Fortunately it was not the hallowed day of the Pharaoh that was being celebrated. That would have meant the Captain of the Royal guard had to be among those present on the royal dais, resplendent in his gilded and polished finery as befitted a concerted symbol of the might of the king of kings. Given that the affair that had brought the metropolis to a standstill was that which venerated the queen regent, he was thankfully endowed with the freedom to move about as he deemed fit. Naturally his presence among those who thronged the banquet hall was something of a must; in the absence of the lord above all, the royal guard were perhaps more important than ever before, as they had been entrusted with the safety and wellbeing of the earthly manifestation of Ra’s chosen woman. Although she was not the first chosen by his esteemed sire, ruler of the golden sands, Mandisa was still the exalted recipient of the guard’s protection, even if her popularity dwindled when placed alongside that still held for her precursor. While he had not known her personally, Odi had nevertheless been one of the many recipients of Queen Rabiah’s  benevolence. Indeed it had been at her suggestions that dust mites such as himself be granted the opportunity to be of service to the Amon Ra reborn.<br/><br/>Here it was, at last, the moment of truth. He could tell with a swift sweeping glance where his men were situated, some brazen in their royal finery, but more still mingling with the crowd that made up the majority of the hall’s guests. Eyes were invariably trained upon those around them, watchful for even the suggestion of potentially offensive movement; the shifting of fabric as a hand dipped inwards to reach for a sword? A throwing knife? A vial of viscous  liquid? Some form of alchemical trickery?  Hiss own weapon hand closed around the wire-encircled haft of his sickle sword. It made sense that whatever malevolent intent remained hidden, its targets were almost certainly either one of the royal trio. Short of placing a cadre of shieldmen to provide an impenetrable barrier between them and their guests, Odi ground his teeth in frustration as the wait snailed on.<br/><br/>From the frame of their faces and the slight distinction in their heights, Odi pinpointed the servant girls as being  Chione and Masika. Handmaids to the queen regent and the princess, these young women were, according to sacred rite, virgins, although Odi knew for a fact that the more slender of the two bore a secret infatuation with Isipi, one of the newer recruits, a tall, handsome boy with skin the colour of sunkissed olive. Might they be unwitting agents of some form of malevolent intent? There was a possibility, the girls were, one was led to believe, blithely innocent, kept in seclusion and trained in the maidenly arts and servitude to best accommodate the needs of the royal women. It would be a jackal hearted villain indeed to exploit the innocence and purity of the royal servants in such a manner but while propriety would have been sufficient reason to exclude their involvement to some, Odi’s innate distrust saw his golden eyes narrow.<br/><br/>Watching like a vulture eyes up stricken prey meandering in the merciless grasp of the bleeding sands, Odi thought he saw no artifice , and although the princess’s soft, but persuasive voice carried to every corner of the hall, it was the gifts that seized his attention. Gifts were the purview of the royal maidens, even the captain of the royal guard had no place examining them, they were sacred offerings as one would make to a God and nobody who did not wish their soul to be consigned to the abyss  to be consumed by  Sekhmet  would dare to trifle with such offerings. “Fools,” he whispered to himself. “It is that which is deemed impossible that is exploited by the followers of evil’s path.” Poison could take many forms, that much he knew, ‘the woman’s weapon’ they called it but he did not subscribe to this idiotic notion. Anyone with the means and sufficient desire to do ill would seek out the most virulent means of doing so by the most certain paths possible, whether they be male or female.<br/><br/>Now a 3rd individual entered the scene. Odi could not help but smile, Hanbal had been well named indeed, for never before had he met anyone with such gentle kindness hidden in his silent ways. Not as prominent as his brothers, the granting of such a rare honour as to bestow the invaluable necklace upon the Queen regent was a fitting tribute to his unwavering servitude;  there he was, holding the gleaming item of jewellery one moment, and the next. Dead? Despite having steeled himself for just such an eventuality, despite preparing himself for what must be done in the event of such a tragedy, Odi was rooted to the spot as a snake of ice entwined itself around his spine. “Captain? Sir?” Shaking off his momentary stupor, Odi burst into action. “Stand guard, bar the entrances, nobody leaves the hall, the murderer might strike anew, protect their majesties. Exercise subtlety!” He could tell by their reactions, most of the guests were stunned, uncertain what had just happened; perhaps the youth had fainted, it was somewhat overly warm but Odi knew right away that all was not well. He had seen Hanbal stand stiff as a rock pillar beneath the cruel sun at its apogee and he had not wavered, how then would such a lenient atmosphere cause him to succumb to syncope?