ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"So what now?" Jonathan asked, stopping as they reached a sarcophagus. Easing Ardeth down to sit on it, the Englishman needed only a glance to know the Abadi tended it well. Made of limestone, it held a high-polish and its beautiful paint - in silver, black, indigo and purple - remained nearly flawless, as did the inlaid onyx and alabaster.
"You must place the keys within the locks and release the Amulet of Souls," Najat explained, fixing her gaze on Ardeth. Seeing the Medjai's head droop almost as though he'd lost consciousness, she sighed.
"The weapons?!" Ardeth gasped in response, managing to lift his head enough to meet Najat's gaze. His feverish mind had forgotten the weapons were a necessary part of the ritual.
"They were brought here immediately upon our arrival," the Abadi informed him. Relieved, Ardeth let his head fall again, while Najat turned to fetch the weapons.
"So what does that do...the Amulet of Souls," Jonathan nervously inquired.
"You will soon see for yourself," Najat quipped, provoking a frown from the Englishman. "You are ready?"
Ardeth forced his head up, again, and found Najat standing next to him with the weapons in hand. He nodded and slid from his seat to stand. As he rose, his knees buckled beneath him, but the warrior managed to throw his hands down onto the sarcophagus quickly enough to keep himself upright.
"You sure you're up to this, old boy?" Jonathan asked, anxiously.
"I...will...manage," Ardeth assured him. Pausing a few seconds to gather his nearly spent strength, he bit his lip and, painfully, managed a couple deep breaths.
"Once you have claimed the amulet, you must place it on yourself so that it rest over your heart," Najat explained, as she watched the warrior prepare himself. She knew whatever reserve he was mustering would not last long and didn't want him to have to pause for instruction once he'd begun to move.
Ardeth responded with a clipped nod. Pushing away from the sarcophagus, he turned his trembling body toward the Abadi and reach out to claim the weapons.
"Maybe I should give you hand with this," Jonathan offered, as the weight of the sword nearly took Ardeth to floor. Letting the tip slam into the ground, the Medjai rested his weight on it, as though it were a cane, and managed, barely, to stay upright.
"No, that is not possible. He that desires to stand before Al 'Asima must alone place the keys within the locks," Najat stated, sadly.
"But..." Jonathan began to argue, but the Abadi interrupted.
"It is the way it must be."
Jonathan sighed. As frustrating as it was, he'd experienced enough during the family's adventures to know that such rules couldn't be argued away. Everything had to be done right and proper to fix such messes as this one.
Ardeth didn't bother to respond to Jonathan's offer, or Najat's rebuff of it. He hadn't the strength to spare. Tempted to close his eyes, the Medjai, instead, abruptly turned back toward the sarcophagus, nearly losing his balance. He tossed down the hand holding the dagger to catch himself, studying the stone lid as rested for a moment.
It had been carved in the image of a woman. Her arms lay folded over her chest, with the hands placed over her heart. The finely etched silver and jeweled scabbards of the weapons rested beneath her arms, the dagger's under one and the sword's under the other. Each pointed outward, forming an invisible triangle. Ardeth sighed as he realized the angle would not allow both weapons to be placed into their scabbard from a single position. He would have to move from one side of the sarcophagus to the other.
His will forcing his feet into motion, the Medjai slowly inched his way to the first scabbard. Leaning heavily against the sarcophagus for support, he weakly dragged the sword along. Its weight seemed to increase with each step, tugging increasingly at his attention and sapping his will. Longing to be rid of the heavy weapon, Ardeth shook his head in weary resignation as he slid the dagger into its scabbard first. It seemed somehow fitting to him that his task would be made difficult down to the final details.
As if in response to the thought, the dagger stuck an inch before setting properly within it's casing. Ardeth's worn and fevered brain found it oddly humorous, and he unconsciously smirked, as he leaned his weight into the weapon to jam it in the rest of the way. Losing his balance in the effort, the Medjai fell forward into the stone cover. Blackness threatened to consume him as pain flared out from his ribs and abdominal wound, but Ardeth determinedly fought it back.
