~~/*\~~ Satau ~~/*\~~
Satau pulled his robe a little tighter. “Man, that’s a cold wind.”
“Hasn’t stopped in hours.” Ashura agreed. “So, locusts next? I hear they’re edible.”
“That bad, is it?” Satau said with grim humor.
“For us? Not yet. For a lot of people in the Wadi, or the outer edge of Memphis, it’s been that desperate for a while.” Ashura nodded. “Sometimes I wonder if the King had to eat like the rest of them, maybe they’d eat better.”
“That sounds like something a Hebrew would say.”
Ashura winced, and glanced over her shoulder automatically. The Court was getting paranoid, looking for anyone who wasn’t sufficiently loyal in the face of the Plagues. “Keep your voice down when you say things like that. Sagira doesn’t have a sense of humor about such comments anymore.”
Satau let it drop, not wanting to cause more tension with anyone, let alone Ashura. “I thought Sagira had somewhere to be these days. Last I heard, you thought she was trying to get closer to the Priest of Hapi.” He grinned. “Or do the priests no longer draw a lady’s attention like they used to?”
Ashura made a face at him, always willing to indulge in a little gossip. “Hard to say. If Sagira did have an interest in Neb-en-toneb, she’s bad at it. She got caught sneaking into his rooms by the Temple Guard. I had to carry a message from the Queen to get her released before Neb-en-toneb was ‘officially’ informed. It would have been something of a scandal.”
Satau chuckled. “Wouldn’t have thought the Queen would be such a romantic.”
“Sagira is close with Her Highness.” Ashura offered. “An attendant is easily replaced. Someone who carries out personal directives? Much more… trusted.”
“If the Queen wanted to reward one of her friends with a romantic rendezvous, she could have surely picked someone better than Neb-en-toneb.”
“I’m the wrong girl to ask.” Ashura admitted. “Don’t underestimate the appeal of a holy man.”
Satau laughed, and started to head back to the Shrine, when a hand reached out of the darkness behind him and grabbed him by the shoulder. “What was that about?” His father hissed in his ear. “It sounded like you and Ashura think the Queen is having Neb-en-toneb watched by her personal attendants. Sneaking into his room? Making sure he doesn’t find out?”
Satau was a little surprised at his vehemence. “What? It’s been going on for weeks, father. One of Ashura’s friends has an interest in a High Priest. I mean, you of all people know it’s not that uncommon.”
“Weeks?” Jambres was no calmer to hear it. “How did you find out? Tell me everything!”
Satau wrestled his shoulder out of the older man’s painful grip. “Ashura mentioned that she had plans with Sagira and had to cancel, because the Queen had her on a task. Ashura saw her later on, and apparently, the task involved Neb-en-toneb. What? A girl makes up an excuse to follow around a man of power? It’s hardly the first time.”
“Unless the task was to follow Neb-en-toneb around…” Jambres said to himself. Satau didn’t think his father was even aware of him at that moment, his mind somewhere else entirely. “A task at the direction of the Queen herself…”
Jambres whirled around and started running the other way. For a moment, his face was blatantly terrified. Satau looked after him. Ashura looked chilled by what she’d started, though she didn’t understand either.
~~/*\~~
Jannes looked up in surprise from his lessons with Nem-ur as Jambres rushed in. One look at his face was all Jannes needed to see. “Your highness, there’s a matter I have to deal with. I suppose we’re close enough to finish early. Just don’t tell your father.”
Nem-ur grinned, and left immediately, his papyrus and stylus left discarded at his desk without a second thought.
Jannes waited until they were alone. “Alright. That was the least subtle entrance you’ve ever made. What is it?”
“We’re exposed.” Jambres said tightly. “The Queen is going to doublecross our attempt to replace the Pharaoh.”
Jannes blanched. “You’re certain?”
“Obviously, I can’t ask.” Jambres sneered. “But she’s having Neb-en-toneb and all his Acolytes followed by her personal attendants. I just found out. She’s not using any of the Pharaoh’s people to conduct the surveillance. Which means…”
“Which means she’s gathering evidence before she tells someone.” Jannes admitted. “It could be something else. Something unrelated…” He rolled his eyes. “Before you say it, I agree. We can’t take the risk.” He bit his lip. “The Queen only knows about Neb-en-toneb. We made sure he was her only contact for exactly this reason. That’s why she’s having his people followed. She wants to know who else is involved.”
“If she’s decided to turn in Neb-en-toneb, then Pharaoh will have the rest of us sooner or later.” Jambres shook his head, doomed. “He won’t stand up to the kind of questioning they’ll put him through. Not for us.”
