CHAPTER FIVE

Caravan of Fools

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in The Mummy (1999) except for my OCs.

"The man who knows how to lead one of his brothers towards what he has known may one day be saved by that very brother."

~ Egyptian Proverbs

Dark flashes of ebony hair ran through the golden temple walls. Beads and jewels adorned the hair, flinging back and forth as she ran away, giggling for Imhotep to hush. The woman in his dreams eluded him night after night, never revealing her true identity. Her aura, though, was one of pure intoxication. Just being around her brought up feelings he had never felt before. It was like simultaneously drinking from the sweetest goblet of pomegranate wine and the essence of the lulling, heavy effects of the Blue Lotus flower. Passion and fear grated his insides each night when he awoke in this alternate reality of the pleasures of the flesh and the sins of the Nile.

The lithe woman ran ahead, weaving through columns and around statues, staying out of view.

"Imhotep! My love! Come on!" She said, laughing playfully, but there was an essence of fear in her voice too. "We mustn't be found!"

He ran after her, feeling elated, like they were children at play, running from an imaginative monster. Suddenly, she stopped and spun around. As if the air had been removed from his lungs, all Imhotep could see were dark obsidian eyes that shone like a full moon over the Nile. The rest of her face was obscured somehow, out of reach. "I think we should be safe here." She said, reaching up to place her hand on his face. The feel of her silky skin set his own ablaze, and he closed his eyes, reveling in this goddess's touch. Her soft, pink lips made contact with his own, and fireworks exploded behind his eyes, making all his senses feel electrified.

Opening his eyes, he felt a sudden rush of the cold night air. The scene around him changed and left his head swirling. Screams of anguish could be heard around him. He searched around in fear for the beautiful woman, but she was no longer there. The temple around him had decayed and become ancient. Looking down at his own hands, he saw that they too were ancient, leathery, and paper-thin. He tried to scream, but no sound came out; it felt as if he were choking on sand. Spinning around the room in fear, he searched high and low for an answer, a sign, for where he was and where the beautiful woman had gone.

A feeling of profound loneliness came upon him. For now, he was truly alone.

Thebes 1299

Rustling horses nearby awoke Imhotep from his fitful sleep. A sheen of perspiration coated his forehead and drew attention to the sweat-soaked blanket wrapped around his torso. Death, despair, and betrayal haunted him. He knew that the Gods worked in mysterious ways, but he wished his dreams would not plague him night after night. In his studies, he learned that dreams were not only a journey into the dreamer's mind but messages and prophecies from the Gods themselves. But Imhotep could not make sense of the dreams, try as he might. Shakily, he sat up and huffed. It was still early morning before anyone else in the camp had awoken. The first rays of sunlight were just breaking over the top of the ridges of the distant sand dunes. The vast Egyptian sky was just beginning to turn a shade of magenta, the last of the stars winking out as the sun made its way over the horizon.

Seti had asked Imhotep to join his campaign to conquer the Hittites and take back land previously belonging to the empire. So far, they had been unsuccessful. His whole body felt stiff from sleeping on the cold ground as he grimaced to face another day under the scorching heat. The sound of his fellow soldiers waking up around him made way to his ears, but Imhotep was still in a daze from his dreams. Anguish rang in his ears; a pair of obsidian eyes laced with gold burned into his memory. He shook his head, stood quickly, and dispelled any lingering thoughts. He didn't have time for these strange prophecies the Gods wanted him to make sense of. He made his way to Seti's sleeping quarters 一his caravan was not hard to find. It was the only one protected from the desert's unforgiving elements.

Within the gloom of the caravan, Imhotep immediately saw Seti awake, pouring over plans for his military campaign with his advisors. Within the past few years since his daughter's birth, Imhotep had become a trusted friend of the Pharaoh and moved up the ranks in the temple to become High Priest. He knew that his advice was valuable, but the Pharaoh had been ornery and out of sorts on this campaign. Seti demanded much from his soldiers. He pushed them to trek through the desert at unforgiving times of day, deep into the cold night, and fight battles that left many behind, forgotten in the sands of time.

