"Oh my god, Ardeth!" Evie exclaimed, immediately ushering him inward. It had been quite some time since she had seen him last-almost a year, as a matter of fact.
"I am afraid I do not have much time," He stated upon which he immediately approached Rick, Evie in tow.
"What the hell's going on here?" The American demanded; he alone seemed to sense trouble upon the horizon.
"I cannot be entirely sure without further confirmation, however, I believe your lives to be in the utmost peril-the boy's too, where is he?" Rick did not at all appear shocked upon hearing the news-the thought had continually occurred to him that it was simply too much to ask for even a few months of refuge from the undead.
"You mean Alex?" Evie inquired, a horrified expression upon her face. "He's at the museum,"
"Perhaps you should collect him-your brother too,"
"What's going on?" Rick repeated, eyeing his friend.
"As I said before," The Medjai warrior reiterated. "I cannot be entirely sure until-"
"Just tell me," He demanded, grating his teeth. Protecting his family was of the utmost importance. Ardeth's expression immediately tightened.
"Very well, may I sit? Please, I advise you to do the same,"
"Of course!" The ex-librarian quipped, circling the nearby couch until each and every throw pillow was arranged just so. Ardeth uneasily sat followed by the wedded pair, each staring across from the other with extreme unease.
"Before I get on with it, as you say, it is necessary to tell you a tale, a tale of a forbidden portal sealed beneath the sands of the Valley of the Kings. It is said that such a portal was constructed long ago for a revered pharaoh of the times; Egypt's most renowned priests gathered unto one another to create a gateway with the ability to transport those who gained access to it through out time: past, present, and future,"
"Oh yeah, this is gettin' good," Rick stammered, gritting his teeth.
"I have not yet finished," Ardeth interceded, shifting upon couch. "This entryway, despite its function, was never put into use. The pharaoh, a wise and foreknowing king, feared the power imbued within the portal and sealed it away forevermore. It has remained dormant for centuries, until now," Each remained silent, dwelling on the probable outcome of such a happenstance.
"Do you not see?" The Medjai warrior exclaimed, alarm practically plastered upon his tattooed face. "Our enemy has managed to locate the portal and has already begun-"
"Who?!" Rick demanded, immediately reaching toward his gun.
"No, no," Ardeth reached toward his American friend, immediately declining his audacious action. "A long forgotten ally of the creature, I suspect,"
"How many of these guys have we killed in the past?!" Rick turned toward Evie, exploring the answer to his own inquiry within her apprehensive eyes.
"I fear our enemy has already progressed through out the time line, endangering our very lives in an attempt to eradicate everyone from history, thus allowing the creature to thrive,"
"Oh my god," Evie murmured; reality was beginning to set in.
"Our only option is to journey to the Valley of the Kings and travel through the portal in an attempt to prevent our enemy from rewriting was has already been written," By now Rick was on his feet, hastily packing his guns in an offhand suitcase.
"I'll get Alex," The ex-librarian declared as she immediately stood, heading toward the door.
"Make haste, Evelyn," Ardeth advised from the couch as she made a discreet exit; meanwhile Rick continued to pack his guns, taking particular care with an overly large rifle.
"Where is your brother-in-law? He may be in danger as well,"
"On a dig somewhere-can't be too sure when it comes to the smashing fellow in question," He responded, too distraught to look up. Ardeth muttered something similar to 'may the gods protect us' in ancient Egyptian.
"I hope, for his sake, that we reach him before it is too late," The Medjai warrior murmured as Rick shook his head, disagreeing.
"Yeah and I hope that we reach him before he gambles away the money I lent him last week-enemy or no I'll likely shoot him in the ass before that happens!"
"How much could he possibly...squander?" Ardeth inquired, struggling upon the infrequent use of the word 'squander' as Rick regarded him with a dead panned expression.
