Enid paced waiting for Aaron. This constant state of mortality was annoying here. It had been a week, no children, no spirit rituals no reason for it. It was like her vampiric self-had slowly been vanishing before her eyes. Was this her next punishment? Aaron, who was in his early forties, had more trouble navigating the rocky hill then Enid, who though she was mortal was still youthful and recovered easily. She helped him up the last bit.

“It would be nice if it was a more convenient location.”

Aaron didn’t agree or disagree with Enid’s statement. In the past seven days he had come to understand she tried her best to be respectful but sometimes her little jabs at the Lord would slip out. She looked up into the night sky.

“We’re here what do you want?”

Aaron shifted away from Enid. A small whirlwind of fire appeared before the pair. Enid felt no heat she waved her hand through it. Aaron gasped.

“Yesh, not even in person.”

“Daughter you will lead Abraham’s people into the desert.”

Enid spoke in the language of Angels.

“And we will go to the Red Sea or whatever it is called in this time, I have read the story. You said when next we meet you would reveal my true self.”

The fire shifted for several moments.

“Oh, I wasn’t supposed to be here…”

“You are not ready.”

“Why am I here?”

The fire shifted again.

“Only you can answer that question, daughter.”

Enid clenched her fist and screamed. She was a little shocked to feel the rock beneath their feet shake. She was fairly sure she just struck a nerve. Aaron fell to his knees.

“Lord I am sorry, she does not mean what she says.”

“If you’re going to punish someone, it had better be me, I’m the one mouthing off to you.”

The fire shifted again taking on a purple hue.

“All that is, is you daughter. Take the people to the Red Sea. I will send a guide when the time comes. The demons know your heart and will seek you out there.”

Enid swatted at the fire.

“You could have just had the angel tell me to read the-”

Enid caught herself after a glance down to Aaron.

“The bible.”

The fire shifted to a warm orange.

“A father needs no excuse to look on his daughter, who was so recently dead.”

“Whatever, give me back my vampire powers!”

“All that is, is you, daughter.”

“What the hel-… What is that supposed to mean?”

“All will be made clear when you are ready, daughter. Go, sleep, the people will look to you for guidance when the sun rises.”

“You’re… you are frustrating.”

The fire shifted to purple again then evaporated. Enid reached her hand down to Aaron.

“You spoke in a strange tongue. It filled me with peace.”

“It’s the language of angels. Apparently, the Lord did not believe the conversation was for your ears. As predicted, we are to go to the Red Sea. But we are to take our time.”

“How do you know these things?”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t understand.”

“We have grown close these last days; I see concern in your eyes. What disturbs you so?”

“He did not bring me here. Last I spoke with him directly he told me that our next meeting he said I would be ready to know my truth, well this was our next meeting. He said I wasn’t ready. Thing is, he’s never wrong. So, I do not understand. I felt the pull here, I was going one direction and we ended up here.”

“I do not understand Sarah.”

“Nor do I, Aaron, let us get our sleep, we have a very long journey ahead of us. We can expect to be attacked near the water.”

Enid climbed down the rocky rise. She waited for Aaron at the bottom. Aaron was quieter than usual. Typically, he would talk her ear off and she would nod along, letting him fill the silence. She glanced at him and caught a look of concern on his face.

“What bothers you, Aaron?”

“There are rumors that we are too familiar.”

“You and I both know we have not been intimate. That is all that matters. Our task is large, to organize and move so many people, it will take much talk, much planning, which means we will spend much time together. If they cannot see that they are blind.”

“It would be more proper if we were wed.”

“I’m already married, I think.”

“You mentioned that, but you also said according to the laws of the Lord you are not.”

“It’s complicated. I am not looking for another intimate relationship at this time. I…my recent experiences have left me… not interested in men in general.”

He nodded.

“I see your point, but I will trust the Lord to sort out the…logistics of this relationship he has forced on us. You can do far better than myself, perhaps a chaperone? Your sister-in-law?”

