MIXED BLESSINGS
Leven looked up when Ardeth entered the shop. They exchanged a brief, knowing gaze. They didn't exactly speak to each other, only shook their heads. Nothing. The news didn't feel as devastating as it should have. Leven couldn't say much to Ardeth, couldn't come from behind the counter to touch or kiss him. The boss had come into the shop and she couldn't take time out to spend with him. Leven wasn't sure why she kept her relationship a secret from her boss, unless she was afraid he'd find out that she had been with him on occasion and not necessarily working. He gave her a brief nod before leaving.
The boss stuck his head out to look after the customer, but he noticed that there was no customer at all. Strange. He had to stop delving into this Egyptian shit; it was making him paranoid. He fixed his eyes momentarily on Leven and noticed that she stood in a daze. She looked like shit. He ducked back into the office and closed the door behind him. He dug the amulet out of his pocket. He had been carrying it with him since he lifted it off the drunken bastard in front of the Pyramid. The day he 'found' it, he took it to an antiquities dealer and was told it was worth a small fortune. It had been dated back at least a thousand years. The dealer had then told him of an exhibit that would soon make its way to the museum. Perhaps he could take his artifact and sell it to the exhibitors. It would bring a pretty penny. While he was at it, he might as well take them the scimitar. He had run into some wonderfully grand luck lately. He wrapped up the amulet and put it back into his pocket. When he thought of the scimitar, something struck him. He stepped out of the office and noticed that Leven was still behind the counter in her messed up daze. Ignoring her for a moment, he stepped out onto the floor and backed up a few good feet. The scimitar seemed crooked. Had she been touching it? It unnerved him. The drunken man laid out in front of the Pyramid had had a scimitar. While he had been snagging the amulet, he was tempted to swipe the sword, but the man began to mumble incoherently and had scared the shit out of him. He took the ancient amulet and hauled ass. There were a lot of kooks in Memphis, but he had never seen any with Egyptian artifacts on his/her person. There was a lot to lift.
* * *
The time was drawing near. Ardeth sensed it. He had also heard it in his head. When his mind wasn't so consumed by thoughts of Leven, he could hear scraps of words running interference in his fuzzy brain. They came from Elder Haka, of course. Although the words weren't clearly spoken, he understood them. They were telling him he was closer to the amulet than he realized. He fought against it most of the time, but he listened to it. He was working toward his third week without the key in his hands. Five weeks remained. Five weeks to secure the fate of the world, five weeks to be with the woman he loved. Yet, there wasn't five weeks. If there were one week, he'd be surprised. He had found his way to Leven's apartment and entered. He immediately sat on the side of the bed. He reached down to the second drawer on the small nightstand. He had known by watching her the last couple of weeks that she kept a small photo album inside. She had never shown it to him, but he had seen her thumbing through it when she didn't realize he was watching. He saw where she had placed it for safekeeping. He dug it out and thumbed through it, lingering a few seconds on each page. He found one photo of Leven that appeared recent. He ran his thumb over the image as if he were caressing her face. He lifted the thin plastic sheet covering the page and removed the photograph. He didn't want to steal it, but he also didn't want to leave her without having a reminder of her beautiful face. He would never forget her, of course, but at least he would have something that would comfort him. He didn't think she would mind. He wanted to leave something behind for her, but he had nothing. However, he wasn't aware that he would, in fact, leave something with her, his child. He had just put the photo album back into the drawer when Leven entered the room. She wasn't due back for a few hours and he was a little surprised to see her.
"What are you doing back," he asked.
Sighing, she dropped tiredly onto the pallet. It was odd how she had just about forgotten she had a bed. "My asshole of a boss got a heart today. He sent me home, said I looked bad. Of course, the creep will dock my pay."
He moved away from the bed and joined her. "You are tired," he said as he stroked her hair. "This has all been too much for you. I wish I had not had to bring you in this at all. For that, I will always be sorry."
She shook her head. "No, Ardeth. Don't be. I have never felt like this before and I never want to feel this way again." She placed a very gentle kiss upon his lips. "I love you so much. Don't ever apologize for bringing that to me." She didn't want to focus on his departure, didn't want to think about it. She, like he, knew it was coming soon. Leven needed to steer her thoughts elsewhere, distract herself. "Tell me, Ardeth. You said my great-grandmother was promised to Grandpa Q. Are you promised to someone?"
