The Diamond of Ahm Shere

by Miss Becky

Three years ago, Jonathan was entrusted with the diamond of Ahm Shere. Now it has been stolen, and the consequences are dreadful. Jonathan and the O'Connells must race to prevent an old evil from arising, and a new one from claiming an old friend.

9. Jonathan's Destiny

Chapter 9

Jonathan's Destiny

The Book was forgotten in those few moments when Ardeth spoke the ancient words of the curse. Jonathan simply stared, overwhelmed by what was happening.

When the light seized Imhotep, he flinched back, and his eye fell on the diamond again.

The light.

The diamond.

Understanding broke in his mind. He moved the diamond over the Book again, and those strange symbols became clear again.

He looked up, and saw Imhotep backing toward the chasm. He could not see the man's face, but he somehow knew there was nothing further to fear from the High Priest.

Imhotep fell into the Underworld.

Jonathan stared at the place where the mummy had been, and understood that it was finally over. Imhotep was truly dead, and could not be raised again.

Across the room, his eyes met Evy's. She looked at him with profound relief and not a bit of shock. It was hard to believe it was all over, after everything they had been through.

It was Rick, standing behind Evy, who alerted him. O'Connell's eyes widened and he shouted out, reaching up to push Evelyn out of the way as he started to bring up his gun.

Jonathan did not hesitate. He spun on one knee, his right hand letting go of the diamond and reaching for the pistol at his waist. He cocked the gun as he raised it, firing even before he was aware that he was aiming.

As fast as he was, he was still a split-second too late. Khalid Hassan stood in the corner, pistol still smoking, a thin smile on his face.

But O'Connell's warning cry had worked. Ardeth threw himself to the floor and the shot that should have killed him passed by harmlessly overhead.

Jonathan did not miss. Khalid Hassan was flung backward to crash into the wall. Heart's blood turned his red robe to black, and he gaped down at himself in shock.

"That," Jonathan said, "is for my friend."

Khalid's legs buckled and he slid down the wall, his eyes already glazing. He was dead before he hit the ground.

He looked up and saw that they were all staring at him. There was only one thing left to be done, and he did it now.

Through the diamond's light, he read aloud the incantation revealed in the Book of Amun-Ra. He did not know all the symbols, but at that moment it did not matter. He spoke them in a clear voice, without faltering, and he knew that what he said was right.

The diamond began to quake in his hands, and he tightened his grip, afraid to let go. A basso hum rose on the air, setting his teeth on edge and making him want to cringe beneath it. He read the incantation faster, understanding dimly that if he was not quick enough, he would not finish the spell in time, and they would all die here.

With an ear-splitting roar, a crack appeared in the surface of the diamond. The power it released was immense. A cyclone of white magic spiralled into the air, its slender base rising from the diamond. At the top it was as large as the chamber, and as it spun faster, it began to gather everything in the temple into it.

The pyramid began to implode, pulled into the cyclone unleashed by the diamond. Jonathan ducked his head and continued to read, but on the edges of his vision, he saw blue sky and golden sand -- the illusion was disappearing. He could not see anything else for the spiralling tornado, but he could hear Rick and Evy's screams, and he longed to shout at them that the temple was not real, they could not be killed by it. But he had time for the spell only.

He looked into it and saw the horrifying scope of the diamond's existence, the strength of years, the endless march of time. He saw the Scorpion King stride across conquered Thebes, laughing triumphantly. He saw Anubis steal the warrior's soul and claim it for his own, leaving the man to wither and die, a soulless monster. He saw the dark Underworld and the hell that had been the Scorpion King's life for five thousand years, until the day when Imhotep had woken him.

Screaming, Jonathan stared through the diamond at the Book of Amun-Ra, and the incantation only revealed through its light. He uttered the last phrase and waited for death to claim him.

****

Three years ago the Oasis had been sucked into the pyramid and lost, but now the pyramid itself was vanishing around them. Rick clung to Evelyn with his good arm and screamed mindlessly in the howling chaos that spun about them.

He was vaguely aware of Evy holding on for dear life to the doorframe with one hand, the other clutching him tight.

Searing wind whipped at him, and in it he heard the roar of the Scorpion King. He heard the guttural laughter of the warriors of the Army of Anubis, the demons that had torn apart Egypt, who had nearly destroyed the Med-jai three years ago.