“Yes, a wise choice.”

Enid arrived at the home she shared with the aforementioned woman, Moses, Hazel, and Moses’s children.

“Fair sleep to you, Aaron.”

He bowed his head slightly. Enid went inside and checked on Moses. She had switched from IV to a feeding tube which had been a challenging to insert with what she had on hand. He seemed no closer to waking, she checked him for bed sores and vitals. He had a strong and consistent heartbeat and Zipporah had been diligent in the care of her comatose husband.

“Good night old man. You’re welcome for dealing The Lord.”

Enid laid in the bed she had been provided and fell into a fitful sleep.

*****

Hazel looked up at the sky and to her mother who was walking beside her.

“This reminds me of the last time we were in Egypt.”

“It should we’re taking almost the same route only we’re heading to a shallows.”

“Without Moses who is going to part the sea?”

Enid shrugged.

“I keep hoping there is a low tied or some weird tsunami thing that sucks water out until were across because unless its nighttime and I’m a vampire I’m not parting it.”

“If the demons are chasing us, shouldn’t you be holding Lucius?”

“I’d rather have the nine-foot-tall silver death wolf have him all things considered.”

“I told you that you would need me.”

“Don’t let it go to your head, young lady, you’re still in a world of trouble for smashing those beacons and sneaking through the gate. I just happen to be low on resources at the moment. So, we’re postponing the punishment and conversation.”

“Mom, if I was stuck as a teenager physically, I would be twenty-five and an adult.”

“Yet strange you act like a teenager. You’re reckless, you don’t think your actions through and oh if you were physically an adult, when we got back you might be going to an actual jail.”

Hazel frowned.

“You killed like thirty people and you’re free.”

“Different circumstances.”

“Really? You wanted revenge, I wanted to help my mom.”

“I am an Empress and the powers that be need me out. You are a teenage wolf-born who beyond being my daughter has no… use to the System Alliance. Sure, they might go easy on you to avoid pissing me off, but there would be consequences.”

“What about you? You are not going to jail, you’re not going to stand trial… nothing, they just let you go.”

“Another person is taking my place. The debt is being paid. That’s on me. I already called a hunt on her and scarred her for a millennia. Nothing I will ever do, no good deed will ever make that right. Your Aunt is pissed at me, your sisters barely want to talk to me and my wife is probably going to leave me, so if you think I got away free, I did not. I would have rather been imprisoned. Use your shadow gift and shift to wolf form find some place for us to set up camp would you, please.”

Hazel shook her head at her mother before she traced runes on her arm and vanished from sight. Enid saw wolf paws scattering the sand off the side of the path. It had been slower going then Enid had wanted. So far, they had been able to gather enough food and water to shore up their supplies, mostly because Hazel finessed things with the spirits of the area. Enid being who she was eased the first meetings. God had been quiet for the journey. Enid had just marked her thirtieth day of mortality in a row, and she was starting to have visions of Japan and Gaul. She walked on guiding one of the carts. Almost an hour later based on the sun her daughter appeared beside her.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

“There is a shaded oasis up ahead with enough space. Plenty of fruit and an old stone oven.”

Hazel pulled a pair of prickly pears out of her pocket and offered one to Enid. Hazel had already made them safe to eat.

“Hazel, why have you been so quiet since we got here?”

“Because you’ve been cheating on Amee with Aaron, I think it stinks.”

“Is that all?”

“Is that all? How about some respect for your wife mom?”

“I have not had sex with Aaron, nor do I wish too. After what I went through in Scotland I am not in the mood for men.”

Hazel looked at her mother her head not held so high anymore.

“I thought…the women were saying.”

“You should have asked me instead of assuming the worst. We’re guiding thirteen thousand people though a land of scarcity, that is a lot of logistics, a lot of rationing. It requires face to face communication. It is not like he has a holo-phone.”

“But you have been so quiet, and when you talk you haven’t sounded like the girl parents warn their son’s about. I thought he was telling you to behave.”

