Chapter Three: The Desert Guide
Walking into the Palace, Moses and Aaron found the Pharoah laying his son down and covering him with a sheet.
"You and your people are free to leave." The Pharoah said. Moses and Aaron, saying nothing, left.
As they walked through the part of town set up for the Jews, they all got word of their freedom from slavery and began putting together their needed things. As the dawn broke over the horizon, the headed east to the Nile.
But back at the Palace, the Pharoah Ramses' anger arose form the death of his son, nothing his Magicians could reverse, nor his healers deal with. Refusing to suffer this defeat, he musttered his chariots and charged after Moses and the Jews.
Seeing the oncoming attack from the Pharoah, Moses hurried his people along to the Nile while stopping to protect them. When the last people had passed, only he and Aaron stood in the way of the enraged Pharoah and his charge.
"Aaron, take the people to the Nile and protect them as best you can. Throw this into the water that they will have a way across," he ordered, passing him a small stone in a forest green color.
"What about you?" Aaron asked.
"Do as I say and call to me when everyone is safely across." Moses shoved Aaron hard and he ran off without another word. Moses quickly drew symbols into the sand, then stabbed the middle of them with his staff. The earth started to shake as the chariots drew close. Moses retreated a little as the sands gave way and out came a giant cobra, unfurling itself in the path of the Pharoah and his chariots.
Down by the Nile, Aaron found his way to the front of the crowd. Holding the stone Moses had given him and trusting his magic, the threw it into the Nile as far as he could, which was some distance. Green lights flashed and before them grew a long bank of green reeds. Aaron stepped forward cautiously and when he found that they acted like a proper bridge, he led the people over to the other side.
The Pharoah, having used a lot of his armies arrows to attack the cobra had it defeated. Melting into sand upon the ground, the chariots now had a clear path to the river. Moses, who had started drawing more symbols. As the chariots drew near again, Moses waved his hand and up raised a wall of fire. Stopped again, the Pharoah became furious and started shooting arrows at Moses and the Jews. While few were hit, the arrows did little damage to the people crossing the Nile on the bridge of reeds.
"Arise fey of the desert fire," Aaron said, spinning his finger and casting his first spell, summoning fairies. "Fly to Moses and tell him of our safe crossing," Aaron instructed. The fairies disappeared and arrose out of the fire, dancing around and flying to Moses, whispering Aaron's words. Moses ran down to the river, just as the wall of fire broke and the chariots could charge again. Thrusting his staff forwards at the river, the water parted. Waiting in the water was the form of a phoenix made of water. Jumping onto its back, Moses flew forward through the parted water, arrows flashing past. As Moses reached the other side of the water, he turned back to see the Pharoah looking at the parted water.
"Turn back Pharoah, you cannot get us now," Moses called.
"You shall pay for insulting me," Pharoah called and charged forward. Moses, sighing with sadness, closed the walls of water on the charging army.
Beached on a rock, the body of his army gone, Ramses yelled in despair as he faced his defeat.
Leading his people into the desert and away to the east, Moses followed a path that was shown to him by birds flying in the sky, knowing that the Phoenix had sent them to guide him.
After several days, the people were tired and worn. It was clear that the many of them had not packed enough water nor enough food to survive in the desert heat or cold for a great amount of time. As they came upon the edge of Mount Sinai, they stopped and refused to go further until water was provided to quench their growing thirst.
"Moses, I know you can conjiur water, but for so many people?" Aaron asked.
"It is a simple task which I will teach you in due course, but for now, let each man, woman and child prepare buckets, bowls and whatever they need to provide water for themselves and their stock." Moses said, and Aaron went about calling out to the people. Moses gathered them around rocks in the desert, and when he had everyone settled, struck each rock with his staff three times and water poured endlessly from them. Each person filled their bowls and buckets and drink their fill, until everyone was refreshed. Taking next their waterskins and filling them as well, everyone was ready to continue.
"Where are we going?" Aaron asked.
"Deep into the Mountain Sinai, where a man awaits to lead the people," Moses explained.
"Who is this man?" Aaron inquired.
