Prologue
Piye sat on a golden throne, above hundreds of Nubians. If Piye saw me, he did not show that he did. Though soon after, the Nubian ruler and I exchanged glances. Thousands of men turned around to face me, their weapons drawn and ready for a bloody nightmare.
"At last! I see with my own eyes the disgust of people like you, people, stupid enough to come battle the great ruler Piye!" Piye's voice echoed. I did not respond, but an outcry came.
"Tahu is smarter and stronger than five hundred of you!" One of my soldiers shouted back, even louder and more aggressive than Piye.
"I doubt that, if he is so strong, I guess I'll have to see him get to me, at least one half of him!" Piye laughed at his own remark.
He continued,"well then... What are we waiting for?"
The giant horde began to move towards us, and then the war began.
Chapter 1
Tahu
The memory was vivid, as if I had somehow analyzed every bit of it. Though it was one of those days that did not stand out, the sun beating down my back, and the hectic crowd that filled the main streets of Egypt. It started when I was halfway to the market to get a few foods. I stopped working at the goldsmith shop long ago, and now I worked as a militia soldier.
The streets were crowded, many huddled around th market, but I learned to cut right through them with ease. The market did not have much food that day: twelve apples, two loaves of bread, and two pounds of meat. I was not looking for anything in particular so I grabbed a loaf and three apples. I tossed the worker two copper debens and headed back.
On my way I spied a group of people, off to the side, circled around a man. He was standing on a box, holding a scroll and reading aloud. I was curious of what he was saying, so I came to listen. The first two words I heard were war and preparation. I continued to listen as I got even more curious.
"They are coming! Tonight!" The man proclaimed.
I could not count how many times I had heard these silly lies.I hastily ignored him and strode off down the road back home.Many people in Thebes tell rumors and things that are not true every now and then. So I did not take it seriously. I continued my way back to my house that day.Later that night, after eating an unsatisfying dinner that barely filled Halima's and my stomach, I crawled into my cot and closed my eyes. I was exhausted after standing outside guarding on a roof. Against what you ask? I do not know.
A made up rumor about foreigners attacking the strong and powerful land of Thebes? Probably. Maybe that is why the others were so tense and nervous looking, after all the years of peace they would actually have to fight for once. from that comes strength, foreigners could not destroy this place, it would be impossible! I do not know why I thought about it so much. The ideas of war and turmoil seemed to derail my train of thought.
Mundane memories of my day conquered, making me sleepy. Finally, I felt
the lightness and felt myself drift into sleep. I dreamed of many things... tombs, goldsmith shops, markets, voices....
****
I felt a whisper in my head, it was distorted but I could still make out what it said.
It had a cold tone.
"Wake Up"
A half a second later my eyes shot open and my heart beating fast. I got up quickly and looked out the window. Fires raged across the town and the shouts of people could be heard all around. My wife got up and ran towards me, putting one hand on my shoulder. "We have to go, I do not know what is happening," her voice, calm and assertive.
أنت تقرأ
Project 002 - The Invasion Of Piye
التاريخيةHistorical narrative that takes place in ancient Upper Egypt. Features several different perspectives.
