Disclaimer: I don't own ANY of the characters from The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, I am just using them for my little story. But, all the other characters you see in here ARE mine, Emily, Ahmad, Sabooru, etc. So…don't sue me for using those that are not mine. I am just having fun with them. *Dreams of owning Ardeth Bay…hum*
Authors note: This is my first Mummy fanfic, but I have been told its good. Be nice! J I am proud of it, and more will be coming of the story soon…so…enjoy it. Special thanks to Angie for giving me the names of Sabooru and Charlie (Who was a Benny) and for helping me when I got stuck on it. Luv you! Also, special thanks for Matt, Angie, Laurel and Lisa for reading it and telling me what they think. Love to you all, So….Here's my story, enjoy it, and more will be coming soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ardeth Bay strolled through the streets of Cairo. Enjoying the cool spring air. Dusk was his favorite time of the day to be in this dreadful city. His dark Med-jai robes blew lightly in a breeze. Thoughts of his old friends, the O'Connell's came to mind, as he walked past the Museum of Antiquities. He smiled at the very thought of them, and the trouble that always seemed to follow them. And Ardeth Bay was thankful they were in London, where they belonged. Although, he knew in the back of his mind, that trouble followed them there as well.
A scream passed through his ears, and tore him from his thoughts. Turning his body to the direction of the scream, he saw a woman being dragged into a dark ally way, by a large group, maybe 10, of dark shadows. He ran to rescue her, but as he turned into the ally, he saw she really didn't need that much help. The tall woman was beating off every one of her attackers. Slamming one's head into a wall, drooping kicking the other in his lower regions. This sight made half the men, including Ardeth, wince for a moment. The men seemed to be in dark robes, maybe dark green, with a silver symbol on the back of the robes. Although she was doing well on her own, Ardeth could quickly see that she couldn't do it all alone.
He pulled out his scimitar. He creeped up on one man and knocked him upside the head with the but of his large blade, causing the man to yelp and sink to the ground, this got the other men's attention. Half the group went after Ardeth, while the other half tried to take down the woman. She was too busy to notice the dark man helping her. He grunted as one man jumped on his back, in an effort to force him to the ground. Ardeth tossed the man over his shoulder, into 2 men who were coming after him. One man came after him, knife in hand, yelling some foreign battle cry. Ardeth kicked the knife out of his hand, and stabbed the man. He fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his body. Meanwhile, the knife Ardeth had kicked out of the man's hand, flew through the air, and landed a foot away from the woman. Both she and one of her attackers dove for it. He reached it first, but she gave him a good, solid punch in the face, and he dropped the knife, right into her hand. The group of 10 men that had first attacked her was now down to 6. Two continued to fight Ardeth, while the other four went after the woman. She quickly stabbed one in the neck, and knocked another out. Ardeth himself killed one more. He turned to the last man, his eyes shining with rage. The man turned and ran off, towards the tall woman.
For the first time, the woman noticed the tall dark man that was helping her. For a second, he took her mind off of her attackers. And one of them saw this, using the second to bring the butt of his knife down over her head. She let out a quick yelp, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Seeing this, Ardeth ran to her, kicking the men out of his way, he stood between her and the three men, his scimitar in hand, a look of pure rage in his eyes. The three men backed away slowly, knowing that they couldn't get to the woman. They picked up their unconscious friend, and dragged him down the ally. Disappearing into the night.
Ardeth sighed as he put his scimitar back into its holder. He kneeled down and looked the woman over. In the dark, he couldn't tell much about her features, except that she was tall, and clearly a foreigner. He reached out and touched her hair, feeling the spot where the man had struck her, a small amount of blood poured out of it. And he realized that she needed to be taken care of right away. He picked her up gently, and carried her down the dark ally, making sure he went the different way the 4 attackers had gone.
Ardeth went through many ally ways, until he found himself in front of a large gated home. He adjusted the girl in his arms and rang a small bell on the side of the front gate. A second later, a short man came out of the house, and down the drive.
"Who's there?" he asked, in Arabic. Not really trusting the large shadow that stood on the other side. Holding something in his arms.
"It is only I, Ardeth Bay." Came the reply, also in Arabic, from the dark.
"OH! Master Bay, hold on just a second." The small man took out a set of keys and opened the gate. As he did so, he asked,
"What is that in your arms?"
"A woman," Ardeth said as he stepped through the gate. "She was attacked by a group of men."
The little man looked at the lump in Ardeth's arms, and it was indeed a woman.
"She needs some minor medical attention quickly. Is Maria here?"
"Yes." Came the reply, as the little man held open the door. "Take her to the guest room."
Ardeth walked into the O'Connell's Cairo home. He knew his way around the place, and walked down a long hallway, to the door at the end. The little man opened it for the Med-jai, and then followed him in. He placed a towel over the pillows, and Ardeth placed the woman softly on the bed. He backed away, as a little old woman, Maria, and her daughter, Sama, attended to the fallen woman.
"What do you know about her?" came a small voice.
