Dust Clouds of the South Part 2

The procession of refugees plodded northwards. Consisting of men, women and children, the refugees had brought no possessions other than whatever that could be loaded onto the few draught animals they had in the village. Thanks to Basti’s early warning, the villagers had narrowly escaped slavery from the Evoker’s army, having made their way to the safety of the hills just before the rebels’ vanguard reached their village. Disheartened and traumatised by their ordeal, the refugees’ only hope lies in the city of Thebes, fifty miles to the north. There they hope to find food, shelter and perhaps protection from the army of the Aegyptus province. Hope is what they drives them forward, for behind them was death and despair.
The last thing that Basti saw as he looked back was the sight of his burning village.

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News of the Evoker’s army only came in as the first refugees reached the city of Thebes. Riders that were subsequently dispatched soon reported that the southern border forts were already taken, an unsurprising fact since most of these were abandoned in the decades of peace. Governor Ahmose immediately sent letters to the neighbouring cities requesting for reinforcements. It would take months for any messengers to reach the capital and seek the assistance of the Imperial army, for now the province of Aegyptus will have to fend for itself.