Someday
By Jeannette Hetfield
Chapter 4
"Where is he?" Kerri glanced anxiously at the watch pinned to her blouse. It was 12:15 PM. Michael hadn't arrived yet. Kerri and Fadil made it to the Kenoba Hotel early. She had been hoping to find Michael already waiting for them at the bar. Fadil had chosen a table in the back swallowed by the shadows to watch for Michael. Kerri fidgeted in her chair and nervously tapped her foot on the floor.
"Did you agree to meet in here?" Fadil asked Kerri.
"Not exactly." Kerri saw someone step into the bar, but it was a woman. She sighed impatiently.
"Maybe he is in the lobby or the restaurant already," Fadil suggested.
"No, he would undoubtedly come to the bar first."
"When he does, let me bring him to us. Do not go running up to him."
"Why?" she asked.
"You are upset, Miss Hopkins and would cause a commotion if you run to him in an emotional state."
Kerri opened her mouth to protest. Fadil held up his hand to silence her. "You know I am right." Kerri nodded reluctantly and looked again to the bar entrance. She gasped.
"That's Michael," she whispered to Fadil. Kerri started to rise from her seat, but a stern look from Fadil changed her mind. Fadil rose and approached him just as he was about to sit at the bar. Michael's eyes narrowed when he saw the Med-jai standing in front of him, blocking the path.
"Move out of my way, Med-jai," he said menacingly.
Fadil was not intimidated. "Not until you hear what we have to say."
"Who's we?" Fadil looked behind him at a woman sitting in the dark corner. Michael followed his gaze to the table occupied by one person. He squinted, trying to focus his eyes in the dark. The blond hair gave her away. "Kerri, what's going on?" He hurried to the table, sat down next to her and looked around the bar. "Where's Jen?" His voice nearly caught in his throat.
"Tell him what you told us," Fadil said, resuming his seat next to Kerri.
Kerri explained about the argument and Jensa's running away. She showed the purse and hat to Michael. His eyes widened as he recognized them. He had given Jensa that straw hat as a gift when they first arrived in Cairo. It had been too big for her then, but he said she would grow into it. "What do you think has happened?"
"I want you to keep a calm head, Michael."
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked in alarm.
Kerri sagged backwards into her chair and sighed heavily. "Michael, we think someone kidnapped her."
"What?" he exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.
"Sit down," Fadil commanded. Michael complied and sat down hard. "We do not want to attract any unwanted attention." Michael looked at Fadil and suddenly realized that he had forgotten the warrior was sitting there. Fadil had been extremely quiet. Almost motionless.
"What's he doing here?" Michael pointed at him suspiciously.
"While I was looking for Jensa, I ran into Ardeth Bay. I knew he would help us find her."
Michael paled. "Ardeth Bay? You got the Med-jai involved in this?" He stared at Fadil with contempt.
"Yes, Michael. Despite what you and your father think of them, they are on our side. It would be wise of you to regard them as allies. Ardeth will find Jensa and you know that." Even though Kerri had spoken of the dangerous nature of the Med-jai, she changed her mind after she realized they were Jensa's only hope.
"Fine," he said resignedly. "Let's get back to the house. I need to speak with Dad right away." All three stood. "Come on, Kerri." They rushed from the hotel to Michael's automobile. Fadil was not far behind. Michael protested when Fadil climbed into the back seat. "No, you are not coming, Med-jai."
"Yes, he is," Kerri said forcefully. Michael raised his eyebrows in surprise at her. "Like it or not, Michael. We need him. All of them." Fadil gave Kerri a grateful smile, which she returned. Michael started the car, stepped on the accelerator and sped home.
* * *
They lurched to an abrupt stop. Michael didn't wait for the other two. He jumped out and hurried up the steps two at a time that led to the front door. "Dad!" Michael shouted bursting through the door. "Dad! Mom! Where are you? I have something to—" Michael broke off as he headed into his father's study. Mrs. James was enveloped in her husband's arms as she sobbed uncontrollably.
"You know," Michael said in quiet surprise.
"Yes," he nodded gravely.
"I was just coming to tell you." Michael approached his mother and gently patted her on the back. "How did you know already?"
"There." Mr. James indicated with his head towards the piece of paper lying on the desk. Michael picked it up. Kerri and Fadil came into the study. Mr. James and Kerri exchanged sympathetic looks. At the sight of Fadil, Mr. James exploded. He abruptly let go of his wife and approached the black robed figure. "What is this Med-jai doing here? Do you have something to do with my daughter's abduction?" Mr. James' voice raged with animosity.
Years ago before Michael and Jensa were born, Mr. and Mrs. James found Hamunaptra and tried to take some of the artifacts they found back to Cairo. Ardeth's father, who was also an Ardeth Bay, led the Med-jai at the time. He let them live since there were only two of them and they hardly looked threatening. Mr. James and his wife returned dejectedly to Cairo. Ever since their first encounter with the guards of Hamunaptra, Mr. James hated the tribe. That was why he disapproved of the friendship Jensa had with the current leader.
"Of course not." Fadil didn't flinch at the murderous glares he kept receiving from the James men. Kerri stepped in between them.
"Mr. James, I assure you, they have nothing to do with this. I'll tell you what happened." Kerri went on to explain her account of what happened again to Mr. and Mrs. James, including the part how Ardeth Bay flocked to Jensa's rescue. She knew it was vital to convince everyone that the Med-jai were their friends and how powerful that friendship could be.
"They're looking for her now?" asked Mrs. James as she used a handkerchief to wipe her eyes.
"Yes, Mrs. James," Fadil said, "and I assure you that Ardeth will find her."
"What does the note say? Why was Jensa taken?" Kerri asked with wide, worried eyes.
Michael spoke up. "They want money. It's a ransom note."
Kerri was shocked. "Ransom note! Who is responsible?"
"We don't know. I didn't recognize the writing," Mr. James stuffed his hands in his pants pockets and sighed in frustration. "Now the only hope we have is, apparently, the Med-jai." Again, he gave Fadil a venomous glare.
"It would do you well to remember that," Fadil said.
"Now see here—" Mr. James began, pointing an angry finger at Fadil.
