people, Esau's descendants went out of their way to mistreat their relatives. For a time, the Jews went into slavery in Egypt but were eventually released.'
'How do you know all this?'
'We, too, have our law. Within it is the history of Moses and the Jews.'
'Sorry, I didn't mean to stop you.'
'When the Jews were released from Egypt, they had to travel across the great desert of Zin. A branch of Esau's family lived there and, by rights, they should have assisted their kinfolk. Instead of that, they attacked them continually, cruelly killing the women and children because they were not courageous enough to take on the men. Because of their action our God, Jehovah, decreed in the law that, forever, these Amalekites were to be a cursed people.'
'But surely, after all these years, your God will have forgotten.'
'Not so. Many years after that, the Amalekites were still up to their old tricks and one of them, a king by the name of Agag, maliciously attacked the peaceful Jews and thereafter the Agagites were condemned to death forever.'
'And Haman is an Agagite?'
'Yes.'
'And you will not bow down to him for that reason?'
'Correct.'
'Not even a little bow to keep the King happy?'
'No.'
'For me?' she pleaded.
He looked down. 'I'm sorry, Artaynte.'
She placed her hand on his arm. 'Please. I don't want to lose you.'
'No.'
'Not for Astur?'
'Not even for Astur. I would die first.'
She gripped his hands tightly. 'I do believe Haman does have just that in mind for you.'
'Then so be it. I will not break the law of my God just as the King will not break his law.'
'I see. I will inform Astur. I only hope she will understand.'
ARTABANUS crept up to the house and was allowed entry by the guard. He was shown into a large room that seemed full of people.
'Artabanus,' called Haman across the room. 'Come in, come in. You have met my wife, Zeresh?'
Artabanus greeted a woman of obvious wealth and who knew it. 'I am delighted,' he said and was given wine by an attendant.
Eventually, Haman took him aside. 'What news, Artabanus?'
'It is concerning the little enquiry I was to make for you.'
'Yes?'
'It is nothing of consequence; some feudal matter from centuries ago. Apparently, this Marduka's real name is Mordecai and he is a Jew.'
The whole room suddenly fell silent as Haman stared at him and then slowly put down his cup of wine. 'You are sure of this?'
'I have it on good authority, My Lord. Is it important?'
Haman smiled wickedly. 'It is now.' He walked around for a moment in the stark silence and then faced Artabanus. 'You have done well. I shall inform the King of your good work in this matter.'
Still not seeing the significance, Artabanus simply smiled and nodded as the murmur of conversations broke out around the room.
'You must use him as an example,' said a younger man.
Haman nodded thoughtfully. 'Perhaps, Dalphon.'
'Just inform the King. He will have him executed.'
'It may be,' said Zeresh slyly. 'That there is a better way.'
'Yes, my love?'
'I understand that, in his present mood, the King will sign anything you recommend to him. Is that not so, my husband?'
Haman nodded. 'Within reason.'
'And if you suggested the death of a mere gatekeeper, he would agree to it?'
'Without giving it a thought.'
'Suppose,' she said. 'Just suppose that you also proposed the death of his family.'
'I am sure such an eventuality would be implied automatically. It is traditional that a man's family can be executed along with the lawbreaker himself.'
'All his family?'
'Usually.'
'I mean... ALL his family, regardless of where they live?'
Haman stopped suddenly and grinned. 'I knew there had to be a good reason for marrying you all those years ago.'
'You get my meaning?'
'I do.' He stroked his beard as he paced. 'Maybe I could get the King to sign the decree without being specific as to numbers.'
'You realise what this could mean?'
'Yes. Hundreds of them, dying.'
'Thousands of them,' corrected Zeresh.
Dalphon interjected. 'Perhaps even millions.'
'Yes. And there is no law that says the decree is limited to Shushan or even Persia. Just think of it.' He rubbed his hands in glee. 'Every Jew, dead. Every single one of them.'
'And we will not have had to do a thing. We just sit back and watch it happen.'
'And listen to their screams,' said Dalphon. 'Oh, how I remember that young Jewish woman we used on the road from Babylon. Do you remember, Poratha?'