He was going to die here. After surviving Ahm Shere once before, after defeating Imhotep three times, he was going to die in this place.

Rick held his wife close and waited.

****

Ardeth covered his head and lay on the stone and would not look. It took all his strength of will to remember where he was, that the pyramid was not real, that he would be not be pulled into the diamond with the rest of the illusion. He wished he could reassure Evelyn and O'Connell, but the cyclone's roar made speech impossible.

He simply closed his eyes and waited.

****

Only Jonathan saw it end.

As he neared the last line of the incantation, the cyclone reached its peak. The pyramid was all but gone, pulled into the diamond of Ahm Shere. Sunlight streamed into the fragmented remains of the chamber, and it was harder now to see the symbols written in the Book of Amun-Ra.

He could not destroy the diamond – only its maker could do that, and the Scorpion King was dead. But he could undo its power.

He uttered the last syllable of the spell and the diamond of Ahm Shere split in two, each half resting in his hands. The cyclone exploded in a spray of black sand and Jonathan cringed reflexively from that blast, ducking his head but still stubbornly holding onto the diamond.

When the sand settled, he dared to look up.

Into a bright, desert afternoon.

The illusion was shattered. The oasis was gone. The pyramid was gone. The only things left of the entire ordeal were the two halves of the diamond, and the Book of Amun-Ra.

Several feet away, Ardeth lay facedown, nearly lost amid a heap of black sand. He sat up slowly, blinking in the sudden light. His eyes met Jonathan's and he merely nodded.

Rick and Evy were slower to rise, and their expressions clearly revealed their shock at finding themselves still alive. Black sand fell to the earth from their heads and shoulders in a puff of dark gray. They clung to each other, dazed and disbelieving.

"We made it," Evy breathed.

"Hey!" Rick raised his arm and flexed his wrist. "It's not broken anymore."

"The diamond's power has been destroyed," Ardeth said. He brushed sand from his robe and stood. "What the stone wrought, has been undone."

Rick stood, Evy still holding him. "The diamond didn't break my arm. I fell off my horse when it was killed."

"Nothing broke your arm," Ardeth said. "The oasis and everything within it were only illusion. If you believed in it, it could hurt you." He glanced at Jonathan. "Or kill you."

"Jonathan!" Evy looked at him with a mixture of glad surprise and genuine relief. "You did it, Jonathan."

A week ago he would have waved off her reaction, shaking his head and proclaiming that it was really nothing. Now he just gathered the Book of Amun-Ra and the diamond halves, and stood up. "I know."

He limped across the sand – his ankle was still sprained, of course – and held the Book out. "This is yours, I believe."

Ardeth took it from him. "Thank you, Jonathan." For everything, his eyes said.

"What do I do with these?" He gestured with the twin halves of the diamond.

"Keep them," Ardeth said. "They are useless now."

"Could someone find a way to put it back together?" Rick asked. He and Evy walked up cautiously, and Jonathan was gratified to see a new respect in their eyes when they looked at him.

"Perhaps," Ardeth said. "Anything is possible."

Impulsively Jonathan held out one half of the diamond. "Here. If the halves cannot be joined, then it can't be used to hurt anyone again."

The Med-jai hesitated, then reached for the stone. His hand shook slightly as he carefully took it from Jonathan. "I will keep it safe. No one shall take it, or even know of its existence."

He was saying the diamond would be a secret, one kept even from the rest of the Med-jai. Jonathan swallowed hard and nodded. "And I will keep mine safe," he vowed. "This time I mean it."

"I know," Ardeth said quietly.

Rick gazed about him, squinting in the bright sunlight, then looked back at Ardeth. "Don't you have some explaining to do?"

The Med-jai chieftain stared expressionlessly at Rick.

"Oh, I can field that one," Jonathan said glibly. "He was the one who cursed Imhotep in the first place. He dreams about it all the time."

Rick's eyes widened in shock, and Evelyn made a small sound of surprise and commiseration. "Have you known how to break the curse all this time?"

"I have," Ardeth said simply.

"Remind me to take him up when we get back to camp," Rick said to Evy, amusement and seriousness warring in his voice.

"Breaking the curse would not have killed him," Ardeth said. He shifted the Book of Amun-Ra and the diamond to his left hand, walked a few paces to his right, bent down and retrieved his sword from the sand. He replaced this in its scabbard, then said, "Only by making him mortal could he be killed."

