This is the last chapter, and the most silly. It is hard writing for this chapter, because all the running from the tv to the computer. More filler, More pov, a little look at his town. Good stuff. Rest assured, as soon as TMR come out on vid, I will be able to do Ardeth filler/pov for that to. YAY!
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"Where are we going, O'Connell?" Jonathan asked, as the car made its way through the dead calm Cairo streets. Ardeth, sitting in the back, listened on in interest.
"Remember Winston?" The American asked.
"Yes."
"We are going there."
Jonathan let out a groan and drove on.
The sky around them was slowly getting lighter, and by the time they had reached their destination, the sun was up and fresh in the sky. Ardeth, who had rarely ever been in a car, watched as the city passed them by, and soon found himself, and his comrades, three miles outside Cairo driving up to a small, dirty airport.
The car putted along, passing a child with goats and a two-seater plane. It only had two seats. There are four of them, how come the plane only had two seats? Where would the other two sit? Ardeth looked around, but did not see another plane. One with more seats. Why did the plane only have two seats?
Jonathan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, parked the car and they all jumped out. One of the locals, who was working there this early in the morning, recognized Ardeth for who he truly was and bowed his head in respect. The other two noticed this and looked at the Med-jai questionably. Ardeth just waved them away with his hand and didn't say a word.
How come that damn plane only had two seats?
Turning, Ardeth saw a man sitting on top a small dune, enjoying his music, tea, and the early sun. O'Connell passed the warrior and started toward the dune. Jonathan and Ardeth followed.
Home come it only had two seats? Where was he going to sit?
"Um, a word Winston?" O'Connell called as the three walked up the small dune. The bottom of Ardeth's robes brushing along the soft sand as he followed Jonathan.
"We have a problem, and we need your help."
"Someone has…kidnapped my sister and we have to get somewhere before the…um…he hurts her." Jonathan said. Ardeth stood at Jonathan's side, still wondering about the seating on the plane. If they were going to take that thing to Hamunaptra, where were the other two going to sit?
"So what's your little problem got to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corp?" the large man sitting asked. This must be Winston.
"Not a damn thing." O'Connell replied.
"Is it dangerous?"
"You probably won't live through it…"
"By Jove, do you really think so?" Winston seem intrigued at the thought that he might die because of this. Ardeth could understand why. Damn silly breed.
"Everybody else he's bumped into has died, why not you?" Jonathan threw in.
"So what's the challenge then?"
"To rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, save the world."
Winston's face lit up and he laughed joyfully. Standing, he gave O'Connell a sloppy salute. "Winston Havlock at your service, sir!"
Ardeth shot the brother a puzzled look, but he did not see it.
Together, they all walked down the dune and towards…it. The plane. The plane that only had two seats.
"Whose he?" Winston asked, jerking his thumb in Ardeth's direction.
"Ardeth Bay." O'Connell said, beating the rightful owner of the name to the punch. "He's going to help us."
The smaller, fat man looked the taller, well-built warrior up and down then shrugged his shoulders.
"Fine. Well, this is only a two seat plane." Finally! The answer to his question! "So…I can either take one of you at a time…"
"We don't have the time Winston." O'Connell said.
"Then…two of you get strapped to the wings!"
Ardeth and Jonathan both nearly fell over where they stood. Together, they both snapped, "STRAPPED TO THE WINGS?"
"Oh no…O'Connell…noooo. You are NOT strapping me to a wing!" Jonathan protested.
"I'm with him." Ardeth growled. "You are not doing that to me!"
"Relax!" O'Connell said, flashing them a strange smile. "We will draw straws or something. But we have to do it quickly, because we have to save Evelyn, remember?"
~~
So, they drew straws. A custom Ardeth was never aware of. So he didn't understand what it meant that he had picked a short straw. Jonathan, who had to come up with a short one, cussed loudly and kicked at the dirt. O'Connell, on the other hand, had a wicked grin on his face.
Ardeth didn't get the fate his short straw bestowed on him until O'Connell threw a leather hood and goggles into his hands.
"Which one of you wants the left wing?" He asked, face still giddy.
Then Ardeth understood. He and Jonathan looked at each other.
"I'll take it." The latter said finally, kicking the sand once more and bitterly putting on his hod and goggles. Ardeth could bear to watch as the young British man jumped up onto the wing of the plane and waited as O'Connell strapped him down. The whole time, Ardeth was amused at the quite string of cuss words that came out of Jonathan's mouth.
As he waited for his own turn, Ardeth took off his turban and replaced it with the tight leather hood. The goggles, a western invention he had only seen once before, were of course strange to the Med-jai warrior. And as he saw O'Connell coming at him, a crazed and giddy look on his face, he quickly placed the goggles on his head and around his eyes. They caused everything to go very dark, as if the day had suddenly turned to night. (Like the afternoon before)
Reluctantly, Ardeth hopped up onto the right wing of the plane. The damn two seat plane. And waited for O'Connell to strap him on.
"Make it tight, laddie, we wouldn't want him falling off mid-flight, now would we?" Winston said, as he waddled into the cockpit.
From behind the darkness of his goggles, Ardeth glared at O'Connell.
The American laughed as he tightened the strap.
"Relax, it will be a safe trip. Nothing will happen." Ardeth knew better then to trust him, and had a feeling that those words would come back to haunt them all.
The warrior closed his eyes and began to pray. There was a long silence…then a loud noise bust through the air. Had he the room, Ardeth would have jumped out of his skin. But he was strapped in to tight and could not budge. Then, the plane jumped forward, and began to move.
Ardeth was sure he must have turned white, as he gripped the side of the wing for dear life. Wind was rushing past him now, harder and harder as he knew they were going faster.
The scream of one of the men…Jonathan maybe…filled the air as the plane lifted up. Suddenly, Ardeth was flying!
He couldn't believe it, and slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down. The ground seemed far away, and they were definitely in the air. A smile slowly made its way across his face. And he was having the time of his life!
~~
It seemed like forever that Ardeth was strapped to the wing. Laughing silently, enjoying it, smiling, joyful. He heard a whistle off to his left but didn't look up. The voice of O'Connell coming through the wind.
"How ya doin'?"
Ardeth laughed some more and held on tighter. This was fun!
But something didn't seem right. He could hear O'Connell and Winston yelling at each other about something being, "big". A minute later he heard O'Connell yell in fright and the plane under him began to twist and turn and Ardeth could help but yell for his life. Suddenly, flying wasn't that fun anymore. He screams were drowned out by those of the other men and Ardeth could tell what was going on. He couldn't turn his head, so he couldn't see what ever O'Connell was screaming at. Suddenly, over a cliff, the plane shot down and headed straight for the ground.
That's when Ardeth closed his eyes and yelled even louder.
