Self Esteem

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the motion picture The Mummy. That's all you, Universal Studios. And I'm not going to profit off this story, so calm down. There's no reason to sue, and you all make too much money anyway. Vultures.

AN: Thanks to Jac Danvers, Nelle07, The-Lady-Isis, midnight-flurry, idkaname, kaytieorndorff, Padme4000, zentry, Pirate Hero, Akira, Hakujou Enputi-shigai, SurpriseSurprise, bones881, Pirate College Graduate, Ravenclaw Samurai, Page Mistress, and IKeepGoldfishInMyBra for the reviews!

Chapter 25: The Fire and the Telephone Call

The sun was just rising when Madeline opened her eyes the next morning. Her head was still resting on Ardeth's bare chest, and his arm was still around her, pressing her into his side.

Slowly, apprehensively, she lifted her head off his chest and looked up at his face. His eyes were open and he was staring down at her. Their eyes met and held for a moment.

"Good morning," Ardeth murmured.

Madeline felt a small smile spreading across her face in spite of herself. "Good morning," she replied.

They stared at one another for a moment longer. Madeline gathered the sheets around her bare chest and slowly sat up in bed. Ardeth didn't move an inch from where he leaned against the headboard. The small smile on Madeline's face began to dim a little. She had hoped the awkwardness would be gone after last night, but she could still feel it. Although, it wasn't just awkwardness. It was anxiety too. Last night, Ardeth had told her he loved her. And she had been stupid enough to say it back to him.

Then, of course, there had been what followed…

In short, Madeline wasn't sure what to say or what to do. What exactly happened now?

"We should leave for the mastaba," Ardeth announced.

She shook her head. "No," she disagreed. "We should call Jonathan first."

Ardeth considered that and then nodded his agreement. "Yes," he agreed. "We will call Jonathan. There was a public phone downstairs."

"Good," she said quietly. "Then we'll call from there."

Silence descended again. It was an odd sort of silence. Not awkward exactly, but not comfortable either. It was more like a hesitation than a silence, Madeline decided. Neither one of them seemed sure of what to do.

Finally, Ardeth reached down for his pants. They were still on the floor beside the bed. Madeline looked away, trying not to appear obvious about it, as Ardeth slid into his pants and then rose from the bed.

He disappeared into the washroom. Madeline watched him go, taking in every inch of his tanned and muscular back. This turned out not to be as pleasing as it ought to have been.

"How did I pull this off?" she muttered to herself. "He is so out of my league. Seriously, how the hell did last night even happen?"

Sighing, she glanced down at the floor where her own clothes were crumpled in a pile. Madeline reached for the white dress and gave it a shake. She crumpled her nose as she held it in front of her face, studying it.

"I hate this dress," she complained under her breath.

But there was nothing to be done about it. She had nothing to wear but the dress, and so the dress she must wear. Madeline shrugged into the garment and climbed out of bed, straightening the dress to the best of her ability. She sighed again and glanced at the washroom door.

What happened now? Did anything happen? Was she supposed to say something? Was he supposed to say something?

Suddenly, Madeline wished for Jonathan. She wanted him right there with her so she could tell him every little detail about the night before and then ask for his advice. As soon as the thought entered her head, she almost laughed. Ask Jonathan for advice? She was sure she was the only person in the world who would even consider a move like that.

But that's what she wanted. She wanted Jonathan's jokes and his advice, no matter how terrible that advice may or may not be. But she didn't have that. She wouldn't have that. Even if he picked up the phone when they called him, she wouldn't be able to ask what she needed to ask. Ardeth would be standing right there.

Which meant she was on her own now. She had to figure this shit out for herself. And as much as she didn't like that idea, she had to admit it was probably for the best. Sooner or later, she had to learn how to solve her own problems and control her own life. She had to figure out what was best for her and then apply it.

The door opened. Ardeth began searching for all the pieces of his robes. Madeline hurried inside the washroom and shut the door hastily behind her. She went about trying to fix her hair and clean her teeth.

Her thoughts turned back to the necklace. Would Jonathan even pick up his phone? Was he in Cairo? Was Nasira with him? And if they were in Cairo, if Jonathan did pick up his phone, would he even have an answer for her? Would he know how to stop the curse? Or was she going to die no matter how you sliced it? Had last night been a colossal mistake?

