First of all, thanks so much for the reviews. I'm happy so much of you like it. (As fellow authors, you know how nice it is to get good reviews.) Second, on the request of so many of you, Ardeth no longer has an age. I understand what you mean by believeing him to be older. But I am also going by my other stories, and they all explain his age. (I like my stories to connect.) But, for the rest of this story, and for the Ardeth POV of TMR, I will leave his age out of it. Hope you enjoy this chapter. Once Imhotep comes back, you will all see alot more familiar scenes.
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"The key and map have been found. Two parties are heading towards the city. Please advise."
The simple string of words turned Ardeth's whole day upside down.
At dusk, on the day he left Cairo, Ardeth had spotted Ahmad's falcon flying towards them, and that was the message he had brought. In a furry, Ardeth scribbled a note back to his second in command, hooked it to the bird's leg, and sent it off.
"Stop them and get the map and key back. Use any means necessary."
The map and the key. Ardeth often kicked himself for ever letting those two objects slip out of his watch over Hamunaptra. Grumbling, he pushed his own party deeper into the desert and closer towards home.
He knew that, at any chance that Ahmad could not keep the party from reaching the city, Ardeth would have to stop them there.
~~
"We didn't stop them…all but two of us dead…both parties continuing on to the city." Ardeth helped Ahmad off his horse. The latter landing in the sand with a grunt. The mission to retrieve the sacred map and key, which would unlock the horrid secrets of Hamunaptra, had not gone as planed. Ten of the twelve men who were sent to retrieve the precious objects had been killed. And the map, key, and the woman, who had them, all had gotten away.
"It is the woman who works with your uncle." Ahmad said, in between gulps of water. "The British woman…. And her brother…. And another man…I myself did not see him, though Harif did…" Both warriors looked in the direction of the medical tent in the City of the Med-jai.
Two warriors had survived the bloody, fiery, mission, Ahmad, with a few minor cuts and burns. Harif had been burned over most of his body. Ardeth shook his head in anger, not only had he lost ten of his best men, one more would most likely be joining them soon.
"The one party…with the woman…left yearly this morning. There is only four in that one. The other…there are many. I don't know the right count…but there has to be at least twelve. They took different paths…but they should meet in the same place tomorrow morning."
Ardeth helped Ahmad to his feet, and helped him to Ahmad's home.
"I want them to know we are here." Ardeth said bitterly, "I want them to know that they are being watched. They should enter the valley of the city early morning. I want us to be there."
"I will come with you…" Ahmad said weakly.
"No. You must regain your strength."
"I am coming with you." Ahmad said, again. Ardeth knew it would be hopeless to fight with his friend about it.
"Fine." Was all he said, as he left the tent in a huff.
~~
In the early Egypt morning, Ardeth, Ahmad, and eight other Med-jai rode their horses up to a cliff, over looking the valley of Hamunaptra. In the silence, they squinted their eyes at four tiny dots moving below them. Ardeth sat and watched…studied the figures…their movements.
As the party, still unaware of the warriors watching them, moved further along, they slowly got bigger and more recognizable. Ardeth could pick out the shape of a woman, one skinny man, one large man…and another man. A familiar looking being. And as if the man knew he was being watched turned and looked up the cliff where Ardeth and his men sat.
And Ardeth knew in an instant who he was.
"This one is strong." He said, an amused look on his face and eyes. Though miles separated them, both men looked right at each other. And they continued to look at each other, until Ardeth could not see the man any more.
"Who is that?" Ahmad asked, sitting to the right of Ardeth.
"Remember, three years ago, that battle between the French and the Tuergs? The one man, left standing, who stumbled into the desert?"
"Would he be that foolish to return?"
"He is." Ardeth turned his horse around. "I want to watch them enter the city…get a good measure on how many we have to deal with. They will reach the spot soon. We must go."
Ardeth and his men rode off, into the morning. The sky was slowly getting lighter and by the time they reached another cliff, over looking the two parties that had now met, the sun was ready to rise.
Ardeth studied the parties closely. One woman and 20 men, that couldn't be good for her. The woman's party sat on top of camels, the other party, the larger of the two, sat on top horses. The latter seemed more prepared.
The two parties, that had now formed one large one, sat talking, waiting. And all the Med-jai knew what they were waiting for. Slowly, surely, the sun rose, and off to one side of the valley a mirage formed in the air. Then settled on the ground, fuzzy, unclear. To the amazed eyes of the party, and the unmoved eyes of the Med-jai, the mirage cleared up.
And Hamunaptra appeared in front of all, a glimmering, deadly, secretive place.
The Med-jai watched as the party raced off to the city, the woman ahead of all the men. Ardeth watched closely as his men threw another off a camel, then proceeded onto the city without a thought.
