Assassin's Creed: Origins – Desert Oath

Patience, brothers. Soon we will reveal the secrets of this painting. This article has been identified as being out of date. Please update the article to reflect recent releases and then remove this template once done.

Assassin's Creed: Origins – Desert Oath is a novel written by Oliver Bowden, which was released on 10 October 2017. It is a prequel to Assassin's Creed: Origins, set in 70BC.

Blurb

Before Assassin's Creed: Origins, there was an Oath.

Egypt, 70BC, a merciless killer stalks the land. His mission: to find and destroy the last members of an ancient order, the Medjay—to eradicate the bloodline.

In peaceful Siwa, the town's protector abruptly departs, leaving his teenage son, Bayek, with questions about his own future and a sense of purpose he knows he must fulfill. Bayek sets off in search of answers, his journey taking him along the Nile and through an Egypt in turmoil, facing the dangers and the mysteries of the Medjay's path.

Plot Summary

Part 1

1- Emsaf stops at an abandoned huntsman’s shelter in the Western Desert with the clear intention of killing someone. As he waits, his thoughts return to the painful moment he left his wife Merti and young son Ebe behind in Hebenou, after receiving a troubling letter that compelled him to depart urgently. He undertook a long, cautious journey, traveling mostly by night to avoid the desert heat. During the journey, Emsaf realized he was being expertly followed by an unknown pursuer who matched his movements precisely. Attempts to outpace or confuse the tracker failed, forcing Emsaf to abandon his original mission and focus instead on dealing with the threat. He deliberately crossed into the Western Desert and chose the shelter as a place to ambush his stalker. When the pursuer finally appeared—a lone rider emerging from the heat haze—Emsaf used the sun and terrain to his advantage, calmly took aim, and killed the follower with a single arrow.

2- Two weeks earlier, after careful preparation, Bion travels to a remote farmstead at Hebenou to kill his target, Emsaf. Finding Emsaf absent, Bion instead encounters Emsaf’s wife and son. When confronted, both mother and child resist fiercely, revealing unexpected combat skill. In the ensuing struggle, Bion kills them both—an outcome that frustrates him because he intended to interrogate them for information. Aware that time is now against him, Bion pursues Emsaf, who has fled toward Ipou and attempts to evade pursuit through skilled tracking and counter-tracking. Anticipating a trap near a huntsman’s shelter, Bion outmaneuvers Emsaf by murdering an innocent traveler and using the corpse as bait. The ruse succeeds: Emsaf reveals himself and is swiftly incapacitated. Bion questions him about the whereabouts of others “of his kind,” but Emsaf’s silence confirms Bion’s suspicion that no information will be gained. He kills Emsaf without mercy. The chapter closes with Bion calmly reflecting on death as part of an endless cycle. He recovers a medallion from Emsaf’s belongings, then prepares to clean his weapons, rest, and report in for his next assignment.

3- The chapter follows Bayek, a young man living in the oasis town of Siwa, as he spends a peaceful afternoon with Aya, reflecting on destiny, duty, and the wider world—especially Alexandria, which Aya longs to see again. Bayek feels rooted in Siwa, believing his fate is tied to protecting the Temple of Amun and following in his father’s footsteps as the town’s protector. Their conversation weaves together personal longing, love, and history, including the legend of Alexander the Great’s visit to Siwa and the power of its Oracle. The calm is shattered when news arrives that Bayek’s father, Sabu, is about to leave Siwa after receiving a mysterious message from Zawty. The sudden urgency unsettles the entire village and deeply affects Bayek, who senses that his life is on the verge of irreversible change. As the townspeople gather and whispers spread, Bayek confronts uncertainty and fear about what this departure means for his future. Though shaken, Bayek is encouraged by Aya, who offers quiet strength and emotional support, urging him to face what is coming rather than avoid it. The chapter ends with Bayek reluctantly moving toward his home, aware that the moment he has long assumed would define his destiny has finally arrived.

