Chapter 15
It was going to kill him to do this. Tony already felt guilty that he had shot the Medjai warrior in the back. From the reaction of his sister, it was obvious she was close to this man who was now lying in the sand, unmoving. Tony had attempted to aim high and to the right, hoping to hit only the man's shoulder and not damage any vital organs. He was practiced enough with a firearm to shoot a target precisely, but he did not possess the nerve to shoot a person.
He was in a situation, however, to either pull this off or be killed himself. He had seen the distrust growing in Victor's eyes and he also knew that Victor wanted to hurt Rosa once he got his hands on her. Tony's only choice to save his sister and this man now lying at his feet was to win an Academy Award for acting.
His other motivation for wanting to remain tight with Victor, was the Fortress of Aten. Oscar Mann and Jean Danton had evil motives for wanting to find this fortress and thanks to Tony, they had already found it. In fact, as soon as this deed was done, he too would be joining them there. It would soon be seen whether or not the myth about this ancient fortress was real or not.
Before that could take place, this awful act had to be done. Tony could never kill a man-that was why his father distrusted him so. And killing this Medjai was not going to happen either. So kneeling down close to the man, Tony looked for any sign of consciousness. Slowly, the warrior's eyes blinked open, but there was little clarity there. Instead, they were clouded with pain. Tony only hoped there was enough clarity for the man to understand.
"Play dead, Medjai," Tony whispered to him.
For a moment, their eyes locked and the Medjai gave an imperceptible nod. Then Tony raised the handgun and the Medjai looked at him with complete trust, not flinching in the least. Aiming far off target, but hopefully making it look real enough, Tony pulled the trigger and the Medjai closed his eyes.
****
"No." Rose began to protest, as her wrists were bound efficiently in handcuffs behind her back. She couldn't believe her brother, her non- confrontational brother, was shooting Ali. And when the faint pop of the silenced gun reached her ears, Rose was too stunned to cry out and she began to sink to her knees in horror. Her entire soul died in that moment when her brother killed Ali and she suddenly wished to be able to replay the entire night. For if she could do that, she would forgive Ali instead of running off in a fit of anger. She still loved him, there was no doubt about it, but she'd been too blinded by her own fury to realize that until now.
Crying, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping it would erase what she had just witnessed, Rose hit the cool earth with her knees and then was cruelly yanked back to her feet by the Englishman holding her captive.
"Stand," he ordered. "And don't get too heartbroken, sweetheart, you're old boy is waiting for you at the fortress." To Tony he called, "Make sure the guy's dead, Tony."
"No pulse, Jeffreys, that usually means a person is dead," Tony returned, as he placed his fingers upon Ali's neck.
Rose felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to go to Ali and see for herself. She couldn't believe he was dead. Not that strong, powerful warrior! He couldn't be dead, it just didn't make sense.
"I'm sure Victor will want proof that the man is dead," Jeffreys added. "And I'll bet Oscar would like it as well."
Rose watched through tear stained eyes as Tony reached down and clutched the golden Medjai charm that hung around Ali's neck. With a yank, it broke and he held it up for inspection.
"This proof enough?" Tony inquired.
"That'll do. Now let's move before anyone notices these two are missing."
"No," Rose insisted, finally able to force words out. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Rosa," Tony began to argue only to be cut off by Jeffreys as he again yanked on her cuffed hands and said, "You'll come with us and you won't say a word. Got it?"
"The hell I won't," Rose said and began yelling at the top of her lungs. But barely a word left her throat before Jeffreys poked her in the arm.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this," he growled.
"Ouch," Rose complained. "What was that?"
When the man didn't answer and Rose began to feel a bit lightheaded and saw the syringe in him hand, she looked at her brother and asked, "Tony, what was that?"
With a regretful look upon his handsome face, Tony replied, "Just a little something to make you more manageable, Rosa. I'm sorry."
It was the last thing she heard before the world around her telescoped into nothing.
****
Yasmeen paced and paced across Iman's floor, anxious over the outcome of Ali's and Rose's confrontation. Meanwhile, Devraj sat on the couch, constantly watching Yasmeen's stalking movements.
"Yasmeen," he finally spoke up. "Please, relax."
"Relax?" she repeated. "How? How can I relax when I do not know if Ali has found Rose? Or if he has found her, is she even listening to him? And if she is listening to him and he is keeping his cool, is she going to forgive him in time for the wedding? After all, Rose is a strong willed woman. And very feisty. She's stubborn and.."
"And very much like another woman I know," Devraj interrupted to add.
Yasmeen halted her movements and looked at the man sitting on the couch. He was very different from Ali in a lot of ways; shy, soft spoken, rugged. Devraj was inwardly strong, but not outwardly bold and he was so very different than any other man she had ever been interested in before.
"Are you referring to me?" Yasmeen asked.