"Samuel, stop it!" Mrs. James cried. "You can settle your differences later. Jensa is all that matters now." She approached Fadil beseechingly. "Please do all in your power to find her. I know Ardeth and Jensa have a strong bond. He may be young, but he is your leader and a competent one at that, otherwise, he wouldn't be the leader."
"Shokran (thank you), Mrs. James." Fadil took a few steps back. "I must leave you now and rejoin them." He turned to Kerri and said, "I have seen you safely home. I hope the next time we see each other, your friend will be present." He quickly headed out the front door towards the stables. Fadil helped himself to one of the horses without bothering to put a saddle on it. His mount was still inside the casbah stables.
"Hey! You just can't take our horse!" Michael shouted, running down the stairs. Fadil ignored him. Looking down in surprise, Kerri was standing next to the horse. Fadil reached out his hand to her. She took it and was given a reassuring squeeze.
"Please find her," she implored.
"We will, Kerri."
Everyone watched as Fadil left them and headed into the desert. Kerri realized she was still clutching Jensa's hat and purse in her hand. She was dismayed at the wrinkle she'd left in the hat. Jensa's not going to like this, she thought with fresh tears brimming her eyes. "I certainly hope she'll be around to scold me for wrinkling it to pieces."
Just then, Mr. James ran past her into the stables and hurriedly saddled another horse. He was carrying a small satchel. Before he climbed up, he shoved a gun in his pants at his lower back and led the animal outside.
"Darling, where are you going?" Mrs. James demanded, running after him.
"You didn't really believe that Med-jai, did you? I'm going to get her back myself. I'll give them their money," he indicated the satchel, "and they'll give me my daughter."
"I'm coming with you," Michael said, as he ran into the stables, but Mr. James called him back. "No, you're not."
"But Dad—"
"Don't 'but Dad' me. Do as you're told. This is a dangerous situation. Jensa is in harm's way. I won't risk the same thing happening to you." He stuck his foot in the stirrup and swung over into the saddle.
"Dad, you can't trust the people who took Jensa. For all we know, she could already be dead."
"Don't you dare say that!" he shouted. "Don't even think it. She's alive and I'll find her."
"And just how do you propose to do that?"
"I'm going to follow the Med-jai that just left."
"That sounds unwise to me, Dad."
"He's right, Samuel. The men who took Jensa may double cross you," Mrs. James interjected.
"I'm prepared," he said, patting his gun. "Now I have to go." He nudged the horse's flanks with it kicking up sand as it flew out of the entrance gates.
Michael put his arm around his mother in a vain effort to comfort her. "Don't worry, Mom. We'll get her back."
"Now, we not only have Jensa to worry about, but your father too." Mrs. James turned around and headed back to the house.
"You'd better hope your Med-jai friends do find my sister," he said to Kerri, "If they don't, I'll kill every last one of them."
* * *
Jensa awoke with a start and a swimming head. She crossed her arms over her stomach moaning at the horrible feeling of nausea. She rolled over and took in a mouthful of sand. Disgusted, she sat up and spat it out. Jensa looked around not knowing where she was. It was a ruin of some sort. Stone pillars stood here and there and some were sprawled across the sand broken in pieces. Looking up, Jensa was overwhelmed by the millions of stars in the sky. There certainly weren't this many in the city. Memories instantly flashed into her mind. Two men had attacked her and brought her…
"Where?" she completed her thoughts aloud. The kidnappers were nowhere to be seen. She did, however, see two camels not too far from her position. They were laying on the sand grunting and chewing. A camp had been set up with a small fire burning, but no one was around it. Jensa pushed herself up onto her feet with her hands and wavered slightly as she attempted to regain her balance. She lurched backwards and fell against something cold and hard. Jensa sharply turned around and found herself face to face with a statue. It had the head of a jackal and the body of a man.
"Anubis!" Her hands flew to her mouth. "Oh, God! I'm at Hamunaptra!" She stiffened at the sound of a sharp click behind her and slowly turned—her eyes focusing on the barrel of a gun inches from her face.
"Glad to see you are finally awake." The tall man who had roughly attacked her, sneered grotesquely. Footsteps approached. The short man appeared beside the other with a torch in his hand. Both had removed their veils. Jensa immediately set her eyes upon the short man. He had seemed familiar to her and now she knew why.
"Onaba! I knew I recognized you!" she cried. The torch light threw dark shadows across their bronzed skin. The golden glow enhanced their evil sneers.
"So the Egyptian princess acknowledges the help," Onaba said bitterly. "All that time I worked for your family as a lowly stable hand; a worthless, thankless job. Now I shall get my thanks. I have never liked your family, especially you and that drunk for a brother you have.
"Then why did you take the job in the first place?" she demanded angrily.
"I needed the money," he snapped. "I prayed to the benevolent Allah that an opportunity would soon rid me of the menial salary your father pays me. And it has," he gestured toward the tall man with a nod of his head. "My brother Sifa came to me and told me I was a fool to be working for such a greedy foreigner."
Jensa fumed and took a step towards Onaba. Sifa threw his arm back and punched her in the eye. Jensa staggered backwards. Anubis broke her fall and nearly her shoulder as she slammed into the stone. "Do that again and I will kill you," he said venomously.
Tears glistened in her eyes from the searing pain in her shoulder and face, but she was determined not to break down in front of them. Using the statue for support, she inched up the front of it with her good shoulder while cradling the other in her right hand. "How can sacrificing me get you anywhere?" she said through gritted teeth.
Onaba and Sifa looked to one another in confusion. "Sacrifice?" questioned Onaba.
"Yes, you brought me to Hamunaptra. What other purpose could you have? You wish to raise Imhotep and sacrifice me to bring back his love to gain power and wealth."
Onaba laughed at her declaration. "I do not believe in curses and the whole Imhotep thing." He gestured widely with his arm at the City of the Dead. "Hamunaptra is merely one giant mausoleum with Egypt's ancient wealth hidden inside. We intend to look for the treasure while we hold you for ransom."
Jensa raised an eyebrow and immediately regretted having done so. The pain in her eye was almost as bad as her shoulder. "Ransom?" she asked in disbelief, rubbing her face just below the sore eye socket.
"Yes, princess. We left your father a kind note saying he is to give us $20,000 for your safe return. If he does not…" Onaba left Jensa to finish the sentence.