Jonathan reflexively lunged forward as Ardeth slipped, but Najat caught his arm. Finding it agonizing to watch helplessly, he glanced, pleadingly, at the Abadi; she simply shook her head. Jonathan could see pain her in expression and knew she ached to go the Medjai as well, but the understanding didn't make him feel any better.
Pushing himself up, Ardeth fought the temptation to close his eyes for a moment, fearing that he wouldn't manage to open them again. Forcing his feet to move instead, he struggled not to topple over as maintaining his grip upon the broadsword required increasing amounts of concentration. Finally reaching the second scabbard, Ardeth sighed with relief, but it lengthened into one of frustration, as he abruptly realized the weapon would have to be lifted. It had drained nearly everything he had left just to drag it behind him.
Ardeth sucked in a trembling breath, then, exhaled slowly, as he planted his hip against the sarcophagus for support. As ready as he could make himself, he grabbed the hilt with both hands, focused his remaining strength, and lifted the blade. Too weak to ease it onto the lid gently, the blade clattered loudly against the stone, sending vibrations through the metal sword that antagonized his aching body and forced a moan from the warrior's lips. Ignoring the pain, Ardeth forced his protesting arms to ease the sword into position and slid it into the second lock.
Resting limply against the sarcophagus, he registered a soft click and glanced over to discover that stone hands had lifted slightly. It took several seconds for his feverish brain to register that they were hinged where the carved sleeves ended at the wrists. More falling in the appropriate direction, than reaching, Ardeth slid a hand beneath the narrow opening. His weary fingers clumsily searched for the amulet and weakly pulled it out into the dim light.
Feeling Najat grow increasingly tense beside him, Jonathan fidgeted, nervously. She seemed to be expecting something unpleasant, but, with the exception of Ardeth needing to perform it, the ritual seemed pretty benign to him. His anxiety increased as it occurred to him that it had, thus far, been, perhaps, too benign. It made him worry about the magnitude of whatever came next.
"Everything's going to be fine now, right?" Jonathan abruptly asked, as he watched Ardeth push himself onto his feet and awkwardly pull the amulet's chain over his head. "I mean nobody's dead, he's returned the bloody weapons and retrieved the amulet; so now he just needs to give a quick 'how do you do' to this Al 'Asima person and we can hustle him back to bed, eh?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan saw Najat look at him with an expression he couldn't quite read. However, it still managed to make his stomach clench, fearfully. Catching the slight movement as Ardeth shifted the amulet to lie directly over his heart, Jonathan nearly bolted to stop him, but approaching voices distracted him at the last second.
"ARDETH, STOP!" Evy shouted, entering the main cavern a half-step behind Zaynab and ahead of Rick.
Ardeth reflexively glanced up, but it was too late to stop. The amulet already in place, his eyes rolled back in his head at almost the same instant he met Evy's panicked gaze. His legs crumbling beneath him, Ardeth crashed onto the ground. His head missed the sarcophagus by millimeters, but only the two Abadi noticed. Jonathan and the O'Connells' gazes were fixed upon the shimmering image of Ardeth's soul, still standing where its body had left it. Its 'eyes' were still fixed on Evy's, their depths pleading for her to understand.
"Nooooooooo! Ardeth! What have you done?!" She cried. Her grief sounding like anger, the eyes looked away, and Evy immediately regretted the rebuke. She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could form a word, the shimmering form faded away.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Seeking to escape Evy's anguished expression, Ardeth let his gaze drop away. Wearily closing his eyes, he didn't notice as the tomb surrounding him faded away. When he felt a presence approach from behind, he opened his eyes again and found himself staring out into the empty desert. The change of scenery threw him off balance for a moment, but the Medjai quickly regained his composure. His expression giving no indication of the nervous tickle he felt, he slowly turned to face Al 'Asima.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Nooooooooooooooo!" Alex wailed, darting towards the Medjai's crumpled body. "Ardeth, come back!"
Watching her son, Evy abruptly wavered, overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotions filling the small tomb. Rick lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her. Closing his eyes in an effort to rein in his emotions, he snuggled his head into her hair.
"Its gonna be all right, Evy," he whispered, more calmly than he felt. "We're gonna fix it. We're gonna get him back."
"How, Rick?! How do we fix this?! His soul is GONE!"
