Disclaimer: Nothing has changed since this morning and I still don't own it.

Chapter XIV Confrontation

Nearly a week and a half had passed since Josephine had disappeared into the late afternoon mirage. The group of seven Med-jai and four foreigners had been traveling none stop through the harsh desert sands, but their progress was still very slow. Ardeth's injuries were unable to be ignored by the end of the first day. His broken ribs were on fire with every step his stallion took and his broken wrist made it hard to guide the lively beast. Over the week of travel, his fever had come and gone only further weakening his fragile body. Had he simply sent Rashid and Naji to retrieve the girl, they would have returned with her already and been done with the entire mess. However, now they were still days away from the caravan which was being tracked by two Med-jai scouts.

Four days ago, they had received word that the caravan had stopped at a small village and waited to meet another caravan before leaving. According to the report, the woman who had previously traveled with the group was no longer leading it. Perhaps she had stayed in the village or slipped away without detection. However, the worst news was that it was believed that Ghalib was now leading the joined caravans.

"The village is about an hour's ride from here, Ardeth," Rashid reported as he rode beside his paling leader. They had just reached the oasis near the village but the sun was still very high in the sky, and Rashid seriously doubted his leader's ability to travel any further at this time or anytime soon. "We should rest here until sundown, then we can enter the village quietly and take her without much of a fight."

"Very well Rashid," Ardeth sighed as he swayed precariously in the saddle. Naji stood beside Ardeth's stallion and carefully helped the barely coherent chieftain out of the saddle and over to a spot in the shade of a tall palm.

"Ardeth, you are not well. You should stay here with us tonight and allow Rashid to lead the men. You are far from healthy, Ardeth, and you will only put your men at…" Evy was cut off by Ardeth's firm voice.

"I am chieftain of the twelve tribes, I will not allow my men to face any danger that I am unwilling to face myself," Ardeth ground out as he clutched his aching ribs.

"Oh Ardeth, you are determined to put yourself in an early grave," Evy sighed as she left him to his own thoughts. She couldn't believe how stubborn the Med-jai leader tended to be when it came to his failing health. She only hoped that they found Josephine soon and could go back to Cairo where he could get proper treatment.

XxXxXxX

Josephine sat in Jalal and Huda's tent sewing quietly as she listened to a lively Jamil tell her of all his childish adventures. The boy had regained consciousness the morning that the caravan had left without Josephine. There had been a bitter fight between Josephine and the unsavory Ghalib, who led the new caravan. He had been furious at the fact that she was there instead of Gabriel, and he was further incensed when she refused to leave with him. However, he had reluctantly left with his caravan when Jalal and the entire village stood behind Josephine.

"Did Gabriel send a message for me," the man known as Ghalib said between clenched teeth as he spoke to Josephine. He was seething at the fact that Gabriel was not their to pay him for his services or give him the directions to the next location.

"He told me nothing but your name and a vague description that does you no justice. He said you were simply a rough looking individual. He forgot to mention the fact that would are far from pleasant to converse with as well. I have nothing for you but what is within the caravan, and you may take that with you whenever you like," Josephine spoke in a superior tone knowing that this man would not listen unless he was receiving an order.

"Then we will leave at sundown and you will guide us to where we shall meet Gabriel," Ghalib sneered as he grasped Josephine delicate wrist in his calloused and dirty hands.

"You may leave whenever you wish, but I shall not be joining you. I neither know nor care where you shall meet Gabriel, so it will be better if you travel without the extra burden of another woman," Josephine said as she pried her wrist out of his grasp. Every instinct in her body told her that if she went with this man, she would not come back unsoiled or even at all.

"You coming with us by choice or we'll tie you up and take you," Ghalib ground out as he went to make another grab at her, but Josephine was too fast for him and stomped on his toes instead.

"You will do no such thing. Miss Montgomery is a guest of this village and we shall protect her as one of our own, so if you try anything you will be facing the swords of one hundred men," Jalal spoke with authority as he stepped between the pair. "Now, if your business is concluded. You must leave as soon as you are packed or we shall run you out like the misguided dogs that you are," Jalal continued as he took in Ghalib's filthy form. The caravan left only an hour later and Josephine was ever grateful to the villagers for their support.

Now, Josephine was enjoying the hospitality of the village and caring for the recovering Jamil as repayment. She had fallen in love with the carefree young boy almost as fast as she had with Alex, and was more the happy to watch him bounce around his father's tent while he recovered from his mystery illness.