<br/><br/>“Excuse me, please, let me through.” Doing what he should have done from the get go, Odi eased his way through the crowd who were beginning to come out of their bafflement. “It’s nothing, my lords, ladies, a surfeit of excitement perhaps, please, drink, eat.” Having to play his part to defuse potential panic, Odi put on his public mask; He could tell that  his men who had disguised themselves as guests were doing likewise, seeking to blunt the blade ere it struck. “Masud, Radames, with me, hurry.” He had caught the Princess’s eye and deviated from his initial path towards the scene of the crime, tailing after Nanu, exiting the hall via a guarded side entrance.  Her first words, uttered in frustration to the air around her echoed his own. “I am uncertain, your highness,” he offered by way of reply, “rest assured my men will seek out this viper.” Not one to waste words, particularly when it came to those that promised action, Odi felt a flame kindling in his chest; he would tear the palace, the city apart until he could drag the culprit in chains before her himself, on that he was adamant. The fact that none of the royal family had paid with their lives was of little consolation to him. About to issue orders to his 2 man guard escort, the telltale slither of metal from lacquered leather had him instinctively do likewise. Feeling his companions emulate his action, he strode forward, forming a shield between the Princess and their would-be assailants. “One step closer and by Horus you shall sail the duat this day.” He hissed softly. That they were not mercenaries or hired assassins was immediately apparent, dressed as they were in the raiment of royal guard. As before, Nanu voiced the question upon his lips first, and it took him aback to hear their pronouncement. “By orders of the Queen you have been sentenced with treason.”  Preposterous! Anticipating more assailants it was something of a relief to see the handsome visage of his brother in arms. Swords still drawn, Odi was left with little choice but to keep pace with the prince and princess as they made their way through the corridors of the palace. They had already been forced to cross blades with the first group of guards that had accosted them and the formerly gleaming edge of their khopeshes bore evidence of a recent skirmish. Acquitting themselves skillfully, their assailants had been left nursing non-fatal wounds or were unconscious, his objective to hinder rather than harm should the consequences weigh heavily against the royal pair.<br/><br/>“Ambush!” Appearing seemingly from all sides their antagonists seemed to have tripled in numbers and doubled in ferocity and it was all the 3 of them could do to fend off their attentions, the  reality of a swift escape becoming increasingly more and more desirable. “You 2, stay with the Prince,” he commanded his companions, clasping their hands individually in a brotherly manner. “Fear not, sire, I shall keep her highness safe, I swear upon my life.” Emitting a low, sharp series of whistles, a firce smile spread upon his face as a jet black stallion cantered into view. “Hai, Abrax, hai, adventure boy! Speed! Thunder!” An excitable wild creature when he had first come across the defiant foal out on the dunes, the 2 had become kindred spirits ever since the young guard in training saved the ebony  from rustlers.<br/><br/>Usually saddled for the brief journey out towards the nearby oasis that Odi was sometimes wont to journey out to, it was with nothing but the clothes on his back and the weapons at his belt that the captain of the Palace guard left the palace behind him following in the trail of the Princess. Nanu was a natural in the saddle and rode with the grace of an exotic dancer and the conviction of the daughter of kings. A trained warhorse, Abrax afforded his master the relative stability to glance back towards the royal city; located closer to the oasis, the palace’s rear opened onto the miles of merciless sands across which they raced. “Your highness, Nanu, grab onto me. Your mare, she can’t take this pace much longer. “  It did not require a learned horsemaster to see that the purebred mare was fading, her eyes wide, foam flecking her parted lips. “She’’ll find refuge in the oasis, we can come back for her but we need to make the town before they crest that dune behind us.” A wicked grin sliced across his lips, “perhaps we can take those bastards, like we did back in the good old days, but I’d prefer to lose them , which would be kinder on them!”