And even if Jonathan had found an answer and she wasn't going to die, had last night still been a mistake? There were many, many reasons why she shouldn't have gone through with it. Where had her uncertainty been then? She had known exactly what she had wanted and she had acted on it. Now she was sore and confused.

But she didn't regret it.

Soon, the two of them were downstairs and Madeline was dialing Jonathan's number, hoping against all odds that he'd pick up.

One ring. Two rings. Three, four, five rings. He wasn't going to pick up.

Six. Seven. Eight…

"Hello?"

Never before in all her life had Madeline been so grateful to hear Jonathan Carnahan's voice.

"Jonathan?" she exclaimed into the receiver. "Jonathan, it's Madeline."

Beside her, Ardeth breathed a sigh of relief.

There was a short pause on the other end of the line. Then, his voice excited and full of disbelief, Jonathan exclaimed, "Maddie? Are you bloody joking? Where the bloody hell have you been?"

"Well, I was…"

"Nasira and I were worried sick, old girl! Where's Ardeth? Is he with you?"

"Yeah, he's here. Jonathan, I…"

"What the bloody hell happened to you?"

"Well, we were…"

"Do you know what we've been through trying to find the two of you? I say, Maddie, if you hadn't called… well, what happened? I demand an explanation!"

"I'm trying to give you one!" Madeline retorted. "Stop interrupting me!"

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"Berkley and his goons kidnapped us," she explained quickly. "We were being hauled around Egypt for the last couple of days, and finally managed to escape. We're back in Meydum now."

"Kidnapped? Bloody hell…"

"Is Nasira with you?"

"When I get my hands on that Berkley bastard, well… I'll… well, I'll give him a very stern talking to, I'll tell you what!"

"That's sweet, Jonathan. And it sounds very intimidating. Is Nasira there?"

"What else happened? Did you tell them about your vision? Did any of the other phases occur?"

"No, nothing yet. That'll change after today. Next on the list is fire, right?"

"Well, yes…"

"Is Nasira there?" Madeline asked for what felt like the thousandth time. She was starting to get exasperated with Jonathan.

"Nasira? Oh, yes, she's here. Would you like to speak to her?"

"Well, no, that's not necessary…"

"Nasira!" she head Jonathan bellow. Madeline rolled her eyes. "Nasira, darling, Maddie's on the phone! She's with your brother!"

There was a pause. "I don't bloody know! Just get over here and talk to her!"

"Jonathan," Madeline interrupted his bellowing. "Really, this isn't…"

"Madeline?" a new voice spoke up excitedly.

"Nasira?"

"Allah, we were so worried! Where have you been? Are you all right? Is my brother all right?"

"We're both fine. Berkley sort of kidnapped us, but we got loose. Look, can you put Jonathan…?"

"He kidnapped you? Both of you?" Nasira sounded nearly panicked. "That is terrible! And the necklace, of course he knew about your visions! What of the phases, did the next one occur? Did you go where you were meant to?"

"No, no, nothing happened," Madeline replied hurriedly. "We're just about to trigger the next phase, the one right after the flood. Look, can I…?"

"I am just so happy you are all right! Let me speak to my brother."

Madeline rolled her eyes, barely holding in her exasperated sigh. "Sure," she said. She handed the receiver to Ardeth. "Your sister wants a word."

Ardeth took the phone. "Nasira?"

Madeline wasn't sure what Nasira said next, but she could hear her voice on the other end as she talked very rapidly and excitedly. "Yes," Ardeth murmured calmly. "Yes, everyone is fine."

Nasira said something else. "I know. You do not need to worry."

More words on Nasira's end. "I am glad you are all right also. I will be seeing you soon."

He paused, listening to his sister. "We need to return to Meydum. After that, I do not know. Is Horus with you or Yasir?"

Nasira's reply was short. "Good. Send him to me, and we will communicate through him. I dare not slow down to wait."

Madeline was starting to get impatient. "Good bye, Nasira," Ardeth said. Then he handed the phone back to Madeline.

She practically yanked it out of his grasp. "Hello?"

"Maddie? It's Jonathan again. Look, we've been deciphering those hieroglyphs ever since you were taken, and…"

Jonathan was interrupted by a very loud, very masculine shout. Madeline froze. She knew that voice all too well.

"Oh, bloody hell," Jonathan muttered.

