There were men and women among them, although the differences may not have been immediately apparent to a casual observer, as they all wore long hair and similar garments. The men, by and large, had slender but less shapely figures, a humbler mien, and less radiant faces than the women, who bore themselves proudly: especially their leader, who was fair-haired and positively statuesque. At a sign from her, four of them set to work removing the stone lid from the sarcophagus – not an easy task even for beings of supernatural strength.
“How long has it been?” the leader asked one of her attendants, as the work proceeded.
“Six months, my lady. The longest punishment you have ever ordered… in your wisdom,” she added, as a cautious afterthought.