“No, probably not.” Jannes agreed. “So we have to make sure he can’t answer any questions. I’m afraid I can only think of one way to make that happen.”
~~/*\~~
It was less than an hour later when the Royal Guard locked down the whole Palace. Every entrance was blocked by guards who let nobody leave. The Royal Court was summoned. Most of them worked close to the Palace, or were there already. Some had to be escorted in, forbidden from delaying or speaking to anyone else on the way.
There was a feeling that this was somehow inevitable. Egypt had been powerless long enough. None of the most powerful people in the country knew why Pharaoh was marching them into the Throne Room at the tip of a spear, but as they saw all the other Court Members under similar guard, they knew someone was going to die.
~~/*\~~
Pharaoh marched from his bedchamber to the Throne Room, bellowing for his guards. “General Aadesh!” He roared as he walked. “Get General Aadesh in here right now!” He raged. “Lock down the Palace, and all the Temples, I want everyone-” Despite himself, he fell silent in surprise when he arrived at the Throne Room and found half his Court was already there, surrounded by guards with drawn swords. “What is this?” He demanded.
Aadesh was already in attendance. “My lord, I beg your indulgence. I felt it best to move quickly. Jambres and Jannes have apparently uncovered a plot to commit treason against you.”
Pharaoh set his jaw. “I know all about it.” He snarled. “My wife just told me that she was approached to be part of the plot.” He looked around. “Jambres? Jannes?”
The two Priests bowed deeply. “Great King, may you live on forever and ever.” Jambres said subserviently. “We have acted beyond our authority to call out the Palace Guard, but when we found out what was happening, we knew we had to take urgent action before anyone involved could get away.”
“You called out the Guard?” Pharaoh was surprised. He looked at those that were in the Throne Room. Over half the Royal Court. Pharaoh was apoplectic. “All of them?”
“We don’t know.” Jannes said quickly. “But some of them had to be, surely? We only just found out about this, and decided to take no chances.”
Pharaoh looked over his shoulder, where Ramla was hurrying along behind him, equally surprised to see the Guard already out in force. “And how did you know this, Priest?”
Jambres looked truly heartsick. “Neb-en-toneb.” He confessed. “It was Neb-en-toneb. He wanted us to help him. We refused, of course, and he fled… Which is when we called for the Guards to lock the Palace down.”
“It was tonight.” The Queen put in. “The traitors were going to attack tonight!”
Pharaoh let out a shuddering breath slowly. “If not for you, Ramla... They might even have succeeded.”
The Queen almost burst into tears, hugging her husband tightly. Her gaze went over his shoulder to Jambres and Jannes. The three of them gave each other an unreadable look.
~~/*\~~
The rest of the Court was gathered and brought to the Throne Room soon after. It was the middle of the night, but the Palace was on full alert, everyone at their posts. The Guards were tearing apart every servant's quarters, searching everyone head to toe, regardless of their Rank. Soldiers were being dispatched to every Temple, every intersection around the Palace.
Those of the Court that were still being dragged in looked bedraggled, roused from their sleep. But nobody was sleepy. The drawn swords in every guard’s hand took care of that.
The King sat on his throne, his Queen at one side, his son at the other. The whole Royal Family, and the whole Court, the whole room ringed by Palace Guards. Pharaoh waited until they were all assembled. His face was filled with barely restrained rage. “My wife has uncovered treason.” He said without preamble.
A scared murmur ran among them.
The King rose, striding up and down before his Court, studying their every reaction. They were terrified. It wouldn’t be strange for him to kill them all just to make a point, regardless of their involvement. “I will admit that Egypt is having a bad year.” He snarled at them, one by one. “But attempting to kill me? I’d blame you all, except that I know most of you don’t have that kind of courage in you.” He returned to his throne, holding out a hand to his wife. She took it demurely. It was an affectionate gesture. A show of fealty.
The Queen rose, tenderly kissed her husband’s hand, and turned to the Court to make her report. “At first, I was offended.” She declared smoothly. “A mutiny, against my own husband? I don’t know what outraged me more. That in a time when our nation was fighting a War of the Gods, one of our own Priesthood should seek to betray Egypt?” She shook her head, disgusted. “The true outrage came when I realized that I was not only being made aware of this Treason, but was actually expected to participate!”
She opened her hand, revealing a small clay jar, sealed with wax.
“Poison.” The King sneered. “What better weapon a treacherous, cowardly snake?” He looked back and forth before the Court. “You didn’t even have the nerve to look me in the eye, traitors?”
