Another Time, Another Place
Chapter Two
The Ruins of Hamunaptra
**Little Author's Note here--This segment takes place shortly after the first movie. It's rather short, but necessary to the overall story. Again, standard disclaimer: If you recognize it from the theater, I don't own it. If it's mine, ask before borrowing. I can't imagine an instance where I'd say no. Also again, the standard warning: Imhotep/Anck-su-namun shippers and those who are obsessed with cannon-this story is not for you. Also also: feedback is always appreciated.**
*Rick, Evy, and Jonathan have just ridden off into the sunset. I figure that Ardeth wouldn't really have made tracks out of there so fast; think about it. He's just been through a rather harrowing ordeal, he's injured (probably much more seriously than they implied), and is out in the middle of the desert. I don't care how adapted to the desert the Med-jai are, he'd need supplies, rest, and a little time to think.*
Ardeth Bey had sat as tall on his camel as he could, given his injuries. In order to encourage his new friends to leave Hamunaptra quickly he'd shown the appearance of heading off into the desert to rejoin the rest of the Med- jai. In actuality, he had stationed himself behind a collapsed pillar, camel tethered nearby, debating if he had enough energy to light a fire. His wrist was badly twisted and he was a bit cut up from swords and other sharp objects the mummies of the priests and guards had carried, and he'd made the effort to imply that those were the only injuries sustained in the fight against Imhotep. But broken ribs were difficult to hide for long, and it didn't help matters that he was exhausted from the entire ordeal.
Getting back to his people was going to be difficult.
As a chieftain of one of the Med-jai tribes, he was rather young. As a potential central chieftain for overseeing *all* the tribes, he was even younger. This whole disaster had not helped his case. Some of the warriors had made known their concerns that he was too young for such responsibilities, but Ardeth was determined to prove them wrong. Med-jai were too disciplined to disobey orders of a leader, even if they disliked the person. It was achieving the respect of someone whom others would willingly be led by that was the problem.
Ardeth shifted wearily against the pillar, trying to find a more comfortable position. Breathing was rapidly becoming agonizing and he set aside the notion of lighting a fire. At this rate, he'd be lucky if he could hold onto life until a Med-jai patrol entered the ruins of the city and found him. Trying to keep awake, he watched the sun sink slowly into the sand, the creeping rise of the moon, and the hesitant twinkle of distant stars. He picked out constellations; Med-jai ones, Islamic ones, European ones.He let his head slowly fall forward, deciding to rest his eyes only for a little while. Just for a little while.
The familiar sound of horse hooves against sand and the faint sounds of a saddle and bridle woke him, so he had to have fallen asleep. Easing back into the shadows, he took stock of the situation. That didn't sound like a Med-jai patrol.
No. A single rider, by the sound, but no sign of a horse or a person. The moon was high, nearly half-full, and Ardeth realized that he must have slept several hours. But there was not a single sign of life. He eased his sword out, praying that it wasn't an enemy or another undead figure to contend with.
The noises stopped.
He waited a bit. Yes, there was definitely a horse nearby; he could hear a gentle snort, a slight whuffing of breath that only a horse can produce. And he was fairly sure the horse was saddled, at least by the sound of it. And if the horse was saddled there had to be a rider somewhere near.
After several more minutes of an invisible presence and soft horse noises he decided that the first move was up to him.
"Who's there? I demand that you show yourself!" He spoke in English, debating on struggling to his feet. No, it would only make it obvious he was injured.
There was a soft sighing sound from beside him, like a wistful voice in ancient Egyptian.
Ardeth knew only one female who fluently spoke ancient Egyptian, and she had left Hamunaptra several hours ago. He addressed the voice in English again, not caring if he sounded crazy. "What was that? I didn't understand you."
There. He was not imaging it; a sharp gasp and a pause. Then:
"You can hear me?" An incredulous, oddly accented voice. Definitely a female. What would a woman be doing alone at Hamunaptra?
"Yes." He answered shortly. "Who are you? Come out."
"It is happening, then." The voice seemed to speak to someone else. "After all this time. I knew Aspen was trying to tell me something!"
Ardeth was losing patience. "This has gone far enough. Show yourself."
"I don't think I can." The voice sounded tired. "But maybe I could. Such odd things have been happening lately." The voice trailed off into silence. She spoke again after a moment, sounding more resolved. "It might help if there was more light. Could you start a fire?"