"I do not know anything about her, Charlie." Ardeth said, turning to the little man that had let him on to the O' Connell's property. "Except that she is a damn good fighter."
Charlie watched as his wife and daughter worked on the strange girl. He then turned.
"I will get you some thing to drink, Master Bay, you sit. Watch over your woman friend." He scampered out of the room.
Ardeth sat down in a chair, across from the bed, and watched as the woman's head was bandaged. He never took his eyes off of the girl. Her features not much clearer in the dim light of the guest room. He didn't notice the tall glass of ice tea that was placed on the table next to him. Nor did he notice Charlie give him a small, respectful bow. But he did notice when Maria and Sama got done with the girl. Now, everyone was out of the room, Ardeth stood and crossed to the bed. He sat on the side of it, careful not to disturb the girl. He ran a hand gently over her bandage, and then he ran it through her soft hair. It was shoulder length, and dark. Brown, he thought in his mind. She was taller then most woman he knew. Maybe around 5' 11". She is a good fighter. Ardeth thought. Older brothers must have thought her. He jumped slightly as she stirred in her deep sleep, but she did not waken. He got up, and moved the chair closer to the bed. Then he took the ice tea, and sat down. Starring at the woman, sipping his cold drink slowly. The cold felt good to his tired body. He knew he would have to rest, but didn't want to leave the girl unwatched. He closed his eyes, but not the rest of his senses, and drifted off into a shallow sleep.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE GOT AWAY?!?!?!?!?!?!" Sabooru yelled, in Arabic, at the top of his lungs. "HOW COULD SHE HAVE GOTTEN AWAY?!?!?!"
He stormed around a bit. His long deep green robes bellowing out behind him.
"Master," came a meek voice. Sabooru turned on his heal, and stared at the man who spoke.
"WHAT!?"
"There was this man…you see. He was tall and wore dark robes. He battled like a demon. As did the woman. She killed 3 men herself. He took down the other 3. I could not see in the dark, master, but I think the man was a Med-jai."
"MED-JAI!?"
"Yes master."
This idea made Sabooru very angry.
"Nek Ni." He mumbled. That was all he needed, the Med-jai messing around with HIS business. With HIS key. He stormed around a bit. Then looked at the 4 pitiful men bowing at his feet. His so called "Fajarah". Where did I ever get such a group of idiots? He thought.
"Get me that woman!" he said. "Or I will use each and every one of you as a personal sacrifice to the gods!"
The 4 men bowed their heads and scampered off. Leaving their master to his thoughts.
Ardeth sighed as he looked at the woman laying in the guest bed. She had yet to wake up, and now, at the mid-day, he was getting impatient. He sent Charlie to deliver a message to his men, and he expected them at any minute. As he sat waiting, the door to the guestroom opened, looking up, he saw a small head stick in to the room.
"Marhaba Salam Alekom[hello]" Sama said softly.
"Marhaba Salam Alekom" Ardeth said back.
She crossed the room and pulled a chair next to Ardeth. He smiled at her softly. She was only 12, but madly in love with him. Every time he paid a visit to the O'Connell house, she would follow him around like it was the only thing she could do. It made him smile; she was a cute little thing. With big brown eyes, and unruly brown hair. She would be beautiful one day, but she was way to young for Ardeth. But maybe not for his nephew.
"How is she?" she asked softly, in English. Evy was teaching her how to speak it.
"She is doing fine." Ardeth said.
"What do you know of her?"
"Nothing. Only that she is a good fighter, and a foreigner."
Sama looked at her favorite Med-jai.
"What will become of her?"
Ardeth smiled and placed a large hand on Sama's hair.
"I do not know, Shoeya Samak[little fish], I am just waiting for her to get better first. So that I can find out why she was attacked, and how I can help her."
They sat together for a while, silently watching the woman. Until a soft knock came at the door. Maria stuck her head in and said softly.
"Your men are here, Master Bay."
"Shukran[thank you]" he said softly. He turned to Sama. "You watch over her, Shoeya Samak, come get me if she wakes up."
Sama smiled softly, wishing she could sit in with the Med-jai chieftain, but knew she couldn't. She sighed and took his place in his chair. It was still very warm from the hours he spent sitting in it.
Ardeth entered the library of the house. There, he found 10 of his warriors, along with his second in command, Ahmad. As he entered, they all stood, touched their hearts with one open palm, and then waved it, in ritualistic fashion, toward the sky.
"Harum Bara shad!", they said to him.
The commander of the Med-jai made the same ceremonial sign, and said back, "Harum Bara shad!"
He sat in a large chair, and after he did, they all sat as well.
"What matters do you wish to discuss with us, Master." Ahmad said.
"The matters of a woman. A foreign woman. I was forced to rescue her from a group of 10 last night. They wore, I believe, dark green robes. I want to know who these men are, and what they wanted this woman."
"Is it possible," one warrior said, "that they wanted to rape this woman?"
"I don't believe that is the case. They wore a silver symbol on the back of their robes, I believe it looked like this."
