Ill Omens
Amancirith Carangarien
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, and not making any money, either. More's the pity. *bg*
Chapter Two
A handful of sand suddenly fell on Rick's head, the dry grains slipping down the back of his shirt and sticking near the waistband of his pants. He rolled his eyes as he shook his shoulders in an attempt to rid himself of the irritating sand. He glanced up at the ledge above him where Evie was diligently working.
"You think you could watch the sand, Evelyn? I'm getting kinda dusty down here."
She poked her head over the edge, absently brushing back the dark hair that fell in her eyes. "But, Rick, there are such fascinating artifacts up here, just begging to be found. If the sand is bothering you, why don't you come up here and join me?"
Before the American could speak, Evie had ducked back to her work. Rick sighed, but dutifully stood and moved to climb up to where Evie was. When he got there, he saw her reverently reaching for an ancient sword. She gently lifted the large blade, nearly dropping it when she felt its entire weight. She turned to Rick, an ecstatic smile on her face.
"Look at this, Rick! It's in superb condition, but it's incredibly old. And look at these writings on the blade." She handed him the sword so that she could point. "That is a very, very old dialect. The oldest I've ever seen, in fact. It's so old that I can't even translate it."
Rick shook his head at her excitement. "Well, any guesses on what it means?"
Evie bit her lower lip and cocked her head to the side. "As far as I can tell, it's the sword's name. But I have no idea what the name might be."
Rick arched an eyebrow. "Let me get this straight. This sword's name is engraved on the blade? Why'd they want to do that, Evelyn?"
"I'm not certain, Rick. It's quite typical for ancient swords to have been given names, and even for the name to be engraved on the sword, but it's usually on the hilt. I've only seen a few where it was written on the blade itself." She turned her back on him, reaching for something else. "And look at this ring. The detail is exquisite."
The American let the point of the strange sword rest in the sand as he reached for the ring in Evie's hand. It was fairly large, with a bright green stone in the center and etchings that looked a lot like snakes twining around it. Suddenly his attention was caught by what the ring and sword had been resting in. "Evelyn, did you realize that this thing you're looking through looks a lot like a display case?"
Her eyes widened and she turned her back on Rick to look for herself. After a moment she finally spoke, her voice filled with excitement. "You're right, Rick. I don't know why I didn't notice that myself." She reached up and brushed the sand off of what could have been a plaque above where the sword and ring had been resting. "See these glyphs? They're similar to the writing on the sword blade, only in a more modern dialect. It says, 'Here rests The Flame of the West, sword of the king.'" She glanced back at Rick. "I think we've really found something here. Whatever king this sword belonged to must have been extremely important."
Rick sighed, running a hand through his sand-filled hair. "Yeah, as long as he doesn't come back from the dead and try to kill us like the last important guy we found did. There aren't any curses written around here, are there?"
Evie absently shook her head. "No, there aren't any curses here. All that I can translate is speaking about the return of some great king who reunited the lands of men. But I can't translate any of the actual names or places, so I have no idea who it's referring to. It's all very frustrating."
"I'm sure it is." He turned to look at the pictures on the walls, frowning when his eyes fixed on one in particular. He shifted so that he could see it better and cocked his head in confusion when the image remained the same. "Uh, Evie, since when did the ancient Egyptians have pointed ears?"
She jerked her head up and looked back over her shoulder. "What on earth are you talking about, Rick? Pointed ears?"
He pointed to the picture that had caught his attention. "It could just be my imagination, but it looks like this guy on the wall here has pointy ears. What do you make of that?"
Evelyn gingerly moved over to where Rick was crouched and peered up at the figure. "You're right. I've never seen something like this before in all of my research. I can't even guess as to what it means."
"What are you doing here?"
