Disclaimer: Sigh Alex, Ardeth, Jonathon, Med-jai - They're still not mine
Alex slid to a stop besides Caitlin, falling to his knees. Her face was pure white, except for red marks where blood had trickled from a cut on her forehead. He checked for pulse, and his heart lurched as he realised that he couldn't find one. She didn't seem to be breathing. He stared at her in a panicky fog, trying to decide what to do.
He heard a noise and turned to see Jonathon and Ardeth rushing up beside him. "She's not breathing" he blurted. "What are we going to do?"
Jonathon pushed him aside, and knelt beside Caitlin, checking her breathing, then he leant over her, covering her mouth with his own. Ardeth nodded in approval, and Alex felt sick with guilt. Why hadn't he thought of doing this? He'd been taught all about artificial respiration years ago, but he'd forgotten it in his panic. When Jonathon went to push her chest he winced in pain, and Alex realised that his right arm had a long slash down it. He only realised that he and Ardeth had been gripping hands when Ardeth released him, and took up position next to Jonathon, locking his hands and pushing on Caitlin's chest.
Alex's vision began to blur with tears, and he realised that he was holding his breath. His hands were locked tightly together and fragments of panicky thought ran through his mind. Then Caitlin pulled in a ragged breath, and Alex sagged with relief. Caitlin struggled into sitting position and began to cough, blood trickling from her mouth. She finally caught her breath and lifted her hand, wiping off her mouth and chin. She sagged back weakly and Ardeth caught her, resting her head on his lap.
"What happened?" whispered Caitlin.
Alex frowned. She'd asked the question in ancient Egyptian. "Don't you remember?" he asked, in English. She frowned for a second, as if trying to understand him, then her expression cleared and she nodded tiredly.
Ardeth leant down, kissing her on the forehead and brushing her hair away from her face. This was what he'd been so afraid of.
"Sire?" He looked up to see Getor - the commander of the Med-jai forces who'd been heading to Jentar. But he'd said they wouldn't be here until tonight… he realised that it was now evening, that the battle had taken all day. He wondered why Getor had used the ancient term of address - although he was the leader of the Med-jai, most commanders tended to address him by name or other less ancient terms of address. He didn't realise what he looked like - covered with wounds, or how the story of his fight with the Med-aran leader was already being re-told.
The commander continued "What are you orders?"
Ardeth struggled to think for a moment. "Hunt down and kill all the Med-aran. Make sure that none survive."
Getor nodded. "Will you be joining us?" he asked uncertainly.
Ardeth hesitated. He didn't want to leave his daughter. Caitlin twisted slightly so she was looking up at him. "You should go." He began to shake his head, and she chided him gently. "It is your duty. You are Med-jai." He smiled ruefully, then gently helped her upright before climbing to her feet.
"Stay here" he instructed the three adventurers - Caitlin and Jonathon were injured, and Alex was only 'fairly good' with a sword. The three nodded obediently, and he smiled again at his daughter before moving away with Getor.
Caitlin leaned against the pillar and shut her eyes. Images swirled in her mind - ancient cities and people, and she heard the sound of languages long dead. She wondered what the crystal had done to her.
"I think I know why the Med-jai said nothing was here".
Caitlin opened her eyes, realising that she must have been resting for some time, as the sun was almost gone from the sky. She looked at Alex, who was tracing something on the pedestal with his finger. "According to this, the 'gift from the god' reappeared every three thousand years, give or take. It was used by the people in this place to bless their crops, and heal the sick." He looked at Caitlin in amazement. "The city had seen the crystal appear several times in their history. How old must this place be?"
Caitlin nodded. "It existed before the times of recorded history. It was in ruins even by the time of Menes, more than two thousand years before Pharaoh Seti I, and…" she trailed off as she wondered how she knew all this. Jonathon and Alex eyed her sideways.
"Do you know why it is here?" Alex asked. The pedestal didn't say why, merely saying that Jentar was obviously blessed by the gods.
"It was created as a gift to those who first settled here, thousands of years ago, even before the Old Kingdom had been established. They worshipped the god…" she hesitated "O-rus? And he provided the gift as a proof of his existence."
"I wonder if he was an earlier form of Horus?" Alex was, like his mother, ever the scholar, interested in history.
Caitlin shrugged. The memories flickered inside her head, not only of the city of Jentar, and the people in it, but images of Thebes during the reign of Nefertiri, and even before that. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind.
"So, why didn't the Med-jai see it when they were here?" Alex hadn't actually explained this, and Jonathon was getting impatient.
Alex grinned. "The Hesal were a day too early, when they last came here. I guess they'd hoped that they could hold off the Med-jai until the crystal appeared, then use it to defeat them." Jonathon laughed softly. The whole concept of disappearing crystals sounded bizarre, unless you thought about experiences they'd had, such as the Scorpion King. Precisely how the man had ended up with his body grafted onto a scorpion, Jonathon would never know. And, he reflected, I don't think I want to know.
They were silent for a long time, resting in the cooling evening air, and Caitlin noticed that Jonathon was becoming restless, prowling around the centre of the city. "Y'know" he said, returning, "It's a shame we don't explore this place. After all, it would be very educational."
Alex burst out laughing, and a moment later Caitlin smiled. "Give me another half hour, and then I will lead you to some treasure" she said. Jonathon grinned sheepishly.
"You know where there is some?"
Caitlin nodded, again wondering as she did just how she knew all about the city layout.