The desert sands blew hot and heavy across the traveling
caravan. Days dwindled away into cool nights, then back into
days, a cycle of rest wearing down upon the travelers. At least
they had a road; stretching from the Mediterranean to the
Red Sea, the chariots used it often...now, however, no chariots
moved between the plains of Egypt and the outlying lands.
The hot stones, paved firm, kept the camels moving faster
than any whip could.
At least there were oases. Paused at one, Maya took it upon
herself to cleanse her sweating face, shaking drops of precious
water dry. "Why, oh why, did I come along?" She groaned --
no, she knew exactly why. As a child, she had unwrapped the
well-preserved scrolls, logs from her ancestors. The words were
strange, foreign even to her, but after some time she could
read them almost as well as the language of her current people.
One came back to her now.
Another fell today. The count now stands at 14; foolish people
who believed that a day's worth of incredible, prodigious work
could serve for a lifetime. The scientists tell us that ten more
will mean the end of these useless deaths. I stand between;
praying that no more will die, and hoping that they can be
proven right.
Those words had seared themselves into her mind. With the
number of times she had read them, she could recite them, and
the rest of the scrolls, by heart. She had been filled with visions
of Egypt, a land of opportunity and hope -- and, possibly, danger.
Nonetheless, she knew that she would survive, and succeed.
The others in the caravan were driven by that same sort of hope.
None had collapsed, not even those with child; the days that had
brought them so close to their destination would soon be behind
them.
The days wore onwards, ever hotter; the spring season melded
rapidly into summer. Now, more rested inside the drawn
wagons, canvas providing some modicum of shade...when they
traveled during the day, at all. The oases dried rapidly, leaving
palms and cacti as their only sources of water; the stockpiles
were running low. Fortunately...
"Ho! The Nile!"
Sure enough, the coursing river lay just ahead of them, verdant,
lush growth surrounding its banks. It parted just ahead, forking
and flooding over the rocks within. Maya stared in wonder; this
was the soul of the country itself. Many travelers dropped to
their knees in praise, their words singing to Bast for the glorious
sight; other, more sophic members immediately grabbed what
jugs they came with, filling them from the bountiful streams.
The camels grazed, let loose for the moment.
They were finally in Egypt