Chapter Twelve
Deir el Bahri
Sun was setting on the mortuary temples of Deir el Bahir, casting a subtle red aura onto the temples etched into sides of the flat topped mountains. The O'Connell party had increased to over 100 with the addition of 90 new Med-Jai warriors, very well expecting an attack from Neferkaptah's army.
"Ardeth buddy, where are we going?" Rick whispered to Ardeth, travelling on horseback right beside him.
Ardeth nodded his head to the sides of the mountain. "The Temple of Hatshepsut. We believe his army will converge there."
Rick looked towards the largest of all temples, a three-tiered stone structure jutting out of the mountainside. Almost unconsciously, he felt the two side arms holstered on both sides of his chest underneath his leather vest.
Ardeth held up his hand and ordered his warriors to a halt with a single yell in Arabic. Ardeth turned to Rick, very seriously. "We must draw out Neferkaptah's army. Once they have left the confines of the temple, we will bring Mi-Aset in and begin the ritual. It will be very dangerous."
Rick nodded, instinctively knowing what Ardeth was hinting at. He turned to Alex and Evy. Evy already knew what he was going to say. "I don't want you two going any further than this."
Evelyn nodded, a touch of sadness piercing her eyes at the thought of her husband leaving to do battle. Alex for his part sighed indignantly. "Why dad?"
"It's too dangerous Alex. Stay and take care of your mom." He ruffled Alex's blonde hair in a fatherly gesture.
Beside him, he heard Jonathan's tell-all gulp. "Perhaps I should stay too, and um, you know…"
Rick rolled his eyes. "Lets go tough guy."
Ardeth stood up in his saddle, twisting his torso so that he could turn and look at a young Med-Jai warrior with half his face hidden, sitting slightly behind Ardeth. Ardeth spoke some Arabic words to the man, who nodded solemnly after every key point. Rick and Evy watched Ardeth talk lowly and demonstrating certain aspects with his hands. When he was apparently finished, Ardeth turned back towards Evy and Rick, facing them with some sort of expectancy.
The young Med-Jai took off the piece of fabric covering the lower half of his face. Evy looked confusedly at him, studying the young man, whose tattoos matched Ardeth's. He looked strikingly a lot like Ardeth.
"Ardeth, who is that?" Evy asked.
Ardeth glanced at the warrior he had just been talking to. "Farah Mahad." He answered casually. Evy was now staring at Ardeth, obviously expecting more. Ardeth shrugged. "My cousin. He will draw the army out in my place."
Evy nodded, now understanding. The amber sun glowed upon her skin's surface, radiated her brown hair with red highlights. Rick swept a stray strand away from her eyes, and took a moment to study them. Finally, he caressed her cheek tenderly, and kissed her goodbye.
Evelyn and Alex downheartedly watched their heroes ride towards the setting sun.
~~~
Rick, Ardeth, Jonathan, and Mi-Aset had deserted their horses with the Med-Jai army and were now creeping towards the entrance of the temple. Rick bent his arm while cocking his revolver, holding it at head's height. He signalled for the other three to get down, all of them pressing their backs to the stone wall of the temple's side.
The Med-Jai war cry filled the air, sending shivers up Jonathan's spine, who swore he would never get used to that blasted sound. The first time he heard it, he'd nearly been beheaded by the man who was crouching next to him at that very moment. He looked at Ardeth smugly; they never did discuss that incident entirely.
A sudden thundering quickly grasped Jonathan's attention, as the sound of several hundred feet came bursting from the temple's entrance. Jonathan felt his knees go weak; they were mere inches from a crazed man with a scimitar finding them, or even worse, a crazed demi-god. But they went unnoticed from the army's eyes, as all men ran down with such a wild fervor that he was sure even the Med-Jai must be thinking twice; he knew he was.
But the Med-Jai held their ground atop their majestic black steeds, lowering their scimitars at once, pointing them at the oncoming army as if pointing out which ones would die first.
Farah Mahad was first to charge. With a voice much like his raspy cousin's, he kicked his horse into action with a booming howl, easily running his first enemy through with one slice to the chest.
Ardeth nodded approvingly, turning to Rick who was studying the action below with a mixed gruesome fascination. "My friend, we must hurry. Neferkaptah will now surely know that we have arrived."
Rick was still staring at the war. A turban, or something that was wearing a turban, was now rolling on the ground. "Um, yeah. Wonder why he would think that."
The sarcasm flew over Ardeth's head. "He will try to have Mi-Aset killed before she can do the same to him."
They started to stand, quietly creeping over the outside edge to sneak into the temple. "How will they try that?"
Two loud, booming shots rang out. Ardeth and Rick acted instinctively, dropping to their knees and spinning around, trying to locate the shooter. Mi-Aset and Jonathan were still standing, Jonathan wild-eyed, Mi-Aset staring blankly ahead of her.