"My father isn't stupid, unlike you two."
"And why are we stupid, girl?" asked Sifa, glaring at her with malice.
"You brought me to Hamunaptra."
"So?" he prompted.
"So, that's where you're both stupid. Morons. Idiots—"
"We get the idea," he said narrowing his eyes.
"We brought you here because it is far from Cairo. Two days ride actually. There are plenty of supplies. My brother and I can live quite happily for some time."
"Aren't you forgetting one little thing?" Jensa said, regaining strength and stepping away from the statue to stand closer to them.
"What's that?"
Jensa glanced to the cliffs facing the City. "The Med-jai," she answered simply.
"Oh, please! They do not exist. They are a myth passed down generation after generation," Onaba said with a disbelieving look on his face.
"I beg to differ." She pointed to the cliffs with her good arm. "What do you call that?" All three of them stared at about fifteen people on horseback sitting atop the cliff. It was dark, but the moon was full and bathed everything in its light, including the Med-jai. Even though Jensa knew the tribe were the good guys, she still shuddered remembering the tales Ardeth bragged of when they were younger. The mayhem and merciless killing of Hamunaptra fortune hunters was well known throughout Egypt. She also knew that they would stop at nothing to protect the existing evils from being loosed upon the earth. It surprised her that these two had no belief in curses or the desert tribe.
"They are just Tuareg or Bedouin thieves waiting for us to forget about them and then they will come to steal the treasure for themselves," Onaba stated.
"Then you two are more stupid than you look." Jensa suppressed laughter at their ignorant belief of the Hamunaptra keepers. Onaba grabbed her sore shoulder and squeezed hard. She bit her lower lip to keep from crying out.
"Call us stupid again and I will kill you now and leave you to the desert animals to ravage your body," he hissed. The laughter dissipated, leaving fear in its wake. Jensa knew better than to hope that once they received their ransom money, they'd let her go unharmed. They would kill her…or worse.
"Sifa, give me the rope," Onaba waggled his hand impatiently. Sifa grabbed a bundle of rope and slapped it into Onaba's waiting hand. "We can't have you trying to run off on us, but you wouldn't last more than a few hours in the desert with no water or transportation. You would die slowly, killed by the desert."
Jensa responded by sticking out her arms, indicating she would prefer to be tied up. He nodded his head, amused by her choice of bondage. Onaba handed off the torch to Sifa, grabbed her right arm and tied the rope around her wrist. Then he walked around Anubis to fetch her other hand. He pulled the rope tightly. Jensa visibly winced in pain. The burning in her shoulder increased.
"Now princess, you will finally know what it is like to sleep without the comforts which were handed to you on a silver platter." Onaba tipped his turban to her in mock respect. "Pleasant dreams, Miss James."
* * *
The desert sun beat down on Jensa mercilessly. Some time in the night, she had fallen into a fitful asleep. Her neck ached because her head hung forward in an awkward position all night. Her eye felt a little better, but her shoulder throbbed incessantly. She tried wetting her dry lips with her tongue, but it was useless. Moisture of any kind evaporated immediately. She sighed in exhaustion and laid her head back against the hard stone of Anubis.
"I'm probably tied to the most uncomfortable statue in all of Egypt." She laughed nervously at her own ridiculous joke.
Looking around, she saw neither Onaba or Sifa. They were probably digging around inside trying to find treasure. Her stomach growled noisily. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten anything. As Jensa had been doing for awhile now, she jiggled the ropes trying to loosen them, but it hadn't worked so far. Her wrists held secure by the ropes, burned along with her shoulder. Jensa could tell they were chafed and felt something wet. She knew her wrists were bleeding. A tingling sensation crept from the top of her shoulders all the way to her fingertips. Onaba had allowed no slack in the knots and she knew she was losing circulation fast. Jensa continued to move her arms trying to keep her blood flowing and ignored her body's protests. She moaned as a sudden burst of pain seared through her back, nearly incapacitating her. Her shoulder felt like it was about to fall off. Energy quickly drained from her body. The sun made it impossible for her to exert herself more than one or two minutes. The nausea from the previous night never left either. If she didn't get out of here soon, she would die from the heat, or the pain, or loss of circulation, or…or everything.
Suddenly, something black appeared out of the sand a few feet from her. It was moving in her direction. She blinked and wondered if the sun was playing tricks on her by creating a mirage. As the black object moved closer, she shrieked when she realized the moving object was a scorpion. Its deadly stinger stood ready to penetrate her skin.
"If it isn't one thing, it's another."
Jensa rose her foot up and waited until just the right moment. As it conveniently walked under her foot, she brought the heel of her shoe down on top of it over and over. Finally satisfied, she lifted her foot and looked at the bug. It was one of the most grotesque and hideous looking bugs to walk the earth. She kicked it as far away from her as she could. The Scorpion King would have rolled over in his grave if he had seen her murder his namesake. Exhausted from her small exertion, Jensa's body sagged. Her head felt like it was on a boat, rocking back and forth due to the choppy waves. She knew she was going to be unconscious soon.
"No, Jensa. You must stay awake," she told herself firmly, but it was no use against the heat. Sweat poured from her brow and her vision blurred. "I'm seeing another mirage." Jensa looked to the horizon. It was too far to make anything out, but it looked like there were a bunch of black dots coming towards Hamunaptra. The heat rose up from the ground making the dots swim back and forth. Must be more scorpions, she thought wryly. Another thought occurred to her, but was only fleeting and she could not interpret what it was. She was close to delirium and tried desperately to cling to that thought. Maybe it could help her escape.
"Med-jai," she muttered. Could that have been what she was trying to figure out? Was her subconscious hoping for the Med-jai to help her? She jerked her head up to the cliff. The riders from the previous night were gone. A spark of hope ignited inside of her. Maybe that mirage of black dots was no mirage at all. She clung to that spark of hope. Maybe the Med-jai were on their way. Jensa squinted hard as she stared at the horizon again and it took all of her might to focus clearly.
The black dots were gone.
"No," she said in weak defeat. The hope dissipated. She turned her head all around and searched as best as she could. Nothing. Nothing and no one was there. No one knew where she was. If they knew she was gone, did they even know where to begin looking? The alley, she remembered, she had been in an alley, but what were the chances of someone looking for her there?