He drew a circle with 3 wavy, horizontal lines inside of it, with a vertical arrow, pointing skyward.
"Go to the mystics" he said softly "I want to know who they are, and what sort of trouble they are going to cause me. Be swift, and report back to me."
The warriors nodded their heads and left the room. Leaving Ahmad and Ardeth to sit and look at each other.
"Master" Ahmad began.
"you want to know what this woman has to do with the Med-jai's time. Don't you?"
"Yes."
"When we took the oath, we swore to protect the innocent. That is what I am doing. A foreign woman was attacked. I want to know why. And I want to make sure she will be ok. She is a concern to me. Especially if some sort of cult wants her. Because that can mean big trouble."
"I understand sir." His second in command said. "But what about the other parts of our oath?"
Ardeth laughed. "My friend, Humanaptra is buried under a ton of sand. The creature and all that is connected to him is also under the sand. For now, we don't have to worry about that arising. But we do have to worry about this woman."
"Yes sir." Came the reply.
"Don't be to down on yourself, Ahmad." Ardeth said as he rose from his chair. "Who knows, this may be an adventure."
By dusk, there was no word from the Med-jai warriors, or from Sabooru's Fajarah. and while it did not please the latter of the men, Ardeth didn't really think about it too much. For an hour, the woman stirred like she was to wake soon, and he wanted to be there when she did. He had Marie bring in a basin of cool water, and a wash cloth. Soon the room became dark, and he turned on a single, dim light over her. Then he stood against the closet doorframe, and watched her.
Her mind and body ached. And as she regained conciseness, she was afraid to open her eyes. Afraid at where she was, and who she was with. The last thing she could remember was fighting of the strange pack of men. And seeing one tall man, helping her fight them off. And then pain, she slowly opened her eyes.
The woman made strange sounds. Ardeth looked at her softly, staying where he was. She was waking up.
As she opened her eyes, a quick shot of pain flew over her. She grunted softly and looked around. She was in a strange, dark room. Hum…light…table…bed…window…chair….man in door way……Her mind screamed. A tall, mysterious stranger stood leaning against a doorframe. She couldn't see his face, but felt a real danger in him. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing but a gasp came out. A soft chuckle came from the man.
"I am happy to see that you are awake. You have been in a deep sleep for a day." Ardeth said as softly and kind as he could.
"Who…are…you…" she gasped out.
"Have no fear, I am not here to hurt you."
"Who…are…you…" she said again. Trying with all her might to sound threatening. The man chuckled again, and then he stepped closer to the bed. She could see he wore long, dark robes. Just like the men who attacked her, this only made her more afraid. She slowly backed as far back on the bed as she could. Until she was smashed into the back bored. The man stepped up to the table that was next to her, and picked up a large basin. He then proceeded to sit on the bed, next to her.
"Have no fear." He said softly, "My name is Ardeth Bay, and I am the one who saved you from those men."
"How can I be sure about that?" she spat out.
She saw him smile. In the dim light, she couldn't see much about him. From his voice she could tell he was an Arab. And from what she saw of him standing, she could see that he was tall, and well built. She could tell he had a beard. And he seemed to have some dirt smudged across his checks and forehead. She suddenly wanted nothing more then to lick her thumb, and wipe it off, like a mother would do. But she knew the man wouldn't enjoy that, so she kept her hands to her self. In his dark smile, she saw a bright flash of white teeth. It seemed odd to her, that someone from here would have such nice teeth. Most of the people she talked to had little, or no teeth at all. And of the teeth they did have, they were all yellow and dingy.
Ardeth reached his hand into the basin, and soaked up the water with the wash cloth. He drew it out of the bowl, and squeezed the access water into the basin. Then he gently lifted the cloth to her forehead. She drew away.
"Do not be afraid." He said softly, "I assure you, my intentions are honorable."
"Sure" she said bitterly.
"I understand that you are afraid."
"Do you?"
He sighed. "After one of the men hit you with his knife handle, I ran and placed myself in between you and the men who attacked you. They scampered off like scared dogs. I saw that you were bleeding from your wound, and brought you back here. Where the house sitter, his wife, and daughter took care of your medical needs. I have stayed with you this whole time. Waiting for you to wake up, so that I might learn your name, and why those men went after you."
She looked him over again. His voice was soft and kind. He reached out with the wash cloth again, and again she drew away.
"I only wish to cool you down. I don't want you to catch a fever."
Again he reached forward, but she didn't back away. She felt the cool cloth on her head, and sighed softly. It did feel really nice. She sat there for a minute, eyes half closed, and felt as he dabbed the wet cloth around her checks and forehead. He then took it away. She opened her eyes and saw that he was wetting it more. He then placed it under her chin, and dabbed it around her neck. She enjoyed what he was doing very much.
"You have yet to tell me your name." He said softly.
She looked at him and smiled. "My name is Emily." Her voice, he thought, it is American.
"Nice to finally know your name, Emily."
"Thank you Ar…um…"
"Ardeth Bay."
