"Are you comfortable?" Aayan asked as A-in finished putting on the clothes he had been given. Fabian had dressed long before and was now loading sacks of rice onto the wooden cart.
"Yes…" A-in replied quietly.
The garments were simple, a clean white linen cloth and a shendyt such as most laborers wore, but far better than the ragged rags he had lived in. Freed of dust and grime, his skin once more resembled that of a human being, less wretched, more presentable. Only his hair remained a problem.
"Boy, shall we cut your hair? I will fetch my axe." Aayan said, taking a step toward the hut.
"No!" A-in protested at once. "I prefer it this way. Thank you."
"It looks dreadful, wet, tangled, and miserable. Do you feel no itch? At least let me comb it." Before A-in could voice another objection, the old man brought forth a wooden comb, sat him upon a reed chair, and set about dragging the comb through A-in's hair.
On the very first stroke, the comb snapped in two.
"…I shall fetch my axe." Aayan murmured.
The streets were as busy as on any other day. A-in, Fabian, and the two other men joined the flow of travelers, each pushing a cart laden with sacks of rice. Around them, others also dragged carts and goods along the dusty road.
"How long until we reach Heliopolis?" A-in asked.
"It is not far," answered one of the men. "Two nights' journey if we press on without rest."
A-in had yet to ask their names, nor did he intend to. This was but a temporary companionship.
He nodded. Such a distance was nothing to him, he had walked far greater lengths. Besides, he had no right to complain, he had accepted this labor willingly.
"The sun is preparing to rest." Fabian announced. "We shall rest as well. Let us take our supper before we continue."
No one objected, their stomachs had long since begun to groan.
The old man had given them water and bread enough to sustain them on their journey and until their return. At first A-in refused the bread Aayan offered, distrust prickling at him, but Fabian shoved the loaf into his hands, and the old man had grown anxious that the food might go to waste made him feel guilty. Reluctantly, he accepted it.
After their brief rest, they resumed their journey. The sun sank into its slumber, the stars gathered above them. Shops closed their doors, and the great noise of day softened into the quiet of night transforming the once-bustling road into a peaceful passage.
The four men walked without sleep, pushing their carts through the night. It was dangerous to rest when carrying goods,thieves waited for the careless and the overconfident. That was how many of the homeless survived, by preying upon those more fortunate. Infuriating, A-in thought, that such people went unpunished, while he, innocent as he was, had once been seized.
Ma'at ought to teach her people better, he muttered inwardly.
By her people, he meant those who upheld the law.
As they continued, he noticed that the surroundings grew livelier once more. Voices rose, carts rattled, and the road widened beneath their feet. Structures appeared in the distance, larger, more impressive than those they had passed before.
"It grows noisy." A-in remarked.
"This is the boundary between Cairo and Heliopolis." Fabian said. "We are drawing close to the shop."
Aayan had instructed them to deliver the rice to his sister, who owned a shop near the river, a house larger than his own and built of stone. Fabian had been there many times, making the task simpler.
As they entered Heliopolis, A-in's eyes were drawn at once to a massive structure at the city's heart. It made no attempt to hide itself, towering above all else, gilded with gold that blazed beneath the sunlight. Great pots of plants and ornate decorations adorned its exterior, lending it a majestic, almost divine splendor.
"That is a magnificent structure." A-in breathed. "What is it? A court?"
"It is neither court nor palace." Fabian corrected. "It is the Temple of Ra."
"Ra...the god? Is that his dwelling?" A-in asked in astonishment, pointing toward it.
Fabian slapped his hand down at once. "Do not point!" he hissed. "How dare you gesture toward a god's house? Such insolence is shameful!"
"How is it disrespectful? It is not as if he has taken offense." A-in muttered. "But… does he truly dwell there? Physically or spiritually?"
"What a foolish question! Of course he dwells there physically." Fabian glared at him. "Have you never been here before?"
"Never. Yet even so… how could a god live physically in a temple crafted by human hands? That must surely be a lie." A-in murmured under his breath.
Fabian shot him a warning look. "A-in, guard that tongue of yours. Words like that can earn you more trouble than you can imagine."