Under him, the plane seemed to right its self, but then the gunshots started, and there was more yelling. Then the shots stopped, but the warrior picked the worst time to open his eyes. The plane was surrounded with sand. Lots and lots and lots of sand. Not good. This is not good. This is not happening. Not good!
That's when the plane turned over, and they were all flying upside down. Ardeth was going to die, he knew it, he was going to die. DAMN YOU O'CONNELL!!!!
Then, suddenly, a miracle of god, the plane righted itself again! Yay! He wasn't going to die! Allah be praised!
Then the engine made a funny noise. A dying noise. And all hell broke lose. Ardeth wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. the needed to see his death coming, he could not shut his eyes to it.
Air, air, sky…ok…no death. Wait! Ground! Sand! AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's when they hit the ground, sand flying every where. Ardeth felt the wing under him snap and drop, as he landed in the sand with a thud. He had just crashed in an airplane…but he was alive.
The warrior let his head drop on to the wing and he wanted to lay there for a very long, long time. But he knew he couldn't. Twisting and turning, he wiggled his way out of the straps, that were still somewhat tight around his body, and he stumbled off the wing. He stood up shaky, dizzy, and ready to fall over. His hand rose and pulled off the hood and goggles, the sun instantly blinding him with the brightness. He knew that his hair had to be stick up everywhere, but he didn't care. Off to his side, O'Connell had fallen out of the plane, and Jonathan was yelling for help.
And something had just caught the warrior's attention. Stumbling over to the back of the plane, Ardeth tore off a wonderful gun. The one O'Connell had to have been using on…whatever had brought them down. He looked it over, felt its weight, it fit perfectly in his hands. He was like a boy receiving his first horse…he had a new gun!
The plane made a odd noise and began to sink down. And knowing of the underground water supplies that were around them, Ardeth knew what was happening.
"Quicksand! Quicksand! Get back!" he yelled as the two men stumbled back. The plane slowly sank into the ground, and the Med-jai chieftain couldn't help but respect Winston for dying so bravely. They stood in a row, and watched as Winston got his burial. O'Connell solute the sinking plane and it's fallen pilot. And after a second, they marched on into the desert. The city was only a few miles away, and they would reach it soon. Ardeth was sure of that. And as they walked away, Ardeth, new gun in hands, looked around for any sight of his men.
Nothing. No one was there. They had to be there….they should have been there. Where the hell is Ahmad? Oh…would Ardeth have some words with his second in command when he got home. Damn that stubborn man, he was probably angry that Ardeth hadn't taken him with him.
For the first five minutes, they walked in silence. Then O'Connell spoke up.
"Ardeth," His name seemed strange leaving the American's lips. "do you know where he is going to be taking her in the city?"
"I have a general idea. He will take her to the main chamber, where all the sacrifices and rituals took place."
"And you know how to get there?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes, I know of two ways. One way I have taken, one I have not."
"Well, this is no time to get lost. So we should go the way you have taken before."
"So we should."
There was another long string of silence. In which time Jonathan stared at Ardeth's face for most of the time. The Med-jai looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh…sorry ol'chum. I was just wondering about your tattoos. Tell me, what do they mean?"
O'Connell smacked Jonathan upside the head.
"OW! What the hell was that for?!"
"Don't ask rude questions!"
"I wasn't! You silly git!" Jonathan began to rub the backside of his head, "Honestly, you acted just like Evy!"
This little argument had stopped them all dead in their tracks. And Ardeth knew that couldn't be good.
"Come children, stop arguing and let us get to the city and save the girl, eh?" He said as he walked past them, a strange smile on his face. If nothing else, he liked having fun with these men. But there was still work to do, and they had to get it done quickly.
So they walked on, for another 20 minutes, in silence. Every once and a while Jonathan would grumble something evil and dirty in O'Connell's direction. And at that point, Ardeth would have backhanded the man to get him to grow up, but he was saved. They had reached the city.
"There are foot steps!" Jonathan cried as he ran forward, following them.
"They are fresh, and they are going in the same way we were going to go." Ardeth said, looking around the deserted city. "We have to go the other way."
"But…"
"Hang on…"
Ardeth paid no heed to the protests. "We have to go the other way, we will be able to sneak up on them then, catch them by surprise."
The two men considered this. "Fine, lead away." O'Connell said finally.
Ardeth bowed his head and started forward, walking them into a doorway and tunnel none of them have ever been in before. He had remembered his father and brother talking about this way. They had mentioned which ways to turn, what hallways to take, and where they would end up.
Once inside the depths of the city, they lit torches and carried them along a hall, until they reached a small room.
"There should be a doorway in here…" Ardeth began. He looked around, all their eyes landing on the same pile of rocks up against one wall. "It is behind there. We have to get through there."
He and O'Connell looked at each other, then at Jonathan. They both knew that the more man power the better, but they also knew that the British man would not help move the rocks. Pushing him to the side, they began on the pile of rocks. Pulling them down, throwing them off to the side.
Ardeth couldn't believe his luck. Crashing in an airplane, bringing these fools back to the city, now having to do hard labor. And Jonathan wasn't helping.
"Take those bigger stones first! Take them from the top!" He was instructing them. "Otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us! Come one! Put your backs into it!"
Ardeth couldn't handle it anymore. From the looks of things, neither could O'Connell. They both stood up and faced the smaller man, staring down at him, hard, pissed, unpleased looks on both their faces. Ardeth's chest heaved up and down as he stared at the little man.
And Jonathan looked very frightened.
"Yes, well…you've got the idea. Chop, chop!" He said with a smile.
Ardeth and O'Connell returned to their work, passing a look between each other. They both wanted to kill him. They pulled more rocks away as Jonathan wondered around the room. Mumbling something about "gents" and "have a look at this". Ardeth didn't want to pay attention to the man, but when his scream split out into the still air, he couldn't ignore it any longer.
Turning, O'Connell yelled out, "What?!"
"MY ARM! MY ARM!" Jonathan called, sticking his arm out franticly. O'Connell and Ardeth rushed to him. The former ripped Jonathan's shirt off and they all saw the little bump moving up his arm quickly.
"Hold him!" O'Connell instructed as he pushed Jonathan into Ardeth. The Med-jai grabbed hold and held on tightly.
"Do something! Do something!" Jonathan screamed as O'Connell flipped out a knife. "Not that! Not that!" Too late. O'Connell dug the knife into Jonathan's shoulder and dug around for a second, then flipped his hand up.
Ardeth watched on as a black thing flew out of the man's shoulder and across the room, landing with a small thud. A scarab no less.
The little bug stood and shook it's self off and turned back to the three men. Determined little bastard. Ardeth stepped protectively in front of Jonathan. That bug would have to get through him first.
He didn't know why he suddenly became so protective of the other man, considering all the trouble he had caused the Med-jai, but he felt he had to.
