Chapter 10

Soon enough we were strapped to the wings of a plane and flying over the sands of Egypt. Jonathan was horrified at our way of traveling to the left wing while I had Ardeth loving the feeling of light. One of my jobs had me killing people on planes before jumping to my escape plane.

A sharp whistle caught my ear. "How are you doing?" Rick asked with a smirk.

"Can we do some barrel rolls?" I laughed sarcastically.

A dust devil was brewing up to our left and it was the largest one I've ever seen. I pointed it to Ardeth.

"Winston! Pedal faster!" Rick yelled.

All behind us was a haboob of sand was chasing us. I gripped onto the wing as Ardeth held me tight. The wall engulfed us in sand after we took a desperate dive to escape. Winston soon lost control of the plane in a barrel roll laughing like a mad man. The sandstorm broke up and the engine was on fire spitting out smoke. We were loosing altitude.

"My knife!" I reached for the dagger and began cutting away the straps. Moments before impact I cut us loose and we jumped from the wing as it crashed a little behind us. The wing sliced into the sand barely missing my feet. "That was close."

Ardeth stood with a grunt removing his helmet.

"Help would be nice if it's not too much trouble!" Jonathan screamed.

"Alright." I came over and cut my cousin from the wing.

He hit the ground. "Thanks."

"Yup." I walked over to the body of the plane where Winston sat unmoving.

"Winston!" Rick called. "Hey Winston!" Rick checked his pulse. He was dead.

The plane began to sink into the sands. "It's quicksand!" Ardeth warned as he picked me up carrying me back in one arm. "Get back! It's quicksand!"

We watched from afar as the plane sink itself into burial as O'Connell saluted the pilot. After the plane sank we began our walk to Hamunaptra.

"What I wouldn't give for a camel." Jonathan whined.

Ardeth laughed. "In training we send out men into the desert with water, a knife and a blessing. They have to navigate their way home on foot."

Jonathan's jaw dropped open. "Really?"

"Mhm." Ardeth nodded.

I smirked. "How long did it take you to return home?"

"Four days." He admitted.

"Is that good?" Jonathan asked.

Ardeth shrugged. "Average I suppose."

I watched him from the corner of my eye. His appearance was filled with wisdom and intimidation gave me the chills. Hamunaptra was close as the sun reached it's peak.

"Rose?" Jonathan dusted himself. "Can you tell us about your training?"

"Which one?" I puffed out my chest. "I have poison experience, killing in a burning house, learning to hold my breath in water and sitting in the sun for 48 hours."

"The sitting doesn't seem too bad." Rick commented.

I shook my head. "I'd rather kill in a burning house than sit in the Sonoran desert with no food, water or shade. Oh! Did I mention I had only a lion cloth to wear?"

Ardeth's eyes widened. "Truly?"

"Yes. I have the scars to prove it." I shivered. "When the time is up you have to make your way through a field of cacti to an oasis."

"Ow." Rick mumbled.

We reached Hamunaptra with my nerves rang in my ears. I drew Ardeth's blade as Rick lit a torch.

"Stay close and be quiet," I ordered reading the carvings. "Anubis is not happy with us."

I lead the way deep into the underground city. The tomb had threatening vibe pulsing in the air that made Ardeth grab my hand.

"Do you feel that?" Ardeth whispered to me.

I closed my eyes and felt my body fall back as I stood in a mist in a separated place. A man stood before me but his head was that of a jackal.

"Anubis." I whispered in fear.

"Rose," His voice was feel and full of power. "You're running out of time."

I hit something and my eyes flashed open. Ardeth's face was in mine as he held me up. "Rose?" He brushed my hair back. "What is it?"

"We are running out of time." I grabbed him and ran through the tomb.

"How do you know?" Rick asked.

"Just trust me." We came to a dead end were the door way was blocked by fallen rocks. "Damn it. This is the fastest path."

"Well lets start digging." Rick began digging out the rock by hand. Each time i tried to help Ardeth would pick me up and move me a few paces back. "She is only trying to help." Rick grunted.

"Yes," Ardeth answered. I watched his muscles move from under his robes. This view wasn't half bad. "But she will need all her strength to defeat Imhotep."

"You should get a look at this." Jonathan said from behind me. Once he walked past me he began screaming.

"What?!" Rick asked. "What is it?"

"Up my arm!" Jonathan cried.

Rick ripped Jonathan's shirt open and a lump was moving under the skin. "Whoa!"

"Hold him!" I barked pulling out my dagger.

Ardeth and Rick grabbed him. Jonathan kept yelling as I dug out the scarab flicking it across the room. Jonathan hid behind Ardeth as Rick pulled out his pistol and shot the scarab. I glared at him.

"What?" Rick asked putting away his gun.

"There just went our element of surprise!" I shouted at him. "Tombs echo like crazy! We had better get moving." I snarled. "They will becoming soon."

