I still own nothing. Except Rebecca, and Molnar.
"This will be the first
place they'll look." Rebecca said
with a derisive laugh. "My 13 year old nephew could find this place."
They stood on the crest of a
dune, a spread of sand before them. To
the untrained eye there was nothing, but if you knew where to look you could
see signs that told you where you were.
Hamunaptra.
"How do you plan to raise
Imhotep without his body?" Rebecca inquired, her voice revealing how
little she thought of their mission.
"What makes you think we
have not already found it?" Molnar
replied, grinning evilly.
Rebecca shuddered inwardly. She prayed that he lied. She also prayed he did not find the
entrance, and the lever to raise the city from the sands. She squared her shoulders, resolving to do
all she could to delay. She was confident that Medjai warriors already
surrounded the city. She knew Ardeth
knew where they were headed. She just
hoped that Molnar's knowledge of the ritual was limited enough to slow it down.
===========================================================
Ardeth reined in his horse,
gazing down from the cliff top as the city rose from the sands. His gaze searched for, and found, the woman
he had ridden so hard to find. Rick rode
up behind him, Evy, Alex and Jonathan not far behind.
"They're raising the
city!" Alex cried, pointing at the
ruins. "How did they figure out
how to do that?"
"Because Molnar was once
one of us." Ardeth said, turning
his horse to follow the trail down around the cliff. "He was next in line to take my place were I to die."
"What happened?" Evy asked, checking over her shoulder to
ensure her husband and son followed.
"He decided he wanted my
place earlier than I was ready for." Ardeth replied his voice hard. "He had gathered a following, and tried to begin an uprising. He did not know that I was ready for
him."
"I'm surprised he's still
alive." Jonathan commented.
"I spared him on the
condition that he leave, and never return. The markings on his face were changed to reflect his unwelcome
status." Ardeth continued. "He was told never to return, or his
life would be forfeit."
"His life is forfeit no
matter what, I'd say." Jonathan
said darkly.
"Yes, it is." Ardeth agreed.
Evy silently seconded that
statement.
===========================================================
Rebecca's heart sank as the city
rose out of the sand before them. Molnar had known exactly where to go, as if he'd been there before. She turned her head, eyeing the man who held
the books with a narrowed gaze. If she
could take him down, take the books and run, she could hide them, maybe long
enough to give the others time to arrive.
She turned her gaze back to
Molnar as his hand clamped around her wrist, dragging her through the doorway…
…and out of Ardeth's view.
"We must hurry." Ardeth said, urging his horse forward.
"We need to get there
before the ritual is completed." Evy said, her voice worried. "I do not want to see Imhotep again."
"You're telling
me." Rick muttered, his expression
fierce.
"Don't worry, Alex." Jonathan said, sitting up straighter in the
saddle. "We've done this before. It should be a piece of cake."
Rick stared at Jonathan with
disbelief. He'd been on the receiving
end of Imhotep's rage before, and he knew it would not be a 'piece of
cake.' He turned his attention to his
riding as they raced across the sand to the City of the Dead, racing against
time to halt the ritual that could bring about the next apocalypse.
Rebecca stood at the top of the
stairwell, looking down at the familiar chamber. She'd been here three years before, searching for the history of
Hamunaptra. She'd found her own
instead, and was nearly sacrificed in an attempt to resurrect Seti I. The great pharaoh had intervened, his spirit
attacking those who threatened the descendant of his offspring, and the
reincarnation of another. They'd been
led out by the same spirit, and given all the treasure they could carry. Rebecca had walked away with bruises,
scrolls, and a husband. She could only
hope that she'd walk out with as much this time around.
Molnar shoved her forward as his
men formed a ring around the altar. Another man set objects on the altar: canopic jars, a dagger, and candles. Rebecca stumbled forward, using the momentum to careen into the man that
held the books. They both fell over in
a tangle of limbs, the books sliding over the floor. Rebecca freed herself quickly, rolling to her feet with the Book
of the Dead in her arms. She bolted for
the hidden stairwell she had found three years before, running down it blindly
in the dark. She could remember it's
twists and turns, and she made it to the bottom without mishap. She could hear the men shouting as they
followed, she used her small lead to her advantage as she felt her way around
the sarcophagi that were scattered throughout the room. She quickly slid the
book beneath the lid of one, settling it back into place quietly before making
her way to where Seti's tomb used to be. Though it had vanished last time she'd been there, she knew there were
pillars to hide behind. If she were
lucky they would think she'd run down the corridor.
She held her breath as the men
reached the bottom of the stairs. Their
torches lit the chamber, and Molnar's gaze swept the room. One of the men pointed down the corridor,
and they headed that way. Rebecca
breathed a sigh of relief as they disappeared from view. She quickly made her way up the stairs,
looking around cautiously before running for the stairs that led to the way
out, scooping up the Book of Amun Ra as she did so.
Ardeth jumped off his horse,
running for the entrance to the city as Rebecca came racing out, the gold book
clutched in her arms. He met her
halfway, his arms going around her as she babbled out what had occurred. His men rode up as she finished, and he
pushed her toward Evy as Rick joined him, ready for a fight.
"The Book of the Dead is still
in the city?" Evy asked, her voice
concerned as she slid her arm about her friend's shoulders.
"In one of the sarcophagi. I don't know which one, it was dark."
"If you don't know which one
it's in, then neither do they." Jonathan reassured her, patting her shoulder awkwardly as he joined
Ardeth and Rick.
"Let's go." Rick said with a jerk of his head, dropping
a quick kiss on Evy's mouth before heading into the city.
Evy and Rebecca looked at each
other as the men filed in, followed by an army of Medjai.
"They don't think we're sitting
out here while they go in to stop Molnar, do they?" Evy asked, her shoulders squaring as Alex looked at his mother
with alarm.
"I'm going back for the
book." Rebecca said with
determination. "Molnar said they'd
found Imhotep's body. It must be
nearby."
"Give me the book, Aunt
Becky." Alex suggested, his hand held
out. "While you're looking for the Book
of the Dead, I can see if there's something in here that can counteract the
Hom-Dai."
"Good idea." Evy agreed. "You stay out here, where you won't get hurt."
"Unless I find something." Alex corrected. "I'll find a place to hide out so I can read."
Rebecca followed Evy into the
city.