He shook his head incredulously. Did she think he could take a wife after her? He passed his hand along her cheek gently and ran his fingers through her hair. "I was, a long time ago, but the elders dissolved the contract at my request. I could not take a wife, not after what happened with Sharîk. Within my culture, it is easier for a man to control his destiny than a woman. I am sure they will continue to push for it, but I cannot take a wife now, either, not unless I wish to be as resentful as Qâtil."
Her hand reached out to him and settled on his face. Her thumb moved back and forth across the mark on his left cheek. "You can never be like him. You're a different type of man altogether. You're a better man, much, much better than he could hope to be in a hundred lifetimes. You could never go the same route as he." She kissed him again. She wanted to say something, but it would bring up the heartache she was trying to avoid. Why hide from it? It would happen regardless of whether or not they spoke of it. She placed her hand over her abdomen on the exact spot where, unbeknownst to her, her unborn child was nestled safely and comfortably. "Right here, Ardeth, I can feel it. In here, it's telling me that our time is almost up. Something is going to happen that will change everything."
He placed his hand over hers. "I feel it, too."
"So…there are two ways this can go. We can continue to stay together like this, like we are, up until the very moment you leave. Or you can leave whenever you want and continue your search without me. You've been here long enough to know what to look for, to know whom to ask. I can accept it either way. I know what I feel, I know what I want, but I can't be selfish."
"You can, because I am. I will not, cannot, leave you until I must," he said.
* * *
The next morning, Leven awoke from a deep sleep. She felt out of sorts and off kilter. She had called in sick again at the casino last night because she couldn't go in. She had never felt so physically and emotionally drained in her life. She had always been a fatalistic person, but she had begun to react to all things in her life in much the same way. Little else seemed to matter to her. She realized she had to live, had to go on, but there was something more for her now, something that had made her eyes open wide. There were more things in life other than her bills, her jobs, and her tanked hopes and dreams. She would deal with the consequences later, but right now, she could think of little else that didn't center on Ardeth. Sighing, she left the loving embrace of Ardeth's arms to begin her morning rituals. She had barely gotten two steps from him when his eyes came open. He lay back and watched her silently, unable to move. He watched as she slipped into the tiny bathroom. After a moment, she came out with her toothbrush in her mouth, scrubbing her teeth vigorously. She snapped on the TV and finished with her teeth. She went back into the bathroom after a moment and he heard the distinct gagging noise emitting from her as she spat out the toothpaste.
"Blech," she spat. "Nasty stuff." She came out and noticed his eyes upon her, searching her face curiously. She could read the question in his eyes. "I'm fine. I swallowed some of that nasty ass toothpaste."
She moved toward the closet and began digging around for her clothes. She was keeping her face well hidden from him, because she didn't want him to see her tears. They had made love last night after their talk, and it felt like the last time. She dug around until she found what she needed, but she didn't immediately back away from the closet. She had to control her emotions. She had no intention of letting him see her cry. When she began to move away, she backed right into the solid wall of Ardeth's chest. The soft thud startled her and she burst into tears. He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and drew her closer against him. Softly, he whispered many, many times: "'Imil mâ mush biki [do not cry]." She couldn't help it; she couldn't stop the tears no matter how hard she tried. He held her close until the tears dried. When they began to taper off, he drew her away from the closet and sat down with her on the bed. Her hitching sobs became sniffles and her sniffles stopped completely as she gazed at the television. Both Ardeth and Leven's attention was drawn to the news. Neither of them had heard much, but a few words drew their complete attention: "exhibit" and "The Ancient Curses of Egypt." They tore their eyes off the screen and focused them on each other. The museum exhibit would have the answers they sought, both of them were certain. In two days, the exhibit would arrive. In two days, the portal would be closed. In two days, Ardeth would leave her forever. Unable to handle the enormity of the news, of the discovery, Leven broke out of Ardeth's embrace and ran toward the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her and a moment later, he heard her getting sick. He felt a little sick to his stomach as well.
* * *
Sharr had been sent back to the future in another form. He couldn't present himself as "Caldo" now. Both the woman and Medjai warrior knew him. They were aware of his presence, knew that he would return. Somehow, he had to slip around undetected. He was to be sent to the museum exhibit to find the amulet. It was connected to the exhibit in some way. He no longer felt as if the woman or her lover possessed it. If so, the portal would have already been sealed. It was not. Yet, he thought of taking the easy way out. He knew of Set's false prophecy, knew of the trickery his dark god was fond of perpetrating. However, the Medjai did not. Perhaps he would tail the two of them and simply stand back and allow the warrior to open the portal. Nothing could be simpler. As far as he was aware, the false prophecy had yet to be discovered. The Medjai was unaware, distracted, he could not see, think, or feel anything that didn't have something to do with the woman. He could blend in as long as he kept away from direct view of the warrior. He would know. He would see him. Now that the Chieftain had touched the woman, had put her with child, she might also see. Sometimes, it happened that way. Ah yes. Sharr had always been a lazy one and if someone could do the work for him, let him go at it. He would sit back with a smile and wait for the end to come, not only for him, but for the world as well.
