Chapter Three
Zharah hurried to the window and gazed out onto the streets. The flying barge was being held down by Imhotep's slaves!
"O' Connell, now is not the time for this!" exclaimed Zharah, turning back and grasping O'Connell's arm. "The creature has the barge! We must leave!"
Rick snarled and threw Beni aside like a piece of trash while Raia urgently tried to open the second floor window; it was stuck.
"Raia, hurry!" yelled Zharah.
"It's stuck!" replied Raia.
"Move out of the way!" said O'Connell, moving the two aside.
The American promptly kicked the window, shattering the glass into a million pieces. He looked out of the window to see the streets twenty feet below. Izzy had impressively brought the barge close to window, but not close enough; it was six feet away.
"Get ready to jump!" yelled Rick.
In the dirigible, Ameera frantically attempted to keep the mass of zombies away as they climbed up the dangling robes below. She slashed and hacked at the boil-covered slaves; Ardeth assisted her in this heinous chore.
Rick climbed out the window and spectacularly jumped towards the dirigible. Luckily, he was able to get a hold of the railing and pull himself up. Zharah followed and hauled herself over to the other side with O'Connell's help.
"I can't do it!" yelled Amelia as she was about to jump across.
"Of course you can do it!" yelled Zharah.
"God almighty, hurry the bloody up!" yelled Jonathan as he pushed one of the zombies off of the barge.
Amelia, horrified, shook her head in panic. Raia gave her a push; she had no choice but to jump. Zharah caught a hold of Amelia just in time and pulled her over to the other side. At the last possible moment, Raia, too, jumped across.
One of the zombies caught a hold of one of the ropes; Raia unsheathed his scimitar and sliced the cord that would give the dirigible its freedom. The flying barge shot up into the sky, making its passengers tumble again.
Jonathan stood up, holding his stomach and trampling about the deck. His face turned a pale green color and he clasped a hand over his mouth. The brother of Evelyn ran towards the edge of the deck, pushing people out of the way. He hunched over the rim and vomited down on rooftops far down below.
"Somebody is going get a nice surprise on their head," said Remy as he stifled his laughs.
Alexandria glowered at him and slapped him upside the head. She gently rubbed her cousin's back as he threw up the remainder of his lunch; Remy watched while he massaged the back of his head.
"I must get to Ahm Shere before the creature," said Ameera, approaching the pilot. "Izzy, please let me down near the Giza pyramids."
"What shall I do?" asked Zharah, wondering if she should stay or go with her sister.
"You will come with me, Zharah," answered Ameera.
Soon, Izzy reached the towering pyramids and lowered the dirigible enough for the two women to slide down the ropes with ease. Ardeth watched his younger sisters working quickly below; they stole two horses and four days worth of supplies. Ameera and Zharah galloped of as day turned into night in the land of the pharaohs.
"Why do they get all the fun?" asked Remy, sulking in a corner.
Evelyn walked up to her cousin and wrapped an arm around his hunched shoulders.
"Cheer up, Remy. This is what the Med-Jai live for," said Evelyn.
Remy looked up and sighed as Jonathan walked up to them.
"I hate flying," groaned Evelyn's older brother, still feeling nauseous.
"Poor Jonathan," said Evelyn, feeling sorry for her brother. "Come, sit down."
Hours later, the two female warriors halted their journey towards Ahm Shere. Zharah climbed down from her horse and stretched the cramped muscles in her back. She looked over at Ameera, who was sitting atop her horse and taking a drink from her canteen. The youngest of the four Bay siblings took the lead of her horse and approached her sister.
"What is it?" asked Zharah, gazing up at the endless sea of stars.
Ameera looked at her second in command.
"We must head East and follow the path to Karnak, then onto the course which Ardeth has written down for me," replied Ameera who pulled out a new looking map that Ardeth had made not too long ago.
"So far, so good," said Izzy, steadily piloting the dirigible.