Tearing herself from her husband's arms, she chased after Alex. Evy found him sitting behind the sarcophagus, clinging desperately to one of the Medjai's limp hands. She tried to touch him, wanting to soothe away some of the grief etched into his young face, but Alex squirmed away, refusing to even look at her. Drowning in her own grief and guilt, Evy didn't try again. Instead, she sunk onto the ground near Ardeth's lifeless head and gently lifted it into her lap.
By the time Rick reached the trio, she'd begun to rock back and forth, mumbling, pleadingly, to the motionless warrior. Rick hovered over them, helplessly absorbing the scene, until his gaze landed on the amulet. A fit a grief-spawn rage overwhelming him, he reached for it, intending to fling the accursed object away.
"NOOO!" Najat shouted. Rushing to the fallen Medjai, she snagged Rick's attention just as his hand wrapped around the amulet. "It is the link between his body and his soul!"
Not quite understanding, Rick continued to grasp the amulet and simply stared at her.
"So he just looks dead, but really he's all right?" Jonathan anxiously quizzed, peering at the group from a distance safely outside his brother-in-law's reach. He expected that eventually his family's grief and guilt would seek an outlet, and, as he'd helped Ardeth behind their backs, he knew he'd set himself up to receive the brunt of it.
Najat sighed and tossed the Englishmen a look that reminded him Ardeth had been far from all right before entering the tomb. "He stands now before Al 'Asima. How she will judge him, I cannot know. But if she finds in his favor, his soul will be released and may return to his body. It cannot if the link is broken."
Rick dropped the amulet as if it were a hot coal. Regaining his composure a moment later, he carefully settled it over Ardeth's heart.
"What do you mean it 'may return'? It doesn't have to?" Alex asked, suspiciously.
Najat sighed, again, before responding, simply. "No, it does not have to."
"Don't you worry, Alex; he is going to come back. He is!" Evy attempted to soothe, but the slightly hysterical edge to her tone only added to everyone's agitation. She didn't notice. Her gaze fixed on Ardeth's motionless chest, she silently pleaded for it to rise.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Ardeth'd had no idea what to expect; what he found was the last thing he'd imagined. A rather innocuous looking young woman stood before him. Her high cheekbones and full lips an obvious indication of Abadi heritage, a delicately crocheted shawl of Abadi design covered her. The familiarity of her appearance threw Ardeth off kilter, and he found himself wondering if that were intended.
"A Medjai?! This is most unexpected," she declared, raising a curious eyebrow, as she studied the warrior. Uncertain of how to respond, Ardeth remained silent.
"What is your name, Medjai?"
"I am Ardeth Bey ibn Dabir ibn..." She held up a silencing hand, and he stopped.
"I do not seek to know your line; it is you alone that stands before me."
For several seconds, she said nothing more. Ardeth found himself dearly wishing that she would, as her scrutinizing eyes ran over him. It felt to him as though she could see every inch of him - body, mind and soul - and it took every ounce of his will not to squirm beneath the gaze.
"What is it you seek, Ardeth Bey?"
Ardeth's brow furrowed, and he frowned slightly. He had expected that she would know what he sought.
Smiling patiently at the expression, Al 'Asima spoke again. "It was not your hand that wielded the weapons of the Devourer. This, I clearly see."
His brow furrowed again, as he wondered how she could know whose hand had wielded the weapons. Deciding she must be able to see his thoughts, Ardeth wondered why she bothered with questions at all. Surely, she has already seen the answers she seeks.
"I see from your expression that you wonder how I could know this?"
Ardeth nodded. A look of bewilderment replacing the wonderment, he considered that, perhaps, he'd decided incorrectly, and she wasn't reading his thoughts.
"The weapons carry with them the lingering fragrance of every soul that wields them," Al 'Asima explained. "But I do not sense your soul among them."
Ardeth's expression shifted again, this time to surprise, followed, shortly thereafter, by concern. He hadn't considered that the weapons would carry an imprint of the souls that wielded them. The Medjai unhappily realized that meant that the weapons, and their guardian, would forever know of Evelyn.
"Ah," Al 'Asima abruptly exclaimed. Startling him from his reverie, her face lit up with dawning awareness. "It is your blood that the weapons have tasted."
