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.
"You can stop here," Ruhak said as he tapped the bearded man on the shoulder. He grunted in response and brought the horse to a stop.
They were at the edge of the crowd, and Ruhak was only too eager to end the ride. The scout made him feel uncomfortable; something about him left him unsettled.
When Ruhak managed to dismount, he leaned heavily on his good leg and offered the man a huge smile. "Thank you for assisting me with the boy." The bearded man stared down at him without giving a reply. His face remained straight, not hinting the slightest of emotion.
"I had to rid the place of that filth," Ruhak added with an awkward laugh. Why did he find it needful to explain himself?
The man grunted and frowned. "When I said you stank, it had nothing to do with the physical." His gaze swept over Ruhak, eyeing him as if he could see into his very soul.
Ruhak gasped when a white glow lit the man's eyes. It shone momentarily then vanished before he could react. He stumbled away, thoroughly shaken by the sight.
"You would explain what happened to the boy to those who protected him," the man said.
Ruhak nodded without thinking, the strange presence inside him tried to resist but it was useless. The moment he turned to face the crowd, a loud snap caused his ears to pop. Raising his hands to both ears, he groaned at the discomfort the sound caused. No one seemed bothered by the sound, they rushed by, some glancing in his direction and probably wondering why he wasn't moving.
"How can I find them in this crowd? I—" Ruhak turned to face the man but to his surprise, no one was behind him. The man and his horse were both gone. Looking around and craning his neck, he searched amidst the crowd but came up with nothing. There was no horse or rider, even the sandy floor bore no hoof print.
The strange presence hissed obscenities in his head and shifted about like a snake tied in a bag. Ruhak shivered,. As he rushed into the crowd, fear guided his steps in his bid to blend in. For some unknown reason, he was incredibly shaken by what just happened. Would the man come back for him? Who was the man? No. The bearded man had to be a scout, he must have ridden away when he was distracted. That had to be it.
Ruhak gasped when a horse roughly pushed him to the side and caused his body to crash against a moving cart. He stumbled and fell, groaning.
"You animal! What did you do to him?"
Ruhak gritted his teeth as pain pulsed up his pus-riddled legs. Looking up, he scowled at the rider. "Get away from me, crazy woman," he wheezed before stumbling to his feet.
If he wasn't in so much pain, he would have been trembling in fear at the expression Michal wore. Her shawl was pushed back by the wind and her frizzled hair hung around her ashen face. Her eyes burned with anger, and her scowl was akin to that of an infuriated wild cat. Ruhak was half expecting to be trampled by her horse.