4- Bayek awakens feeling heavy with sadness and gradually recalls the events of the previous day, when his father abruptly left their home and the town of Siwa. Despite the objections of Bayek’s mother, Rabiah, and the assembled townsfolk—who remind him of his oath and question who will protect the town—Sabu insists on leaving at once. He departs calmly but firmly, suggesting his absence may even reduce the town’s need for protection. Bayek vividly remembers watching him ride away, struggling then and now to understand their own emotions. The next morning, Bayek finds his mother sitting quietly in the courtyard, outwardly composed but clearly weary. She reassures Bayek that Sabu will return, though she admits she does not know why he left and sensed worry in his eyes. When Bayek suggests his departure may be connected to Menna, his mother reacts with hardened memory but ultimately avoids giving answers, instead suggesting Bayek speak with Rabiah for more insight.

5- Fabled graverobber Menna is known to Bayek as a terror his father defeated.

6- Bayek recalls the night his father and mother saved their family from Menna's assassination attempt. He also recounts why his training is lacking, and Rabiah agrees to train him.

7- Bayek leaves to advance his training, saying goodbye to his mother Ahmose but not bearing to say goodbye to Aya.

8- He journeys across the desert, practicing his survival skills and making a bow.

9- Bayek travels along the mighty Nile to Zawty, admiring the wildlife along the river and nearly losing himself in the twists and turns of the town.

10- He sits down to eat with a boy, Tuta, who has become his shadow. Bayek hires the boy to help him find a blue-eyed stranger.

11- Sabu meets with Sabestet, son of the Elder Hemon, and is told to check on Emsaf in Ipou. Hemon suspects the enemy is acting as Emsaf.

12- Tuta leads Bayek to Blue Eyes and arranges a meet. However he betrays them both into a trap.

13- Bayek survives an ambush by Tuta and his father, but Blue Eyes does not. Before he dies, he tells Bayek the same message he had given Sabu.

14- Bayek tracks Tuta and his father to their home where the father is recovering from his wounds.

15- He recovers the money that night and encourages Tuta to leave with him, but the father wakes and attacks, only to be stopped by Aya.

16- Aya, Bayek, and Tuta escape the house to the desert. As they build a fire for a dinner of fish, Bayek and Aya make up after Bayek's wordless disappearance. They discuss Rabiah and Sabu's plans, and Tuta vows to lead them through Thebes, their next destination.

17-Sabu meets with Sabustet and Hemmon. They agree a new army is needed to combat the Order, and Bayek is chosen to be among them.

18- Ex-soldier Raia and ancient scholar Theotimos meet at Alexandria to discuss the Medjay.

19- Raia hires Bion a legendary killer to eliminate Medjay for the Order.

20- Bion remembers a time when Raia saved his life while they were both guarding a princeling. He will do the job for Raia to repay the debt.

21- Aya and Bayek wait outside crumbling Thebes waiting for Tuta to return from his sister and with food. Despite Aya's concerns, he arrives on the fourth day.

22- Bion delivers Emsaf's Medjay medallion to Raia and sets his eyes on Raia's translator as a Medjay informant.

23- Bion interrogates and kills the informant and his wife, burning the bodies before heading to his next target.

24- Aya and Bayek are introduced to Tuta's mother Imi and sister Kiya who direct them to the priestess for the next leg of their journey.

25- Priestess Nitokris hints that Bayek may have more to protect than Siwa. Aha and Bayek enjoy their time with Tuta's family until he finds Khensa.

26- Tuta leads them to where Khensa and her tribe reside: an empty tomb in Thebes' necropolis.

27- Khensa leads Bayek to her devastated and dwindling tribe. She also informs Bayek that his father is a Medjay and he's been sheltered from reality.

28- Khensa describes the Medjay as believers in honoring tradition while changing for the better, people who respect questioning without being self-seeking.

29- While Khensa hasn't seen Menna, her tribes losses are in the pursuit of Sabu's goal of ending Jenna's reign of terror.

30- The priestess also tells Bayek the Medjay serve Amun who rules by listening to the poor and embody Ma'at, the deity of justice. Khensa leads them to Menna's camp, where they discover her scout Neka is imprisoned and tortured.

31- Seti, one of Khensa's tribesmen, convinces her to take Bayek and Aya along for a rescue of Neka.

32- They rescue Neka, who despite his injuries insists this is the opportunity to end Menna.

Gallery

• 
  Temporary cover
• 
  Chinese cover
• 
  Czech cover
• 
  German cover
• 
  Bulgarian cover
• 
  Unused cover by Liu Yan