The next morning we started off at sunrise, traveling down the old caravan road. We met up with and passed, or met up and were passed by other travelers. Eventually though we were left traveling on our own. The heat was bearable for Bhati, Abasi and I but for the newly purchased slaves still in their rags they took the full brunt of the sun on their bodies. The traveling was slow with the new slaves needing rest and water often.

The day passed, with the noon sun beginning is slow fall into the evening, we continued until it was too dark to see and stopped for the night. The first task for the newly acquired slaves were to collect camel dung to start a fire. Deserts got cold at night, and there is little if any wood to build enough of a fire to combat the cold. It was the sheep, and goats that warned us of danger before we even started a fire. Soon after the sheep started bleating in panic, we could hear dog growling, a bark and the cry of one of the slaves as the dog attacked him. The attack was quick, the sheep squalled and bleated even louder, as several thieves came from near by rocks. The newly acquired slaves were the first to be attacked, cutting their defenceless flesh without thought. Bhati, Abasi and I put our backs to one another as the thieves closed. As one neared me I kicked up sand and dung into the thief's face.

The thief recoiled and I lunged at him, we both tumbled to the ground and I grabbed the wrist of his sword in a wrestlers grip. I twisted his wrist and the thief let go of his club. It was the kind that was used by P’Tah’s dark skinned warriors. A solid stone fastened to a hardwood handle with leather straps. We separated and scrambled for the club I got to it first, picking it up I gripped it with both hands and struck him hard in his face. His jaw dislocated making his face sag in a strange way. The thief’s body twisted, and I struck him again in the kidney, as he fell to his knees I struck him one last time in the back of the head. It had been quite some time since held anything other than a shepherd’s crook in my hand, but holding a weapon, any kind of weapon felt good, the weight of the stone growing heavier as it passed through the air, the smooth feel of a well worn hand grip, and the abrupt shock and session of movement as the head felt solid purchase. It all felt good, visceral, it was a base pleasure of living in the moment something which was sorely missed.

The dog that had attacked the slave charged me while I was still off balance and sank its teeth into the forearm of my rove. I drove my knee into its throat as the dog, and my arm came down and it let go with a yike. I turned on my heal and pummeled one of the pair of thieves attacking Bhati. Using the club I struck the thief’s skull and he dropped, lifeless and Bhati used the distraction to finish off the second thief attacking him. My mind was racing, there was not much difference between my last encounter with thieves and this one except there were more thieves and they were better equipped. Abasi was also attacked and called out, the thief had Abasi pinned down shouting curses at him with a dagger dangerously close to the shepherds throat. I pummeled Abasi’s thief in his kidney, shoulder and skull. If there were more attackers they had either sped away or were otherwise disinclined to make an attack , the skirmish was over.

The wheels in my mind didn’t stop turning when the fighting stopped. I began rummaging through the thieves belongings. They didn’t need them any more, I found a bag of gems, and other precious stones, a pouch full of silver coins, the thief’s all were armed, most had clubs but one had an Imperial pugio type dagger. It was a beautiful leafed shape knife, with a rosewood hilt, and an edge sharp enough to shave with. I slipped it into my belt started to adjust my cloths, and started to clean my hands with sand when Abasi spoke up “you can’t keep that, slaves are not allowed to arm themselves.”

That’s when I turned toward Abasi and stated “Abasi, my kind host, you saved my life and held me to that debt as a bond servant until I was able to repay such a debt. Now, correct me if I am wrong but if I had not clubbed your attacker just a few moments ago, you would be dead?”

Abasi stammered in protest but eventually he said “Yes, I would have been. But I...”

I cut Abasi off “My debt is paid in full, combining the work I have done for you for the last several months and longer my debt is more than paid off. I am no longer your bond servant or slave. Now, we can do this the honorable way where you absolve my servitude,and I’ll finish this job of returning you, and your livestock to your home, or I can leave you here now to the thieves, predators, and your shame.”

Abasi was disgruntled but relented, “You are free to go. Your debt to me is paid in full.”

I thanked Abasi for my release and split the spoils of the fight between Abasi, Bhati and myself I kept a larger cut considering my status as a freeman. I was free, and that fact made me giddy. There was no more incidents that evening and the three of us all rested and slept. It wasn’t a deep sleep but we still work up more rested.

The next morning we took stock of the kind of damage the thieves had done. The slave that was attacked by the dog was dead, another one was wounded but still alive. The other two had disappeared during the night. The four of us, Abasi, the last remaining newly purchased slave, Bhati, and I continued on, eventually we passed Fort Ramses, and the following afternoon we finally reached Abasi’s home.