Chapter Explanations:

-(*) Egyptian proverb of Amenemope from the "Instruction of Amenemope" (ca. 800-700 BCE): "You must endeavour to be sincere with your neighbour even though it may cause them grief. "

The cup tinkled lightly as it touched the table and he returned to sit on the other end of the latter, a sympathetic smile on his lips. Grateful, the woman sitting across from him wiped away the tears beading in the corners of her eyes and picked up the drink, yet taking only one sip, however, before putting it down with her trembling hands. Her thin features showed all of her worries as of her fatigue, her every move seeming to require considerable effort as she struggled to remain decent in his presence. Beside her, her companions lacked even less self-assurance, remaining as silent and still as corpses.

No matter what I say or do, nothing will comfort them… he noted, looking away in embarrassment.

"You must endeavour to be sincere with your neighbour even though it may cause them grief. " Shimon then whispered after quietly approaching the sovereign lost in thought, placing an encouraging hand on his shoulder. (*)

Nodding, the Pharaoh took a deep breath and crossing his fingers in front of him, summoned his courage to calmly declare:

"Unfortunately, I don't have more information to share with you than the last time we saw each other… "

"We are continuing our research relentlessly, of course, but the results are still unsuccessful so far. " added the grand vizier assertively.

"However, I reiterate my proposal, you are free to stay here while waiting for any news. " intervened the young king, however knowing what answer his guests would give to him.

"We are infinitely grateful for your kindness, Great One, but the town's tavern suits us perfectly. "

"I share your pain. You have come a long way to here and there is nothing I can do for you… As you know, as soon as Heba arrived, I sent troops in search of his friends but it was already too late… We interviewed the slave traders who captured them and several other witnesses that day without finding anything relevant. "

Although they had been heard before, although they had been expected, it seemed to him that his words made his guests flinch all over again, the faint hope of finding their children leaving their pupils and grief overwhelming their hearts. Atem twitched, restraining himself at the last second to heave a sigh.

More than any other day, he had to maintain an attitude worthy of his title. He, ruler of all sacred Egypt, could not show himself weak before his subjects. Despite his pain, despite the demons of fear haunting his dreams at night, for his people he had to be the beacon that would lead them away from the storm, bearing on his shoulders their sufferings as well as their inconveniences. And no matter his own condition, or how wounded his soul was, they were to rely on him, not the other way around.

"We are aware of your efforts, Majesty. The mere fact that you give us an audience every week honours us more than we can express. " indicated Tiye, self-proclaimed spokesperson for the group.

"It's the least I can do… " the Pharaoh murmured, unable to say anything else.

"However, and I speak in the name of our Pharaoh here, if it turns out that your children have been led outside our borders, you must understand that we will be unable to act. " clarified the old man next to him, his look stern.

Atem shook his head at these words, and tired, dismissed his advisor with a weary wave of his hand, forcing the latter to step back slowly. If Shimon was only looking to protect him - he knew this perfectly well - now was hardly the time to make such baseless guesses. This country was so big, there was still a chance that everyone was safe and sound nearby.

"We are aware of this, Great One. We humbly thank you for everything you do for us. " Heba's mother stated while reverently lowering her eyes, intimidated.

Realising that there was nothing more to say, the sovereign invited the soldiers stationed in front of the doors of the banquet hall to bring his guests back to their temporary accommodation. The manoeuvre seemed a little too familiar, a little too well-established. A routine that had settled in several weeks ago, a long month and a half of unbearable wait. Tiye finally stood up gracefully, dragging her companions with her in one movement and bowed modestly to him before heading for the exit, Rana, Khaba and Shani in her footsteps.

When the doors closed behind their silhouettes, he finally allowed himself to let out a sigh, running a nervous hand through his hair as he slumped in his seat. In his chest, the noose tightened even more, and he wondered how he could still breathe. The trials followed one after the other, leaving him no respite. Most certainly, the gods weren't much with him lately.

He wanted to silence his anxieties, to stifle his fears. When he was waking up from his nightmares and did not find the comforting form of his double by his side. When he no longer couldn't find anyone to confide in his internal conflicts; Mahad and Seth on the battlefield, Mana too busy studying, and Heba... He could feel the thorns of loneliness wrapping around his soul, bleeding him raw...

A long month and a half since the teenager had disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared, leaving no clue behind him. And this bloody war raging, the enemy army gaining the advantage, the gates of the kingdom weakening with each defeat. He prayed that the Mâchaouach land would not attack them as well — Hussein and his court having given no sign of life and Aknadin still retreating into silence.

Where are you, partner?

"Don't worry, Pharaoh. We will find him, I'm sure. " whispered the grand vizier with an encouraging smile.

"What about the others, Shimon? " he heard himself ask without even realising it.

But he didn't need an answer. The evil truth was as clear in his mind as the lie his advisor was about to repeat to him. Deep down, the others didn't matter, did they? And their fate could already belong to Maʽat that he couldn't care less. If he had wasted so many resources and men until now to find this Teana and this Jouno, it had only been in Heba's best interests. What were the odds that these two were still in Egypt? Even less alive? If he was really honest with himself, he would have stopped their track a long time ago... but then, would he even have the strength to face the pain he would inflict on their parents and his friend?

