The Med-jai and the O'Connell's rode through the night silently. They knew that even at the speed they were going, they would not catch up to the Fajarah in the desert. But the thought still did not worry Ardeth too much. They did not have the stone, so they could not perform the spell. But what did worry him, was that they would kill Emily out of rage. After riding in the desert for an hour, Ardeth looked up and saw a bird flying through the night sky. For some reason, he felt like the bird was a threat. So he calmly pulled out his gun and shot the bird. The sound of the blast and the squawk of the bird made every one jump, even the horses.
"ARDETH!" Evy yelled, as the he rode towards where the bird had fallen.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" Rick exclaimed as he rode to Ardeth. Who had jumped off his horse and bent over, picking up the bird. From up high, Rick watched as Ardeth took the small bag off the bird's foot and unwrapped the piece of paper.
"The Med-jai are coming." He said aloud. He handed the piece of paper to Rick, who squinted at the paper, seeing the strange Arabic words.
"I hated having to do that." Ardeth said as he carefully placed the dead bird on the ground, covering it with sand. "But they must not know that we are coming."
"They have to know."
"Yes, but not when." Ardeth jumped back on his horse. They rode back to where the rest of the group was, explained what had happened, and rode on in silence again.
~~
Emily stared out at the desert as it passed her by. She sat in the Jeep as it bumped over the makeshift road. Her hands tied behind her back, her ankles tied. Her mouth gagged. The moon was bright in the sky. And she wondered how far back Ardeth was. She looked over at the horses that rode next to the car, the tall dark figures on top of them.
"Oh…how our master is going to love coming back." Sabooru said as he looked at the young woman. "Would you like to see him?" his hand reached for his pocket. But stopped.
"Later." His hand then reached out and gently brushed against her cheek. She pulled back, mumbling some words at him. "You are so very pretty, no wonder that Med-jai was taken by you. Maybe before we bring our master back, I will…how you saw…take you?"
She couldn't hide the fear in her eyes. But she started to struggle. Bringing her legs up and kicking at the man. She turned just in time to see the hand that slapped her across the face. She felt some sort of darkness grabbing her, pulling her in. and she did not fight it. Letting the dark swallow her.
~~
The good guys rode all through out the night. Resting their horses every once and a while. During one such rest, towards dawn, Ardeth walked up on an empty dune. And sat there, head in his hands. He did not feel it when Evy walked up and sat down next to him. But he jumped as she placed her hand on his back. Ardeth looked at her, and then placed his head back in his hands.
"You should rest," She said softly, "you are going to need your strength."
"I have fought bigger battles on little strength before, I find my strength right before they begin."
Evy looked at her friend, seeing him as the human he was. Bent of revenge, but afraid for the girl he clearly loved. He sighed and looked over at her, knowing what she saw.
"I will get her back." He said softly. "I am not going to let anything happen to her."
"I know, old friend, I know." She said softly. He turned to her, about to say something, when Jonathan called out that it was time to go. Ardeth smiled and stood, helping Evy up. She thanked him as she brushed off her pants. They went down together.
~~
When Emily woke up, she thought that it was all a dream. She thought she would open her eyes and see Ardeth's smiling face. But, when she did open her eyes, she saw the old dusty temple instead. She was chained up to a wall, her mouth still gagged, two guards at her side. She started to hate the idea having guards around her so much. She saw the mid-day light seep through the temple, and realized that they had made it there faster then she thought. She still wondered where Ardeth was, and how close he was to her.
The scream that passed through the temple made everyone jump. Then there was a long line of Arabic swear words.
"WHERE IS THE STONE?!?!?!" she heard Sabooru yell at the top of his lungs. Her mind worked quickly.
Jonathan.
Her heart jumped for joy and she thought about kissing him in thanks. There was another long string of Arabic swearwords, and it got louder as Sabooru entered the room where she was in, slapping her viciously. She let out a little yelp.