Rick slowly got to his feet. "You two alright?"
Jonathan nodded, sweating profusely now. Mi-Aset fell to the ground with a thump, dulled by the cushioning sand. Ardeth and Rick ran over to her, she was still staring blankly at the sky, but with dark red spots appearing before their eyes, soaking her white blouse. Ardeth looked overwhelmed, unsure of which wound to cover first, the one at her shoulder, or the one on her lower left abdomen. The shots were huge.
"Shotgun." Rick muttered.
Mi-Aset's dark features were already paling dramatically, her breaths increasing, but eyes still unseeing. Ardeth scooped her up into his arms, facing Rick sternly.
"It has begun. We don't have much time."
~~~
"Mum! I can't bloody well see anything if you keep tugging!" Alex admonished his mother, who had to keep pulling on the back of his short-sleeved shirt to stop him from jumping out of their hiding spot to see the action.
"You'll mind your language young man. And this isn't some sporting event, Alex. It's quite dangerous for us to even be here." Evelyn wagged her finger at Alex while she talked. She suddenly realized what she must look like – an old nag. She stopped herself by shaking her head free of nag-like thoughts, but still looked down at Alex with motherly caution.
"Mum, really." Alex rolled his eyes. "We're hidden. Dad made sure."
Evelyn lowered her voice to whisper. "That's what scares me." She didn't think that Alex could hear, but evidently from the dirty look she was receiving, he did. She hugged her arms to her chest, feeling a slight shiver. The sun was quickly descending, and in a few minutes, it would be freezing. It didn't help that they were hiding in a dark empty tomb with only one opening, which Alex kept persisting to look out from.
Alex was once again creeping towards the entry, Evelyn reaching for them, when the sun was suddenly blocked out completely by a large man, clothed in the now familiar red garb, pointing a wicked looking machete in their direction. Both Evelyn and Alex gasped, Evelyn instantly shielding Alex with her body, but knowing full well she could not hold off this brute by herself. Two more men entered beside this one, and all three stalked towards their prey.
~~~
In the depths of Hatshepsut's temple, lights filled the confines, yet Rick could not spot a single torch. Rick, Jonathan, and Ardeth, carrying the now unconscious Mi-Aset, descended the stone steps towards what looked like an altar room. A large box perhaps made from marble lay at the foot of the steps. Rick assumed there must be a coffin inside that box. And beyond the box, with his back turned to them, was Neferkaptah, naked from the waist up.
"I have been expecting you." His voice boomed powerfully in the cavernous surroundings.
"I'll bet you have." Jonathan muttered.
Neferkaptah slowly pivoted his body around, smirking at them. Rick wanted to knock his block off right about now. His eyes focused on his wife, limply hanging in Ardeth's arms.
"Ah, my wife. She never was very obedient." Ardeth glared at him. Neferkaptah's shoulders shook with a slight chuckle. "Lay her on the table." He motioned to the marble coffin before them.
All three men looked at each other for an answer, none of which came. Finally, Ardeth carefully placed Mi-Aset upon the table. The shirt, which was once white, was now completely dyed blood red, clinging to her chest. Neferkaptah looked down on her face, almost fondly.
"Now she will die."
At the sound of his words, even though Rick couldn't understand them, he got the gist of it when Ardeth brandished his scimitar, so he too cocked both his guns, and heard a click from Jonathan cocking his. Neferkaptah shook his head slowly, seemingly disappointed in them.
"Very well then. Perhaps a trade is in order."
He extended his arm as if he were about to introduce something or someone. All eyes were attentively fixed on sounds of shuffling feet, and something muffled. At the sight of it, Rick growled.
His wife and his son, both bound and gagged, led by three very large men with sharp pointy weapons. Rick now aimed both his guns at his family's hostage takers. "Let them go." He warned.
Neferkaptah cocked his head to the side defiantly. "Surely you do not want to test my patience."
Rick decidedly did not like this man's tone. He aimed one of the handguns at Neferkaptah. Instantaneously a long machete was now being held against his wife's neck, indenting the skin, but not yet breaking it. A bead of sweat rolled down Rick's forehead. Rick turned to Ardeth for help, still holding the limp body of Mi-Aset, blood trickling down her arm, dripping on the sandy floor.
Ardeth gritted his teeth, furrowed his brow, but knew that there would be no other way. This was the demon that killed his own wife, what was to stop him from slaughtering his friend's? With a defeated grunt, Ardeth lowered Mi-Aset onto the slab.
Her chest was now barely rising with breath, but her eyes were fixated eerily on the ceiling, completely unresponsive. The blood was flowing at a steady stream; Ardeth knew they had only minutes before her life seeped away and Neferkaptah would be free to roam the earth forevermore.
Ardeth straightened, staring at Neferkaptah with deadly eyes. But Neferkaptah was glowering at his wife, obviously pleased with her weakened state.