Ardeth didn't bother to respond. There had been no question in her voice as she spoke. Falling silent, a troubled expression donned her face. It surprised Ardeth, and he wondered if it were a portent of his fate.
"This person...?"
"Evelyn O'Connell," he offered, despairingly. There seemed little purpose in hiding Evy's name when Al 'Asima already held an imprint of her soul. His brow furrowed with worry when the guardian frowned.
"You would sacrifice for soul for this Evelyn O'Connell? She is this dear to you?" Al 'Asima quizzed. Ardeth heard a hint of something in her tone. He couldn't tell what, but it tied an anxious knot it his stomach and left him wondering how to answer.
"She is a friend," he stated, after a moment, as though those words explained everything.
The guardian studied him, contemplatively, then, raised a perplexed eyebrow. "A friend that appears to have earnestly tried to kill you."
Ardeth sighed. Evy's admission to him made it impossible to counter the statement.
"The blame is not yours; you did nothing to provoke the attack upon you," Al 'Asima stated, when he didn't respond. The Medjai didn't bother wondering how she could know what had occurred.
"It is true, I committed no offense," he admitted. Once again, Evy's words made it impossible to deny. However, whether or not he'd provoked her, Ardeth's heart could not shake off its guilt. He had failed his task and, in doing so, failed to protect his friends. "But the responsibility is mine, none the less."
Al 'Asima did not bother to quiz him further. She knew she could ask any question, or simply wander the depths of his mind and soul for eternity, freely seeking whatever secrets lay buried. He would not resist. The Medjai sought to hide nothing of himself from her. His motives were pure. Evelyn was his friend, and to Ardeth Bey, it was that simple.
"You present me with a challenge, Ardeth Bey," the guardian announced, her tone deceptively sheepish. "Never before has a victim stood before me in place of their attacker."
Ardeth wasn't sure how to respond to the admission, so he said nothing.
"Perhaps, while I contemplate the situation, you would consent to assisting me with another dilemma?"
Taken by surprise, Ardeth simply nodded, but after a moment, found his voice. "It would be a honor to be of assistance."
Al 'Asima smiled. "You do me a great service."
Ardeth bowed slightly, then followed, as she turned and walked away.
"Many years ago, a soul came before me under circumstances that, like yours, I had not yet encountered," the guardian informed him, seeming to know, without looking, that he had followed. "I have been unable to find a resolution. Perhaps, you could offer your opinion on the matter?"
Ardeth raised an eyebrow, but nodded his consent. Al 'Asima returned the nod and gestured. As the Medjai's gaze followed her hand to the image of woman, a cold shiver ran down his spine. He knew her instantly.
"Ah," the guardian commented, seeing his expression. "You are familiar with my guest."
Memories and emotion choking his voice, Ardeth could only nod.
"Then, perhaps, you are already familiar with the circumstances that brought Zarina Carnahan's soul before me?"
Ardeth nodded, although he hadn't fully understood the circumstances until that moment.
"But you were not aware that it was with the Devourer's dagger that she mortally wounded Dabir Bey?" Al 'Asima quizzed, catching a slight hesitation in his nod.
"I was not," the Medjai answered simply, still struggling to speak thru pain of the re-opened emotional wound. The guardian nodded and continued.
"As I am certain you _are_ aware, she preceded Dabir Bey in death."
Ardeth nodded. His uncle had informed him that the Carnahans had died in a car accident the same afternoon that his father'd received his mortal wound.
"Then you see my dilemma," she commented, sighing. Perplexed, the Medjai wrinkled his brow.
"Perhaps I should clarify it for you," Al 'Asima offered. "You see, although Zarina's soul departed her body before it could devour the soul of Dabir Bey, she did wield the weapons. However, her death deprived her of the opportunity to redeem herself. I cannot judge her as though she willingly submitted herself to me, and yet I cannot be certain that she would not have."
She paused to glance at Ardeth. Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, the Medjai gave a clipped nod to indicate he was listening.
"Ah!" the guardian abruptly exclaimed, pulling Ardeth's fixed gaze temporarily off Zarina to Al 'Asima. "I have made my decision."
Ardeth raised, yet another, shocked eyebrow.
