The Master may have originally balked when forced to kneel in front of Sobek. The very idea might have gone against nearly every fiber of his being. But he wasn't stupid; he'd seen what had happened to the insectoid.

And he'd done much, much worse in the name of survival.

Still, he wasn't about to prostrate himself slavishly like a kicked dog. Not like these others. The Master met Sobek's eyes, striding forward and shoving his way through the rows of followers until he'd just passed the first, nearly toe to toe with the false god.

Only then did he kneel, his head bowed deferentially. Sobek would learn that the Master was worth more than a thousand slaves. Perhaps all of them.