“He is.”

“You don’t let anyone tell you what to do.”

“I do when their words make sense. Could you please go to the front of the caravan and guide it to the oasis?”

“Sure mom.”

“And hon?”

“Yes?”

“I am proud of you for taking on so much responsibility with the women.”

Hazel smiled at her and gave a half-assed salute.

“Thanks mom.”

*****

Enid was standing at the edge of the Red Sea’s narrowest and shallowest point. She looked over it and back towards the carts. She was starting to realize would be a muddy mess. She looked to the sky she spoke again in the language of angels.

“How am I supposed to do this without the God stick and Moses? You going to get through that barrier and wave your hand around? Strong wind from the east what? What am I supposed to do here? A hint? Anything?”

The Israelites nearest to her gasped as a ball of light with circles within circles float about it. The started to fall and bow tears in their eyes. Enid quirked an eyebrow and spoke in the same language she would usually address angels.

“Fancy.”

“Sister, you must use your gifts.”

“Uh, I’m a mortal, I have no gifts. Besides my cute nose, curly red locks and my cutting wit.”

“The staff will help you focus.”

“What staff? I know there was supposed to be a staff, it turned into a snake, turned back to a staff, but it seems to have turned into a snake and slithered off.”

The glowing ball was spinning quicker now.

“I can only tell you the words father spoke. He is as unknowable to me as he is to you.”

Enid reached out her hand.

“Staff?”

She shook her head.

“Go go God staff!”

“Do you see a staff?”

“You must believe the staff is yours.”

“What staff?”

“Your staff.”

Enid rolled her eyes and pictured the staff of light she’d retrieved from Sauroid Prime and was so amazed when she felt the tingle of energy as the staff formed in her hand, she dropped it. The staff vanished. She heard Hazel’s voice behind her.

“Mom, that looks wide enough if we don’t go now, the Egyptians will catch up halfway across.”

Looked back at her daughter.

“I’m working on it.”

She turned back to the angel whose name she did not know, rolled up her sleeves, reached out and closed her hand like she was taking hold of the staff and it appeared. She held it fast this time. It shone brightly.

“Reach out with your other hand, focus on the staff, and the energy within you and the waters to part, and a path for the carts will become clear.”

Enid could feel the energy at the edge of perception, the same wellspring usually only triggered by her anger, this time it was fueled by concern for her charges, and she willed it to go forward. Her eyes began to glow with a blinding blue light. Blue veins started to seep from her fingertips into her hand and arm. The waters that weren’t very deep parted and light lept from the staff forming a solid road of light ahead of them. Hazel was stunned for several moments as were the rest who witnessed it. Enid couldn’t say anything all her focus was on maintaining the path. She started to walk forward the water parted before her and the road of light glowed brightly. Hazel was shouting.

“Go! Hurry, don’t be afraid.”

Enid continued to press forward. She could feel the weight of the water against her telekinetic power this was a far more strenuous than the arrows from the Dark Side army and she was a vampire then. She didn’t have time to dwell on the damage she was doing to herself all she could do was move forward. She realized she could not hear Hazel’s voice any longer. She desperately wanted to find her but she couldn’t risk losing focus on her the task at hand. She could see the other shore. She could also feel blood dripping down her nose, and out of her eyes. She had experienced it before, but only as a vampire. Her medical knowledge was telling her she was causing her body serious damage. She reached the edge of the other shore and turned slowly keeping her hand extended out to keep the passage dry. Hazel was nowhere in sight. She saw the ball of light still nearby it had made the journey with her. Enid’s hands were starting to shake from the strain.

“Go find my daughter and you tell her to get her ass here immediately.”

The water shifted slightly as she spoke the road of light flickered when she spoke. She leaned forward trying to put more of herself into maintaining the pathway. To her it seemed like an eternity by the time the last of the Israelites made it up to the other shore. She was barely standing at this point. She knew she’d hit her limits. She kept looking for Hazel, holding out hope. When she was about to pass out through her blurred vision, she saw a flash of silver and felt herself swept off her feet. The staff vanished and the water came crashing down. Hazel stood over her mother who looked up at her daughter’s blood covered half wolf form and let her eyes close.