"Jonathan…" Madeline intoned in a warning voice. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Now, Maddie, old girl, don't be angry with me! I had no choice!"

"You called him?!"

"I had to! You and Ardeth were gone, and I… well, I panicked, Maddie! What did you expect me to do, sit by and twiddle my thumbs?"

"I'm going to kill you!"

"You know, Maddie, that sort of ingratitude is hardly warranted considering…"

Jonathan's reply was cut short as a scuffle broke out on the other end of the line. Madeline grimaced as she heard the phone being wrestled from her friend's hands. Then, the inevitable:

"Madeline O'Connell! I swear I am going to kick your ass, kid!"

Madeline sighed. "Hello, Rick," she greeted her older brother.

"Do you know what you're supposed to do when some psycho British guy puts a cursed necklace around your neck that can supposedly kill you and wipe out the world? Huh? Do you?"

"Rick, I…!"

"You call your brother, Madeline! You call me! What the hell were you thinking?

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know! Maybe that you had a wife and a son? A family to take care of? And that it would hardly be wise for you to come rushing over to Egypt to save my ass with a preschooler in tow?"

It was obvious her older brother found her excuses inadequate. "Oh no! Don't you pull that overprotective crap on me, Madeline! I don't think so! I invented overprotective!"

"Oh, you did not!"

"Well, I'm better at it than you! And, as the oldest, it is my right to be overprotective! Do I make myself clear?"

"Just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you're always right!" Madeline retorted rather childishly.

"Oh, yes it does!"

"No it doesn't!"

"Yes it does!"

"Does not!"

"Does too!"

Madeline sighed loudly, ending the kindergarten level argument they were having. "I am not going to bicker with you like we're still in the orphanage, Rick! We're both responsible, mature adults who…"

Her brother snorted.

She was immediately affronted. "Don't you snort at me! What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Responsible mature adults don't get drunk in bars with evil anthropologists when they know they're being chased by crazy people trying to resurrect some old pharaoh lady!"

"I wasn't drunk! That guy drugged me!"

"Well, what were you doing accepting drinks from him anyway? Damn it, Maddie! Did you ever listen to me when we were growing up, or did you just ignore everything I ever said?"

"Hey, I knew him! I thought he was normal!"

"You think everyone is normal! You couldn't read a person to save your life… well, obviously! Look at what just happened!"

"I want to talk to Jonathan! Put him back on the line!"

"No! I'm not done yelling at you. In fact, I want to talk to Ardeth! Where was the big bad Med-jai chieftain when my baby sister was being drugged by this Berkley character? Huh? Where was he when that guy was putting that necklace on you?"

Rick's accusations against Ardeth really put Madeline on the defensive. "Hey, he saved me! If he hadn't shown up, Berkley would have taken me off somewhere, and then the world really would be ending!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! You're right! Better late than never, huh? Put Ardeth on the phone!"

"No! You put Jonathan on the phone!"

"Ardeth!"

"Jonathan!"

Suddenly, Ardeth grabbed the phone and wrestled it out of her grasp. "Hey!" Madeline exclaimed, glowering at him. "Give that back!"

"O'Connell?" he said into the phone, completely ignoring her. "You wish to speak with me?"

Even from her spot next to Ardeth, Madeline could hear her older brother loud and clear through the receiver. "You're damn right I want to speak to you! When I left Egypt, I told you to take care of my sister, not get her killed!"

"He told you what?" Madeline practically shouted, twice as furious as she'd already been.

Ardeth turned away from her, trying to respond to Rick's accusing comments. "I am sorry, my friend. I did not mean for this…"

"You didn't mean to get my sister killed? Well, never mind then. I forgive you, buddy. Honest mistake!"

Rick's sarcasm was not wasted on Ardeth. He hung his head regretfully. "You are right, O'Connell," he murmured. "I failed you. I failed my people. And I failed your sister. I am sorry. I am trying to fix this."

Madeline was suddenly enraged. She knew how upset Ardeth was about this whole situation. He felt like a complete failure because of it. And the last thing he needed was her pigheaded older brother berating him and making him feel worse.

"Don't you apologize to him," she snapped, jerking the phone back from Ardeth. He was so surprised, he accidentally let go. "You don't have to take that."

