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could gaze through to my very bones, to the weaknesses and vulnerabilities and destinies hidden within them. I wondered whether he ate breakfast; whether he had children, a wife, friends; whether his was a life in which such power can be harnessed to tenderness and care; or whether all humanity, all its dreams and ambitions and vanities of the heart, was so clear to him that he had no more feeling for it than a god has for the foolish mortals whom time wipes out in a moment, like a cloth across a speckled and misty mirror.
    I returned his stare. He rose from the desk and moved towards me, accompanied by a slathering black dog - the source of the odd panting.
    'I see you are interested in my collar,' he said. 'A gift from Akhenaten. It is important to dress as one believes oneself to be, don't you think?'
    ‘Y our attire is magnificent,' I acknowledged, hoping my slight irony would hit home. But his fastidious appraisal of my own rather travel-worn clothing seemed to indicate that any irony on my part would be cancelled out by the evident inadequacy, and therefore lack of self-belief, of my own appearance.
    We waited a moment, considering what could be said next. I used to talk and talk; now I wait in silence for them to make the first move. But he seemed entirely undaunted by my poor ploy. As if reading my thoughts, he gestured to the couch. I had no choice but to sit while he remained standing. I still have a lot to learn about these games of power.
    He stared down at me, and rubbed his chin. The silence was discomforting.
    'So, you are chosen to investigate the mystery.'
    'I have that honour.'
    'What do you suppose you have done to deserve it?' 'I suppose nothing. Whatever gifts I have are in the service of our Lord.' I winced as I listened to these feeble platitudes. 'And your family ...?'
    'My father was a scribe in the Office of Construction.'
    My lack of elite status hung in the air between us.
    'I am prepared to learn the nature of the mystery,' I added.
    'Akhenaten himself wishes to apprise you of its known elements. He has granted me the task to introduce you to our new world here, to assist you as may seem appropriate, and above all to keep an eye on you.'
    He paused meaningfully. I waited.
    'Also we have assigned two of our best officers, one senior, one more junior but promising, to guide you as required, at all hours of the day and night. To help you to find your way around the place.'
    Watchdogs running at my heels. A nuisance, and deliberately so.
    'I'm sorry to say I do not support the choice of you,' he continued. You may as well know this now. Why bring in an outside man? A man who knows nothing of how things work here? A man whose experience of the real world consists of petty thieves and whores, whose expertise extends to examining the petty and minor clues scattered about in the muck and dirt of the pathetic scenes of the murders of the low-class scum and the criminal? A man who calls this the new science of investigation. However, the matter was not in my hands. This is a new world. It is not Thebes, and it will take you time you do not have to learn its ways. There are many forces at work; I am concerned that, mishandled or misunderstood, they could crush a man like stale bread.'
    And those topaz eyes gazed right through me for a long moment.
    'But please remember: I am here to help. Let me offer my hand in professional respect, Medjay to Medjay. I am the man with the keys to this city. I know it stone by stone. I know where the stones are from, and who placed them in their positions, and why.'
    I maintained a level gaze throughout this soliloquy. And since it seemed we were making speeches to each other, after a respectful pause I stood up and began my reply.
    'I agree with your assessment of the situation. And I gratefully accept your offer of professional support. But since Akhenaten himself has chosen me, I hope I can earn the unqualified support of all his servants. I believe he would wish it to be