"Yes, well, Mr. Bay, thank you."
He smiled again.
"I am sure it will be my pleasure."
She didn't quite know what he meant by that, but smiled at it any ways.
When Sama brought in diner for Ardeth, she was pleased to see that the young woman was awake. She placed the tray on a small table and smiled at Ardeth and the woman.
"Shukran" He said softly.
When Sama left, Emily turned to the tall man in black.
"She's cute." She said softly. "How old is she?"
"12, I believe" the reply came as he crossed to the table. "You need to eat. You have lost much strength." He picked the tray up and placed it over her lap.
"I am not that hungry, thank you."
"Eat."
"Please, I am not…"
"Eat."
She realized that it would be useless to argue with the man. She sighed as she stuck the fork into the food, and brought it to her mouth. It was good. As she ate, she kept an eye on Ardeth as he walked over to the wall, and flipped a switch. The room filled with bright light, and it blinded Emily for a second. When she blinked it away, she saw that he had returned to his chair next to her bed, and was watching her carefully.
"You are still apprehensive of Me.," he said softly.
"I just want to know why you bothered to help me."
Ardeth looked at her puzzled.
She sighed. "In Cairo, when you call for help when someone attacks you, most people don't bother to even look. Or they come to help who ever is attacking you, try and get something out of it. You know?"
He nodded his head. "I know all to well. This is a dangerous city. You shouldn't have been walking the back streets alone."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know, I saw you fight. I don't often see woman fight like that." Evy popped into his mind. That night, 2 years ago, at the O'Connell's house in London. This Emily fought like Evy did.
She smiled and ate some more.
"My older brothers taught me to fight. I was very much a tomboy as a child. They taught me everything. Sword fighting, punches, kicks, how to shoot. I can be a very dangerous thing."
"Yes you can be. But there is still much for you to learn about fighting. If you would not mind, I will teach you some…techniques…I believe is the word."
Emily raised an eyebrow at him. "And who are you to think you have to teach me how to fight better."
"In my tribe, the Med-jai, I am one of the best warriors. I often teach the warriors in training how to fight. I do not mean to insult you but these are things you should know, if you want to continue to walk the streets of Cairo alone."
She sighed and agreed with him. Knowing still it wouldn't be good to argue with him. In the bright light, she could see him better. His hair was long and dark, and she wanted to touch it. It fell into light waves around his head and face. And the dirt on his face, were really odd puzzle like tattoos. She knew now that it wouldn't have been a good idea to try and wipe them off. His eyes were dark but kind. Soft. And he was handsome. His top lip was thin, and his bottom lip was very full. He would be a good kisser. Came to her mind. Then she silently scolded herself for thinking it. Even though she knew it was true, she still didn't know the man well enough to think about kissing him. His beard was very trim. And his skin was tanned. She knew he had lived in the desert his whole life.
He smiled softly. "Do I measure up?"
"Excuse me?"
"You are studying me, do I measure up to your scale?"
"Oh." She blushed. "Um…uh…"
He smiled again. She was very beautiful. Her hair was brown and slightly wavy. Like mine. He thought. But her eyes were a light olive green. They were soft. And he could tell a lot about her from looking into them. She was a pretty human. Her skin was lightly tanned. Mostly on her arms. She still wore the same pants and tank top her had first found her in. A chuckle came out of him.
"Are you done with diner?"
"Oh...yes. Thank you."
He picked up the tray and carried it to the door. "You sleep now. You need your strength back." And with that, he turned of the overhead light and walked out of the room. Leaving Emily with her one, lonely, dim light.
When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Charlie set the hang up the phone. The little man turned to the tall Med-jai chieftain.
"That," he said, "Was Master O'Connell. He told me that his family, along with his brother-in-law, would be here in 2 days."
Ardeth nodded as he sat the tray next to the sink. He was, for once, happy to learn that his friends would be coming to Egypt.
"Good. I could use their help with this girl. She will continue to need some place to stay. Where those men couldn't find her."
The little man nodded. "She is awake?"
"Yes."
"What is she like?"
"Feisty. She has that damned American pride. I have a feeling that a lot of trouble will come from saving her." Ardeth looked right into Charlie's eyes. "But I don't think I will find her company that bad."
The little man smiled and winked at the Med-jai. Understanding fully what he meant.
Sabooru hit the roof. "YOU COULDN'T FIND HER?!?"
Once again, his 4 Fajarah bowed at his feet.
"HOW COULD YOU NOT FIND THE WOMAN!?!?!" He kicked over a potted plant.
"We looked everywhere, Master." One said. "in every hotel, hostel, hospital in the town. No one has seen the woman, or the man who took her."
"Kul Khara![shut up]" Sabooru yelled. "Ja-hosh, I want you to take these pitiful men and find her! we need her blood to perform the ceremony. SO FIND HER AND BRING HER BACK TO ME!"
"Yes, master." Ja-hosh took his 3 men and ran from the room. All were fearing the temper of their leader.
