In the aftermath of nine devastating plagues that ravaged ancient Egypt, a high priestess desperately seeks to prevent the impending tenth plague. Still, her efforts fail, leaving her at the mercy of an enraged pharaoh. Meanwhile, the pharaoh's son...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"She was the cause of it all. She took your son to the land of your enemy; she trusted their god. Because all your sons weren't present, Ra felt affronted and abandoned us in anger."
There was a low murmur about the throne room at Rai's revelation. The heads of the Nomes of Egypt, five scribes, a handful of pharaoh's court officials and Queen Nefertari were those present. It was mid-afternoon and it was scorching. Rai resisted the urge to wipe the sweat that ran down the nape of her neck.
"And who told you this?" Pharaoh Ramesses asked in a bored tone. His gaze kept wandering to the empty seat at his left where Prince Khepeshef usually sat.
Rai looked away, praying his anger wouldn't rekindle. "Quatesh revealed this sobering news to me."
"Most noble pharaoh, this woman failed in her duty to keep our sons from dying. She—"
"Shut up, Menkhaf. Allow the priestess to speak."
Menkhaf clenched his fists and stepped back. He was a commander and also the nomarch of the largest Nome in Egypt. Ah, he was fuming, and the way he glared at Rai. The single visible vein lining his forehead looked ready to pop. If looks could kill, she would be incinerated where she stood. Gripping her staff tighter, she smirked discretely before focusing on Pharaoh Ramesses.
"Quatesh offers power, wisdom, and wealth. He would give us an upper hand in all our battles. There would be no foe capable of resisting your might, oh noble pharaoh."
Pharaoh Ramesses did not speak; Rai didn't even know if he heard a word she said. But she noticed the queen was frowning at her, suspicion clear in her gaze.
"I had a dream..." Pharaoh said as he stared at her with vacant eyes.
"If noble pharaoh would let me, I'll tell you the dream you had and give an interpretation. This would prove that Quatesh would save Egypt from the scorn of our enemies." Rai bowed slightly and resisted the urge to look in the direction of the queen. The woman made her feel uneasy.
"Go ahead," Pharaoh said, waving a hand.
"You were in an abandoned temple, and the one you saw told you the future of Egypt looked like that temple."
Pharaoh sat up and leaned forward, his previous look of disinterest vanishing.
"He promised to help make the world bow at your feet."
"Yes, that is true." Pharaoh Ramesses eyes grew sharper and his grip on his armrest tightened. "What does this dream mean?"
"Because your dream revealed the destroyed temple of Ra, Egypt would not be victorious if she continues to worship the one who abandoned her. To keep ascribing worship to Ra would keep us defeated. Once we pull down his statues and dedicate his temple to Quatesh, your victory will begin."
"But we have served Ra for ages. I don't think it is wise to discard him so easily," Queen Nefertari said, her frown still in place.
