Disclaimer: same as the first three chapters.
Rebecca
crouched by the small pool of water at the oasis they had stopped at. She scooped up a handful of the cool water
and splashed it over her face, sighing at the relief it brought. She had an urge to dive in, but she knew
camp would be breaking soon, so she probably didn't have time.
Alex had no hesitation
however. He ran in clad only in his
pajamas, managing to thoroughly soak Rebecca's hastily donned shirt and
pants.
"You little monster." She managed to sputter. "Now I have to go change!"
"You needed a bath anyway, Aunt
Becky." Alex grinned.
His expression changed when she
lunged into the pool after him. A water
fight ensued, and it was hard to tell if there was any actual winner when Rick
and Ardeth walked down. Both men stood
on the shore shaking their heads as Rebecca finally managed to get Alex into a
headlock, dunking him completely before letting him go.
"That'll show you." Rebecca said with a grin, standing in the
waist deep water attempting to wring out her hair.
"I'll win next time." Alex promised, slogging his way toward
shore.
"You probably will." She muttered, looking up.
Rick saw their gazes lock, and
he quickly decided to follow his son back to camp. Ardeth stood waiting until she reached the shore. She came out of the water, mentally cursing
Alex for the way her wet clothes clung to every curve as Ardeth's gaze swept
her up and down.
"I heard a shout." He explained, holding the clothes he held
out to her. "When I saw Alex had talked
you into the water I thought you may need these."
"He didn't talk me in." Rebecca protested, reaching out for her
things. "The little brat ambushed me."
The clothes fell to the ground
unheeded as he pulled her to him, molding her wet body to his as his mouth
plundered hers. What had passed between
them the night before was reawakened by the contact, and Rebecca moaned
helplessly as she clung to his strength.
"You were not there when I
awakened." He said as his lips burned a
path to her ear.
"I needed a walk." She replied, her voice unsteady as his
embrace gentled. "I need time to
think-"
"You have had three years to
think." He interrupted, looking down at
her seriously. "I will not be giving
you time to think any longer. From now
on, you will only feel. Follow your
heart, Rebecca."
"I don't know if I can do
that." She said, waving her hands in
frustration. "It's not as easy as
you make it sound."
"You can try." He told her. "It is better than running away."
Later that day:
"There it is." Evy pointed, a grin on her face.
"Thebes." Alex said with awe in his voice. "Last time we were here we found the
Bracelet of Anubis. I wonder what we'll
find this time?"
"Trouble." Rick replied. "Same as we always find."
Rebecca urged her camel forward,
but it decided it would much rather drink from the stream. She shrugged, and slid down the side in what
was probably the least graceful dismount ever seen by man. She led her camel to the stream, and turned
to look upon the ancient city.
"Where do we start?" She asked as Evy walked up to stand beside
her. "There must be a million places
one could hide those books."
"After we set up camp, let's go
over that book some more." Evy
suggested, stretching to relieve the soreness riding a camel had caused. "Maybe we'll see something we missed."
So it came to be that after camp
was set up, and dinner eaten, that the two women settled down next to the fire
with tea and the book. Jonathan plopped
down beside them, a pleased expression on his face as he looked at them. He raised his hand, and Rebecca could see
the bottle of scotch in his hand.
"None for you, old mum." He laughed. "But I thought maybe Rebecca could stand a bit of a taste."
"I don't know, Jonathan." Rebecca said doubtfully. "As you pointed out, when I drink with you I
wind up married."
"You know, so did I, now that I
think about it." Evy said slowly. "Though not as quickly as you did,
Rebecca. Maybe he puts something in
there that we don't know about?"
"Well, then. Wouldn't I have been married by now if that
were the case?" Jonathan asked, handing
the bottle to Rebecca.
Rebecca passed it on to Rick
without taking a sip, knowing she'd need a clear head as long as they were out
here.