He gave a shrug and said, "If you view that as a compliment, then yes."
She smiled then and nodded. "Yes, that is very much a compliment."
"Then I was referring to you."
His comment caused Yasmeen to let out a small laugh and when the sound hit Devraj's ears, he stood and replied, "I see I was able to distract you from your worry."
Yasmeen allowed a long sigh to escape her mouth. "For a while," she said. "But Dev, they've been gone for two hours. I'm starting to worry. Maybe we should go find them."
"They will not be missed at the celebration. Not for a while. Everyone is enjoying themselves. I can hear it from here," Devraj insisted.
"I'm not worried about the festivities," Yasmeen corrected, "I'm worried about Rose marrying Ali tomorrow."
A small frown invaded Devraj's face at Yasmeen's words. She had rarely seen him display much emotion before, aside from a few shy smiles and an occasional laugh, so this frown worried her enough to inquire, "Why are you frowning?"
"Are you worried about Ali and Rose for your own situation?" he asked her hesitantly.
"Yes," she answered and watched his frown deepen. "Because I do not want to marry Ali. I've said it several times, Dev, you've heard me."
He gave a small nod, then questioned, "And why would you not want to marry the chief of the Medjai?"
Yasmeen smiled broadly, then finally said the words she knew Devraj would never broach first, "Because I'm falling in love with his second in command."
Finally, Devraj smiled widely at Yasmeen and reached out to caress her cheek. It was the first of such touches he'd dared bestow upon her but her words were an obvious invitation.
"I think we should quit worrying about Ali and Rose and give up on trying to find them any time soon," Devraj announced. "I would rather stay here and worry about you and me."
Yasmeen looped her arms around his neck and agreed, "I think that's a wonderful plan," before they kissed.
****
Ali had heard the sound of the second bullet Rose's brother had shot, but had not felt it. It was obvious Tony was not out to kill him, or he would be dead right now instead of feeling the incredible pain in his shoulder. He'd never been shot before. Granted, he'd shot others, but he'd been lucky enough until tonight to not have met with a bullet himself. It rather hurt, he reasoned, in the cloudiness that was overtaking his mind. He knew he would not be awake much longer and only prayed someone found him soon in case the bullet Tony had hit him with was accidentally a fatal shot.
****
Rose felt the heat of the sun upon her face before she saw anything. She wondered briefly what she was doing sleeping outside then slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was groggy, just as it had been when she'd suffered the blow to the head a week ago. But there was no searing pain in her head as there had been when she'd suffered the concussion. There was only a weak feeling throughout her body and a terrible thirst.
A figure loomed nearby and she watched as its shadow came towards her. Her mind was still operating slowly. She had no idea where she was or what had happened to bring her to this place. All she saw above her was blue sky and all she felt below her was sand.
"Rosa," a voice said and Rose turned her head in its direction.
The voice belonged to the figure that was nearing her, but she still was not conscious enough to determine whom it belonged to.
"Rosa, are you all right?" the voice asked and this time Rose recognized it.
"Tony?" she asked.
Tony's face loomed above her. His features were similar to hers. No one who saw them together could dispute they were related. His hair, however, was a lighter brown than hers and he stood a good six-foot tall though it was difficult to tell his height as he kneeled beside her.
"Rosa, I have a lot I have to explain to you," Tony whispered urgently.
"Tony, where am I? Why do I feel so terrible?" Rose asked. Then suddenly she remembered she'd been with Ali last night and she added, "And where is Ali?"
Tony lifted Rose's head and held a canteen to her lips. "Here, drink first, then I'll explain everything."
Rose took several sips and felt the thirst that was claiming her throat begin to dissipate. As her thirst dwindled her mind became clearer. She remembered arguing with Ali over her discovery of his true identity, then kissing him down by the river and then.the blood! She remembered the blood upon her hands from the gunshot wound he'd suffered thanks to her brother. As that image flashed through her mind and she stared at the remnants of blood upon her hands, she forced herself to a seated position and scooted away from her brother.
"You shot Ali!" she cried. "Did you kill him?"
Another male voice interrupted their conversation. It was a voice Rose hated and when she saw Victor's face, she cringed.
"Yes, your brother killed your loving Medjai," Victor relayed. He held out his hand and dangling from his fingers was the necklace Rose had given back to Ali. It was the necklace that signified his Medjai heritage and now it was in Victor's possession.
"How'd you get that?" Rose demanded.
"Like I said, Tony killed your Medjai. How else would we have obtained this necklace?" Victor asked.
Certainly Ali would never lose that necklace to anyone. So it must be true that Ali was dead.
Overcome with grief, she felt warm tears flood her face. She closed her eyes to be alone in her grief, but Victor would not allow her the opportunity. Suddenly, he was squatting in front of her, his large, rough hand gripping her face and forcing her to open her eyes and look at him.
