The brilliant sunrise brought with it more than just a new day. It brought signs of change and horrible things never before seen.
But it wasn’t the sunlight that woke Kai from her light sleep; it was a distant sound of crying. At least she thought so. It seemed like the wind was wailing, expressing some supernatural sadness that couldn’t be understood.
She rubbed her eyes and thought about all the plagues from the Bible account. If the last one she felt was darkness, then…
The guard who had been in charge of Kai came up and unlocked her cell. He motioned for her to step out. He had Amenken’s dagger in his left hand.
Kai stayed in the cell.
“I’ve been charged with taking you with me. Horus wants you to draw Lily out, and then I will be there to take her.”
Kai couldn’t do it. As easy as it was to go along with the guard and save her own life, Kai could not trick Lily like that. “I can’t.”
The guard smiled. “That’s the lack of food talking. It will be okay. The pharaoh has a great meal prepared if you help us get Lily back.”
“What’s with the dagger?” Kai knew the answer but wanted to make sure.
“If you decide not to help”—the guard raised the dagger. “You understand.”
She did understand. But, no matter what, Kai wasn’t going to bring any harm to Lily by her selfish decisions. “I do understand. And I can’t help you.”
The man reached out and grabbed Kai’s arm. He yanked her out of the cell.
“One last chance. Will you help us or not?” His grip tightened. Any tighter and Kai thought her arm might break.
“I will not help you because—”
The guard’s grip loosened.
Kai never had to finish her sentence. She looked up into the soldier’s eyes. Just a second ago his eyes were filled with the pleasure of capturing her, but now they appeared lost and scared. They looked past Kai to some unseen point on the horizon.
And then, in the time it took Kai to blink, the guard collapsed on the ground in front of her. For a second, Kai stood there not understanding what happened. And then she remembered that the last plague attacked the ones who were born first in their families.
Kai bent down and picked up the dagger that had fallen to the ground along with the guard. She turned around and took off running toward the valley. She needed to catch up with Lily and her family. If the last plague had indeed come over the land, then the Israelites would be leaving for good. Kai had to hurry and join them before it was too late.
Kai arrived in the valley and found it eerily empty. The tents were vacant, like an army of ghosts waiting patiently to be put to use. She ran up and down the paths that divided the tent city and didn’t see any signs of life.
This was the end. Moses had led the Israelites away from here. The exodus had begun.
Kai had been obsessed with saving Lily and never gave thought to what she would do now. Somewhere in the middle of the sea of tents she stopped to pray.
God, how do I get out of here?
Where do I go?
Help me!
The only option that made sense was to catch up with the Israelites and be with Lily. They couldn’t have gone too far.
Kai took off running again, this time in the direction of the east end of the valley. Away from Egypt. Away from the pharaoh. Away from Horus.
It was the only plan she had. Her only choice. Run to the east and join the others. Start a new life with Lily and her family, and keep hoping that one day she would be reunited with her own family back in Florida.
The empty rows that once contained an endless array of tents flashed by on either side of her. Kai could see the edge of the settlement, where the valley started and spread out in a wide-open plain. And she also saw people! A sea of Israelites. There they were…no more than a mile away!
Kai kept running, picking up speed like a train going down the tracks. Only a few more rows and then the open valley.
Until her plan came to a wicked end, as a horse and rider appeared from behind the last row of tents, blocking her way to the valley beyond.
Horus.