“You couldn’t have gotten three camels?” Illias groaned. “They’re much better than horses when travelling in the dunes.”

“Sorry.” Damien responded. “Next time I’ll ask the owners to give me what I want before I steal it.”

“Point taken.” He muttered. 

The harbor town of El-Arish was well behind us as we were surrounded by the vast sand dunes of the Sinai desert. The wind was low, swirling the sand around below the horses’ knees. We were forced to slow down as a horse’s stamina isn’t as good as a camel’s. 

“Hold on.” I tugged at the reins to stop. “What good is the water we stopped to get at that oasis if we aren’t gonna use it?”

“Be quick.” Damien nodded. “I don’t like being out in the open like this.” 

Illias and I dismounted and took both buckets of water from the storage box on the back of Damien’s camel. We held them right under our horses’ snouts and they dunked right in.

“Easy, girl.” I ruffled her mane as her head bobbed up and down. 

“That’s enough.” Damien urged. “Let’s get over this dune so we can get a better view of our surroundings.”

I slowly took the bucket away and set it back in the wooden container on the camel’s rear hump, careful not to spill it all over our hoplite armor that was stored in there as well. Illias did the same. As I turned back around to my horse, she snorted, spraying my face and soaking my freshly bought Egyptian tunic.

“I’ll get the water back to you in a bit.” I rubbed my eyes clean with both hands. “For now, can we get over this dune in peace?”

She snorted again, though nothing shot from her nostrils this time.

“Thanks.” I patted her snout before remounting.

“You talking to your horse?” Illias, already atop his steed, looked at me with an eyebrow raised. “That another super power of yours or something?”

“Shut up.” I chuckled. 

“Equine whisperer or not.” He scoffed. “At least my tunic is snot-free.”

“Get up here!” Damien had ascended the hill while I bickered with both my horse and my friend. He gestured at us with a fast wave so we would come to him.

“C’mon.” I tapped my steed’s stomach with my heel and she began trotting up. Her hooves sunk into the sand with each step, making the occasional crunchy noise, though she managed to keep climbing. Illias and I reached the top at the same time.

“Wow…” My friend gazed around him, almost falling off his mount. “More sand!”

“Not just sand.” I pointed straight ahead. In the distance stood a temple, and next to it, the silhouette of a black statue with hands reaching towards the structure.

“That it?” Damien shielded his eyes with his hand as he looked.

“Can’t be sure if it’s Ra from this distance.” I copied his gesture. “But that’s definitely granite, and it’s arms are in the correct position.”

“Then let’s get‒” 

The dwarf was cut off by the grumbling of camels. It grew in volume until, over the dune next to ours, a band of nine bandits poured over the top. As they descended the hill, clouds of sand trailed off the rears of the charging animals.

“They’re coming right for us.” Illias pointed.

“Then we should run.” Damien whipped the reins and his camel bolted down our dune. Illias and I followed suit to try and reach the temple.

“Our horses aren’t going to be able to keep pace with your camel long enough to get there!” I yelled. “We need to fight!”

“Are you mad?” Damien called back. “We’re outnumbered three to one, and we’re out in the open with no cover! Bandits always carry bows!”

“We can’t outrun them though!”

The camel’s grumbling grew louder.

“Well let’s run out the horses’ stamina first and see how far it takes us!” He glanced behind him and scowled.

I looked back as well to see the bandits already cascading down the dune we just came down from ourselves. The sand trail behind the leading three, who had just drawn their bows, provided some visual cover for the six behind them who likely had their arrows notched as well.

“I really wish I was wearing my armor right about now.” Illias sighed.

“If it makes you feel any better.” I turned back around to look at him. “Me too.”

“It doesn’t.”

Our horses’ speed started to slack as arrows whizzed past us. Most fell short, as the enemy was still a decent distance away, but some came alarmingly close, lodging themselves in the sand right in front of us.

“Do you smell that?” My eyebrows furrowed. “Did someone piss themselves? I thought we were better than that.”

“Not quite.” Damien growled. “Hemlock. The arrows are lined with hemlock.”

“Just another day in the land of Egypt.” Illias shook his fist in the air. “Oh wait. Just kidding. It’s my first day here.”

Our horses began huffing air and slowing down even more, but the temple drew closer. I could make out the statue of Ra’s features now. His golden kilt and wrist-guards reflected the sunlight, and a snake sat atop his head, with a sun-disc on top of the snake. His arms were outstretched towards the temple, which was an open concept, rectangular building bordered by columns. I couldn’t see any people though.

“Theo, we need to‒”

I glanced to my left to see what cut Illias off only to see a slowing horse with no rider. I then looked behind to see Illias flat on the sand with an arrow lodged in the back of his shoulder. 

“No!” I pulled at the reins to stop my horse, dismounted, and dashed towards my friend. 

“Have you lost your mind entirely?” Damien unsheathed a dagger and threw it backwards. The weapon sailed right over my head and pierced the neck of the front-most bandit, knocking him off his horse. The body created a small dust cloud as it landed.

“Good shot!” I turned to compliment Damien only to see him continuing on towards the temple. “Where are you going?!”

My attention came back to Illias as he seized the golden collar of my tunic.

“Don’t die for me.” He coughed softly. “Please.”

“I won’t.”

I rose to my feet and caught both spears as they flew to me from my fleeing horse. The remaining eight bandits barreled forwards in one long front-line. I swapped to reverse grip in both hands and javelined both spears. Each weapon struck the left and right most bandits respectively, and as I called them back, killed two more. Before I could throw again, though, they had closed the distance, and one of them swung his club at me, which I ducked.

As I turned around to face them again, an arrow nicked my thigh, shooting a stinging pain up my body.

“Damn!” I dropped my left spear to put pressure on the wound and threw my right one again. My aim was lax and, instead of hitting the bandit, I hit the front leg of the camel he rode. The animal wailed and tumbled, throwing its rider forward and subsequently collapsed on him. As it fell, it sent a dust cloud my way. The tiny pieces of sand pricked my eyes, and as soon as I was able to generate enough tears to wash them out, I felt two clubs ‒ one on either shoulder ‒ thwack me, sending me to the ground.

The last three bandits hovered over me on their camels as my eyes opened. Two of them wore leather armor and hoods, but one of them wore a mask too, hiding his face.

“Artemisia sends her regards.” The masked one pulled back an arrow at me, but before he could shoot, a blinding flash of light boomed from the direction of the temple.

I shut my eyes and covered my face with my hands, the sudden movement causing my shoulders to throb. As the heat died down I opened my eyes again to see three camels without riders. Piles of gray dust trickled down from where the men once sat, and as it fell to the floor, contrasted with the light brown sand. 

“You must be Theo, I presume?” A female voice echoed above me.

“Y-yea” I groaned as I sat up and came face to face with the woman, with Damien standing to her right. She wore a linen skirt, leopard skin belt and bra, and papyrus sandals. Golden bands adorned her wrists and biceps, with a larger one cinched around her forehead. Her eyes were lined with deep black eyeliner, and her pointy ears stuck out from her long, blonde hair.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, then.” She smiled tenderly. “My name is Isadora and I am the leader of the order of priestesses known as the House of Ra.”

“Cool…” Illias grinned as he sat up, then flopped right back down on his back.

“Let’s get you inside the temple where we can treat the wounds on both of you, yes?” She nodded at Damien then peered at me. “Then we can talk about the meaning of your visit to Egypt.”