Sabooru walked up to a large alter in the middle of the room. He picked up a beep bluish amber stone. "do not worry, leader. We will not fail you again. We will bring you back to earth."
Authors note: This is my first Mummy fanfic, but I have been told its good. Be nice! J I am proud of it, and more will be coming of the story soon…so…enjoy it. Special thanks to Angie for giving me the names of Sabooru and Charlie (Who was a Benny) and for helping me when I got stuck on it. Luv you! Also, special thanks for Matt, Angie, Laurel and Lisa for reading it and telling me what they think. Love to you all, So….Here's my story, enjoy it, and more will be coming soon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ardeth Bay strolled through the streets of Cairo. Enjoying the cool spring air. Dusk was his favorite time of the day to be in this dreadful city. His dark Med-jai robes blew lightly in a breeze. Thoughts of his old friends, the O'Connell's came to mind, as he walked past the Museum of Antiquities. He smiled at the very thought of them, and the trouble that always seemed to follow them. And Ardeth Bay was thankful they were in London, where they belonged. Although, he knew in the back of his mind, that trouble followed them there as well.
A scream passed through his ears, and tore him from his thoughts. Turning his body to the direction of the scream, he saw a woman being dragged into a dark ally way, by a large group, maybe 10, of dark shadows. He ran to rescue her, but as he turned into the ally, he saw she really didn't need that much help. The tall woman was beating off every one of her attackers. Slamming one's head into a wall, drooping kicking the other in his lower regions. This sight made half the men, including Ardeth, wince for a moment. The men seemed to be in dark robes, maybe dark green, with a silver symbol on the back of the robes. Although she was doing well on her own, Ardeth could quickly see that she couldn't do it all alone.
He pulled out his scimitar. He creeped up on one man and knocked him upside the head with the but of his large blade, causing the man to yelp and sink to the ground, this got the other men's attention. Half the group went after Ardeth, while the other half tried to take down the woman. She was too busy to notice the dark man helping her. He grunted as one man jumped on his back, in an effort to force him to the ground. Ardeth tossed the man over his shoulder, into 2 men who were coming after him. One man came after him, knife in hand, yelling some foreign battle cry. Ardeth kicked the knife out of his hand, and stabbed the man. He fell to the ground, blood pouring out of his body. Meanwhile, the knife Ardeth had kicked out of the man's hand, flew through the air, and landed a foot away from the woman. Both she and one of her attackers dove for it. He reached it first, but she gave him a good, solid punch in the face, and he dropped the knife, right into her hand. The group of 10 men that had first attacked her was now down to 6. Two continued to fight Ardeth, while the other four went after the woman. She quickly stabbed one in the neck, and knocked another out. Ardeth himself killed one more. He turned to the last man, his eyes shining with rage. The man turned and ran off, towards the tall woman.
For the first time, the woman noticed the tall dark man that was helping her. For a second, he took her mind off of her attackers. And one of them saw this, using the second to bring the butt of his knife down over her head. She let out a quick yelp, and fell to the ground, unconscious. Seeing this, Ardeth ran to her, kicking the men out of his way, he stood between her and the three men, his scimitar in hand, a look of pure rage in his eyes. The three men backed away slowly, knowing that they couldn't get to the woman. They picked up their unconscious friend, and dragged him down the ally. Disappearing into the night.
Ardeth sighed as he put his scimitar back into its holder. He kneeled down and looked the woman over. In the dark, he couldn't tell much about her features, except that she was tall, and clearly a foreigner. He reached out and touched her hair, feeling the spot where the man had struck her, a small amount of blood poured out of it. And he realized that she needed to be taken care of right away. He picked her up gently, and carried her down the dark ally, making sure he went the different way the 4 attackers had gone.
Ardeth went through many ally ways, until he found himself in front of a large gated home. He adjusted the girl in his arms and rang a small bell on the side of the front gate. A second later, a short man came out of the house, and down the drive.
"Who's there?" he asked, in Arabic. Not really trusting the large shadow that stood on the other side. Holding something in his arms.
"It is only I, Ardeth Bay." Came the reply, also in Arabic, from the dark.
"OH! Master Bay, hold on just a second." The small man took out a set of keys and opened the gate. As he did so, he asked,
"What is that in your arms?"
"A woman," Ardeth said as he stepped through the gate. "She was attacked by a group of men."
The little man looked at the lump in Ardeth's arms, and it was indeed a woman.
"She needs some minor medical attention quickly. Is Maria here?"
"Yes." Came the reply, as the little man held open the door. "Take her to the guest room."
Ardeth walked into the O'Connell's Cairo home. He knew his way around the place, and walked down a long hallway, to the door at the end. The little man opened it for the Med-jai, and then followed him in. He placed a towel over the pillows, and Ardeth placed the woman softly on the bed. He backed away, as a little old woman, Maria, and her daughter, Sama, attended to the fallen woman.
"What do you know about her?" came a small voice.
"I do not know anything about her, Charlie." Ardeth said, turning to the little man that had let him on to the O' Connell's property. "Except that she is a damn good fighter."
