Battle of Egypt

Chapter 6 Makara

Find the girl, kill the girl, master will be pleased. Master's master will be pleased. Master will be rewarded. I'll be rewarded, find Ka, bring him to master. Ka wanted by master. But kill the girl, kill her...

My eyes shot open. My breathing ragged, and my heart thudded in my chest. I sat up and looked around the small campsite. The horse whinnied nervously, pawing at the sand.  I knew he could sense it too, the danger that was coming. The fire had died sometime during the night, the embers smoldering. I got up, the great Amun Ra's rays were just hovering over the horizon. I felt fear rise in my stomach, Sutekh had sent Horab to find us. He wanted to make sure I did not go to Memphis. He could not have his advantage taken away from him. If he could not have me. No one could have me. We had to get out of here, he would be here soon. If he had not found us already. And if found us that mean his little minions were somewhere in the sand. Buried deep, coiled and ready to strike. I knelt down and shook Ka awake. His eyes opened lazily, when he saw my face. They became wide. He saw the fear in my eyes. 

"We need to leave, we need to leave now Ka," I whispered urgently. He sensed the urgency and the fear in my voice. We had to leave here. Take the horse and leave here. 

"What is it Makara," Ka said sitting up and grabbing his sword. He got up and looked at the breastplate. A disgusted look on his face. I grabbed his hand. There was no time to decide on something like the breast plate. 

"We don't have much time, Ka, he will be here soon," I snapped looking around. Looking around for those slitted and beady eyes. Horab was Sutekh's master assassin. It is said he could control any serpent in Egypt. He chose a select few to do his bidding, to carry out the murders, and no one would be any the wiser. Then I saw them. Those slitted eyes staring out through the sand, I cried out. The serpent launched itself at me. Its mouth wide and the fangs out. A flash of silver came into my sight. The serpent fell dead at my feet. I looked at Ka, his eyes wide with shock. I knew that serpent was Horab's. The scales almost blending in with the sand.

"What was that Makara, what is going on," Ka said. I felt myself shaking. His sword slick with the serpent's blood. It is dripping to the sand.

"Horab, he found us," I murmured fearfully. I turned and saw him emerging from the sand. His beady eyes slitted like the serpents he commanded. He lazily unsheathed his sword. He knew that he was going to win. He always wins against his enemies. Ka pushed me behind him. Horab only laughed. He held his hand out.

"Makara," his voice hissed loudly in my head. I screamed clutching my head. As a thousand voices filled my head. The sounds of serpents, their voices like sand under my fingernails. Ka turned and caught me as I fell to my knees. 

"Don't... Don't turn your back on him Ka," I whimpered. He turned back and caught the blade of Horab's. He slashed at Horab, and Horab jumped away. Ka was leading him away from me.

"Let her go," Ka cried. His thrusts become rapid. Horab was using Ka's emotions against him, and it was showing in Ka's movements. He was going to kill Ka, kill him in front of me. Finally, the voices stopped, I fell into the sand gasping. The pain in my head subsided. I watched in horror as they fought. Horab was vicious in his attacks. Ka parried his every blow. But one of them would grow tired. I wished there was something I could do. Some way to help. 

"Ka," I cried out reaching out to him. He continued to fight with Horab. It felt as if time had stopped as Horab undercut Ka, sending a long slash across his chest. Ka fell to his knees. He raised the sword weakly as Horab came down on him. 

"You are a foolish little prince. You think that you can conquer a warlock, a man born of the desert. You cannot defeat me, she will die. You both will die. My master does not care if you live or die. All he wants is your heads" he hissed. Ka smiled slyly, he pulled a dagger from his skirt and stabbed it into Horab's  chest. Horab's eyes went wide as he fell on his knees, and then his back. Blood pooling on the sand. Ka laughed before falling on his back. I felt my heart stop.