Ahkmenrah: The Fourth King of the Fourth Kings

Chapter 85: Fire and Water

He was floating on fire and water. He knew he wasn't alive. But he hadn't passed on to the next world yet.

Will I ever? His conscience wondered. Kahmunrah opened his eyes, or what he thought to be his eyes and looked up. There were colours. Colours that he had no name for. He had never seen them. He believed no human had.

Suddenly a big black shape loomed over him.

It was the jackal-headed god Anubis. Perhaps it was time he passed on to the Hall of Two Truths. Had he been mummified then?

"Not yet..." said the God, as if he Kahmunrah had spoken aloud. "Your brother begged mercilessly, though there was nobody found."

"Ahk..."

"He will be well." Said Anubis. "I alone will grant him his wish. You will have an afterlife."

The god placed a hand on Kahmunrah's shoulders. Anubis's eyes narrowed as if in touching him he had sensed something curious.

"Strange..." Anubis muttered. "Very strange..."

But before Kahmunrah could ask what was strange he was lifted from the river of fire and water and he was blinded by a great white light.

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Her name was Kiya. She was old withered crone who had lost her two sons in the battle with the Sumerians. She was drawing water from the banks of the Nile when she saw a face floating up at her.

She let out a shriek and dropped the pitcher with all intent of leaving him there.

But a macabre curiosity took over her, so she leaned over and stared at the face. It was smiling, the sunlight caught a gleam of gold at his chest.

She reached into the water and dragged him out.

She knew the gold meant he would be important. She inspected the features. He was pale and there was a gaping wound to his stomach, yet he seemed almost blissfully asleep. She inspected him further, taking his dead clammy hands into her own. He wore a gold ring of the head architect and another to signify that he was the prince of Egypt. But she did not know that.

She looked at the scars on his torso like he had fought in a war very recently.

She had no reason to believe it was anyone but a dead comrade of her dear sons, who had fought and died in the battle with the Sumerians. Though the reader may have guessed by now, this indeed was Kahmunrah.

"Kafele!" She called to her husband. "Kafele!"

"Kiya what is it?"

"I found a body in the water!"

"Gods Kiya!" Her husband, an elderly farmer rushed up to her, staff in hand.

He knelt beside the body of the dead prince and touched his cheek.

"He's so young." He muttered. "He can't have been older than twenty."

"He looks like a soldier and nobleman," Said Kiya. "He may have been a comrade of one of our sons."

"He must be given a proper burial." Said Kafele. "Perhaps with our sons."

"All this gold," muttered Kiya. "It could..."

"Kiya we mustn't disturb the dead." Reminded Kafele. "He seems like an important man, beloved by the King no doubt. We can't anger the gods as such."

"My son." She whispered stroking a lock of Kahmunrah's hair. "I'm sorry."

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After days of countless bargaining, Sabra and Nitocris managed to extricate an agreement between the two fighting factions. The leader of the soldiers called himself Smenkhare, and he was more than willing to put an end to this little war.