"What are blabbering about, Izzy?" asked O' Connell as he came towards his old friend.
"I haven't got shot in the ass… yet," said Izzy.
Rick rolled his eyes and returned to his family.
"Beni is alive?" asked Evelyn, holding Alex as he dozed off.
"Where'd you hear that?" said O' Connell.
"Raia," answered Evelyn. "He told me you three had encountered him."
"Yeah, Beni is alive," said Rick as he sat down next to his brown-eyed wife. "He's one more thing to worry about too."
"Look what I found!" said Remy as he handled a crate food.
"Hey Iz!" called O' Connell as he eyed the several crates he hadn't noticed before. "Since when do you carry food on this thing?"
"Since what happened last time," he answered.
O' Connell shrugged with a satisfied look on his face.
Ameera and Zharah camped out for the night near an outcrop of rocks. When the sun rose in the morning, they were well on their way towards Ahm Shere. The two siblings rode all day and into dusk, when the sun yawned and sank below the horizon. They had finally reached Ahm Shere as the last speck of light disappeared. It was a pitiful sight; the river Nile emptied out into nothing but a barren, sandy wasteland.
Zharah pulled out her canteen and took a swig of water. Ameera furrowed her brow and held up her hand. Both of the horses stopped.
"Something is not right." Ameera murmured getting off her horse and walking around a bit.
Zharah watched her for a moment before the dirigible caught her eye; she got down from her horse and waved down the flying barge. Ameera sighed and turned as their friends peeked down and greeted them with shouts. For the rest of the night, everybody slept on the deck of the dirigible; not one was bothered by Jonathan's extremely loud snoring.
Dawn had not come yet when Ameera awoke from a dreamless sleep. She stood up and carefully walked around the ten people that slumbered on the floor; Izzy was asleep at the wheel.
She peered down onto the desert floor as the bad feeling returned to her. Ahm Shere was once again a green, moist jungle; the creature was near.
Suddenly, the wind abruptly swayed the gigantic balloon. The female warrior was able to catch her balance when she gripped the border of the barge. Most of the sleepers had been undisturbed, except for Jonathan who rolled across the deck and landed on top of Zharah.
Zharah's eyes shot open to see Jonathan wide awake.
"I...er...ummm…" stuttered Jonathan as Zharah's green eyes searched his.
"Get off of me, please," Zharah growled, shoving Jonathan to the side. Her turban had unwrapped itself and short, shoulder-length golden brown hair spilled out; it was curly like Ardeth's.
Jonathan calmly backed away from Zharah and then stood up to stretch.
"Who put us here?" demanded Zharah.
""I have no...*yawn*...clue, old mum. But I do have to say it was mighty comfortable!" Jonathan replied with a smile.
The young woman gave him a cold stare and without delay, scurried away from the Englishman. She walked over to Ardeth for a moment and Jonathan saw a wide smile appear on the handsome Med-Jai's face. They talked in low voices; he could only make out a few words.
"What... crazy? I...sleep with...did you..."
Ardeth laughed and wrapped an arm around Zharah's shoulder.
"Zharah, O' Connell and I thought it would be amusing to see you and his brother sleeping in the same bed without realizing it. After all, he did put his arm around you," teased Ardeth.
Adrienne looked up and scowled at her husband.
"Ardeth, it was cruel and certainly not amusing!" exclaimed Adrienne as she approached the two.
Zharah gave Ardeth a smug look as he released her; she quickly walked over to retrieve her turban. Jonathan had beaten her to it.
"Ah, here you go. Just thought I should be a good chap and get it for you," said Jonathan as he handed it to her.
Zharah's eyes opened wide and her cheeks flushed a scarlet color. Jonathan caught the look before Zharah could turn away. He smiled to himself and put his hands on each of her shoulders.
"Are you all right, darling? Do you have something in your eye?" asked Jonathan, restraining his desire to laugh.
"N-No...I'm f-fine, I just h-have something..."Zharah stuttered as she attempted to get out of his grasp.
