Free Sarah: Women of Genesis: 1 (Women of Genesis (Forge)) by Orson Scott Card Page A

cautious. But in all likelihood, we look strong enough that we won’t be molested, and yet not so strong as to make Pharaoh fear us. It will go as the Lord wills, but I try to be prudent all the same.”
     
    They camped well back from the lake, so they would not be tortured by the biting flies that lived on the edges of the water, and so the stupider beasts would not drink from the salt marsh and die. The next day they moved south, skirting the marsh until at last they rejoined the road.
     
    They were spotted almost at once by two men who took off running.
     
    “We must be frightening after all,” said Sarai.
     
    “No,” said Abram. “They’re just doing their job. They watch until there’s something to see, then they run back to report on us.”
     
    “They’re naked,” said Sarai.
     
    “Didn’t I mention that?” said Abram. “Egyptians aren’t much for clothing. They use it more for ornamentation than modesty.”
     
    “But all the Egyptians I’ve known wore clothing.”
     
    “And so will the wealthy Egyptians you meet here,” said Abram, “though slaves and poor farmers are as likely to be naked as not. And even the wealthy—well, you’ll see. White linen is the rule here, finely woven. Very cool and comfortable, keeping off the sun while letting in the air. Almost as easy to see through as water.”
     
    “No.”
     
    “Pretend that it doesn’t bother you,” said Abram. “If you look away, they’ll tease you. If you stare, they’ll get angry.”
     
    “If they’re naked, how can they hope that no one will stare?”
     
    “Because no one does,” said Abram. “If no one looks at you, then you aren’t really naked, are you?”
     
    “A person with no clothes on is naked, whether anyone’s looking or not.”
     
    “That’s because you’re not an Egyptian.” Abram laughed again. “Sarai, it’s not as bad as you think. This is a civilized country, as long as you adapt to their customs. They’ll even tolerate our strange foreign ways—all this extra clothing we wear—as long as we don’t seem to be criticizing them.”
     
    Egypt was not sounding half so enticing to her now. Why hadn’t he mentioned this before? Perhaps he hadn’t realized it would bother her. Or perhaps he simply knew that they were going to Egypt no matter how she felt about it, and he simply refrained from warning her until the last possible moment, to spare her weeks of dread along the road.
     
    Well, that just proved that he didn’t understand her yet. Because she always preferred to know. She could have been preparing herself for weeks. Instead, this matter of clothing came as a shock.
     
    The sun was still a good three hands above the horizon when a group of soldiers came jogging along the road toward them.
     
    “Good,” said Abram. “Enough force to show respect, but not so many as to imply they fear us.” He gave commands to his men to move the animals away from the road, into the grassier land nearer the water, while he talked with the soldiers.
     
    The commander was a young nobleman named Kay—very young, but not all that noble, Sarai could see that at once. He was still unsure of his station, which made him a little belligerent as he spoke to them in a mixture of Egyptian and Amorite words. But he was not a fool. While Abram was busy reassuring and calming him, Sarai could see that Kay was taking inventory of Abram’s household, counting the men capable of fighting, and counting the women and children as well. Abram had made sure that they would be in plain sight. Now Sarai realized why. The Egyptians would be suspicious if there were not families enough for all the men of fighting age, for then this might be a party of raiders.
     
    And something else. Sarai wasn’t sure, but she thought that Kay had recognized Abram’s name. That concerned her. What report had come back to Egypt, after the attempt by Suwertu to have Abram killed? Surely those events in Ur-of-the-North all those