HARAB [ESCAPE]
Ardeth had no idea where to begin looking. He held Leven's half of the amulet in his hand and felt it grow warm. Almost simultaneously, its mate around his neck also warmed considerably. He fingered his half, concentrating hard. Call to me, jauzi [wife]. Call to me so I may find you. Ana maHabbi inti [I love you]. He rode onward, solitary and obsessive. O'Connell had wanted to help search, but he wouldn't hear of it. Leven was his wife and this was his battle to fight. All he could think about was what she said to him in bed. She had tried to warn him, had tried to prepare him, but he had let her go anyway. He should have known better, should have known that Sharr was still a danger to them. He could not live if anything happened to her or the baby.
* * *
Sharr brought Leven out of her weird sleep. He had laid her in a dark room on an altar of sorts. It looked more like a table, but it would do. He wasn't necessarily sacrificing her to anything, but the table would serve as the ultimate stabilizer as he plunged the knife deeply into her chest. Although he had broken the spell, her eyes were closed. Sharr did not know this, but she was concentrating hard, calling out to Ardeth, crying for him to find her. Oh, maHabbi. Wainak? [Oh, love. Where are you?] She chanted this phrase as if it were a prayer. She said it a dozen times, two dozen, hundreds, thousands. She didn't have long to wait. Sharr was set to kill her and she knew he intended to do so with an ornate dagger. She would fight and protect her unborn child until death. Her breathing slowed as if she were sleeping and having a wonderful dream. Sharr watched this with complete and utter fascination. How could she be so calm knowing that her death was imminent and would be quite painful? She would never see her husband again; never see her child grow up. Unsettling, but not enough to distract him. Oh no. His time had come. Finally. After many, many centuries, he would find the peace he sought so desperately.
* * *
Despondent, Ardeth plodded along. There was nothing. No little pull. Frustrated, he couldn't understand how she had called to him from her dreams, but she couldn't do it now. He grasped her amulet in his hand, feeling the increasing warmth. Was she close? After a few moments, he felt his body vibrating as if something or someone was tweaking a string inside him. It buzzed through him and grew strong as each moment passed. At first, all he heard in his head was nothing more than a drawn out Ohhhhhhh. He commanded his horse to stop as he felt the vibration continuing its rushing game. It seemed to linger in the pit of his stomach, grasping him. Ohhhhhhhhh. It grew stronger and stronger, trumpeting in his head now, making him dizzy. It completely died out a few seconds later and Ardeth's heart fell. He was so certain that Leven was calling to him. Right when he had totally given up, the words hit him with the force of a brick wall. They came in loud and clear: OH, MAHABBI. WAINAK? It hurt, but oh the pain was so very good. He closed his eyes and grasped the amulet even tighter. It grew hot in his hand. He remembered this sensation before. Another string of words hit him one after another: AAAARRRRDDDDEEEETTTTHHHH…LOOK TO THE EAST. LOOK OR YOU WILL NOT SEE. He groaned against the force of the words. His brain would explode from the pressure if she did not hold back. She was near, very near. He opened his eyes slowly, feeling a dull thump behind them. As her disembodied voice commanded, he looked to the east. In the distance, he saw a small structure between two pyramids. He had never seen such a structure. Had it even existed before today? Gritting his teeth against the rage bubbling up inside him, he called out to his horse and rode on at full gallop. RUUUNNNNIIIIGGGG OUT OF TIIIIMMMEEEE.
* * *
"You will open your eyes now," Sharr/Radab said. "Open them before I end your life. I want to see the look in them as your life ebbs slowly away. You will do it. If I have to force them open, you will do it."
"Not for you to decide the fate of the world," she said.
Sharr/Radab peered down at her curiously. She was awake, but not awake. "Not for me? Of course it is for me. If it were not, would you be here right now? Open your eyes, whore, open them and look at me."
"Are you a coward, Sharr? You should have plunged the dagger into my chest by now. A coward, Sharr, you are a coward. Tell that to your god when you see Him today."
