The Walk of The Israelites

Chapter 12

Author's Notes: CONGRATULATIONS FOR THE WINNERS OF OUR CONTEST! 

THIS IS THE WINNER OF THE COVER SECTION! :D

We had a GREAT turn out and had a blast :) Perhaps we will host another one later. Thank you for everyone that had entered! We had a difficult time deciding our winners. 

P.S. sorry about the change. I totally goofed it up and had to edit the part about the man coming in out...I will use something similar next chapter. :)

This is again, based off of Exodus 8

__________________________________________________________________________

Chapter Twelve 

I decided to get out of my bed and make my way to my throne room. There was no point in remaining in this place. I got up, making sure I didn't step on the tray or anything that spilled out of it. I grabbed my crown that was resting on a table and walked out of the room.

The one guard that was left guarding my door was there, nodding after opening the door for me. He was of medium height, and build, with blue eyes. Fairly unremarkable as was most people were in my nation. I carefully set my light weight white colored crown on my head, as I walked to my throne.

As I walk I notice, for the first time, that gnats were present. Not just a few scattered around here and there, but many on the ground, and a few were flying around in the air. I walked steadily toward the two giant doors, that guarded my throne. Two ordinary guards opened each of the doors for me; dodging gnats that occasionally flew near them.

Filthy creatures I thought to myself. Is there no way to keep these infernal insects away from me? I went up the few steps to my throne and gingerly sit down in it. I noticed my throne room was fairly empty today. Just I, a few guards, and maybe one or two officers but that is all. Everyone else must have remained close to their homes, because of all these cursed plagues, Moses was bring on us.

"We are here, Pharaoh." my magicians said coming out of no where, "Just as you requested."

Pretending I was delighted by their presence, when really I would have been furious if they had been any slower. "I am pleased." I say, faking a smile. 

"What would you like for us to do, our lord?" they ask, incompetent fools. 

I have had enough stupidity today. "You're the wise men." I said, at the edge of my control. "Think."

I see their glow as they realize what I would like them to do. "You'd like us to remove the gnats," one said with a childish grin. "Or show you how they came to be?" another asked.

"Very good." I said, my forehead in my hand. How I have put up with all of them is beyond me. Why, why couldn't I attain just one good magician?

"Explain how Moses' God could have done this, and why ours can not." I tell them.

They have a look that says they don't know how to do this. They circle and quietly discuss something apparently private. They open the giant doors that lead outside to leave. I nearly drop my mouth at what I see. I knew their would be giants but, there was so many!

I was expecting to see some flying around, but I think there are more gnats, than frogs, when they were here. I couldn't see anything but gnats. It looked like a moving wall of insects. They hurriedly closed the door.

"Face me." I orderd them. They slowly turned around and looked at me like they were a child ready for punishment. "Explain this to me." I said in a low and stern voice. "Now."

 They all started talking at once and I had to yell at them to make them quiet. I ordered them to talk, one at a time, so I could understand them.

"We don't know." said one of them, the leader of the small group. He was slightly taller than the rest, and looked darker somehow, a certain air of evil perhaps? He was a fool like the rest of them, however.

"We have determined," he started. When the word came from his lips, I knew that they were useless to me, again. "That Geb must some how wish our destruction."

How dare they? How dare they say a god was against me?

"We as a nation," he continued, "must have somehow upset Geb."

"Geb?" I asked, about to lose my temper. "The god of the earth? What have we done to disappoint him?" I said.

"We have no idea, Pharaoh." they have the nerve to say to me. 

I slowly place my crown on my knee and fold my hands and place them in my lap. "Gentlemen," I said, slowly, each word thought out carefully. "Do you know about the last magicians who failed me?" 

A cloud of sadness and despair crossed over their face as they nod in unison. 

"Good." I said, placing the crown on my head. "Then repeat what Moses has done."

Over the next hour they tried. They tried everything they could think of. They danced, used minerals in the ground to make a horrible looking drink and drank it, cut themselves, chanted, bowed, and even to go so far as to eat the sand. The useless men could neither get rid of the pests, duplicate it, nor explain it, at least not how I would like.

The leader shrugged in a gesture of defeat. "We don't know how his god did it, Pharaoh." he said. "But somehow, this is Moses' god's doing." He spat some dust out of his mouth from earlier as the others stood around, nervous as a person could get. "This, is the finger of God."

I told those idiotic fools what I thought of them and then, shooed them away with the wave of my hand. They were over joyed at the fact to still be breathing. I would have ended their lives if I wasn't running out of sorcerers. I melted into the gold covered chair.  What was I going to do? At every turn it seemed that Moses was winning!

I would not let that happen. I would not! I slammed my hand on the arm of my throne so hard it throbbed with pain. I would not let Moses win. I would not let my brother defeat me. Not now. Not ever.