Ramla nodded. “As Queen, I am blessed to have the King’s confidence. To be closer to him than any of you. To eat with him after his testers have checked his food and drink. To warm his bed on the coldest of nights… And to carry his heirs. Both of them.”
The Court reacted as she laid a hand over her stomach, just starting to show.
Pharaoh nodded, coming to stand beside her. “You see? You have failed in your schemes. The Dynasty is certain as always. Egypt is Eternal.”
The Queen nodded. “And I was asked to betray not only my King, my country, and my Divine-Incarnate… But my husband and son as well? I can’t decide what offends me more. That this evil could spawn under my own roof, or that you expected me to be your assassin!” She brandished the poison towards the roomful of suspects aggressively.
Pharaoh clapped his hands. “Jambres. Jannes.”
Jambres stepped forward. “When the Nile ran red, we thought perhaps the gods were angry because we had been taking them for granted. But now we know there was something far more insidious at work. The gods have abandoned us, because we have allowed treason and betrayal, not only to our nation, but to the Divine. Why would they go out of their way to save us from enemies, when our enemies live in their Temples?”
Jannes nodded. “Agreed. When Neb-en-toneb came to us, and revealed he was planning to replace the King, and give Moses what he wanted, we knew the seeds of Egyptian defeat came not from the slaves, but from our own Priesthood. It’s a blasphemy of the highest order!” He gestured at Jambres. “You all know us here. You all know there’s no great affection between myself and Jambres. But when Neb-en-toneb sought to recruit us, we knew where our loyalties had to be; and immediately summoned the Guard.”
Pharaoh spoke then. “I’ve already sent Aadesh to question him personally. But I knew that if The High Priest of Hapi felt established enough to try recruiting my own family, he must surely have supporters in this room. And this does not stop until Neb-en-toneb gives me names.”
There was a heartbeat of terrified silence, before one member of the Court immediately bowed to Pharaoh. A position that was quickly matched by everyone else but the guards, who had surrounded the Royal Family protectively, weapons drawn.
The show of submission seemed to give the King a moment of calm. “You were right, my son.” He said grandly to the Prince. “Maybe I don’t have authority over Jehovah, but our own people are the only ones we have to worry about.”
As if to answer him, General Aadesh swept back into the Throne Room. He was alone. “Great Pharaoh, the Priest of Hapi, Neb-en-toneb is dead. We found him barricaded in his Shrine. By the time we had broken through the door, he had taken poison.”
Still bowing, faces hidden from everyone else by their pose, Jannes and Jambres exchanged a cunning glance.
Pharaoh leaped from his Throne, enraged. “Conspiracies require more than one person, General! Find them. Find them all!”
~~/*\~~
With the Court dismissed, and still hours before dawn, Jambres returned to his private quarters. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to sleep, with Pharaoh’s edict to hunt down traitors. But he had no pain while he lay in his bed, no constant buzzing of gadflies, and the stress made his brain want to switch off for a while. The wind from the east kept blowing, but he was safe in his private room, and settled in.
He was awoken soon after by a hand going over his mouth. He came up swinging before his eyes were open, expecting guards and assassins. His visitor jumped back, hushing him gently.
It was the Queen.
Jambres froze at the sight of her. “W-what are you…” He caught himself. Careful, Jambres. She doesn’t know you were part of the plot. Not for sure. “My lady, what do you need?”
The Queen crouched beside his bed, speaking softly. “I need help finding people, Jambres. The minute Nem-ur put the idea of treason in Pharaoh’s ear, I became the first target. As a simple fact of being closest to the King without his guards around, I’m the most obvious person to recruit. It’s why Neb-en-toneb approached me after all.”
Jambres was silent for a long moment. “What are you asking me for, your highness?”
Ramla lowered her voice. “We need to save each other. If the King doesn’t get someone’s head, someone believable, then he’ll only get more paranoid, and that puts us both in danger. But if we work together, I’m sure we could give Him someone plausible. We could save ourselves.”
Does she know it was me? Is she still hoping to pull off a coup? “I’m sure we could.” He agreed.
The Queen leaned forward and gave him a soft, unsettling kiss, before she smiled, and rose from her crouch beside his cot, cat-walking out of the Shrine. Jambres watched her go, and spoke once she was out of earshot. “I suppose you heard all that?”
Jannes emerged from the dark corners of the room. “I did. How’d you know I was here?”
“I didn’t, but it’s something I try now and then when I’m alone, just to make sure I’m not being spied on.” Jambres said smugly as he sat up.