* * *
The exhibit in the museum was a small one. There were several items on display, but they took up very little space. As the news screamed, it was titled the "Ancient Curses of Egypt." It was hideous, of course, but they were being led to it. Ardeth had brought along the scroll he was given before he came. There were a few ancient books here and there, some of which Ardeth had never seen before. He longed to touch the books, but they were encased behind protective glass. He moved down the exhibit, completely taken by a few of the items. Something caught his eye and he gasped aloud. Leven looked up suddenly, hearing the gasp. It was one of surprise, of course, but it also sounded like one of distress. He had unrolled the scroll he had brought along with him and gazed down at it, then he fixed his eyes intensely on whatever he had seen behind the glass encasement. Slowly, she approached him and stood close enough to focus her eyes on the weird symbols written across the scroll. She fixed her eyes on the glass and saw that there was a small velvet case splayed open before them. It rested against a gold tone easel. Inside the case were two scrolls. One was identical to Ardeth's. The other was only slightly different. The symbols varied just the tiniest bit. Obviously, the second scroll was written a different way. His dark, handsome face had paled and his expression had gone from one of curious wonderment to rage. For a moment, she was afraid to touch him for fear that he would strike out at her. She longed to speak to him, longed to run her fingers over his quivering cheek. What was this? What did it say? What did it mean? He had forgotten that Leven could not read ancient Arabic. He had forgotten that she was standing beside him at all. White-hot rage filled him. Set had played a horrific trick on him and his people. He had almost walked right into the ultimate, eternal booby trap of them all. He shook his head incredulously, amazingly. Suddenly, he understood why Hazz had tried to invade his thoughts. He was trying to send him some type of warning. Leven's hand finally shot out and took hold of his arm. He came out of his enraged trance and fixed a different set of eyes on her face. They had softened tremendously. She was concerned for him and worried. Her golden eyes were searching his face, seemingly asking 'what is it?' He wasted no time glancing at the rest of the exhibit. The amulet was not here. He had been led here to see the scrolls. He took hold of her arm and led her out of the museum. Of course, they didn't realize they were being followed. When Sharr saw what they had seen, he snarled. The Medjai Chieftain knew of the other scroll, the true intention of Set.
Once they were outside in the parking lot, Leven put on the brakes and stopped walking. "Ardeth, you're scaring me. What is it," she demanded.
He drew her over to her car and leaned her against it. He stood directly in front of her as if shielding her from something. "I am sorry," he said. "The scroll, the one I have is wrong. The true scroll, the one behind that glass case inside, was Set's intended prophecy. This is false. The amulet is needed to open the portal, not to close it. We must find the amulet before Sharr. I am to close it forever and ensure that the minions do not enter."
She nodded. "Okay, Ardeth. We'll go back to the shop and figure out what our next step should be."
"I was distracted by you. Our love kept me from searching nonstop. If I had found it, it would all be over," he said incredulously.
"It's okay," she insisted. "You didn't know, but now you do. Let's go. We'll find the amulet, we will."
They returned to the pawnshop and Leven immediately noticed that the boss was there. If it were any other day, she would send Ardeth away. Not today. She led him into the store, holding onto his hand tightly. She had started toward the counter to retrieve the phone. If her boss wanted to bitch at her, so be it. This had to end. It was killing this honorable man she loved so dearly. His back was turned to them when they made their entrance. The boss was on the phone with his buyer. He had secured a nice chunk of change for the amulet.
"I need the phone," Leven demanded.
The boss turned toward his employee, intent on yelling at her, and firing her narrow ass. Yet, when he laid his eyes on the man, the words died in his throat. Dear fucking God. This was the drunken man he had ripped off. He noticed that Leven was holding onto his hand tightly. They were obviously together in the biblical sense. He felt like hiding. Did he recognize him? "What the hell is going on, Leven?"
"I need the phone," she spat through gritted teeth. When he didn't immediately move, Leven reached across the desk for it, and the boss slapped his hand down on hers. It was at that moment they both saw the amulet dangle down from inside his shirt.