Ardeth wondered if he dared take the risk of revealing his position and admitting that he was injured. It was only a woman, after all. And yet, who knew better than he that women could also be dangerous? But if this stranger did attack, he was still armed. And he didn't think he could survive much longer without some warmth and something to eat. It had been so long since he'd rested. Coming to a decision, he eased himself out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
The voice made a rather dismayed sounding exclamation in a strange language. "You're injured! What happened to you?" The unseen presence seemed to drift closer, and Ardeth thought he could almost see a greenish shadow a few feet away.
"As you can see," Ardeth spoke to the voice, "I do not think I would be able to start a fire. Will you show yourself?" He stared around the ruins, trying to find some sign of the horse that he knew was there or the woman that he could hear.
"You can't see me?" She sounded resigned, despairing even.
"No. Where are you?" Ardeth decided to get a better grip on his scimitar. This was getting surreal.
"I'm standing right in front of you." The woman's voice sounded near tears. "Not even five feet away." She sighed, and Ardeth could hear soft pacing footsteps that were indeed very close.
"I suppose I should have known better." She continued quietly, almost to herself. "Why should anything change now? It's been so very long."
Ardeth was getting nervous. He could hear this woman very well, could tell that she was only a few feet away, and yet he couldn't see anything but sand, moonlight, and the star-lit sky. Given what he knew of the undead. But she couldn't be allied with the creature, could she? She spoke English fluently, if with an odd accent that he couldn't seem to place. He just couldn't see her. "Just exactly who are you?" He asked guardedly.
"If I tell you who I am, will you answer my questions honestly?" She sounded wary.
Faced with an appeal to his honor, there was only one response he could make. "I swear it so." He promised, settling back against the pillar. By Allah, he was in pain. "Will you tell me now?"
"Yes." There was the sound of someone settling into the sand and the nicker of a horse. "Easy, Aspen." She spoke soothingly, and Ardeth heard a horse. "He will not hurt us." More sounds of movement, and the voice seemed to be right next to him. "I suppose I should begin with my homeland."
"Very well." Ardeth nodded.
"I was born many years ago," the voice said, "In a land very far away. I doubt you will have heard of it. And it doesn't matter anyway." The voice seemed to force away tears.
"My name is Rhianna," She spoke softly, "And I had a very dear friend. I was a Captain in a government organization in my land. He was a sort of counselor to his king, as well as some other things. Our lands had been allies since we were children. And one day my friend fell in love with a woman who was forbidden to him. I have heard different things about the woman as to whether or not she loved my friend, but it doesn't matter anymore. She killed herself when she and my friend were found together, but she also stabbed the king. The king would have died from that single wound, but he tried to strike out at her and my friend was forced to defend her from a dying man. The king died, she killed herself, and my friend was found with all evidence pointing toward a planned murder.
She paused for a moment. "I had stopped by the palace about that time, feeling that my friend was in danger. I was arrested as his conspirator and did not even see him until we were sentenced. We were both cursed. Him with the worst one the guards could come up with, and myself with immortality and invisibility. I could not die, but I could also not be seen, or heard, or affect anything. Until now. I had been traveling the desert as I often do; I know these lands better than anyone. But I felt that I was needed back here, and I turned around. On my journey I discovered that I could touch things of this world again, that I couldn't walk through walls or fly anymore. I'm closer to how I used to be, but I am still cursed." She sighed.
Ardeth sat very still. Half forgotten legends and stories began to run through his mind. Could it be? Was this woman the legendary Wanderer? Was she in league with the creature? Was the creature in fact her nameless friend? And what would she do if she found out that he was Med-jai, and of the same tribe who had cursed both her and Imhotep?
"Now it's your turn." Rhianna declared. "You promised you would answer my questions."
"Yes." Ardeth wondered what to tell her. He had sworn to be honest with her.
"So tell me. Who are you? You know my name." She sounded a bit teasing.
"I am Ardeth Bay." He bit his lip. "As to the rest of who I am, I must ask you something." He wondered how to ask what he wanted to know. "I-" He was silent. How could he phrase this?
"I know you are Med-jai." Rhianna said softly. "My night vision is excellent and I can clearly see your markings. You are worried that I will blame you for what has happened to myself and my friends and exact vengeance upon you?"