The curtain rustled and alerted Seti to his presence.

"Imhotep! My friend, good morning!" Seti said, a slight smile on his youthful face.

Imhotep faltered in his step, momentarily confused by the uncharacteristic cheerfulness. He regained his composure, "Good morning, my King. I trust you had a good night?"

The Pharaoh's smile got bigger. "Yes! Yes, indeed I have. And!" Seti said, picking up a papyrus from the table, "We have a new plan of action. We are to abandon our campaign with the Hittites and move on to our neighbors in the South. They won't see it coming!" He was giddy with excitement and bounced from foot to foot.

The Kingdom of Kush was a crown jewel in the eyes of the Pharaoh. The empire sourced much of its high-quality ivory, gold, silver, and slaves from the Kushites. But from the look on Seti's face, Imhotep knew he had more than trading on his mind this time.

"My Lord, do you mean we are to attack the Kushites? For what reason?"

Vexed, Seti slammed the papyrus back down on the table. "The Kushites have been refusing to allow for the purchase of slaves any longer, and well…" he drew out the last word and inspected his fingernails for dirt, "They are taking up territory that belongs to me anyways."

Imhotep knew this was a mistake but said nothing. He knew that once the Pharaoh had made up his mind, there was no changing it. His head swirled momentarily with images of the friends he had watched die and had to leave behind. He grimaced secretly, knowing that Seti was impulsive.

"Breakfast! Where is breakfast?" The Pharaoh huffed.

Servants ran around the caravan in a panic and procured fresh fruits, meats, and bread, seemingly from thin air. Imhotep's stomach growled. Though he was a close friend of Seti, he was still considered a soldier and received rationed dried meat, bread, and beer with the rest of them.

The Pharaoh stopped eating. "Well? What have you to say? You always have an opinion on something, even if you are rather mysterious about it." Seti mumbled the last part under his breath.

Imhotep chuckled slightly and smirked at the Pharaoh, "Yes, my Lord, I have an opinion. What difference does that make? You will not listen to it."

Seti chuckled and continued eating in silence for a few minutes. "You have proved a treasured friend to me all these years, Imhotep, but the kingdom is running low on precious supplies, and I must do what I must do."

What Seti meant by this, of course, was that the royal court was running low on dancing girls and polished ivory. Seti was nothing if not overly dramatic and spoiled.

"I feel it is not wise to instigate the Kushites," Imhotep bent down, his voice low, "We have many Kush soldiers fighting in our army. You wish to turn them against their own people?"

Imhotep noticed a Kush servant from across the room surreptitiously freeze.

The Pharaoh put down his bread and looked away, "The slaves are my property; they will do as they're told, or else they will see what I do with traitors." Seti lowered his eyes and looked sternly at Imhotep. "You are not to speak a word of this to anyone outside of this room, understood? We need all of the men thinking we're going home."

The hot sun beat down upon his back, seared into his flesh, and burned it with unforgiving flames. The sweat poured down his face as he continued his arduous trek. His flimsy sandals felt as if they were to break at any moment. Many of the men around him chattered, excited to go home to sleep in their beds tonight, curled up with their wives.

To have a wife back home...he could almost feel the silky black hair burned into his memory, the sinuous golden curves that fit perfectly into his hands… he shook his head. There was no one there in his small room in the temple. The woman from his dreams, the passion, and the despair had entangled into his heart and planted a seed there. Oh, Osiris, lead me away from this temptation! Stop confounding me with these riddles! Temporarily distracted, he hadn't caught the first signs of danger around him.

Suddenly arrows were flying in all directions. One grazed the man standing next to him, and he cried out, "Ambush!"

