Disclaimer: Any characters you recognize do not belong to the authors. Some of the ideas were inspired by Xanthia Morgan's wonderful fic, Brother of My Soul.
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A/N: This story is coauthored by Rina and Shade—we hope you enjoy it! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed—your reviews encourage us to edit faster! Feedback is greatly appreciated.
Chapter 9: Calm Before The Storm
Rick rushed in with a bucket of sand and, without ceremony, began to dump it over the books on the shelf. "So, find anything interesting in there yet, buddy?" he called over his shoulder.
"Not yet. It will take me several days to figure out what code they have this written in. It will, however, be a major help to my people in our duties," Ardeth told him, closing the book. He looked at Evy. "Do you have some spare cloth or a burlap sack I could use to carry it in? I don't want to completely ruin my robes."
Evy ran off to get a bag from the back room. Rick laughed at his comment on his robes. "It looks good on you that way though," he teased as he continued shoveling sand onto the books. After finishing, he dusted his hands off onto his clothes, leaving brown streaks all over his white shirt.
"I do not enjoy running around with my robes in this condition, O'Connell," Ardeth told him tartly, sighing as he realized that the bandage on his arm was now clearly visible.
"I'm surprised you can enjoy running around in them at all," Rick confessed. "They're so dark. Don't they absorb a lot of heat?" And they don't exactly blend in, he thought to himself. He had been wondering since he met Ardeth why his people wore such dark robes.
"They can get rather warm," Ardeth admitted, ruefully. "But there is a great deal of tradition in these robes."
Rick nodded. He knew that tradition probably meant a great deal to him and his people. "I'd offer to let you borrow some of mine, but I don't really have any to spare."
"I appreciate the thought. Now, Miss Carnahan, about that sack?" the boy asked, making certain his right hand was completely covered before shifting the entire weight of the book onto it. His stitches were burning with the strain of having to support the heavy tome.
She held out the sack she had retrieved. "Will this do?"
"Excellent. Thank you, Miss Carnahan." Ardeth awkwardly took the sack with his left hand, then tried to figure out how to get the book in it without letting its cover touch the outside of the sack.
Rick grabbed the sack and held it open for his friend. "So when should we tell Dr. Bey about this discovery?" Rick had just barely caught himself before he had said "your uncle." He wondered if the other man had left the museum yet.
"I don't know—I don't want to interrupt him if he's still in a meeting. I'm certain he'll come check on us later, so we'll just wait for him." Ardeth carefully lowered the book into the sack, dropping the sleeve of his robe in there also. "Is there somewhere hidden where we can put this, so that no one accidentally gets poisoned?"
Rick shrugged. The only place he could think of was the hideaway, but he discarded the idea as soon as it came to him. He turned and looked at Evelyn.
"We could hide it in a sarcophagus. I doubt the mummies will mind," she suggested. But Rick and Ardeth were both already shaking there heads adamantly. "Well, we could hide it in one of the urns in the back display room."
Considering that, Ardeth nodded. "Would you put it there, please, Miss Carnahan? It will look less suspicious, seeing as you work here."
"Less suspicious?" she asked, but seeing the looks on their faces, she did as she was told without any further questions, much to their relief.
"Any suggestions for what to do while we wait for my uncle to come find us?" Ardeth asked, after going to wash his own hands. He didn't want to chance the poison.
"I'm not sure. We can't go outside. We can't go into the office. I think we'd attract too much attention fighting a duel down here. And after all the work we put into straightening this place out this morning, I'm not about to start switching books around."
Laughing quietly, Ardeth nodded. "Now you understand why she got so upset when you switched the books?" he asked, absently pulling his injured arm closer to his chest and cradling it as it started throbbing.
"Okay, yeah, maybe," Rick said shaking his head with amusement. "Well we should probably stay away from the entrance just in case. So whatever we do, we would need to do in the back or upstairs."
"What sort of things are there in the back and upstairs? I didn't really have a chance to look around earlier," the boy commented wryly, thinking over his vague recollections from the night before.
"Well, the back room has a chariot and other various displays. The balcony has that slab that Evy's so fascinated with. Oh, and there's a room upstairs displaying all kinds of ancient Egyptian weapons."
"I would be most interested in the ancient weapons display. I'm certain there are some fascinating items there," Ardeth said eagerly.
"Alright." Rick led the way up the stairs, along the balcony and into the weapons room. Inside, the walls were covered with knives, sickles, kamas and other instruments of war. It was magnificent the way the lamplight reflected off of the ancient blades.
Utterly fascinated, the boy wandered into the room, trailing his fingers through the air just over the weapons. He paused often to read the display plaques and stopped for a while in front of one highly decorated scimitar. "This is a Med-jai blade. See the inscription?"