Jensa gasped. "My hat! And my purse! I don't have them. I must have dropped them, but only Kerri would know they're mine and she probably went to the hotel to look for me." Jensa struggled with the heavy burden on her shoulders. "Probably no one knows that I'm gone. What shall I do?" Tears that she had managed to hold back came streaming down her face. Her shoulders shook with the sobs.
"Aww, is the poor princess afraid?" Onaba mocked. He and Sifa came from inside the depths of the City with two brown satchels. They were overflowing with gold. Sifa threw them over the camels. They growled with displeasure. "Poor thing is without her feather bed and servants to tend to her every need. Looks to me like you have shot your bolt." Onaba stood within inches from her face and reached up to wipe her tears with a handkerchief he pulled from his tunic pocket. She violently turned her head from him.
"Suit yourself, princess." Onaba stuffed the handkerchief back in the tunic pocket and walked away to examine his newly found treasure. Sifa was already drooling over one of the satchels. He pulled out a long gold medallion sculpted into the Eye of Horus.
"Hey!" Jensa screamed at Onaba's back. "Hey, stupid! What does it take to get some water out here?" Onaba stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to glare at Jensa. The corners of his mouth turned up into something of an amused smile. He went to the camel and pulled off a goatskin canteen from the saddle. He pulled the top off and rose the canteen to her mouth. She drank the water hungrily, but slowly so she would not become sick and make the water come back up. He snatched it away from her mouth. This unusually compassionate gesture from Onaba worried her. So far, their treatment had been nothing but beastly.
"You surprise me, princess. I would not have thought you would take the water from your servant's vile hands."
"Don't call me princess, stupid," she hissed.
Onaba took a step back. Droplets of water ran from her chin and slid down her neck. It might have been refreshing, but the sun seemed to make the water boil on her skin. Before she realized what was happening, Onaba hauled off and hit her square in the jar. Jensa's head snapped to the side. He took a handful of her hair and turned her head up so he could look her in the eye. "I'll call you princess as many times as I like. You seem so content to call me stupid." Onaba let go and stalked off.
Jensa's body sagged again. All energy was gone now. She could feel her body giving up. The tingling in her arms and hands had stopped. She could not feel them at all. Her jaw ached with his recent abuse. "Stupid," she said under her breath. "Tired, so tired. Just want to sleep." Jensa's head slowly tilted forward. "Ardeth…" Jensa let her tired and bruised body welcome the black void.
* * *
The Med-jai who had been watching the City from the cliff, saw their comrades coming towards them at a charge. They quickly joined up with them and Ardeth explained the situation. The group that had tracked the tire markings from Cairo found that they ended at Giza Port. A vagrant saw them searching the docks and said he had information, but only if they paid him. He said they left the car with one of them carrying a large bundle covered with a blanket over his shoulder. He saw a hand sticking out from under the blanket. He could tell it was a woman's hand. They stole two camels then jumped aboard a ship heading for the City of the Dead.
The Med-jai arrived just outside of the walls of Hamunaptra, but not in time. The sight of the man striking Jensa put renewed rage inside of Ardeth. He no longer cared why they took Jensa, only that she was hurt. He feared she would already be dead when they made it. They searched for Jensa in Cairo and in the building the little girl had said they took her into. It had been a waste of time, time that he knew Jensa didn't have.
When she had screamed at them and called them names, it surprised Ardeth. She had a lot of nerve to insult the men, seeing as how she did not have the upper hand. Her defiant nature would always cause her to rebel to the end. He loved that about her. She would not last much longer tied up so brutally. It was the heat of the day, quite an understatement for the desert. The temperature was far beyond 120
There were now twenty-two Med-jai positioned by the wall surrounding the City. It would only take one of them to dispatch the two marauders, but it was far more effective for the entire group to raid them. They watched Ardeth for the signal to attack.
"Kill the tall one, but leave the other to me." Heads nodded in acknowledgment and they pulled the veils up to conceal all, but their eyes. They quickly dismounted and silently swept into the City, forming a tight circle around the two men. A surprised, as well as fearful, expression melted onto the faces of the thieves. The men in black robes were armed with everything from sidearms, scimitars, daggers, and rifles to even metal hooks strapped to their hands.
"Who are you?" Onaba demanded in a shaky voice.
Ardeth stepped forward with the most deadly glare Onaba had ever seen. "We are your worst nightmare coming to life."
Sifa took off running and shoved his way through a narrow opening between two Med-jai. His long legs made for big strides, but his large feet quickly tripped him. The two Med-jai he had rudely pushed out of the way, yanked him up off of the ground and forced him onto his knees. One unsheathed his scimitar, leaving a whing sound through the air as he slit Sifa's throat with the razor sharp tip.
Onaba watched in horror while his brother was killed before his eyes. As he looked back to Ardeth, who towered far above him, he knew he shared the same fate. He closed his eyes and stiffened, waiting for the unmistakable sound of the curved blade swinging through the air. When nothing happened, Onaba opened one eye. A fist met his face before he could brace himself, knocking him flat on his back. Ardeth grabbed him by his sand covered tunic and roughly pulled him up. This time, the fist collided with his stomach. He doubled over and heaved violently. Ardeth pulled him up from the ground a second time and commanded to his men in Arabic, "Emmsekah (Hold him)." Two Med-jai stepped forward and grabbed Onaba's arms. He struggled, but could not break their grip. Shaking all over, he met his eyes with Ardeth's. A cold, hollow hate stared back at him. He grunted in pain as Ardeth pummeled him over and over again without so much as stopping to take a breath. After what seemed like an eternity of beating, Ardeth stopped.
Onaba could barely open his eyes. One was tightly swollen shut. Each breath he took came in a short wheezing gasp. Onaba was certain his ribs were broken. "Yoharrer (Release him)," commanded Ardeth. They complied. Onaba dropped to the ground face first. Ardeth came down on one knee beside him and jerked him half-way off the sand by his head to look him in the eye. "How does it feel to be the victim, held against your will and beaten?" he hissed. Ardeth looked back at the limp girl in the arms of his second in command, Madir. Onaba glanced over at Jensa through blurred vision. Ardeth's hands tightened on his head and twisted sharply to the right, breaking his neck. Onaba's body fell back to the ground in a sickening thud. "Ride away from the City and dump their bodies," Ardeth said. "They do not deserve a burial."