"Who?" Jonathan asked as his arm was bandaged by Ardeth. "Your knife is a bit dull."

I pushed more rock out of the way. "More mummies will be on their way. I slit too many throats before coming here. I didn't even have time to sharpen it."

Soon we had an opening large enough to squeeze through. Rick went first dropping the torch inside. Once we were through Rick shot a mirror sending the light around the room reflecting off the other mirrors.

"Go left to a chest under Isis." A voice said to me. Very quietly I obeyed finding the chest under the winged goddess. "In here all belongs to you." The voice spoke once more.

I opened the chest and gasped. Treasures were piled inside. On top sat a set of dual daggers sheathed in a criss cross scabbard. White gold bracers, circlet and a necklace of Anubis sat waiting for me. I strapped the swords on the back of my waist, and put on the circlet and bracers. I felt like a queen. With a handful of treasure in my pouch I closed the chest and returned to the others.

Jonathan was asking to take some treasure. Ardeth looked at me up and down with an approving smile. A hand burst from the ground as mummies crawled from their graves.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Rick asked.

"Priests," Ardeth answered. "Imhotep's priests."

"Okay then." Rick said before opening fire.

Their guns blew the mummies to smithereens but more continued to crawl from the ground. I drew my dual swords that were made of platinum and topaz. I sliced my way through the mummies making a bath to our destination.

"Come on!" I called.

Jonathan was first to follow as Ardeth and Rick covered our backs through the entryway. The machine gun Ardeth had ran out of ammo. Rick gave Ardeth the shotgun as we entered the room where Horus rested.

"Hello Horus old boy." Jonathan said lighting the torches in the room.

"Time to close the door!" Rick lit a match off of Ardeth's scruff and ignited a stick of dynamite.

We drove behind Horus as the wall caved in from the explosion. I dusted myself off as Rick and Jonathan started to pry open the secret compartment. Ardeth reloaded the shot gun with a worried look. I brushed my shoulder against his as a sign of comfort. More mummies came form down the hall as some burst from the floor. I dashed over to protect Jonathan and Rick. We were tossed from the statue as the mummies opened the compartment. The pressurized salt acid exploded and melted the mummies.

"Get the book." I barked. "Ardeth and I will fend them off.

Ardeth kept firing as I kept fighting the closer ones. Soon Ardeth ran out of ammo giving me a horrified look.

"These guys just won't stop." Rick grunted opening the chest.

"The book of Amun-Ra." Jonathan whispered.

Ardeth pulled me against his body. His hand on my lower back, his other hand under my chin and he kissed me. The scuff of his goatee scratching my cheek, his body burning against mine and the worried look he gave me as he pulled away. "Save the girl and kill the creature." Ardeth drew his sword and rushed into the hall full of mummies.

Ricked pulled me back to another blocked entryway.

"Ardeth!" I cried.

"Go!" Ardeth ordered. "Get out of here!"

Rick lit a stick of dynamite and threw it against the blocked entry way. He threw Jonathan and me to cover before joining us. The explosion killed the on coming mummies.

"Ready?" Rick asked.

We ran into the burning doorway down into the bowls of the city. We came into a huge chamber where Evy laid chained to a stone table and mummies chanting around her. Next to her was another corpse who I believed to be Anka-sun-amun. We crouched down to plan a strategy.

"Okay here is what we will do." I explained. "Rick will sneak around to the statues and pull a sword. Kill all the mummies and free Evy. Jonathan will act as a distraction to cover you. I will stay and protect Jonathan as long as I can. Don't read the inside." I tapped the cover of the book. "The outside has no curses therefore you will not be cursed."

"How do we kill him then?" Jonathan asked.

"I will read the curse once we get it open." I said.

Rick looked concerned. "Then you will be cursed."

I gave him a teary smile. "I already am. Im my past life I preformed the Hom-dai on Imhotep cursing me to live through time serving Anubis as a Medjai." I looked down on the ceremony. "There isn't much time. Get going."

We dispersed around the chamber as Imhotep raised a gold dagger over Evy.

"The book of Amun-Ra!" Jonathan yelled out. "I've found it Evy!"

Imhotep stopped, placed the dagger down and went for the bait.

"Open the book Jonathan!" Evy cried. "Find the inscription and send him back to the underworld!"

I followed Imhotep around the room ready to strike.

"It's locked! I need the key Evy!" Jonathan cried.

"It's inside his robes!" Evy told us.

I could get that key. I thought moving closer to strike. Rick cut one chain from Evy's wrists and began killing mummies. Imhotep turned back to rick.

"Destroy him!" Imhotep ordered.

I launched myself into the air and brought down the creature by a kick to the face. "That was for my family!" I yelled at him.

He got back up with a smirk. "Lotus-Kasi it will be a pleasure killing you." He spoke in ancient Egyptian.

"I've had 3,000 years of training and waiting. This time your death wont be son easy to endure." I growled before I attacked with my dual swords.