She put the receiver up to her face. "Richard O'Connell, just wait until I get my hands on you! How dare you get your friends to spy on me, hmm? And don't you talk to him like that…"

"Oh, no! Don't you act like I'm the bad guy in all this! I'm trying to…"

Whatever Rick was trying to do, he didn't get a chance to vocalize. Suddenly, Evelyn O'Connell's voice rang out clear as a bell, "Richard O'Connell, you stop making a scene this instant! Put that phone down!"

"Stay out of this, Evelyn."

"I will not stay out of this! How dare you speak to me like that – I am your wife!"

"She's my sister!"

"Yes, and yelling at her and Ardeth like some sort of crazed maniac is not helping anyone at all! You…"

There was yet another scuffle on the other end of the line, and Madeline could hear Rick and Evie arguing loudly with one another. Jonathan must have gotten a hold of the phone while the O'Connells were fighting, because his voice rang out next.

"Maddie? I'm really sorry, old girl. I just didn't know what to do!"

"It's all right, Jonathan," she sighed. "You're just trying to save the world. And my life. What were you saying about the hieroglyphics?"

"Well, that's the good news, Maddie! Evie's got them all figured out!"

"She does?" Madeline exclaimed excitedly. "What did she say?"

"Uh, well… according to Evie, we are all complete and total imbeciles."

Madeline frowned. "What?"

"Yes, apparently the answer was lying right under our noses the whole time! You remember that one excerpt I read to you? 'Our queen must first drink our pure blood. Should soiled blood be spilt, it shall be as poison to her, and treat her thusly'."

"Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"Well, Evie says that purity – as, apparently, any bird-brained idiot should have been able to figure out – is meant to mean virginity. Only a virgin can be sacrificed to Nitocris, or the blood of the sacrifice will poison her. That's why Berkley picked you, Maddie, because he knew you were a virgin!"

A very funny feeling began to settle over Madeline. "Oh."

"Don't worry, old girl, it's not just conjecture. Evie translated some of the other bits and pieces and found where it explains everything word for word. All we need to do, is, uh… well, you need to become a… a non virgin, Maddie."

"Oh," she said again.

"Yes, well, and I know this is sort of a touchy subject, and I know we're just friends and all, but…"

Jonathan was starting to ramble. That was never good. He was talking too fast, and his tone was nervous. Madeline could practically see him scratching the back of his head and squinting up his eyes in embarrassment. "Well, you see Maddie, I… you're my best friend, you know, and… I know this whole thing is sort of embarrassing for you, but… well… what I'm saying is that I… I could…"

Oh, god. Madeline's eyes widened. Jonathan was offering to have sex with her.

"Well, the whole thing of the matter is that I know you'd rather… er, do this with someone you trust, and since it can't be with someone who, you know… is… means more to you than a friend or whatever, well… I mean, you trust me, right? I just think… well, old girl, I would gladly… I mean… Maddie, I…"

"Thanks, Jonathan," she interrupted him. "That's really sweet. I mean it. But… well… I don't think you're going to need to do that."

"I'm not?"

"No, see… well, it's sort of ironic, really, that you're telling me this now, because I… well… I'm… I'm not anymore, you see…"

"You're not anymore?"

"Um, well… no. No, I'm not."

There was a long pause. "Bloody hell," Jonathan said finally. "You did it? With Ardeth?"

Madeline swallowed hard. She could feel all the blood rushing into her cheeks. Her neck and ears felt like they were on fire. "Um… yeah. Yeah, it was… that's right."

There was yet another long pause. "Bloody hell," Jonathan said again. "I mean… was it… are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Madeline retorted, rather briskly.

"Sorry, sorry, I just… well… what exactly am I supposed to say to that, Maddie?"

She sighed. "I don't know."

"Congratulations?"

Madeline rolled her eyes. "Thanks."

"Well, at least that takes care of that."

"Yeah," she agreed almost sadly. "That takes care of that."

They were silent again. "Evie wants a word with you," Jonathan announced.

"Ok."

"Take care of yourself, old girl."

"Yeah, you too." She paused a moment. "Jonathan, I miss you."

"I miss you too, Maddie. I miss you too. Here's Evie."

"Madeline? Are you all right?"

"Hey, Evie, I'm fine."

"Oh, good, I'm so glad." The pleasantries exchanged, Evie got right down to business. "First of all, Madeline, I want you to know I understand how embarrassing this probably is for you… and so I sent Rick away just now, because I have a feeling you would prefer it if Rick didn't know all the details."