Ardeth went for the man. How dare he touch Leven like that. He took a fistful of the boss' shirt. "Release her," he demanded. "Release her and return the amulet to me."
"ARDETH," Leven screamed as she saw a man rushing him from behind. He was wielding the scimitar that had been hanging on the wall.
His released the thief, jerking the amulet along with him, and swung his body around in an almost perfect three sixty turn. The blade dug into the boss' desk, missing Ardeth by mere inches. He looked up at the man. Sharr had returned. He had no weapon with which to fight, but he had faced stronger and more deadly enemies before. Ardeth went into a defensive stance, readying to fight 'til death. Leven ran out of the office and over to the display case. Frantically, she looked around for something to shatter the glass in the display case. She snarled [fuck it] as she ran toward the front counter. She grabbed hold of a giant metal stapler and ran back toward the case. She raised it up high over her head and brought it down viciously. The case exploded inward, sending glass flying down to the floor. As she heard the struggle in the back office, she grabbed up as many daggers as she could manage. She rushed toward Sharr and plunged one of the daggers squarely between his shoulders. As Sharr turned to face the woman, Ardeth called out a panicked Lâ [no]. Sharr brought up the scimitar, readying to split the woman in two. Before he brought the blade down, she threw another dagger at him and watched as it sunk to the hilt between his eyes. Not done yet, he raised the scimitar again as Ardeth removed the knife between Sharr's shoulders in one vicious yank. He grabbed the minion of Set from behind and plunged the knife into the center of his chest. Another burst of brilliant light filled the room before disappearing altogether.
"Medlem," the boss screamed, "what the hell? You're fired, sweet cheeks."
Both Ardeth and Leven fixed a murderous gaze on him. "Fuck off, you prick. I quit," Leven spat. She approached Ardeth and took his arm. He was grasping the amulet tightly in his hand. "Come on, you have a trip to make," she said.
He wasn't ready to go, wasn't ready to leave her, but he knew he must. After two weeks of constant searching, the amulet had been under their noses all along. She sensed his reluctance and pulled him forward. She wanted him to hurry along before Sharr returned for another round.
* * *
It was midnight when Ardeth and Leven made the short trip to the Pyramid Arena. The gods were on their side tonight. There was no moon or stars to illuminate their trespassing. There were no guards tooling about, which Leven thought was highly unusual. Then again, Osiris, Isis, and Hathos were protecting them. They walked toward the entrance hand in hand and ducked inside. Leven stood back as far as she dared. Bedecked in the robes he had worn when he first came to her, she had never seen him so handsome, had never loved him so much. She noted that he had secured the scimitar within his belts. She had traded her little TV box for it and gave it to him before they left her apartment. He didn't speak to her, didn't look at her. He couldn't. His heart was breaking and as the pieces fell, he ached miserably. He held up the amulet and an ancient silver door adorned with hieroglyphics materialized out of nowhere. The door came open and a hand shot out. Leven gasped audibly, but Ardeth was lost in a trance. Fingers made of flame red light reached for the amulet, touching the tiger's eye quartz. Holding her hands over her mouth, Leven watched as the quartz melted as if it were butter. The disjointed hand cupped the melted jewel and carried it back toward the door. It then rubbed the melted quartz along the outer edge of the door, creating a permanent, eternal seal. Once the door closed, Ardeth would be taken back to his time. It seemed as if the hand knew this and waited patiently for him to say goodbye.
The trance broke, and Ardeth approached Leven, her beautiful face bathed in the red light, bathed in the incredible brilliance. She was fighting her tears, her devastation, but she couldn't hide it from him, not for a moment. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her gently. If their kiss deepened any more than that, he wouldn't leave, and he couldn't stay. Time and space would not permit it. He drew away from her, touching her cheek. "I will never forget you," he said. "I will never stop loving you." He placed his hand over his heart. "You live here, inside me. Always." He presented her the amulet. "Take this. When you touch it, think of me. It belongs to you. It belonged to none other. I love you." She couldn't speak, couldn't bring any words to the surface. Her tears came in a rush, but they were painful, silent tears, shaking her essence. He turned away, ready to make the transition and he could feel her eyes on him. She could not stay. She had to leave before the goddess took him.
"I love you, Ardeth. Don't ever release me," she cried.
"Never," he said through gritted teeth. "You must go. You cannot stay here."
She gave him one last look, one last longing look before she turned away and ran outside. The amulet was warming her body with great heat. After a few moments, the heat began to fade and it became the cold hardness of silver. Ardeth was gone. He was gone forever.