"I don't know why you're so upset, Rosa," Victor spat out. "After all, that Medjai kidnapped you."
"No, he saved me from you," Rose argued weakly, losing her strength and fortitude in Victor's presence. She hated that about herself, that he could frighten her so badly. She was strong and stubborn in front of Ali, why could she not be the same way in front of Victor?
"Saved you? How so? I was only trying to get back what's mine," Victor said. "So tell me, what did that barbarian do to you? Hmmm? Did he hurt you? Did he abuse you? Did he make you do things you didn't want to do?"
Rose said nothing in return. Victor was an evil, hateful man and arguing back would do nothing to help her situation. It was better to just let him have his say.
Victor then reached out and toyed with the ends of her hair. Rose visibly shook from the contact and it only made Victor frown furiously at her.
"You used to like my touch," he drawled.
"That was when I was young and stupid," Rose retorted.
Victor's face went blank and his dark eyes burrowed into her face with an unreadable expression. Rose, however, knew exactly what that meant and she steadied herself for what was going to come. When his palm connected with her face, she made no sound and created no reaction. If she did, then he would be satisfied that he had intimidated her. Her complete lack of emotion only fueled his rage further and he grasped her chin in his hand harshly and forced her eyes to his again.
"So you're going to play tough, huh?" he inquired with a voice straining to hold on to its composure.
Her face stung miserably, but she refused to give in to the pain. Instead, she steadied her voice and replied, "Who's playing?"
Victor's mouth pulled into another frown and his hand tightened on her face.
"You've developed an attitude these past few years, have you?" he asked.
"Maybe I have," she returned as she placed both her hands on his wrist and forced his hand from her face. "And maybe I'm strong enough now to tell you where to go."
Everything she had experienced in her life, and especially in the past week, was telling her to stand up to him. No longer was she going to allow her fear of him to cause her to be weak. Ali may be dead, but her resolve to escape Victor despite the fact that she would have no hero this time was building.
"Why you miserable little bitch," he quipped lowly. Then he reared his hand back for another slap when Tony stepped in and said, "Enough for now, Vic."
Victor halted his actions and looked up at Tony. "All right. I'll leave her be for now. But only because you did such a good job last night." Victor stood and slapped Tony on the back. "You proved yourself last night, Tony. I was beginning to think like your dad-that you couldn't be trusted. But now I know you have potential after all." Victor turned to walk away then halted and added, "And tell Rosa if she doesn't straighten out and lose that sassy attitude, I may just leave her here in 1930."
When Victor's large frame was out of sight, Rose turned to Tony and inquired, "1930? Has he lost his mind completely, Tony?"
Quickly dropping to his knees beside her and glancing around to ensure their privacy, Tony said, "Listen, Rosa. Its very important you understand me and trust me."
There was an urgent look upon his face and though Rose was now sure Tony had killed Ali since Victor had his necklace, she was going to hear him out before she screamed and yelled all her frustrations at him.
"Okay, go ahead," she said stiffly.
Quietly, Tony explained, "I really believe we might be in the year 1930, Rosa. See, Victor hooked up with these men through a contact by the name of Jeffreys. He's the guy who gave you that nice little injection last night."
Rose frowned and drawled, "Remind me to thank him for it later."
Ignoring her remark, Tony continued, "Anyhow, these men we've joined are dangerous. The leader is a man by the name of Oscar Mann. He's German and he has a couple of buddies with him-one of which is a French historian. This historian, Danton, found this relic called the Staff of the Sun."
"The Staff of the Sun?" Rose repeated. "These men aren't by any chance looking for the Fortress of Aten, are they?"
"Yes, they were. I'm afraid they found it last night. That's also how I found you last night. This staff is mystical. It has these strange powers and it really works."
Rose shook her head, trying to ward off the last of the fuzzy feeling in her brain from the strong sedative injection Jeffreys had given her and also trying to remember all that she and Ali had talked about in the Cave of Prophecies.
"Yes, it does. These men also used it to kill Ali's father-the former chief of the Medjai," Rose explained. "And I'm afraid Ali and I killed a few of their men that we ran into a few days ago."
"Just who is this Ali?" Tony inquired.
Rose sighed and held up her left hand. On her finger was still the golden ring Ali had given her. It hurt her to look at it and remember just how much she loved Ali and just how stubborn she'd been the night before.
"He's my fiancé," Rose explained. "At least, he was. We were going to get married. We'd been friends for a long while in California, and then Victor's men were sent after me and Ali rescued me. He also killed Victor's men. He's Medjai. Ali is.or was.the new chief of the Medjai."
"He still is," Tony relayed and when Rose looked up at him with confusion, Tony said, "I didn't kill him last night. Or at least, I don't think I did. I shot him in the back only because I had to. If I hadn't followed through with Victor's orders, I would have been next to go and then there was no way I could protect you. I didn't shoot Ali that second time last night. I told him to pretend to be dead, then I fired a shot into the ground near his head. I could never kill anyone, Rosa, you know that."
