Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Very few of the characters are mine - at the moment I can only claim the "mystery woman" and Jaylar. The rest come from "The Mummy" and I have no claim over them - I use them only in the purpose of entertainment.

Set several years after "The Mummy"

Ardeth Bay strode down the streets of Cairo, dark robes blowing gently in the warm, scented breeze that streamed through the city. His dark eyes moved constantly, assessing possible threats, enemies, problems. Since the rise of the Creature several years ago, he had become even more wary than before, developing a vigilance which had dropped little in the past years.

He wished that he were in Cairo for more pleasant reasons, and in truth it might be possible to attend to these "more pleasant" things after - he had word that the O'Connells had returned to Egypt, and he hoped to see them again., He had seen them a few times since they'd met those years ago, and he'd found that he truly did like them, despite their propensity for creating trouble.. As it was, he had come here after one of his men who worked in Cairo posing as a merchant had sent a message saying that he had word of a new danger to the Med-jai. So Ardeth had travelled to Cairo, to hear the warning.

As he rounded the corner of the street, he saw his man, Jaylar, waiting for him. Jaylar was an old friend, as well as a good man, and Ardeth greeted him warmly, clasping hands. Once the greeting was finished, Ardeth went straight to the problem. "You sent me a warning" he said gravely, giving Jaylar time to explain at his own pace.

"I did" Jaylar agreed quietly, looking around cautiously, dark eyes squinting in the blazing sunshine. "I recently met a man who has just moved to Cairo. He is a scholar, of sorts, and he seems to believe that something dangerous is going to occur soon."

"Something?" Ardeth murmured questioningly, tilting his head and staring curiously at his friend.

Jaylar shrugged. "I know that it all seems somewhat vague," he agreed, "but the scrolls that the man has shown me certainly indicate that something may rise sometime over the next few weeks." He shrugged again, seemingly embarrassed.

Ardeth clapped him on the shoulder. "Perhaps we should go and meet this man" he declaimed cheerfully. Perhaps this would not turn out nearly as badly as he had thought. However, despite his new, cheerful outlook, an uneasy feeling began to uncoil in the pit of his stomach.

They strode down the street, heading towards the man's apartment. Jaylar explained to Ardeth how he had met this man, who was called Daniel Axeby. Ardeth noted that the streets were relatively clean and the houses looked moderately prosperous. Despite being a "scholar, of sorts", it seemed that this man could at least afford a decent place to live.

As soon as Jaylar knocked, the man opened the door. Obviously he'd been waiting for them to call. He was a short, dark-haired man. Ardeth didn't like him on sight. There was something almost … reptilian about him. Still, just because a man looks a certain way, it doesn't mean that he acts the same. In fact, the man was exquisitely polite, reminding Ardeth somewhat of Jonathon and his English politeness. The accent was much the same.

The man ushered them through the door, and into a small but comfortably airy room. He gestured them towards seats, but while Jaylar immediately sat, Ardeth declined, preferring to stay standing. He compromised somewhat by leaning against the door frame.

"At least let me offer you a drink" Daniel said cheerfully. "Wouldn't want me to look like a bad host, now." Ardeth decided that he could at least accept a drink of water, as the day was hot and the air dusty, and Jaylar did the same.

Daniel disappeared for a few moments, and reappeared with three glasses, handing them out to both men and then settling back in his chair. "Cheers" he said, smiling, and then lifted his glass, draining the liquid inside. Ardeth and Jaylar were more conservative, drinking some from the glass.

Ardeth looked carefully at the man. Despite the urgency of Jaylar's warning, seemingly coming from this man, Daniel didn't seem to be at all concerned. Being in the same room as two armed Med-jai should at least give him some cause for concern, and yet, it didn't.

Areth frowned and began to scan the room, while Jaylar nervously prompted Daniel. "You were telling me about the possible disturbance that could be happening soon."

"Yes. Yes I was." Daniel settled back further into his seat, and Ardeth's uneasiness increased as he noticed the man's hand tapping uneasily on the chair arm. His throat seemed unusually dry, despite the fact that he'd just drunk half a glass of water. He lifted it to his lips, draining the rest of the glass, and then dropped his arm, and looked impatiently at Daniel, waiting for him to continue. Even as he did so, some part of him noticed that Jaylar had also just finished his drink.

The room seemed to shimmer, as if heat waves were rising from the ground, but despite the heat of the day, it wasn't that hot. Ardeth's concern increased, and he could see that Daniel was making no attempt to continue, but was merely staring at him, with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Ardteh pushed himself away from the door frame, and as he lost its solid support, his knees began to collapse beneath him. A ringing noise began in his head, and the room began to swirl. He fell to his knees, the glass dropping form his hand and rolling across the floor. Before Ardeth's vision faded into black, he could make out the form of Jaylar, slumped in his chair.

Then Ardeth saw no more.