Charlie watched as his wife and daughter worked on the strange girl. He then turned.
"I will get you some thing to drink, Master Bay, you sit. Watch over your woman friend." He scampered out of the room.
Ardeth sat down in a chair, across from the bed, and watched as the woman's head was bandaged. He never took his eyes off of the girl. Her features not much clearer in the dim light of the guest room. He didn't notice the tall glass of ice tea that was placed on the table next to him. Nor did he notice Charlie give him a small, respectful bow. But he did notice when Maria and Sama got done with the girl. Now, everyone was out of the room, Ardeth stood and crossed to the bed. He sat on the side of it, careful not to disturb the girl. He ran a hand gently over her bandage, and then he ran it through her soft hair. It was shoulder length, and dark. Brown, he thought in his mind. She was taller then most woman he knew. Maybe around 5' 11". She is a good fighter. Ardeth thought. Older brothers must have thought her. He jumped slightly as she stirred in her deep sleep, but she did not waken. He got up, and moved the chair closer to the bed. Then he took the ice tea, and sat down. Starring at the woman, sipping his cold drink slowly. The cold felt good to his tired body. He knew he would have to rest, but didn't want to leave the girl unwatched. He closed his eyes, but not the rest of his senses, and drifted off into a shallow sleep.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE GOT AWAY?!?!?!?!?!?!" Sabooru yelled, in Arabic, at the top of his lungs. "HOW COULD SHE HAVE GOTTEN AWAY?!?!?!"
He stormed around a bit. His long deep green robes bellowing out behind him.
"Master," came a meek voice. Sabooru turned on his heal, and stared at the man who spoke.
"WHAT!?"
"There was this man…you see. He was tall and wore dark robes. He battled like a demon. As did the woman. She killed 3 men herself. He took down the other 3. I could not see in the dark, master, but I think the man was a Med-jai."
"MED-JAI!?"
"Yes master."
This idea made Sabooru very angry.
"Nek Ni." He mumbled. That was all he needed, the Med-jai messing around with HIS business. With HIS key. He stormed around a bit. Then looked at the 4 pitiful men bowing at his feet. His so called "Fajarah". Where did I ever get such a group of idiots? He thought.
"Get me that woman!" he said. "Or I will use each and every one of you as a personal sacrifice to the gods!"
The 4 men bowed their heads and scampered off. Leaving their master to his thoughts.
Ardeth sighed as he looked at the woman laying in the guest bed. She had yet to wake up, and now, at the mid-day, he was getting impatient. He sent Charlie to deliver a message to his men, and he expected them at any minute. As he sat waiting, the door to the guestroom opened, looking up, he saw a small head stick in to the room.
"Marhaba Salam Alekom[hello]" Sama said softly.
"Marhaba Salam Alekom" Ardeth said back.
She crossed the room and pulled a chair next to Ardeth. He smiled at her softly. She was only 12, but madly in love with him. Every time he paid a visit to the O'Connell house, she would follow him around like it was the only thing she could do. It made him smile; she was a cute little thing. With big brown eyes, and unruly brown hair. She would be beautiful one day, but she was way to young for Ardeth. But maybe not for his nephew.
"How is she?" she asked softly, in English. Evy was teaching her how to speak it.
"She is doing fine." Ardeth said.
"What do you know of her?"
"Nothing. Only that she is a good fighter, and a foreigner."
Sama looked at her favorite Med-jai.
"What will become of her?"
Ardeth smiled and placed a large hand on Sama's hair.
"I do not know, Shoeya Samak[little fish], I am just waiting for her to get better first. So that I can find out why she was attacked, and how I can help her."
They sat together for a while, silently watching the woman. Until a soft knock came at the door. Maria stuck her head in and said softly.
"Your men are here, Master Bay."
"Shukran[thank you]" he said softly. He turned to Sama. "You watch over her, Shoeya Samak, come get me if she wakes up."
Sama smiled softly, wishing she could sit in with the Med-jai chieftain, but knew she couldn't. She sighed and took his place in his chair. It was still very warm from the hours he spent sitting in it.
Ardeth entered the library of the house. There, he found 10 of his warriors, along with his second in command, Ahmad. As he entered, they all stood, touched their hearts with one open palm, and then waved it, in ritualistic fashion, toward the sky.
"Harum Bara shad!", they said to him.
The commander of the Med-jai made the same ceremonial sign, and said back, "Harum Bara shad!"
He sat in a large chair, and after he did, they all sat as well.
"What matters do you wish to discuss with us, Master." Ahmad said.
"The matters of a woman. A foreign woman. I was forced to rescue her from a group of 10 last night. They wore, I believe, dark green robes. I want to know who these men are, and what they wanted this woman."
"Is it possible," one warrior said, "that they wanted to rape this woman?"
"I don't believe that is the case. They wore a silver symbol on the back of their robes, I believe it looked like this."
He drew a circle with 3 wavy, horizontal lines inside of it, with a vertical arrow, pointing skyward.
