Egypt

Previously

…Khepri, clad in simple linen that offered little respite from the growing heat, mounted his finest steed, a creature whose coat shimmered like polished obsidian. His heart, though resolute, felt a tremor of apprehension. The weight of his kingdom, of every wilting stalk and every worried glance, settled upon his young shoulders. He looked back one last time at the faces gathered in the courtyard, a panorama of hope and hushed prayer. He saw the children, their usual boisterous energy dimmed, their eyes wide with a fear they