Utterly relieved and overjoyed at her brother's words, Rose threw her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed. "That means I'll be rescued soon. If Ali is still alive, he'll come looking for me."
"No, he won't," Tony argued. "Rosa, we really are in the year 1930. Look around. We're at the ancient sight of Hamunaptra-more affectionately known as the City of the Dead."
Rose glanced around her surroundings for the first time since she awoke and saw nothing but miles and miles of sand dunes, a few toppled ruins and half of a brick wall. They were at an ancient sight, certainly, but there was no way they were in the year 1930.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tony. There is no possible way to travel back in time," Rose argued. "Sure, there are ancient myths that talk about such possibilities, but it just isn't possible."
Not wanting to waist his time arguing with his sister over the reality of time travel, Tony dropped the subject and continued his explanation. "Whatever year we're in, Victor is helping this man, Oscar, to carry out his evil plans. The man is greedy and hell bent on changing the past. Last night, they murdered five Medjai in cold blood, took their weapons and horses and came here. And if you or I step out of line, we'll be just as dead too."
Rose glanced around again and saw five dark Arabian horses and one gray packhorse tied near a ruin and several men looking around the rest of the ruins, studying them closely. There was Victor, the man Tony had said was named Jeffreys, two white men heavily armed, an older man with no weapons, and an Egyptian who also carried several weapons. Suddenly, she believed Tony's words about just how dead they would be if they stepped out of line.
"Rosa, don't you dare mention a word to anyone that your boyfriend is still alive. Understand?" Tony asked.
Rose nodded her head. "I'll be the distraught, grieving girlfriend," she assured him. "But I won't have to be for long, because Ali and his warriors will save me."
Tony sighed, hoping someone would save her and then handed her the canteen. "Drink some more water and find some shade. And whatever you do, don't piss off Victor again, sis, or he'll really hurt you."
****
Ali wasn't sure what time it was when he finally awoke, but it was light outside and standing in the room was his mother, Devraj, Yasmeen, one of the village doctors, Hammad and Yasmeen's father, Yousef. He blinked several times and tried to sit up in the bed he was in, but the doctor put a firm hand on his bare chest and pushed him back down. That's when Ali felt the incredible pain in his shoulder. He remained still for a moment, trying to recall the events that had landed him at the doctor's and looked at each and every person in the room. His mother had been crying, her eyes still red and puffy. Yasmeen too looked distressed and stood closely to Devraj, his arm around her. Yousef seemed relieved, the doctor looked concerned and Hammad appeared to be completely at ease.
"What is everyone doing here?" Ali finally asked.
"You were shot, Ali," Yasmeen spoke up. "The bullet narrowly missed your shoulder-blade and lodged itself in your upper right deltoid muscle. You were lucky it was a small caliber bullet. Dev and I found you late last night along the river, unconscious."
Everything then flooded his mind and he remembered very clearly the events of the night before. Stubbornly, he pushed to a seated position despite the doctor's protests.
"Where is Rose?" he demanded.
"We do not know," Devraj spoke up. "Who did this to you, my lord? Was it Rose?"
"No, of course not," he returned. "It was her brother. And Jeffreys was there too." Ali groaned as another wave of pain shot through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and continued. "Rose's brother did not mean to hurt me. I believe he was forced to. He had a chance to kill me, I was unarmed and unawares, but he chose not to. We must find them and get Rose back."
Ali stood and his legs were not ready to carry his weight. Devraj released Yasmeen and caught him with the help of the doctor.
"Ali, you must rest," Devraj insisted.
The doctor seconded Devraj's statement but Ali refused to listen.
"I must find Rose before she is hurt," Ali said.
"But if she is with her brother, she will be safe," Yasmeen spoke up.
"Not necessarily. Her brother would never harm her, but her ex-fiancé, Victor, certainly would." Ali regained his strength and stood on his own, though his legs were unsteady and wobbly.
"And what of the Fortress of Aten?" Yousef inquired. "How can you protect it and find your woman at the same time?"
"I will manage," Ali answered.
"You are injured," Yousef argued.
"I will manage," Ali said sternly and was about to order Devraj to join him in getting his men together when his cousin burst through the doctor's door.
Aria was winded from her run and spoke quickly, delivering the horrible news in a rush that the warriors guarding the fortress were dead.
****
They watched from the ridge-top far away as interlopers continued to comb the ancient sight. They were not surprised the sight had once again been compromised, but they were growing weary of it. Their duty was to guard the desert and despite any weariness, they would continue their duties. And as soon as night fell, their mission would begin.