Rick looked at the symbols etched into the blade. They looked very similar to some of the tattoos Ardeth had. "It's beautiful." He noticed it was subtly prominent, more so than the other blades in the case. He chuckled, thinking Dr. Bey was probably the one responsible. Then he remembered something. "Hey, buddy, I was going to tell you something in the library that I didn't want everyone else in the room to hear."
"Oh, yes, you were." Ardeth turned away from the blade and looked expectantly at Rick, raising an eyebrow. "Well, my friend, what is it?"
"You're going to be an excellent leader to your people. The way you took charge in the library, and no one bothered to ask why they should listen to you. That was what I was grinning about."
Ardeth blinked at him for a moment, before remembering that yes, he had taken charge in the library. "I—thank you, my friend. I hope I will be able to live up to your confidence in me."
Rick nodded, walking over to the display of swords. "I wonder why they were so fascinated with these bugs," he thought aloud, picking up a dagger with a scarab engraved into the blade close to the hilt.
"The flesh-eating beetles? They are part of the worst curse and punishment used in ancient times," Ardeth told him, shivering slightly as he looked at the scarab.
Rick winced and looked at the dagger with disgust as he ever so carefully placed it back down in its spot. "Never mind, I'm not that curious."
"Yes, it's not a pleasant story." Ardeth turned away from that dagger and once again started wandering the room. "There is a great deal of my tribe's history here."
"It's a shame no one knows it. So you protect the world from evil, and in return, they try to beat you up on sight?"
"Having the world safe and ignorant of the evils is all that we ask," Ardeth told him gravely, gently resting a hand on the ornately decorated hilt of a scimitar.
"Having to save the world and then being harassed for it? That would drive me nuts!" Rick picked up a pair of sai and brandished them. "Hey, these are cool."
"I picture you more with guns than blades, my friend. Have you ever used any?" Ardeth asked, picking up a spear and testing the weight.
Rick shook his head. "I wish. They generally don't hand those off to guys my age, and I've never had enough money to buy one. But someday..." he mused.
"If I ever receive permission to allow you to visit my tribe, I will teach you how to use one," Ardeth offered, carefully putting the spear away and turning to look at some weapons near the entrance, only to nearly run into a man.
Rick turned to see Ardeth face-to-face with the red guard leader. The man picked the prince up off the ground and held him at eye level. "You should have killed me when you had the chance, boy!"
Without even thinking about it, Rick picked up a curved dagger and threw it at the leader's leg, carving a deep gash across his thigh. Picking up another, he raced over to help Ardeth.
Ardeth fought to get free of the demented man but was no match for an adult's strength, especially not with an injured arm. The leader, apparently not even feeling the gash from the thrown dagger, threw Ardeth into Rick, hard, knocking both boys over.
As Bey's body hit O'Connell's, the force of the impact knocked the dagger from Rick's hand, and they fell to the ground, knocking over a stand of battle axes as they went. Rick cried out in pain as the edge of one bit deep into his leg. The red guard loomed over them.
"Not so tough now, are you?"
Immediately scrambling to his feet, Ardeth snatched for one of the fallen battle axes, only to cry out as the temple guard kicked him in the ribs. The boy nearly fell onto Rick again but twisted to land next to his friend instead of on him.
Rick held his leg as best he could to try to stop the bleeding. He looked up and was startled by how close the red guard had gotten. Using his other hand, he tried to reach for one of the weapons, but more men had filed in behind the guard and pinned both boys to the ground. The red guard stood on Rick's sore arm to hold it in place, eliciting a groan from the boy. He then stooped and removed Rick's bracer. Then turning to Ardeth, he took the scimitar that was carefully hidden in Bey's belt. "We wouldn't want you to suffer from delusions of grandeur. There will be no heroics today."
Ardeth fought silently against the guards trying to hold him down, making use of all the tricks and techniques he knew. There were too many men though, and every time he managed to break away from one man, another was there to hold him still.
Rick was thrashing for a few moments, but he couldn't keep it up with his injury for long. He was starting to get dizzy.
One of the men finally got fed up with Ardeth and stepped behind the Med-jai, wrapping an arm around his neck. Every time Ardeth tried to struggle, the man would tighten his grip until the boy was seeing black spots and went completely limp. After that, it didn't take them long to get him tied up.
Rick completely let go of his leg to try to stop the man from strangling his friend. But one of the guards over him punched his wound repeatedly, splitting it open further and sending blinding pain through Rick's body. Soon, he had passed out from the overload and blood loss.