The sun was beginning to set in the western sky, and Jamil let out a large yawn. "Time for bed my sweet prince," Josephine said without looking up. Over the past few days, she had been commissioned by the boy to tell him all the fairytales she could think of. His love of these tales brought her to call him her prince whenever they were alone. She knew it made him smile with glorious life so she continued it kindly.

"But what about your story," he asked in very broken English which Josephine had been helping him with.

"Not tonight, we are both far too tired for one now. But if you are very good, I shall tell you a story in the morning before your chores," Josephine smiled gently as she tucked the young boy into his small palate. "Sweet dreams," she said before placing a light kiss to his young forehead.

Josephine slipped out of the warm hut into the cool evening air before walking slowly to her own tent to retire for the evening. It had been a long four days, and Josephine was thoroughly exhausted so she didn't even bother to eat her evening meal.

XxXxXxX

Josephine was in the grey area between wakefulness and sleep when she heard a rustling outside her tent. It was just enough to bring her over the threshold into consciousness but not enough to startle her. There were often noises around the village at night, and Josephine was used to waking to such disturbances and falling back to sleep before she registered them. However, this night was not the same as those past ones.

She heard the rustling again just as she was beginning to fall back to sleep, only this time the rustling was closer. Quietly, Josephine rose from her pile of blankets and moved across the small tent. As she neared the entrance, she was suddenly seized from behind, but before she could scream a calloused had was covering her mouth. "You thought you could hide from us once we saw your deceit. I was not appointed leader of the twelve tribes for letting petty little girls slip from my grasp, no matter how venomous they are," came the deep voice whose breath tickled her ear from where he stood behind her. Before Ardeth could continue, however, he felt a sharp pain in his palm as Josephine bit him as hard as she could.

As Josephine hit the hard ground, she heard Ardeth curse. She could taste the metallic flavor of blood as she wiped her mouth. "I'm not hiding, you brute. I'm just trying to avoid being man handled," she spat as she rose to her feet without a sliver of fear showing in her bright eyes. She could hear others moving about in the village, and she instinctively knew that her time with Jalal and his family was quickly drawing to an end. However, she remembered Huda's words and prayed that she was more prepared now to deal with the boorish Med-jai chieftain than she was when she left the estate.

Before she could say anything else Ardeth had grabbed her by the hair, but Josephine was too fast for his weaken body and twisted out of his grasp quickly. "Did you think that we would simply let you go after you deceived us all," he asked harshly as he staggered slightly from her sudden movement.

"I only left because you would have sent me away anyway. England is more barren to me than the empty desert so I took my chances with the sands. If you still believe me to be a liar and a thief, then that is your worry not mine. I have a clear conscience, and had no trouble sleeping with it until you barged in here like the beast that you are," she said with a confidence that belied her frightened heart.

"An asp feels no remorse at biting her prey. A tigress thinks nothing of toying with her meal before eating it. I am not surprised that you feeling naught when it comes to harming those around you in order to sink your vicious teeth into unimaginable wealth," Ardeth said coldly as she drew his long scimitar. "However, you have toyed with the wrong people and sunken those fangs into something far too important for me to let you live. I have a sacred duty to uphold and you have put that duty in direct danger with your wicked games," Ardeth continued at he stalked closer to her.

"Those are empty words coming from a man who is so quick to condemn a woman whose name he barely knows, never mind her morals," Josephine said as she back away from him cautiously. "Why do I frighten you so much, Mr. Bay? Is it that you fear my friendship with Alex? No, you have already destroyed that for me, so that cannot be your reason… Perhaps you are simply prejudiced against foreigners as they are against you, but that cannot be because I have shown you nothing but kindness… Are you angered by my intelligence? If that is the case, you fret needlessly because every moment I spend on this wretched continent, I find I know less and less… Or maybe you fear my independence, but you have taken that from me with this currish pursuit. You see, Ardeth, you have already taken everything from me. There is little left to hate, unless you simply despise me, in which case you better get on with this execution because I am tired of wasting my breath on a dog like you," Josephine spat as she stood her full height and presented her bare neck to him.

"You are a fool woman, if you think that I shall take pity on…"

"Pity? I did not even venture to think you knew the meaning of the word never mind feel such an emotion. However, now I see that you know pity well because you feel it for yourself," she shouted, now completely incensed by the man in front of her.