Evie and Rick both whirled around, neither of them having heard anyone entering until the man behind them spoke. The American instantly had his guns out, but lowered them when he recognized the black-shrouded figure standing in the doorway. Rick holstered his pistols and rested his hands on his hips, all the while glaring at the intruder. He opened his mouth to speak, clamping it shut when Evie pushed past him.
"Do you have any idea of what these writings on the walls over here say? The language is older than anything I've studied, and I can only make out a few words. And I'm not at all certain about those, either."
Ardeth simply stared at Evelyn in silence for a moment before turning to Rick. "Is she always like this?"
The American chuckled. "You have no idea. So, what are you doing in these parts? Shouldn't you be watching out for our mummy friend to make sure he doesn't decide to destroy the world again?"
The Arab suddenly turned serious. "That is why I have come, my friend. Imhotep is awake, though I am not certain what woke the creature. He seeks for something that would make him much more dangerous than he had ever been before."
Rick sighed, dropping down to sit in the sand and propping his head in his hands. "That's just great, Ardeth. What's old Imhotep after now?"
"He is searching for a legendary ring, one that would give him enough power to conquer the entire world. This ring was destroyed long before the pyramids were built, but I am afraid that he has found a portal to take him back to retrieve it."
Rick frowned, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief. "Okay, let me get this straight. There used to be some sort of magic ring, and Imhotep's somehow gonna go back in time and get it? Is that what you're saying?"
Ardeth nodded. "I realize that it is hard to believe, my friend, but it is the truth. And you are the only one who can stop him."
The American glanced down, finally noticing how he had been absently playing with the ring that Evie had found. "Why is it that I'm always the only guy who can stop him? Why can't somebody else do it for a change?"
"It is in your blood, my friend." Ardeth gestured toward the sword at Rick's feet and the ring he was still twisting around his finger. "This is your birthright, and it is your destiny. That is something that you will just have to accept, my friend."
Rick sighed as he rose to his feet. "Fine. What do I have to do this time?"
Ardeth smiled slightly. "You must go back and keep the creature from retrieving the ring."
TBC
Amancirith Carangarien
Disclaimer: Don't own any of it, and not making any money, either. More's the pity. *bg*
Chapter Two
A handful of sand suddenly fell on Rick's head, the dry grains slipping down the back of his shirt and sticking near the waistband of his pants. He rolled his eyes as he shook his shoulders in an attempt to rid himself of the irritating sand. He glanced up at the ledge above him where Evie was diligently working.
"You think you could watch the sand, Evelyn? I'm getting kinda dusty down here."
She poked her head over the edge, absently brushing back the dark hair that fell in her eyes. "But, Rick, there are such fascinating artifacts up here, just begging to be found. If the sand is bothering you, why don't you come up here and join me?"
Before the American could speak, Evie had ducked back to her work. Rick sighed, but dutifully stood and moved to climb up to where Evie was. When he got there, he saw her reverently reaching for an ancient sword. She gently lifted the large blade, nearly dropping it when she felt its entire weight. She turned to Rick, an ecstatic smile on her face.
"Look at this, Rick! It's in superb condition, but it's incredibly old. And look at these writings on the blade." She handed him the sword so that she could point. "That is a very, very old dialect. The oldest I've ever seen, in fact. It's so old that I can't even translate it."
Rick shook his head at her excitement. "Well, any guesses on what it means?"
Evie bit her lower lip and cocked her head to the side. "As far as I can tell, it's the sword's name. But I have no idea what the name might be."
Rick arched an eyebrow. "Let me get this straight. This sword's name is engraved on the blade? Why'd they want to do that, Evelyn?"
"I'm not certain, Rick. It's quite typical for ancient swords to have been given names, and even for the name to be engraved on the sword, but it's usually on the hilt. I've only seen a few where it was written on the blade itself." She turned her back on him, reaching for something else. "And look at this ring. The detail is exquisite."