Ardeth turned his angered face to Jensa and immediately softened. Madir came forward and relinquished her over to his waiting arms. "Come, Kaman," said Madir, "We will rid ourselves of these vile beings." Kaman followed Madir over to the dead men and they each picked one up and hoisted them over their shoulders. The horses still stood outside the wall of the City. They mounted and rode near to the cliffs where they watched the City and dumped them at the foot of the rocks to let the sun return their bodies to the sand.
Ardeth told the others to throw the satchels of gold back inside Hamunaptra. They had no use for it and carried it through the door Onaba and Sifa had used. There was a hole dug in the sand with a rope hanging inside of it. They threw the gold down the hole, but kept the rope. It could prove useful in the future. Ardeth waited until all of the Med-jai had returned and announced, "Ride back to Cairo and inform her family that she is safe. She is badly injured and must not be jostled about on a horse. We will arrive in Cairo when I feel she is well enough to travel." The Med-jai jumped into their saddles. The Arabians kicked up dust as they sped away for the James household, dragging the reins of the camels along with them.
Ardeth laid Jensa down in the shade of a doorway that led to the depths of the City while he put together the tent he carried with him on his saddle. He placed a bedroll inside along with a canteen, a pouch full of food, a small lantern, rushed back the unconscious Jensa, carried her inside and carefully laid her down on the bedroll. Her chest rose and fell in a normal breathing pattern. He sighed, thankful for that much. She looked so small and innocent lying there. He removed his veil and lowered his head, brushing his lips against hers. "You must come back to me, Jen," he begged.
He took to tending her injuries and pulled out some bandages to wrap her wrists. They were badly chafed and oozing blood at a slow pace. Ardeth rubbed some ointment around them and wrapped them up. He brought each wrist up to his lips and gently kissed them.
He removed the outer tunic he wore and draped it across her. If she would only give him some movement; a twitch of her eyelids or lips, something…anything that would ease his worry. Ardeth did not know how long she had been tied up to Anubis, but he guessed it was not long after those men brought her here. He took off his turban and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.
"If only I had arrived sooner," he said sadly, but there was no point to dwell on it. All that mattered now, was keeping her alive. He picked up the canteen, unscrewed the cap and poured a few drops in his palm. Slowly, he tilted his hand down over Jensa's mouth and let the water drizzle from his fingertips to her slightly parted lips. He repeated the process about every five minutes so as not to overwhelm her stomach with too much water.
Ardeth quietly kept vigil by her side as the water ran down his fingers to her mouth. The hours drifted by without movement of any kind from Jensa, though her breathing continued evenly. She looked like she was only taking an afternoon nap. Ardeth wished it were so. Dusk was soon drawing close. The temperature dropped and a chilly wind took over where the heat had left off. He pushed the tunic up tighter around her neck to keep her warm. Ardeth yawned and rolled his head from side to side to ease the tension in his neck and back. The bag with the lantern in it laid half-way open next to him. He pulled it out and struck a match. The little tent illuminated in firelight. Ardeth bent his head down to inspect Jensa more closely.
Her hair was also illuminated by the light. He could not resist the urge to touch it. His fingers glided through her tresses. Jensa had the most beautiful hair of any female he had ever seen. The almost black, thick locks fell down the length of her back to her waist. He wondered if the waves of her hair resembled the waves of the ocean.
Ardeth did not know. In all his twenty-one years, he had never seen the ocean. In fact, he had never left Egypt. He knew nothing other than the desert. It seemed endless, yet he knew there was another world beyond his home. When he first saw Westerners as a child, heard their strange language and saw their unusual clothing, he wished fervently that he could travel, but the desert was his home and always would be. Ardeth did not believe he would ever get to leave. Jensa had often talked of New York. She had been born there. For Ardeth, it was sand. For Jensa, it was snow. She did not like being cooped up, but their estate was in a less populated area of New York and they had even been snowbound a few times. Ardeth smiled, remembering her talk fondly about the first time she could remember seeing snow. She woke up early one morning and ran to the window to watch the sky pouring little snowflakes all over the ground. She hastily put on her winter clothes and ran outside. He had a detailed picture of what he imagined Jensa to look like at four years of age, standing outside in the snow with flakes softly falling onto her hair and sticking her tongue out to try and catch them. After they'd first met, Jensa was nine and Ardeth was fourteen. She showed him something he'd never seen before. She took a piece of paper, turned one corner down until it was even with the edge of the paper and then cut the bottom off with scissors. Jensa folded the paper over again and proceeded to cut little shapes with scissors into the paper. She unfolded it and he was amazed to see a beautiful design. She said that even though snowflakes were too small to get a good look at them, the little flake she had designed was how she imagined they looked up close.
Jensa painted wonderful pictures in his mind by taking him there with her words. It had been seven happy, fun-filled years as they grew up together. Now, he sometimes found himself longing to see the rest of the world and he wanted Jensa to show it to him, but he knew that that could never be. He was the leader of the Med-jai, sworn to protect mankind from the Creature. It was his life and his duty. The only thing to free him of his obligation would be death.
Ardeth had gone so far as to contemplate married life with Jensa. His heart screamed yes, but his mind and logic told him no. The desert was no place for such a delicate beauty. Her life would be hard and would she be content to live with the salt of the earth, washing her own clothes? Preparing her own meals? Taking care of herself? She belonged to a wealthy family and he knew she was used to the comforts money could buy. Could she give all that up for him? Ardeth was not sure. The only thing he was sure of, was that he loved her and it tore him apart knowing that she would soon be gone. Thousands of miles away. Across an ocean. Too far for him to get to her; to protect her if she needed him. Maybe she would marry well to a man that would love her and take care of her. The very thought of another man touching her made his blood boil. Ardeth already thought of Jensa as belonging to him, however, he thought it would probably be best for her to leave and all he wanted was her happiness. Besides, she truly was too young and needed to grow up. Even if she was fifty, her father would probably object. Ardeth knew Jensa would go against her father's wishes and that would cause problems. He did not want her to lose the loving relationship she had with her family.