"So, your stupid drunken friend took it eh?!" he screamed in her face. He turned to Ja-hosh and said, "Get me that stone back, and kill everyone of them."
Ja-hosh nodded and bowed his head. Then he grabbed a small group of Fajarah and ran to the horses. Sabooru turned to Emily.
"That was the last mistake your friends will ever make." And he stormed off, another string of swear words coming out of him.
~~
The Med-jai and the O'Connell's reached the temple mid-afternoon. But they had to go around the Temple in a wide path to stay unnoticed. As they came around a large dune, they saw 20 other Med-jai sitting on horseback. They all touched their hearts with one open palm, and then waved it, in ritualistic fashion, toward the sky.
"Harum Bara shad!", they said to him, all at once.
The commander of the Med-jai made the same ceremonial sign, and said back, "Harum Bara shad!"
He rode up to one of the Med-jai near the front of the large group.
"Master." The warrior, Maticuno, said, bowing his head.
"Cam? [How many?]" Ardeth asked.
"Thalatheen. [30] Their leader has been running around all day, screaming about a missing stone."
Ardeth nodded and smiled.
"They will not find it." Was all he said. He looked around at the 30 people he had around him. 31 if he counted himself.
"We will attack when the sun no longer hits the temple. That will be in about an hour." He told his men. "Rest, for we don't know what kind of battle this will be."
Ardeth rode over to where the O'Connell's and Jonathan were sitting on their horses.
"Are you sure about this?" Rick said.
"It will catch them off guard. There are about 30 of them and 31 of us. These are the best warriors we have."
"So," Jonathan said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "This should be a simple rescue operation."
"Nothing is simple, Jonathan, We must go in to this with everything we have, and make it a quick operation. We can not take the chance that they might kill Emily out of rage." Ardeth said softly. He climbed off his horse. "I suggest you all rest for a bit. Eat something. Sit back."
"I suggest you do the same thing." Evy said, jumping down. Rick had to agree, Ardeth looked like hell. His hair was unruly, he was dirty and looked really tired. But he was the warrior he always has been. And he stood tall. He took his turban off and tried to run a hand through his hair, his fingers catching on the knots. Evy reached into a small saddlebag and pulled out a brush, and handed it to him. He gave her a funny look, but took it and began to brush his hair.
"ARDETH!" Evy yelled, as the he rode towards where the bird had fallen.
"What the hell did you do that for?!" Rick exclaimed as he rode to Ardeth. Who had jumped off his horse and bent over, picking up the bird. From up high, Rick watched as Ardeth took the small bag off the bird's foot and unwrapped the piece of paper.
"The Med-jai are coming." He said aloud. He handed the piece of paper to Rick, who squinted at the paper, seeing the strange Arabic words.
"I hated having to do that." Ardeth said as he carefully placed the dead bird on the ground, covering it with sand. "But they must not know that we are coming."
"They have to know."
"Yes, but not when." Ardeth jumped back on his horse. They rode back to where the rest of the group was, explained what had happened, and rode on in silence again.
~~
Emily stared out at the desert as it passed her by. She sat in the Jeep as it bumped over the makeshift road. Her hands tied behind her back, her ankles tied. Her mouth gagged. The moon was bright in the sky. And she wondered how far back Ardeth was. She looked over at the horses that rode next to the car, the tall dark figures on top of them.
"Oh…how our master is going to love coming back." Sabooru said as he looked at the young woman. "Would you like to see him?" his hand reached for his pocket. But stopped.
"Later." His hand then reached out and gently brushed against her cheek. She pulled back, mumbling some words at him. "You are so very pretty, no wonder that Med-jai was taken by you. Maybe before we bring our master back, I will…how you saw…take you?"
She couldn't hide the fear in her eyes. But she started to struggle. Bringing her legs up and kicking at the man. She turned just in time to see the hand that slapped her across the face. She felt some sort of darkness grabbing her, pulling her in. and she did not fight it. Letting the dark swallow her.