The American let the point of the strange sword rest in the sand as he reached for the ring in Evie's hand. It was fairly large, with a bright green stone in the center and etchings that looked a lot like snakes twining around it. Suddenly his attention was caught by what the ring and sword had been resting in. "Evelyn, did you realize that this thing you're looking through looks a lot like a display case?"
Her eyes widened and she turned her back on Rick to look for herself. After a moment she finally spoke, her voice filled with excitement. "You're right, Rick. I don't know why I didn't notice that myself." She reached up and brushed the sand off of what could have been a plaque above where the sword and ring had been resting. "See these glyphs? They're similar to the writing on the sword blade, only in a more modern dialect. It says, 'Here rests The Flame of the West, sword of the king.'" She glanced back at Rick. "I think we've really found something here. Whatever king this sword belonged to must have been extremely important."
Rick sighed, running a hand through his sand-filled hair. "Yeah, as long as he doesn't come back from the dead and try to kill us like the last important guy we found did. There aren't any curses written around here, are there?"
Evie absently shook her head. "No, there aren't any curses here. All that I can translate is speaking about the return of some great king who reunited the lands of men. But I can't translate any of the actual names or places, so I have no idea who it's referring to. It's all very frustrating."
"I'm sure it is." He turned to look at the pictures on the walls, frowning when his eyes fixed on one in particular. He shifted so that he could see it better and cocked his head in confusion when the image remained the same. "Uh, Evie, since when did the ancient Egyptians have pointed ears?"
She jerked her head up and looked back over her shoulder. "What on earth are you talking about, Rick? Pointed ears?"
He pointed to the picture that had caught his attention. "It could just be my imagination, but it looks like this guy on the wall here has pointy ears. What do you make of that?"
Evelyn gingerly moved over to where Rick was crouched and peered up at the figure. "You're right. I've never seen something like this before in all of my research. I can't even guess as to what it means."
"What are you doing here?"
Evie and Rick both whirled around, neither of them having heard anyone entering until the man behind them spoke. The American instantly had his guns out, but lowered them when he recognized the black-shrouded figure standing in the doorway. Rick holstered his pistols and rested his hands on his hips, all the while glaring at the intruder. He opened his mouth to speak, clamping it shut when Evie pushed past him.
"Do you have any idea of what these writings on the walls over here say? The language is older than anything I've studied, and I can only make out a few words. And I'm not at all certain about those, either."
Ardeth simply stared at Evelyn in silence for a moment before turning to Rick. "Is she always like this?"
The American chuckled. "You have no idea. So, what are you doing in these parts? Shouldn't you be watching out for our mummy friend to make sure he doesn't decide to destroy the world again?"
The Arab suddenly turned serious. "That is why I have come, my friend. Imhotep is awake, though I am not certain what woke the creature. He seeks for something that would make him much more dangerous than he had ever been before."
Rick sighed, dropping down to sit in the sand and propping his head in his hands. "That's just great, Ardeth. What's old Imhotep after now?"
"He is searching for a legendary ring, one that would give him enough power to conquer the entire world. This ring was destroyed long before the pyramids were built, but I am afraid that he has found a portal to take him back to retrieve it."
Rick frowned, cocking an eyebrow in disbelief. "Okay, let me get this straight. There used to be some sort of magic ring, and Imhotep's somehow gonna go back in time and get it? Is that what you're saying?"
Ardeth nodded. "I realize that it is hard to believe, my friend, but it is the truth. And you are the only one who can stop him."
The American glanced down, finally noticing how he had been absently playing with the ring that Evie had found. "Why is it that I'm always the only guy who can stop him? Why can't somebody else do it for a change?"
"It is in your blood, my friend." Ardeth gestured toward the sword at Rick's feet and the ring he was still twisting around his finger. "This is your birthright, and it is your destiny. That is something that you will just have to accept, my friend."
Rick sighed as he rose to his feet. "Fine. What do I have to do this time?"
Ardeth smiled slightly. "You must go back and keep the creature from retrieving the ring."
TBC