"Morning Star"
Kaku the Astrologer, follower of Prince Abi, Governor of Memphis, half-brother of Pharaoh by a Hyksos mother, prophesyed to his master that he would reign in Egypt, but that afterwards his star would be eclipsed by that of Amen, father of the Gods, and Hathor, Goddess of Love. On the basis of this prediction Abi held back from launching an ill-fated coup against his brother, knowing that in 20 years he would get what he wanted. In the meanwhile Pharaoh was aging and ill, and without an heir.
Merytra, slave and fan-bearer to Prince Abi, heard the plotting and fled to Pharaoh and told the tale. But Pharaoh chose to not have Abi killed as he promised to serve Pharaoh loyally, and any child born to him - of course he didn't expect any of the latter.
But Pharaoh and Queen Ahura prayed that they might have a child. The Queen saw a vision of a spirit, who told her that she would have a child, who would be called Netre-Tua (Morning Star) and would be high priestess of Amen. The princess was born, and the Queen died happy.
Neter-Tua was brought up by Asti, priestess of Amen, and her husband Mermes, captain of the Guard of the Temple of Amen at Thebes. The couple are the last descendants of the old royal line, but have no imperial ambitions and are loyal to Pharaoh. Neter-Tua is foster sister to their own son, Rames, born the same day.
Neter-Tua and Rames are playmates - though the princess always takes the lead, as is natural. They venture into the enclosure of a sacred crocodile, and Rames loses a finger defending Neter-Tua. He is made a Count by the grateful Pharaoh, though he is only a child. Their destinies now lead them apart, Rames into the army, and Neter-Tua to study statecraft under her father.
Neter-Tua becomes Queenand shares the sovereignty of Egypt with her aging father. She is ambitious to know the future and bids Asti summon Amen to open her eyes to the future. The spirit of the late Queen Ahura appears, and warns them that they have acted foolishly to summon the great god for their own petty reasons. However, she has been sent as a proxy. Ahura warns of dangers ahead.
Neter-Tua is still unmaried - for she secretly loves Rames and will not look upon another suitor. For reasons of state Amathel, Prince of Kesh, is favoured by the Government. He travels from Napata to claim Neter-Tua. Since Kesh was once part of the empire - under the rule of the Pharaohs of Rames' family - if the two married it wouldn't reunite the countries. But Neter-Tua hates the ill-mannered brute of a prince. However she doesn't have to deny him, as he is killed in a fray at the banquet held in his honour, by none other than Count Rames, who has been serving as his butler, though of a more ancient royal line than the prince of Kesh.
Pharaoh faints at the sight of his royal guest beign killed in a fight with a captain of his own bodyguard. Queen Neter-Tua takes command, and acts decisively. She orders that Count Rames lead an embassy of atonement to Napata, bearing with him the embalmed body of the late Prince. The King of Kesh is to decide his fate, and whether there is to be peace or war between Egypt and Kesh because of the accident. It is a cunning ploy, because Rames will be absent for two years, and might never return, yet the Queen is innocent of his blood. She intimates to Rames secretly that he will be safer away - especially as he is now being given an opportunity to seize Kesh, of which he is the legitimate heir. If he manages the latter he will be a great hero and Neter-Tua may safely marry the new King of Kesh. If he fails it will be through no fault of the Queen.
For three months Pharaoh lies ill, and out of his mind - he has had a stroke. When he recovers and is told what Neter-Tua has done he is astonished - at firstly that she has failed to punish an officer who has placed Egypt's policies in peril - but subsequently at the masterly way in which she got out of a difficult position.
As part of his recovery Pharaoh decides to travel, and to visit the great cities of Egypt, most of which he has not seen since his coronation 40 years before. The Queen accompanies him, for she too wishes to see Egypt. They come to Memphis, of which Abi is still Governor. Though the Pharaoh doesn't suspect Abi's loyalty even he is perturbed when he sees the size of the city garrison and realises the smallness of his own bodyguard (500 men under Mermes). Asti is fearful, as is Neter-Tua. They lodge in an old temple of Sekhet, on the Nile, rather than in the palace chosen by Abi.
Prince Abi makes it abundantly clear that Neter-Tua must marry him - and neither she nor Pharaoh is free to leave the city until this is agreed. When Abi comes out with this openly at a court held in the courtyard of the temple the Pharaoh is stung into action. He orders the arrest of Abi. But rather than leaving the city at once with the captive Abi, Pharaoh, who is tired by the ongoing festivities held in his honour, decides to stay till the next morning. In the night he becomes ill, bewitched by Merytra at the orders of Kaku. He dies when a priest, told to destroy the image through which the Pharaoh is afflicted, does so by burning it - rather than burying it.
The 500 royal guards escort the corpse of Pharaoh and the Queen - now sole Pharaoh - through the streets of Memphis. But before they reach the gates Abi's four sons, and thousands of his soldiers, bar their way. The sons are killed, along with many of the rebels, but the small bodyguard is finally destroyed, fighting step by step back to the relative safety of the old temple of Sekhet. All the guard are killed - Mermes last of all - and Queen Neter-Tua and her foster mother Asti (Mermes' widow) retire to the Queen's chamber at the top of the pylon of the temple. There they starve for six days.