Jannes scoffed, despite himself. “Can’t believe I fell for that.” He came over, one hand behind his back, almost certainly holding a knife. “I saw her sneaking your way, and thought it couldn’t possibly be the obvious, so I followed. So. You plan to turn me in?”
“I’m sure you have some kind of insurance, to make sure I could never get away with it.” Jambres returned, unconcerned. “I made similar preparations concerning you. Mutual destruction has served us well until now.”
Jannes snorted. “She’s right though. If we don’t give him someone plausible, Pharaoh will start randomly ordering executions. Sooner or later, he’ll pick one of us. It’s why we made sure Neb-en-toneb was the only one to speak to the Queen. What I can’t figure out is why she changed her mind and turned him in.”
“Because she knew Neb-en-toneb wasn’t the only one involved. If Pharaoh is poisoned now, after she came forward with a vial of poison in her hand, it neatly absolves her from blame. Because if it happened as we planned, someone might have suspected her.”
Jannes swiftly understood. “But if the King is poisoned now, then the Queen is the one that warned of a plot involving poison, and then the plot succeeded, even after her desperate warnings.”
“And in the meantime, she’s gotten the King to wipe out the conspirators, and that means she doesn’t have to worry about them herself, when she does the deed later.” Jambres nodded. “She’s more of a player than anyone in the Court gives her credit for. Being mother of the Prince can only protect her so far. And in a dynasty that’s ruled for centuries, she wouldn’t be the first Queen to speed up succession. A young King will give more favors to his mother than he will to his anyone. Nem-ur is her best option too.”
“Nem-ur is probably the only one immune to Pharaoh’s paranoia, until he gets a second son.” Jannes reasoned. “She’s right. The only way we live through this is with her help. We need to come up with a list of plausible conspirators that didn’t know we were involved. People who can’t name us.”
“Shouldn’t be hard. We made contingency plans for exactly this occasion.”
~~/*\~~
Neb-en-toneb was only the first. The arrests were made before breakfast, before anyone could see or plan their escape. All the Acolytes of Hapi were rounded up first. Their connection to their Priest was professional, but innocence didn’t save them. The Queen gave all her notes on the people Neb-en-toneb and his Acolytes had met with, and the arrests widened.
With the help of Jambres and Jannes, the list of suspects grew longer, and the executions began. The two men handed over everyone plausible. In the morning, all of Egypt were called out to watch as they were hung, beheaded, burned. First a few, then a dozen, then nearly a hundred. Most of them weren’t actually involved, but all sorts of names were tossed out by the accused in an effort to save their own necks. General Aadesh was also a part of their plot, and agreed to turn over a few of his lieutenants. A soldier, he was used to the idea of ordering his men to give their lives to save their commanding officer. The Priests quietly promised to make sure the men he sacrificed were given full burial honors, so that his deception would cost them nothing in the next life.
From his balcony, Satau watched the executions with numb dread… before he turned and went back into the Palace.
~~/*\~~
“My lord, I swear I wasn’t involved!” Nassor wailed desperately.
Pharaoh was unmoveable, but he looked to Jambres. “Your opinion?”
Jambres never took his eyes off Nassor, shaking his head sorrowfully. “You’ve brought shame upon us all, Nassor.” He condemned. “I’m just glad your father isn’t alive to see what you’ve become. I’m ashamed to have trained you.”
“It’s appalling.” Jannes agreed. “Take him away!”
“No!” Nassor begged as the guards hauled him out of the Throne Room, down to the gallows. “I’m Innocent! NOOOO!”
Once he was gone, Pharaoh turned to Jambres. “How many more?”
“I’m glad to say we’re almost done, great one.” Jambres assured him. “With the help of the Queen, our search was a swift and decisive victory.”
Pharaoh nodded. “Good. I must say, I’m surprised at how you and Jannes are working together on this. I didn't think anything could get you on the same side.”
“High Treason is a line we’ve never had crossed before, my lord. And for a Priest, it’s doubly offensive, since you’re not only our King, but an incarnate-Divine.” Jambres said somberly. “I’m only mortified that any of my own Priesthood could even consider such blasphemy.”
~~/*\~~
Jambres returned to the Shrine and found Satau waiting, hopping mad. “You lying, murderous, two-faced, cold-blooded snake!” He snarled at his father.
“Good to see you too.” Jambres returned, nonplussed.
