King Elk Forest the inundation

Hatshepsut laughs at herself. What a horrid thing, to be faced with death at both her back and before her! There was nothing in Karnak for her now, but there was nothing here, and with each passing day her strength grows thin and sapped. The insects and crawling things, along with the rare fish, are barely enough to sustain her -- the Regent slumbers often to conserve her energy, and fills her belly with the water that runs in all directions.

At the edge of a wood she finds she has no more strength for that hour, and lies herself down. Her ribcage and hipbones are sharp against her pelt; Hatshepsut curls beneath the overhang of a tree and finds her sleep, as dangerous as it may be.