*****
By the next afternoon, all the Med-jai had been gathered and fitted with their armor. The gods and O'Connells stood on a large cliff above the camp for orders. They had their own tents on the cliff also.
"Ma'at, who will…the enemies use as their army? And what about the second in command?" Rick asked.
Ma'at thought for a while, sitting on a rock.
"We shall see, but as Anubis is his illegitimate son, he will most likely use his army. The lieutenants will be revealed at the time of battle."
"Okay. But you do know the Anubis warriors can only be killed by cutting off their heads?" Aredeth added, drawing his sword.
"Hm…we do need a level playing field…Med-jai!" Ma'at shouted, standing up to the guards. All stood and waited, their black robes fluttering in the breeze.
"I have gotten word the troops the enemy had chosen may only be destroyed by decapitation!"
All men drew their swords at the mention of 'decapitation'.
"But!" Ma'at added, drawing her own sword, "From this moment onward until the ending of battle, you can only be killed through your heads being cut off!"
Ma'at raised her sword, swung it around, and swiftly turned around and sliced Aredeth through the abdomen. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.
"What have you done!" Evie screamed, running over to the warrior.
Aredeth looked up, and moved his hands from his stomach, and looked through the hole the sword had made. There was blood on his hands, but his stomach was seamless. Nothing had happened.
Aredeth stared at Ma'at.
"You truly are a goddess." He muttered as he stood and bowed. Ma'at smiled and leaned over.
"I hope I did not scare you. I was only showing the ones who doubt me the truth. Any weapon that touches your body may not hurt you. Even the deepest wound will heal as soon as it is made."
*****
"Rick, have you seen the book of the dead? I have Amun-Rah, but not the other."
Rick looked up from the fire at his wife.
"Nope. You sure you brought it along?"
Evie nodded and hugged the remaining book in her arms.
"Last time I saw it, Alex was looking at it, but not reading it (we all know the consequences of that.). That was before Catherine had her little 'show' with the leaders."
Rick gasped.
"You don't think, because he's Seth, and he was looking at it, that Alex could have it?"
Evie's shoulders slumped, and her legs stretched out.
"Great. Not only do our children want to rip each other's guts out; one has the power to resurrect anyone it wants. This just keeps getting better and better."
Rick slid over and put his arm around her.
"Don't worry. How many dead people could there be around here?"
Evie glared at him.
"You'd be surprised."
"Well, I'm sure its not that important." He said, as he kissed Evie. "It's not like Imhotep's here."
Evie got up and set down the book in the tent.
"You're right."
Rick smiled.
"That's better. Can I look at the book of Rah?"
Evie grinned seductively as she crawled into the tent and set it down in her lap.
"Come and get it."
(Note by me: Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! I did this for you Bail, and you wanted romance, so here it is. )
*****
Ma'at woke up early the next morning, and climbed out of her tent. The Med- jai were already making breakfast as the sun rose over the dunes. The goddess sighed and stretched her arms and wings out. This was the day.
"Med-jai!" she shouted. "Today is the day of reckoning! Today, we battle with the enemy!"
Most of the men cheered and raised their swords, their armor clinking.
"We will meet him three miles from here, as they will too, on the opposite side. Ready yourselves, warriors!"
Ma'at walked back to her tent, where Thoth had already risen.
"I heard you speaking. So today is the judgement."
Ma'at nodded. Her husband rose and held her shoulders.
"Ma'at, I don't want to lose you. Must you go through with this?"
The goddess looked down and bit her lip. She hated when Thoth was concerned with her.
"I, I'm sure Thoth. This has been planned years before, and I couldn't back out now."
The god kissed her long and deep.
"Are you sure now?" he asked, a smile playing on the edges of his lips.
Ma'at grinned. She knew where he was going with this.
"Yes."
Thoth kissed her again.
"Sure now?"
"Positive."
He kissed her again, and Ma'at began to laugh.
"Still sure?"
"Enough! enough. You couldn't have me run now, but feel free to keep trying."
Thoth grinned back, his eyes glittering mischievously.
"Oh really?"
Just then, Rick and Evie walked over, both looked a bit ruffled.
"Good Morning! Oh, what a wonderful day this is! La la la la la!" Evie sang, skipping along with Rick in hand.
Ma'at turned to the O'Connells.
"You seem happy today."
"Yes, oh it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood…" Evie continued to sing as Rick explained.
"She just seemed to wake up this morning and be this way." Rick said.
"You're lying." Thoth answered.
Rick blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, maybe, maybe not…"
Ma'at cut in.
"Well, hold on to that happiness soon. Today we fight Seth."
Evie stopped skipping and jogged back to the group.
"You're serious? I haven't even put on my armor yet."
"You'll have time, sweetie, but think, any one of us could die!"
"Really? Oh yeah, now I remember…"
*****
The Med-jai were ready within a Sahara minute, along with Evie and Rick. Thoth was still trying to 'talk' Ma'at out of war, but she could not be moved.
"Ma'at, like I said before, I don't want you to die, and neither does anyone else."
Ma'at raised her eyebrow and stayed silent.
"Well, I'm sure even Seth has feelings. He was young then and stupid. Everyone of us screwed up somehow. I made subtle spelling mistakes, and now look how humans spell February and Wednesday. Even you messed up. Remember how you had to learn how the scale worked three times before Thutmosis III could enter after you hit your head?"
The goddess sighed and looked into her husband's eyes.
"I don't want to lose you either. You mean more to me than you know."
