Disclaimer: Jonathon, Ardeth, Imohtep, Anck-su-namun and the Med-jai aren't mine. Most of the rest of this is.
It couldn't be dignified with the name 'camp'. It was nothing more than a collection of men concealed behind boulders on top of a ridge which was slanted. Sleeping mats were unrolled further down, where the men could move around with out being seen. They'd left their horses even further down on a natural ledge, where some men cared for them. While the place couldn't dignify the name camp, it was a perfect example of 'vantage point', as the men could easily see those who were camped on the desert some distance below.
Jonathon, Alex and Caitlin looked with some trepidation at the figure of Ardeth Bay who stood before them, knowing that he was the one who they ultimately had to answer to. It was Jonathon who took charge, stepping forwards and saying brightly "Well, it has been a while and no mistake. How are you?"
Ardeth's gaze finally shifted from his daughter and focused instead on Jonathon. For a tense moment Jonathon was sure that something nasty, probably involving a sword, was going to happen, but then Ardeth broke into a reluctant smile. "As soon as I saw someone coming here I should have known that it was you. Your family always seem to be in the middle of things, my friend."
Jonathon grinned cheerfully, saying "Well, you know us. So, I don't suppose you could tell us exactly what is going on?" Ardeth hesitated, then began to shake his head, laughing wryly.
Just then one of the Med-jai came forwards, holding a hawk on his arm. He offered the message to Ardeth, who gestured to the three to stay where they were before walking a little distance away. Shortly after, he began to swear viciously. Caitlin stared at her normally extremely controlled father in surprise. He called various Med-jai to him. "They say that most likely they won't get here until tomorrow night." The assembled Med-jai flinched visibly.
"If they move into the city tomorrow" began one of them, but Ardeth cut him off, then began to give orders in a tightly controlled voice.
He finally walked back over to where the companions were stood. His face was grim, and he had an expression of almost hopeless despair. Caitlin took an unconscious step forwards, but stopped as his gaze focused on her again. Alex drew in a deep breath, then stepped forwards, hoping to draw some attention away from Caitlin. "Whatever problem you have, I'd like to stay and help" he announced quietly. Jonathon murmured his agreement.
"I cannot ask…" began Ardeth, but Jonathon interrupted, saying:
"You don't have to ask anything. We're offering our help, old boy."
Ardeth finally nodded, then turned to his daughter. "You should go home" was all he said.
Caitlin bit her lip, fighting against her overwhelming tendency to immediate obedience. "I want to stay…" she struggled, glancing at Alex "but I will go if you order me". Ardeth shut his eyes, turning away briefly. Caitlin took another step forwards, shocked by his reaction. "I…cannot order you" Ardeth said, finally. She looked at him in incomprehension.
'Cannot?' she wondered. "I will stay, for a while at least."
Ardeth nodded, then turned. "Follow me, and I will tell you what is happening."
"In the time when the Med-jai were still bodyguards to the Pharaoh, rather than protectors against the Creature as we became," Ardeth began, "there were a group of men known as the "Hesal", who desired power much like that you saw displayed by the Creature when he was wakened – the power of magic."
"Magic!" Jonathon was smirking. "You don't honestly expect us to believe in magic?"
"You have seen the Creature come back to life, and create walls of sand or water, and you refuse to believe in magic?" Ardeth shook his head.
"That was magic? I thought…" Jonathon trailed off as he tried to understand what he had thought had caused everything he'd seen.
Ardeth nodded. "Although I am no expert on the subject there are those who are more knowledgeable, and they tell me that magic is a way of exerting a force on the world around. In some ways it is like using a sword – not everyone can learn to do so, and to use it takes a great effort. Magic is so tiring that few people who learn to use it can do anything of use with it."
"As I recall, our good friend Imohtep had no problem whatsoever using his magic"
"That is because he was the undead – he gained the powers after his death and the undead do not weaken or tire, so he could use the power as much as he liked" Ardeth explained.
"You're telling me," Jonathon exclaimed "that to punish this chap your lot cursed him by giving him strange and wonderful powers which he could use to fight against you?"
Ardeth had to admit that put like that it did sound rather ridiculous. Still, the punishment had been necessary, and no one had been supposed to wake the Creature anyway. He shrugged, and decided to get back to his original story.
"The Hesel worked in secret, knowing that there would be those who would try to stop them, and they identified as their biggest threat, not the Pharaoh, or the priests, but the Med-jai, and they worked slowly, subverting some of the Med-jai, who then formed the Med-aran.
'Med-jai' is often translated as "those who guard" and the 'Med-aran' would be "those who serve".
They continued to act as Med-jai, and tried to destroy them from within in a number of different ways. Our greatest failure is due to the Med-aran…"
Ardeth broke of from his story, and looked at his rapt audience of three. "How much do you know about the Creature, and the time when our duty changed?" When they all indicated that they knew a little, he explained "When the Pharaoh, Seti I, suspected that something was occurring between his High Priest Imohtep, and his wife-to-be Anck-su-namun, he went to confront them. That he did so alone is due to the Med-aran. Had we been present, Seti would not have been killed. Later, Imohtep stole the body of Anck-su-namun. That he was able to do so is also due to the Med-aran"
They nodded a general indication that they understood, and he began to continue with his story.
"The Med-aran were not discovered until much later. When they, and the Hesal, were revealed, it was the task of the Med-jai to destroy them. Very few of the Hesal had mastered the use of power because of the effort needed and so the Med-jai, working with others like the priests and other magic users who worked for the Pharaoh at the time, were able to destroy most of them. Those that were left fled to the ruins of a city named "Jentar", where the final battle took place. Terrible things occurred in that city, and after all the Med-aran and Hesal were defeated, the Med-jai swore that they would never again enter the place, or speak of the Hesal or Med-aran."
Ardeth fell silent, looking out over the desert and at the setting sun. "We had thought that they were all defeated. But now, thousands of years later, they have returned. A huge army of them have attacked our people, and almost all of the Med-jai…" he hesitated "and…others… are engaged in a battle against them. It was only by chance that I discovered this group of them, who are heading to Jentar. All the others fighting the battle are nothing more than a distraction from what is occurring here."
Jonathon looked puzzled. "So, why don't you just fight these lot now, or let them get to the city, then kill them?"
"Because, we do not have enough men here to fight them, and we must keep them from the city. They retreated to the city last time for a reason. It is thought that there was something there that would help them defeat their enemies, although the Med-jai at that time said that there was nothing left by the end of the battle, so I don't know why it is so important for the Hesal to return there now."
Jonathon nodded slowly. "Looks like you really will need our help." He stood up and gestured at Alex, then he walked away to "have a look around." Alex scrambled after him, leaving the father and daughter alone.
Caitlin studied her father carefully. "There is something else you aren't telling me". Her tone wasn't accusing, just questioning, and Ardeth nodded silently. She made as if to speak, then sighed and fell silent. She stood up and walked to the edge of the ridge, on the opposite side to where the Med-aran were camped, and looked out over the desert where she had just come from. Moments later Ardeth joined her and they stood in silence, watching the setting sun. Finally, she leant her head against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm around her as she shivered in the cooling air.