Chapter 47: A Promise
At the end of the day when the sun sets the four men would go to their little huts made near the base of the pyramids. The four of them ate the strips of chicken and limp vegetables in silence. There was no more fish. The Nile had been drying up. The fish had swum away. The crocodiles had also left.
Ahkmenrah could feel the little bulk that he acquired during his sixteen years waning away because of the lack of nutrients and vigorous activity. His muscles ached every night. Usually forgetting his own pain Kahmunrah would try and massage the pain out of Ahkmenrah before tending to Kain and Sabaf.
They were worked from the first light to the last light. It was hard especially since the day was long.
All four of them had scars on their shoulders from the rope. There were also whip marks on their backs chest and sides.
One particular night when everyone was asleep and he was the only one awake, Ahkmenrah thought he saw something from the small window of their hut. It was a flash of silver and white. For a moment his heart started beating faster. The blood rushed to his face. Was it Sabra?
He took a quick look out of the window.
Nothing.
Disappointed he told himself he was most likely hallucinating.
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For the last ten nights she had been doing this. Giving weapons to Egyptians. She had stored the weapons in the room she shared with Ismara.
She was almost finished giving the weapons to all the pyramid workers when she realised something. All the weapons that belonged to Ahkmenrah and the rest were still somewhere in the dungeons. She had to give them back tommorrow night. After that weapons will be given out to the slave women and servants.
She was still dressed in white as she stood outside Ismara's chamber.
Ismara opened the door, her complexion had become a lot better since Sabra had been stealing food for her, but Ismara's features were masked with worry.
"How are they?"
Every day Ismara asked her how Kahmunrah, Sabaf, Ahkmenrah and Kain were doing. Everytime Sabra described what she saw from the little window of the hut they were sleeping in.
"Scarred and tired but other than that they are completely fine."
Ismara gave a sigh of relief as she closed the door behind them.
Sabra undid the cloth from her face and took off the turban letting her rough tangled curls fall to her waist.
"You should be getting some rest" she murmured to Ismara. "It's not good for the baby."
"I can't sleep." muttered Ismara.
"At least try to."
So Ismara lay down on the bed and tried to sleep. But she couldn't. She got up abruptly and walked over to where Sabra was still brooding over her next move.
She took up another chair so the both of them were sitting across from each other.
"You know I used to envy you." started Ismara.
"Why would you?" asked Sabra thoroughly confused. "You have everything beauty, power..." then gesturing to her stomach "A family."
"Beauty and power is nothing. As for family, I lost mine at a young age. But what you command Sabra is respect. I can never do that because of what I have done."
"What have you done?"
"I've broken hearts, I've seduced, I've..."
"That alone can't disgrace your character. There is something great inside each of us. We just need to learn how to trust ourselves to find out who were. Besides everyone seems to be concerned for your 'illness' they all talk highly of you" Sabra smiled " Whatever you did, you did for a reason."
"I did it for my brother."
"At least your brother is alive."
Ismara gave her look. That night both girls poured their hearts out to each other.
Ismara became the first person to know of Sabra's past.
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The next day Ahkmenrah awoke with aching muscles and a bad feeling in his gut. Sabaf ate his gruel in silence. Kahmunrah was talking with Kain who was as jovial as ever.
Ahkmenrah took a seat next to Sabaf. He remembered a time when they used to be best friends. It seemed that when Ismara and he had broken off so had they.
"How are you?" he asked Sabaf.
"Aching but other than that I'm fine. Your brother's hands can do wonders."
"I think half the female population of Egypt and Arabia would agree with you on that one!" shouted Kain winking then guffawing as Kahmunrah laughed nervously protesting that he hadn't slept with that many women. Ahkmenrah burst into peels of laughter.
"That's not what I meant!" exclaimed Sabaf over the laughter.
"Sure it wasn't!" said Ahkmenrah nudging him suggestively.
They then heard the barking of the guards telling them to line up in their groups. Slurping down the last of their gruel the four of them took of their kilts (stark nakedness was a form of humiliation but also it was easier to work in the sun without clothing) and ran out to join the others.
Ahkmenrah looked up at the pyramid. It was three quarters of they way finished. At the rate of what how they were going it would be finished in a few days.
The rope was in his hands now and he started dragging the sandstone up the pyramid. The roped dug into familiar scars as the four of them dragged. It was painful, but they were getting used to it.
Ahkmenrah's eyes were always to the floor but now he looked up and saw Sargon himself who was overlooking the plans. The two men started to look directly in each others eyes.