*****
By the next afternoon, all the Med-jai had been gathered and fitted with their armor. The gods and O'Connells stood on a large cliff above the camp for orders. They had their own tents on the cliff also.
"Ma'at, who will…the enemies use as their army? And what about the second in command?" Rick asked.
Ma'at thought for a while, sitting on a rock.
"We shall see, but as Anubis is his illegitimate son, he will most likely use his army. The lieutenants will be revealed at the time of battle."
"Okay. But you do know the Anubis warriors can only be killed by cutting off their heads?" Aredeth added, drawing his sword.
"Hm…we do need a level playing field…Med-jai!" Ma'at shouted, standing up to the guards. All stood and waited, their black robes fluttering in the breeze.
"I have gotten word the troops the enemy had chosen may only be destroyed by decapitation!"
All men drew their swords at the mention of 'decapitation'.
"But!" Ma'at added, drawing her own sword, "From this moment onward until the ending of battle, you can only be killed through your heads being cut off!"
Ma'at raised her sword, swung it around, and swiftly turned around and sliced Aredeth through the abdomen. He screamed and dropped to his knees, clutching his stomach.
"What have you done!" Evie screamed, running over to the warrior.
Aredeth looked up, and moved his hands from his stomach, and looked through the hole the sword had made. There was blood on his hands, but his stomach was seamless. Nothing had happened.
Aredeth stared at Ma'at.
"You truly are a goddess." He muttered as he stood and bowed. Ma'at smiled and leaned over.
"I hope I did not scare you. I was only showing the ones who doubt me the truth. Any weapon that touches your body may not hurt you. Even the deepest wound will heal as soon as it is made."
*****
"Rick, have you seen the book of the dead? I have Amun-Rah, but not the other."
Rick looked up from the fire at his wife.
"Nope. You sure you brought it along?"
Evie nodded and hugged the remaining book in her arms.
"Last time I saw it, Alex was looking at it, but not reading it (we all know the consequences of that.). That was before Catherine had her little 'show' with the leaders."
Rick gasped.
"You don't think, because he's Seth, and he was looking at it, that Alex could have it?"
Evie's shoulders slumped, and her legs stretched out.
"Great. Not only do our children want to rip each other's guts out; one has the power to resurrect anyone it wants. This just keeps getting better and better."
Rick slid over and put his arm around her.
"Don't worry. How many dead people could there be around here?"
Evie glared at him.
"You'd be surprised."
"Well, I'm sure its not that important." He said, as he kissed Evie. "It's not like Imhotep's here."
Evie got up and set down the book in the tent.
"You're right."
Rick smiled.
"That's better. Can I look at the book of Rah?"
Evie grinned seductively as she crawled into the tent and set it down in her lap.
"Come and get it."
(Note by me: Ewwwwwwwwwwwww! I did this for you Bail, and you wanted romance, so here it is. )
*****
Ma'at woke up early the next morning, and climbed out of her tent. The Med- jai were already making breakfast as the sun rose over the dunes. The goddess sighed and stretched her arms and wings out. This was the day.
"Med-jai!" she shouted. "Today is the day of reckoning! Today, we battle with the enemy!"
Most of the men cheered and raised their swords, their armor clinking.
"We will meet him three miles from here, as they will too, on the opposite side. Ready yourselves, warriors!"
Ma'at walked back to her tent, where Thoth had already risen.
"I heard you speaking. So today is the judgement."
Ma'at nodded. Her husband rose and held her shoulders.
"Ma'at, I don't want to lose you. Must you go through with this?"
The goddess looked down and bit her lip. She hated when Thoth was concerned with her.
"I, I'm sure Thoth. This has been planned years before, and I couldn't back out now."
The god kissed her long and deep.
"Are you sure now?" he asked, a smile playing on the edges of his lips.
Ma'at grinned. She knew where he was going with this.
"Yes."
Thoth kissed her again.
"Sure now?"
"Positive."
He kissed her again, and Ma'at began to laugh.
"Still sure?"
"Enough! enough. You couldn't have me run now, but feel free to keep trying."
Thoth grinned back, his eyes glittering mischievously.
"Oh really?"
Just then, Rick and Evie walked over, both looked a bit ruffled.
"Good Morning! Oh, what a wonderful day this is! La la la la la!" Evie sang, skipping along with Rick in hand.
Ma'at turned to the O'Connells.
"You seem happy today."
"Yes, oh it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood…" Evie continued to sing as Rick explained.
"She just seemed to wake up this morning and be this way." Rick said.
"You're lying." Thoth answered.
Rick blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, maybe, maybe not…"
Ma'at cut in.
"Well, hold on to that happiness soon. Today we fight Seth."
Evie stopped skipping and jogged back to the group.
"You're serious? I haven't even put on my armor yet."
"You'll have time, sweetie, but think, any one of us could die!"
"Really? Oh yeah, now I remember…"
*****
The Med-jai were ready within a Sahara minute, along with Evie and Rick. Thoth was still trying to 'talk' Ma'at out of war, but she could not be moved.
"Ma'at, like I said before, I don't want you to die, and neither does anyone else."
Ma'at raised her eyebrow and stayed silent.
"Well, I'm sure even Seth has feelings. He was young then and stupid. Everyone of us screwed up somehow. I made subtle spelling mistakes, and now look how humans spell February and Wednesday. Even you messed up. Remember how you had to learn how the scale worked three times before Thutmosis III could enter after you hit your head?"
The goddess sighed and looked into her husband's eyes.
"I don't want to lose you either. You mean more to me than you know."
*****