Isadora, flanked by Atemu and an elven priestess with short blonde hair, greeted the Persian Immortal soldier and two of the medjay, one of which stood on either side of him. The other two hung back to tend to the five camels they travelled with. All of them donned tattered light brown cloaks, hoods and shemaghs. The four Egyptians had javelins strapped to their backs and wore dark orange tunics, with the ends of their tight trousers of the same color tucked into their dark brown boots. Their arms were bare, only covered by the cape when it blew over them, and a badge with the eye of Horus was stuck to their right shoulders. 

“Welcome to my temple, medjay.” Isadora half-bowed to the Egyptians, then turned her attention to the Persian. “And you are…?”

“Behnam.” The Immortal pulled down his shemagh and back his hood, exposing his clean shaven face and bald head. He wore light brown scale armor and the same trousers and boots as the medjay. The wind briefly swept under his cloak to reveal a scimitar sheathed on either side of his hip.

“Well then, Behnam.” Isadora continued. “Why have you and your comrades decided to visit me this fine evening?”

“I’ve been notified by the population of El-Arish…” He paused to rest his hands on the hilts of both his weapons. “That two men dressed in Grecian hoplite armor ‒ and a dwarf ‒  passed by their town.”

“Not to be rude.” The high priestess shrugged. “But what’s a couple of Greeks in Egypt to Xerxes? I didn’t think something as trivial as that would be important enough to him to send one of his personal Immortal soldiers after them.”

“It is not your place to understand the desires of the Great King, King of Kings.” Behnam replied in a harsh tone. “We have reason to believe the Greeks and their dwarven partner are hiding out here.”

“And why’s that?” 

The Immortal didn’t answer, and instead simply tightened his grips on his scimitars. A silent stand-off ensued.

“Move your knee!” Damien whispered below me. “I want to see what’s goin’ on out there too!”

The three of us hid behind a secret door in the temple, which, upon first glance, looked like just another wall. There were some barely noticeable cracks in the stone which allowed me to see the events transpiring outside the place of worship. 

I shuffled to the left. “Better?”

“Much.” I heard his footsteps as he moved to get a better view.

“Why do I have to be in the back unable to see anything?” Illias muttered. “I have curiosity too, ya know.”

“Shh!” Damien and I said in unison.

Over the course of our conversation, the stand-off hadn’t changed. The Immortal and Isadora stared at each other, while the priestesses on either side of her stared at the medjay on either side of him.   

The sun had begun to set, casting a red glow over the dunes.

“Step aside.” Behnam finally broke the silence. “And allow us to search the premises.”

“We are in the middle of prayer.” Isadora clasped her hands together behind her back. “To interrupt it in such a manner would be an affront to Ra.”

“I do not care for your prayer or your gods.” Behnam drew both swords. “Step aside, woman.”

Atemu and the other priestess immediately drew the golden ankhs strapped to the left side of their skirts and cried out together. The two medjay responded in kind with their spears, and the other two who tended to the camels joined in with the same action. The high priestess, on the other hand, remained still and calm, though her clasped hands started to glow.

“You would defend yourselves with tiny ankhs?” Behnam guffawed.

“I would advise you and your crew to leave.” She stepped closer to the Persian and the two medjay pointed their spears at her torso. “I would hate to have cause for quarrel with Xerxes because I killed one of his Immortals.”

“You are overconfident.” He guffawed again. “You place too much faith in your pitiful light magic. I wield the manifested chaos of Angra Mainyu!”

The ankhs of both priestesses hummed and glowed with the same energy pulsing from Isadora’s hands. 

And then Illias sneezed.

All of their heads jerked towards the direction it came from except Isadora’s. Instead, her hand snapped up and seized the Immortal’s neck while he was distracted. 

He gasped and squeezed the grip of his scimitars. A black, dark purplish aura seeped out from each hilt, surrounding the steel of the blade. The high priestess glanced down at this and lifted him up by the neck, forcing him to stand on his tippy toes. Her hand glowed even brighter. Behnam dropped both swords to grab her wrist, and when the blades hit the floor, the energy around them vanished into a liquid-like smoke, which was soaked up by the sand.

“Get on your camels, and go back from whence you came.” Isadora’s gaze moved from medjay to medjay. “Once I see you climb the northern dune and go out of sight, I will release your leader.”

The medjay looked at each other, then back at her.

“If you look back.” She continued. “He dies. If you attempt to fight, all of you die.”

Behnam wailed as steam hissed off his neck. His eyes bulged from their sockets and his teeth were red with blood as it trickled from his mouth. “Do as she says!”

The Egyptians scurried back to their camels, mounted them, and made way for the dune.

“As for you…” Isadora pressed her thumb under Behnam’s jaw, tilting his head. “I trust no one will ever know of what occurred here? I wouldn’t want your reputation as an ‘Immortal’ to be tarnished by the fact that you were so easily beaten by an elven priestess.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but all he managed were incoherent noises.

“What was that?” She leaned in with her ear. “Was that an agreement? An apology for intruding, perhaps?”

More incoherent sounds.

“I can’t quite make out what you’re trying to say.” She tilted his head the other way. “Can you try being clearer?”

His gasps became wheezes.

“Excellent.” She released her grip, leaving burn scars, and the Persian fell to the ground. “I’d imagine your Egyptian entourage is waiting for you on the other side of the dune.”

He went to grab his scimitars but each priestess stepped on one of the weapons, preventing him from retrieving them.

“I’m not taking any chances with those.” Isadora grinned. “Now leave.”

Behnam rose to his feet on shaky legs and hobbled over to his camel. He mounted it with one hand while putting pressure on his neck with the other, and fled the scene.

When he went out of sight over the dune I opened the hidden door of the temple and stepped outside.

“Looks like Xerxes is on to us as well as Artemisia.” Illias groaned under his breath as he followed me out. “Great.”

“Dealing with idiots always works up an appetite.” Isadora smiled at me as I approached. “Come. I hope you and your friends will stay for dinner.”