"As you are the son and heir of Dabir Bey, I shall have you decide whether her soul is to be destroyed, or released to travel onto Paradise?"
Ardeth frowned, his brow furrowing with the weight of the decision. He had not realized the anger he harbored toward Zarina. Feeling it surging thru him as he returned his gaze to her, the Medjai found it tempting to condemn her. But then he thought of Evy. Someday his friend would make the journey to Paradise herself, and her soul would grieve when it did not find her mother's soul waiting to welcome her. His thoughts turning toward his own mother, the warrior realized he couldn't inflict upon his friend for eternity the pain of a loss he himself had only to endure for the remainder of a lifetime.
"Release her," he whispered, a hint of reluctance barely evident in his voice. Closing his eyes, Ardeth turned away from the image of Zarina. Having also turned away from Al 'Asima, he didn't see her smile, approvingly.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Evy's brain automatically counted each passing second, as she waited for the slightest indication that Ardeth's soul had returned to revive his lifeless body. As those seconds passed into one minute and then another, the little hope to which she'd clung slowly ebbed. Unconsciously, Evy began to rock, her body unable to contain her surging emotions. She stilled suddenly, as the air above the amulet seemed to shimmer slightly.
Seeing his wife's hysterical motion come to an abrupt halt, Rick followed her gaze. It seemed fixed a few inches above the Medjai, making him frown. He saw nothing. Concerned, Rick started to shift his glance back to Evy, but stopped as, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight shimmering. Quickly moving his eyes back to the spot at which Evy still stared, he unconsciously held his breath and waited, praying that it wasn't just wishful-thinking.
Noticing his parents staring into the thin air above Ardeth's chest, Alex reflexively shifted his gaze to follow. He instantly spotted the form slowly shimmering into sight. Unconsciously tightening his grip on the Medjai's hand, Alex held his breath and waited for what he prayed was Ardeth's soul returning.
Sensing a change in focus, Jonathan glanced at his family and noticed that they were all staring at the empty space above Ardeth. His eyes reflexively followed, but saw nothing. The intensity of the others' stares convinced there must be something there, however, so he stared harder. Still, Jonathan saw nothing. Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch, even though he had no idea what he was looking for.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Ardeth stared out in the empty desert, wearily waiting for Al 'Asima to join him. Abstractly wondering how he could feel weary without his body, he closed eyes to rest. His heavy eyelids had barely slipped down when he felt the guardian approach. A tickle in his stomach warned him that she'd decided his fate. Opening his eyes, Ardeth soaked in the beauty of the pale blue sky, as it met the golden dessert sands in the horizon, then, took a deep breath and turned to face her.
"Your soul weighs heavy," she announced, and Ardeth nodded, sadly accepting the verdict, his eyes dropping slightly. They abruptly rose when she startled him by continuing. "But with a burden that is not yours to carry."
Ardeth frowned. His brow furrowing with concern, he worried that Al 'Asima would somehow claim Evy's soul, after all.
"You are a valiant warrior, Ardeth Bey, and a noble king, but you are still a man - one man. The guilt from the actions of others is not your burden to bear; every individual must accept responsibility for their own deeds."
Ardeth sighed, frustrated that she did not seem to understand that the responsibility was his to bear. HE had failed - Najat, the O'Connells, himself, and his people.
Seeing his thoughts, Al 'Asima sighed. She understood that the guilt he accepted for Evy's actions was but a miniscule portion of the burden weighing down his exhausted soul.
"You alone could not have stood against the Army of Anubis, or have stopped the fever that swept through your village, any more than the weight of the world could be borne upon your shoulders alone. For many, it their days to die, and so death arrived to claim them. You could not have saved them; you did not fail them. All that you could do was all that you did."
"What I did was fail!" Ardeth retorted, sullenly, adamantly rejecting her assertion. HE had not reached the bracelet in time to prevent the Scorpion King's rise, failing his friends and his people. HE allowed himself to become ill with fever, failing his father and his people.
"You did not fail. You did all that is demanded of anyone - even you, Ardeth Bey. You did your duty to the best of your ability."
Ardeth's gaze dropped, as he whispered his response. "My best was not enough."
"Not enough? You gave strength to the weak, hope to hopeless, courage to those whose own had left them. You stood before your people, as only the man that you are could have, and a people that would have fallen stood with you. How can that be 'not enough'?"