"What a hypocritical king I am! "

##########

The weight of the sabre dragged him down and he sank both feet into the sand to avoid losing his balance. His erratic breath kept him from thinking and he began to flutter the blade in front of him in a purely instinctive way. The memories of his basic training were coming back to him blow after blow, his many training fights against his brothers in arms but also against his instructors allowing him to continue to face the enemy. His heart seemed on the verge of imploding, pierced with each inhalation with short, sharp pains like long, honed needles stuck directly in his organ.

Exhausted, he let out a throaty groan and finally charged his opponent one last time while raising his weapon above his head, slicing sharply and precisely through his bare chest. Blood then spurted out of his body like a geyser in the middle of the Ethiopian mountains and sprayed him from head to toe before the fighter fell violently to the ground, dead.

His legs no longer held him back and he collapsed to his knees beside the corpse, spitting out a squirt of the red, hot liquid that had managed to find its way deep into his throat. His vision blurred, his mind was still caught in the heat of the fight, the hubbub around him no longer reaching him as the soldiers bustled about here and there, shouting orders he couldn't hear.

"… th! "

Something made him react, like an unknown presence, and he tightened his grip on his weapon, his fingers contracting on the hilt before a sweaty hand suddenly landed on his wrist, preventing any movement a little too abrupt on his part.

"… eth! "

The hissing in his ears echoed less and less and he narrowed his eyelids in an attempt to catch a glimpse of something despite the white veil in front of his eyes. The man's features became more distinct and he tensed nervously, ready to attack. It wasn't until the latter's other hand gripped his chin forcefully to oblige him to come back to the reality that he finally recognised him, quickly relaxing.

"Seth! "

"It's all right. I'm all right, Mahad. " he argued, freeing himself from his companion's grasp and getting up while voluntarily letting go of the sword which fell to the ground with a muffled noise.

"Good. " the magician agreed without worrying about the priest's condition any longer, looking to see if the loophole that had allowed the enemy to enter the camp had been secured. "Ahmes requires our presence in the south. "

"Did something happen to the divisions? "

"Right now they're holding up, but it's not going to last long. "

"Let's go then. " the bearer millennium rod sighed, still slightly disturbed.

"Go clean yourself up first. " the sacred guardian said while pointing to the latter's clothes soaked in red, gazing at his bloodstained face impassively.

Seth winced as he realised his state, and nodding, walked over to the command post tent to change. Under the exuberant heat of the Sun God, the liquid had quickly dried, sticking to his skin, and he spent nearly half an hour removing everything before finally joining the wearer millennium ring patiently waiting in a chariot that he would apparently be the only one to drive.

"Pull yourself together, Seth. You can't crack now, you don't have the right to. "

"I know. "

##########

He stopped his search, looking up at the stars and losing himself in the darkness of the skies. A biting breeze was blowing across the plain, making him now shiver despite the heat that had plagued him all day. There was no trace anywhere. No matter where he went or who he met, he couldn't find anything. Today, despair was gripping him like never before. He who had continued to fight even in the most critical situations, from their capture to their long trip within that wooden cage, to his flight through the desert... it seemed to him that he had finally hit rock bottom.

He had given so much of himself, refusing to give in to cowardice, to stop fighting all this in order to continue to support his friends in this hard ordeal, to help them continue to live without ever losing hope even when accepting their fate and slowly let themselves die would have been the easiest solution. And until the end, he had struggled. Until the end he had tried to save them... unfortunately he had only half succeeded...

The journey to Aldawminu had been long and tedious but above all unsuccessful. When he had finally allowed himself to collapse at the gates of the village, it had only been to learn that his family and those of his two friends had been escorted to the capital by the royal guard. The surprise had practically knocked him out, and it wasn't until three days later, after some rest and something in his stomach, that he had been able to hear the whole story. By the greatest of miracles, Heba had been taken in by the Pharaoh himself at the palace, and their abominable captors had been severely judged for their crimes. All the slaves who had not yet been sold had been able to benefit from a short stay in one of the town's inns to recover before being taken back to their village of origin.

Jouno had felt relieved at this news for a moment before the guilt gnawed at him again. Sure, Heba was safe, but Teana was still missing. And apparently, the Pharaoh's attempts to find her hadn't yielded any results either.

The young man did not stay long after these revelations and immediately set off back to Khemet. He first had the idea of going to the palace to reassure his mother and let her know that he was fine, that the search on him could cease, but the desire to find Teana had proved more strong and he had shied away from any attempt to see his family again, instead looking for clues as to where her owner might have taken her.

If this guy hasn' gotten rid o' her already, she might be spendin' her days servin' drunkards in a pub, or doin' chores fer a wealthy family.

Worry was driving him to surpass himself beyond reason, especially since the memory of her sad state before her disappearance was coming back to haunt him regularly...

But under this dark sky filled with white diamonds, not even Thoth was shining brightly enough to comfort him. The more time passed, the more shame overwhelmed him. No doubt that the day his heart would be judged, the weight of his conscience will be heavier than that of the feather. He had done so much, but his efforts did not seem to be rewarded. Deep down, however, he knew. His friend was lost… he couldn't decently travel the whole country for her, let alone with this war raging. He could only leave it to the gods. If one day he were to ever see the young woman again, it would be by the grace of Isis.

In the meantime, the only reasonable thing left for him to do was find his mother and give Heba a hug. At least he was there, and that was still the only thing that could hold him up.