He liked this mans style.
They watched as the whole party rode into the city, and could hear the faint whoops of joy that came from the group.
"We attack tonight." Ardeth said, finally, breaking the silence. "After they have gone to sleep. I want it to be swift and easy. And we should out number them. Ahmad, go get twenty more warriors. The rest of us will wait here…and watch."
"What of the woman, my lord?" One warrior asked.
"We will capture her and take her back to Cairo."
"But she knows the location of the city! Don't you think she will get more people and come back?"
"No Med-jai sword will ever kill a woman. Besides, after tonight, she will learn her lesson, and never come back. I will be sure of that."
Ahmad, two other warriors on toe, rode off deep into the desert, leaving Ardeth, and six others behind. The Med-jai waited and watched, all day, as the party down below settled in and explored the ruins. Ardeth ventured close enough to the city to where he could see the men close up. He saw the woman talking with another man, tall, lanky, British, most likely her brother. And though he watched the camp for an hour, he did not see the man-his man-at all. By the time he got back to the makeshift camp the Med-jai had formed, Ahmad, now with 22 men, had returned.
"Anything new happen?" Ahmad asked, with a quick bow of the head.
"The have gone under the city, though where, I do not know."
"Ardeth, don't you think that we should attack now? If they find anything down there…"
"We will wait for night fall, as before planed."
"Are you sure you want to wait that long?"
"Yes!" Ardeth snapped, causing those around him to jump.
His long time friend and second in command looked at him coldly. And Ardeth could tell that, given the chance, Ahmad would have kicked his ass that very moment. Bitterly, Ahmad turned on his heal and left, and Ardeth turned on his as forced his attention onto the city below.
~~
As night fell, the thirty warriors began to clean their scimitars and load their guns, by the small camp fire they had built behind a large dune.
Earlier in the day, some of the workers in the camp brought out the bodies of four men. Three, it had appeared, were burned somehow. The other, the large man from the woman's party, did not show how he had died. The workers carried the bodies behind the city, and seemingly buried them in the dirt.
Ardeth had watched this all with interest, and wondered how the four men could have died. A few times, during the day, he saw his man. But only quick sights of him.
Then, the party slowly turned in for the night, and the Med-jai made their move.
With a battle cry, the thirty warriors raced into the city, guns and scimitars raised, and began cutting down any and all in their path. They shot, stabbed, and sliced every man they could get their hands on. They threw torches into tents, and one warrior shot one of the parties' men in the arm.
But the party fought back, and shot many of the warriors, killing them as the warriors had killed theirs.
Ardeth came from behind, racing towards two men. One, in a red fez, the other, the skinny brother to the woman. The red fez ran for his life, and Ardeth focused his attention on the brother.
"O'CONNELL!!!" the brother yelled as he to ran for his life, as Ardeth chased him on his horse. Out of the corner of his eye, Ardeth saw a man dive at him, knocking the Med-jai and his horse into a tent. In the confusion, Ardeth could not see who he was fighting, but threw wild punches any ways. Once on the ground again, Ardeth pulled out one of his scimitars, only to have it blown away but the mans gun.
Another warrior rode up and tried to kill the man, but he simply shot the Med-jai off his horse. Turning back, Ardeth knocked the gun out of his hands, then sliced at the man. The man threw himself back, rolled along the ground, and while doing so, lit a piece of dynamite that Ardeth had not seen before, And then they faced each other.
For the first time, Ardeth saw whom he was fighting. The man from the desert, three years before. The man who had popped into his thoughts often, the man who Ardeth knew he was supposed to know. He studied the man in a quick second. Then looked him in the eye. Both men knew that they could both kill the other in a second, but neither of them made the move. The man, lit stick of dynamite held out in front of him, studied the warrior as well. And some sort of silent understanding passed between the two.
"ENOUGH! Enough!" Ardeth cried, in English, "We will shed no more blood! But you must leave, leave this place or die!" With one final glance, Ardeth turned.
"You have one day!"
He quickly mounted his horse, that Ahmad had brought to him. Then looked around the battered camp. Switching to Arabic, he cried to his men, "Come! Lets go!" looked at the man once more, then the Med-jai thundered out of the city, calling out battle cries along the way. Leaving the broken party behind.
~~
"How many?" Ardeth asked, as he dismounted. They had reached their makeshift camp, their number now drastically reduced. Ahmad counted the men, then turned back to his Chieftain.
"They killed fourteen, my lord."
Ardeth clinched his teeth and fists. "I will give them till sunset tomorrow, if they are not gone, we go back and kill them all."
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By the way, (I hope none of you mind the selfish self promotion) check out my other recent story, "The third time around." It is a good story, all about Ardeth's and the O'Connell's great-grandchilren. (Some Imhotep action to!) Check it out, if ya have the chance. Here endith the shameless self promotion, you may now move on with your life.