O'Connell seemed to feel the same way as well. He pulled out a gun and shot the bug into smithereens.
"We need to get you bandaged up…" O'Connell said, turning to Jonathan. They both looked at the warrior in his long robes. "Could you spare us a little bit of cloth?"
Ardeth thrust his hand into his robes and pulled out his turban. He probably wouldn't be needing that much longer. "Keep digging, I will tend to him." He told O'Connell. "You, sit down and don't touch anything." He told Jonathan.
He obeyed and kneeled down. Ardeth in tern, did the same as he ripped pieces of the turban apart.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Jonathan asked.
"My mother, aunt, and sister are all doctors of my people. They have taught me enough to get by when someone gets hurt." He gently wrapped a part of the cloth around Jonathan's hand and wrist, covering the bleeding entry hole.
"By the way, who are your people?" Jonathan flinched slightly as Ardeth pulled the cloth tight.
"We are the Med-jai." Simple answer. He then began tying a thin piece of cloth around the bandage, in order to keep it in place and tight.
"So you blokes do exist! I always thought you were just myth!"
"I can assure you, we are real." He then turned his attention to the shoulder. This was going to be much harder to cover. He folded a piece of cloth up and placed it over the wound. Then tore a large piece of the turban and placed it over the shoulder. He then tore a long thin piece and placed it around Jonathan's neck, bringing it over so it held the larger piece in place. Then tying it at the shoulder so it would stay in place. He then got another piece, this one not so thin, and placed it under Jonathan's arm, bringing it up around the armpit and tying it at top.
"Move your arm a little. Does that feel right? Is the bandage coming lose?" Ardeth asked.
Jonathan did as he was told. "No, it is staying in the right place." The man looked very grateful and smiled brightly at the warrior. "Thanks friend!"
Ardeth bowed his head in response and stood. Friend? Well, it had to be. Inevitable it seemed. He was bound to become these people's friend.
At this point, Rick turned to the two of them, the rock pile now greatly reduced. But he glared at Jonathan. "From now on, don't touch anything. Not a damn thing. Keep your hands off the furniture, got it?"
The other man nodded and swallowed hard. Ardeth wanted to chuckle but kept in inside. Stepping past Jonathan, he returned to the rock pile with O'Connell.
~~
"You sure you don't know what's in this room?" O'Connell asked as they stood in front of a small crack in a wall, at the end of a very narrow hallway.
"I have never been this way before, so I couldn't tell you." Ardeth responded, looking over O'Connell's shoulder. The American shrugged and threw his torch and a large bag in through the crack, it landing in the dirt with a soft thud. The bag, Ardeth had noticed, seemed heavy and full of something, though what, he did not know. O'Connell had just carrying it with him the whole time. Next, the American jumped through and Ardeth followed.
The room seemed vast, but they could not see anything in the dark. As Ardeth placed the strap of his new gun over his shoulder, O'Connell shot at something. Suddenly, a beam of light bounced across the room, lighting it brightly.
None of them could believe their eyes at what was held in the room.
Gold. Lots and lots and lots of gold. Gold everything…gold everywhere. gold…riches…gold. Ardeth couldn't keep down his disbelief. If he could get some of that gold…he could go anywhere…do anything…be free! No Med-jai…no Hamunaptra…just…freedom. And gold.
He shook it away. He couldn't be thinking such things. He was a leader. And though he, like any human, had greed inside him, he couldn't let it show. But still…so much gold.
O'Connell began his descent down the stairs and the other two followed. It seemed to Ardeth that Jonathan was having a harder time containing himself then the rest of them. Ardeth knew that he wanted to pounce on the gold, and never leave it.
"Can you see…?" Jonathan breathed.
"Yeah…" O'Connell responded.
"Can you believe…?"
"Yeah…"
"Can we just…"
"No."
Ardeth looked around him…all that gold.
A strange sound filtered through to his ears. A sound he had only heard once before…in the Cairo Bazaar with his father…the sound of an angry ferret.
Turning, they saw a mummified hand stick up out of the ground, then another, and another. Slowly, the living mummies crawled their way up into the chamber.
"Who the hell are these guys?" O'Connell asked.
"Priests. Imhotep's priests." Ardeth responded.
"All right then."
All three men began to blow the hell out of the mummies. Taking off arms, legs, heads, various other body parts. But still more were coming at them.
The new gun was nice and efficient. Ardeth enjoyed it very much. Blowing the hell out of those mummified bastards! You can't get past the Med-jai warrior and his special new gun! HA HA!
Quickly, Jonathan and Rick ran out of ammo.
Backing up, they raced out of the chamber, running into a narrow passageway. To where…God only knows. And still, the mummies came. Ardeth, in the back of the group, still blew away at the mummies. Knocking two or three out, and having two or three more coming after them. Damn things! And even with O'Connell at his side, also blowing away at the creatures, they couldn't keep them back.
Suddenly, Jonathan cried out happily about Horus. They had reached the stature. Ardeth's new gun ran out of ammo, and having none with him, Ardeth threw the gun into the mummies and continued to back down the hallway, one step behind O'Connell.
They back into the room, as O'Connell thrust his gun into Ardeth's hands. Ardeth stood at the ready. Just try and come in here you mummy bas…WHAT THE HELL!?
Something hot and sharp suddenly appeared on Ardeth's cheek, as out of the corner of his eye, a small flame appeared. Then he realized what had happened.
He looked over at O'Connell, shooting him a evil, Med-jai look of death. But the American just looked back as he lit the fuse of a stick of dynamite. The look on his eyes that of not feeling that he did anything wrong.
Had it been the time, Ardeth would have killed O'Connell. But it wasn't.
"Time to close the door!" The American said as he launched the stick of TNT into the passageway. Then he and Ardeth dove for the back of the statue, where Jonathan was already hiding. They got down, all three squashed together as a loud explosion filled the air, the screams of the mummies and the rumble of the echo pounced around the room.
~~
Jonathan and O'Connell tore away at the statue, trying as hard as they could to get the secret compartment open. Ardeth, his cheek still hurting slightly from the match, reloaded the large gun O'Connell had thrust into his hands. This was more action then the Med-jai Chieftain had seen in a long time…and he couldn't believe what was happening to him.
More angry ferret sounds echoed through the chamber. More mummies were coming.
"Damn! These guys just don't quit!" O'Connell gasped as he pulled on the secret compartment door. Ardeth cocked the gun.
"Keep digging!" He called and began to blow away a the mummies that were entering the chamber. Behind him, there were more angry ferret sounds and lots of commotion. Turning back, he saw mummies clawing away at the compartment. Suddenly, the door exploded as a liquid shot out, covering the three mummies in the burning liquid. Looking over, he saw that O'Connell and Jonathan were safe.
Quickly, he reloaded the gun again. and pumped into the passageway of mummies. Then…he was out. He cocked the gun, nothing. Again, still nothing.