Asti decides it is time to act as the spirit of the late Queen Ahura advised her. Using many fearful incantations she summons from the breast of the sleeping Queen Neter-Tua her own ka. Everyone has a ka, the spirit image or benevolent doppleganger, but Neter-Tua's had been specially fashioned by Amen. It enables Neter-Tua and Asti to be wafted from the pylon window, and appears to Abi as the real living Queen. "Neter-Tua" insists that Abi marry her, which he does unwillingly enough, for he fears her manner and determination - though he doesn't know she is a spirit. Many are killed at the 'wedding' when the walls of the temple collapse, but Abi, Kaku and Merytra survive, that they may enjoy their fate at a later time.
Kaku tells Abi that "Neter-Tua" is actually the Queen's ka, but both must obey her or die - which they both fear to do.
The narrative now returns to Tua herself. She awoke finding herself in a myterious gold and silver boat rowed by masked sailors. Asti suspects that it is the Boat of Ra, which bears souls down the river of death to the kingdom beyond the Sun. They travel for some time, though the crew, led by masked captain and steersman, never once speak. As the are bidden to disembark on a desolate coastline their escort unveil themselves briefly - they are the spirits of the Pharaoh and Mermes.
Tua and Asti are left by a raging camp fire, but with two baskets. One proves to contain food, the other pearls of great value, and Tua's own ivory and gold harp. They are fearful of the wild beasts which approach in the dark, but Tua plays and sings and they are lulled into quietude.
They head south - since the coast is marshy and cannot be followed. Soon they pass the coastal forest and come to the desert, and an oasis. Shortly afterwards, as they rest, an ancient man, apparently a beggar, appears. He says he is named Kepher (after the scarabaeus that is the Egyptian symbol of eternity). He is invited to refresh himself, and manages to eat the entire contents of the basket of food. However Tua and Asti trsut him, and he aids they to travel to the nearby city of Tat, and to settle there. He also promises to come to their aid if required. Clearly he is no ordinary beggar man, and Asti and Tua suspect he is a spirit or god in human form.
They establish themselves in Tat, Asti as a trader in pearls and other costly stuffs, and Tua sings every afternoon from behind a screen in their house.
All goes well until Janees, King of Tat hears - and then sees - Neter-Tua. He sought to make her his wifee, with or without her consent. They are forceably removed to his palace. But Kepher comes in response to a summons, and he brings fierce desert warriors with him. Janees is killed by the tribesmen, who worship Kepher as a spirit. They are commanded to escort Tua and Asti to Napata. There Asti summons Tua's ka to report on its activities. All is going well. Merytra waits upon "Neter-Tua" night and day without pause or rest. Kaku and Abi labour daily at building up Egypt's strength.
Rames greets Tua and offers her Kesh. He marches north with her, to return to Egypt. Abi, guided by the ka, marches south to meet the invading army. But Kepher appears and tells the army to not resist. The priests recognise Kepher for a genuine messenger of the gods, and at his bidding Abi, Kaku and Merytra are seized and placed in the sanctuary of the temple of Amen.
An embassy from Egypt approached Rames, and bringing with it the three prisoners. They are surprised to see Neter-Tua in this camp, since they left her in the Egyptian camp. Neter-Tua and Asti, aided by Rames, recount the tale of the ka to an incredulous assembly. Kepher appeared in the temple sanctuary and declared the doom of the three prisoners. Next morning they are found dead, apparently by their own hands.
"Morning Star" is a vivid depiction of one of Haggard's favourite eras and countries. It is full of (sometimes unhistorical) ancient Egyptian mysticism, religions, warfare and statecraft. Little of the lives of the common people impinge upon a tale of the lives of the high and mighty. Yet Neter-Tua, though a half-divine princess and queen, is as much subject to her fate as any mortal. She does not fight against it, but, as her ka asked her to do, she accepted it. Even Abi and Kaku do not resist the inexorable advent of their doom, fearful though it is. Rames alone has some scope for personal choice, but even here he recognises that his fate is inextricably linked with that of Neter-Tua.
In part because the characters are bound up so closely with their pre-ordained fates characterisation is at times rough and ready. As usual Haggard has his strong women - Neter-Tua herself, and Asti, his ambitious men of state, war or religion - Abi and Kaku. He also has the patient characters resigned to their lives and deaths - Mermes being the best example, though Asti falls but little short.
Nor is Haggard shy of using real magic. The death of Pharaoh is the result of sympathetic magic, the use of an image fashioned in the likeness of the victim, which is then treated in the manner in which the victim will suffer. The supreme example of magic however is the use of the ka. Not only is this an image of the still-living queen, it has a corporeal body and appears alive - when it choses so to do. Haggard acknowleedges that this is unusual, and rather more than would be expected normally. This is explained in the story as being due to Neter-Tua's divine origins.
With the appearance of Queen Ahura to Neter-Tua and Asti, the Boat of Ra, Kepher, and so on, there is much to enjoy by way of supernatural manifestations.