"We'd have to find someone willing
to put up with you." Rebecca said,
eyeing Jonathan thoughtfully. "I don't
know anyone I hate enough to give that job to."
Jonathan scowled while the
others laughed. Rebecca reached over
and patted his arm affectionately, letting him know she didn't mean a word of
what she had said. She knew he would
find someone. He didn't let many people
see his responsible, serious side. He could
be depended on, much as he tried to show you couldn't.
Ardeth could not help but feel
jealous of the easy way she had with Jonathan. She tensed up when he came near, but was completely relaxed in the
presence of Jonathan. He knew they'd
grown up together, and she regarded him as a brother. He could only hope that with enough time she would become as
relaxed with him.
Rebecca felt Ardeth's stare, but
did not look up to meet his gaze. She
focused on the book she held, re-reading the same page twice before realizing
it. She turned the page, scowling at
what she found.
"There's a page missing." She told Evy, frustration evident in her
voice. "What are the odds that it's the
page we need?"
"I'd say fairly good, the way
our luck tends to run." Jonathan piped
in, earning a glare from both women. "Well, isn't it true?"
"The palace."
All gazes turned to Ardeth, including
Rebecca's.
"It is the one place that would
have been guarded night and day by the Medjai." He continued with authority. "It would be a place to start."
"I agree." Rick said with a yawn. "Which means we should get some sleep, so we
can get an early start."
Rebecca closed the book, her
gaze lowering as her fingers toyed with her braid nervously. Ardeth nodded to the others as they headed
off to their respective tents, his gaze turning to his wife as she continued to
study the spine of the book as if it were the most interesting thing in the
world. He took it from her gently,
tucking it into her bag as her gaze flew to his.
"I'm not tired yet." She said quickly, her stomach dancing with
nerves as he sat behind her.
"Neither am I." He replied, making Rebecca blush as she
realized what he'd meant.
They sat in companionable
silence for a while. Rebecca looked
back over her shoulder when the silence continued, catching the expression of
fatigue on his face.
"Liar." She said softly, turning to face him. "You are tired."
"It has been a long day." He admitted, his voice weary.
Rebecca reached out tentatively,
taking his hand as she rose. She led
him to their tent, helping him to disrobe, motioning him to lie down as she
removed her clothing. She lay down
beside him, turning onto her side to face him. He turned to her, laying his head against her chest as his breathing
lengthened into sleep. She didn't know
where this sudden need to comfort him had come from, and she lay awake for a
long time wondering how she could ever leave him again, but also wondering how
she could ever stay.
Ardeth woke that morning, having
never rested better. He was pleasantly
surprised to find her still there; sleeping beside him sprawled on her stomach,
her head pillowed on her arm. He ran
his hand down her back, feeling the smoothness of her skin, the strength
beneath. She had changed somewhat in
the three years she'd been away. She'd
lost some of her softness, gained in strength. He knew from Rick that Evy had trained her to swordfight, and Rick had
taught her to use her fists. He bet she
was a force to be reckoned with in a fight, and he grinned at the thought of
whoever may dare to cross her.
His hand ventured below the thin
blanket that covered her from the waist down. He remembered she did not care to be awakened in the morning, perhaps
she would respond better to some persuasion…
Rebecca's eyes snapped open as
his hand skimmed over her backside. She
reached back, swatting at his hand in irritation, turning away as he continued
in his endeavors. Undeterred, he tugged
at the blanket, breaking into laughter as she clutched at it. A tug of war ensued, ending when Rebecca let
go abruptly, sending him tumbling back from the momentum.
"I was sleeping." She muttered, raising herself up on her
elbows to scowl at him.
"My apologies." Ardeth replied, his grin showing he meant
not a word as he tossed the blanket back at her.
Rebecca caught it, shaking it
out and draping it over herself, conscious of the fact that he had not seen her
unclothed in daylight. His hand closed
around her ankle, and she yelped as he began to pull her toward him, his
intentions clear on his face.