“Neb-en-toneb couldn’t organize a coup! He couldn’t organize a dinner party without you helping him.” Satau snarled. “I remembered when you didn’t say a thing to support Priest Muhyee, after the Frog Plague. But you never lead the charge. Not like you did this week. I remember you shushing me when I talked too much about Nem-ur being a friend, or when I asked about how long Egypt could last under these Plagues… And now I know why.”
“Get. Out.” Jambres told him shortly. “I’m sure you have work to do somewhere.”
“You and Jannes couldn’t work together for anything unless someone forced you, but now you’re a united front in the investigation, condemning your own priests. Normally, you would turn him in as the first suspect, and vice versa. Even Pharaoh was expecting that. But instead, you two are allies all of a sudden. The only thing I can think of that might force you both to do that is self-preservation.”
“I said I want you to leave. Now.” Jambres warned him.
“You weren’t just aware of the Coup, you were leading it.” Satau summed up. “And when it went bad, you saved yourself by naming everyone who could have implicated you. I’m guessing Jannes has done the same.”
“Be glad that I did.” Jambres snarled at his son. “All the time you’ve been spending in Goshen? If I was any less ‘devoted’, the King might not believe me when I say you were on a mission. You could very easily end up on the end of that rope, with all the effort you put into saving a slave’s life.”
Satau froze. “The Healers. They were hanged for supplying the poison, but it wasn’t them, was it?”
“They were about to name you as someone ‘overly sympathetic’ to the Hebrews. I made sure they didn’t get the chance.” Jambres nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“You’re the Temple’s representative in the Royal Court. My whole life, you’ve been drilling into me that the Pharaoh is divine. You, of all people, are trying to take him down?” Satau demanded in disbelief. “Do you have no respect for our gods at all? Did you ever believe they were real?”
“THE GODS NEED US MORE THAN WE NEED THEM!” Jambres finally exploded. And it was clearly an explosion that had been building for a while. “Without us, nobody knows they exist. Without us, their temples don’t get built, their songs don’t get sung. Without us, they receive no offerings, no followers. THEY NEED US!”
“Jehovah had none of that… AND HE’S WINNING!” Satau yelled over him. The sound of his yell echoed off the marble walls. The other was about to yell back when they were both suddenly aware they were being watched.
Khnem was standing in the doorway, stunned into silence by the scene he’d walked in on. He looked scared to death by their anger at each other.
Embarrassed by the interruption, Jambres barked at his eldest. “What is it, Khnem?!”
Khnem stepped gingerly into the room. “We’ve just gotten reports from the Nile Delta.” He said quietly. “The locusts have appeared.”
After a day of watching executions, Satau was almost surprised by the news. Was it really only yesterday that Moses was warning us about that?
~~/*\~~
From Goshen, they could see the locusts pouring into Egypt. Enough of them that they seemed to darken the sun, casting heavy shadow on all underneath their wings. They landed on every tree, every stalk of wheat. Unlike the storms, they came all at once, and started feasting in every corner of the nation. From one border of Egypt to the other, there were so many locusts that they covered the ground.
The delta, where most of Egypt’s life was centered, felt it most. Every tree was stripped bare, every blade of grass eaten down to the roots, every patch of green consumed. They were ravenous, relentless.
~~/*\~~
Tzioni had dinner waiting for Leahe when she made it home that night. She slipped off her work sandals with a weary groan. “There’s a mad scramble to get the wheat harvested before the locusts consume it all, but they’re into some of the granaries too.” She took a cup of water and drank thirstily. Water-carriers were always the last to drink. “After the hail, most people in Egypt started keeping their own stores hidden indoors. But of course, private homes aren’t locust-proof. They had us trying to keep the locusts off the tables at the markets, and all the wheat in the farms.”
“How’d it go?” Tzioni asked.
“Like trying to push back the Nile with a broom. You can’t even see the ground, there are so many locusts covering everything.” Leahe scoffed. “For once, the guards barely noticed us. They were all focused on the granaries. Some of them are totally sealed up, to prevent theft or decay. And those are the ones under guard now. They don’t dare crack the granaries open, or the locusts will go flooding in.”
“Well, you’re home now, and you can put that behind you for the night.” Tzioni counseled brightly. “I used up the last of the cucumbers for this salad. The locusts have consumed everything green and leafy outside of Goshen, so our people are keeping their own leafy vegetables hidden from the streets, just in case. Word has finally gotten around that we’re protected from most of these Plagues. The garlic plants are all underground, so they’ll keep another week.”
