Pharaoh of Egypt

Chapter 5- A woman in white standing in red

Present Time

---

I breathed. A cold, filling drag of sweet air and my eyes fluttered open.

Inky darkness instantly met me. I could hear the slow, dragging beat of my heart and the gentle lapping of water. Raising my jittering hands sightly, it sloshed in the in the puddle of water I lay in. Reaching up, water trickled down my wrist as my fingers brushed against the rough stone of my tomb and I sucked in a breath.

Suddenly a deep thrum began to vibrate through the tomb. I grabbed the sides of the tomb as the sound vibrated through my very bones, sending gentle ripples through the water as well. Each rhythmic beat called out to my blood, like a long forgotten ancestral song that had finally returned to it's former glory.

I closed my eyes feeling the cacophony of the ancient drums thunder through the tomb, each beat resounding with my heart. My senses dulled, fading away into nothing as I basked in the calling of my home. Louder and louder it echoed, reverting through my very bones when the grating sound of stone sliding against stone merged with the spell of the drums.

My eyes widened as the lid of the tomb slid back, the rough sides grating against one another. Illuminating light filled the tomb and I winced shielding my face. Squinting I watched on as the lid slowly rose upright, hovering at the foot of the tomb by some strange force and my lips parted as I stared up at it.

Grasping the rough edge of limestone I pushed myself up, eyes locked onto the hovering lid. I reached a trembling hand forward, heart pounding wildly in my chest. Breathing raggedly my fingers brushed against the rough limestone and my eyes snapped shut as the humming sound that came from it, sent vibrations rippling through me.

My eyes fluttered open and I stepped up onto the rim of my tomb, a strong gust of the Deshret wind cam blowing by, whipping my white robe about.

"Hal hatha anti?" I whispered softly, fingers drifting down the stone, over each and every bump and groove. The stone hummed deeper, sending vibrations running through my fingers and I stepped out and onto the red sand. The heat of the sand burnt the soles of my feet but I ignored the pain walking to stand before the face of the sarcophagus.

The one depicted on my tomb was Isis.

The corner of my lip quipped up slightly. Sinking to my knees I dropped my head into a deep bow, the heat of Ra scorching my skin,

"Malekati, I thank you for protecting me."

The wind picked up carrying the voice of Isis with it,

"'Ana 'anta. Ant ana. Nahno wahid. Ii ertefa' Rana Amenemhat"

The glowing warmth of her sweet voice faded away into my pounding heart.

The ancestral beat of the drums thundered through the desert. Each beat echoing, sending ripples through the Deshret and I turned surveying my surroundings.

Making my way back to the river, I plunged my hands into the dirty Nile releasing a sigh of relief as the liquid cooled my hands. Cupping them I brought my hands up to drink when a strangled sound left my mouth. The water hit the sand and I stared horrified at the wavering reflection in the water.

Raising a trembling hand to my cheek I watched as the hole in my pale, white flesh slowly reformed, skin knitting back anew, smoothing over to form the brown skin it once was. The pad of my fingers brushed over my cheek, not a single bump was out of place.

Breathing in shakily I reached down to scoop water again to drink. The bitter taste of dirt made me gag but I forced myself to drink, I had no other choice. Dirty water trickled donw the sides of my mouth and I wiped it away panting. The scalding heat radiating off the sand burned my legs and I reached down tearing two strips off of my white robe. Soaking it in the water I eyed it carefully before wrapping the first strip around my forehead, trying to cover the top of my head as well. The second went over the bridge of my nose, concealing the bottom half of my face.

Dipping my feet in the river I sighed in relief as the flowing water calmed the pain of the scalding heat. Reaching down I rubbed my aching feet before freezing. Goosebumps erupted across my flesh and I turned to look into the distant.

Just a day ago I was doing this very same action with Nefret. My beloved sister an I. The sound of her laughter echoed around me followed by the terrified shouting of Cairo as Zahur and I pelted with laughter after we ambushed him from his daily wine smuggling. I smiled sadly.

Where did it all go wrong?

Standing up I closed my eyes tilting my head back to bask in the blistering heat of the sun, relishing the still aching pain of losing my family before my very eyes. My hand drifted to my heart and I tipped my head down,

"Alearsh sayakunu liAmenemhat, uqsimu laki ya eailati alhabiba."

I curled my lip, glaring into the distance,

"And Menes Khaldun will fall by my hands."

Standing upright I turned away from the river striding out towards the Deshret. The hot sand scraped and burned under my feet and I stared up at the great mountain of sand that stood before me. Slowing down, I staggered my way up.

The sun glared down upon me, searing the back of my neck and any naked part of my body as I made my way up. Taking the last step I stumbled to the top. Brows knitting together I stared at the barren land, watching the blistering heat of the sun torment the Deshret. Waves rippled through the hills of sand, the speckles of red between each ochre grain was why it was called Deshret.

My robe fluttered frantically in the stark wind, and I squinted as sand caught in my lashes. This wasn't going to be an easy journey at all. But the warmth that thumped alongside my heart made me realise that nothing in this world would be easy, nothing would be easy for I am but a woman in white standing in a sea of red.

Tasting grit I tightened the mask before setting off into the distance.

The days passed uneventfully, all I could do was walk as Ra watched over me and when night fell then I huddled freezing on the sand. With each step did my body sink further into chaos. Hallucinations tore through my mind, one minute I'd be frantically scooping up water the next I'd be spitting out sand.

Feat bloody and torn, I refused to stop walking. The pain of the hunger and the wounds faded away into a dull thud as my senses numbed. Tongue swollen from the lack of water I staggered on through the blistering heat when the black spots dancing in my vision grew too much.

I fell face first to the ground, sand entered my mouth and I lay there as coughs wracked through my ailing body. Gritting my teeth I reached forward digging my fingers into the sand, dragging my body forward. Each pull was pure agony and yet I couldn't stop. My arms burned in pain but I clenched my jaw. If I stop, I lose. If I stop, he wins.

Reaching out for the next pull, my arm collapsed, too weak to continue. Fingernails crusted with blood I coughed dryly spitting sand out, struggling to move forward. Eyes fluttering from the dizziness I stretched my arm out further, desperate to reach something before my mind shut down on me. But I couldn't move anymore.

Sweat trickled down my face, my vision swam and I breathed heavily struggling to stay awake.

"Need... Need to carry on," I whispered dryly through cracked lips.

Furrowing my brows I squinted into the distance to see a strange figure clad in a black flowing pants, his kaftan fluttering in the wind, walking towards me. Face concealed by a kufiyya the only thing I could see where his eyes.

Face hitting the hot sand with a thud, my eyes fluttered shut and I slipped into unconsciousness.

---

Hal hatha anti? - Is it you?

Malekati - My Queen

'Ana 'anta. Ant ana. Nahno wahid. Ii ertefa' Rana Amenemhat. - I am you. You are me. We are one. Rise Rana Amenemhat.

Alearsh sayakunu liAmenemhat, uqsimu laki ya eailati alhabiba - The throne will belong to the Amenemhat, I swear to you my beloved family, it will.

---

Kaftan: Variant of a robe or tunic, loose coat with wide sleeves

Kufiyya: Traditional headdress that provides protection from sunburn, dust and sand.