The Life and Times of Bonnie Chance

Saints Descent

Elsewhere in the palace, Memphis was throwing a fit. He was so upset over Carol's rejection that he refused to eat and shoved the servants who tested his nerves, even though they were only worried about him because they knew he hadn't slept while searching for Carol, and he had been drinking too much wine on an empty stomach. Eventually he ordered everyone else to leave and stormed into the bath. But there was no escaping his thoughts about Carol. His love for her, her defiance. He cursed at the memory of how she wished to leave him and threw his wine goblet across the room. "Carol, have you forgotten that I am Egypt's ruler, that I hold the right to kill in hand? Why aren't you afraid of me like the other Egyptians?" he moaned in anguish. "You have always looked at me with those eyes... that show pride, challenge, and despise. And you've never bent your head to greet me. Carol! Carol! Who are you? Why did you come into my life? Why do you hate me so much? I, who hold supreme power, can't conquer your heart? No!! I will conquer you," he yelled. "The pride of a king does not allow me to lose against a slave!!! You can become my wife, or die a slow and painful death." With that decided, he stood up and called for a servant. A woman came over and presented him with a towel to dry off while he issued his new orders for Carol. "I hereby order you: at noon tomorrow, bring the slave Carol and her cousin Bonnie to the rock quarry in the desert. I want them to starve, let them thirst, and dry in the sun until they collapse from fatigue." As far as he was concerned, Bonnie shared Carol's guilt by association. She, too, had looked at him with eyes filled with defiance. The servant left immediately to have his orders carried out.

"Yes, Your Highness. They deserve to die," Isis said happily when she heard. She still owed Bonnie for that punch earlier. She gave him a loving kiss. "Just forget about Carol. I'm here for you."

"Uh, sister," said Memphis.

"Not sister, I'm your wife," said Isis.

"Oh, Carol!" Memphis moaned, turning his head away from her.

'Memphis, can't I replace her in your heart?' Isis wondered sadly.

Unknown to them, at that time, the country of Hittite had secretly sent ships to Egypt. The young Hittite prince stood on the deck of his ship. His light hair swayed in the breeze. His sharp, intelligent eyes were fixed on the horizon, where he could see the land of Egypt growing near in the distance.

"Prince Ismir, we're approaching Egypt," one of his men announced.

The prince frowned. "I'm sure that Princess Mitamun, my sister, was imprisoned by those Egyptians. That's why I asked my father to allow me to go on this journey. I'll go ashore secretly. Send someone to inquire the situation," he ordered. "If the rumor is true... I vow that I will not let Memphis live, and I will level the capital city of Thebes to the ground."

Meanwhile, the conditions in the dungeon were so terrible that Carol hadn't been able to sleep a wink, but Bonnie, who had grown up roughing it in primitive environments, nodded off in no time at all. "Morning is coming," Carol thought aloud as the pitch-black room began to lighten. "Oh, God. The heat's become unbearable. Unbelievable," she said with a heavy sigh. The sun had only just begun to rise, and already it was like a sauna in there. 'I'm sorry, Bonnie,' she thought, looking down at her cousin's sleeping face. 'Today we'll start the lives of slaves. I'm sure that it's difficult and complicated... but it's better than living together with that cruel king.'

A man laying near them let out a weak groan. "W... Water..."

"Ah, wait a moment," Carol said. Her movements when she stood up to fetch some for him woke Bonnie.

"Mmn, what? Time to get up already?" Bonnie asked, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Oh, sorry, Bonnie. I was just getting some water for that man," Carol explained, looking around for a water source. The only one that she could find was a something that looked like a long and narrow pool in floor at the back of the sealed room. While Carol used a discarded bowl to collect some water, Bonnie stood up, stretched and noticed something odd about the man Carol was helping. He was cold, shivering, and looked very weak. There were traces of vomit around him, indicating that he had been throwing up. "Oh, God!" Carol gasped suddenly. Bonnie left the man to see what was wrong. "This water is so dirty. Drinking this will make you seriously ill," Carol said. Seeing the sludge in the bowl, Bonnie couldn't agree more. "Where is the drinking water?" Carol asked.