"Or if he committed suicide," Rick said dryly.

"Can he be raised again?" Evy asked anxiously.

"No," Ardeth said. "He is truly dead now."

"But the Book of the Dead—"

"Is lost." Ardeth looked pointedly at them. "As is his body."

Jonathan gripped his half of the diamond hard enough to hurt his fingers. "I'm sorry," he blurted. "I should have waited." The Book of the Dead is lost. It was too late now to do anything about it, and he felt the old guilt slam into him with bruising force. "I could have used the diamond to find the Book, and then maybe I could have—"

"No!" Ardeth cut him off sharply. "What's done is done. You cannot change it."

He was right, of course, but Jonathan took no comfort in this. For the rest of his life he knew he would mourn the missed opportunity to find the Book of the Dead and restore Ardeth's wife and child. There would be no solace for that guilt, no atonement.

In the far distance, a horse whinnied. Someone shouted. Jonathan raised a hand to shield his eyes and peered ahead.

"One of the tribes," Ardeth said. "They have come in response to our message for help." He looked at them, then began walking toward the Med-jai who could now be seen, approaching on horseback.

Jonathan took a deep breath and began limping across the sand.

****

The commander of the Med-jai greeted them solemnly. He was old enough to be Ardeth's grandfather, and he was stiff on his feet when he dismounted and offered his horse to his leader.

Ardeth accepted gratefully, touching the old man's shoulder in thanks. He swung into the saddle and looked down at the others. "I must go," he said, "to my son. These men will take you safely back to the camp." He touched his heels to the horse's sides and it leaped forward into a smooth gallop.

He pushed the horse hard, stopping infrequently for water and rest. By nightfall the fires of his home were within sight, and he felt the first knife-like stab of pain in his chest. Never again would he return to this place and see Ranya standing apart from the others, waiting for him. Never again would his young daughter run out to meet him, shrieking with delight when he lifted her high over his head.

For a wild moment, he let himself hope. Perhaps Allah would be merciful. Perhaps he had suffered enough.

When he heard the high-pitched, childish cry, his heart nearly stopped. Then he saw the figure running toward him and saw it was not his daughter, but his son.

"Aarif!" He threw himself from the horse's back before it had hardly begun to slow, and stumbled forward on foot the rest of the way.

His son was crying, small hands held out to him. Ardeth dropped to his knees and gathered Aarif close, feeling the heat of the little boy's body. "I'm here," he soothed. "It's all right."

Aarif wrapped his hands in Ardeth's robe. "I didn't know if you were coming back!" he sobbed.

The men and women of the camp were drawing near, looking shyly away from the reunion between their current ruler and their future leader, none of them wanting to be the first to leave completely. Ardeth glanced at them, saw young Alex O'Connell standing with them, and felt a rush of gratitude sweep through him. His wife and his daughter were gone, but his son was alive, right here in his arms.

"I see you've decided to talk to me again," he said gravely. "I'm very glad."

Aarif swiped at his face and nodded. His brown eyes were equally serious.

Ardeth stood up, carrying his son. "What made you change your mind?"

"Alex said he wouldn't tell me the story of the Scorpion King until I talked to him," the boy said. He did not sound put out at having been manipulated.

"Did he?" Ardeth mused. "You tell him that tonight he will hear a new story: how his uncle destroyed Ahm Shere for all eternity."

Aarif's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yes." Ardeth set him down and the boy scampered off, black curls bouncing on his shoulders. He watched his son approach Alex O'Connell, gazing up at the older boy with worship.

Jamail al-Din, who had protected the camp during his absence, hailed him. "Is it done?"

Ardeth turned and faced the desert of Ahm Shere. "Yes," he said. "It is truly over."

****

Two days after the destruction of Ahm Shere, Jonathan walked alone along the Nile. Darkness had fallen an hour ago, and the heat of day was beginning to slide into the coolness of night.

They would leave in the morning. The Med-jai were loaning them horses and enough supplies to see them back to Cairo. Ardeth had instructed them to return the horses to the curator at the Museum of Antiquities, obviously enjoying Evelyn's slight discomfiture. "For as long as the museum has stood, the curator has been a Med-jai," Ardeth had said. "We do not all live in the desert."

Jonathan was both glad and sorry to be leaving.

