They came in darkness and fire. The night's light hidden behind clouds. I served my mistress and left briefly to fetch some water. It wasn't until I heard the screams, shouts, and crackle of buildings being set ablaze did I know what was happening. I looked back to the only home I'd known, and saw my mistress and master escaping the village. I ran away from this pit of destruction.
The sand was heavy on my feet; it pulled me back and stole my breath. I could hear the distinct sounds of hollers behind me. I picked up my pace, looking for a place to hide; if they caught up to me here there'd be no place to hide. I trudged forward, my eyes scanning the night's horizon. Only rolling hills of sand as far as the eye could see. With no hiding places in sight and the sound of horse hooves approaching, I ran expending the little energy I had left.
It wasn't long before their horses caught up to me. Circling around me, one of their horses sent me to the ground. My last ounce of breathe escaped me, and I gasped for desperately needed air. I looked frantically around the circle of bandits. They argued and joked around me. Suddenly the laughing stopped as one of the bandits pulled a dagger out. My eyes widened at the blade's sharp edge glinting in the moonlight.
"Stop." Someone commanded boldly. The man above me looked up before making way. A large horse stepped forward. It's rider wore a cloak that hid his face in shadows. He slipped it back over his shoulders. White hair framed his face, his pale eyes shone cruelly in the moonlight. His face was split by a scar that stories remember all throughout Egypt; the darkness, the nightmare, the king of thieves.
"It's a pretty one." He said, examining me as a dark smile slipped across his face. "Take her."