"Go to the mystics" he said softly "I want to know who they are, and what sort of trouble they are going to cause me. Be swift, and report back to me."
The warriors nodded their heads and left the room. Leaving Ahmad and Ardeth to sit and look at each other.
"Master" Ahmad began.
"you want to know what this woman has to do with the Med-jai's time. Don't you?"
"Yes."
"When we took the oath, we swore to protect the innocent. That is what I am doing. A foreign woman was attacked. I want to know why. And I want to make sure she will be ok. She is a concern to me. Especially if some sort of cult wants her. Because that can mean big trouble."
"I understand sir." His second in command said. "But what about the other parts of our oath?"
Ardeth laughed. "My friend, Humanaptra is buried under a ton of sand. The creature and all that is connected to him is also under the sand. For now, we don't have to worry about that arising. But we do have to worry about this woman."
"Yes sir." Came the reply.
"Don't be to down on yourself, Ahmad." Ardeth said as he rose from his chair. "Who knows, this may be an adventure."
By dusk, there was no word from the Med-jai warriors, or from Sabooru's Fajarah. and while it did not please the latter of the men, Ardeth didn't really think about it too much. For an hour, the woman stirred like she was to wake soon, and he wanted to be there when she did. He had Marie bring in a basin of cool water, and a wash cloth. Soon the room became dark, and he turned on a single, dim light over her. Then he stood against the closet doorframe, and watched her.
Her mind and body ached. And as she regained conciseness, she was afraid to open her eyes. Afraid at where she was, and who she was with. The last thing she could remember was fighting of the strange pack of men. And seeing one tall man, helping her fight them off. And then pain, she slowly opened her eyes.
The woman made strange sounds. Ardeth looked at her softly, staying where he was. She was waking up.
As she opened her eyes, a quick shot of pain flew over her. She grunted softly and looked around. She was in a strange, dark room. Hum…light…table…bed…window…chair….man in door way……Her mind screamed. A tall, mysterious stranger stood leaning against a doorframe. She couldn't see his face, but felt a real danger in him. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing but a gasp came out. A soft chuckle came from the man.
"I am happy to see that you are awake. You have been in a deep sleep for a day." Ardeth said as softly and kind as he could.
"Who…are…you…" she gasped out.
"Have no fear, I am not here to hurt you."
"Who…are…you…" she said again. Trying with all her might to sound threatening. The man chuckled again, and then he stepped closer to the bed. She could see he wore long, dark robes. Just like the men who attacked her, this only made her more afraid. She slowly backed as far back on the bed as she could. Until she was smashed into the back bored. The man stepped up to the table that was next to her, and picked up a large basin. He then proceeded to sit on the bed, next to her.
"Have no fear." He said softly, "My name is Ardeth Bay, and I am the one who saved you from those men."
"How can I be sure about that?" she spat out.
She saw him smile. In the dim light, she couldn't see much about him. From his voice she could tell he was an Arab. And from what she saw of him standing, she could see that he was tall, and well built. She could tell he had a beard. And he seemed to have some dirt smudged across his checks and forehead. She suddenly wanted nothing more then to lick her thumb, and wipe it off, like a mother would do. But she knew the man wouldn't enjoy that, so she kept her hands to her self. In his dark smile, she saw a bright flash of white teeth. It seemed odd to her, that someone from here would have such nice teeth. Most of the people she talked to had little, or no teeth at all. And of the teeth they did have, they were all yellow and dingy.
Ardeth reached his hand into the basin, and soaked up the water with the wash cloth. He drew it out of the bowl, and squeezed the access water into the basin. Then he gently lifted the cloth to her forehead. She drew away.
"Do not be afraid." He said softly, "I assure you, my intentions are honorable."
"Sure" she said bitterly.
"I understand that you are afraid."
"Do you?"
He sighed. "After one of the men hit you with his knife handle, I ran and placed myself in between you and the men who attacked you. They scampered off like scared dogs. I saw that you were bleeding from your wound, and brought you back here. Where the house sitter, his wife, and daughter took care of your medical needs. I have stayed with you this whole time. Waiting for you to wake up, so that I might learn your name, and why those men went after you."
She looked him over again. His voice was soft and kind. He reached out with the wash cloth again, and again she drew away.
"I only wish to cool you down. I don't want you to catch a fever."
Again he reached forward, but she didn't back away. She felt the cool cloth on her head, and sighed softly. It did feel really nice. She sat there for a minute, eyes half closed, and felt as he dabbed the wet cloth around her checks and forehead. He then took it away. She opened her eyes and saw that he was wetting it more. He then placed it under her chin, and dabbed it around her neck. She enjoyed what he was doing very much.
"You have yet to tell me your name." He said softly.
She looked at him and smiled. "My name is Emily." Her voice, he thought, it is American.
"Nice to finally know your name, Emily."
"Thank you Ar…um…"
"Ardeth Bay."
"Yes, well, Mr. Bay, thank you."
He smiled again.
"I am sure it will be my pleasure."
She didn't quite know what he meant by that, but smiled at it any ways.