Ardeth's hand was still entangled in Jensa's hair when her movement startled him out of his reverie. "Jensa?" She snuggled her face against his hand. He spoke softly. "Wake up, Jen. You are safe." Her eyelids fluttered open. She looked around in confusion until her eyes rested on Ardeth. She smiled weakly. His heart melted and he felt his resolve was not far off.
Suddenly, she sat straight up, a panicked look in her eyes. "Where are they? Are they still out there? What's going on?"
Ardeth scooted closer and put his arm around her. "Shh," he soothed. "Those men are gone. Everything is all right."
"Where did they go?"
"I will tell you about that later, but you must be calm. You have suffered a great trauma."
"I feel so dizzy." Jensa put her hands over her face.
"That is to be expected. You have been unconscious nearly all day and if I am not mistaken, taken a few hits?" Ardeth flashed back to seeing that man hit Jensa and felt his anger stirring.
"Yes," she said quietly and rolled her shoulder around in a circle. She winced in pain. "I can see my shoulder is no better."
"What happened to your shoulder?" he asked in alarm.
"The first time Onaba hit me…um, I think it was the first time, and maybe it wasn't Onaba who hit me. I don't remember exactly. I lost my balance and slammed into Anubis out there."
"Let me see." Ardeth tugged at her green cardigan and she let him pull it off. "Is it all right if I…" He left the question hanging in the air. "I need to make sure it will be safe to move you when we leave."
"Yes, go ahead."
Ardeth undid the first four buttons on the back of her dress and pushed the sleeve aside. "You have a very ugly bruise there." He lightly pressed against her skin. Jensa had a quick intake of breath. "There is also a knot right here, under your left shoulder blade."
"I guess I hit it harder than I thought."
"Apparently." Ardeth suddenly became uncomfortable at the small portion of her bare shoulder and hastily did up the buttons. His fingertips brushed against her soft skin. Once the dress was securely fastened, he dropped his hands and cleared his throat nervously. "Yes, I think it will be safe to move you. We should leave soon." Jensa nodded and pulled her cardigan back on while gritting her teeth. She didn't want him to know how badly she hurt, but he could tell.
"You do not hide your pain well."
"I'm just a weak girl I suppose," she smiled wryly.
He laughed. "You, Jensa, are many things, but you are not weak." She smiled her thanks. The two of them still sat close. Jensa shifted her position to try to get more comfortable, but was stopped short from the hilt of one of Ardeth's scimitars wedged in her side.
"Ow!"
"What?"
"Do you mind taking those off?" Jensa pointed to the weapons.
Ardeth smiled apologetically. "Of course not. I am sorry." He unbuckled the belt and pulled it off.
"That's all right, although it was most painful, " she said with an exaggerated look of pain on her face. He narrowed his eyes in mock anger at her. "I still feel more secure knowing you are never without them." She glanced down at one. It was polished and shone with Ardeth's pride. She noticed her eye in the reflection on the hilt. "Oh, my God!" she exclaimed. Jensa grabbed the scimitar and quickly unsheathed it. Peering closely into the blade, she examined the black eye Sifa had given her.
"What are you doing?" he asked in surprise.
"My eye is hideous!"
"Give me that." He snatched it away from her and shoved it back into its scabbard. "You should be more careful, " he told her sternly, like she was a child who didn't know any better.
"It's absolutely hideous!" she cried.
"You are right. It is hideous." He made a face at her. She gaped at him in surprise. He would never forget that look. "At least you no longer look like the 'weak girl' you described yourself as only moments ago." Ardeth was finding it difficult to keep a straight face at her shock. He continued on, "In fact, I think I prefer you this way. It is really quite becoming."
Her eyes widened and she felt ready to pounce on him, but her sore body prevented her from doing so. Instead, she socked him in the arm with her good one. Ardeth howled in mock pain. "Oh, shut up you big baby. You're mean."
"I am mean? You hit me!" he retorted. Ardeth was having a great time getting her all worked up, but he knew how far he could push her before she cracked, however, she needed to rest her bruised body. "All right. All right. Forgive me?" he asked.
"It would be wise for me to think about that first before I answer," she huffed.
Ardeth threw his head back and laughed loudly. He grinned mischievously. "Yes, it would be wise." He gave her his best threatening look. It would be pretty convincing to a stranger, but Jensa knew the look in his eyes was anything but threatening.
"How did you know I was here? Where to find me?"
Ardeth's playful demeanor vanished and his expression turned serious. "Your friend Kerri told me. She found your hat and purse in the alley. It was a stroke of luck that we too, were in the souk. She spotted me in the crowd and asked for my help. A little girl saw your abduction take place. While we searched, she approached us and told everything that she saw. There were tire tracks leading to the river port. They abandoned the car and brought you here by camel. I thought that perhaps they were going to use you as their sacrifice."
"I thought the same thing, although the real reason is just as horrible."
"Earlier you called one of the men by name. What was it? O—"
"Onaba," Jensa filled in.
"You knew these men?"
She shook her head. "Just Onaba. He worked for my family. The other man was his brother Sifa. I'd never seen him before."
"If he worked for you, why did he abduct you?"
"Onaba had apparently been unhappy in his position for some years. He told his brother about it and together they decided the best way to earn some fast cash was to hold me for ransom." Jensa took Ardeth's hand and looked at him searchingly. "Ardeth, they said they left a note on my father's desk telling him what they wanted and what they would do if he didn't give them money. My parents must be worried sick!"
"Everything is fine, Jen. I sent my men back to Cairo to inform your parents that you are safe. I would have taken you back then, but you were still unconscious and I could not risk moving you until I was certain you would be all right…and you are."
Relief flooded Jensa's face. "Thank you." She gave his hand a squeeze, which he returned.
"Since you are doing better, we should leave soon, but you must eat something first." He released her hand and dug through the satchel still sitting next to him. He pulled out some bread and dried fruit and handed it to her. Jensa ate the small meal like it was to be her last.
"I haven't eaten since two mornings ago. Those two were so abusive."
"Yes, they were" he agreed with mild anger.
"What about you? Have you eaten?"