"It seems a reasonable assumption." He said warily, wondering if he should challenge her.
Rhianna laughed sadly. "I can't say I like your people very much, in fact, I rather detest your folk. My friend was betrayed by someone he knew, who was of your people. However, you personally didn't do this to either me or my friend. If you were one of those who hurt my friend, I would have tried to kill you already and not ceased until one of us was dead. But I don't believe in judging people for the acts of their ancestors, fortunately for you. And in my solitude I have come to lay the blame where it truly deserves-at the feet of one who destroyed everyone I held dear. Not the Med- jai, my friend, or even my friend's king. The Gray One."
"I'm afraid I do not know of whom you speak." Ardeth relaxed a bit. "Your friend. It's the creature, isn't it?"
"He has a name." Rhianna voice was icy, "And I will thank you to use it."
Ardeth's instinctive defense of his heritage chose that moment to surface. "Your so-called friend," he sneered at the place he thought Rhianna to be, "Has killed and injured vast numbers of people. He betrayed his Pharaoh, and all that he stood for. The Creature will remain unnamed for his actions. And he deserves it."
Rhianna was silent for a long time. Ardeth began to wonder if she'd left in anger or was trying to decide how to kill him. He was wondering if he could stand to apologize, when she spoke.
"You are lucky you are injured. I would not tolerate such words otherwise. But does he really deserve such a fate?" Her voice was soft. "Does anyone?"
"Faced with what he has done? Yes." Ardeth abandoned the thought of apologizing, deciding to hold to what he'd been taught. After all, it was the truth.
Rhianna was silent again. Then she asked quietly, "You have killed, have you not?"
"That is different." Ardeth bristled. "Those I have killed were either treasure hunters, come to desecrate the city, or unholy monsters. I only did what I was sworn to do."
" People who seek to provide for themselves. 'Monsters' who had sworn to defend their masters and their oaths, just as you defend your beliefs." Rhianna pointed out. "Is that so different?"
"That does not matter." Ardeth said stiffly. "The point is that your friend has inflicted needless cruelty upon those who do not deserve it."
"I do not deny what he has done." Her voice sounded as though she were thinking of something else entirely.
Ardeth leaped upon this sentence. "Then you admit that he is a monster, that he deserves this?"
"No more than I deserve my own curse. No more than innocent and ignorant tourists deserve death for being in the wrong place. As I do not deny what he has done, I do not deny the wrongs that I have committed, the wrongs the Med-jai have been guilty of. No one is completely in the right."
Ardeth Bey was silent. He didn't know what to say. Granted, the Med-jai were not perfect; no one was. But their purpose far out-weighed the deaths of ignorant tourists who would not be missed.
**Or did it? What of their families? You cannot say that no one will miss the dead; someone always will.**
"Well," Rhianna spoke into the silence, "Your people will be here soon. I passed them on my way here."
"You never told me why you came." Ardeth said softly.
He could sense her sad smile. "I told you, I felt I was needed. But I see the need has passed and I ought to be going." There were sounds of a person standing and a few more odd noises. "I wish I could help more, but I can leave you a fire."
Ardeth frowned. Hadn't she said she couldn't affect things of this world?
Rhianna laughed suddenly. "You look confused. Something wrong?"
"You said you couldn't affect things of this world."
He felt that sad smile again. "Yes. And so I can't. Or, rather, I couldn't. But your ancestors did not curse just any Captain." Rhianna spoke a few words softly in a strange language that Ardeth couldn't place, and a fire blazed before him as though it had been there for hours.
"May the stars be with you, Ardeth Bey. Aeryc guide your wanderings. I hope that one day this can all end well."
Ardeth sat very still for a few moments. "You truly are the Wanderer?" There was wonder in his voice. "How much of the legends are true?"
Rhianna sighed. "Too much of some and not enough of the others. But rest easy, Med-jai. The Lost One does not seek vengeance tonight."
"It's real, then? The land you came from?" He could not disguise his amazement.
"Who can say?" Her voice was grief-laden. "It was once. I can only pray it still is. Why?"
Ardeth took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as he could under the circumstances. "The Gray One. The legend about the poisoned wells. Those are true also?"