"Did I tell you I don't like
mornings?" She asked, breathless as he
stretched out atop her.
"I can convince you
otherwise." He promised, settling his
weight upon her, running his hands up her sides.
"This isn't the answer you
know." She protested, gasping as he
pinned her hands to the ground over her head.
"That would depend upon the
question, would it not?" He teased,
bending his head to taste her lips.
As they became one, Rebecca no
longer knew if there was a question. But she knew that she could get used to mornings that began like this…
Later that day, Rebecca sighed
with frustration as her search of the room revealed nothing. She'd spent two hours in the small chamber,
and had come up empty handed. She poked
her head out into the hallway, her expression inquiring as Alex approached.
"Nothing." He said with a shrug. "We're making mom take a break. Do you want to come with?"
"No, I want to check another
spot." She said, dusting her hands off
on her pants. "Where did your mother
say that Ank-su-namun's room was?"
Alex pointed, and Rebecca headed
in that direction. She wanted to check
one more room before quitting for the day. She walked forward, holding her torch aloft as she stepped into the room
Alex had indicated. It was large, and
traces of the murals that had been painted on the walls gleamed faintly in the
torchlight. She stepped forward,
freezing as the scene changed before her eyes. Instead of dust and crumbling walls, she now saw every thing, as it
might have appeared when the city had been occupied. She could see a bed, and a body lay upon it with its arms folded
across its chest. As she stepped closer
she could make out the ceremonial dress, the jewelry that draped the arms. She reached out to push aside the sheer
curtain that hung around the bed, a gasp escaping her lips as recognition
hit. Though she had not seen her in
person, she had seen enough drawings to know who it was.
"Ank-su-namun." She whispered.
She heard voices in the hall,
and she turned as men entered the room. She could see by the marking on their faces that they were Medjai. They stopped before the bed, looking through
Rebecca as they discussed the burial of the body, and the search for the High
Priest Imhotep. She watched one go to
the wall, and touch his hand to one of the murals. The wall began to swing open, and Rebecca stepped forward, eager
to see what was behind.
"Rebecca? Can you hear me?" Jonathan asked, waving his hand in front of her face. "Is anybody home?"
Rebecca jerked as if she'd been
slapped, her knees buckling. Jonathan
caught her before she could hit the floor, lowering her to a sitting position
as he rubbed her hands between his gently. He took the torch from her numb fingers, looking into her eyes with
concern. She blinked up at him, her
expression showing more awareness of her surroundings as Ardeth walked into the
room.
"What has happened?" Ardeth asked, kneeling beside Rebecca.
He put his hand on her shoulder,
using the other to raise her chin so he could look at her. She was pale, and a slight shudder shook her
body as he slid an arm around her to help her rise. She looked around wildly, her gaze taking in the fact that the
room was back in its present state.
"I saw her. Laying on a bed, there." Rebecca said, pointing to where she'd seen
it in her vision. "They were taking her
to the burial ceremony. I saw Medjai;
they came in to take her away. One of
them went through that wall."
She broke free of Ardeth's hold,
rushing to the wall. She began to run
her hands over it, seeking the place the man had touched. She found nothing, no raised bit of stone, and
no handle. She cursed the fact that
time had erased the brightness of the murals. There had been a swirl, and he had pressed the center.
"I need my tools. I need to clean this wall. Something's behind it, I know it." She babbled, a tinge of hysteria in her
voice.
Ardeth nodded at Jonathan, who
went to get the tools. He took Rebecca's
shoulders in his hands, forcing her to stand still.
"Take a breath. Relax." He cautioned, still concerned by the pallor on her face. "The wall will not go anywhere."
"IT was the most amazing thing I
ever saw." She told him, beginning to
calm as his hands rubbed up and down her arms.
She stepped forward, bringing
herself into his arms.
"IT was also frightening." She murmured, burying her face against his
shoulder as he held her close. "What
does it mean?"