"Yes, I already have." He chuckled at her display of affection for food. "You eat like a starving child."
"I am a starving child," she said, ripping her bread apart and stuffing it in her mouth.
"Go easy. You might choke, then your rescue will have been in vain."
"At least I would die happy with food. My brother would say I look like a pig."
"No, more like a camel," he deduced.
Jensa scowled at him and took a swig from the canteen. "That was the best meal I've ever had. Thank you." She wiped her mouth dry with the back of her hand and brushed crumbs off the front of her dress.
"I doubt that, but you are most welcome."
Jensa pulled off her black pumps and poured the sand out of them, then proceeded to brush remaining sand off of her feet. Ardeth watched her hands running over her legs and marveled at her dainty feet. She was so small compared to him. When he hugged her, his arms practically swallowed her whole. He wished it was his hands brushing the sand from her skin. Stop it! he told himself harshly. She was not to be had for his wanting.
He regained control of his thoughts and switched to something else. She felt his eyes watching her closely.
"What?" she smiled at him. "Do I have something in my teeth?"
He ignored her humor and the serious look returned. "Kerri said the two of you argued and that is why you ran off."
"Yes, it was, " she confirmed.
"Jen, even you should know better than to go off by yourself in the streets of Cairo. It is not safe for a woman of any age, especially Westerners. You must never do that again."
"Don't bark orders at me. I'm not one of your men! You can't tell me what to do!" she fumed.
"Out in the desert, I will tell you what to do because that is the only way you will survive, and you will listen to me." The chieftain stared at her hard. She was absolutely infuriating and entirely too nonchalant about her near death.
"No harm's done. I'm fine."
"No harm is done?" Ardeth stared at her in shock and prepared himself for the argument about to take place. "Jensa, you were tied to that thing Allah knows how long and beaten followed by being unconscious nearly all day! Plenty of harm was done! You almost died. If we had not gotten here when we did, you would most likely be dead now!"
"What's your point?"
"My point? Jen, whatever possessed you to go off by yourself? It must have been some argument. What was it about?" Jensa ignored his question and turned her head away from him to stare at the tent wall. "Answer me! What was it about?"
She still refused to look at him. "Nothing," she lied.
"Come on, Jen," No response. Roughly, he grabbed her chin and jerked her head around to face him. "It was about me, was not it?"
Jensa paused a moment before speaking. "Yes, it was. She noticed this." Jensa held up her hand with the ring on it. "She didn't have to ask who gave it to me. Kerri wasn't bad mouthing you."
"But?"
"But she agrees with Daddy. They think you're all wrong for me."
"Am I not?"
"You most certainly am not!" she shouted angrily, choosing to use incorrect grammar.
Ardeth smiled warily. "I am glad to know you feel that way even if you are the only one. But now you are leaving, " he said sadly.
"Do you think you could come to see me?"
"I really wish I could." Ardeth placed his other hand on her face, gently caressing her cheeks with his thumbs. "You know I cannot. I have my duties here."
She brought her hands over his. "It's not fair. Everyone says I'm too young and naïve, but I know how I feel."
Ardeth's gaze fell to her lips. He wanted to kiss her, but changed his mind and let his hands drop from her face. He abruptly stood up. "We should get going. Your parents are waiting." He threw his tunic back on and began packing everything up. Jensa stood up and exited the tent. The sun had already set, but a golden glow still brushed the horizon. It was a breathtaking view. The golden sun matched the golden sand.
Suddenly, the wind picked up. Voices swarmed by her ears. Even though she was still a novice, the language sounded like ancient Egyptian to Jensa. Hamunaptra was an evil place, but took on a more sinister appearance with the setting of the sun. Sand mixed with the wind and swirled around her. Jensa wondered if being unconscious for so long made her hear these voices. "Ardeth?" she said surprised at how shaky her voice sounded to her. "Do you hear it?"
She hadn't noticed that when these strange occurrences took place, Ardeth began packing up more swiftly. "Yes, we must leave this evil place." He took her hand and pulled her hurriedly to his horse. Quickly, Ardeth pulled himself up and Jensa swung up behind him. He wheeled the horse around and they sped out of the City.
It was some time before Ardeth pulled the reins to give Ahmar a rest. Jensa turned her head to look back at the City of the Dead. They were far enough away that the ruins appeared small, however, she still shivered and tightened her grip on Ardeth's waist. His gloved hand patted hers.
"I hate that place. It gives me the creeps."
"I know the feeling."
"How can you stand being near it?"
He laughed wryly. "I do not have a choice. I am in the City as little as possible. We only go in there when diggers threaten to raise the Creature."
"How can people be so stupid as to want to go in there?"
"Delusions of grandeur. They are looking to find gold and never fully realize what they have gotten themselves into. Plus, not too many Westerners believe in curses."
"Yes, they all think it's mumbo jumbo."
"Mumbo what?" His brow furrowed. He had never heard such words.
Jensa laughed. "Mumbo jumbo. Hocus Pocus. Nonexistent."
"Oh." He silently mouthed the words. They sounded strange to him. Another Western expression to remember.
"Seems like it would be easier to rob a bank or something. The common consequence is jail time, and as unpleasant as that is, it's preferable to the common consequence of Hamunaptra."
"People make it sound mysterious and intriguing. They are typically looking for treasure and thrills and always end up with more than they bargained for."
"More than they bargained for," she repeated thoughtfully. She did not continue right away, but pondered on those words.
"Yes?" he prompted.
She asked him a question she was a little uneasy to ask. "Do you kill every last person who enters the City? I mean, I know that's what you're supposed to do and I agree about protecting it."
"Jensa, you do not need to be thinking about such unpleasant things."
"Why?"
He shrugged his shoulders. "Because…you know…you just should not," he stammered, unable to complete his thoughts to sentences.
"I know, I know. I'm a girl and I shouldn't think about death and violence, but I can't help it. It interests me."
"You find death and violence interesting? I do not."
"Ardeth, you know what I mean," she scolded.
He chuckled softly, patting her hand again. "Yes, I do. You are unique, Jen. Unlike the typical female. You even walk around in pants, shocking the…what do you call them? Snobs?"
"Yes, I go against every rule of etiquette. A lady of breeding should speak only when spoken to and if she does speak, it should be a soft and meek tone. I can tell you I've sat at many a business dinner my father holds just dying to stand in my chair and scream."