The world was thrown into confusion. The mess of sweaty, tired men straightened up, on high alert, and looked to the dunes surrounding them. There was no one to be seen. The sound of harsh breathing of the soldiers around him made the world feel supercharged with anticipation.

There was a resounding war cry, and the world exploded with red. The whole expanse of the desert was a mess of men fighting tooth and nail for their lives. The Kushites! How had they known that Seti's caravan did not come in peace? His thoughts were disrupted as a large man with a sword nearly took off his head. Imhotep swerved at the last second, his instincts kicking in, as he grabbed for his Nabut.

His breath was harsh as he and the soldier fought. Imhotep's skills in the art of Tahtib were incomparable to the burly man he wrassled with. Blood running into his eyes, Imhotep fought not to faint under the unrelenting desert sun, gritting his teeth.

A shrill cry caught his ears, momentarily distracting him. Swiftly taking down the man he fought with, Imhotep looked towards the noise. Seti lay on the ground twenty feet away, his face and chest matted with dry blood, his haughty smirk gone and replaced with a look of fear. The incensed man pinned him to the burning sand, the hilt of his sword stuck in between Seti's ribs.

The chief Kushite spat into Setis's face, "You thought you could ambush us? Take away our people and now come to take more from us?" The man said, pushing his foot into the Pharaoh's chest, bringing up a weak cough.

"Chief Arbaab, Brother! I was coming in peace! What makes you think I came with an ambush planned?" Seti said, chuckling nervously, another cough wracking his frame.

"I was informed this morning by one of my own men. I have spies everywhere, Pharaoh," Arbaab spat, spraying his bloody spittle onto Seti's grimy face.

It was then that Imhotep remembered the tiny slave boy who had come to the kingdom last year and had worked his way up to being a head servant. He had seen him in the caravan this morning.

A look of confusion and then anger passed over Seti's face. Chief Arbaab laughed. "I am never stupid enough to sell my own people to my neighbor without knowing what I am against. You are a very foolish man! It is too bad we couldn't have kept up this business deal. Though…" Arbaab said, stroking his beard, "Your women are beautiful too. This could be fun." He said lewdly.

Seti thrashed in vain under the heavy sandaled foot. "You will never take my kingdom! You will never have my people!"

"Oh? Do you really think so? There is no one here to save you this time, Seti. There is no son to replace you back home. You are truly a failure to your people." The Chief snickered, "It has been good doing business with you, Pharaoh." He emphasized the last word to mock him. Irate, Seti glowered at his captor.

Imhotep watching from afar, sprang into action, taking the Chief by surprise. He knocked him to the ground in a whoosh of sand. The colossal general rebounded in a fight stance. "Stay out of this, boy!" he said in indignation, shaking sand from his hair and clothes.

Imhotep stood his ground and did not answer. He felt weak and lightheaded from the lack of food and water in his system. The world struggled to stay in focus under the blazing sun.

All at once, the scene unfolded. Sand flew in every direction, stained red with blood. Imhotep fought fiercely, ducking and weaving out of the way of the Chief's sword. He almost laughed at how clumsy the man was, oafishly darting this way and that, no match for Imhotep's expert skills. The fight was over before it even started as he knocked the Chief to the ground in one swift, final blow. He winced as the man hit the sand in defeat.

One last look to ensure Arbaab was out cold, Imhotep dashed to Seti's side. Shallow stab wounds were seen just under his rib cage, where significant organs were located. The Pharaoh's eyes were closed, crusted over, and caked with drying, pink-tinged sand. Imhotep sucked in a breath. This was not good. His Pharaoh was fading fast. He knew that the wounds could prove to be fatal, especially out in the heat of the desert, far from the healing powers of the Nile.

Imhotep had barely noticed that once Chief Arbaab had fallen, his soldiers had stopped their pursuit and looked nervously at the disheveled Egyptian army. A group of the stronger Kush soldiers came to collect their Chief and, without a last word, disappeared over the sandy dunes.

