The Yoke

Morning in the unfinished city of Pa-Ramesu finds Israelite workers preparing for another day of labour under royal authority. Elizabeth Miller sets her historical romance amid the building sites, crowded tents and fertile fields of the Exodus story. Moses has visited the workers, preaching faith and promising freedom. The opening introduces Rachel and the older Deborah, whose care for the girl takes shape through a carefully cooked meal and a sheltered sleeping place.

Another scene follows Kenkenes, a sculptor who understands the mechanisms that secure royal tombs. Entering the burial valley by night, he advances through darkness with a lamp, anxious about his mission and sustained by thoughts of Rachel. Religious belief, personal attachment and the imposing surroundings give this passage its tension. Readers interested in biblical fiction will find an imagined ancient Egypt where monumental buildings stand beside the daily work and hopes of people living under bondage.