Jonathan released one hand off her shoulder and placed it under her chin.
"Well, darling, let me see so I can do something. You know, I am a doctor!" said Jonathan, cheerfully, when he raised her chin until he could clearly see her eyes.
Everyone looked up to see the pair staring into each others eyes. Ameera's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets when she saw the spectacle.
Remy walked in humming loudly, not noticing Jonathan and Zharah. Alexandria pulled Remy down, shushed him and pointed to the couple standing nearby. His eyes opened wide and he smiled in delight.
"Well, you don't seem to have anything in your eyes, and your cheeks are a bit flushed," Jonathan said, gently caressing his thumbs against both of her red cheeks. Zharah gulped nervously.
"Um... all right. Uh...well, it is time to eat," whispered Zharah as she felt Jonathan's hands near her own.
"Hate to spoil the moment but, what exactly is this?" asked Jonathan a bit later when he sat down with his food.
"Hummus, leban, and eggs; it is a very healthy breakfast," smiled Zharah.
***
"It is time." Ardeth announced, wrapping his turban around his head.
Ameera nodded and did the same. Zharah, Raia and Adienne all wrapped their turbans around their head and attached the veil across their faces.
While the Medjai were preparing, Rick O'Connell was making sure that everyone was armed to the teeth.
"Why do I have to wear this blasted gun! I'm not going to fight, after all!" Jonathan whined.
Rick gave him that Don't-Go-There look and threw him a bandolier, containing over 200 bullets; Jonathan looked at it with disgust.
"Didn't Ardeth wear this bloody thing?" Jonathan questioned, holding it up in front of him like it was a piece of rotting flesh.
Ardeth looked up from his work and gave Jonathan a dirty look.
"Is that a bad thing?" Ardeth countered, walking up to Jonathan and looking down at him.
"Um... N-no, n-not at-at at all!" Jonathan stammered, utterly terrified of the Med Jai Chieftain.
Ardeth looked at Jonathan with his dark gaze for a while longer, then his face relaxed, a smile showing through his threatening, but handsome features.
"Oh good, you were, you were just kidding! Thank God..." breather Jonathan when Zharah walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You sure do have a way with people," she quietly remarked.
Jonathan looked into her green eyes. Even though she had her veil on, he could tell she was smiling. He smiled back, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Ameera looked at the scenery before her. The jungle looked overwhelming and there was no telling what dangers lay ahead.
Izzy had dropped them off at the clearing where head had crashed weeks before. Ameera drew her scimitar and led the way to the golden pyramid. She furiously hacked at the gigantic leaves and plants that blocked her way.
"Damn this bloody mud!" yelled Adrienne as she stumbled into a gooey and disgusting puddle of mud.
"Nice use of language," commented Remy as he walked past her.
"Isn't anybody going to help me?" she yelled when Ardeth came by and pulled her out of the mud.
"Watch your step, my love. There is no telling what dangers hide in this jungle," said Ardeth.
Up ahead, Alexandria was having trouble herself. She stumbled over concealed rocks and vines, making Remy laugh at her occasionally.
"Oh do shut up, Remy," said Alexandria, tired of her brother's snide and hurtful behavior.
Raia scowled at Remy and held up his scimitar in a threatening manner.
Meanwhile, Izzy was circling the jungle and babysitting the two children. Amelia and Alex constantly shot snide remarks at each other, but Izzy didn't do a damn thing about it.
"I want to go home," said Amelia, shaking like a frightened kitten.
"Well, that can't happen, now can it?" replied Alex with cynical look on his face.
"Shut up, you little brat," said Amelia, her arms folded in a grumpy manner.
"'Ey, settle down!" said Izzy, who was fed up with their arguing.
Ameera held up her hand to silence the people behind her. She listened to the stillness of the jungle and then she heard a soft, yet alien growling. The chieftainess turned around to face her comrades with her face marred by a terrified expression.
