Chapter 6.
After another day of traveling to Egypt the group had finally arrived and Ardeth left to meet with his Medjai, the other four adults got a rental car and managing to fit everyone and their belongings in, Rick made a beeline towards his 'magic carpet'. When they arrived they all climbed out the car and looked before them. "Is this your magic carpet?" Rebekah asked.
"You're judging a book by its cover Rebekah." Rick commented with a smirk.
"No…have to agree with Rebekah, this is really it?" Evy questioned further.
"It'll be fine. He's a professional" Rick answered back and began towards the doors. One of the doors opened to reveal a lanky thin man dressed stereotypically in flight uniform who froze when he saw Rick. "Izzy!" Rick exclaimed. The man named Izzy let out a shriek of fright and quickly walked back behind the door, quickly shutting and locking it. "Hey!" Rick yelled.
"He defiantly remembers you." Evy commented, Rebekah snorting beside her but trying to cover it as a cough.
"He's just shy." Rick commented while sending a playful glare to Rebekah then turned his head to Jonathon, "Get the bags."
"Oh I can't my hands are full." Jonathon whined, waving about a gold stick. Rick yanked the stick out of Jonathon's hands, who began to stutter and walk back to get the bags.
"I'll deal with the flight details." Rick murmured and took out his gun.
"You're not very subtle though." Rebekah commented with a smirk.
"There's no time for subtle." Rick replied with an innocent shrug and turned back to the door lock, firing at it and kicking the doors open to reveal ruins of buildings on sand, crates and barrels thrown about the place with a few large marquee tents dotted around. "Izzy, c'mere." Rick ordered as the four walked towards the still retreating and nervous man.
"Whatever it is, whatever you need I don't care. Forget it. Every time I'm with you I get shot." Izzy exclaimed once the four adults reached Izzy under one of the tents, watching as he was grabbing random parchments, one of them being under a sleeping man's face which he simply lifted and dropped once getting the paper, the slapping of skin on table making Rebekah wince. "Last time I got shot it was in my arse. I'm still in mourning for my arse!" Izzy continued. "Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?"
"Bank job?" Rebekah asked with a playful grin. Rick made a gesture of 'it wasn't that bad' and 'nothing happened' as Izzy replies.
"I'm flying high, hiding in the sun. White boy here tells me to fly low to pick him up so I fly low. Next thing I get shot! I'm lying in the middle of the road with my spline hanging and he waltzes up with some belly dancer girl."
Rick was now making panicked gestures to silence Izzy as Evy then repeated, "Belly dancer girl." Rick turned to give her an innocent smile as Rebekah chucked at him, Evy continuing, "Izzy I think you and I need a chat."
"As long as I don't get shot in the arse again."
Rick was done with the convocation. "Quit your whining, you're gonna get paid this time." He chucked a roll of money at Izzy who caught it, gave a confused look to Rick and simply dropped the money in the sand. Rick let out a growl of annoyance and after picking up the money stepped closer to Izzy waving Jonathon's golden stick in front of his face. "My little boy is out there and I'm gonna do whatever I can to get him back. You hear me?"
Izzy's eyes remained glued on the golden stick and after Rick waving it around a few more times, making Izzy let out a whimper he answered, "O'Connell you can shave my legs, wax my head and use me as a surfboard."
Rebekah guessed Izzy was on board and turned out to a panting Jonathon holding all the bags. "Let me help." She whispered to him, taking three cases off him.
Jonathon let out a sigh of relief as a good amount of weight was off him, "You're sweeter than my sister sometimes." Rebekah chuckled at his comment and the pair followed the trio down a path were they stood opposite Ardeth and some medjai.
Ardeth got down from his horse and walked towards the group, stopping next to Rebekah. "This are the twelve commanders from each tribe in the Medjai. Horus." Ardeth explained then called out, his arm out as a Peregrine Falcon flew from one of the Medjai arms to his.
"Ah pet bird." Jonathon chuckled.
"My wisest and cleverest friend." Ardeth replied as Rebekah leaned forward slightly too gently drop the cases and straightening herself, raised one of her hands and gently stroked Horus, who seemed to like her touch. Ardeth turned from Jonathon to her with a smile as she looked back to him with a smile of her own. Ardeth turned back to the group as he continued speaking, "He will let the commanders know of our progress so they may follow."
Ardeth turned to the commanders and saluted to them, which they returned and took off on horseback but one. The group started to walk away when the lone commander called out "Ramla." Rebekah froze as did Ardeth, who both turned and when the commander motioned to Rebekah to approach him, she obeyed.
Opening his satchel attached to his saddle, the commander took out a small to medium sized wooden box and handed it to Rebekah. Gently grasped in her hands, the commander silently bowed to her and took off, following the other commanders. Rebekah turned and walked back to Ardeth who stood waiting, "Who was he?" Rebekah asked.
"My father, he was the leader of all twelve Medjai tribe but as he got older and I did the same, he passed the leadership to me and became the commander of our tribe. In a way, I over rule him, but I respect him and his opinions highly." Rebekah nodded at his answer and not questioning the wooden box or their relationship at this time since the boat, the pair caught up with the rest of their friends, seeing them climb onto a dirigible. "Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?" Ardeth asked.
Rebekah simply chuckled at his commented and after both climbed on, Rick cut the roping holding them down, taking off into the sky.