More POV coming soon, but since school started, it is hard for me to write as much as I could over the summer. Lime jello, and hang in there. The next chapter will be coming in a few days time.
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"The key and map have been found. Two parties are heading towards the city. Please advise."
The simple string of words turned Ardeth's whole day upside down.
At dusk, on the day he left Cairo, Ardeth had spotted Ahmad's falcon flying towards them, and that was the message he had brought. In a furry, Ardeth scribbled a note back to his second in command, hooked it to the bird's leg, and sent it off.
"Stop them and get the map and key back. Use any means necessary."
The map and the key. Ardeth often kicked himself for ever letting those two objects slip out of his watch over Hamunaptra. Grumbling, he pushed his own party deeper into the desert and closer towards home.
He knew that, at any chance that Ahmad could not keep the party from reaching the city, Ardeth would have to stop them there.
~~
"We didn't stop them…all but two of us dead…both parties continuing on to the city." Ardeth helped Ahmad off his horse. The latter landing in the sand with a grunt. The mission to retrieve the sacred map and key, which would unlock the horrid secrets of Hamunaptra, had not gone as planed. Ten of the twelve men who were sent to retrieve the precious objects had been killed. And the map, key, and the woman, who had them, all had gotten away.
"It is the woman who works with your uncle." Ahmad said, in between gulps of water. "The British woman…. And her brother…. And another man…I myself did not see him, though Harif did…" Both warriors looked in the direction of the medical tent in the City of the Med-jai.
Two warriors had survived the bloody, fiery, mission, Ahmad, with a few minor cuts and burns. Harif had been burned over most of his body. Ardeth shook his head in anger, not only had he lost ten of his best men, one more would most likely be joining them soon.
"The one party…with the woman…left yearly this morning. There is only four in that one. The other…there are many. I don't know the right count…but there has to be at least twelve. They took different paths…but they should meet in the same place tomorrow morning."
Ardeth helped Ahmad to his feet, and helped him to Ahmad's home.
"I want them to know we are here." Ardeth said bitterly, "I want them to know that they are being watched. They should enter the valley of the city early morning. I want us to be there."
"I will come with you…" Ahmad said weakly.
"No. You must regain your strength."
"I am coming with you." Ahmad said, again. Ardeth knew it would be hopeless to fight with his friend about it.
"Fine." Was all he said, as he left the tent in a huff.
~~
In the early Egypt morning, Ardeth, Ahmad, and eight other Med-jai rode their horses up to a cliff, over looking the valley of Hamunaptra. In the silence, they squinted their eyes at four tiny dots moving below them. Ardeth sat and watched…studied the figures…their movements.
As the party, still unaware of the warriors watching them, moved further along, they slowly got bigger and more recognizable. Ardeth could pick out the shape of a woman, one skinny man, one large man…and another man. A familiar looking being. And as if the man knew he was being watched turned and looked up the cliff where Ardeth and his men sat.
And Ardeth knew in an instant who he was.
"This one is strong." He said, an amused look on his face and eyes. Though miles separated them, both men looked right at each other. And they continued to look at each other, until Ardeth could not see the man any more.
"Who is that?" Ahmad asked, sitting to the right of Ardeth.
"Remember, three years ago, that battle between the French and the Tuergs? The one man, left standing, who stumbled into the desert?"
"Would he be that foolish to return?"
"He is." Ardeth turned his horse around. "I want to watch them enter the city…get a good measure on how many we have to deal with. They will reach the spot soon. We must go."
Ardeth and his men rode off, into the morning. The sky was slowly getting lighter and by the time they reached another cliff, over looking the two parties that had now met, the sun was ready to rise.
Ardeth studied the parties closely. One woman and 20 men, that couldn't be good for her. The woman's party sat on top of camels, the other party, the larger of the two, sat on top horses. The latter seemed more prepared.
The two parties, that had now formed one large one, sat talking, waiting. And all the Med-jai knew what they were waiting for. Slowly, surely, the sun rose, and off to one side of the valley a mirage formed in the air. Then settled on the ground, fuzzy, unclear. To the amazed eyes of the party, and the unmoved eyes of the Med-jai, the mirage cleared up.
And Hamunaptra appeared in front of all, a glimmering, deadly, secretive place.
The Med-jai watched as the party raced off to the city, the woman ahead of all the men. Ardeth watched closely as his men threw another off a camel, then proceeded onto the city without a thought.
He liked this mans style.
They watched as the whole party rode into the city, and could hear the faint whoops of joy that came from the group.
"We attack tonight." Ardeth said, finally, breaking the silence. "After they have gone to sleep. I want it to be swift and easy. And we should out number them. Ahmad, go get twenty more warriors. The rest of us will wait here…and watch."
