Heroo 2


"Quiet ...", Atemu held the reins of his horse. He had led it onto the ferry, but the slight swaying on the current of the Nile made the white steed shy. Mahado and Seth's horses also announced with excited screeching that they did not want to climb onto the unstable wood of the ferry.
"It's good ..." Mahado sighed and stroked his horse. They hadn't even filed, but it always was. It was only possible to cross over when the horses got used to the moving and slightly swaying ground.
Seth's horse clearly calmed down the quickest as it was used to such crossings. Seth often rode to Hierakonpolis or other temples to give his training a final sleep, even though he had to stay in the residence for the time being when Atemu was crowned.
"Can we?" Asked the ferryman, a weather-beaten old Egyptian.
"Yes," Mahado nodded, still not letting go of his horse. The brown stallion was terrified of the water, Atemu knew that too.It almost drowned once when it was still a foal. To prevent it from going through, Mahado kept mumbling at him soothing words, which Seth only found ridiculous.
The ferry cast off quickly and fought its way over the Nile very calmly due to the current
Atemu let go of the reins of his white horse and stroked his muzzle: "Well done my boy, it's done quickly and safely."
"What is that?", Seth interrupted after a few minutes, as he noticed a ripple in the water. He had looked at the surface of the water to make out any crocodiles or hippos that might be nearby. A crocodile could be dangerous for a small ferry, apart from a full-grown hippopotamus, which in the worst case also had a calf.
"Seth?", Atemu went to him to the low Rehling.
"Back there ... It's coming towards us," the high priest stated with concern.
"Probably just a crocodile or a big fish," waved Mahado, who couldn't see anything because he couldn't leave the horse alone.Atemu and Seth blocked his view.
Seth raised an eyebrow: "Are you serious? A big fish that is getting closer and closer?"
"I'm not a fisherman!" Replied Mahado.
Atemu still kept his eyes on the movement below the surface of the water. She really got closer to them. Even if he wasn't very familiar with the Nile, he knew that fish always fled. Also the shadow he could see was too big. A giant crocodile was most likely as hippos did not sneak up on them, but instead attacked their enemies aggressively.
"We should see to it that we reach the bank."
"I can't go any faster, we're going across the current ..." replied the old man, who needed all his strength to bring the ferry across the Nile with a long pole. They were also secured with a rope to prevent them from drifting away. Fortunately, the Nile was not as wide here as other places. It didn't take long to translate, but too long at the moment."Shit ...!", Atemu had an uneasy feeling.
"By Ra ...!", Seth swallowed when the shadow's eyes appeared. Two dark eyes, which were in deep eye sockets, stared at the boat: "This is not a crocodile ..."
Mahado's horse began to shy away again when it felt the fear in Seth's voice and only with a lot of strength did Mahado manage to hold the brown stallion: "It's good, it's good ... We'll be over there in a moment. Can we make it in time?"
"Hm ...", Atemu estimated the distance to the bank and to the creature in the water. He had to swim against the current, that bought them a little time, but he didn't think it would be enough: "Hardly. We won't reach the bank in time if it attacks.
"That creature .. What has Sobek whipped into the world ...", Seth cursed and grabbed his bow and a quiver of arrows that were on the ferry. The ferryman probably had them here to hunt or defend himself in an emergency.
"I don't think the god Sobek is sending us something like that ... Look at it, it could be a huge snake ..." Atemu stated with great discomfort.Seth released the arrow from the bow and flinched when the arrow simply ricocheted off the creature's head and got stuck somewhere in the bank.
"I've never seen anything like it ...", Mahado swallowed: "Is it a shadow ...?"
Atemu could not answer him, as the being's body rose from the waters without warning. He opened his eyes: "By the gods!"
The appearance of the creature made the ferry sway so violently that it threatened to tip over. The horses neighed loudly and reared up. The ferryman was just able to cling to Mahado, who in turn was holding onto the Rehling.
"The gods are punishing us!" He exclaimed excitedly.
"They don't!", Seth lost his bow in the turmoil of the Nile, but he no longer needed it anyway. An arrow was ineffective against this being.
"Damn it, I can't get to my Dia Diak!", Mahado tried to get to his saddlebag, but since the horse was frightened and tried to tear itself away from him, that was impossible.Atemu and Seth had the same problem. Their slide diaks were stowed in their horses' pockets and their horses reared up and kicked their hooves.
"What do we do now?" Seth wanted to know when the ferry finally calmed down again.
The creature's eyes looked down on the four men and the three horses. There was a deafening noise from its mouth as it fell lengthways onto the ferry, which shattered under its weight.
Atemu lost the wood under his feet and found himself in the depths of the Nile. The water around him was cold and when he wanted to swim up towards the light, he noticed that the creature's eyes flared up behind him, as if they were made of black fire.
He widened her eyes as it approached in slow motion and opened its mouth, from which a large air bubble emerged.
Even before it reached him, Atemu felt a thud on his head and how something grabbed him under the armpits and pulled him away from the creature.It seemed to him that he was flinching, then he drifted into senselessness.