****
It was going to kill him to do this. Tony already felt guilty that he had shot the Medjai warrior in the back. From the reaction of his sister, it was obvious she was close to this man who was now lying in the sand, unmoving. Tony had attempted to aim high and to the right, hoping to hit only the man's shoulder and not damage any vital organs. He was practiced enough with a firearm to shoot a target precisely, but he did not possess the nerve to shoot a person.
He was in a situation, however, to either pull this off or be killed himself. He had seen the distrust growing in Victor's eyes and he also knew that Victor wanted to hurt Rosa once he got his hands on her. Tony's only choice to save his sister and this man now lying at his feet was to win an Academy Award for acting.
His other motivation for wanting to remain tight with Victor, was the Fortress of Aten. Oscar Mann and Jean Danton had evil motives for wanting to find this fortress and thanks to Tony, they had already found it. In fact, as soon as this deed was done, he too would be joining them there. It would soon be seen whether or not the myth about this ancient fortress was real or not.
Before that could take place, this awful act had to be done. Tony could never kill a man-that was why his father distrusted him so. And killing this Medjai was not going to happen either. So kneeling down close to the man, Tony looked for any sign of consciousness. Slowly, the warrior's eyes blinked open, but there was little clarity there. Instead, they were clouded with pain. Tony only hoped there was enough clarity for the man to understand.
"Play dead, Medjai," Tony whispered to him.
For a moment, their eyes locked and the Medjai gave an imperceptible nod. Then Tony raised the handgun and the Medjai looked at him with complete trust, not flinching in the least. Aiming far off target, but hopefully making it look real enough, Tony pulled the trigger and the Medjai closed his eyes.
****
"No." Rose began to protest, as her wrists were bound efficiently in handcuffs behind her back. She couldn't believe her brother, her non- confrontational brother, was shooting Ali. And when the faint pop of the silenced gun reached her ears, Rose was too stunned to cry out and she began to sink to her knees in horror. Her entire soul died in that moment when her brother killed Ali and she suddenly wished to be able to replay the entire night. For if she could do that, she would forgive Ali instead of running off in a fit of anger. She still loved him, there was no doubt about it, but she'd been too blinded by her own fury to realize that until now.
Crying, squeezing her eyes shut and hoping it would erase what she had just witnessed, Rose hit the cool earth with her knees and then was cruelly yanked back to her feet by the Englishman holding her captive.
"Stand," he ordered. "And don't get too heartbroken, sweetheart, you're old boy is waiting for you at the fortress." To Tony he called, "Make sure the guy's dead, Tony."
"No pulse, Jeffreys, that usually means a person is dead," Tony returned, as he placed his fingers upon Ali's neck.
Rose felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to go to Ali and see for herself. She couldn't believe he was dead. Not that strong, powerful warrior! He couldn't be dead, it just didn't make sense.
"I'm sure Victor will want proof that the man is dead," Jeffreys added. "And I'll bet Oscar would like it as well."
Rose watched through tear stained eyes as Tony reached down and clutched the golden Medjai charm that hung around Ali's neck. With a yank, it broke and he held it up for inspection.
"This proof enough?" Tony inquired.
"That'll do. Now let's move before anyone notices these two are missing."
"No," Rose insisted, finally able to force words out. "I'm not going anywhere with you."
"Rosa," Tony began to argue only to be cut off by Jeffreys as he again yanked on her cuffed hands and said, "You'll come with us and you won't say a word. Got it?"
"The hell I won't," Rose said and began yelling at the top of her lungs. But barely a word left her throat before Jeffreys poked her in the arm.
"I was hoping I wouldn't have to use this," he growled.
"Ouch," Rose complained. "What was that?"
When the man didn't answer and Rose began to feel a bit lightheaded and saw the syringe in him hand, she looked at her brother and asked, "Tony, what was that?"
With a regretful look upon his handsome face, Tony replied, "Just a little something to make you more manageable, Rosa. I'm sorry."
It was the last thing she heard before the world around her telescoped into nothing.
****
Yasmeen paced and paced across Iman's floor, anxious over the outcome of Ali's and Rose's confrontation. Meanwhile, Devraj sat on the couch, constantly watching Yasmeen's stalking movements.
"Yasmeen," he finally spoke up. "Please, relax."
"Relax?" she repeated. "How? How can I relax when I do not know if Ali has found Rose? Or if he has found her, is she even listening to him? And if she is listening to him and he is keeping his cool, is she going to forgive him in time for the wedding? After all, Rose is a strong willed woman. And very feisty. She's stubborn and.."
"And very much like another woman I know," Devraj interrupted to add.
Yasmeen halted her movements and looked at the man sitting on the couch. He was very different from Ali in a lot of ways; shy, soft spoken, rugged. Devraj was inwardly strong, but not outwardly bold and he was so very different than any other man she had ever been interested in before.
"Are you referring to me?" Yasmeen asked.