Leahe nodded. “Ohad-Ittai warned me not to try and sell our vegetables to the Egyptians. A few have tried. When a slave makes a deal with an Egyptian, it only ends one way. Ohad-Ittai says a Hebrew man was killed and his food taken by the man he tried to sell to.”
Tzioni nodded somberly. “I know it. Some of us had hoped that maybe the circumstances would have changed enough that the Egyptians would be… less willing to take such measures.”
“Many of them are. But we never really worried about the many. Just the ones who enjoyed holding a whip.” Leahe sat down at the table, as her father prayed over their dinner. “My what a delicious looking salad.” She commented with a cold smirk. “Did you know locusts are edible? They don’t taste good, but apparently they’re good for you.” She shrugged. “Or so the people in the market kept saying.”
Tzioni burst out laughing.
~~/*\~~
The Temples Granaries had to remain sealed, just to keep the Locusts out. Since they were responsible for rationing food out to the general population, this caused a riot nearly every day. The food was there, behind a sealed wall of stone, and a thin layer of hungry locusts, who almost seemed to be trying to eat their way through the stone doors.
Smaller containers of grain could be protected, but fewer and fewer people had private stores. Most of them had been used up, and with the granaries sealed, there was no way to replenish them, and the locusts overwhelmed the empty kitchens and shelves.
After the attempt to poison the King had been revealed, most of the foodstuffs in the Palace had been thrown out, on suspicion that it might have been tampered with. The kitchen staff had been replaced as well. Their replacements had been unable to fully restock the larder before the locusts moved in. What food had been delivered was being saved for the Royal Family, of course, but even the King had to notice the problem.
Moses was summoned quickly as a result.
(Author’s Note: There are specifics on how long some of the Plagues lasted. The locusts is not one of them, but Exodus 10:16 says that Moses was called back to Pharaoh ‘quickly’. Clearly, this couldn’t drag out as long as some of the others.)
~~/*\~~
Leahe was getting used to her new circumstances. Everyone had been called out for the locusts. Even the one-armed girl had been given a broom to swing, trying to keep the ravenous insects away. The broom was too narrow, so they’d given her a palm frond. The locusts had eaten it to nothing as she swung at them.
There were so many of them that there was really no point in fighting back, but they couldn’t just surrender with supplies getting tight. A few farmers had swung lit torches to fight the locusts with, and had accidentally lit their crops on fire here and there. Fighting the fire was as pointless as fighting Locusts. The sheer number of them meant the flames could leap across to other rows of crops via the embers of fragile wings.
It was a terrifying spectacle. The Hebrews were used to horrors, and got to go home to normal rations every night. Leahe was actually happy at the end. It was the first time she’d been treated like everyone else in Goshen since she’d lost her arm.
At the midpoint of the day, something changed, and a strong west wind blew. It was strong enough that Leahe had to bend against it, but the locusts were picked up from the farmland instantly. There were so many of them that they seemed more like a solid curtain than a multitude of tiny things. The cloud of them was nebulous, but moving so quickly and so tightly together that the sky darkened again, as it had when they arrived. Leahe watched the movement of them in wonder, watching the rolling blanket of locusts like waves on the Nile.
She wasn’t the only one. All those that had been called out to fight the locusts kept watching as they blew away, and only then did they look down.
Their fight had failed. There wasn’t a single stalk of wheat left. Not a speck of green visible anywhere, in fact. The entire walk back to Goshen, Leah didn’t see anything left. Not across the entire Nile Delta. The most fertile growing land for a thousand miles was stripped barren, right down to the soil.
The Egyptian farmers dropped to their knees, wailing. The Hebrew slaves traded a look. Pharaoh must have surrendered, for it to happen so quickly.
He’s said that sort of thing before. Leahe reminded herself. He submitted to Moses right after he hacked your arm off. Don’t think it’s over, just because he’s done it again.
But after months of watching Egypt be beaten down as hard as Goshen had been, she was almost hoping to be hopeful.
~~/*\~~
The west wind blew hard for another day, and the locusts were gone. There had been an exhaustive search for nests and stragglers, making sure there was no chance for them to breed into another generation of pests, but thus far nobody had found a single one.
Nobody felt a sense of relief. The crops were devastated. They knew hunger was coming next. There were still riots at the granaries. They had finally been unsealed, but the crush of people who hadn’t eaten in days was desperate, especially once word got out that the stores may not be replenished. The guards were putting people down hard, and nobody cared. Better to die fighting than to starve.
Despite that, there were actually more urgent problems for some. The investigation into the attempted Coup hadn’t stopped. The Pharaoh was desperate to show strength after the latest Plague, and the executions continued.
