Everybody's eyes were pierced to the man as he came in the tent. He didn't appear to be hurt but his face was deadly pale, his robes were torn and his eyes gazed to nothingness. Ardeth invited him inside. "Are you alright?" He asked cautiously. The man drew a deep breath before answering. "I am fine. I am not hurt." Ardeth felt a lot of satisfaction he didn't show. "So, tell us about everything that happened to you. What attacked you? How did you survive?" The man bowed his head and Ardeth for a moment thought he was about to either burst into tears or collapse, but he did neither. He spoke in a soft but steady voice. "I cowered. I run away. He was brave. He faced it." Ardeth tried to find anything useful in the man's words but he couldn't. Abdul checked the man with stern eyes. "What did he face? What did you run away from?" The man drew a long breath before talking again. "It was a lioness. A giant lioness. She attacked us in the middle on nowhere. She run up to us and he shot her clear in the middle of the chest. But nothing happened. There was no wound, no blood, not even a reaction. She just growled and went on. He drew his scimitar and slashed her head. But nothing happened. This terrified me. I turned my horse and left the place while she was busy with him and his horse. I returned when she left and brought him here. I didn't want to show, I didn't want anyone to know that I was a coward. But then I thought of my responsibilities. This is a great danger and I had to warn you. Forgive me." Silence spread in the room. No one knew what to say, and no one felt like accusing the poor man. Rafic finally talked. "You faced your fear of showing. You fulfilled your duty. Go away in peace. Nobody accuses you of what happened and you shouldn't accuse yourself." The man bowed very deeply and left. Still there wasn't anyone who wanted to talk. Finally Abdul decided to begin the conversation again. "There are no lions in this area. What attacked him was not something natural. It wasn't even affected by his weapons." Ardeth sighed. "Not a lion Abdul. A lioness. This appears important to me." "A lioness. . ." Zainde whispered. She was the only woman present in the council and also the eldest. No one really knew how old she was. Ardeth could recall that even as a child he remembered her as very old. "If this has really happened. . . If the prophecy is true. . ." "What prophecy Zainde?" Ardeth asked calmly. "It speaks of the destructive bloodthirsty lioness who will come to us sometime as she came many thousands years ago and she will be immune to any spell and weapon that was made. She will try and kill every single of the people who leave in the desert. Then in Egypt. And then she will go on and on unstoppable and will never rest. No one will survive her longing for human blood. Nothing can calm her down and nothing can face her. Nobody but one person." The old woman stopped as if suddenly tired. "Which person Zainde? Which person? Tell us!" Abdul demanded. "I don't remember. . ." The old woman started slowing down the rhythm of her speech again. " There is an actual text. Give me this day and lets gather again the next sunset. I will have remembered it by then." Everyone in the council silently agreed, and felt a relief that there was a way out to this.
Ardeth was standing guard on the cliff above Hamunaptra when a young med-jai approached him and stand behind him not sure of how to act and talk. Ardeth turned. He was Zainde's great-grandson. "What is it?" Ardeth kindly inquired. The boy bowed his head even more. Then he finally decided to speak. "Old mother Zainde is dead."