He gave a shrug and said, "If you view that as a compliment, then yes."
She smiled then and nodded. "Yes, that is very much a compliment."
"Then I was referring to you."
His comment caused Yasmeen to let out a small laugh and when the sound hit Devraj's ears, he stood and replied, "I see I was able to distract you from your worry."
Yasmeen allowed a long sigh to escape her mouth. "For a while," she said. "But Dev, they've been gone for two hours. I'm starting to worry. Maybe we should go find them."
"They will not be missed at the celebration. Not for a while. Everyone is enjoying themselves. I can hear it from here," Devraj insisted.
"I'm not worried about the festivities," Yasmeen corrected, "I'm worried about Rose marrying Ali tomorrow."
A small frown invaded Devraj's face at Yasmeen's words. She had rarely seen him display much emotion before, aside from a few shy smiles and an occasional laugh, so this frown worried her enough to inquire, "Why are you frowning?"
"Are you worried about Ali and Rose for your own situation?" he asked her hesitantly.
"Yes," she answered and watched his frown deepen. "Because I do not want to marry Ali. I've said it several times, Dev, you've heard me."
He gave a small nod, then questioned, "And why would you not want to marry the chief of the Medjai?"
Yasmeen smiled broadly, then finally said the words she knew Devraj would never broach first, "Because I'm falling in love with his second in command."
Finally, Devraj smiled widely at Yasmeen and reached out to caress her cheek. It was the first of such touches he'd dared bestow upon her but her words were an obvious invitation.
"I think we should quit worrying about Ali and Rose and give up on trying to find them any time soon," Devraj announced. "I would rather stay here and worry about you and me."
Yasmeen looped her arms around his neck and agreed, "I think that's a wonderful plan," before they kissed.
****
Ali had heard the sound of the second bullet Rose's brother had shot, but had not felt it. It was obvious Tony was not out to kill him, or he would be dead right now instead of feeling the incredible pain in his shoulder. He'd never been shot before. Granted, he'd shot others, but he'd been lucky enough until tonight to not have met with a bullet himself. It rather hurt, he reasoned, in the cloudiness that was overtaking his mind. He knew he would not be awake much longer and only prayed someone found him soon in case the bullet Tony had hit him with was accidentally a fatal shot.
****
Rose felt the heat of the sun upon her face before she saw anything. She wondered briefly what she was doing sleeping outside then slowly opened her eyes. Her mind was groggy, just as it had been when she'd suffered the blow to the head a week ago. But there was no searing pain in her head as there had been when she'd suffered the concussion. There was only a weak feeling throughout her body and a terrible thirst.
A figure loomed nearby and she watched as its shadow came towards her. Her mind was still operating slowly. She had no idea where she was or what had happened to bring her to this place. All she saw above her was blue sky and all she felt below her was sand.
"Rosa," a voice said and Rose turned her head in its direction.
The voice belonged to the figure that was nearing her, but she still was not conscious enough to determine whom it belonged to.
"Rosa, are you all right?" the voice asked and this time Rose recognized it.
"Tony?" she asked.
Tony's face loomed above her. His features were similar to hers. No one who saw them together could dispute they were related. His hair, however, was a lighter brown than hers and he stood a good six-foot tall though it was difficult to tell his height as he kneeled beside her.
"Rosa, I have a lot I have to explain to you," Tony whispered urgently.
"Tony, where am I? Why do I feel so terrible?" Rose asked. Then suddenly she remembered she'd been with Ali last night and she added, "And where is Ali?"
Tony lifted Rose's head and held a canteen to her lips. "Here, drink first, then I'll explain everything."
Rose took several sips and felt the thirst that was claiming her throat begin to dissipate. As her thirst dwindled her mind became clearer. She remembered arguing with Ali over her discovery of his true identity, then kissing him down by the river and then.the blood! She remembered the blood upon her hands from the gunshot wound he'd suffered thanks to her brother. As that image flashed through her mind and she stared at the remnants of blood upon her hands, she forced herself to a seated position and scooted away from her brother.
"You shot Ali!" she cried. "Did you kill him?"
Another male voice interrupted their conversation. It was a voice Rose hated and when she saw Victor's face, she cringed.
"Yes, your brother killed your loving Medjai," Victor relayed. He held out his hand and dangling from his fingers was the necklace Rose had given back to Ali. It was the necklace that signified his Medjai heritage and now it was in Victor's possession.
"How'd you get that?" Rose demanded.
"Like I said, Tony killed your Medjai. How else would we have obtained this necklace?" Victor asked.
Certainly Ali would never lose that necklace to anyone. So it must be true that Ali was dead.
Overcome with grief, she felt warm tears flood her face. She closed her eyes to be alone in her grief, but Victor would not allow her the opportunity. Suddenly, he was squatting in front of her, his large, rough hand gripping her face and forcing her to open her eyes and look at him.
