Nezzar

Part Two: One With Slaughter

"Is your mark sure?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Balashi and four three other archers held taut bows still, focus absolute. From the green foliage made somewhat dense thanks to the rainy season, Nezzar and his men watched the walls of El-Lahun.

From what they had observed after abandoning the boats and taking a roundabout route to the back of the walled city, Pharaoh Hophrah must have left a residual army around, which made sense. What Nezzar found hard to believe was how such obvious information eluded his network of spies. Feeding a large number of men so close to the city should be impossible to hide. But Nezzar took it in stride. Now was not the time to consider the number of men he must have lost because of this oversight. What mattered was to seize El-Lahun and to do that he had to come up with a quick plan.

The city appeared at ease. Their gates remained open and it was from there the Egyptian army came and went freely.

It was already mid-morning and Nezzar hated to consider what was left of the men he sent ahead the day before and those that were instructed to wait for him at the Henen-nesut plains. If the rest of his army coming from Dahshur were fast, they would be able to reach El-Lahun in a day's time, but by then it may be too late if Nezzar does nothing.

"Shoot."

Nezzar watched Balashi's arrow sail across the air and hit its target with smooth precision. In equal succession, the three others sent four more arrows flying. All watchers at the back wall fell.

"Now!"

Five of his fastest men shot out of the bushes. Once they got to the wall, they would use the hooks and rope to scale the wall and take—

"That would not work."

Nezzar stifled his flinch response, attention snapping to the spot next to him. "Mudamir?"

So shocking was his sudden appearance that the nearby men scuttled away with expletives. Those beside Nezzar, Arioch and two others who had been present when Mudamir first showed himself, did not act as terrified. Irritation rose within Nezzar. Mudamir's presence always made him feel out of control.

There was the sound of weapons being drawn. Mudamir remained still, unperturbed by the fear and confusion his sudden appearance caused among Nezzar's men.

"In a short moment, four watchers shall stumble upon their dead comrades and one of them shall blow a horn. Your presence shall be noticed. The men within the city will shut the gates but not before the swiftest messengers are sent ahead for even more reinforcement to search the surrounding areas for hidden enemies."

Nezzar itched to discard Mudamir's words, his pride telling him to draw a line on how much help he was willing to receive from this strange but powerful man. That they had escaped Pharoah's traps was thanks to Mudamir and the mysterious girl Usman told him about. Even finding those disloyal in his court and among his men, was thanks to this man. Would it not be shameless to continue leaning on his power? Was there no price?

"Why do you help Babylon?"

"I have no obligation to protect the lives of your men, but the case is not the same with you."

For one irrational moment, Nezzar's mind went back to the meaning of his name. Was Mudamir a god? His late father believed in Nebu instead of Marduk and also believed that Nebu was who granted him victories. Was that what was occurring now?

Though Nezzar prided himself on being a man of reason, what he had witnessed in recent times convinced him that there were powers he could never make sense of. There was the instance with Daniel, the revelation regarding the traps Usman provided, and Mudamir's strange powers and knowledge of deep secrets.