TOMB HUNTER

The Adventures of Larra Court

Episode 7

Larra’s Saharan Adventure

Chapter 13 Khaemhet’s Dilemma

Amy could barely place one foot in front of another. The caravan had left the desert and the procession of captives and slaves had spent the last few days wandering through an area of twisting canyons. It was an arduous journey, but at least there was some shade and adequate water. None of the three adventurers would have made it this far if it had not been for the help of the three black warriors. It turned out that Katie’s confrontation had shamed them into realizing that they had not been acting like warriors, but rather like the craven cowards who had taken them prisoner. That was the reason why they had helped each of the women complete the journey after their brutal gang rape by the slavers. If it had not been for their assistance Amy was sure that she and Katie would have died. She wasn’t so sure about Jia Li. The Manchu girl seemed much tougher than any of them, but she had also been partly carried by the black warriors after her ordeal.

Since that time they had not been so brutally molested. It seemed that the gang rape was intended to break their spirit. And once the slavers felt they had accomplished that they were content to merely rape them on a casual basis. Several times Jia Li, Katie, and Amy had been subjected to further sexual degradation, but it was nothing like the first session. The slavers even seemed considerate of them, taking care not to bruise them too badly as they had their way with them. And then for the last few days all of the women had been left completely alone. Amy thought she knew the reason. They must be very close to the destination that Mudada had in mind. That meant that as valuable merchandise the slavers wanted the women in the best of physical condition.

A shout from up ahead brought her thoughts back to reality. Mudada had called a halt. Amy wondered was the occasion was. It was far too early for a water break. She got her answer in just a few seconds. On all sides armed men stepped from their places of concealment and surrounded the slavers and their prisoners. Mudada did not seem alarmed. He sat quietly on his camel while one of the men approached him. A conversation then ensued in a language Amy did not understand, finally ending when the captives were lined up for inspection. Amy realized that they had reached their destination. Mudada had found the buyer for his merchandise.

The sale was another humiliating experience. Each of the captives was forced to strip while the prospective client subjected them to a rigorous examination, even looking inside the mouths of the captives to inspect their teeth. He spent the most time looking over the three white women and it was these three that elicited the most spirited haggling. Finally satisfied, the sale was complete and the newly purchased slaves were turned over to their new owners.

While the sale was being made Amy was able to study their purchaser and the men who had surrounded them. She found it was difficult to place them exactly. They were definitely not from black Africa, possessing relatively light skins. There was a definite trace of black ancestry however. Amy suspected that these people had started out white and had intermarried extensively with black Africans. But it was the nature of their dress that was most interesting. Although not trained as an archeologist, Amy had been around Larra long enough to recognize an ancient Egyptian when she saw one.

“What have we been forced into?” she murmured.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” said Katie, who had been standing close enough to hear. “Let’s hope it can’t get any worse than what we have just been through.”

Amy nodded slightly. The slavers had tried to break their spirit but had failed. Strangely, she felt a sense of pride as she considered what would have been the result with any other three women. Surviving violent rape on the level that they had experienced was something that almost no one else except Larra would have been able to tolerate. There was a score to settle there. Once she figured a way out of her current dilemma she would find Mudada and make him wish he had never been born.

As the slaver rode off he made one last parting shot. “Been a pleesure Eeenglish ladies. Perhaps next time have even more fun.” He grinned his crooked-toothed smile, and booting his camel rode off, leaving the three adventurers glaring furiously after him.

“I’ll have his balls,” growled Katie. “This isn’t finished yet.”

Jia Li said nothing, her expression completely impassive, but she was thinking the same thing. First, however, she would have to deal with the present situation. She and her companions were far from free. The first task was to find a way to escape from these strange “Egyptians.”

They had one thing going for them. Their new masters knew very little about them. That gave them an advantage if they just bided their time and waited for the right opportunity. In the meantime they would just have to wait and see what transpired. None of them were in prime condition despite the respite from the nightly gang rapes. They all needed time to recover and rest up. Perhaps this time they would be lucky and their new masters would not brutalize them.

Khaemhet was well pleased with his purchases. Three dark-skinned warriors. They would do well as additions to the pharaoh’s guard or perhaps even in the arena. Then there were the five young black women. Several of them were quite attractive. They would make good mistresses for members of the highborn.