Madeline immediately felt grateful. "Um… yeah. I really would."

"Which is exactly why I left out that teensy little detail about your virginity when I explained the situation to him. Mind you, I don't like keeping secrets from my husband."

She sighed. "I know. Thanks Evie, I owe you one."

"Well, I'm doing this as much for Rick as I am for you. I somehow doubt learning this particular secret is going to help his blood pressure. Anyway, Madeline, I also wanted to warn you. This plan, well… it's the only one we have."

"I know."

"But it's not fail proof. In order for your blood to poison Nitocris, she's going to have to drink it."

"Drink it?!"

"Yes, which means you'll have to go through with the sacrificial ritual. She's going to have to drink your blood. The good news is that when all is said and done, the pharaoh will definitely die. And you… you… you have a good chance of surviving."

Evie's point was crystal clear. "A good chance?" Madeline repeated. She knew exactly what that meant.

"Yes. I mean, this whole plan is much better than the alternative. After all, the only other way to stop Nitocris at this point is to, well…"

"Put a bullet in my brain?" Madeline supplied as Evie's voice petered out nervously. "Yeah, I know."

There was a sigh on the other end. "I'm sure you'll be fine," Evie said. Madeline didn't believe her. "You're a very strong person. You'll pull through. I have faith in you."

"Thanks, Evie," Madeline replied. She tried to sound optimistic.

"Be careful, Madeline. We're all very worried about you."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know."

"Give my love to Ardeth."

"Ok."

"Good bye."

"Good bye."

Madeline hung up the phone and turned to Ardeth. He stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to convey the news. "Evie says hi," she said.

Ardeth didn't bother to reply.

Madeline stepped away from the phone and made her way to the front doors. Ardeth followed swiftly behind. "What else did Evelyn say?" he demanded.

"Well, she figured out how to save my life."

"How?"

"Apparently, there's a very good reason why Berkley chose me as his sacrifice," Madeline explained. "He chose me because I'm… a virgin. Or, rather, I was a virgin."

Ardeth stared at her. Madeline ignored the look and continued on with her story. "But now I'm not a virgin. So… we actually already did it. We saved the world. All we have to do now is offer me up to Nitocris, let her start drinking my blood, and she'll die."

He frowned at her. "Drink your blood?"

"Yeah, apparently that's how the ritual goes down. She drinks my blood, and then the resurrection is complete – or, in this case, she dies. Then the whole thing is over, and everyone can go home happy."

They were walking down the street, leaving the hotel behind them. There was a camel vendor at the corner, and Madeline made her way towards it, Ardeth at her heels. "So, now that we have…" he trailed off.

"Done... that," Madeline supplied. She tried not to blush.

"Yes, I suppose that it is one way of putting it," Ardeth murmured. "What happened last night means we have succeeded in killing Nitocris – or rather, we will succeed."

"Mm-hmm."

"And the world will not end."

"Apparently not."

"And you will not die."

Madeline didn't look him in the eye. "Yep."

Ardeth stopped in his tracks. Madeline kept walking. He grabbed her by the arm and yanked her back towards him. "Are you lying to me?"

She hadn't expected that response. "No," she exclaimed, shaking her head. "I'm not lying."

He studied her. "But you are not telling me something."

Madeline bit her lip. "Uh…"

"Madeline," he interrupted her in a low, dangerous tone. "Will this kill you or save you?"

She sighed and looked away. "Um, well… it'll probably save me."

He raised an eyebrow. "Probably?"

"Well, there's a much better chance I'll survive now than before."

Ardeth's expression got even graver – and Madeline hadn't thought that was possible. "Before there was no chance."

Good point. "Uh, well…"

"Madeline…"

"Look, Evie said that once Nitocris drinks my blood, she'll definitely go back to wherever the hell she came from," Madeline said, relenting at last. She had to tell him the truth. "And I should be able to survive. It's really likely. I guess. I don't know. I mean, the other way I definitely die. This way, I might not."

"Which is it, really likely or might not?" Ardeth demanded. "There is a big difference between the two."

Madeline sighed. "I don't know. I don't think Evie did either."

Ardeth was quiet. "Look, this is the only shot we got. Either way, it's too late to do anything about it now," she pointed out. "Let's just… let's just do this, ok?"

They stared at one another for a moment. "All right," he agreed finally. Then he stalked over to the camel vendor.