Zharah hurried to the window and gazed out onto the streets. The flying barge was being held down by Imhotep's slaves!
"O' Connell, now is not the time for this!" exclaimed Zharah, turning back and grasping O'Connell's arm. "The creature has the barge! We must leave!"
Rick snarled and threw Beni aside like a piece of trash while Raia urgently tried to open the second floor window; it was stuck.
"Raia, hurry!" yelled Zharah.
"It's stuck!" replied Raia.
"Move out of the way!" said O'Connell, moving the two aside.
The American promptly kicked the window, shattering the glass into a million pieces. He looked out of the window to see the streets twenty feet below. Izzy had impressively brought the barge close to window, but not close enough; it was six feet away.
"Get ready to jump!" yelled Rick.
In the dirigible, Ameera frantically attempted to keep the mass of zombies away as they climbed up the dangling robes below. She slashed and hacked at the boil-covered slaves; Ardeth assisted her in this heinous chore.
Rick climbed out the window and spectacularly jumped towards the dirigible. Luckily, he was able to get a hold of the railing and pull himself up. Zharah followed and hauled herself over to the other side with O'Connell's help.
"I can't do it!" yelled Amelia as she was about to jump across.
"Of course you can do it!" yelled Zharah.
"God almighty, hurry the bloody up!" yelled Jonathan as he pushed one of the zombies off of the barge.
Amelia, horrified, shook her head in panic. Raia gave her a push; she had no choice but to jump. Zharah caught a hold of Amelia just in time and pulled her over to the other side. At the last possible moment, Raia, too, jumped across.
One of the zombies caught a hold of one of the ropes; Raia unsheathed his scimitar and sliced the cord that would give the dirigible its freedom. The flying barge shot up into the sky, making its passengers tumble again.
Jonathan stood up, holding his stomach and trampling about the deck. His face turned a pale green color and he clasped a hand over his mouth. The brother of Evelyn ran towards the edge of the deck, pushing people out of the way. He hunched over the rim and vomited down on rooftops far down below.
"Somebody is going get a nice surprise on their head," said Remy as he stifled his laughs.
Alexandria glowered at him and slapped him upside the head. She gently rubbed her cousin's back as he threw up the remainder of his lunch; Remy watched while he massaged the back of his head.
"I must get to Ahm Shere before the creature," said Ameera, approaching the pilot. "Izzy, please let me down near the Giza pyramids."
"What shall I do?" asked Zharah, wondering if she should stay or go with her sister.
"You will come with me, Zharah," answered Ameera.
Soon, Izzy reached the towering pyramids and lowered the dirigible enough for the two women to slide down the ropes with ease. Ardeth watched his younger sisters working quickly below; they stole two horses and four days worth of supplies. Ameera and Zharah galloped of as day turned into night in the land of the pharaohs.
"Why do they get all the fun?" asked Remy, sulking in a corner.
Evelyn walked up to her cousin and wrapped an arm around his hunched shoulders.
"Cheer up, Remy. This is what the Med-Jai live for," said Evelyn.
Remy looked up and sighed as Jonathan walked up to them.
"I hate flying," groaned Evelyn's older brother, still feeling nauseous.
"Poor Jonathan," said Evelyn, feeling sorry for her brother. "Come, sit down."
Hours later, the two female warriors halted their journey towards Ahm Shere. Zharah climbed down from her horse and stretched the cramped muscles in her back. She looked over at Ameera, who was sitting atop her horse and taking a drink from her canteen. The youngest of the four Bay siblings took the lead of her horse and approached her sister.
"What is it?" asked Zharah, gazing up at the endless sea of stars.
Ameera looked at her second in command.
"We must head East and follow the path to Karnak, then onto the course which Ardeth has written down for me," replied Ameera who pulled out a new looking map that Ardeth had made not too long ago.
"So far, so good," said Izzy, steadily piloting the dirigible.
"What are blabbering about, Izzy?" asked O' Connell as he came towards his old friend.