The celebration had been muted, but it had been there. The Creature was at last destroyed, a threat that could not return. Ahm Shere was similarly destroyed, and the Med-jai believed that the only thing that remained of its golden evil was the half of the diamond Jonathan had brought with him out of the pyramid.

Another person might have thought them heartless, to celebrate in the face of so much death. The warriors who had been lost in the oasis were not returned to life, for the diamond's power did not extend over death. Only those Med-jai who had been separated from the O'Connells during the fight with the pygmy mummies had survived, returning in ones and twos to the camp until they simply stopped coming and the rest were assumed dead.

But Jonathan, who was feted as a hero, did not think the Med-jai heartless. Rather, he saw their celebration as a way of escaping the hardship of their lives, even if only for one evening. He thought it very touching and more than once during the evening he had found himself on the brink of tears.

Ardeth, of course, downplayed his own role, and gave the credit to Jonathan. Rick and Evelyn, in the background for the first time in their lives, sat aside and smiled at him proudly. Alex gazed at his uncle with hero worship, and hung on his every word. Five-year old Aarif crawled onto his lap as his sister had once done and fallen asleep.

And in the morning they would return to Cairo.

He looked up as he heard approaching footfalls, and smiled to see Evy walking toward him. She had changed her Western clothes for the black gown the Med-jai women wore, and she looked beautiful, a true princess. No matter how old they got, Jonathan reflected, she would always be his baby sister.

"Are you all right out here by yourself?" she asked.

Jonathan nodded. "Oh, sure. I can take care of myself now, you know."

Evy was not amused. "Jonathan."

He relented. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. Sometimes it's hard to stop, is all."

"You did well, Jonathan." She stood with her arms folded across her chest, the skirt of her gown twining about her ankles in the night breeze. "You saved our lives."

He said nothing to this. Being praised for something he was not entirely sure he had earned was a new feeling for him.

"And I owe you an apology," Evy said, looking at him frankly. "I didn't think you could do it. I was angry with you for lying to us about keeping the diamond. I thought you were getting us into a terrible mess that we would never get out of."

"Oh, well, you can't be blamed for that." He tried not to let her words upset him. She was, after all, only speaking the truth, a truth he himself had long ago accepted. "But I've changed, Evy. I'm not going to be the old Jonathan anymore." He hesitated. "I don't think I can be."

"Oh, Jonathan!" She swept him into an embrace. "I love you! I don't care if you save the world or not! I only want you to be safe and happy. That's all I care about."

He hugged her back. "Does this mean you're not going to throw me out of the house?"

"What? What on earth gave you that idea?" She dropped her arms and punched him lightly on the bicep.

He shrugged. "Just checking."

Evy smiled, but her eyes were serious. "Are you coming back with me?"

He waved her ahead. "You go on. I'll just be a few more minutes."

She nodded and walked back to the camp.

He watched her go. He knew that when they got back to London, things would be different, subtly changed. He could not envision himself walking into a nightclub now, sitting down and drinking and playing cards for hours on end. He could not imagine why he had ever thought such things were fun.

He knew things now, things his old self had never dreamed of. He understood about destiny and fate, and how these things could get lost in the overwhelming rush of daily life. He understood, too, how a person's destiny couldn't be sought and found, like a chest of gold at the end of a treasure hunt. Destiny revealed itself only when it was ready, like firelight shining through a gem. You either saw it or you did not, and what you did with it was your choice.

"Jonathan."

"I was wondering how long I was going to have to stand out here like an idiot." He turned around and faced Ardeth.

The Med-jai glanced away. "You should try to put a five-year old to bed sometime."

Jonathan nodded in comprehension. "I have, don't forget," he said.

Ardeth smiled faintly. "Alex."

"He was quite a handful at that age," Jonathan said, chuckling to remember some of the pranks his nephew had pulled. "He still is, come to think of it."

"Twice now you have saved my life," Ardeth said. "I can think of no way to repay you. What can I give you?"

Jonathan shook his head, nonplussed. "I don't need anything." The only thing he had wanted was to redeem himself for his terrible failure in losing the diamond and he had found his salvation. He had helped save Ardeth from succumbing to the darkness of hatred and revenge, and he had destroyed the diamond for all time. There could be nothing that might equal the satisfaction of these achievements.

"I cannot allow you go away empty-handed." Ardeth held out a small bag. "Take this, a token of our gratitude and respect."

Curious, he tugged at the drawstring and peered inside. His breath caught when he saw the flash of gold, and the treasure within.