Madeline sighed heavily. She really hoped Evie was right about all this.

It was hot. It was hot, it was dry, and it was dusty. The Meidum pyramid towered over the plain below it. Madeline and Ardeth stood on that plain, having just dismounted from their camels, staring at the mastaba that lay before them.

"This is it?" Ardeth asked her. "This is the mastaba from your vision?"

Madeline nodded. "Yep. This is it."

They stood there, staring at the tiny dark rectangle that was meant to represent a doorway into the mastaba. Madeline wasn't sure how Ardeth felt about all this, but personally she would rather go swimming with the crocodiles than enter the tomb before her.

Ardeth looked over at her inquisitively. Madeline took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "Let's go," she said, leading the way inside.

He hesitated only a moment, pausing to light a torch they had brought with them from town. Then Ardeth followed her into the tomb.

They marched down the long hall, getting farther and farther from the door. Normally, Madeline's curiosity would have gotten the best of her, and she'd be examining the markings on the walls as they went, but at the moment she simply wasn't interested. The torchlight cast flickering, almost ominous shadows on the walls. Madeline concentrated on the view of the end of the hallway, trying to connect the scene in front of her with her vision.

At the end of the long hall in her vision – the same hall she was walking now – Madeline remembered seeing an orange glow. Nitocris had thrown herself into a room on the left.

On the right hand side was an open doorway. On the left side, the side Madeline needed, there was no door at all.

Ardeth appeared ready to enter the door on the right. His torch was already inside the room and he was peering cautiously inside, shining the light into all the corners. "Should we go in?" he asked.

Madeline kept her eyes trained on the wall to her left. "That's not the right room."

She couldn't see Ardeth's face, but she could imagine it. "It's the only room."

"No," she replied, shaking her head. "It's not. It can't be."

Ardeth didn't answer. Madeline frowned at the wall in front of her. The wall was painted to resemble several long, vertical panels. They could be doors, she supposed, if they weren't painted on.

But the panel in front of her might be more than just paint and stone. It wouldn't be the first time. Madeline continued to frown, wondering if the panel really was a door, and how exactly she was supposed to open it.

She shrugged. Oh, well. Maybe it would respond to the necklace – like every other secret door had.

She touched the panel. Suddenly, the necklace burned white hot against the skin of her throat. Madeline let out a loud cry, stumbling back a step from the wall. Ardeth grabbed her by the shoulders.

The mastaba was filled with a loud groaning, grinding sound. The hall began to shake. Ardeth took hold of her upper arm and began pulling her towards the exit.

"Wait," she murmured, trying to stop him. "Look."

Ardeth turned around at her command. He immediately saw what had caused her to stop. The panel in front of them had slid open at her touch, and now they were staring into a dark room.

Madeline made to step forward, but Ardeth grabbed her by the arm and hauled her back. He stepped in front of her, holding the torch out towards the room. "Let me go first," he ordered in a low voice.

She raised her eyebrow at him. What, they had sex and now he got to be all bossy and… and… overprotective? Well, screw that, man, because that was not happening.

"Why do you get to go first?" she demanded in a whisper. She had no idea why she was whispering.

"We do not know what is in here," he replied, a note of exasperation creeping into his voice. He entered the room, swinging the torch around to get a good look at all the dark, creepy corners.

Madeline followed him, giving the back of his head a rather cross look. She gave the chamber a once over. It was charred a horrible sooty black color. Debris littered the floor. In the corner there was a large, unsettling pile of burnt black matter. Madeline winced, hoping it wasn't a body… and strongly suspecting that it was.

Ardeth moved to one side of the chamber, and Madeline purposely chose a different side. It was petty, she supposed, but she was irritated that he had suddenly decided she couldn't take care of herself.

There was nothing much of interest in the chamber. Any drawings or writings that might have been on the walls were now covered in thick black soot and completely indistinguishable. The ground was littered with black debris, none of which took the form of anything distinguishable. Madeline picked her way through the messy chamber, crinkling her nose at the black powder that rose around her with every step.

For a few moments, nothing happened. Then, very suddenly, pain burned through her skull and she fell to her knees.

Madeline reached up to cradle her head in one hand and tried to look around the chamber for Ardeth. She didn't see him – and then, suddenly, her vision went blurry and she could barely see anything.