"Behead her."
One of the guards came forward quickly; scimitar already hoisted in the air, preparing to strike with one deadly downfall. Ardeth however, met him halfway with a scraping clang of two scimitars meeting each other. Neferkaptah yelled out, and Rick shot him in the chest, having no immediate effect but taking him by surprise. Rick used his bought time well. The two remaining guards were shuffling Alex and Evelyn through a doorway, both Evelyn and Alex fighting every step. Jonathan and Rick both shot at once, hitting their marks cleanly, but not before Evy and Alex were shoved through the doorway and nearly out of sight. Rick and Jonathan ran after them.
Alex was still on his feet, hopping from foot to foot, struggling to free his hands from his chafing ropes. Jonathan reached him first.
"Hold on squirt, I can't bloody well undo them if you keep prancing around like that."
Alex protested at the remark through his gag, but all that came out was a muffled "mmfhptgh!"
Evy was lying flat on her back, barely even able to roll over. Rick helped her sit up, quickly untying her ropes while eyeing her face with tender concern. He lowered the gag over her mouth, Evy instantly wiping her mouth off.
Rick cupped her cheek. "Are you all right?"
Evelyn nodded. "Yes, I think so."
"Good." He helped up with one arm under her elbow. "We've got to move." Jonathan was nodding, Alex rubbing his sore little wrists, which were now red.
But a sound behind him, a sound that came very close to the doorway, caught Rick's sudden attention. Knowing that he did not want to turn around and confront the sound, Rick instead scanned the room for another exit, although there were none. He saw everyone's eyes grow wide, Evelyn even losing all the color in her face. He really didn't want to turn around now.
But he did. Blocking the doorway was a 20-foot snake, black skin gleaming, eyes a fire red. The snake arched itself, now halfway on the ground, but rising up to tower over Rick. It was flicking its tongue out, sniffing the scents coming off of the foursome. It pulled back its mouth, letting the tips of its two fangs hang out slightly. A clear liquid was dripping out of the teeth. Rick prayed that it was just drooling and not secreting venom. Either way, he knew that this could be interesting.
"Jonathan," Rick started, very low under his breath, but never taking his eyes off the serpent. Jonathan was staring at the snake, knees shaking, too afraid to answer. "Shoot it." Rick finished.
That seemed to jolt Jonathan awake, as he whipped out his gun, fumbled for a moment to cock it, but fired simultaneously with Rick nonetheless.
The snake arched in pain, throwing its head back, but slowly slinking the floor, blood seeping from five bright wounds.
Rick turned around, a victorious smile spreading across his face. Evelyn was white, hands trembling, still staring at the dead snake. Alex was looking at the snake with a curious and disgusted expression. Rick grasped his wife's shoulders, making her look him in the eye. His expression brought her some relief, just seeing his calm helped her to recover. "See, that wasn't so bad now was it?"
Jonathan was tapping him on the shoulder. Rick rolled his eyes exasperatedly, lazily turning his head to face Jonathan. "What?"
Jonathan was pointing at the doorway. The snake was back up, no gaping holes, and no blood. Rick's face fell.
"Oh crap."
~~~
Ardeth was sweating hard, the fight testing his endurance but he knew that his foe was not as experienced as he. He could hear Neferkaptah laughing in the background, almost in his ear at times, and though he would desperately love to wipe that self-assuring smile off his face, Ardeth concentrated all his strength on defeating his current danger.
With two final swipes, the fight was over. Ardeth took a moment to catch his balance and his breath. Sweat was making strands of raven black hair stick to his face, but he ignored it.
Neferkaptah was applauding him. He wanted nothing more than to run him through right about now.
"Well done, young one. Now lets see how you fare against a god." Neferkaptah stood unarmed, but imposing.
"You're no god. Gods at least know when to stay dead." Ardeth spat his words at Neferkaptah.
Neferkaptah smirked, but Ardeth could see he hit a spot with him. Neferkaptah shrugged, and quicker than Ardeth had ever expected he attacked. He threw both hands at Ardeth's chest, knocking the wind right from his lungs, while making him fly backwards. Ardeth landed face first into the sand, winded. Gasping for breath, he shakily got to his feet.
Neferkaptah was laughing. Ardeth raised his scimitar. Neferkaptah rushed again, one hand smacking Ardeth's weapon out of his hand, the other hand backhanding harshly across his cheek, making black stars dance across Ardeth's eyes. With a strong elbow to the stomach, Ardeth fell to his knees. Neferkaptah brutally kicked him under the chin, snapping Ardeth's neck as he fell on his back. He did not move for a few moments, instead taking the time to catch his breath, tasting the blood filling his mouth from when his teeth cut his tongue. Inside, he was praying that at any given moment Mi-Aset would attack.
Mi-Aset was gurgling on the blood collecting in the back of her throat, a thin trickle dribbling from the side of her mouth.