Sit?" Khaldun said, gesturing to a chair across the table from him.

"No, thank you." She growled, the winced when a man placed a knife to her back and forced her to sit across from him. "Don't mind if I do."

"I do hope your comfortable with the surroundings."

"Whatever."

Khaldun sighed and glared at her, but Cassandra wasn't looking at him, instead she was looking at an unusual map that lies in front her, it appeared to be very old but very well made. Curiosity makes her look more thoroughly at the worn map, Egypt is written very carefully across the top in hieroglyphics, the writing is slightly blurred and faded with time.

"Do you like it?"

"Where did you get it?" Cassandra said with awe in her voice.

"Museum."

"It's…. amazing."

"The wife of Pharaoh Set's High priest made that map."

"The Virgin Wife." She said softly.

He didn't reply for a very long time. "I wonder…"

"What?" she said still peering at the map.

"Are you still pure?"

Cassandra's head shot up and she looked at him with a frown. "Pure? Still?"

"Yes. Although I assume you know nothing of your past life."

"Past life? There's no such thing."

"Of course there is."

"You're crazy."

Khaldun laughed. "Many have said so." He stared at her again.

"Come here." He beckoned.

"No." she said with authority.

"Now." His smile slowly faded.

"No."

"You will obey me." His face became serious.

"Never."

Suddenly he stood, the chair that he had been sitting in flew back and crashed into another table, his slammed his fists down on the table and stared at her.

"You will learn to obey orders when they are given."

Cassandra said nothing, but continued to sit in her seat, looking serenely at him.

"Come. Here. Now."

"No."

Khaldun took a deep breathe then slowly walked around the table, Cassandra assumed his intention and shot up from her seat, slowly backing away from him, he took another step forward, intending to cut her off. The chase ended quickly when Cassandra tripped on the soft pallet and fell onto her back, Khaldun leapt on her, pinning her easily to the ground.

"You will submit."

Cassandra struggled with the hands that pinned her wrists down and the large heavily muscled body that lie on top of her, Khaldun laughed and leaned forward.

"No!" she yelled and twisted her head to the side.

His hand touched her cheek and took her chin into his palm, with more force than necessary he stilled her twisting and forced her to look at him, his eyes were almost black with rage. Khaldun smiled and leaned forward once more, capturing her lips with his own, Cassandra screamed in her throat, using all her strength to push him off. His tongue traced her lips and she almost gagged.

"Let go!" she screamed when he came away.

His lips descended and took hers in a far more bruising kiss, forcing her lips open and thrusting his tongue into her mouth, Cassandra reacted and bit into his tongue, relishing in his scream of pain before he yanked himself up and away.

"You bitch!" he said and raised his hand.

A resounding crack filled the room as his hand connected with her cheek, pain exploded and lights flashed before her eyes, she barely felt when his fist connected a second time.

"No." she moaned as he pulled up with hem of her nightgown.

"Sir!" a man yelled from the tent entrance.

"Not now!" Khaldun said, jerking her gown further up.

Fear boiled in her veins.

"Sir! You told me to tell when they were finished."

Khaldun's questing hands stopped and mid calf and dropped away.

"Another time, my sweet."

"No." she moaned again.

"Soon, Hatshepsut, very soon."

"What did you call me?"

His weight came off of her and Cassandra shot up from the pallet, she looked at him with a mixture of confusion and fear, Khaldun smiled and disappeared behind the flap of the tent. Immediately after he left Cassandra jerked the edge of her gown down over her legs, hiding the carefully concealed blade strapped to her thigh with a thin piece of leather. Time was now of the essence, she had until the sun went down to escape, from there the night would cloak her so that she may return to her apartment, with plans forming in her head she waited.

Ardeth, Sundown

Ardeth signaled his men to go down, they would have to cloak themselves with the night if they wanted to attack with the element of surprise, over the hill he could see figures patrolling the area with guns strapped to their waist or on their shoulders. Fortunately those weapons weighted them down making them easier to attack, he waited until the sun slinked over the horizon before joining the men, there was no time for mistakes. Slowly on a horse he had borrowed, he made his way to the bottom of the hill, staying close to shadows in order to stay hidden. At last he made the signal to attack.

Cassandra

Something was going on outside, she could hear the roar of guns firing rapidly not far from where she stood in the tent, now was the perfect time to escape while something was going on outside, with deft moves she yanked up the hem of her skirt and pulled the knife from the thin leather strap. She made quick slashing movements with the knife and cut through the thick canvas making a strangely rectangular doorway in which she could attack.

"Quickly! She's escaping!" Came a voice from behind her.

She didn't waste any time looking back but dashed through the opening, she hit the ground hard and fell sideways on her ankle, pain spike through her leg as she tried to stand once more and ran towards the horizon away from camp. Voices yelled all around her, screams penetrated the air, the roar of machine guns and horses filled the air, smoked curled in the air as tents burst into flames, Cassandra limped away from the tent as fast as she could, ignoring the cries of surprise and pain around her. Suddenly she was airborne, a large arm was wrapped tight around her torso and yanking her onto what felt like a horse, her body was pulled sideways onto the horse against a man's chest.

"Let go of me!" she screamed and fought with the arm that held her tight.

The man said nothing but rode to the outskirts of the battle, they didn't get far before Cassandra elbowed the man in gut, the man's arms loosened around her waist and she fell from the horse onto the hard ground. The horse shied and came up on it's rear legs, Cassandra rolled and found herself beneath the horse's hooves, one of the hooves hit her in the chest, forcing the air out of her lungs, the other hit her high on the leg. She couldn't move the pain was so great, it felt as though her body had been ripped in two, someone scooped her up and held her against their chest, she looked up and found two familiar brown eyes looking down at her.

"Ardeth?" she said softly.

A loud roar suddenly filled the air, Cassandra turned her head to find Khaldun standing at the entrance to the tomb, the man stared at her with an intensity that made Cassandra want to get farther away.

"Hatshepsut!" he yelled, pointing at her. "Get them!" he said in Egyptian.

"Imhotep." Ardeth whispered.

"No, his name is Khaldun."

Ardeth looked down at her and frowned then turned, pulling himself and her onto the horse.

"Fall in!" Ardeth yelled.

TBC

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