"What of the woman, my lord?" One warrior asked.
"We will capture her and take her back to Cairo."
"But she knows the location of the city! Don't you think she will get more people and come back?"
"No Med-jai sword will ever kill a woman. Besides, after tonight, she will learn her lesson, and never come back. I will be sure of that."
Ahmad, two other warriors on toe, rode off deep into the desert, leaving Ardeth, and six others behind. The Med-jai waited and watched, all day, as the party down below settled in and explored the ruins. Ardeth ventured close enough to the city to where he could see the men close up. He saw the woman talking with another man, tall, lanky, British, most likely her brother. And though he watched the camp for an hour, he did not see the man-his man-at all. By the time he got back to the makeshift camp the Med-jai had formed, Ahmad, now with 22 men, had returned.
"Anything new happen?" Ahmad asked, with a quick bow of the head.
"The have gone under the city, though where, I do not know."
"Ardeth, don't you think that we should attack now? If they find anything down there…"
"We will wait for night fall, as before planed."
"Are you sure you want to wait that long?"
"Yes!" Ardeth snapped, causing those around him to jump.
His long time friend and second in command looked at him coldly. And Ardeth could tell that, given the chance, Ahmad would have kicked his ass that very moment. Bitterly, Ahmad turned on his heal and left, and Ardeth turned on his as forced his attention onto the city below.
~~
As night fell, the thirty warriors began to clean their scimitars and load their guns, by the small camp fire they had built behind a large dune.
Earlier in the day, some of the workers in the camp brought out the bodies of four men. Three, it had appeared, were burned somehow. The other, the large man from the woman's party, did not show how he had died. The workers carried the bodies behind the city, and seemingly buried them in the dirt.
Ardeth had watched this all with interest, and wondered how the four men could have died. A few times, during the day, he saw his man. But only quick sights of him.
Then, the party slowly turned in for the night, and the Med-jai made their move.
With a battle cry, the thirty warriors raced into the city, guns and scimitars raised, and began cutting down any and all in their path. They shot, stabbed, and sliced every man they could get their hands on. They threw torches into tents, and one warrior shot one of the parties' men in the arm.
But the party fought back, and shot many of the warriors, killing them as the warriors had killed theirs.
Ardeth came from behind, racing towards two men. One, in a red fez, the other, the skinny brother to the woman. The red fez ran for his life, and Ardeth focused his attention on the brother.
"O'CONNELL!!!" the brother yelled as he to ran for his life, as Ardeth chased him on his horse. Out of the corner of his eye, Ardeth saw a man dive at him, knocking the Med-jai and his horse into a tent. In the confusion, Ardeth could not see who he was fighting, but threw wild punches any ways. Once on the ground again, Ardeth pulled out one of his scimitars, only to have it blown away but the mans gun.
Another warrior rode up and tried to kill the man, but he simply shot the Med-jai off his horse. Turning back, Ardeth knocked the gun out of his hands, then sliced at the man. The man threw himself back, rolled along the ground, and while doing so, lit a piece of dynamite that Ardeth had not seen before, And then they faced each other.
For the first time, Ardeth saw whom he was fighting. The man from the desert, three years before. The man who had popped into his thoughts often, the man who Ardeth knew he was supposed to know. He studied the man in a quick second. Then looked him in the eye. Both men knew that they could both kill the other in a second, but neither of them made the move. The man, lit stick of dynamite held out in front of him, studied the warrior as well. And some sort of silent understanding passed between the two.
"ENOUGH! Enough!" Ardeth cried, in English, "We will shed no more blood! But you must leave, leave this place or die!" With one final glance, Ardeth turned.
"You have one day!"
He quickly mounted his horse, that Ahmad had brought to him. Then looked around the battered camp. Switching to Arabic, he cried to his men, "Come! Lets go!" looked at the man once more, then the Med-jai thundered out of the city, calling out battle cries along the way. Leaving the broken party behind.
~~
"How many?" Ardeth asked, as he dismounted. They had reached their makeshift camp, their number now drastically reduced. Ahmad counted the men, then turned back to his Chieftain.
"They killed fourteen, my lord."
Ardeth clinched his teeth and fists. "I will give them till sunset tomorrow, if they are not gone, we go back and kill them all."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
By the way, (I hope none of you mind the selfish self promotion) check out my other recent story, "The third time around." It is a good story, all about Ardeth's and the O'Connell's great-grandchilren. (Some Imhotep action to!) Check it out, if ya have the chance. Here endith the shameless self promotion, you may now move on with your life.
More POV coming soon, but since school started, it is hard for me to write as much as I could over the summer. Lime jello, and hang in there. The next chapter will be coming in a few days time.