"I haven't got shot in the ass… yet," said Izzy.
Rick rolled his eyes and returned to his family.
"Beni is alive?" asked Evelyn, holding Alex as he dozed off.
"Where'd you hear that?" said O' Connell.
"Raia," answered Evelyn. "He told me you three had encountered him."
"Yeah, Beni is alive," said Rick as he sat down next to his brown-eyed wife. "He's one more thing to worry about too."
"Look what I found!" said Remy as he handled a crate food.
"Hey Iz!" called O' Connell as he eyed the several crates he hadn't noticed before. "Since when do you carry food on this thing?"
"Since what happened last time," he answered.
O' Connell shrugged with a satisfied look on his face.
Ameera and Zharah camped out for the night near an outcrop of rocks. When the sun rose in the morning, they were well on their way towards Ahm Shere. The two siblings rode all day and into dusk, when the sun yawned and sank below the horizon. They had finally reached Ahm Shere as the last speck of light disappeared. It was a pitiful sight; the river Nile emptied out into nothing but a barren, sandy wasteland.
Zharah pulled out her canteen and took a swig of water. Ameera furrowed her brow and held up her hand. Both of the horses stopped.
"Something is not right." Ameera murmured getting off her horse and walking around a bit.
Zharah watched her for a moment before the dirigible caught her eye; she got down from her horse and waved down the flying barge. Ameera sighed and turned as their friends peeked down and greeted them with shouts. For the rest of the night, everybody slept on the deck of the dirigible; not one was bothered by Jonathan's extremely loud snoring.
Dawn had not come yet when Ameera awoke from a dreamless sleep. She stood up and carefully walked around the ten people that slumbered on the floor; Izzy was asleep at the wheel.
She peered down onto the desert floor as the bad feeling returned to her. Ahm Shere was once again a green, moist jungle; the creature was near.
Suddenly, the wind abruptly swayed the gigantic balloon. The female warrior was able to catch her balance when she gripped the border of the barge. Most of the sleepers had been undisturbed, except for Jonathan who rolled across the deck and landed on top of Zharah.
Zharah's eyes shot open to see Jonathan wide awake.
"I...er...ummm…" stuttered Jonathan as Zharah's green eyes searched his.
"Get off of me, please," Zharah growled, shoving Jonathan to the side. Her turban had unwrapped itself and short, shoulder-length golden brown hair spilled out; it was curly like Ardeth's.
Jonathan calmly backed away from Zharah and then stood up to stretch.
"Who put us here?" demanded Zharah.
""I have no...*yawn*...clue, old mum. But I do have to say it was mighty comfortable!" Jonathan replied with a smile.
The young woman gave him a cold stare and without delay, scurried away from the Englishman. She walked over to Ardeth for a moment and Jonathan saw a wide smile appear on the handsome Med-Jai's face. They talked in low voices; he could only make out a few words.
"What... crazy? I...sleep with...did you..."
Ardeth laughed and wrapped an arm around Zharah's shoulder.
"Zharah, O' Connell and I thought it would be amusing to see you and his brother sleeping in the same bed without realizing it. After all, he did put his arm around you," teased Ardeth.
Adrienne looked up and scowled at her husband.
"Ardeth, it was cruel and certainly not amusing!" exclaimed Adrienne as she approached the two.
Zharah gave Ardeth a smug look as he released her; she quickly walked over to retrieve her turban. Jonathan had beaten her to it.
"Ah, here you go. Just thought I should be a good chap and get it for you," said Jonathan as he handed it to her.
Zharah's eyes opened wide and her cheeks flushed a scarlet color. Jonathan caught the look before Zharah could turn away. He smiled to himself and put his hands on each of her shoulders.
"Are you all right, darling? Do you have something in your eye?" asked Jonathan, restraining his desire to laugh.
"N-No...I'm f-fine, I just h-have something..."Zharah stuttered as she attempted to get out of his grasp.
