Chapter Seven

"You will do no such thing," Mustafa argued. "She has been sent to lead you astray, my Chief. If you assist this woman, you will aide in the destruction of mankind."

As the Elders talked and argued amongst themselves, Ardeth watched as the Seer entered the council. Voices hushed as she approached the Elders.

"Your Chief has made his decision. Whether it is the correct one is unclear."

Hearing this from the Seer, the Elders resumed their talk of forbidding Ardeth to journey with the strange woman and talked again of putting her to death.

"If you kill the woman, our world will be spun into madness," the Seer warned.

Since he was the Head Elder, Mustafa spoke for the group. "And yet you have said that danger lies within the hands of this woman."

"Perhaps, but the cause of the danger and her role in the outcome has yet to be made clear."

Turning from the Elders to face Ardeth, the Seer spoke, "My Chief, the journey will be long and your path has been kept from my sight. This tells me you are not to know the details but must discover them for yourself along the way."

The Elders argued for some time after the Seer spoke. Ardeth decided it was more for show than anything, because in the end, his request had been granted. He and a small contingent of men would travel with the strange woman to Giza.

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Having sent Khazana to his tent to wake their "guest" and show her where she would find the bathing facilities, Ardeth entered his dwelling hesitantly. She stood with her back to him, obviously unaware of his presence as she buttoned her blouse.

While she worked her hair loose from a thin, shimmering gold chain she had just placed around her neck, he noticed her manner of dress. Unlike her previous attire, she was fully clothed and yet would stand out as a misfit amongst the Egyptians. She wore a pair of formfitting tan slacks, much like the style his friend's wife, Evelyn, wore from time to time. Her white cotton blouse had long puffy sleeves that hugged her wrists with a fluff of lace surrounding them. He recognized the soft leather boots she wore as those of his people and made the assumption that his mother had provided them for the woman.

"SabaH il'kheyr, Ardeth Bay," Najya greeted without turning around. She tucked the pendant beneath the blouse to rest reassuringly between her breasts.

"SabaH in'noor," he replied reflexively, somewhat disconcerted that she knew he was watching her dress. He had made no noise and yet she knew he was there. Her behavior was unsettling at best. "You are ready to leave?"

In response, she picked up her cloak and the large pouched bag and moved to his side. He had to force himself not to smile at the excitement in her manner. Instead he turned abruptly and left his tent, Najya close on his heels.

He led her to the waiting group of five men. His Second, Azeem, was among them. The others were Isam, Muhtad'i, Razik and Zakiyy. All were dressed identically. Slight variations of their tattoos were the only difference save one. She noticed the Chief's robes contained much more intricate embroidery and patterns, no doubt indicating his status.

"All is ready, my Chief," Azeem informed him as they approached. He indicated the group of camels; seven had been saddled, four others were loaded with supplies.

Ardeth reached for the large pouch Najya carried and fixed it to the saddle of one of the camels and then indicated she should mount. When all riders were in the saddle, he took the lead and began the trek to Giza.

--

As the hours passed, the sun blazed on the riders in the small caravan. Ardeth rode point with his Second next to him. Glancing behind him, he noticed that Najya brought up the rear. Her hooded cloak hid her face in shadows, but unless his eyes were playing tricks on him, it looked as if she was speaking to herself.

Compelled by a force he was unaware of, he slowed his camel until the others had passed and he was riding next to the woman. She had since stopped her strange behavior and had quieted. When she looked over at him from behind the folds of her hood, he was immediately drawn into the depth of her sapphire eyes.

When she reached for the hood with a delicate, graceful hand and pushed it back from her head to rest at the base of her neck, he drew in a tentative breath. When her hand traced the edge of her hair to smooth it away from her cheek, his eyes followed the movement unwaveringly. As she moved her hair back just enough to reveal the elegant line of her jaw, instinctively his tongue darted out to wet his bottom lip, silently wishing it was the line of her jaw his tongue traveled.

Najya wondered why he fell back to her side and when he just stared at her and did not speak, her wonder increased tenfold. His gaze was intense and his emotions were at a peak and she found herself longing to know exactly what he was feeling. Fighting the urge to delve into his thoughts, she returned his gaze, losing herself in the dark intensity of his brown eyes. When he licked his lip, she bit hers. Just the slight action of his tongue moving across his lips sent a shiver down her spine. In the back of her brain somewhere, she heard the voice of her mother scolding her for losing focus.

Realizing he had been watching her much too closely and ashamed in the direction his thoughts headed, Ardeth decided engaging her in conversation might make his lapse of manners less noticeable. "As we had agreed, you will tell me the reason you are traveling to Philae."

The question she dreaded and was unprepared to answer.

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To be continued...