Then he understood. He was supposed to die for this cause. Just like his uncle. It made sense. He prayed for his new found friends. Prayed that they would get out alive. Get out ok. He prayed that they would stop and kill the creature. Somewhere inside him, he almost felt proud that he had the chance to spend time with them.
Turning back, Ardeth looked at his friends once last time. He wish they would have met under other circumstances, but sadly, they had not. He knew what he had to do, what he had to give. And The Med-jai was more then willing.
"Save the girl! Kill the creature!" He told them. Then, with a battle cry, the ran into the mummy filled hallway. Beating them with the gun in his hands. Everywhere he turned mummies surrounded him, but he didn't care. He beat them, hit them, kicked them, but could not stop them on his own. One mummy grabbed him and turned him around, and he saw his friends standing there.
"What are you waiting for!" He yelled at them. "GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Then he heard a soft, female voice in his head. "Turn right." It told him. "Turn right!"
So he did, pushing a mummy back, he threw himself to the right.
That's when the explosion went off, the force of it slamming him into a wall.
And everything went black for the Med-jai warrior.
~~
"Wake up, Ardeth Bay. Wake up and get out. Quickly."
~~
He hurt. He hurt badly. His whole body hurt, and for a second, he thought he was at home, in his bed. And everything had been a bad dream. A very bad dream. But he still hurt. Groaning, he opened his eyes, a flash of pain covering him swiftly. It took a minute for the fuzziness to uncover his brain and his eyes.
Finally, his sight came in clear, and he looked around. it was not all a dream. He was in the hallway he was in before. The burnt remains of mummies all around him. But he was untouched. He was…he was alive! Allah be praised!
He closed his eyes again and laid there for a minute. Wanting to stay there forever.
"Get up!" His mind screamed at him. And a second later, he heard a loud groan and creek from the walls. Opening his eyes quickly, he saw that the walls were starting to move slowly.
Ignoring the pain in his body, Ardeth jumped up and bolted out of the hallway. He didn't even know what way he was taking, he just knew he had to get out of the city quickly.
He ran blindly down one hallway after another, running as fast as he possibly could. finally, on the faith of God, he burst out into the bright sunlight. It blinded him for a moment, in which he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Looking up and around, he could not find his friends. And prayed that they would get out safely.
Ardeth stood and staggered out of the city, following the camels that were running from there as well. When he got out fully, he turned and saw that the city was falling apart. Large pillars and buildings were falling, dust flying everywhere.
And no sign of his friends.
He searched and searched, then, finally, he saw three figures running from the ruins of the once great Hamunaptra. They to were running blindly, straight towards him.
Ardeth quickly ducked behind a large camel as his friends ran up to where he was standing. And as they turned to stare at the destruction of the city, Ardeth silently mounted the animal. They all stood in a row. Jonathan closest to him, his sister, Evy, and O'Connell. All watching the city fall.
He was going to love doing this.
He clapped a hand down on to Jonathan's shoulder, causing the man to jump and scream, and for the other two to do the same. Turning quickly, they saw Ardeth sitting on top of the camel. A smile on his face.
"Thank you, thank you very much!" Jonathan gasped, holding his chest.
Ardeth looked down at them, feeling nothing but joy and gratefulness towards the three standing before him. His new friends. Ones he would have for life.
"You have earned the respect and gratitude of me and my people. May Allah smile upon you always." He said. Then he kissed the side of his index finger, placed it on the tattoo on his forehead, then lowering his hand down at his friends.
Evy and Rick gave him a big smile. He has happy to see them together.
"And, yourself." Jonathan said as he made a cross in the air with his finger.
Ardeth looked at his friends, for what he hopped would not be the last time. Then, pulling the camels reigns, he clicked his tongue and pushed the animal forward.
"Stay out of trouble!" He heard O'Connell call out to him. But he did not look back. His friends were fine, he knew in his heart that the creature was dead, and once again, all was well for the Med-jai.
~~
It took Ardeth a little over an hour to get home, and he was extremely happy to see his town as he rode up to it. Everyone who lived there came out in a cheer as they welcomed their leader home. Slowly, Ardeth lowered himself from the camel and stood before his people.
"I am home!" he called out in his native tongue. His people cheered and sang.
Before he knew it, a missile of a body hit him, wrapping its arms around his neck. Looking down, he realized that it was his little sister, Meelesh. He embraced her back just as tight. Happy to be with her again.
And when she let go, his mother grabbed him and embraced him tightly. Tears of joy coming out of her eyes.
"Allah be praised, he has brought my son home to me." She said whispered in his ear.
"Allah has been good to me over these past few days mother." He whispered back.
When his mother let go, Ahmad came forth and shook his best friend and chieftain's hand.
"Thank Allah…you are back!" He said happily. "We will celebrate your return and the death of the creature!" Then, quietly to Ardeth, he asked, "The creature was stopped, right?"
Ardeth chuckled and nodded.
"Then we will celebrate!" The crowd went wild.
"My people! My friends! Please!" Ardeth called out, raising his hands. "I have had little sleep in the past five days, we will celebrate, but first I must rest!"
The crowd still went wild, and then slowly began to disperse. A few people, including the Elders, stopped and welcomed Ardeth home with a handshake or a bow of the head.
Finally, Ardeth made his way slowly to his tent, to his nice soft bed…
"You think this is the end…this is not the end." An old woman said, walking past him. Taking his attention, he turned and faced her. "This is not the end. You will see them all again. you will see them all again. It is not over…he will return. They all will return."
She then walked away, mumbling "This is not the end. They will return."
Ardeth watched her go, wondering what she could possibly mean. Something wiggling under the sand caught his attention and he looked down at his boot.
A small black scorpion came out from under the sand and looked up at him, pinching one of its claws in his direction, before scattering off into the desert, away from his town.
Ardeth watched it go with interest. Wondering.
Shaking it off, he stumbled into his tent and collapsed onto his bed. Finally, rest. He thought quickly of his friends, and hopped they would get back safely. He thought of the old woman, and what her words might mean. He thought of the scorpion…
Ardeth Bay fell asleep on that note. Finally, the Med-jai chieftain could sleep. All was good for his people once more.
~fin~
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Guess what! The KIDS WB is coming out with a Mummy Cartoon! Sweet huh? It comes out Saterday, the 29, at 9:30/8:30 C/P. It is going to kick ass! It has all our favorite characters.
But I do have some issues with the characters...and how they are drawn....see for your self. go to
http://www.themummytv.com/main.html to check it out.
Um, I am giving you all a sneek peek at the TMR Ardeth filler/pov. It is going to be a good story, I hope. and have some great ideas about Evy's...um...well, you all know. (And if you dont...it's sad!)
Anyway, thanks always for the reviews and for reading it. Enjoy life! Lime jello, maggi.
