Chapter 26 Chapter Twenty-Four

In the eighth year of Seti's reign, Ramses celebrated his sixteenth birthday on his way to the eastern desert of the famous mine Sehabi al-Kadin.Despite a heavy-handed security force, the road remains dangerous and no one volunteers to travel to this barren land of ghastly ghosts and Bedouin bandits.Ignoring arrest and punishment, they continued to attack the desert caravans that had to pass through the Sinai Peninsula. ① Located in the south of the Sinai Peninsula, 160 kilometers away from the Gulf of Suez. Although this expedition did not have any combat nature, there were still many soldiers who protected the pharaoh and the miners along the way.The king's participation makes the trip special.The royal family only announced before the vespers on the eve of departure that in the absence of the king, Queen Duya will be at the helm of the state ship.

Ramses received the first important official position in his life-the commander-in-chief of the infantry, and he obeyed the arrangement of Bakken, who had been promoted to the commander of the expeditionary force.The meeting at the departure was very awkward, but neither of them wanted to create a dispute in front of the king.While on duty, they had to get used to each other's personalities, and Buchan ordered Ramses to go to the rear in order to keep his distance from his new minions."A newly appointed commander should minimize the danger to his retinue," he said. The troops responsible for transporting the turquoise consisted of more than 600 people. It was the jewel of the god Hathor. Hathor chose to reincarnate in this arid and desolate land.

This road is not difficult at all, with clear routes, regular maintenance, defensive sentries and drinking water points, across the dangerous area where the Red Mountain and Yellow Mountain stand tall, and the steepness of the two mountains is enough to make the first-time explorer lose their way.Even so, some were terrified, fearing that demons would emerge from the hills to steal their souls.But the presence of Seti, coupled with Ramses' guarantee, finally reassured their hearts. Ramesses, expecting severe tests during this period to prove his true worth to his father, bemoaned how easy the work was.His position allows him to command thirty or so infantry with ease. Everyone has heard of his accuracy in archery and the legend of riding a wild horse. Everyone hopes that doing things under his command will lead to a chance of promotion in the future. .

At Ramses' insistence, Yamenes gave up blind adventures.On the one hand, his frail body does not allow him to engage in such strenuous work; on the other hand, he discovered that in the garbage dump to the north of the suspicious factory, there was a piece of limestone with strange writing on it. It was too early to be a good clue, but Yamenes did not give up trying.Ramses asked him to be careful.Yameni was protected by the night police, and when necessary he would turn to Sai Dawu, who had started to get rich selling venom to temple laboratories and expelling unwelcome cobras from some fuja villas.

Ramses has been on alert.He loved the desert so much—although he almost lost his life there—but he didn't like the Sinai desert at all: there were too many wordless rocks, too many restless shadows, and too much chaos.Despite Bakken's assurances, Ramses feared a Bedouin attack.Of course, for the sake of many Egyptian people, they try to avoid front-line battles, but they will not give up intercepting provocateurs and thieves who raided the barracks at night!The prince was uneasy, stepped up his guard, and strictly asked his subordinates to carry out his orders.After a brief quarrel between Ramses and Bakken, Bakken finally decided to listen to Ramses' advice and let the latter be in charge of security management.

One night, Ramesses left his rear guard and went up the river in column, through camp after camp, in order to ask the gang of cooks who had mistreated his soldiers for some wine, and he was told to find him in the tent. person in charge of the work.Ramesses lifted a corner of the canvas and stepped into the tent, where he was surprised to find a man examining a map by an oil lamp. "Moses! Why are you here?" "Pharaoh's order. I'm in charge of the cooks, and I'm making a detailed map of the area." "And I am the commander of the rear guard." "I didn't know you were... From this point of view, Bakken doesn't want to mention you at all."

"Our relationship has improved a lot." "Let's go out, it's too crowded here." The shoulders of the two men were about the same width, and their muscular backs and natural abilities made them mature.In them, the adult size drove out the boyish appearance. "It was a welcome surprise," Moses admitted. "I was bored to death in the apse when the summons arrived. I think I would have escaped too if it hadn't been for the fresh air." "Isn't Plum House a very nice place?" "Not to me. Flirty women are too much for me, artisans keep their jobs secret, and administrative work is not for me."

"Have you successfully changed jobs?" "A thousand times! I like this place, these irreplaceable mountains, this mysterious and charming scenery, I feel very at home here." "Is the fire that burned you out?" "It's less intense, it's true. The healing lies between these hot rocks and mysterious ravines." "I don't believe that statement." "Didn't you hear a cry from the land?" "I do smell a danger." Moses lost his temper. "A danger? You react too much like a soldier!" "As the head of the cooks, you despise the rear guard, and my soldiers have no drink."

Moses laughed out loud. "I'm in charge. In fact, I can't condone them at all, especially when it comes to safety. In extraordinary moments, it is necessary to stay awake." "A little booze keeps their morale up." "This is our first conflict," Moses said. "Who shall prevail?" "It's not you or me, it's just for the sake of the army." "Isn't that how you escape by hiding yourself in a position assigned to you?" "Do you think I'd do something so despicable?" Moses looked directly at Ramses. "You'll have wine, but learn to love these Sinai mountains."

"This is no longer Egypt." "I'm not Egyptian." "Yes, you are." "you are wrong." "You were born in Egypt, you were educated here, you will build your future here." "This is the big talk of the Egyptians, not the people of Hebron. My ancestors are not your ancestors. Maybe they all lived here...I feel the traces of their walk, their hopes and their failures." "I like Egypt more than myself, Moses. There is nothing I cherish more than my homeland. If Mi thinks you've found what you're looking for, I can totally understand how you feel."

Moses sat on a rock. "A homeland... No, this desert is not a homeland. I love Egypt as much as you do, and I appreciate the joy it brings me, but I hear another place calling." "Come together! We will pass through other deserts, and you will return to Egypt, for there shines a single light." "Why are you so confident?" "Because in the full-backs, I don't have time to think about my future at all." In the middle of the night in the Sinai Peninsula, two strings of clear laughter went straight into the sky. The pace of the troops marched slowly in line with the rhythm of the donkeys. Everyone carried a heavy load according to their ability, and no one lacked drinking water or food.On several occasions, the king ordered the expedition to stop so that Moses could draw an accurate map of the area.With the assistance of a geometer, the Hebronite climbed the dry riverbed, climbed the slopes, and chose new landmarks to simplify the work of the specialists. A vague unease never left Ramesses, who, accompanied by three experienced infantrymen, was constantly surveying his surroundings, fearful that Moses would be attacked by those Bedouin thugs; even though Moses looked large enough to defend himself , but may fall into a trap.But nothing bad happened, and Moses performed a great work which will greatly facilitate the later transportation of the miners and desert caravans. After dinner, the two friends had a long talk by the fire.Already accustomed to the smirk of hyenas and the whines of leopards, they could live with the harshness of life away from the comforts of the Memphis palace and the apse of the Plum House.With equal zeal they waited for the dawn of the next day, believing it would reveal to them a new aspect of that mystery they had never given up seeking.They often say nothing, but listen intently to the sounds of the night.Doesn't it whisper to the two that their youth can overcome all difficulties? The large group of people stood still. In the morning time, this phenomenon is not unusual.Ramesses ordered his infantry to put down their packs and prepare for battle. "Quiet," said a soldier with a scar on his chest, "forgive me, Commander, you'd better prepare a peace prayer." "Why so quiet?" "Because the destination has arrived." Ramses moved a few steps aside, and a seemingly impassable rocky plateau appeared under the scorching sun. Sehabiel Kadin - King of Turquoise, domain of the goddess Hathor.