"You try my patience woman. I am not the one you misled the people who took me in. I am not the one who arranged my death. I am not the one who stole from those who cared for me. I am not the one who ran like a coward when caught instead of facing the wrongs I have done. So, do not lecture me about my shortcomings when you have an overwhelming amount of your own," Ardeth short back.

"Though it matters little now, I did not commit the crimes you accuse me of," she growled between gritted teeth as she watched Ardeth approach her as a predator would stalk its prey.

"You truly are a serpent. Your lies come so naturally that even your eyes do not betray you," he said as he once again grasped her hair and this time dragged her from the tent out into the center of the small village. Josephine saw the group of Med-jai that held the villagers at bay while Ardeth brought her to the center of it. Once he got there, he yet again threw her to the ground, but this time Josephine did not rise again. She simply sat there on her knees staring at the cold sands to ashamed to look into the faces of the villagers around her, too afraid to she the hatred there.

"Josephine," Huda cried as she watched in horror as the younger woman was tossed to the ground by the imposing figure of the Med-jai chief. However, when Huda tried to go to Josephine she was held back by a younger-looking Med-jai whose eyes pleaded with her not to interfere. She could tell that he was not afraid to intervene if things became too serious, simply by the look his charcoal eyes gave her.

"Where is Ghalib," Ardeth shouted at her as he stood menacingly above her with his scimitar still in hand.

"Probably halfway through the Sahara by now, what does it matter to you," Josephine answered without thinking it might further condemn her.

"So, you admit that you have been in correspondence with a known murderer, thief, and traitor," Ardeth asked harshly as he tugged her hair back so she was forced to look him in the eye.

"I admit not such thing. I do not even know Ghalib, as you call him. I know that I met him several days ago when his caravan stopped here to meet the one I traveled with. He was angry because Di Paolo was not here, and told me that I must lead him to Mr. Di Paolo. However, I told him that I had not wish to leave this village, and told him to be on his way and find them himself," Josephine explained more to clear her own name with the villagers than for Ardeth's sake.

"This woman is a liar, a thief, and a plague upon this Earth. She has deceived you as she has done to my men and my family. She is ruthless and will stop at nothing to attain what she wants, even if it means alienating those who care for her…" Ardeth announced but was cut off by Josephine's sharp tongue.

"You ought to know a great deal about alienating people since that is all you seem to do with your great title of Chieftain," she said sarcastically as she watched Ardeth pace. As she said these words she ventured to look up at Ardeth, and nearly gasped when she caught his features in the torch light. She had expected him to be the imposing figure she had encountered in the pyramid, but instead she saw a man more sickly than when she left him a week and a half earlier. Suddenly, the nasty comments died on Josephine's lips as she gazed upon the pale and fevered skin of the proud chieftain.

"You will learn your place, Miss Montgomery or you shall feel my hand before you feel my blade," Ardeth threatened, but Josephine knew it was an empty threat. With all his talk, Ardeth was still incapable of such a deed as striking a woman even if she were guilty.

"Josephine is under our protection; you cannot have her," Jalal said firmly from his place beside his sobbing wife. Huda did not deserve this. She had nearly lost her son just days before and now she faced losing his savoir.

"You have no say in the matter, this is Med-jai business," Ardeth warned as she paced toward Josephine, but before he could near her, a figure shot out from behind the crowd and ran straight at Ardeth. In his weakened state, Ardeth could not move in time, and instead he felt the impact of a small body as it collided with his. Suddenly, Ardeth's ribs were ablaze with pain as he impacted with the hard sand. The small fists that bombarded his torso should not have hurt at all, but they only served to further pain his already broken ribs.

"You can't take her, I won't let you," the boy shouted as he continued to attack the much larger man until he heard Josephine's strong voice. "You can't have…"

"Jamil, stop," she said loudly as she heard a ragged grown issued from Ardeth's heaving chest.

Ardeth finally felt the pressure removed from his battered chest as Josephine hauled the child into her lap and held him away from Ardeth. No one dared approach the threesome, too afraid to get involved in what was obviously a personal fight, even though Ardeth would have them believe otherwise. Ardeth's chest spasmed painfully as he tried to fill his battered lungs with much needed air.

"You can't take her. I'll stop you myself," Jamil cried as he kicked out at the already battered ribs which were now causing Ardeth to have trouble taking in any breath. However, Jamil immediately stopped his attacked when Josephine whispered something into his eye.