When Sama brought in diner for Ardeth, she was pleased to see that the young woman was awake. She placed the tray on a small table and smiled at Ardeth and the woman.
"Shukran" He said softly.
When Sama left, Emily turned to the tall man in black.
"She's cute." She said softly. "How old is she?"
"12, I believe" the reply came as he crossed to the table. "You need to eat. You have lost much strength." He picked the tray up and placed it over her lap.
"I am not that hungry, thank you."
"Eat."
"Please, I am not…"
"Eat."
She realized that it would be useless to argue with the man. She sighed as she stuck the fork into the food, and brought it to her mouth. It was good. As she ate, she kept an eye on Ardeth as he walked over to the wall, and flipped a switch. The room filled with bright light, and it blinded Emily for a second. When she blinked it away, she saw that he had returned to his chair next to her bed, and was watching her carefully.
"You are still apprehensive of Me.," he said softly.
"I just want to know why you bothered to help me."
Ardeth looked at her puzzled.
She sighed. "In Cairo, when you call for help when someone attacks you, most people don't bother to even look. Or they come to help who ever is attacking you, try and get something out of it. You know?"
He nodded his head. "I know all to well. This is a dangerous city. You shouldn't have been walking the back streets alone."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know, I saw you fight. I don't often see woman fight like that." Evy popped into his mind. That night, 2 years ago, at the O'Connell's house in London. This Emily fought like Evy did.
She smiled and ate some more.
"My older brothers taught me to fight. I was very much a tomboy as a child. They taught me everything. Sword fighting, punches, kicks, how to shoot. I can be a very dangerous thing."
"Yes you can be. But there is still much for you to learn about fighting. If you would not mind, I will teach you some…techniques…I believe is the word."
Emily raised an eyebrow at him. "And who are you to think you have to teach me how to fight better."
"In my tribe, the Med-jai, I am one of the best warriors. I often teach the warriors in training how to fight. I do not mean to insult you but these are things you should know, if you want to continue to walk the streets of Cairo alone."
She sighed and agreed with him. Knowing still it wouldn't be good to argue with him. In the bright light, she could see him better. His hair was long and dark, and she wanted to touch it. It fell into light waves around his head and face. And the dirt on his face, were really odd puzzle like tattoos. She knew now that it wouldn't have been a good idea to try and wipe them off. His eyes were dark but kind. Soft. And he was handsome. His top lip was thin, and his bottom lip was very full. He would be a good kisser. Came to her mind. Then she silently scolded herself for thinking it. Even though she knew it was true, she still didn't know the man well enough to think about kissing him. His beard was very trim. And his skin was tanned. She knew he had lived in the desert his whole life.
He smiled softly. "Do I measure up?"
"Excuse me?"
"You are studying me, do I measure up to your scale?"
"Oh." She blushed. "Um…uh…"
He smiled again. She was very beautiful. Her hair was brown and slightly wavy. Like mine. He thought. But her eyes were a light olive green. They were soft. And he could tell a lot about her from looking into them. She was a pretty human. Her skin was lightly tanned. Mostly on her arms. She still wore the same pants and tank top her had first found her in. A chuckle came out of him.
"Are you done with diner?"
"Oh...yes. Thank you."
He picked up the tray and carried it to the door. "You sleep now. You need your strength back." And with that, he turned of the overhead light and walked out of the room. Leaving Emily with her one, lonely, dim light.
When he walked into the kitchen, he saw Charlie set the hang up the phone. The little man turned to the tall Med-jai chieftain.
"That," he said, "Was Master O'Connell. He told me that his family, along with his brother-in-law, would be here in 2 days."
Ardeth nodded as he sat the tray next to the sink. He was, for once, happy to learn that his friends would be coming to Egypt.
"Good. I could use their help with this girl. She will continue to need some place to stay. Where those men couldn't find her."
The little man nodded. "She is awake?"
"Yes."
"What is she like?"
"Feisty. She has that damned American pride. I have a feeling that a lot of trouble will come from saving her." Ardeth looked right into Charlie's eyes. "But I don't think I will find her company that bad."
The little man smiled and winked at the Med-jai. Understanding fully what he meant.
Sabooru hit the roof. "YOU COULDN'T FIND HER?!?"
Once again, his 4 Fajarah bowed at his feet.
"HOW COULD YOU NOT FIND THE WOMAN!?!?!" He kicked over a potted plant.
"We looked everywhere, Master." One said. "in every hotel, hostel, hospital in the town. No one has seen the woman, or the man who took her."
"Kul Khara![shut up]" Sabooru yelled. "Ja-hosh, I want you to take these pitiful men and find her! we need her blood to perform the ceremony. SO FIND HER AND BRING HER BACK TO ME!"
"Yes, master." Ja-hosh took his 3 men and ran from the room. All were fearing the temper of their leader.
Sabooru walked up to a large alter in the middle of the room. He picked up a beep bluish amber stone. "do not worry, leader. We will not fail you again. We will bring you back to earth."