~~
The good guys rode all through out the night. Resting their horses every once and a while. During one such rest, towards dawn, Ardeth walked up on an empty dune. And sat there, head in his hands. He did not feel it when Evy walked up and sat down next to him. But he jumped as she placed her hand on his back. Ardeth looked at her, and then placed his head back in his hands.
"You should rest," She said softly, "you are going to need your strength."
"I have fought bigger battles on little strength before, I find my strength right before they begin."
Evy looked at her friend, seeing him as the human he was. Bent of revenge, but afraid for the girl he clearly loved. He sighed and looked over at her, knowing what she saw.
"I will get her back." He said softly. "I am not going to let anything happen to her."
"I know, old friend, I know." She said softly. He turned to her, about to say something, when Jonathan called out that it was time to go. Ardeth smiled and stood, helping Evy up. She thanked him as she brushed off her pants. They went down together.
~~
When Emily woke up, she thought that it was all a dream. She thought she would open her eyes and see Ardeth's smiling face. But, when she did open her eyes, she saw the old dusty temple instead. She was chained up to a wall, her mouth still gagged, two guards at her side. She started to hate the idea having guards around her so much. She saw the mid-day light seep through the temple, and realized that they had made it there faster then she thought. She still wondered where Ardeth was, and how close he was to her.
The scream that passed through the temple made everyone jump. Then there was a long line of Arabic swear words.
"WHERE IS THE STONE?!?!?!" she heard Sabooru yell at the top of his lungs. Her mind worked quickly.
Jonathan.
Her heart jumped for joy and she thought about kissing him in thanks. There was another long string of Arabic swearwords, and it got louder as Sabooru entered the room where she was in, slapping her viciously. She let out a little yelp.
"So, your stupid drunken friend took it eh?!" he screamed in her face. He turned to Ja-hosh and said, "Get me that stone back, and kill everyone of them."
Ja-hosh nodded and bowed his head. Then he grabbed a small group of Fajarah and ran to the horses. Sabooru turned to Emily.
"That was the last mistake your friends will ever make." And he stormed off, another string of swear words coming out of him.
~~
The Med-jai and the O'Connell's reached the temple mid-afternoon. But they had to go around the Temple in a wide path to stay unnoticed. As they came around a large dune, they saw 20 other Med-jai sitting on horseback. They all touched their hearts with one open palm, and then waved it, in ritualistic fashion, toward the sky.
"Harum Bara shad!", they said to him, all at once.
The commander of the Med-jai made the same ceremonial sign, and said back, "Harum Bara shad!"
He rode up to one of the Med-jai near the front of the large group.
"Master." The warrior, Maticuno, said, bowing his head.
"Cam? [How many?]" Ardeth asked.
"Thalatheen. [30] Their leader has been running around all day, screaming about a missing stone."
Ardeth nodded and smiled.
"They will not find it." Was all he said. He looked around at the 30 people he had around him. 31 if he counted himself.
"We will attack when the sun no longer hits the temple. That will be in about an hour." He told his men. "Rest, for we don't know what kind of battle this will be."
Ardeth rode over to where the O'Connell's and Jonathan were sitting on their horses.
"Are you sure about this?" Rick said.
"It will catch them off guard. There are about 30 of them and 31 of us. These are the best warriors we have."
"So," Jonathan said, wiping the sweat off his brow. "This should be a simple rescue operation."
"Nothing is simple, Jonathan, We must go in to this with everything we have, and make it a quick operation. We can not take the chance that they might kill Emily out of rage." Ardeth said softly. He climbed off his horse. "I suggest you all rest for a bit. Eat something. Sit back."
"I suggest you do the same thing." Evy said, jumping down. Rick had to agree, Ardeth looked like hell. His hair was unruly, he was dirty and looked really tired. But he was the warrior he always has been. And he stood tall. He took his turban off and tried to run a hand through his hair, his fingers catching on the knots. Evy reached into a small saddlebag and pulled out a brush, and handed it to him. He gave her a funny look, but took it and began to brush his hair.