“Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh.”-Egyptian Curse of the Pharaohs.
1184 BCE.
Raised in a world of privilege and nobility, eighteen-year-old Akl can no longer stand by as poverty and disease ravage the people of Set Ma’at. This village, on the Nile’s West Bank, is home to tomb workers and their families, struggling to survive. Meanwhile, across the river in Thebes, the capital of Upper Egypt, wealth and prosperity abound.
Witnessing the horrific death of a childhood friend from the yellow-skinned disease, Akl is spurred to action, resolute in rectifying the negligence of Pharaoh Ramses III and his unsympathetic court. Risking both family shame and brutal impalement, Akl forms a band of thieves secretly raiding the most lucrative locations in Egypt: the royal tombs.
Pillaging, beyond the jackal-headed protection of Anubis, Akl’s thieves seize only what is necessary to feed and provide for the families of the very men who dig the burial chambers. But when a prominent cherished jewel surfaces from the underground market, Pharaoh Ramses strikes back with defenses of his own to halt the forbidden crimes.
Despite utmost caution, Akl’s identity is revealed, forcing the thief to seek salvation from a cunning, mysterious, and formidable adversary.
But will this aid bring perils of its own?
