Chapter 7 chapter Five

"A promise is a promise," Sai Dawu said. "It's you, is it really you?" Sai Dawu has changed. He doesn't shave, doesn't wear a wig, and wears an antelope leather gown with pockets full of nails. He no longer looks like a student who has attended the highest institution in the country.Had it not been for a royal guard who recognized him, he would have been roughly kicked out. "What happened to you?" "I do my job and I keep my word." "Where are you going to take me?" "You'll know right away...unless you're scared and want to break the contract."

Ramses frowned. "Sorry." They rode donkeys, passed through the center of the city, left the city from the south, walked along a canal, and then turned to the desert, heading towards an ancient necropolis.This is the first time Ramses has left the Vale to a disturbing world where human laws no longer apply. "Tonight, the moon is full!" Sai Dawu affirmed greedily, "All snakes will attend the appointment." The donkey walked steadily and at a moderate speed along a narrow path that the prince could not discern, and they entered the desolate cemetery. In the distance, there is the blue Nile River and the green fields; here, there is the endless barren desert, silence and the sound of the wind.Ramesses finally understood why those in the temple called the desert "the red land of Seth." He was the god of thunderstorms and sky fire.Seth set fire to these desolate lands, but he also cleansed humanity from time and corruption.Thanks to him, man was able to build the eternal abode of the immortal mummy.

Ramses breathed the refreshing air. Pharaoh was master of this red land, as he was master of the fertile, muddy black land that gave birth to the riches of Egypt; he should know its secrets, use its power, manipulate its potential. "If you want, you still have time to give up." "I wish the night would come soon." A red-backed and yellow-bellied snake approached Ramses, hiding between two stones. "It's harmless," Sai Dawu said. "These snakes gather near abandoned buildings. Usually, they hide inside during the day. Come with me." Two young men descended a steep slope leading to a ruined tomb.Ramses hesitated before entering the cave.

"There is no sign of a mummy inside. The place is cool and dry, and you will know it right away. No ghosts and ghosts will sneak up on you." Sai Dawu lit an oil lamp. Ramesses saw a cave whose roof and surrounding walls had only been roughly hewn out, perhaps the place had never been inhabited.The Snake Wizard had already set up several low tables. On the table were a whetstone, a pair of bronze razors, a wooden comb, a gourd, several small wooden boards, a writing board and a large pile of Jar of ointment balm.These containers are filled with the things needed to make the antidote: pitch, copper filings, lead compounds, red ochre, alum, clay and various plants such as bryony root, sweet rhinoceros and valerian.

The night falls, the sun turns orange, and the golden desert is covered with strands of sand, which are blown away by the wind. "Take off your clothes." Sai Dawu ordered. After the prince was completely naked, his friend smeared him with a diluted concoction that was basically pounded onions. "Snakes are afraid of the smell," he explained. "What position do they assign you?" "Nothing." "An idle prince? It's your tutor again!" "No, it was my father's order." "I heard that you failed the bison test." Ramses denies this, yet the facts clearly show that he has been sidelined.

"Forget the palace, the scheming, the nasty injuries, and come work with me. Snakes are terrible enemies, but, at least, they don't lie." Ramses trembled all over, why didn't his father tell him the truth?Laugh at him like that, without giving him the slightest chance to prove his worth. "Now is the real test. In order to be immune, you must drink a bitter and dangerous potion made from castor roots. It will slow down the blood circulation and sometimes stop it... If you vomit, You are finished. This is not an experiment that can be done on Yameni, and your strong body should be able to survive. After drinking it, you will not be afraid of certain snakes biting you."

"not all?" "As for the big snake, you need to inject a small amount of diluted cobra's blood every day. If you do this, you have priority to enjoy this treatment. Drink it." The potion tasted terrible, and the cold feeling went straight into the blood vessels, and Ramses felt a nausea. Sai Dawu held Ramses' wrist. "Hang on, keep your eyes open!" The prince suddenly woke up, his stomach stopped moving, and he didn't feel cold anymore. "You are strong, but you have no chance of power." "why?" "Because you trusted me, I could have poisoned you."

"you are my friend." "how do you know?" "I know." "I only trust snakes. They respect their own individuality and are not artificial, but humans are different. They spend their lives opportunistic and deceitful." "The same to you?" "Me, I am far away from the city and settle here." "If my life was threatened, would you ignore me?" "Put on this long gown, let's go, in fact, you don't look as stupid as you look." In the desert, Ramses spent a luxurious night—there was no evil laughter of hyenas, no roaring of jackals, tigers, and leopards, and no strange sounds from the outside world disturbed his admiration for the perfection of the night.The red earth of Zaid bears the words of the resurrected, and it replaces the charm of the valley with the power of the underworld.

Sai Dawu walked in front, beating the ground with a long stick.He walked toward a gravel hill that looked like a ghostly castle in the light of a full moon.Following his leader, Ramses no longer thought of danger. Sai Dawu hung several small bags full of first-aid antidote on his belt in case he was bitten by a snake. Sai Dawu stopped at the foot of the hill. "My master lives in it," said Sai Dawu, "maybe he won't show up because he doesn't like strangers. Be patient and let's pray that this invisible man agrees to appear before us." Ramses felt light and floating, as if he was hanging in the air, and he tasted the air in the desert with the mood of eating sweets.A sky full of stars replaced the walls of the classroom.

In the center of the hill appeared an elegant and sinuous shape, a foot and a half long black cobra with shiny scales all over its body, left the cave and crawled forward.The full moon was a silver halo to it, and its head swung from side to side, ready to strike. Sai Dawu walked forward, the tongue of the black cobra hissed. Two steps forward, Sai Dawu was only one meter away from the cobra, and Ramses followed behind. "You are the lord of the night, you bred the earth to make it fertile." Sai Dawu said slowly and clearly in the deepest voice. He repeated the mantra dozens of times, and at the same time asked Ramses to recite it.The rhythm of the spell seemed to calm the snake. Twice, it wanted to bite, but it stopped when it got close to Sai Dawu's face.When Sai Dawu put his hand on the cobra's head, the snake didn't move. Ramses believed that he saw the bright red light in its eyes.

"It's your turn, Prince." Ramses extended his arms, and the reptile slid towards him. Ramses thought he was about to be bitten by a snake, but the snake's mouth didn't close because the smell of onions made the attacker uncomfortable. "Put your hand on its head." Ramses was not timid, and the cobra seemed to back off.The prince's tightly knit fingers touched the cobra's head, and a few minutes later the Night Lord surrendered to the Emperor's Son. Suddenly, Sai Dawu pulled Ramses back, and the cobra's attack was missed. "You have stayed too long, my friend. Have you forgotten that the power of the night will never be destroyed? A cobra, sitting on top of the pharaoh, if it does not accept you, what will you do to it?" Ramesses took a breath and meditated on the stars. "You are too careless, but you are lucky. If you are bitten by this kind of snake, there is no cure."