"I don't know why you're so upset, Rosa," Victor spat out. "After all, that Medjai kidnapped you."
"No, he saved me from you," Rose argued weakly, losing her strength and fortitude in Victor's presence. She hated that about herself, that he could frighten her so badly. She was strong and stubborn in front of Ali, why could she not be the same way in front of Victor?
"Saved you? How so? I was only trying to get back what's mine," Victor said. "So tell me, what did that barbarian do to you? Hmmm? Did he hurt you? Did he abuse you? Did he make you do things you didn't want to do?"
Rose said nothing in return. Victor was an evil, hateful man and arguing back would do nothing to help her situation. It was better to just let him have his say.
Victor then reached out and toyed with the ends of her hair. Rose visibly shook from the contact and it only made Victor frown furiously at her.
"You used to like my touch," he drawled.
"That was when I was young and stupid," Rose retorted.
Victor's face went blank and his dark eyes burrowed into her face with an unreadable expression. Rose, however, knew exactly what that meant and she steadied herself for what was going to come. When his palm connected with her face, she made no sound and created no reaction. If she did, then he would be satisfied that he had intimidated her. Her complete lack of emotion only fueled his rage further and he grasped her chin in his hand harshly and forced her eyes to his again.
"So you're going to play tough, huh?" he inquired with a voice straining to hold on to its composure.
Her face stung miserably, but she refused to give in to the pain. Instead, she steadied her voice and replied, "Who's playing?"
Victor's mouth pulled into another frown and his hand tightened on her face.
"You've developed an attitude these past few years, have you?" he asked.
"Maybe I have," she returned as she placed both her hands on his wrist and forced his hand from her face. "And maybe I'm strong enough now to tell you where to go."
Everything she had experienced in her life, and especially in the past week, was telling her to stand up to him. No longer was she going to allow her fear of him to cause her to be weak. Ali may be dead, but her resolve to escape Victor despite the fact that she would have no hero this time was building.
"Why you miserable little bitch," he quipped lowly. Then he reared his hand back for another slap when Tony stepped in and said, "Enough for now, Vic."
Victor halted his actions and looked up at Tony. "All right. I'll leave her be for now. But only because you did such a good job last night." Victor stood and slapped Tony on the back. "You proved yourself last night, Tony. I was beginning to think like your dad-that you couldn't be trusted. But now I know you have potential after all." Victor turned to walk away then halted and added, "And tell Rosa if she doesn't straighten out and lose that sassy attitude, I may just leave her here in 1930."
When Victor's large frame was out of sight, Rose turned to Tony and inquired, "1930? Has he lost his mind completely, Tony?"
Quickly dropping to his knees beside her and glancing around to ensure their privacy, Tony said, "Listen, Rosa. Its very important you understand me and trust me."
There was an urgent look upon his face and though Rose was now sure Tony had killed Ali since Victor had his necklace, she was going to hear him out before she screamed and yelled all her frustrations at him.
"Okay, go ahead," she said stiffly.
Quietly, Tony explained, "I really believe we might be in the year 1930, Rosa. See, Victor hooked up with these men through a contact by the name of Jeffreys. He's the guy who gave you that nice little injection last night."
Rose frowned and drawled, "Remind me to thank him for it later."
Ignoring her remark, Tony continued, "Anyhow, these men we've joined are dangerous. The leader is a man by the name of Oscar Mann. He's German and he has a couple of buddies with him-one of which is a French historian. This historian, Danton, found this relic called the Staff of the Sun."
"The Staff of the Sun?" Rose repeated. "These men aren't by any chance looking for the Fortress of Aten, are they?"
"Yes, they were. I'm afraid they found it last night. That's also how I found you last night. This staff is mystical. It has these strange powers and it really works."
Rose shook her head, trying to ward off the last of the fuzzy feeling in her brain from the strong sedative injection Jeffreys had given her and also trying to remember all that she and Ali had talked about in the Cave of Prophecies.
"Yes, it does. These men also used it to kill Ali's father-the former chief of the Medjai," Rose explained. "And I'm afraid Ali and I killed a few of their men that we ran into a few days ago."
"Just who is this Ali?" Tony inquired.
Rose sighed and held up her left hand. On her finger was still the golden ring Ali had given her. It hurt her to look at it and remember just how much she loved Ali and just how stubborn she'd been the night before.
"He's my fiancé," Rose explained. "At least, he was. We were going to get married. We'd been friends for a long while in California, and then Victor's men were sent after me and Ali rescued me. He also killed Victor's men. He's Medjai. Ali is.or was.the new chief of the Medjai."
"He still is," Tony relayed and when Rose looked up at him with confusion, Tony said, "I didn't kill him last night. Or at least, I don't think I did. I shot him in the back only because I had to. If I hadn't followed through with Victor's orders, I would have been next to go and then there was no way I could protect you. I didn't shoot Ali that second time last night. I told him to pretend to be dead, then I fired a shot into the ground near his head. I could never kill anyone, Rosa, you know that."