Atemu heard muffled voices but couldn't open his eyes.
"How is he?"
"So far, he'll probably come to soon."
"Thanks, I'll send you a replacement. Take care of him while you are."
A familiar voice, probably Shada, but why did he leave? And the other had to belong to a girl or a young woman. But Atemu didn't know that voice. He felt someone kneel down on the soft bed next to him and dab his forehead.
"You were lucky that the high priests just wanted to go to the pier and were able to help you. I don't know who you are, but you will have recovered from the shock in the next hour," said the friendly and soft voice.
Atemu tried to open his eyes, but could only blink. He only saw the shadow of the long black hair and the face that had leaned over him. Without a doubt, that was a girl, barely younger than himself, but who?"Take a rest a little longer, will you? The midday rest is not over yet, so no need to rush. Life in Hierakonpolis is still standing still."
"Hmm ..." was all Atemu managed to say, he felt that his eyes were closing again, but at the last moment he noticed the girl's eyes. Light brown like he had never seen it before. He could swear they would have sparkled gold in the sun.

"Prince!", Mana's voice reached his ears through Atemu's sleep.
"Mana?" He asked uncertainly and sat up in a daze.
"My prince!", Mana around his neck and almost blown his breath with joy: "You are healthy and not eaten! I am so happy! Mahado said that Karim, Isis and Shada came just in time to help you. Isis' Ka pulled you out of the Nile and Shada and Karim put that snake to flight. "Mana babbled so quickly that Atemu had a problem following her, but in the end he managed."Will you let go of me, please?" Atemu asked.
"Sorry!", Mana knelt in front of him and looked at him: "Are you okay again?"
"Yes. How long did I sleep?", Atemu asked.
"Not long. Two hours or so. The midday rest just ended. Isis already said it was just a small fainting spell."
"Only?", Irritated Atemu ran his hair and then paused: "Who was actually with me?"
"Me!", Smiled Mana: "I'm still there?"
"No, in front of you", Atemu objected.
"Well ... I don't know. I relieved Isis ten minutes ago and before that I don't know. But she wasn't here long because she was needed. Have a drink!" Suggested Mana and grabbed the mug of fresh water which she held out to her prince.
"Thank you Mana", Atemu slowly drank and thought. Could it be that his mind had played a trick on him? "Tell me, is there ..." he didn't get any further as the door opened.
"Pharaoh!", Mahado smiled relieved: "Lucky you are awake again.How are you feeling?"
"So far fit again", Atemu nodded and stood up: "The rest was enough and good for me."
"I am pleased because it is unfortunately not possible to postpone the dates today," Mahado said regretfully.
"That can't be true! Our prince has just ..."
"MANA!", Mahado stabbed at his student: "I can't change it! I did what I could, but the ceremony of cleansing before entering office and the blessing by the gods must take place today and the festival tonight we can Don't skip it either. How do you imagine that, Mana? "
"Mana", Atemu put his hand on her shoulder: "It's okay, I take it easy as best I can and you're all close by. I'm safe here, too, and whatever that was, it can't come from here ... "He smiled gently at her and then turned to Mahado:" I would like the hunters to be sent out immediately to free the Nile from this creature. Not that it will end up attacking farmers or other Egyptians. ""That has already been arranged," replied Mahado: "Karim is already on the way and is calling together the best hunters in Egypt."
"Why does Atemu have to choose a woman today, that's a cheek! This ..."
"Do you want to marry me?", Atemu Mana cut in.
"Me?", Mana froze: "So ... I ... um ... I want to be a magician ... serve you, my prince ... but woman?" Her gaze flicked to Mahado, who blushed slightly and cleared his throat.
Atemu said softly: "I know, but at least I have to look at it, I owe it to my father if he has already called her. Tell me, is one of the guests with long black