"You will see," Moses said with a smile. Leading the people again, they followed a path that went up the mountain and into the rocks. When they reached a very large and flat area of the mountain, Moses bid everyone set up camps in the caves and in the flats while he organised some things. Moses led Aaron alone to the top of the mountain. There, in a cave, sat an old man, hunched over a small table, a wheel and some candles.
"Jethro, my mentor," Moses called, before bowing lightly with respect.
"Greetings Moses. I have been watching you for some time," Jethro said in a deep voice. "I have accepted to lead the Jews and aid them into prosperous futures. I want you to go forth to the people and find five men that are fit to rule and judge, for they will be the council of the Jews. Then I want you to summon the priests and religious men together to become a religious body of the people and lead them in prayer. Lastly, I want you to find the most wise of women to be the representatives of all women in the council of men." jethro hadn't moved one inch except to speak or breathe. Aaron thought this odd, but as this man was far and away superior to himself, he said nothing.
"It shall be done," Moses said, turning to leave.
"Wait. Leave your student with me, I wish to tutor him in a few things," Jethro muttered. Aaron was quite stunned, for he thought Jethro had neither seen nor heard him.
"I might be an old man Aaron, but I can still see and sense things around me," Jethro said. "Sit here and I shall speak with you." He raised a hand and indicated a position on the other side of the low table as Moses walked out into the arising village.
"Now Aaron, you have seen some very dark and powerful magic in the past few weeks. I wish it to be known to you that, despite the ease of which Moses could cast it, he has used a great amount of strength to do so. Do not ask him at all to show you how to cast those spells, for you are not ready. But I will teach you about your crystals and about staffs." Jethro stopped talking for a moment and seemed to be meditating. "I will have a staff ready for you in three days. Until then, I want you to read these, and ask Moses should you become unsure." He waved his hand to acorner and there were a mass pile of scrolls. Aaron swallowed loudly.
"Very well sir," Aaron answered.
It took ten days and ten nights, but finally, the ten rules of the village were written. Jethro, Moses and Aaron bound the rules in sacred magic and had them carved upon stone. The tablets were erected in the now growing communitty that was well shelttered within the mountain. Moses and Aaron had spent much of their time using their magic to grow wheat, barley, corn and create wells for the people to live from. Sure enough, Moses and Aaron were proclaimed heroes of the Jews.
After a year at Sinai Mountain, Aaron had learned much from both Jethro and Moses, while the Jewish communitty was slowly set up. Although there were mounted fears of the Egyptians attacking them, it was soon abaited, as the Pharoah Ramses was heard to be turning his attention to building and construction, his focus on them gone.
Finally, as the last day of the year settled, Moses and Aaron sat at a fire talking.
"Will we not stay to protect them?" Aaron asked.
"Jethro is strong enough to do that," Moses replied, looking into the flames.
"I understand," Aaron answered.
"And when he dies, which will not be for a long time, the Phoenix will summon me here to take his place. And then it will be your turn, should you live. And then your apprentice after you," Moses explained.
"The lesson of the Phoenix," Aaron said as he poked the fire with his staff.
"Indeed. Everything from knowledge and wisdom to magic and power is passed down, and as one phoenix dies, another will arise to take its place," moses agreed.
The following day, Moses and Aaron left the village and headed out into the desert again, following the call of the phoenix into the world.
A/N: I know it is far from accurate to the story in the Bible, but please remember this is a retelling of fiction. I do not wish to find my reviews full of religious debate, nor my inbox crowded with angry emails about religious disrespect. That is not my intent nor my purpose in writing this. This is a work of fiction inspired from the story of Exodus. Following my last review, here are the differences.
1) Moses prayed to God, not the Phoenix
2) Moses spoke to God through a burning bush which God made, Moses didn't light it
3) Moses didn't summon God
4) Moses wasn't a sorceror
5) Moses was a Jew
6) Aaron and Moses were brothers, not teacher/mentor
7) Moses recalled the plagues, not the Pharoahs sorcerors.
8) Moses and Aaron didn't flee to an oasis at any point.
9) Moses only used his staff, not crystals
10) There was no one waiting at
11) Moses and Aaron stayed with the Jews, they didn't leave.
I think I've made my point