A few of the Royal Court were singled out, and protested their innocence, up to their dying breath. Those in the Court that hadn’t been suspected yet were making enormous efforts to show their loyalty and usefulness to Pharaoh and the Royal family, offering their wealth, their influence… anything to save their lives.
Others with rank in the nation were accused as well. Some had taken Moses’ warnings, to bring their livestock under cover. Doing so had saved their wealth, but had demonstrated that they were esteeming Moses more highly than the King. They were all executed.
A few others decided it was getting too dangerous and tried to flee Egypt with whatever wealth they could take along. They never made it to the border, dragged back to the main plaza, and gallows in chains, the soldiers tossing their stolen wealth to the watching crowd. Given their losses, seeing money being thrown to the hungry made the executions a celebration, and more came with each passing day to watch.
~~/*\~~
Satau was returning to the Temple Shrine for the night when he saw someone sneaking out. Wrapped in robes, the figure was hunched, trying to be invisible. With all the paranoia about the ‘traitors in Egypt’, the guards had been told to stop all strangers, so this sort of movement stood out. “If you’re trying to hide, you’re bad at it.” Satau said, putting the ‘power’ into his voice. It was almost like he was doing an impression of his father. “In fact, all you’re doing is drawing attention to yourself.”
The figure froze, and pulled back her hood, to reveal Ashura.
Satau was stunned. “Ashura?” He blurted, losing the ‘powerful’ tone entirely. “What are you doing? There’s a curfew.”
“I know.” Ashura whispered. “But I have to go. I can’t… This place is ending, Satau. Surely you can see that.”
Satau had thought the same thing, and more than once. “The Temples have been your whole life, Ashura. You were raised in them.”
“I know. And little by little, all the people I loved, all the people I’ve relied on… They’re all dying.” Ashura wept. “And eventually, either I’ll be the only one left, or I’ll be dead too.” She sniffed. “Moses and Aaron are… untouchable. Nobody’s willing to try reprisals against the slaves anymore. Pharaoh looks more like a caged predator every time I see him walk past. He’ll kill us all, if only because we’re the only ones left he can hurt.”
Satau had no idea what to say, because it was true. Everyone was scared of the King now. His tempers were getting more frequent, and his patience was all but gone. He was the most powerful man in the world, and he was helpless before his slaves. He was taking it out on more and more people.
“I gave myself to the Temples because I wanted to be closer to the gods.” Ashura whispered. “I built my whole life around that. I had no skill as a scribe, and no talent for the divine. I was kept on because the older men liked watching me as I scrubbed the floors and danced at the festivals. I didn’t mind. I was where I wanted to be. But it’s clear our gods are a joke compared to Jehovah.” She sniffed. “He has no temple, no icons. But maybe I’m still acceptable somehow-”
“Khnem would protect you.” Satau said finally.
“Khnem is no longer part of the Temple.” Ashura whispered.
Satau froze. “What?”
~~/*\~~
Satau ran into Khnem’s room. His things were already packed, few though they were.
Khnem met his gaze for half a heartbeat, then looked away. “So, you’ve heard.”
“You're leaving?” Satau was stunned. “I know it’s been a bad time, but there’s nowhere in the Country that’s better off…”
“It’s not that. I still believe in our gods with all my heart.” Khnem said softly. “But it’s clear I can’t go anywhere from here.”
“Khnem, I know you’re annoyed that I was made father’s second-”
“No, it’s not that.” Khnem insisted. “I keep telling you that our father made the right choice. I can’t summon even a little of the god’s magic the way you can. But that’s the point. There’s nothing here for me to offer. And while the Priesthood may be falling to attrition like everywhere else, I’m still not even being considered for one of the needed promotions.”
Satau stared at him. His brother’s career was doomed because he believed their tricks more completely than any of the public. He’d never be able to handle the truth of how the magicians did their work. He’d never be ‘flexible’ enough to handle the questions from the disciples. “W-where will you go?”
“I’ve asked to join the Palace Cohorts. They’re taking people in from all over. With the crops and farmlands and herds all being wiped out, the military is pretty much the only place left that can keep people fed and employed.” Khnem admitted. “I don’t need to worry about that as much as others, but…”
“The military? Why?” Satau was stunned again.
“Look, sooner or later, this is going to come down to the last one standing.” Khnem explained, his voice going hard. “This is a war between Jehovah and all our gods. Including the one sitting on the throne. And for all the talk about sorcery and magic… Sooner or later, the King will stop waiting for the Priests to match Moses; and hand it over to the Generals. There’s going to be a counter-attack that will eradicate every inch of Goshen. Anyone who says the word ‘Jehovah’ will be wiped out.”