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"Where are we going, O'Connell?" Jonathan asked, as the car made its way through the dead calm Cairo streets. Ardeth, sitting in the back, listened on in interest.
"Remember Winston?" The American asked.
"Yes."
"We are going there."
Jonathan let out a groan and drove on.
The sky around them was slowly getting lighter, and by the time they had reached their destination, the sun was up and fresh in the sky. Ardeth, who had rarely ever been in a car, watched as the city passed them by, and soon found himself, and his comrades, three miles outside Cairo driving up to a small, dirty airport.
The car putted along, passing a child with goats and a two-seater plane. It only had two seats. There are four of them, how come the plane only had two seats? Where would the other two sit? Ardeth looked around, but did not see another plane. One with more seats. Why did the plane only have two seats?
Jonathan, who seemed to be thinking the same thing, parked the car and they all jumped out. One of the locals, who was working there this early in the morning, recognized Ardeth for who he truly was and bowed his head in respect. The other two noticed this and looked at the Med-jai questionably. Ardeth just waved them away with his hand and didn't say a word.
How come that damn plane only had two seats?
Turning, Ardeth saw a man sitting on top a small dune, enjoying his music, tea, and the early sun. O'Connell passed the warrior and started toward the dune. Jonathan and Ardeth followed.
Home come it only had two seats? Where was he going to sit?
"Um, a word Winston?" O'Connell called as the three walked up the small dune. The bottom of Ardeth's robes brushing along the soft sand as he followed Jonathan.
"We have a problem, and we need your help."
"Someone has…kidnapped my sister and we have to get somewhere before the…um…he hurts her." Jonathan said. Ardeth stood at Jonathan's side, still wondering about the seating on the plane. If they were going to take that thing to Hamunaptra, where were the other two going to sit?
"So what's your little problem got to do with His Majesty's Royal Air Corp?" the large man sitting asked. This must be Winston.
"Not a damn thing." O'Connell replied.
"Is it dangerous?"
"You probably won't live through it…"
"By Jove, do you really think so?" Winston seem intrigued at the thought that he might die because of this. Ardeth could understand why. Damn silly breed.
"Everybody else he's bumped into has died, why not you?" Jonathan threw in.
"So what's the challenge then?"
"To rescue the damsel in distress, kill the bad guy, save the world."
Winston's face lit up and he laughed joyfully. Standing, he gave O'Connell a sloppy salute. "Winston Havlock at your service, sir!"
Ardeth shot the brother a puzzled look, but he did not see it.
Together, they all walked down the dune and towards…it. The plane. The plane that only had two seats.
"Whose he?" Winston asked, jerking his thumb in Ardeth's direction.
"Ardeth Bay." O'Connell said, beating the rightful owner of the name to the punch. "He's going to help us."
The smaller, fat man looked the taller, well-built warrior up and down then shrugged his shoulders.
"Fine. Well, this is only a two seat plane." Finally! The answer to his question! "So…I can either take one of you at a time…"
"We don't have the time Winston." O'Connell said.
"Then…two of you get strapped to the wings!"
Ardeth and Jonathan both nearly fell over where they stood. Together, they both snapped, "STRAPPED TO THE WINGS?"
"Oh no…O'Connell…noooo. You are NOT strapping me to a wing!" Jonathan protested.
"I'm with him." Ardeth growled. "You are not doing that to me!"
"Relax!" O'Connell said, flashing them a strange smile. "We will draw straws or something. But we have to do it quickly, because we have to save Evelyn, remember?"
~~
So, they drew straws. A custom Ardeth was never aware of. So he didn't understand what it meant that he had picked a short straw. Jonathan, who had to come up with a short one, cussed loudly and kicked at the dirt. O'Connell, on the other hand, had a wicked grin on his face.
Ardeth didn't get the fate his short straw bestowed on him until O'Connell threw a leather hood and goggles into his hands.
"Which one of you wants the left wing?" He asked, face still giddy.
Then Ardeth understood. He and Jonathan looked at each other.
"I'll take it." The latter said finally, kicking the sand once more and bitterly putting on his hod and goggles. Ardeth could bear to watch as the young British man jumped up onto the wing of the plane and waited as O'Connell strapped him down. The whole time, Ardeth was amused at the quite string of cuss words that came out of Jonathan's mouth.
As he waited for his own turn, Ardeth took off his turban and replaced it with the tight leather hood. The goggles, a western invention he had only seen once before, were of course strange to the Med-jai warrior. And as he saw O'Connell coming at him, a crazed and giddy look on his face, he quickly placed the goggles on his head and around his eyes. They caused everything to go very dark, as if the day had suddenly turned to night. (Like the afternoon before)
Reluctantly, Ardeth hopped up onto the right wing of the plane. The damn two seat plane. And waited for O'Connell to strap him on.
"Make it tight, laddie, we wouldn't want him falling off mid-flight, now would we?" Winston said, as he waddled into the cockpit.
From behind the darkness of his goggles, Ardeth glared at O'Connell.
The American laughed as he tightened the strap.
"Relax, it will be a safe trip. Nothing will happen." Ardeth knew better then to trust him, and had a feeling that those words would come back to haunt them all.
The warrior closed his eyes and began to pray. There was a long silence…then a loud noise bust through the air. Had he the room, Ardeth would have jumped out of his skin. But he was strapped in to tight and could not budge. Then, the plane jumped forward, and began to move.
Ardeth was sure he must have turned white, as he gripped the side of the wing for dear life. Wind was rushing past him now, harder and harder as he knew they were going faster.
The scream of one of the men…Jonathan maybe…filled the air as the plane lifted up. Suddenly, Ardeth was flying!
He couldn't believe it, and slowly, he opened his eyes and looked down. The ground seemed far away, and they were definitely in the air. A smile slowly made its way across his face. And he was having the time of his life!
~~
It seemed like forever that Ardeth was strapped to the wing. Laughing silently, enjoying it, smiling, joyful. He heard a whistle off to his left but didn't look up. The voice of O'Connell coming through the wind.
"How ya doin'?"
Ardeth laughed some more and held on tighter. This was fun!
But something didn't seem right. He could hear O'Connell and Winston yelling at each other about something being, "big". A minute later he heard O'Connell yell in fright and the plane under him began to twist and turn and Ardeth could help but yell for his life. Suddenly, flying wasn't that fun anymore. He screams were drowned out by those of the other men and Ardeth could tell what was going on. He couldn't turn his head, so he couldn't see what ever O'Connell was screaming at. Suddenly, over a cliff, the plane shot down and headed straight for the ground.
That's when Ardeth closed his eyes and yelled even louder.
Under him, the plane seemed to right its self, but then the gunshots started, and there was more yelling. Then the shots stopped, but the warrior picked the worst time to open his eyes. The plane was surrounded with sand. Lots and lots and lots of sand. Not good. This is not good. This is not happening. Not good!
