Red Deserts, Black Gods by Tolladay Peter

Red Deserts, Black Gods by Tolladay Peter

Author:Tolladay, Peter [Tolladay, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: GEG Digital Ink
Published: 2022-01-25T00:00:00+00:00


21

The marshland was a delta fed by underwater springs. I could make out an ancient wadi opposite, cutting its way through the red hills of the west bank. I had hoped to hide in it to rest the men, but high on the mountainside, I caught a brief reflection of light off a polished weapon. Whoever commanded the chariot group was clearly no fool. He had his scouts out.

“Keep hidden,” I called as the chariots appeared on a track I now realised skirted the edge of the marsh. Perhaps the Hyksos scouts had not seen us and the troop of chariots would pass by. Whichever god had given us a small victory now snatched good fortune from us.

To my disappointment, the chariots were reined in. From each one an archer stepped down and raised a bow. I dared a peek through the undergrowth at their leader. In the late afternoon sun, he shone like a beacon. I was no warrior and had never seen armour made from small overlapping scales of burnished bronze. On his head, he wore a bronze helmet with a scarlet horsehair plume that tumbled past his shoulders. I gasped in amazement. To me, the man in the chariot could have been a god.

“Makes him easy to spot, and he’ll be slow with all that weight on him,” said Paser.

“If it was just him, I wouldn’t worry; it’s the sixty archers with him that concern me.”

Earlier, we had managed to surprise the Hyksos, but this time it was the man in the shining armour who held the advantage. Even if we rushed from the marsh, I would lose over half my men before we had covered the ground between us.

“We’re going to fall back into the swamp,” I said. “If they want us, they’ll have to come in and get us.”

Paser nudged my arm and pointed. Behind us, I could see the top of a Hyksos banner and heard the baying of hounds.

Nekht scrambled towards me. “They’re hunting us,” he said needlessly. “What terms does he offer?”

I gave him a malicious grin. “Go and find out if you want.”

As if the Hyksos leader had read my mind, I heard him shout, “You are surrounded. Surrender now.” Even for a Hyksos, his accent sounded guttural and unpleasant.

“There is your answer.” I hefted the spear and set off back into the grassland.

“This is madness.” Nekht caught my arm. “Surrender and we will keep our lives.”

I shook his arm off. “There is more to life than just living.”

“What about the men?” persisted Nekht. “They don’t have such lofty ideals. It just looks like arrogance and pride, leading them back in there to be butchered. Let me talk to him.”

I gazed about at the men I could see. They were still far from exhausted, but many carried wounds and were begrimed with mud. Above me, I could hear the chariot leader still shouting.

“Thebans, you are like us. We are all Egyptians. Surrender and you will be treated with the respect you deserve.



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