Too weary to accept the truth of her words, Ardeth didn't reply.
"You alone must carry the burden of who you are - your strength, your weakness, your accomplishment, and your failure. It is a heavier weight than most men could bear, do not add to it that which does not belong to you."
Still, Ardeth made no response. Al 'Asima sighed, recognizing that the warrior was not ready to acknowledge the truth of her words.
"I release your soul, Ardeth Bey," she stated, with a respectful bow. She saw little purpose in continuing to argue her point. He had heard, and, eventually, his heart would accept the truth of it.
Ardeth numbly registered her decree and responded with a polite nod, before turning to look out again at the empty desert. To his dismay, he found, instead, the scene within the guardian's tomb. Returned to where he'd last stood, the Medjai glanced down upon his battered, motionless body. The reluctance he felt to return to it surprised him, even as he saw Alex and Evelyn clinging to it desperately. They behaved as though it were important that he returned. Ardeth doubted that it really was, but he didn't doubt the agony that awaited him if he did. He clearly remembered the pain and weakness, although it seemed like a distant memory - one he was not anxious to relive.
"Your soul is free," the guardian reminded him, sadness coating her tone. "Whether it returns to your body, or takes it place in Paradise, is for you to decide."
"My body will recover should I choose to return to it?" he asked, wearily. Ardeth felt Al 'Asima move to stand just behind him, but didn't turn to look at her.
"This I cannot say. But I will tell you that strength surrounds you; you need but allow yourself to draw upon it. "
Ardeth closed his eyes, pondering her words and weighing the decision to return. He thought of his father and mother, angelic Bashiyra, irrepressible Nameer, and, now, loyal Fathi. They waited for him in Paradise, and he longed to be with them once more, as he longed to be free of pain and weariness consuming his body and soul.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
The shimmering air above Ardeth gradually increased in density until Jonathan, too, saw something slowly materializing. Like his family, he found himself holding his breath in anticipation of Ardeth's soul's return. He let it out in a loud gush, as the image that finally formed socked him in the gut.
"Umm?" Evy's gasped, staring, disbelievingly, at shimmering image before her. Feeling her husband gently place a supportive hand on her shoulder, she reached up and clung to it. ("Mum?")
"Yes, my daughter," Zarina replied, gazing down, lovingly, at Evy and, then, over to Jonathan. He tried to say something, but the lump in his throat prevented it. She had only been his stepmother, but Zarina'd never treated him as though she'd loved him any less than Evy, no matter how badly he mucked up. She'd been the one person, until Alex, in who's eyes he'd never felt lacking, and he missed her dreadfully.
Torn between wonder and dread, Alex stared at the grandmother he'd never known, praying her appearance wasn't an indication that Ardeth wouldn't be returning.
"What...how...why..?" Evy stammered, her shocked mind struggling to organize its thoughts. Zarina's eyes returned to Evelyn, and she smiled patiently at her daughter.
"Ardeth Bey has freed my soul."
"Freed your soul? Why...wha?" Evy abruptly fell silent, as she grasped the meaning of her mother's presence there. "It was you?!"
"Aiwa, bintee," Zarina sadly answered. "It was I who wielded the cursed weapon that claimed the life of Dabir Bey."
"But why?"
"There is not time for explanations, bintee." Evy opened her mouth to argue, but Zarina held up a silencing hand.
"Then why are you here?" Alex asked, with a hint of bitterness, still fearing she'd somehow stolen Ardeth's chance to return.
"I am here because you," she fixed her gaze on Evy, "must do what I would but cannot."
"Wha...?" Evy started to ask, but Zarina wasn't finished and continued as though her daughter hadn't spoken.
"You must redeem my offense, bintee."
"But, how..?" Again, Zarina seemed not to notice Evy's attempt to interrupt.
"Although he is weary, it is not his time to journey from this life." She didn't need to specify of whom she spoke; it was abundantly clear to all. "You must call him back!"
Evy's brow furrowing, she frowned. She done little else in the past few minutes but entreat Ardeth's soul to return, seemingly to no avail. Before she could point that out to her mother, Zarina faded away.