That's when the plane turned over, and they were all flying upside down. Ardeth was going to die, he knew it, he was going to die. DAMN YOU O'CONNELL!!!!
Then, suddenly, a miracle of god, the plane righted itself again! Yay! He wasn't going to die! Allah be praised!
Then the engine made a funny noise. A dying noise. And all hell broke lose. Ardeth wanted to close his eyes, but he couldn't. the needed to see his death coming, he could not shut his eyes to it.
Air, air, sky…ok…no death. Wait! Ground! Sand! AGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That's when they hit the ground, sand flying every where. Ardeth felt the wing under him snap and drop, as he landed in the sand with a thud. He had just crashed in an airplane…but he was alive.
The warrior let his head drop on to the wing and he wanted to lay there for a very long, long time. But he knew he couldn't. Twisting and turning, he wiggled his way out of the straps, that were still somewhat tight around his body, and he stumbled off the wing. He stood up shaky, dizzy, and ready to fall over. His hand rose and pulled off the hood and goggles, the sun instantly blinding him with the brightness. He knew that his hair had to be stick up everywhere, but he didn't care. Off to his side, O'Connell had fallen out of the plane, and Jonathan was yelling for help.
And something had just caught the warrior's attention. Stumbling over to the back of the plane, Ardeth tore off a wonderful gun. The one O'Connell had to have been using on…whatever had brought them down. He looked it over, felt its weight, it fit perfectly in his hands. He was like a boy receiving his first horse…he had a new gun!
The plane made a odd noise and began to sink down. And knowing of the underground water supplies that were around them, Ardeth knew what was happening.
"Quicksand! Quicksand! Get back!" he yelled as the two men stumbled back. The plane slowly sank into the ground, and the Med-jai chieftain couldn't help but respect Winston for dying so bravely. They stood in a row, and watched as Winston got his burial. O'Connell solute the sinking plane and it's fallen pilot. And after a second, they marched on into the desert. The city was only a few miles away, and they would reach it soon. Ardeth was sure of that. And as they walked away, Ardeth, new gun in hands, looked around for any sight of his men.
Nothing. No one was there. They had to be there….they should have been there. Where the hell is Ahmad? Oh…would Ardeth have some words with his second in command when he got home. Damn that stubborn man, he was probably angry that Ardeth hadn't taken him with him.
For the first five minutes, they walked in silence. Then O'Connell spoke up.
"Ardeth," His name seemed strange leaving the American's lips. "do you know where he is going to be taking her in the city?"
"I have a general idea. He will take her to the main chamber, where all the sacrifices and rituals took place."
"And you know how to get there?" Jonathan asked.
"Yes, I know of two ways. One way I have taken, one I have not."
"Well, this is no time to get lost. So we should go the way you have taken before."
"So we should."
There was another long string of silence. In which time Jonathan stared at Ardeth's face for most of the time. The Med-jai looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Oh…sorry ol'chum. I was just wondering about your tattoos. Tell me, what do they mean?"
O'Connell smacked Jonathan upside the head.
"OW! What the hell was that for?!"
"Don't ask rude questions!"
"I wasn't! You silly git!" Jonathan began to rub the backside of his head, "Honestly, you acted just like Evy!"
This little argument had stopped them all dead in their tracks. And Ardeth knew that couldn't be good.
"Come children, stop arguing and let us get to the city and save the girl, eh?" He said as he walked past them, a strange smile on his face. If nothing else, he liked having fun with these men. But there was still work to do, and they had to get it done quickly.
So they walked on, for another 20 minutes, in silence. Every once and a while Jonathan would grumble something evil and dirty in O'Connell's direction. And at that point, Ardeth would have backhanded the man to get him to grow up, but he was saved. They had reached the city.
"There are foot steps!" Jonathan cried as he ran forward, following them.
"They are fresh, and they are going in the same way we were going to go." Ardeth said, looking around the deserted city. "We have to go the other way."
"But…"
"Hang on…"
Ardeth paid no heed to the protests. "We have to go the other way, we will be able to sneak up on them then, catch them by surprise."
The two men considered this. "Fine, lead away." O'Connell said finally.
Ardeth bowed his head and started forward, walking them into a doorway and tunnel none of them have ever been in before. He had remembered his father and brother talking about this way. They had mentioned which ways to turn, what hallways to take, and where they would end up.
Once inside the depths of the city, they lit torches and carried them along a hall, until they reached a small room.
"There should be a doorway in here…" Ardeth began. He looked around, all their eyes landing on the same pile of rocks up against one wall. "It is behind there. We have to get through there."
He and O'Connell looked at each other, then at Jonathan. They both knew that the more man power the better, but they also knew that the British man would not help move the rocks. Pushing him to the side, they began on the pile of rocks. Pulling them down, throwing them off to the side.
Ardeth couldn't believe his luck. Crashing in an airplane, bringing these fools back to the city, now having to do hard labor. And Jonathan wasn't helping.
"Take those bigger stones first! Take them from the top!" He was instructing them. "Otherwise the whole thing will cave in on us! Come one! Put your backs into it!"
Ardeth couldn't handle it anymore. From the looks of things, neither could O'Connell. They both stood up and faced the smaller man, staring down at him, hard, pissed, unpleased looks on both their faces. Ardeth's chest heaved up and down as he stared at the little man.
And Jonathan looked very frightened.
"Yes, well…you've got the idea. Chop, chop!" He said with a smile.
Ardeth and O'Connell returned to their work, passing a look between each other. They both wanted to kill him. They pulled more rocks away as Jonathan wondered around the room. Mumbling something about "gents" and "have a look at this". Ardeth didn't want to pay attention to the man, but when his scream split out into the still air, he couldn't ignore it any longer.
Turning, O'Connell yelled out, "What?!"
"MY ARM! MY ARM!" Jonathan called, sticking his arm out franticly. O'Connell and Ardeth rushed to him. The former ripped Jonathan's shirt off and they all saw the little bump moving up his arm quickly.
"Hold him!" O'Connell instructed as he pushed Jonathan into Ardeth. The Med-jai grabbed hold and held on tightly.
"Do something! Do something!" Jonathan screamed as O'Connell flipped out a knife. "Not that! Not that!" Too late. O'Connell dug the knife into Jonathan's shoulder and dug around for a second, then flipped his hand up.
Ardeth watched on as a black thing flew out of the man's shoulder and across the room, landing with a small thud. A scarab no less.
The little bug stood and shook it's self off and turned back to the three men. Determined little bastard. Ardeth stepped protectively in front of Jonathan. That bug would have to get through him first.
He didn't know why he suddenly became so protective of the other man, considering all the trouble he had caused the Med-jai, but he felt he had to.
O'Connell seemed to feel the same way as well. He pulled out a gun and shot the bug into smithereens.
