His back was aching painfully and it was to be expected. He had been working from the very first moment the sun rose from the East and every time the fatigue took control over him, making his steps slower and his strength weaker, one of the royal guards would whip him, making him think twice before slacking down.
So instead of letting his tired body make him get the skin practically mutilated from his back, Jono kept on working, ignoring his aching back, sweaty skin and tired body.
Besides, is not like he had other choice; whether he liked it or not, it was his duty as a slave. He had no other alternative. The only thing that was restraining him from fainting was the hope of having some fresh water from the nearest well just at sunset. Unfortunately, it was still midday and Ra was shining at it's maximum glory.*
Jono used the back from his hand to wipe away the sweat from his forehead, never stopping his work for such a banal thing as that. The rocks that were soon to be the pyramid for the new Great Pharaoh Atemu weren't going to be transported by their own!
His feet were bleeding and so was his back. His body was achingly begging him to take a rest. Hi stomach was growling mad for the lack of food in there. His vision was blurry and dizzy. He might faint sometime soon, but he wasn't to let that happen.
No. He was a slave. He had no choice. He had no rights. He had no control over himself. He didn't own his body or mind, it all belonged to the Pharaoh.
Even as his condition as slave, Jono had nothing against the new ruler of Egypt. He was told he was good-hearted and cared for all his people, even the slaves like him. He might not acknowledge the existence of this slave, but he cared about him. He only hoped that the new rules cared enough to change some conditions about the slaves. He wasn't asking totally for his freedom, but at least to have some rests, to be fed with something more than half a loaf of bread and cheese, to get rid of the whipping the got every time the tripped and acknowledge their existence. He didn't expected freedom, he only expected to stop being treated less than scum, less than the dirt he was walking on.
Freedom.
It was such a beautiful word. Every single one of the thousand slaves surrounding him dreamed to taste it, but none of them would ever do such a thing, for freedom was for the worthy and lucky who happened to be born in a good family. Every single slave were damned since the very moment they were born to an eternal life and after-life of slavery.
What was it like to be free? What was it like to walk through the streets without worries? To be allowed to have a choice in life? What was it like to be the owner of your body and thoughts?
How he longed to be free. But he would never be.
A sharp pain on his back forced Jono to cut his trail of thoughts and go back to reality. He hissed and shut his eyes closed as he welcomed the well-known pain from a whip. This was the reason that slaves weren't allowed to think: because it would slow down the work, just as Jono had just recently.
"KEEP WORKING, SLAVE!" The guard who whipped him yelled behind his back, who he could felt was beginning to bleed.
Jono clenched his teeth in anger and kept on transporting the heavy rocks, trying to ignore the paint on his back.
How he damned his job sometimes. He was getting tired of this weekly inspection day. He was supposed to maintain a close eye to the slaves' work every day by going to the fields where they were working and make a quick check, but there was this one day of the week where he was supposed to watch every single action the slaves realized; that day he had to stay the whole day and make sure the job was being done right and quick, make sure the guards where punishing those lazy dogs when they slept or slowed the rhythm of the construction.
He didn't know why he was supposed to watch them, his job as Priest wasn't to watch on the underdogs. But Atemu insisted that Seth was the ideal person for the job, to be in charge of the construction of his cousin's temple. Still, he had no other option.
The slaves were working quite well this day, he noticed; he would blame it on the fact that he was present and visible, but the lazy dogs would slack even if he was there. He didn't know and didn't care, the less he had to take charge of with his bare hands, the better.
The 36th whip (yes, Seth counted) that day gained his attention. He turned his head right and watched as an elder fainted on the sand. Well, maybe the old men weren't exactly lazy, but still… he know they could handle it.
The Priest rubbed the bridge of his nose in exhaustion and annoyance. How he wished the day was over already!
Seth looked up and kept on monitoring the work the slaves were doing.
Just in front of him, a couple of meters away, a young adult with blond hair who appeared to be no older than Seth himself, began to slack down, not really looking about to faint. Boys like him were the ones who he considered the lazy dogs. He was wondering how long would it take for the boy to be punished for sleeping on the job.
The answer came shortly as a guard punished the boy with the 37th whip that day and demanded for him to get back to work.
The priest smirked to himself. Yes, that's how lazy pups have to be treated. Seth thought. They need to learn to obey their master without hesitations. It seems they already learning, for today they're working better than never.
Seth moved on his chair, trying to find a more comfortable position. If he was going to supervise the construction all day non-stop, he at least needed to be comfortable.
It was such a disgrace that the slaves didn't see what he did every time he looked at the scene before him. They saw torture, but Seth saw something further. He was seeing the prosperity of Egypt.
"Ra was shining at it's maximum glory": I don't think it is that hard to explain. Remember that Ra is the Sun God, so this phrase can be interpreted as "there was a lot of hot today"
So… What do you think guys? This is my first chapter and it was an introductory chapter, so obviously it was short and somewhat boring, but just give me time! I'll improve!
So, if you find any typo, grammar mistake or something, please inform me so I can fix it as soon as possible, ok?
Enjoy and Leave your reviews!