Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Mummy Returns. L
Betrayal
Rebecca stood staring, her mouth
agape at the sight before her. She had
seen ancient cities before, but never one this preserved. She saw the altar that dominated the great room,
and glanced over at Evy, wondering it was the same one Imhotep had chained her
to. Evy's face told her that it was,
and she stepped closer to her friend, concerned.
"Maybe we shouldn't be
here." Rebecca suggested. "Maybe Ardeth is right--"
"I'm fine." Evy said
softly, sighing when Rick wrapped her in his arms protectively. "It feels safe. Not like last time."
Rick looked around; noting how
much lighter everything appeared. It
was as if the light of the sun had washed away the pall of evil that had surrounded
the place. He relaxed a bit, kissing
his wife's brow before releasing her. He kept his hand upon his gun, though. He wasn't going to let down his guard.
"Nobody wanders
away." He said sternly, his eye on
Rebecca.
"I won't." she
promised.
They each began to wander
through the great room, Rick being careful to keep both women in sight. He was beginning to wish that he had
Jonathan with him, or Ardeth. He knew
what to expect from Evy. She had enough
experience with Hamunaptra to know to keep close. Rebecca, on the other hand, kept getting caught up in
exploring. There were times when he'd
turn his head for a moment, and when he looked back she'd be gone. It was enough to drive anyone crazy.
Brush in hand, Rebecca went to a
far wall and began uncovering a picture barely visible under a layer of
dust. She was eager to learn all she
could, but things had occurred in the last 2 weeks to make her think that they
should go. She and Evy had found signs
pointing to the fact that Seti's tomb was indeed in Hamunaptra. What she hadn't shared with Evy was the fact
that her pile of Anck-su-namun's belongings was growing. She kept the items in her rucksack, which
she carried on her back at all times. She did not want anyone else to be touched by what they may mean. She had continued to try to convince Evy to
return to Cairo, to no avail. She was
beginning to agree with Ardeth, that they should leave…
Ardeth. She had not seen him since he had left two
weeks before. Her irritation at his
absence kept her awake at night. She
hesitated to leave before his return. She wanted to see him again, to tell him that maybe he was right.
"Rebecca, over
here!" Evy called excitedly.
She hurried over to her
friend. Evy pointed to something
underneath the curving stairs. The same
stairs the chariot carrying Imhotep's immortal soul had gone up. Hidden beneath the stairway was another set
of stairs, leading down into a black pit.
"There's writing there,
above the doorway." Rick told
them, using his hand to brush away the cobwebs. "What does it say? Because if it's a curse, we are NOT going
down there."
Evy held her torch closer to the
wall, while Rebecca deciphered the hieroglyphs.
"The hall of pharaohs.
" She read quietly. "Evy, some of the greatest men of ancient
Egypt may be buried here. It's not a
curse. Can we look?"
She turned to Rick. She had learned to respect his opinion much
in their time here. He was quick to
sense danger, whether it is in the form of a booby trap or that of a natural
sort. He peered at what she had read,
making certain that there were no other symbols before nodding his agreement.
"I'll go first." Rick replied. "If I say turn back, that means run."
He led the way. The stairs went down for what seemed an
eternity before the bottom was reached. Rebecca held her torch out, turning to look at the sarcophagi that ran
for as far as the eye could see. She
went to one, reading the symbols on the lid.
"These are soldiers."
She said, "They're here to protect and guide whomever was buried behind
that door."
"What door?" Rick
asked.
"That one." Evy told
him, looking up in the direction that Rebecca was pointing.
The wall before them was made up
of two large doors. They were taller
than two men. Each was inlaid with
scrolls of gold, the symbol of the staff held by the pharaoh prominent.
"There's the cartouche of
Seti the first." Evy said, awe
making her voice hushed. "It says
his life, though taken, will continue in the afterlife."
"What else?" Rick asked, knowing there had to be more.
"It talks about his first
wife. The mother of
Neferitiri." Rebecca said, turning
to look at Evy. "It says they will
be reunited in the afterlife."
"Does it say anything about
a curse?" Rick persisted.
"It says that only Seti's
blood may enter here. His family."
"That would be me."
Evy said quietly.
"No way. Rick said firmly, placing his arm around
her. "I think we should leave. We
can talk about what to do next when we're above ground."
"But Rick-"
"He's right." Rebecca
interrupted, "We don't know for sure that it would be safe for you to
enter even."
Evy eyed Rebecca narrowly,
wondering at her friend's sudden concern for caution.
"Why are you suddenly so nervous
about being here?" Evy demanded. "I thought you were convinced everything
here was safe?"
"You've found more stuff,
haven't you?" Rick said, his expression
suddenly serious.
Rebecca reluctantly nodded,
ashamed that she hadn't told them before. When Rick gestured them towards the stairs she followed immediately.
"You're going to show me
everything." Rick told her with
authority. "We're going to figure out
what it means. Then we're probably
going to head out of here."
````````````````````******************``````````````````******************`````````````````
Rebecca put the last of her
tools in her bag, completing the job of packing. She blinked back unwanted tears as she sat on the bunk. They were leaving in the morning. After showing Rick and Evy the last item she
had found they had decided not to take the risk of staying. She picked the item up, turning it in her
hands carefully. The firelight glinted
off the dagger in gold sparks. When Evy
had seen it her eyes had gone wide and she'd faded out into a vision. Rick had brought her out of it, but not
before she had seen that same dagger in Anck-su-namun's hand as she'd plunged
it into Seti. Rick had been scared,
though he hid it well. When she'd told
them that many of the items had been laid out as if to mark the way to the tomb
they'd found they'd decided they'd rather not find what they were being led
to. They were leaving at first light,
ending Rebecca's search for the history of Hamunaptra. She laid back on the bunk, closing her eyes
in preparation for sleep.
She was jolted from her doze by
the sound of horsed hooves thundering outside. She leapt out of bed, slinging her pack on automatically as her hand
reached for the gun still strapped to her side. She ducked through the opening of the tent, weapon raised high as
she surveyed the scene before her. She
saw Evy and Rick standing outside their tent, talking to Ardeth. She relaxed, uncocking her gun and
holstering it as she walked towards the three. She saw that there were horses and riders ringing the city, and she
looked at Rick inquiringly when she arrived beside him.
"What's going on?" She asked,
ignoring the way her heart leapt when Ardeth turned his gaze upon her.
"Everyone leaves this place,
tonight." Ardeth informed her, knowing
she was going to be angry. "The council has decided."
Rebecca stared at him. Though they had planned on leaving in the
morning, she did not care to hear that others had decided for her. She squared her shoulders, feeling the pack
of belongings shift against her back as she opened her mouth to speak.
"I will hear no arguments." He
said, holding up his hand to halt her speech. "I have let things go as far as
they have out of respect to O'Connell, and his wife. My friends. But I cannot
allow your search to continue, for there are still curses aplenty in this
place."
Realizing he was not going to
listen to her, Rebecca's temper flared, and she spoke before she thought.
"Rick, Evy. Listen to him." Rebecca said quickly, her gaze burning hotly. "I will follow, at my own time."
So saying, she turned to
go. She had taken no more than two
steps when an unyielding wall of Medjai blocked her path. Her hand went to the gun at her hip, but
before she could free it from its holster strong arms gripped her from
behind. She fought as Ardeth ripped the
gun from her hand, tossing it to one of his men before subduing her.
"You should not have fought me."
He said softly, his breath hot against her cheek as his fingers found a spot on
her neck.
He pressed, and she saw nothing,
for her world went black.