He knew that he had to do something fast, and he felt around his bare chest for his satchel, which was usually slung around him. His hands grazed over his chest in a panic, feeling for it. Looking around, eyes crazed and breath ragged, he saw that it had been cut off from him in battle and lay some feet away from them. Reaching for it, he took his small slough of medical supplies and worked as fast as possible with his crude medicines and lack of tools.

The Pharaoh was now in for a different kind of fight.

Waking up in his chambers, Seti looked around in confusion. Where was the dessert? His men? The Kushites? He threw off the heavy blanket in a panic. Why was he back home?

Suddenly, strong hands were on his shoulders, gently but firmly pushing him back down. Dark stern eyes bore into his own.

"My Lord, it is alright. We are home. You need to rest." Seti stopped resisting and sunk into the plush pillows. His head was pounding as he lay there. He adjusted slightly and winced in pain; he moved back the blankets again and saw that his torso had been bandaged.

"Imhotep? What has happened? Why am I home?"

Imhotep looked bewildered at the question but quickly schooled his features into an inscrutable mask.

"The Kush army ambushed us." Was his simple reply.

"And what has happened to me? Why am I bandaged?" He held his hand to his head, trying to abate some of the pain, to no avail. Seti groaned and felt as if he was to be sick at any moment.

"Chief Arbaab attacked you. He has set up spies in our borders," Imhotep's eyes flashed momentarily, "But I have taken care of that."

Momentarily giddy, Seti forgot about his pain, "What have you done to the traitors? Have you had them killed?"

Imhotep's eyes widened, "No! I have scoured the kingdom and had every Kushite slave found and grilled for information. There were a few traitors in our midst, but they have moved ranks within the kingdom and will no longer have access to our secrets."

Seti's enthusiasm quickly diminished. He adored a sacrifice for the greater good. He did not like those who dared usurp his authority…but Imhotep had a good point. Keep the enemies close, but not close enough to know what happened behind the scenes.

"I see…" Seti sighed, sitting back on his pillows, nausea rising into his throat. He swallowed it down and laid there for a few minutes before answering, his eyes closed. "Well! I'm quite proud of you, my friend." Seti said, cracking open his eyes slowly to look at Imhotep.

Imhotep, who had been rustling around at his bedside with various herbs and tinctures, looked up shocked. "For what?"

"For your quick thinking, when I was out of commission. You have done well."

Taken aback, Imhotep stopped his ministrations. His hands were momentarily frozen on a clay pot. "Thank you…I have only done what I thought was best. There is no need for praise, my King."

"Yes, indeed there is! You have not only saved me but made very stately decisions regarding the future of the kingdom. I am very impressed. In fact, Imhotep, I would like you to become my Vizier."

Imhotep's eyes widened so much that Seti thought he looked like a scared child. Swallowing nervously, Imhotep answered. "Thank you. This is quite an honor." As quick as the nervousness had been seen on the young man's face, it was again replaced with remarkable composure.

He hated how Imhotep could do that! He was never good at that. In fact, he wore his emotions and his lies right out there on his sleeve. I'll have to ask him how he is so composed someday. It really is infuriating! And it could come in handy... Seti thought.

"And Imhotep?" Seti said.

"Yes?"

"You may stop calling me My Lord and My King now, for the God's sake! We are friends! You have saved my life! You have saved the Queen's life and brought Nefertari into the world. Now you have effectively straightened out the kingdom in my absence. I dare say we are good friends. Call me Seti from now on."

"Okay," Imhotep laughed lightly, "I can do that, my Lor-…Seti." He corrected himself.

Seti laughed at that. "Very well, very good, now, please tell me why my head is pounding, and I feel as if I'm not far from the arms of Anubis?"

A/N: Hi everyone! :) If you could leave a review that would be amazing! It would definitely be an incentive to write and to find what is working and what isn't. What do you all think about the friendship between Seti and Imhotep?