Utterly relieved and overjoyed at her brother's words, Rose threw her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
"Oh, thank goodness," she breathed. "That means I'll be rescued soon. If Ali is still alive, he'll come looking for me."
"No, he won't," Tony argued. "Rosa, we really are in the year 1930. Look around. We're at the ancient sight of Hamunaptra-more affectionately known as the City of the Dead."
Rose glanced around her surroundings for the first time since she awoke and saw nothing but miles and miles of sand dunes, a few toppled ruins and half of a brick wall. They were at an ancient sight, certainly, but there was no way they were in the year 1930.
"Don't be ridiculous, Tony. There is no possible way to travel back in time," Rose argued. "Sure, there are ancient myths that talk about such possibilities, but it just isn't possible."
Not wanting to waist his time arguing with his sister over the reality of time travel, Tony dropped the subject and continued his explanation. "Whatever year we're in, Victor is helping this man, Oscar, to carry out his evil plans. The man is greedy and hell bent on changing the past. Last night, they murdered five Medjai in cold blood, took their weapons and horses and came here. And if you or I step out of line, we'll be just as dead too."
Rose glanced around again and saw five dark Arabian horses and one gray packhorse tied near a ruin and several men looking around the rest of the ruins, studying them closely. There was Victor, the man Tony had said was named Jeffreys, two white men heavily armed, an older man with no weapons, and an Egyptian who also carried several weapons. Suddenly, she believed Tony's words about just how dead they would be if they stepped out of line.
"Rosa, don't you dare mention a word to anyone that your boyfriend is still alive. Understand?" Tony asked.
Rose nodded her head. "I'll be the distraught, grieving girlfriend," she assured him. "But I won't have to be for long, because Ali and his warriors will save me."
Tony sighed, hoping someone would save her and then handed her the canteen. "Drink some more water and find some shade. And whatever you do, don't piss off Victor again, sis, or he'll really hurt you."
****
Ali wasn't sure what time it was when he finally awoke, but it was light outside and standing in the room was his mother, Devraj, Yasmeen, one of the village doctors, Hammad and Yasmeen's father, Yousef. He blinked several times and tried to sit up in the bed he was in, but the doctor put a firm hand on his bare chest and pushed him back down. That's when Ali felt the incredible pain in his shoulder. He remained still for a moment, trying to recall the events that had landed him at the doctor's and looked at each and every person in the room. His mother had been crying, her eyes still red and puffy. Yasmeen too looked distressed and stood closely to Devraj, his arm around her. Yousef seemed relieved, the doctor looked concerned and Hammad appeared to be completely at ease.
"What is everyone doing here?" Ali finally asked.
"You were shot, Ali," Yasmeen spoke up. "The bullet narrowly missed your shoulder-blade and lodged itself in your upper right deltoid muscle. You were lucky it was a small caliber bullet. Dev and I found you late last night along the river, unconscious."
Everything then flooded his mind and he remembered very clearly the events of the night before. Stubbornly, he pushed to a seated position despite the doctor's protests.
"Where is Rose?" he demanded.
"We do not know," Devraj spoke up. "Who did this to you, my lord? Was it Rose?"
"No, of course not," he returned. "It was her brother. And Jeffreys was there too." Ali groaned as another wave of pain shot through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth and continued. "Rose's brother did not mean to hurt me. I believe he was forced to. He had a chance to kill me, I was unarmed and unawares, but he chose not to. We must find them and get Rose back."
Ali stood and his legs were not ready to carry his weight. Devraj released Yasmeen and caught him with the help of the doctor.
"Ali, you must rest," Devraj insisted.
The doctor seconded Devraj's statement but Ali refused to listen.
"I must find Rose before she is hurt," Ali said.
"But if she is with her brother, she will be safe," Yasmeen spoke up.
"Not necessarily. Her brother would never harm her, but her ex-fiancé, Victor, certainly would." Ali regained his strength and stood on his own, though his legs were unsteady and wobbly.
"And what of the Fortress of Aten?" Yousef inquired. "How can you protect it and find your woman at the same time?"
"I will manage," Ali answered.
"You are injured," Yousef argued.
"I will manage," Ali said sternly and was about to order Devraj to join him in getting his men together when his cousin burst through the doctor's door.
Aria was winded from her run and spoke quickly, delivering the horrible news in a rush that the warriors guarding the fortress were dead.
****
They watched from the ridge-top far away as interlopers continued to comb the ancient sight. They were not surprised the sight had once again been compromised, but they were growing weary of it. Their duty was to guard the desert and despite any weariness, they would continue their duties. And as soon as night fell, their mission would begin.
****