*****

Enid had the worst headache she could remember having she was laying on one of the carts. She had been woken up by screams in the distance and the sound of battle. She slid off the cart holding her head. She walked to the sound of the disturbance, using carts and oxen to hold herself up as she navigated the refugee camp. She stood at the edge of it, the night watch along with Hazel who was in her half-form were fighting off an army of drowned Egyptians. Hazel was a blur of claws, teeth and Lucius. But one wolf-born against so many was a losing battle, if Enid were a vampire they wouldn’t stand a chance, but as it was, she’d have to fight zombies like they did in the movies, with a gun. She pulled out one of her pistols that were already loaded with clips of blessed rounds. She focused on ones not near her daughter, or the Israelites. They were scattered along the store and in a disorganized mess. She emptied clip after clip. The supply of demon possessed waterlogged zombies seemed endless. More men joined the fold, while they could dismember them, they could not send them back whence they came without Lucius, or Enid’s blessed ammunition.

By the time the sun crested the Red Sea behind them, the demon horde had been defeated. Had they waited and came all at once there would have been nothing Enid or Hazel could do to stop the Israelites from being overwhelmed. As it was the demons weren’t team players and swam up individually. They had lost fifteen men, to the zombie horde’s five hundred. Hazel was walking around using Lucius to destroy the demons. Enid had passed out blessed knives to a few men and they were doing sending theirs back to hell. She was leaning in the shadow of one of the carts, so weak she could barely move and watched them complete their grim task.

*****

The Israelites spent several days by the Red Sea mourning their dead. They also used the time at Hazel’s direction to fish and preserve it by smoking it. A great feast in honor of the men who sacrificed their lives was held. Temporary stone ovens provided bread, the bounty from the Red Sea was great. The Israelites believed it was the Lord, but Hazel had talked to the Red Sea’s spirit and asked it to aid them. Impressed with the Israelite’s ferocity when faced with the demons the spirit was more than happy to help. Enid had to take an extra full day to reset after her apparent miracle. In response the Israelites did the same. They had spent the night cleaning up the dead both Egyptian and Hebrew. Enid was sitting beside Hazel and Zipporah. Enid and Zipporah often spoke in Zipporah’s native language as they were doing this day.

“Sarah, you have seemed tired since the parting of the sea, are you alright?”

Enid nodded and looked the woman with skin the color of dark chocolate, in the time they had travelled she had come to appreciate the strength of the woman who had married Moses. She seemed happy to care for her husband, and she would talk to him as the days passed. Her faith he would wake never wavering as she cleaned up the latest mess. Enid wondered if any of her husbands had ever known such love from her or had she been so wrapped up in her own issues she kept them at a distance. She had cared for Rolf when he became so old, he wasn’t able, but not like Zipporah. The woman was a pillar to her family.

“I am getting better every day.”

“You spend so much time ensuring that your people are fed, have water, are safe, you do not take time for yourself. Perhaps another day of rest is in order.”

“Stomachs will always be empty, mouths will always be dry, and there will always be another theat.”

Hazel looked at her now empty plate and excused herself and left the table, Enid assumed to get more food. The girl was a bottomless pit.

“You carry so much weight Sarah. Your daughter tries to help but you turn her away often. Why?”

“Because she is my child and I want her mind free of burdens.”

“It is the burdens that make your child grow, she is old enough to wed, have a family, she is eager to learn the ways of women. Yet you do not teach her.”

“I do not know how. She is better learning from you, I can teach her how to fight, but I’m a terrible wife, a terrible mother and I suck at life. I thought I was getting somewhere. Then one thing happens, and I spiral out of control. I am an adult two thousand times over, yet I still do stupid things because I act without thinking.”

Zipporah looked at Enid in the quiet way she had and nodded.