'Do I indeed? All those lovely screams that echoed around the hills.'
'Music to my ears,' said Aridatha.
'What about the girl?' asked Poratha.
'Girl?' asked their father suddenly.
'They had a child of about twelve or so.'
'What happened to her?'
'She ran away.'
'Ran away?' Zeresh asked with sudden concern. 'Did you catch her?'
'No. We lost her in the dark.'
Zeresh clutched her son's arm tightly. 'If she can identify any of you, you know what that will mean, don't you?'
'Relax, mother. She fell into the river and went over the falls. I expect there are little pieces of her all the way to the sea.'
Zeresh relaxed noticeably. 'You had me worried for a moment.'
'Don't be. Soon all the other Jews will follow her fate.'
'I drink to that day. Jewish men and women dying all over the Empire.'
'And their sons?'
'They must all go, too.'
'Even the young girls?' asked Arisai with sadistic enthusiasm.
Haman sneered. 'We don't want them having little Jewish babies, do we? We must disembowel every one.'
'When?' asked Zeresh with undisguised glee.
'I will consult Zoroaster,' said Haman.
'Can you do it?'
'Of course. Am I not known as Memucan, chief of the Magi, gifted with the sight of the gods?'
'When?' asked Dalphon eagerly as his father cast lots.
'It is the twelfth month,' Haman declared after consideration.
'But that is almost a year from now,' despaired Zeresh.
'Patience, my dear,' said Haman. 'It will be worth it to see their dead bodies everywhere. If fact, it will be worth it just to see Marduka die for his insolence.'
'What is the day, father?'
Haman consulted the oracle. 'The thirteenth day.'
'We have a date,' said Zeresh. 'We must use it well.'
'We must first get the matter past the King,' cautioned Haman.
'Just give him the document to sign, he will do it for you.'
'Yes, but he is not stupid. If he even half suspects that some of them may be loyal subjects, he will have my head instead.'
'Then don't tell him,' suggested Zeresh. 'Simply put it to him that they are rebels, traitors who intend to rise up and overthrow his Empire. You don't have to be specific about who or how many there are.'
'If he knew how many, he would certainly ask questions. The document must be worded very carefully.'
'Perhaps,' interrupted Artabanus with a slight cough. 'Perhaps I could assist in that matter. With my past experience, I could formulate such a document for you.'
Haman looked astonished. 'You would help us?'
'On one condition.'
'Yes?' said the wary Magi.
'When the deed is done, there will be outcry. The Jews have been well treated in the past by both Cyrus and Darius. They are known as a peace-loving people who have always paid their taxes and honoured the King.'
'Yes, I know that. But how will that help you?'
'Very much. You see, if they are annihilated in the way you have specified, many will rise up against Khshayarsha, especially if the event is accompanied by certain...propaganda.'
'And then what?'
'When the King is overthrown, as he almost certainly will be, I want the throne.'
Haman said nothing for a moment. 'What if I wish the throne for myself?'
'Lord Haman. I am sure that you are well qualified in many respects but, unfortunately, you are not Persian and, more to the point, not of the Achaemenid dynasty, so the other Princes will not follow you and could even rebel against you. If, on the other hand, I was to rule, it would be acceptable.' He leant closer. 'We could always share the rulership when all the hue and cry has died down.'
Haman smiled. 'Artabanus, you may just have something there.'
'I know I have. You see, I also have another desire.'
'Which is?'
'I want to see the Queen die. I want her blood running down my spear, to hear her screams in my ears as I twist the blade inside her belly.'
Haman shook his head slowly. 'You must really hate her.'
'Yes. I hate her very much after the way she has humiliated me.'
'You will have almost a year to wait,' reminded Zeresh. 'The gods have spoken.'
'I can wait,' said Artabanus. 'If you can bear the sight of Marduka for that period, I can spend my time dreaming of the death of the Queen. From now on, every time I see her, I will think of the day which has been decided and that thought alone will give me considerable pleasure.'
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CHAPTER
SEVENTEEN