Rhianna laughed without humor. "Poisoning the wells was a personal metaphor between Imhotep and myself for coming disaster." She let Ardeth's wince at naming her friend pass without comment. "Water is as it ever was," she continued, "but the Gray One? I can only hope, and my hopes are best kept silent. Trouble is on the horizon, Med-jai. Have caution lest it overtake you unawares."
Ardeth shook his head in wonder. How much of the truth had been lost to time if what Rhianna said was indeed true? What if the Creature wasn't really the one to fear? He abandoned that line of thought. It went against everything he knew.
"My thanks for your help." He told Rhianna. "And. I'm sorry. For all that's happened to you."
"So am I." Her voice was more tired than ever.
"The legends say," Ardeth continued softly, "that when the Creature is freed, the Wanderer who is the Lost One of the Lost Time will seek vengeance. I have always wondered what that meant, but you say you do not seek vengeance tonight."
Rhianna's voice was distant. "Freedom is a relative term, Med-jai. Freed from what? But I can tell you that there is more to your path than you know, and revenge is indeed a slippery term. But I fear I will always remain Lost. My people are gone, Med-jai, and I am the last of my kind."
"I grieve for your loss." Ardeth was tentative about expressing sympathy, but it seemed appropriate.
"So do I." She whispered.
Ardeth heard the unmistakable sound of horses on the sand.
"Looks like your friends are here early." Rhianna's voice was distant and slightly wry. "I'm afraid I must swear you to silence about this whole exchange."
*"My silence is my vow."* Ardeth promised in Med-jai. "And you?"
"The Wanderer remains. Heal, my strange new ally, and remember your vow. Perhaps we will one day meet again."
Ardeth could hear Rhianna swing into the saddle on the unseen horse. Through the flames of the fire Rhianna had provided, he caught sight of a green robed and dark-haired figure with pale eyes astride a magnificent ebony horse with a silver mane.
As the Med-jai riders neared, Ardeth blinked and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he thought he had seen the Creature standing at the edge of the city, raising a hand in farewell, and the now-distant rider turn and acknowledge the apparition with a wave of her own, tears running down both their faces.
Ardeth shook his head. Whether it had been real or not didn't matter.
**My silence is my vow.**
**Little Author's Note here--This segment takes place shortly after the first movie. It's rather short, but necessary to the overall story. Again, standard disclaimer: If you recognize it from the theater, I don't own it. If it's mine, ask before borrowing. I can't imagine an instance where I'd say no. Also again, the standard warning: Imhotep/Anck-su-namun shippers and those who are obsessed with cannon-this story is not for you. Also also: feedback is always appreciated.**
*Rick, Evy, and Jonathan have just ridden off into the sunset. I figure that Ardeth wouldn't really have made tracks out of there so fast; think about it. He's just been through a rather harrowing ordeal, he's injured (probably much more seriously than they implied), and is out in the middle of the desert. I don't care how adapted to the desert the Med-jai are, he'd need supplies, rest, and a little time to think.*
Ardeth Bey had sat as tall on his camel as he could, given his injuries. In order to encourage his new friends to leave Hamunaptra quickly he'd shown the appearance of heading off into the desert to rejoin the rest of the Med- jai. In actuality, he had stationed himself behind a collapsed pillar, camel tethered nearby, debating if he had enough energy to light a fire. His wrist was badly twisted and he was a bit cut up from swords and other sharp objects the mummies of the priests and guards had carried, and he'd made the effort to imply that those were the only injuries sustained in the fight against Imhotep. But broken ribs were difficult to hide for long, and it didn't help matters that he was exhausted from the entire ordeal.
Getting back to his people was going to be difficult.
As a chieftain of one of the Med-jai tribes, he was rather young. As a potential central chieftain for overseeing *all* the tribes, he was even younger. This whole disaster had not helped his case. Some of the warriors had made known their concerns that he was too young for such responsibilities, but Ardeth was determined to prove them wrong. Med-jai were too disciplined to disobey orders of a leader, even if they disliked the person. It was achieving the respect of someone whom others would willingly be led by that was the problem.
Ardeth shifted wearily against the pillar, trying to find a more comfortable position. Breathing was rapidly becoming agonizing and he set aside the notion of lighting a fire. At this rate, he'd be lucky if he could hold onto life until a Med-jai patrol entered the ruins of the city and found him. Trying to keep awake, he watched the sun sink slowly into the sand, the creeping rise of the moon, and the hesitant twinkle of distant stars. He picked out constellations; Med-jai ones, Islamic ones, European ones.He let his head slowly fall forward, deciding to rest his eyes only for a little while. Just for a little while.