“And you want a piece of it? That’s not like you.”
“I know. But I’ve got as much reason to want revenge as anyone.” Khnem said tightly.
“Brother, this whole thing started with a massacre.”
“I know.” Khnem said darkly. “And if the soldiers had done the job right, Moses never would have been an issue.”
Satau felt a swift chill. “You still think you can win this by being a better killer?”
Khnem wouldn’t meet his eyes. “Isn’t that how all wars are won?”
~~/*\~~
Satau didn’t know how to answer his brother’s choice, so he made his way back to the Temple Shrine. When he found it empty, he made his way to the Throne Room. The Court was waiting outside the Throne Room. He felt another chill. If they were outside, then it meant Moses had returned. It meant that Pharaoh was ‘negotiating’, and didn’t want the Court to watch.
There was a kind of numb dread hanging over them all. Eventually, Moses and Aaron emerged from the Throne Room, and paused before them all. “Pharaoh has refused to humble himself before Jehovah God.” Aaron said briskly.
When the Plagues had begun, Pharaoh holding fast had been a source of pride. Now it meant that another calamity was sure to befall them.
Moses spoke. “Jehovah has decreed that there will be darkness in the land of Egypt for three days and nights. A darkness so thick that it will press in on you. On the fourth day, when the light returns, so will we.”
Moses and Aaron left, and the Court filed into the Throne Room again.
~~/*\~~
Word spread fast. Takarut returned to the marketplace and declared the news, just as Moses had announced in Goshen. Every time he had relayed such an announcement, the guards had moved in to silence him. But this time, the guards did not move. Nobody jeered or yelled. Nobody threw things or shouted threats. Instead, there was only complete attention.
Takarut was awestruck by it. The first time he’d made a public announcement, it was with the official authorization of Pharaoh. Then he had left the Palace’s service, and spent some time being spat on whenever he spoke in public. But now, after eight plagues, everyone knew that he was relaying the words of Moses, and everyone knew that what Moses proclaimed was truth. Something even the High Priests couldn’t say any longer.
(Author’s Note: Again, scripture does not say directly if the general public was made aware. In fact, in the case of the Darkness plague, it does not specify that Moses gave Pharaoh warning. A direct reading could be taken as a direct jump from Locusts into Darkness. I’ve chosen to keep the pattern set by the majority, where Moses gave a warning, was ignored, and then the prophecy came true.
I’ve detailed how I decided on the timeline from first to tenth plague, but there are less descriptive terms for individual plagues. For instance, in the case of the Locusts, Pharaoh ‘quickly’ summoned Moses and Aaron back. So it wasn’t a prolonged Plague. But several intervals between events are ignored and written only as ‘Next’ or ‘Then’ as in Exodus 9. This could mean that they happened immediately, one after another; or it could mean that it was the next relevant event. The whole point of this book series is to detail events ‘between the verses’.)
~~/*\~~
Bakennifi dared to ask the question. “Are you going to announce the warning?” Pharaoh glared at him with a gaze of barely restrained rage. His chief advisor pushed on anyway. “If our people are not warned, there could be casualties. A lot of the heavier work is done at night, before the dawn brings the heat of the sun. If people can’t see by the night sky, then-”
“Be. Silent.” Pharaoh grit out. “I know that some of you are already making plans to ensure you can wait it out in comfort. Trust me, I’m making a note of anyone who takes extra rations.”
The Court didn’t meet his gaze. It was true that most of them were hoarding one resource or another as Egypt’s supplies came under attack. The Temples handled the rationing. Storing up three days worth of food and drink wasn’t something that could be done easily on short notice. The Priests could be convinced to hand out extra rations… for a price. But everyone in Egypt would be hurrying to do so this time.
(Author’s Note: Exodus 11:3 says that Moses was becoming more highly esteemed than Pharaoh in Egypt. I’ve not dwelled too strongly on that, because there’s only one verse that mentions it clearly, but I couldn’t leave it out. Pharaoh was becoming increasingly isolated in his refusal to surrender.)
“What if Moses is right, and the sun-”
“We’re in the @%&#% desert!” The Pharaoh exploded, infuriated with the whole topic. “The one thing you can reasonably rely on is sunlight!”
~/*\~~/*\~~/*\~
If you are enjoying this story, please share it with others.
You can find the whole story available for Purchase in Kindle and Paperback on Amazon.
No comments:
Post a Comment