"We need to get you bandaged up…" O'Connell said, turning to Jonathan. They both looked at the warrior in his long robes. "Could you spare us a little bit of cloth?"
Ardeth thrust his hand into his robes and pulled out his turban. He probably wouldn't be needing that much longer. "Keep digging, I will tend to him." He told O'Connell. "You, sit down and don't touch anything." He told Jonathan.
He obeyed and kneeled down. Ardeth in tern, did the same as he ripped pieces of the turban apart.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Jonathan asked.
"My mother, aunt, and sister are all doctors of my people. They have taught me enough to get by when someone gets hurt." He gently wrapped a part of the cloth around Jonathan's hand and wrist, covering the bleeding entry hole.
"By the way, who are your people?" Jonathan flinched slightly as Ardeth pulled the cloth tight.
"We are the Med-jai." Simple answer. He then began tying a thin piece of cloth around the bandage, in order to keep it in place and tight.
"So you blokes do exist! I always thought you were just myth!"
"I can assure you, we are real." He then turned his attention to the shoulder. This was going to be much harder to cover. He folded a piece of cloth up and placed it over the wound. Then tore a large piece of the turban and placed it over the shoulder. He then tore a long thin piece and placed it around Jonathan's neck, bringing it over so it held the larger piece in place. Then tying it at the shoulder so it would stay in place. He then got another piece, this one not so thin, and placed it under Jonathan's arm, bringing it up around the armpit and tying it at top.
"Move your arm a little. Does that feel right? Is the bandage coming lose?" Ardeth asked.
Jonathan did as he was told. "No, it is staying in the right place." The man looked very grateful and smiled brightly at the warrior. "Thanks friend!"
Ardeth bowed his head in response and stood. Friend? Well, it had to be. Inevitable it seemed. He was bound to become these people's friend.
At this point, Rick turned to the two of them, the rock pile now greatly reduced. But he glared at Jonathan. "From now on, don't touch anything. Not a damn thing. Keep your hands off the furniture, got it?"
The other man nodded and swallowed hard. Ardeth wanted to chuckle but kept in inside. Stepping past Jonathan, he returned to the rock pile with O'Connell.
~~
"You sure you don't know what's in this room?" O'Connell asked as they stood in front of a small crack in a wall, at the end of a very narrow hallway.
"I have never been this way before, so I couldn't tell you." Ardeth responded, looking over O'Connell's shoulder. The American shrugged and threw his torch and a large bag in through the crack, it landing in the dirt with a soft thud. The bag, Ardeth had noticed, seemed heavy and full of something, though what, he did not know. O'Connell had just carrying it with him the whole time. Next, the American jumped through and Ardeth followed.
The room seemed vast, but they could not see anything in the dark. As Ardeth placed the strap of his new gun over his shoulder, O'Connell shot at something. Suddenly, a beam of light bounced across the room, lighting it brightly.
None of them could believe their eyes at what was held in the room.
Gold. Lots and lots and lots of gold. Gold everything…gold everywhere. gold…riches…gold. Ardeth couldn't keep down his disbelief. If he could get some of that gold…he could go anywhere…do anything…be free! No Med-jai…no Hamunaptra…just…freedom. And gold.
He shook it away. He couldn't be thinking such things. He was a leader. And though he, like any human, had greed inside him, he couldn't let it show. But still…so much gold.
O'Connell began his descent down the stairs and the other two followed. It seemed to Ardeth that Jonathan was having a harder time containing himself then the rest of them. Ardeth knew that he wanted to pounce on the gold, and never leave it.
"Can you see…?" Jonathan breathed.
"Yeah…" O'Connell responded.
"Can you believe…?"
"Yeah…"
"Can we just…"
"No."
Ardeth looked around him…all that gold.
A strange sound filtered through to his ears. A sound he had only heard once before…in the Cairo Bazaar with his father…the sound of an angry ferret.
Turning, they saw a mummified hand stick up out of the ground, then another, and another. Slowly, the living mummies crawled their way up into the chamber.
"Who the hell are these guys?" O'Connell asked.
"Priests. Imhotep's priests." Ardeth responded.
"All right then."
All three men began to blow the hell out of the mummies. Taking off arms, legs, heads, various other body parts. But still more were coming at them.
The new gun was nice and efficient. Ardeth enjoyed it very much. Blowing the hell out of those mummified bastards! You can't get past the Med-jai warrior and his special new gun! HA HA!
Quickly, Jonathan and Rick ran out of ammo.
Backing up, they raced out of the chamber, running into a narrow passageway. To where…God only knows. And still, the mummies came. Ardeth, in the back of the group, still blew away at the mummies. Knocking two or three out, and having two or three more coming after them. Damn things! And even with O'Connell at his side, also blowing away at the creatures, they couldn't keep them back.
Suddenly, Jonathan cried out happily about Horus. They had reached the stature. Ardeth's new gun ran out of ammo, and having none with him, Ardeth threw the gun into the mummies and continued to back down the hallway, one step behind O'Connell.
They back into the room, as O'Connell thrust his gun into Ardeth's hands. Ardeth stood at the ready. Just try and come in here you mummy bas…WHAT THE HELL!?
Something hot and sharp suddenly appeared on Ardeth's cheek, as out of the corner of his eye, a small flame appeared. Then he realized what had happened.
He looked over at O'Connell, shooting him a evil, Med-jai look of death. But the American just looked back as he lit the fuse of a stick of dynamite. The look on his eyes that of not feeling that he did anything wrong.
Had it been the time, Ardeth would have killed O'Connell. But it wasn't.
"Time to close the door!" The American said as he launched the stick of TNT into the passageway. Then he and Ardeth dove for the back of the statue, where Jonathan was already hiding. They got down, all three squashed together as a loud explosion filled the air, the screams of the mummies and the rumble of the echo pounced around the room.
~~
Jonathan and O'Connell tore away at the statue, trying as hard as they could to get the secret compartment open. Ardeth, his cheek still hurting slightly from the match, reloaded the large gun O'Connell had thrust into his hands. This was more action then the Med-jai Chieftain had seen in a long time…and he couldn't believe what was happening to him.
More angry ferret sounds echoed through the chamber. More mummies were coming.
"Damn! These guys just don't quit!" O'Connell gasped as he pulled on the secret compartment door. Ardeth cocked the gun.
"Keep digging!" He called and began to blow away a the mummies that were entering the chamber. Behind him, there were more angry ferret sounds and lots of commotion. Turning back, he saw mummies clawing away at the compartment. Suddenly, the door exploded as a liquid shot out, covering the three mummies in the burning liquid. Looking over, he saw that O'Connell and Jonathan were safe.
Quickly, he reloaded the gun again. and pumped into the passageway of mummies. Then…he was out. He cocked the gun, nothing. Again, still nothing.