"Call him back, bintee. He will listen," the breeze whispered in her mother's voice, as Evy numbly stared into the empty air.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Ardeth!"
The sound of Evy shouting his name brought the Medjai's eyes open, and he peered down at her forlorn figure.
"Please! Come back!"
Ardeth sighed. The desperation in her tone tugged at his heart, but it also reminded him of his wounds and the pain that would greet him upon his return.
"Please, Ardeth! Don't make me live with the guilt of this! I don't think I can bear it!" Evy continued to plead, her tone creeping from desperation towards hysteria.
Ardeth frowned, hearing the subtle shift. He'd been so focused on reaching Al 'Asima in time to save Evy's soul, that he hadn't considered the impact his sacrifice would have on her, and the rest of the O'Connells.
"MINFADLAK, IR-GA', ARDETH!" ("Please, come back, Ardeth")
Evy began to shake with the intensity of her emotional plea, forcing Ardeth to consider the possibility that it was important that he return. Still, he so desperately wanted to let go of his body forever...
"ARDETH! LEHZIM TIR-GA'! MA-YIMSHEE BIWASITAT! MINFADLAK, ARDETH!" (Ardeth! You must come back! You can't leave us this way! Please, Ardeth!)
Sighing in resignation, Ardeth realized that Evy was right. He couldn't knowingly choose to depart in way that brought such great anguish to his friends' hearts. Nor, he knew, could he choose to abandon Badi'a and his people. It was his duty to return, and he would fulfill it, as he always strived to fulfill his duty, regardless of the amount of pain in body or the weariness of his soul. The decision made, Ardeth closed his tired eyes.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"MA-YISH-TAGHAL! MA-BI-YISMA'!" Evy cried out, desperately, her last lingering bit of hope threatening to slip away. "SA'ID-NEE, UMMEE! 'EHY YI'MIL?!" (It didn't work! He's not listening! Help me, mummy! What do I do?!)
"Yee-gee. Yimsik-oo!" (He comes. Hold him!)
The soft whisper on the wind nearly spoke it's warning too late. Before she could even glance back down at Ardeth, Evy felt his head throw itself back as his muscles abruptly contracted and painfully contorted the warrior's body in violent spasms.
"RICK! Help me hold him!" Evy shouted, belatedly. Her husband had already pushed Alex away and grabbed the Medjai by the arms. He didn't bother to respond, focused in the struggle to keep Ardeth pinned.
"Roll him onto his side!"
Her hand gently, but firmly, holding Ardeth's head, Evy glanced up at Najat as though she were insane.
"He may choke if we do not!" Her gaze fixed on Ardeth, Najat hadn't seen the Englishwoman's expression, but was acutely aware that neither O'Connell had moved to comply with the instruction. More in response to the tone of the command, than anything, Rick scrambled to force Ardeth's uncooperative body onto its side and keep it there.
"Wh...wh...what happened?!" Alex quizzed, shakily, as Ardeth's convulsions gradually ceased.
Letting the Medjai roll onto his back, Rick found himself unable to respond and sat back on his heels, trying to catch his breath. The seizure had only lasted minute or two, but the effort of restraining the warrior had exhausted Rick. Evy also failed to respond. Sitting in a daze, she unconsciously petted Ardeth's hair, as she watched his chest rise and fall, heavily.
"He had a seizure, Alex," Jonathan offered, seeing neither O'Connell able to answer.
"That's bad, isn't it? She's going to destroy his soul, isn't she?!" He asked, tearfully looking toward Najat.
"No," the Abadi answered, calmly. "She has released his soul, and it has returned to his body."
Although still slightly skeptical, Alex let out a long, shaky, relieved breath. Reclaiming the Medjai's hand, he fixed his gaze on Ardeth's face, hoping the warrior's eyes would open.
"You know, you might have warned us that was going to happen," Jonathan stated, peevishly. Najat patiently glanced his direction.
"I did not know. I have never witnessed the return of a soul, but none of the tale mention such an occurrence."
Dissatisfied by the answer, Jonathon shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to grumble under his breath.