Ardeth straightened as much as he could in the grip of his captors and glared at the guard who had attacked Rick. "Step away from him now," he commanded, voice promising instant death if the man didn't obey.
The leader scoffed at the prince. "Are you giving us orders? I am Alack-nah, leader of the Red Temple Guards. I will take no orders from a worthless Med-jai brat, not even one from the royal family. Besides, you are not in a position to make any demands. I told you to enjoy it while it lasted."
"How did you get out of prison so quickly?" Ardeth asked, trying to buy a bit more time—maybe his uncle would come soon. The boy anxiously eyed the wound on Rick's leg—it was still bleeding heavily, and needed medical attention.
"I told you that we had our allies, boy. We are everywhere. There is nowhere you can hide from us where we will not hunt you down."
Out of the corner of his eye, Ardeth caught sight of movement at the doorway. Shifting his head very slightly, he saw Evy peering in, looking alarmed. "You seek to kidnap me, that I can understand, but why are you going after Rick O'Connell? He is not of my tribe," Ardeth said, hoping Evy would hear the part about being kidnapped and go get help.
Upon hearing Ardeth's words, Evy's blood turned to ice. She could see both were injured, and part of her wanted to pick up a weapon to defend them, but the more sensible part of her told her to get Dr. Bey. He'd know how to deal with these ruffians. She vowed that if their lives were spared, she'd never lecture them again.
Nearly sighing in relief when he saw Evy turn and run off, Ardeth spoke quickly to cover the sound of her footsteps. "Leave Mr. O'Connell here, and I will swear not to fight you for twenty-four hours."
Alack-nah's eyes held an evil gleam as he shook his head. "The line in the sand has been drawn. The moment he chose to defend you, his life was forfeit. And now that he has made open efforts to defy us, we must make an example of him to those who would dare defend the Med-jai. Do not worry, your highness, he will live for now. You will both prove far greater sport for us that way. And then, you will beg for death."
At a nod from the leader, one of the men stuffed a rag in Ardeth's mouth and tied another rag tightly over his lips. One of the guards bandaged Rick's leg carelessly so that he wouldn't bleed to death. Then, Rick was picked up and carried out the back entrance with Ardeth being shoved along behind. There were several horses there, and Rick was placed behind one of the men, arms tied around the guard's waist. The younger boy was almost grateful that his friend was unconscious, since otherwise he would be forced to walk.
Alack-nah quickly made a loop at the end of a length of rope and forced it around Ardeth's head. The other end was tied to the man's saddle. With his arms tied behind his back, Ardeth would have a difficult time balancing in the sand, and he fixed his burning gaze on the leader, looking immensely dangerous even though he was bound and gagged. The guard only glared right back, not letting it show how Ardeth's piercing eyes unsettled him. The boy had courage, he had to give him that. He was a skilled opponent, and he had made the mistake of underestimating him before, but this time he was taking no chances. Then, Alack-nah smiled smugly. "Do your best to keep up, your highness. We wouldn't want your neck to snap." Then, he dug his heels into the horse's stomach, sending it off at a speed that would leave the prince hard pressed to keep from being dragged.
Within minutes, they were out into the desert, and Ardeth was struggling. Moving at this speed through the sand was nearly impossible, but he didn't dare lose his balance, or he would be choked to death. The boy kept his gaze focused on the sand, moving his arms as close to his robes as he could, and working loose one of the silver designs on his sleeve. Maybe he could leave a trail since he was at the end of the small caravan.
Meanwhile back at the museum, Dr. Bey rushed into the weapons exhibit, a scimitar in each hand ready for action. Evy was right on his heels, picking up the first weapon she could get her hands on, a sai. But they were too late and only the overturned displays and the small pool of blood on the floor testified that anything had ever been amiss here.
"May God protect them," Dr. Bey murmured in Arabic before turning to Evy. "I must gather as many warriors as I can and go after them. My falcon will be returning here soon, and I need you to feed her, give her water, and then send her out again. I will write the message."
Evy was nodding, a look of panic in her eyes, but then something caught her attention. She walked over and picked up a small scroll of paper. "That's odd," she muttered. "It's the same size as the messages you give me for your falcon." She placed it in Terrence's out-stretched hand. He read it, and his face went red. "What is it?" she asked quietly.
His eyes blazed as he looked at her, but she could tell that his anger was not directed at her. "It's a ransom note," he hissed through clenched teeth. Then, his rage seemed to clear a bit. "Go, Miss Carnahan, quickly."
Dr. Bey quickly strode back to his office and scribbled down a message for his brother about the kidnapping of Ardeth and his friend. Then, including the ransom note, he left the messages on his desk for Evy and hurried off to find the other Med-jai and their allies in the city.
