Escape from Ancient Egypt (Neiko Adventure Saga Book #2)

Chapter 6

Later that night, the four Indians talked in their cell about the occurrences.

"This is hardly the worst thing Kenes has ever done," remarked Mactalon. "We've seen some real horrors in the ten and a half years we've been here. You really have to watch yourself, Neiko. I don't think you're going to be in here with us much longer."

Neiko furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth like she silently said "what?". "Okay, what's going on? Why is Kenes acting all weird and stuff?"

"We think Kenes has romantic plans for you. If you say no, he'll make you serve him whether you want to or not—he makes everyone do what he wishes whether they want to or not with force and cruel punishment—like tonight. I don't know how far his plans for you are gonna go," warned Mactalon. "It can be marriage and all it entails or just a "personal slave" if you get my drift."

Neiko looked like she would like to barf. "Wouldn't his wife have something to say about that? Wouldn't she smack him with that stick she always carries around?"

The three guys laughed.

"That's not Kenes' wife. That his overseer of the house. Kenes doesn't have a wife—yet," said Tito and he put a lot of emphasis on the word yet.

"Maybe he'd have one if he wasn't such a butthole," said Neiko, crossing her arms. "I'd hate to break it to him, but I'm not on the menu."

The four of them laughed.

"You won't have a choice against the lord and richest man in Memphis, Neiko," Tito said. "Like we just said; he'll make you."

"I'm glad one never forgets how to fight," said Mactalon, trying to turn the conversation to a brighter note. "We are a little rusty, but at least it's like riding a bike—it comes back to you."

"Yeah, I know, but we have to use our great skill for show, and we have to kill people without a cause. And if we don't kill the person we're fighting, then he'll kill us," fussed Panthero.

"Well, it seems that if you survive long enough, then I heard something about Thebes—I think," replied Neiko. She thought she picked out the name among all of the other unknown words.

Tito looked at her, horrified. "Pit fighting in Thebes? Those will be really tough matches, and I bet our fame would spread everywhere. I bet that would get Pharaoh's attention. If he feels threatened by us then, he could try to snuff us out. I mean, look what happened to the Hebrews—they get enslaved for just taking up too much space here. That happened just recently—like four to six months ago. To his fellow Egyptians he's a good and benevolent king; he just doesn't play around when he sees or sniffs out a threat."

"Hey wait a minute—I thought..." said Neiko but lost train of thought. "Where's Moses?"

Picking up on Neiko's thought, Mactalon said, "That's what we thought too, but he isn't even here—frankly I don't even think he's been born yet. The Exodus may not take place until about a hundred years or more."

"He isn't. Ramesses wouldn't have co-ruled with his father if he was," interjected Tito.

"Oh...well...I guess never mind Pharaoh. Our main concern is getting out of here, finding Sito, and trying to find our way back to Hawote, right? We won't be here long enough for Pharaoh to find out about us if we play our cards right and stay quiet," said Neiko. "However, the getting back to Hawote part may be a bit impossible unless Sito can invent a time machine out of...whatever-century-this-is' technology. Instead of a Deloreon, do we get a chariot to go 88 miles an hour?" Neiko snorted. "I don't guess there is a space-time vortex near the Pyramids of Giza either, huh?" she asked, throwing her hands up in frustration, and then snapped her fingers and said, "Oh, darn, I could have swiped the time crystal Francesco was using before I—whatever the heck happened."