"They are from Hamunaptra," Ardeth said. "We have no use for them, but perhaps you can find one."

Jonathan clutched the bag close, thinking of the money the sale of the items would bring. More than enough. Once he would have thought only of the material possessions he could buy with the money, and the blissful hours spent wasted in a casino. Now he merely gazed into the desert night and thought about all the doors that were swinging open for him. He would be able to truly turn his back on gambling. He might even be able to buy his own house and move out. He could start his own life. It was not too late.

"I can't ever say enough how sorry I am," he started.

Ardeth held up his hand. "My friend. I know."

My friend. Jonathan held his breath.

"No one man is responsible for the things that happen in this world," Ardeth said slowly. "That is a lesson I am still learning, Jonathan. You are not to blame for what happened here."

"I could have brought them back," he protested in a strengthless whisper.

"It is better that you did not," Ardeth said. He turned to face the river. "Admittedly I cannot see much reason for it right now, but one day I will know it to be true, insh'allah."

"And your son?"

"He will lead the Med-jai well," Ardeth said. "Although to be honest, I am not sure that there is much use for us now. Our task is done. The Creature can never be raised again. Ahm Shere is destroyed."

"The Book of the Dead is still out there," he pointed out.

"So it is. And so we shall watch over it." Ardeth turned to him. "As I shall watch over the diamond."

Jonathan nodded. "I guess this is it, then."

"What, you do not plan to come back to Egypt?"

He was surprised. "You mean I'm not banished?"

Ardeth smiled. "No, my friend. You are always welcome among the Med-jai." He touched Jonathan's shoulder and began walking back toward the camp, and the fires that burned in the darkness.

Jonathan went with his friend.

****

That night, Jonathan dreamed.

"Ours is a life of service," said Ardeth, "and commitment. You must think not of yourself but of that which you guard, and the people you protect. You must be prepared for anything, and be ready to do what you must to preserve what has been entrusted to you."

He nodded. "I can do that."

Images blurred past him.

Rick's eyes widening in shock as he tried to push Evy aside and save his friend. Alex gazing up at him with awe and admiration at his uncle. The pain in Imhotep's voice as he keened his grief aloud and shook the entire pyramid with the force of that anguish. Evelyn hugging him, telling him that she loved him.

He stood on the sands of Ahm Shere under a blazing hot sun. The world around him was blue and gold and white.

He looked around, and he saw them. They were walking toward him.

As he watched, Rick and Evy walked across the globe, holding hands. In his free hand, Rick held the Scepter of Osiris, and the tattoo on his wrist was glowing with a lambent blue light. Evy's eyes were lined with black kohl and she held a crimson cushion with the Bracelet of Anubis resting atop its velvety fabric.

Ahead of them was Alex, skipping lightly in his youthful innocence. He was dressed in blue and gold and where he stepped on the globe, golden light shot forth from his footprints. He did not look back to see if his parents followed, but continued onward, confident and unafraid.

Behind them was Ardeth Bay, carrying the golden Book of Amun-Ra and the black Book of the Dead. He wore the dark blue and silver robes of the chieftain of the Med-jai, and his sword gleamed a brilliant argent. His gaze was for Rick and Evy and Alex, a silent presence behind them, a Med-jai, a protector of mankind, a warrior for God.

Jonathan looked down and realized he was holding the diamond of Ahm Shere in his hands. It was whole again, and the sunlight reflected off its many facets in a riot of light. The jewels in the asp heads twinkled in the sun and made the serpents appear to be smiling.

The procession across the desert stopped in front of him. Evy smiled. "Are you coming, Jonathan?"

"We can't wait all day," Alex sang out.

"Let's go, Jonathan," Rick said.

Ardeth said nothing, but looked at him with quiet respect.

Jonathan lifted his head high. "Yes," he said. "I'm coming with you." He began walking, falling in beside his sister, walking with them as they crossed the sands of the desert, walking across the world, a part of the world that had always been meant for him, he saw now.

It had just taken him until now to realize it.

*******

END

Author's Note: Gosh. When I started this I never expected it to grow into this enormous story. It began as an attempt to give Jonathan a true destiny, and to use the events in my original story, The Fourth Side of the Pyramid. It became the massive epic you've just read, and I must say I've enjoyed every step of the way. I hope you have, too.

-- Becky