“You are carrying too much of the past. When I would get sad about something that happened long ago, or upset, my father would say to me: Zipporah, would you carry a rock that held no value? I would say, no father, and he would say, then why do you carry those feelings that have no value. And I would think, why do I still worry about the time I dropped the buckets of water in front of the gossips of the village? I learned how to balance the stick better, why am I embarrassed about learning? My father Jethro is a very wise man, when he is not complaining about the texture of his bread.”

Enid couldn’t help but smile at the woman’s words, she was reminded of a friend, a nurse who had been born in Kenya that she worked with in Scotland. The memory of their long conversations melted her hardened heart slightly.

“I have a question for you Zipporah.”

“I will deny nothing to the woman who saved my husband’s life.”

“So, I kind of know how things are supposed to go here, and the Lord told me that you would return to your father with your sons. But you’re still here.”

“I was supposed to leave just after Passover, but with my husband being as he was, I could not bring myself to honor his wishes, he was in need. The Lord warned that Pharoah would be greatly angered, and our children were not safe.”

“Oh, I see, I thought it had to do with circumcision.”

Enid winced slightly when she saw the look on Zipporah’s face.

“I will never agree with mutilating young boys. It a barbaric practice. He is still trying to make it up to me.”

“Oh, I see.”

“What is your opinion on it?”

“That is a difficult question or me to answer.”

“Why? It is right or it is wrong?”

“My view of it is, less right or wrong and more, wrong reasons, right reasons.”

“And why is this?”

“The same reason I know how to tend to Moses as I do. I spent a very long time learning how to tend to sick people. I spent even longer helping very sick children get better.”

“So it is not the Lord’s miracle that healed him and keeps him sustained?”

“If I am being honest, no, it is not the Lord’s miracle, it is me spending nine years studying and twenty years looking after sick kids.”

“What is your secret?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You look younger than you are. I was wondering if I might know your secret so I can share in the bounty of youth.”

“I do not know. I eat, I sleep, I wake up, I go through all the same things as you do, but my body stays the same save for when I carry a child and nurse them. Then it goes back to the way it was.”

“Is it the Lord?”

“You see me as this red-haired teenager, but if I were my true self, I would be… I believe your people call us the pale ones.”

“I do not understand.”

“Have you seen them at night, their skin the color of death, the pigment washed out?”

“I have heard stories, but they are monsters, like the ones that came out of the river.”

“Not exactly, but close enough.”

“I see nothing of those monsters in you. They feed on innocence and drink blood. Leaving only death in their wake.”

“Yet if I were in my true form your statement proves…oddly correct.”

“I do not see it. You care deeply for your daughter; You help your people.”

“Not my people, I do this because it needs to be done.”

“You work tirelessly to help them, and you are not one of them. Not many would do that.”

“You do the same.”

“Because my husband and children are part of these people.”

“I wish your husband would wake up. This is not my…this should not be me.”

“They say the Lord works in mysterious ways.”

“That’s only because they don’t know him like I do. It’s mostly he says he’s a loving and kind god then beats you down until you do what he asks, then he demands more of you, while kicking you in the ribs while you’re on the ground. Parting the waters, would have been nothing for me as I truly am but, in this body, it nearly killed me. Why would he force me to nearly kill myself instead of me just using my natural from?”

“Perhaps there are lessons you must learn, often with Moses his lessons make no sense until he have learned them.”

“I have some very offensive words to say to that.”

“You do have a way with words, even in my people’s language. Most outsiders never learn them. I wish I could help you with this burden of sorrow you carry.”

“It is a burden of my own making. My friend.”

Enid ate another piece of the freshy fried fish and looked at the celebration. They would clean up tomorrow, rest the next day and prepare to travel again. She was happy the Israelites were able to breathe in the taste of freedom. She’d been pushing them hard for days. She looked around at the smiling faces and pondered all the movies she’d seen that made this out to be this solemn death march through the desert. She was glad they were wrong. She didn’t much like slavery.