And then there were the three pale skinned women. These were truly unique. He had never seen women quite like them. Where they would fit in he was not quite sure, but he knew one thing and that was that the pharaoh would reward him fabulously for them. It was unfortunate that the slave trader had used them so badly. He had lied, of course, claiming that the women had been well cared for, but it was clear they had not. His inspection of them revealed numerous scratches and bruises on their bodies, especially in their genital regions and teeth marks were clearly visible on their breasts. These women had been raped repeatedly. What astounded him was the way they held themselves. After such an ordeal they should have been completely cowed and even weeping in terror. But each of them met his gaze without flinching. When he had scrutinized them he felt as if he was in a cage with three lionesses. If it had not been for the slave collars he was sure that he would have been attacked. Well, he would see. Perhaps a few weeks of decent treatment would make them more docile. In the meantime, they would bear watching.

The march to the city was a short one. A half hour of trudging up the canyon brought them to a massive gate flanked by twin guard towers. They tramped through the gate and into the city. All of the slaves found the spectacle before them quite astounding. The three modern women, because they had never expected to see an ancient Egyptian city in the middle of the twentieth century, and the eight Africans because they had never seen a city before. “Incredible,” whispered Katie. “It’s as if we’ve dropped back in time three thousand years.”

Jia Li nodded. She knew very little about ancient Egypt, but she did know that the magnificent stone buildings that lined the main street were completely out of place in the modern world. Amy just stared. “What Larra would give to see this,” this thought. “It’s absolutely unbelievable.”

Through streets crowded with gawking Egyptians the captives were herded. In spite of the obvious stares of curiosity they attracted no one made any attempt to stop them and finally they came to a large whitewashed building close to the centre of the city. They entered the building through a wooden gateway. The building turned out to be a large quadrangle, with the centre open to the sky. Lining the interior were dozens of small room. Cells, the captives guessed, and they turned out to be right.

“It’s comfortable enough,” remarked Amy as she looked around the cell they had been herded into, “but it’s still a prison.”

The cell they were in was actually quite well furnished, being large enough to contain a sleeping area, a large bath, and assorted pieces of furniture. “It appears our captors want us to feel at home,” said Katie. “Probably we’ll get a better price if we are properly cared for. I’m not sure I really like this. It is almost too comfortable.”

Amy nodded. “You’re right there. I don’t think we should stay here any longer than we have to.”

“The lock is quite primitive,” said Jia Li from over by the door. “But it will not be easy to get at. It is a large deadbolt and cannot be easily reached.”

“Perhaps we can hook it somehow,” Amy said joining her by the door. She tried to peer out through the tiny barred opening in the top of the door. It was much too small for any of them to get their hands through.

Katie walked over to one of the barred windows. They were quite large allowing a considerable amount of light to flood into the room. “No luck,” she said, peering out. “The deadbolt is not reachable from here. We’ll just have to wait it out.” She walked toward the bath, stripping off her clothes from her remarkable body as she did so. “Anyone for a cool dip?” she asked.

From the window of his home, Khaemhet could see almost all of the slave compound. He frowned as his eyes went to the room where the three exotic women were caged. All of his plans for them seemed to be coming unraveled. During his absence there had been an astounding event. Queen Isetnofret had murdered the favourite concubine of the pharaoh. But unbelievably the gods had sent back the murdered woman and she had taken the treacherous queen into the underworld with her. Even worse from Khaemhet’s point of view, however, was the fact that the pharaoh had decreed that no more slaves from the outside world were to be permitted to enter his kingdom. Khaemhet’s new slaves were worthless. Even worse, they were illegal.

Chewing on his thumb, he pondered his problem. What was he to do? He had invested a considerable sum in his latest acquisitions. How was he to get the money back? In addition, his men knew about his latest prizes so he could not keep their presence a secret. It was only a matter of time until word of their existence reached the palace and then he would be in trouble for violating the pharaoh’s command.

He thought on the problem for awhile. There seemed only one thing to do. He would have to dispose of his captives and take the loss. But he was not going to turn them out into the desert. The story about what had happened to the queen had given him a bit of inspiration. He would send them to the Forbidden Valley. Such a sacrifice was said to be pleasing to the gods and he could always use a little bit of credit with the gods. He frowned. It would be a costly loss, but at least he might improve his chances at an afterlife. Sighing he started down the stairs. He would start as soon as the women were fit to leave.

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