He laughed loudly. "I truly believe that given the opportunity, you would do just that."
"And that's why you love me?" Ardeth was too stunned to speak. His smile faded and Jensa felt him tense up. She immediately regretted having spoken of love. "Oh, Ardeth. I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." He still didn't say anything and she felt the color rise in her cheeks. She had embarrassed him. Her ears burned and Jensa was thankful she was sitting behind him and couldn't see the look on his face. She was afraid of what she might see in his eyes.
Ardeth wasn't at all embarrassed. He was just surprised that she had guessed his thoughts and spoken them allowed. He was also surprised at how the word 'love' had sounded out loud in reference to Jensa. He liked it. "Do not apologize, Jen. You are right. That is why I love you."
She felt the tension in his body relax and her own embarrassment dwindled, but her ears still burned. Jensa tried to gracefully turn the subject back to what it had been before her sudden utterance of love. "So, what did you do to Onaba and Sifa? And you didn't answer my question."
"I thought I just did, " he smirked.
She cleared her throat nervously. "Not that question. I meant the other one about the people at Hamunaptra."
"Yes, we kill most of them. Some escape and some we let go as a warning to others so they know what will happen to them if they come with foolhardy expeditions seeking treasure. I do not enjoy killing people. I wish I did not have to, but I do not have a choice in the matter." He paused to take a deep breath. "I will only tell you that we kill them. I will not tell you how. There is no point for you to know how Onaba and Sifa died, just that they are gone and will not hurt you anymore." Ardeth closed the subject satisfied with his answer.
"Fair enough."
Later that night, they stopped to rest before heading out in the morning. Ardeth set up his tent and built a small fire. If he had been alone, he wouldn't have built it, but wanted to keep Jensa warm. He pulled his tunic off again and wrapped it around her shoulders. The temperature had drastically fallen.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome," he said sitting down next to her.
Jensa was dreadfully melancholy. The closer they came to Cairo, the sooner she would be separated from Ardeth for good. She didn't want to go back and suddenly decided what she would do. "Take me back with you."
He glanced at her quizzically. "I thought that was what I was doing."
"No, I mean take me back with you to your village. I don't care about anything else. I just want to be with you."
Ardeth stared long and hard at Jensa. "Do you really mean that?"
"Yes, Ardeth, I mean it. More than I've meant anything else in my life. I love you and I don't want to go back. They'll take me away from you if we return to Cairo." She threw her arms around his neck. "Please say you'll take me back with you! Please, Ardeth!"
Ardeth held her tightly against him. She was trembling. For a second, he allowed himself to dream. He saw himself going back into the desert with Jensa. He saw them getting married, raising a family and living happily together with their love in the Med-jai village. Ardeth also saw her family. He knew the consequences would be dire if he acted on his feelings for Jensa. He made his decision and felt his own heart being ripped in two.
"No."
Jensa stopped trembling and froze. She threw herself off of him and stood up. "Why not??" she demanded angrily.
Ardeth too, stood up, towering over her by one foot. He painfully stared down at Jensa. She looked so tiny and fragile. The hurt poured from her eyes. "It would be wrong, Jen. You are wrong when you say you do not care. You care very much. If I were to take you home with me, you would miss your family and they would miss you. Another reason why I cannot take you back is because your father would have the entire police force of Cairo looking for us and if they found the village, our secret society would be shattered. I want more than anything in this world to take you with me, but it would be wrong. You must go back to your family and I will take you back, whether you want me to or not."
"How can you be so cruel? I just told you I loved you and that I want to be with you and you reject me?" Tears exploded down her face. "No, I won't go! I won't!" She turned her back on him and tried to walk away, but he came up behind her and draped his arm around her. Jensa struggled fiercely, but could not break his grip of steel. She lost her footing and sank to her knees, crying so hard she hyperventilated. He sat her down on the sand and pushed her head between her knees. Jensa felt the blood rushing back into her head with a vengeance. He raised her up and she sagged back against him. Her usual bout of hiccuping started again. She moaned in displeasure. Ardeth held onto her until her crying and breathing returned to normal. The hiccups eventually subsided. He moved his arm underneath her legs and lifted her up to carry her inside the tent. Once he had her comfortably positioned on the bedroll, Ardeth laid down beside her.
"I'm sorry," she said ruefully. Her eyes were red, swollen and burning.
"You should not be sorry, Jen. I understand how you feel, but please do not hate me for taking you back."
"I could never hate you, Ardeth." She rolled over onto her side to face him. He did the same.
"I wish it could be, Jen. I wished it for a very long time, but we must go our separate ways."
"I know," she said quietly.
"Try to sleep. It will be a long time before we reach your home," he advised.
"May I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Hold me?"
Ardeth moved closer and gathered her up in his arms. A feeling of possession nearly overwhelmed him as he held onto her. He wanted her badly, but he could not take her away from her life.
Jensa snuggled up against his shoulder. A chill surged through him as he felt her hot breath on his neck. He turned his head to kiss her on the forehead. Within minutes, her breathing settled into a rhythmic pattern. It took a little longer for Ardeth to fall asleep. He hated for her to be in pain and knew he could do nothing to change it. Ardeth had no claim to Jensa in the eyes of the law or her family. How he could ever go on in his day to day life once she was gone, was a mystery to him.
Despite the circumstances that had put them in the position they were presently in, Ardeth wished that they could lay in each other's arms forever. He wanted to spend every waking minute with her before she left. Coming into Cairo would not be something he looked forward to anymore simply because she wouldn't be there waiting for him to take them to their special place. Going to the oasis wouldn't be the same either. It had only been a special place because they were together. Jensa wasn't even gone yet and he was already depressed. Ardeth was once again tempted to tie her up, carry her back to the Med-jai village and keep her hidden away in his tent. He smiled despite his depression, knowing she would agree to let him do just that.
"I shall miss you, habibti," he whispered softly. Ardeth buried his nose in her hair and fell asleep with her fragrance in his senses. He would remember the smell of lavender for his lifetime. They laid together curled around each other, Jensa's hands tightly wound around his robes and Ardeth's arms tightly wound around her body.