Jonathan released one hand off her shoulder and placed it under her chin.
"Well, darling, let me see so I can do something. You know, I am a doctor!" said Jonathan, cheerfully, when he raised her chin until he could clearly see her eyes.
Everyone looked up to see the pair staring into each others eyes. Ameera's eyes practically jumped out of their sockets when she saw the spectacle.
Remy walked in humming loudly, not noticing Jonathan and Zharah. Alexandria pulled Remy down, shushed him and pointed to the couple standing nearby. His eyes opened wide and he smiled in delight.
"Well, you don't seem to have anything in your eyes, and your cheeks are a bit flushed," Jonathan said, gently caressing his thumbs against both of her red cheeks. Zharah gulped nervously.
"Um... all right. Uh...well, it is time to eat," whispered Zharah as she felt Jonathan's hands near her own.
"Hate to spoil the moment but, what exactly is this?" asked Jonathan a bit later when he sat down with his food.
"Hummus, leban, and eggs; it is a very healthy breakfast," smiled Zharah.
***
"It is time." Ardeth announced, wrapping his turban around his head.
Ameera nodded and did the same. Zharah, Raia and Adienne all wrapped their turbans around their head and attached the veil across their faces.
While the Medjai were preparing, Rick O'Connell was making sure that everyone was armed to the teeth.
"Why do I have to wear this blasted gun! I'm not going to fight, after all!" Jonathan whined.
Rick gave him that Don't-Go-There look and threw him a bandolier, containing over 200 bullets; Jonathan looked at it with disgust.
"Didn't Ardeth wear this bloody thing?" Jonathan questioned, holding it up in front of him like it was a piece of rotting flesh.
Ardeth looked up from his work and gave Jonathan a dirty look.
"Is that a bad thing?" Ardeth countered, walking up to Jonathan and looking down at him.
"Um... N-no, n-not at-at at all!" Jonathan stammered, utterly terrified of the Med Jai Chieftain.
Ardeth looked at Jonathan with his dark gaze for a while longer, then his face relaxed, a smile showing through his threatening, but handsome features.
"Oh good, you were, you were just kidding! Thank God..." breather Jonathan when Zharah walked up and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You sure do have a way with people," she quietly remarked.
Jonathan looked into her green eyes. Even though she had her veil on, he could tell she was smiling. He smiled back, grabbing her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
Ameera looked at the scenery before her. The jungle looked overwhelming and there was no telling what dangers lay ahead.
Izzy had dropped them off at the clearing where head had crashed weeks before. Ameera drew her scimitar and led the way to the golden pyramid. She furiously hacked at the gigantic leaves and plants that blocked her way.
"Damn this bloody mud!" yelled Adrienne as she stumbled into a gooey and disgusting puddle of mud.
"Nice use of language," commented Remy as he walked past her.
"Isn't anybody going to help me?" she yelled when Ardeth came by and pulled her out of the mud.
"Watch your step, my love. There is no telling what dangers hide in this jungle," said Ardeth.
Up ahead, Alexandria was having trouble herself. She stumbled over concealed rocks and vines, making Remy laugh at her occasionally.
"Oh do shut up, Remy," said Alexandria, tired of her brother's snide and hurtful behavior.
Raia scowled at Remy and held up his scimitar in a threatening manner.
Meanwhile, Izzy was circling the jungle and babysitting the two children. Amelia and Alex constantly shot snide remarks at each other, but Izzy didn't do a damn thing about it.
"I want to go home," said Amelia, shaking like a frightened kitten.
"Well, that can't happen, now can it?" replied Alex with cynical look on his face.
"Shut up, you little brat," said Amelia, her arms folded in a grumpy manner.
"'Ey, settle down!" said Izzy, who was fed up with their arguing.
Ameera held up her hand to silence the people behind her. She listened to the stillness of the jungle and then she heard a soft, yet alien growling. The chieftainess turned around to face her comrades with her face marred by a terrified expression.