There was a flash of orange directly next to her. Madeline suddenly smelled smoke. The temperature in the chamber spiked, and the heat became suffocating. The next phase had begun, and the mastaba was on fire.

Just great.

She tried to get off her knees and back on her feet, but the pain in her head intensified so that she ended up on her ass instead. The smell of smoke was getting stronger, and the air around her was growing hotter. Madeline coughed as the smoke began to engulf her. She strained her ears, but couldn't hear Ardeth.

A horrible thought occurred to her. What if the blaze had broken out near Ardeth and he had been injured, or knocked unconscious? Again, she tried to get up, but the pain in her head knocked her flat on her stomach. The necklace began burning white hot along her collarbone.

She lifted her head up, wincing with the effort. Blinking furiously, she tried to focus her blurring vision. The heat only got stronger and stronger. Her eyes darted frantically around the chamber, but she couldn't see Ardeth.

Then, over the roar of the fire, she heard a voice. The words were indistinguishable, but she knew it must be Ardeth. After all, who else could it be?

She cleared her throat and opened her mouth… and then instantly choked on ash. Madeline began crawling away from the fire, which was burning closer and closer to her, dragging herself along on her forearms. The pain was getting unbearable.

The voice came again. She thought she could see a shadowy figure on the other side of the chamber. Maybe Ardeth was all right.

She hoped he was. Because her crawling was slowing down, and the pain was getting worse, and Madeline knew there was no way she could get herself out of the mastaba without help.

"Ardeth!" she forced herself to call out. Then she started coughing.

She swore she heard him respond, but she couldn't understand what he said. "Ardeth!" she cried out again.

Then the pain hit its peak, and Madeline cried out in agony. Suddenly, she was facedown and flat on the floor. She heard a scream and saw a flash of white… and then, her eyes closed and she fell unconscious.

Nitocris reached the end of the hall and threw herself through one of the doors awaiting her. The ground was strewn with red-hot embers. The queen stood before the embers in a dignified manner. She was whispering something under her breath. Her eyes closed and she inhaled deeply. Her body landed hard on top of the embers.

The flames crackled and rose higher and higher, blazing all around her prostrate form. The door shut heavily behind her.

The flames and smoke faded away into blackness. Then there was a pinprick of light from one lone torch. The pinpricks multiplied, and suddenly there was a long procession of people carrying a coffin down a dark hall lit only by the torches. They lay the sarcophagus on the floor of the burial chamber and began saying incantations over it.

One lone woman stepped snuck around the praying subjects and quietly made her way towards a bust of the pharaoh. On the bust's neck was a simple gold necklace, engraved with hieroglyphics. The woman was young, much younger than the pharaoh had been, and yet she bore a resemblance to the now deceased pharaoh. She gently unclasped the necklace, keeping a watchful eye on the funeral procession. Then, necklace in hand, she ran for the exit.

The procession didn't notice the girl. Soon, the ceremony was over, and the coffin was abandoned.

Suddenly, the coffin lid sprang open. There was nothing inside of it.

Several miles away, a shallow grave was being dug by a young man. Beside him lay a lump covered in a linen sheet. Suddenly, a young woman – the young woman from the funeral – came up beside him, holding the necklace.

"Our mother's," she whispered. "The cursed one."

He nodded. "It shall be preserved by our family until such time as we can return to this spot."

She nodded this time. Together, they removed the linen sheet from the lump. The lump turned out to be a body wrapped tightly in white bandages. They lifted the mummy from the ground and lowered it into the shallow grave.

Years passed. The grave remained undisturbed. Several dynasties later, a temple was built nearby. Time continued to pass. Many years later, a Med-jai warrior stood before the temple with a young man standing anxiously beside him.

"My sisters grow anxious," he announced. "They wish to resurrect the great pharaoh. I alone know the foolishness in such an act. Her resurrection will lead only to mass death and destruction. This is why I give the necklace to you, Chieftain. I trust your people will protect it like no one else could. You must never let it out of you sight… beware of all those connected with my family."

The Med-jai nodded his understanding. "There is a secret room in this temple where I will conceal it. I hope the gods will assist in keeping this cursed object from the wrong hands."

The years rolled by again. The temple remained heavily guarded, and the grave undisturbed.

Suddenly, the sand exploded, sending billowing clouds into the sky. The shallow grave lay uncovered. Without warning, the mummy awoke with a loud, angry scream.