The Queen's Sandcastles

In the shadows

'Do you have any useful information on Shareh , the criminal oraganisation?' his master intimidated  and terrified him just like their first encounter two years ago. His leash tied to the table's leg still made him sometimes uncomfortable, but he got used to it.

Even if he wasn't the biggest traficker in Babari anymore, but this crude creature's pet, he was fed regularly, wore good clothes and wasn't abused.  Instead he had to work under her assessing gaze day after day without any chance to escape. He even lost weight and built some mucles because of the hard work. 

Only Ra knew what terrible things whould happen to him if he tried to escape . He would be killed by those black things she always carried around in her belt without taking even a second step out of the village. Not to forget that her black haired attendant who is constantly by her side, would tear him apart. 

And he, Otelus, biggest criminal in Babari and Thebes, now Cleo's pet, didn't want to die.

His master, Cleo, behind the dark desk was going out of patience , with every second Otelus stood still. 

'Answer !' said the giant, Karo , who once was one of his auction products.

 After two miserable years in her service, he felt exausted, he felt as if he could understand what the slaves, he was selling, felt in captivity. Hell he wasn't even maltrated and abused like them, it could be even worse. Otelus thought this was heaven's justice brought by this crude woman and he sincerely regretted the things he did, but he wouldn't say even one word about it to this woman who was  hurting his pride . 

Providing his master,who he by the way still couldn't look in the eye , was the only thing he could do to please her without having to interract often with her or worse....working in the fields.

' They don't have any base. They are travelling through Egypt and do everything to get money..... Their group has a lot of connections from peasants to high-ranked officers and nobles, to use for their goals like ambushing high nobles, selling high-priced slaves, robbing and destroying whole villages and mercenary guilds. When they have enough to support their travelling and lavish lifestyle, they'd just take a pause from their criminal acts until the money runs out. They are using underhanded methods and stay most of the time in the shadows. The previous and current Pharaoh couldn't and can not catch them because they are constantly fleeing and making other people do their work .....But I sincerely don't know why Thebes ......They haven't come to the lower Egypt since approximately 10- 20 summers ....What would their reason be ?' he thought out loud.

Cleo nodded, but her head snapped to Karo when a thought crossed her mind.

'They have someone in the palace.' he understood immediatly what she implied. 

'Because of the abundance in money and harvest lower Egypt has now , they want to attack some settlements and dissapear for the next 10 to 20 years.'

'Exactly.' with some smooth panther movements she stood up from the desk , she reached another table. Picking carefully one of the opened papyrus, she grinned. 'Shouldn't we make our intruders a visit in Thebes, Karo ? We and the soldiers we already sent to Thebes would give them an extraordinary welcome party.....Noone messes with my people.'

'I 'll go wherever you want me too. ' Karos eyes shined with anticipation on their so called party.

Otelus, seeing his job done wrapped the other end of his leash to his wrist and planned to exit the den of this two predators, but was sadly interrupted. Of course, he couldn't use this chance to escape. The walls of the room echoed with his master's voice.