The familiar sound of horse hooves against sand and the faint sounds of a saddle and bridle woke him, so he had to have fallen asleep. Easing back into the shadows, he took stock of the situation. That didn't sound like a Med-jai patrol.
No. A single rider, by the sound, but no sign of a horse or a person. The moon was high, nearly half-full, and Ardeth realized that he must have slept several hours. But there was not a single sign of life. He eased his sword out, praying that it wasn't an enemy or another undead figure to contend with.
The noises stopped.
He waited a bit. Yes, there was definitely a horse nearby; he could hear a gentle snort, a slight whuffing of breath that only a horse can produce. And he was fairly sure the horse was saddled, at least by the sound of it. And if the horse was saddled there had to be a rider somewhere near.
After several more minutes of an invisible presence and soft horse noises he decided that the first move was up to him.
"Who's there? I demand that you show yourself!" He spoke in English, debating on struggling to his feet. No, it would only make it obvious he was injured.
There was a soft sighing sound from beside him, like a wistful voice in ancient Egyptian.
Ardeth knew only one female who fluently spoke ancient Egyptian, and she had left Hamunaptra several hours ago. He addressed the voice in English again, not caring if he sounded crazy. "What was that? I didn't understand you."
There. He was not imaging it; a sharp gasp and a pause. Then:
"You can hear me?" An incredulous, oddly accented voice. Definitely a female. What would a woman be doing alone at Hamunaptra?
"Yes." He answered shortly. "Who are you? Come out."
"It is happening, then." The voice seemed to speak to someone else. "After all this time. I knew Aspen was trying to tell me something!"
Ardeth was losing patience. "This has gone far enough. Show yourself."
"I don't think I can." The voice sounded tired. "But maybe I could. Such odd things have been happening lately." The voice trailed off into silence. She spoke again after a moment, sounding more resolved. "It might help if there was more light. Could you start a fire?"
Ardeth wondered if he dared take the risk of revealing his position and admitting that he was injured. It was only a woman, after all. And yet, who knew better than he that women could also be dangerous? But if this stranger did attack, he was still armed. And he didn't think he could survive much longer without some warmth and something to eat. It had been so long since he'd rested. Coming to a decision, he eased himself out of the shadows and into the moonlight.
The voice made a rather dismayed sounding exclamation in a strange language. "You're injured! What happened to you?" The unseen presence seemed to drift closer, and Ardeth thought he could almost see a greenish shadow a few feet away.
"As you can see," Ardeth spoke to the voice, "I do not think I would be able to start a fire. Will you show yourself?" He stared around the ruins, trying to find some sign of the horse that he knew was there or the woman that he could hear.
"You can't see me?" She sounded resigned, despairing even.
"No. Where are you?" Ardeth decided to get a better grip on his scimitar. This was getting surreal.
"I'm standing right in front of you." The woman's voice sounded near tears. "Not even five feet away." She sighed, and Ardeth could hear soft pacing footsteps that were indeed very close.
"I suppose I should have known better." She continued quietly, almost to herself. "Why should anything change now? It's been so very long."
Ardeth was getting nervous. He could hear this woman very well, could tell that she was only a few feet away, and yet he couldn't see anything but sand, moonlight, and the star-lit sky. Given what he knew of the undead. But she couldn't be allied with the creature, could she? She spoke English fluently, if with an odd accent that he couldn't seem to place. He just couldn't see her. "Just exactly who are you?" He asked guardedly.
"If I tell you who I am, will you answer my questions honestly?" She sounded wary.
Faced with an appeal to his honor, there was only one response he could make. "I swear it so." He promised, settling back against the pillar. By Allah, he was in pain. "Will you tell me now?"
"Yes." There was the sound of someone settling into the sand and the nicker of a horse. "Easy, Aspen." She spoke soothingly, and Ardeth heard a horse. "He will not hurt us." More sounds of movement, and the voice seemed to be right next to him. "I suppose I should begin with my homeland."
"Very well." Ardeth nodded.