"Jamil stay put," Josephine said as she placed him on the ground beside her, and then reached for the choking Ardeth. Gently, she eased his head into her lap and looked down into his eyes. Josephine was shocked to see pure fear shining in those bright eyes, and remembered that he was human after all. He tried to say something but it was lost between his ragged gasps. Josephine shushed him gently as she leaned over him placing her lips to his. Ardeth went still at the contact, and it gave Josephine the opportunity to breath into his exhausted lungs for him. Josephine slowly breathed for the panicking chieftain for several minutes until he stopped fighting her ministrations. Eventually, Josephine pulled back from Ardeth's lips and watched with satisfaction as his chest rose and fell on its own accord. She could still she the pain etched into Ardeth's fevered features, but she knew that his life was not in danger at the moment.

Josephine was once again grateful for the many lessons her father had taught her in every subject imaginable. As soon as she had seen Ardeth's panicked gasps she had known that he was only making it harder for himself to breath, and therefore she attempted the skill that in theory would have allowed her to breath for him. She was overjoyed that it had worked; otherwise she would have been utterly embarrassed even if Ardeth would have been too dead to rub it in. However, she had succeeded and Ardeth's lungs work working by themselves even if the rest of him was not faring any better.

"You bloody fool," she nearly cried out for all to hear, but instead whispered it just loud enough for Ardeth to hear. "You are so concerned with capturing an innocent woman that you forget to care for yourself," she sighed as she pushed his hair out of his face from where it fell when his headdress came off on impact.

"It is you…"

"…who is the fool for saving your life yet again. Yeah, I know," Josephine said before dropping his head back to the hard sand as rising pulling Jamil up with her. "I may be a fool Ardeth Bay, but I have showed you mercy this night, and I ask that you return the favor. If, in the morning, you still wish to take me from this place, I will not fight you. But please allow me to say my goodbyes, and don't force these people to see what you shall do to me," Josephine sighed as she held a sobbing Jamil to her side. The boy was distraught at the fact that his new friend would leave them or be taken from him, to be more precise.

"V-very…well," Ardeth said between slow breaths.

"Good, now let's get you to bed," Josephine said loudly, taking great pleasure in her ability to boss him around since he was in no state to object. "Naji, come collect your great leader," Josephine called with a hint of sarcasm. Naji ran up to her immediately and bowed, knowing that it would be improper to greet her in any other way in front of all these people.

"It is good to see you are well," Huda saw the man who had pleaded with his eyes to her, speak to Josephine.

"As it is good you see you in health as well, but I can't say the same for Mr. Bay," Josie sighed as she helped Naji lift the aching Ardeth. "Take him to the tent he dragged me out of," she said with authority. Once Naji had disappeared with Ardeth in his arms, Josephine turned to Jalal and Huda. "Forgive me for bringing my troubles to your village. Had I known they would follow me, I never would have stayed here," she said with remorse filling her words. She couldn't believe that he had come after her even though Rick had allowed Gabriel to take her.

"There is nothing to forgive, child," Huda said as she approached Josephine and collected her son. "As I told you before, nothing happens by chance. This was meant to be. Now go tend Chieftain Bay because you are the first woman I've ever met who is as stubborn as he," Huda said with a knowing smile. Huda had fed Ardeth many times when he had passed through the village which was directly between many of the sites protected by the Med-jai. Though Ardeth had always been the paradigm of manners when visiting the village, Huda knew very well how his temper could flare at the drop of a veil. She was more shocked by Josephine's fearless sparing with the chieftain than the actual events. No one dared to speak by to Ardeth Bay.

"Thank you, Huda," Josephine said sincerely as she turned to come face to face with Rashid's firm chest.

"You have caused my leader a great deal of pain and stress," he said darkly as he towered over the petite girl. "I should kill you for the trouble you have caused; however, I cannot believe that you would save my chief's life, not once but twice, if you were as black-hearted as he makes you out to be. I am not blinded by my own pain and duty to see anything but sincerity in you. However, you cause Ardeth great distress, and I shall not feel any remorse at your loss if you continue to try his already thin nerves," Rashid said warningly as turn to join Naji in her tent.

Josephine simply gave Jamil a kiss on the cheek saying, "You truly are a charming prince, and I owe my life to you." With that said, Josephine followed Rashid into her own tent.

XxXxX

Seeing, I did it! I posted tonight just as I said I would. I hope that you enjoyed round one of their confrontation. Don't worry, there is plenty more of that to come. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this chapter, it is always wonderful to hear what everyone thinks. Next chapter should be coming soon.