Traveling through the deserted streets of an ancient Egyptian city, Quintus Naevius Cordus Sutorius Macro, once the Praetorian Prefect of Caligula and now the new Roman Prefect of Egypt, gazed with detached interest at the huge statues of gods which once guarded the fortunes of a thriving civilization.
    Egypt, an empire of the sun where the sun god Ra, the father of gods and men, played an all important role. Searing the dead yet seemingly eternal city, the sun blazed forth with the same undiminished power that the first settlers of the Nile Valley felt on their up-turned faces. The sun heated and blistered the stone monuments, gradually returning them to the sand from which they came. Monuments which the Egyptians had built to commemorate the powers that controlled their ephemeral lives now stood watch on a city completely deserted except for the unspeaking animal-headed gods of stone and a lone traveler at the edge of his empire.
    Wandering through the ruins on his camel, he was amused by the bold expressions on the stone faces of these gods that were no longer worshiped. What a difference from the immaculate temple of Neptune in Ostia where he had offered a sacrifice in order to assure a safe voyage across the sea. Priestesses in long white robes had tended the fountains and gardens of the Ocean God's temple with great care while visitors from all over the empire had come to pay their respects to the Earthshaker. And the temple of Aquilo, the god of the north wind who's indulgence he had beseeched in order to give him a favorable wind for his crossing of the great sea, was carefully tended despite being a minor god.
    Macro was particularly amused by the malign expression on the face of the jackal. Prodding the camel on for a closer look, the Roman chuckled to himself at the arrogant pose of the dead god. It was holding a sword in it's outstretched hand as if commanding an invisible legion of worshipers - worshipers who's dust was now mingled with the sand. The Roman prodded the camel onward. Looking down for one last peek at the statue, the Roman smirked at the evil grin of the jackal god. As the aptly called ship of the desert lurched in it's awkward attempt to turn, the leather water bag swung to the side and was impaled by the jackal's sword. The Roman jumped from the camel and grabbed the bag - too late! All of the water was seeping into the sand at the smiling jackal's feet. He watched in horror as the life preserving liquid evaporated in the intense heat of the sun. In stunned silence he remained upon his knees in front of the smiling jackal. By the time he had recovered his senses, he was alarmed to find that the camel had wandered off.
    The Roman began to follow the impressions in the sand that were left by the camel's hooves. Twisting and turning through the streets of the ancient city, the hoof prints soon merged with others to form a serpentine circle from which there was no escape. As the Roman looked to the blazing orb in the sky, dark despair strangled his heart. Staggering toward a statue for relief in it's shade, the distraught Roman recognized the leering countenance of the jackal. Sitting in the parched sand where his water mingled with the dust of a people long extinct, he made a vain plea to his conquering gods for help. But Aquilo's cold breath couldn't penetrate the torrid domain of Ra and, even if Neptune himself were to try to hurl his mighty waves this far inland, they would evaporate under the blazing sun long before they could reach him.
    And yet waves appeared before his dying eyes - waves of heat rising heavenward toward the golden orb that had summoned them into existence with it's powerful rays. Wave followed upon wave, creating a mirage of startling clarity in the Roman's mind. Cool ocean waves seemed to beckon to him to emerge from the shadow and feel their soothing moisture. With his last reserve of energy, he crawled out into the domain of Ra and lay face down in the desert sand to prostrate himself before the power of the sun god.
    Macro was dead.
    The jackal smiled.