Kneeling next to Rick, beside Ardeth, Najat ignored the Englishman and focused on the Medjai. Gingerly pushing aside his robe, she frowned at the fresh spots of blood seeping through the bandage covering his shoulder wound and the thin, but steadily flowing, trail of blood trickling from his abdominal wound. Her displeasure grew as she noted the alarming rise of the Ardeth's temperature.
"I suspect the seizure is not the usual way of things," she commented, distractedly, as she glanced, meaningfully, at Zaynab. No one but Najat really noticed the other Abadi quickly slip out of the tomb.
"What happen then?" Alex asked, anxiously. Najat sighed and shifted her gaze to the child.
"The fever currently taxing his body left it ill-equipped to tolerate the shock of his soul's return," Najat answered, a hint apprehension creeping into her tone. Catching it, Alex and Evy both opened their mouth to quiz the Abadi further, but she raised a silencing hand and gestured toward the approaching guards.
"We must return him to his bed where he can be properly tended. All else will wait," she commanded, her tone brooking no argument, or even hesitation, on the part of her guests.
Quickly rising to their feet, the O'Connells protectively supervised the two Abadi warriors that carefully picked up the Medjai and followed as they carried him from the tomb.
Jonathan trailed far in the rear. His relative composure slipping away once he was out of view, he sunk to his knees, trembling uncontrollably. His brain reeling, Jonathan hardly felt Zaynab's touch, as she wrapped an arm around him and helped him back to his feet. The Abadi continued to offer support, as she gently guided back to his bed.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
As the two Abadi warriors placed the Medjai onto his bed, Najat and another Abadi quickly stripped off Ardeth's clothing and discreetly covered him with a thin sheet.
"What can I do?" Evy inquired of Najat, as the Abadi turned to prepare more medicines.
"You may take Widad's place," Najat hastily replied, glancing up, very briefly, then returning to work. She'd been inclined to send the Englishwoman away, but didn't want to waste time with the argument she knew Evy's would give her.
"Sa'id Zaynab," she instructed the other Abadi. Widad nodded and handed Evy the cloth she'd been using to bath Ardeth. Evy nodded, appreciatively, and picked up where the Abadi'd left off, anxiously noting the increasingly labored appearance of Ardeth's breathing. ("Assist Zaynab")
"Can I help?" Alex asked, plaintively.
"Not this time, buddy. Too many cooks in too small a kitchen already," Rick responded, earning himself an appreciative glance from Najat. Keeping his hand firmly, but gently, planted on his son's shoulder, Rick tilted his head to meet his son's gaze, as Alex glanced up, pleadingly. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna make you leave; we're just gonna stay over here, nice and out of the way."
Alex reluctantly nodded and plopped down on one of the many rugs covering the ground. Glancing again at Ardeth's fever-ravaged form, Rick sighed, frustrated by his seemingly perpetually helplessness, and sat down next to his son.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Rick startled awake as thin blanket was placed over the top of him. Glancing up, blearily, he saw an unfamiliar female face and started to ask who she was, but she put a silencing finger to her lip.
"Naiyam," she whispered, softly. Shrugging inwardly, Rick glanced over to see his son sound asleep a few feet away, then complied with the request. ("Go to sleep")
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"It is unlikely he will wake soon; you should rest," Najat gently instructed, seeing Evy sleepily rubbing at her eyes.
"I'm all right," Evy lied. Although still deeply concerned, the intense emotions of earlier had faded, taking with them the adrenaline that had kept her awake.
"He will still need tending tomorrow;" Najat responded, patiently. "But you will be of no use to him if you are too exhausted to stand."
"And what of you?" Evy argued. "You've been awake even longer than I. Shouldn't you rest as well?"
Najat smirked, doubting the sincerity of the Englishwoman's concern for her state of being. "I will be relieved soon enough."
Evy sighed, realizing that the Abadi had no intention of relenting. Looking down at Ardeth, she frowned, reluctant to leave his side. He had yet to stir, even slightly; his exhausted body lacking the strength. But that wouldn't have worried her as much had his temperature not continued to rise, despite their continuous efforts to cool him, and had his breathing not continued to grow increasingly labored. However, rubbing her eyes again, Evy realized the wisdom of Najat's words. Letting her gaze drift toward her sleeping husband and son, decided that, perhaps, it might be good to rest...for just a few minutes.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