Grim determination was met by a cocky smirk. Sargon fingered the whip in his hands. It wasn't a normal whip for a silver spike stood out at the tip. Ahkmenrah kept staring.
He was so caught up in his staring that he didn't look where his was going. He tripped over his own feet and landed flat on his face. Pain erupted in his ankle. He cried out. He was unable to stand up.
Everything around him started to fall silent. He heard the crack of the whip coming his way. It was Sargon.
"NO!!!" Kahmunrah cried ready to throw himself between his brother and Sargon. But Sabaf held him back. If Kahmunrah intervened the situation would only get worse.
"LET ME GO YOU MISERABLE BASTARD!!!" screamed Kahmunrah struggling against Sabaf but it was useless. Sabaf was just as strong. A sob broke out from Kahmunrah's through tears slipped down his sand-caked cheeks. "LET ME GO!" His voice broke at the end. For he knew Ahkmenrah was to die for sure.
Sargon smirked "I don't have room for lazy, weak asses working at my pyramid."
Another cry of indignation came from Kahmunrah. Not only was Sargon ready to kill Ahkmenrah, but he was claiming ownership of his beloved project.
Sargon raised the whipped. Ahkmenrah as weak as he was merely kept looking at him. If he was going to die, he will do so by looking at his killer in the eye.
The wind whistled. The whip cracked. The spike dug into his back and tore off a piece of his flesh, it left a trail of blood in its wake. Ahkmenrah cried out in pain. He received more blows. Each as excruciating as the other. It felt like eternity.
Suddenly the blows stopped. Through his blurry vision made out the bulky figure of Kain holding Sargon by the wrist in which the whip was situated. Two men struggled against each other for a good minute. Before Kain finally broke the struggle by pushing Sargon aside. He turned his back to the Sumerian General.
But that was his fatal mistake.
Kain received an almighty blow from the butt of his at the back of his head and fell with a crash right next to Ahkmenrah. Blood welled out from his skull.
"Dismiss the workers" announced Sargon. "Leave the four of them alone."
Ahkmenrah couldn't care less of what was happening around him. Using the little strength he had he dragged himself towards Kain. He held on to Kain and started to sob on his chest.
Kain's eyes fluttered open, brought a bloody hand to Ahkmenrah's cheek. Ahkmenrah looked up. Kain's warm brown eyes looked into Ahkmenrah's. Then they flitted towards Kahmunrah and Sabaf who were now sitting beside Ahkmenrah.
"Would you look at that!" he exclaimed his lips contorted into a smile. "Pretty Boy still manages to look pretty!"
Ahkmenrah gave a half-sob half-laugh at those words, remembering when Kain used to call him that. He remembered being slightly annoyed at that nick-name. He also remembered being jealous of him. How could he have felt such negative emotions to such a positive, jovial, honest and honourable man?
"Kain..." Kahmunrah choked out.
"Shh..." whispered Kain. "I can hear them."
"Hear what?" asked Sabaf.
"The trees. Nailah always said that the language of the trees were so elegant so beautiful that no one would be able understand them."
The brought on more tears from the three men.
"What a bunch of weepers!" laughed Kain. Then his laughing died and he said soothingly "I will always be here." he placed a palm on Ahkmenrah's chest.
"No Kain! Don't do it! Don't leave me!" Ahkmenrah cried out. He broke down into uncontrollable sobs. "Please..." he pleaded.
"Ahk, Kahmun, Sabaf free them...All of them...Free Egypt from her chains...Then...Free the slaves...Every one of them..."
"We will!" affirmed Kahmunrah. "I promise you! We will!"
But promise is a big word. It either makes something...or breaks everything.
Kain smiled. "Good..."
His hand fell from Ahkmenrah's chest. Leaving a blood red handprint.
His breathing stilled. His eyes closed.
No one could imagine it. No one wanted to believe it. Kain who had only been joking about women this morning was now dead.
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It had happened. The thread that had been cut by Isis (chapter 33 if you had forgotten) had ran its lifetime.
Kain hadn't only died because his death saved Ahkmenrah's life. But because he knew too much.
Isis smiled as the thread glowed signifying that Kain had died. The glow died down. Her job wasn't complete yet. Everything was building to a point, and Isis was going to be at the front and centre.
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Hey guys! How was it?!
I know most of you would like to kill me now. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter?
Okay now I'm gonna hide under my chair, because I am definitely going to get a lot of shit for this.
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