"I was born many years ago," the voice said, "In a land very far away. I doubt you will have heard of it. And it doesn't matter anyway." The voice seemed to force away tears.
"My name is Rhianna," She spoke softly, "And I had a very dear friend. I was a Captain in a government organization in my land. He was a sort of counselor to his king, as well as some other things. Our lands had been allies since we were children. And one day my friend fell in love with a woman who was forbidden to him. I have heard different things about the woman as to whether or not she loved my friend, but it doesn't matter anymore. She killed herself when she and my friend were found together, but she also stabbed the king. The king would have died from that single wound, but he tried to strike out at her and my friend was forced to defend her from a dying man. The king died, she killed herself, and my friend was found with all evidence pointing toward a planned murder.
She paused for a moment. "I had stopped by the palace about that time, feeling that my friend was in danger. I was arrested as his conspirator and did not even see him until we were sentenced. We were both cursed. Him with the worst one the guards could come up with, and myself with immortality and invisibility. I could not die, but I could also not be seen, or heard, or affect anything. Until now. I had been traveling the desert as I often do; I know these lands better than anyone. But I felt that I was needed back here, and I turned around. On my journey I discovered that I could touch things of this world again, that I couldn't walk through walls or fly anymore. I'm closer to how I used to be, but I am still cursed." She sighed.
Ardeth sat very still. Half forgotten legends and stories began to run through his mind. Could it be? Was this woman the legendary Wanderer? Was she in league with the creature? Was the creature in fact her nameless friend? And what would she do if she found out that he was Med-jai, and of the same tribe who had cursed both her and Imhotep?
"Now it's your turn." Rhianna declared. "You promised you would answer my questions."
"Yes." Ardeth wondered what to tell her. He had sworn to be honest with her.
"So tell me. Who are you? You know my name." She sounded a bit teasing.
"I am Ardeth Bay." He bit his lip. "As to the rest of who I am, I must ask you something." He wondered how to ask what he wanted to know. "I-" He was silent. How could he phrase this?
"I know you are Med-jai." Rhianna said softly. "My night vision is excellent and I can clearly see your markings. You are worried that I will blame you for what has happened to myself and my friends and exact vengeance upon you?"
"It seems a reasonable assumption." He said warily, wondering if he should challenge her.
Rhianna laughed sadly. "I can't say I like your people very much, in fact, I rather detest your folk. My friend was betrayed by someone he knew, who was of your people. However, you personally didn't do this to either me or my friend. If you were one of those who hurt my friend, I would have tried to kill you already and not ceased until one of us was dead. But I don't believe in judging people for the acts of their ancestors, fortunately for you. And in my solitude I have come to lay the blame where it truly deserves-at the feet of one who destroyed everyone I held dear. Not the Med- jai, my friend, or even my friend's king. The Gray One."
"I'm afraid I do not know of whom you speak." Ardeth relaxed a bit. "Your friend. It's the creature, isn't it?"
"He has a name." Rhianna voice was icy, "And I will thank you to use it."
Ardeth's instinctive defense of his heritage chose that moment to surface. "Your so-called friend," he sneered at the place he thought Rhianna to be, "Has killed and injured vast numbers of people. He betrayed his Pharaoh, and all that he stood for. The Creature will remain unnamed for his actions. And he deserves it."
Rhianna was silent for a long time. Ardeth began to wonder if she'd left in anger or was trying to decide how to kill him. He was wondering if he could stand to apologize, when she spoke.
"You are lucky you are injured. I would not tolerate such words otherwise. But does he really deserve such a fate?" Her voice was soft. "Does anyone?"
"Faced with what he has done? Yes." Ardeth abandoned the thought of apologizing, deciding to hold to what he'd been taught. After all, it was the truth.
Rhianna was silent again. Then she asked quietly, "You have killed, have you not?"
"That is different." Ardeth bristled. "Those I have killed were either treasure hunters, come to desecrate the city, or unholy monsters. I only did what I was sworn to do."
" People who seek to provide for themselves. 'Monsters' who had sworn to defend their masters and their oaths, just as you defend your beliefs." Rhianna pointed out. "Is that so different?"
"That does not matter." Ardeth said stiffly. "The point is that your friend has inflicted needless cruelty upon those who do not deserve it."
"I do not deny what he has done." Her voice sounded as though she were thinking of something else entirely.
