The Ascendancy of Stars

Chapter Twenty

July 20 1920 - Alexandria, Egypt

Fleeing Egypt

In the teeming streets of Alexandria, Sara and Warren moved through the throngs of people, the air inviting with the scents of spices, roasting meats, and the salty tang of the nearby sea. However, the usual vibrancy of the bazaar felt tainted, an undercurrent of unfriendliness and unease permeating the atmosphere.

As they attempted to visit the various stalls, they were met with reactions ranging from cold indifference to outright hostility. The vendors, who greeted others with warm smiles, looked upon them with disdain. Their haggling, which was lively and friendly with other patrons, turned into a series of sharp rebukes and inflated prices as soon as they approached.

"Can you believe this?" Sara asked, frustration evident in her voice as they walked away from a stall where the vendor had refused to acknowledge them.

Warren furrowed his brow and nodded gravely, "It's more than just the local temperament. There's a malevolence here, a sense of mounting violence." he said, scanning the faces in the crowd.

After returning to Cairo to gather their belongings, they found that the tensions in the city had grown incredibly hostile. People on the streets were prone to sudden outbursts, and vendors there had become sullen and did not want to trade or haggle. Rather than taking a ship from there, they felt it was safer to travel to Alexandria to find passage. After arriving at the Port of Alexandria, they were convinced they had made the right choice and proceeded to gain passage aboard a ship with another auspicious name... 'The City of Cairo'. Shortly after that, the atmosphere drastically changed; it was as if a dark cloud had settled over the city and changed the atmosphere to something considerably less friendly.

As they paused at the fringes of the market, Warren voiced his concerns. "There is some evil force that causing this unrest," he said, his voice low and urgent, "With how close the Syzygy is, things will be set in motion to stop us at every turn. It's a good thing we are leaving Egypt."

Sara looked around at the passing crowd, nervous, her unease growing, "It's like the city itself is turning against us," she said, her eyes reflecting the fear and uncertainty that gripped her.

Warren looked down at her, "It won't just be this city. It will be everyone in between Cairo and here. Or maybe I should say, based on how rapidly it changed after we got here, it feels like the area of effect is growing by the day." He glanced at a pair of angry-looking Egyptian men, eyeing them with open hostility, "Thank God we already have our ship tickets. I would not want to be stranded here because of some altercation."

As if on cue, summoned by Warren's words, chaos erupted all around them. A bag was suddenly thrust over Sara's head, plunging her world into darkness. She heard Warran let out a grunt of pain, and then rough hands grabbed her from behind; a moment later, another pair of hands lifted her off the ground. Muffled through the fabric, Warren's frantic voice was calling out to her.

Panicked but determined, she thrashed violently, her legs kicking with all the strength she could muster. To her surprise, she got one arm free. Grabbing hold of a head of hair, Sara yanked as hard as she could, bent her body, and kicked out. A man's cry of pain pierced the air, and she felt herself dropped unceremoniously onto the stone path.

She rolled away and ripped the bag from her head, her eyes stinging from the sudden bright light. Without a second's pause, she scrambled to her feet and darted into the crowd, blinking to get her eyes working again. She crashed into passers-by, then ducked under a camel and crawled behind a stack of woven baskets laden with grains and lentils. She crawled on all fours, hearing the men yelling in egyptian or maybe.