In the Market

Engel and Jente stood at the top of a massive sand dune and stared into the distance at the massive stone structures, gleaming, peaked, that arced toward the sky. Jente noted, idly, that they mirrored a pattern of stars and wondered if they were religious markers beyond tombs.

“What is this place called?” Engel asked.

“I don’t know what the locals call it,” Jente said, “but I’ve heard people call it Egypt.”

“What are we doing here?” Engel asked.

Jente nodded down at the approaching army of rumbling chariots. “I’m thinking Pharaoh is in the market for a skilled general.”