Ardeth leaped upon this sentence. "Then you admit that he is a monster, that he deserves this?"
"No more than I deserve my own curse. No more than innocent and ignorant tourists deserve death for being in the wrong place. As I do not deny what he has done, I do not deny the wrongs that I have committed, the wrongs the Med-jai have been guilty of. No one is completely in the right."
Ardeth Bey was silent. He didn't know what to say. Granted, the Med-jai were not perfect; no one was. But their purpose far out-weighed the deaths of ignorant tourists who would not be missed.
**Or did it? What of their families? You cannot say that no one will miss the dead; someone always will.**
"Well," Rhianna spoke into the silence, "Your people will be here soon. I passed them on my way here."
"You never told me why you came." Ardeth said softly.
He could sense her sad smile. "I told you, I felt I was needed. But I see the need has passed and I ought to be going." There were sounds of a person standing and a few more odd noises. "I wish I could help more, but I can leave you a fire."
Ardeth frowned. Hadn't she said she couldn't affect things of this world?
Rhianna laughed suddenly. "You look confused. Something wrong?"
"You said you couldn't affect things of this world."
He felt that sad smile again. "Yes. And so I can't. Or, rather, I couldn't. But your ancestors did not curse just any Captain." Rhianna spoke a few words softly in a strange language that Ardeth couldn't place, and a fire blazed before him as though it had been there for hours.
"May the stars be with you, Ardeth Bey. Aeryc guide your wanderings. I hope that one day this can all end well."
Ardeth sat very still for a few moments. "You truly are the Wanderer?" There was wonder in his voice. "How much of the legends are true?"
Rhianna sighed. "Too much of some and not enough of the others. But rest easy, Med-jai. The Lost One does not seek vengeance tonight."
"It's real, then? The land you came from?" He could not disguise his amazement.
"Who can say?" Her voice was grief-laden. "It was once. I can only pray it still is. Why?"
Ardeth took a deep breath, or as deep a breath as he could under the circumstances. "The Gray One. The legend about the poisoned wells. Those are true also?"
Rhianna laughed without humor. "Poisoning the wells was a personal metaphor between Imhotep and myself for coming disaster." She let Ardeth's wince at naming her friend pass without comment. "Water is as it ever was," she continued, "but the Gray One? I can only hope, and my hopes are best kept silent. Trouble is on the horizon, Med-jai. Have caution lest it overtake you unawares."
Ardeth shook his head in wonder. How much of the truth had been lost to time if what Rhianna said was indeed true? What if the Creature wasn't really the one to fear? He abandoned that line of thought. It went against everything he knew.
"My thanks for your help." He told Rhianna. "And. I'm sorry. For all that's happened to you."
"So am I." Her voice was more tired than ever.
"The legends say," Ardeth continued softly, "that when the Creature is freed, the Wanderer who is the Lost One of the Lost Time will seek vengeance. I have always wondered what that meant, but you say you do not seek vengeance tonight."
Rhianna's voice was distant. "Freedom is a relative term, Med-jai. Freed from what? But I can tell you that there is more to your path than you know, and revenge is indeed a slippery term. But I fear I will always remain Lost. My people are gone, Med-jai, and I am the last of my kind."
"I grieve for your loss." Ardeth was tentative about expressing sympathy, but it seemed appropriate.
"So do I." She whispered.
Ardeth heard the unmistakable sound of horses on the sand.
"Looks like your friends are here early." Rhianna's voice was distant and slightly wry. "I'm afraid I must swear you to silence about this whole exchange."
*"My silence is my vow."* Ardeth promised in Med-jai. "And you?"
"The Wanderer remains. Heal, my strange new ally, and remember your vow. Perhaps we will one day meet again."
Ardeth could hear Rhianna swing into the saddle on the unseen horse. Through the flames of the fire Rhianna had provided, he caught sight of a green robed and dark-haired figure with pale eyes astride a magnificent ebony horse with a silver mane.
As the Med-jai riders neared, Ardeth blinked and rubbed his eyes. For a moment, he thought he had seen the Creature standing at the edge of the city, raising a hand in farewell, and the now-distant rider turn and acknowledge the apparition with a wave of her own, tears running down both their faces.
Ardeth shook his head. Whether it had been real or not didn't matter.
**My silence is my vow.**