Then he understood. He was supposed to die for this cause. Just like his uncle. It made sense. He prayed for his new found friends. Prayed that they would get out alive. Get out ok. He prayed that they would stop and kill the creature. Somewhere inside him, he almost felt proud that he had the chance to spend time with them.
Turning back, Ardeth looked at his friends once last time. He wish they would have met under other circumstances, but sadly, they had not. He knew what he had to do, what he had to give. And The Med-jai was more then willing.
"Save the girl! Kill the creature!" He told them. Then, with a battle cry, the ran into the mummy filled hallway. Beating them with the gun in his hands. Everywhere he turned mummies surrounded him, but he didn't care. He beat them, hit them, kicked them, but could not stop them on his own. One mummy grabbed him and turned him around, and he saw his friends standing there.
"What are you waiting for!" He yelled at them. "GET OUT! GET OUT!"
Then he heard a soft, female voice in his head. "Turn right." It told him. "Turn right!"
So he did, pushing a mummy back, he threw himself to the right.
That's when the explosion went off, the force of it slamming him into a wall.
And everything went black for the Med-jai warrior.
~~
"Wake up, Ardeth Bay. Wake up and get out. Quickly."
~~
He hurt. He hurt badly. His whole body hurt, and for a second, he thought he was at home, in his bed. And everything had been a bad dream. A very bad dream. But he still hurt. Groaning, he opened his eyes, a flash of pain covering him swiftly. It took a minute for the fuzziness to uncover his brain and his eyes.
Finally, his sight came in clear, and he looked around. it was not all a dream. He was in the hallway he was in before. The burnt remains of mummies all around him. But he was untouched. He was…he was alive! Allah be praised!
He closed his eyes again and laid there for a minute. Wanting to stay there forever.
"Get up!" His mind screamed at him. And a second later, he heard a loud groan and creek from the walls. Opening his eyes quickly, he saw that the walls were starting to move slowly.
Ignoring the pain in his body, Ardeth jumped up and bolted out of the hallway. He didn't even know what way he was taking, he just knew he had to get out of the city quickly.
He ran blindly down one hallway after another, running as fast as he possibly could. finally, on the faith of God, he burst out into the bright sunlight. It blinded him for a moment, in which he collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily. Looking up and around, he could not find his friends. And prayed that they would get out safely.
Ardeth stood and staggered out of the city, following the camels that were running from there as well. When he got out fully, he turned and saw that the city was falling apart. Large pillars and buildings were falling, dust flying everywhere.
And no sign of his friends.
He searched and searched, then, finally, he saw three figures running from the ruins of the once great Hamunaptra. They to were running blindly, straight towards him.
Ardeth quickly ducked behind a large camel as his friends ran up to where he was standing. And as they turned to stare at the destruction of the city, Ardeth silently mounted the animal. They all stood in a row. Jonathan closest to him, his sister, Evy, and O'Connell. All watching the city fall.
He was going to love doing this.
He clapped a hand down on to Jonathan's shoulder, causing the man to jump and scream, and for the other two to do the same. Turning quickly, they saw Ardeth sitting on top of the camel. A smile on his face.
"Thank you, thank you very much!" Jonathan gasped, holding his chest.
Ardeth looked down at them, feeling nothing but joy and gratefulness towards the three standing before him. His new friends. Ones he would have for life.
"You have earned the respect and gratitude of me and my people. May Allah smile upon you always." He said. Then he kissed the side of his index finger, placed it on the tattoo on his forehead, then lowering his hand down at his friends.
Evy and Rick gave him a big smile. He has happy to see them together.
"And, yourself." Jonathan said as he made a cross in the air with his finger.
Ardeth looked at his friends, for what he hopped would not be the last time. Then, pulling the camels reigns, he clicked his tongue and pushed the animal forward.
"Stay out of trouble!" He heard O'Connell call out to him. But he did not look back. His friends were fine, he knew in his heart that the creature was dead, and once again, all was well for the Med-jai.
~~
It took Ardeth a little over an hour to get home, and he was extremely happy to see his town as he rode up to it. Everyone who lived there came out in a cheer as they welcomed their leader home. Slowly, Ardeth lowered himself from the camel and stood before his people.
"I am home!" he called out in his native tongue. His people cheered and sang.
Before he knew it, a missile of a body hit him, wrapping its arms around his neck. Looking down, he realized that it was his little sister, Meelesh. He embraced her back just as tight. Happy to be with her again.
And when she let go, his mother grabbed him and embraced him tightly. Tears of joy coming out of her eyes.
"Allah be praised, he has brought my son home to me." She said whispered in his ear.
"Allah has been good to me over these past few days mother." He whispered back.
When his mother let go, Ahmad came forth and shook his best friend and chieftain's hand.
"Thank Allah…you are back!" He said happily. "We will celebrate your return and the death of the creature!" Then, quietly to Ardeth, he asked, "The creature was stopped, right?"
Ardeth chuckled and nodded.
"Then we will celebrate!" The crowd went wild.
"My people! My friends! Please!" Ardeth called out, raising his hands. "I have had little sleep in the past five days, we will celebrate, but first I must rest!"
The crowd still went wild, and then slowly began to disperse. A few people, including the Elders, stopped and welcomed Ardeth home with a handshake or a bow of the head.
Finally, Ardeth made his way slowly to his tent, to his nice soft bed…
"You think this is the end…this is not the end." An old woman said, walking past him. Taking his attention, he turned and faced her. "This is not the end. You will see them all again. you will see them all again. It is not over…he will return. They all will return."
She then walked away, mumbling "This is not the end. They will return."
Ardeth watched her go, wondering what she could possibly mean. Something wiggling under the sand caught his attention and he looked down at his boot.
A small black scorpion came out from under the sand and looked up at him, pinching one of its claws in his direction, before scattering off into the desert, away from his town.
Ardeth watched it go with interest. Wondering.
Shaking it off, he stumbled into his tent and collapsed onto his bed. Finally, rest. He thought quickly of his friends, and hopped they would get back safely. He thought of the old woman, and what her words might mean. He thought of the scorpion…
Ardeth Bay fell asleep on that note. Finally, the Med-jai chieftain could sleep. All was good for his people once more.
~fin~
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Guess what! The KIDS WB is coming out with a Mummy Cartoon! Sweet huh? It comes out Saterday, the 29, at 9:30/8:30 C/P. It is going to kick ass! It has all our favorite characters.
But I do have some issues with the characters...and how they are drawn....see for your self. go to
http://www.themummytv.com/main.html to check it out.
Um, I am giving you all a sneek peek at the TMR Ardeth filler/pov. It is going to be a good story, I hope. and have some great ideas about Evy's...um...well, you all know. (And if you dont...it's sad!)
Anyway, thanks always for the reviews and for reading it. Enjoy life! Lime jello, maggi.