Ardeth rode for a mile, for two miles, an eon before he was close enough to see the structure plainly. A look of disgusted dismay crossed his face when he realized that there were no doors. He let out a growl of frustration. For the first time in his life, he was at a loss as to what he could do. He closed his eyes again and held onto the amulet even tighter. Tell me, my love. Tell me what I can do to help you. I am here. I know you are inside, but I cannot find my way to you. The amulet was scalding him now, bringing immense pain, but he took it, he took every bit of it. TAKE THE AMULET AAAARRRRDDDDEEEETTTTH. TAKE IT AND PUT IT TOOOO THE DOOR. CONNECT THE PIECES; MAKE THEM ONE, AS ARE WE. Without a moment of hesitation, he ripped the amulet from his neck and touched his to hers. The moment the pieces touched seemingly with a life all their own, they fused as if they had never been separated. The vibration inside his body ended abruptly. She did not call to him again. He jumped off the horse and took the fused amulet over to the solid structure with no entrance, no exit. He slammed the amulet against the outside wall and the heat grew enormously. It wasn't burning his hand. Smoke began to billow up toward him as the heated silver began boring out a hole. He watched, transfixed, as the hole grew larger and larger still. It stopped when it was just wide enough for him to slip his body through.
Sharr didn't let the woman goad him. She would die. She would die right now. He raised the dagger high, ready to bring it down, ready to end his eternity of walking the earth. Right as he began to arc it toward her, an unseen force gripped his hands, holding him back. Oh. She was very good. He had forgotten that Hathos touched the whore. It mattered very little. Sharr's god was darker and stronger. Her grip wouldn't hold him long. He struggled against the invisible force as he glared down at the woman. She had yet to open her eyes. She seemed to be in a weird trance. Ah. He felt the grip loosening. Wonderful. It wouldn't be long now. Inch by inch, he brought the dagger downward. Her death would be painful, he would make certain of that.
The moment Ardeth gained entrance to the building, the amulet began radiating a strange glowing beam, seemingly guiding him to his wife. When he saw her, his body was seized with an odd type of paralysis. Leven's body was surrounded by a warm, white glow, the same glow that had emanated from the amulet. Standing before her with a wicked dagger was Radab, but not Radab. Sharr had taken over her body. Her cold heart and evil spirit was perfect for him.
"You are too late, Medjai," Sharr said with a little smile. He arced up and up and up.
With deadly precision, the dagger swooped down. Just before the blade touched Leven's chest, great white light burst from the amulet outward. To Ardeth's stunned and shocked eyes, it resembled the head of a woman. It was no goddess, not Isis. He didn't know what or who it was. The head floated toward Sharr and seemed to gaze down at him. Sharr did not release his hold on the dagger. He kept it arced upward, intent on carrying out his evil deed. From out of nowhere, an arm shot out from the beam and took hold of Sharr's body. The creature of light peered down at Sharr curiously before opening its mouth and swallowing him/Radab whole. After Sharr disappeared down the creature's throat, the light faded, shifting backward toward the amulet before dissipating. Once the light died away, the amulet snapped in half and fell at Ardeth's feet. Still under his paralytic spell, he watched as Leven's back arched up off the table. She opened her mouth and closed it again. It seemed as if she were taking her last breath. Ardeth wanted to go to her, but his body wouldn't listen to the cues his brain was giving it. She cannot be dying. I cannot help her. I cannot move. She settled back on the table and her body stilled. Ardeth heard a small, primal cry leaving him, but some force or entity had him glued to the floor. He felt bitter, mournful tears forming in his eyes that quickly changed to a gasp of surprise as she took a deep breath.
"It is over," she whispered, awake/not awake. "Sharr has been sent back to Set. He will not return."
When the echo of her words ceased, the structure disappeared around them. They were surrounded by nothing more than sand and sky. Leven was laid out upon the desert sand. His paralysis broke. One man could not get to one woman any faster. He was down on his knees beside her, cradling her unconscious body in his arms. Her body and face were so hot, she was burning up. "I will not lose her now," he declared through gritted teeth. "Leven? Say something." He ran his hand over her cheek. It was flame red and getting hotter. "Please, Leven. Speak to me. Open your eyes and speak to me."
The great heat began to rush out of her body as quickly as it rushed in. Her skin cooled tremendously and as the heat faded, beads of moisture formed on her forehead and above her lips. He could feel it dampening her skin through her clothing. She sighed again and opened her eyes. "Ardeth," she whispered. "What…what happened?"
He closed his eyes and gathered her in his arms. "I thought you were gone," he whispered, his lips against her temple.
"Gone," she asked, confused. "Gone where?"
He drew away and gazed down at her. "You do not remember?"
She shook her head. "No. The last thing I remember was looking at a blanket. I was standing in front of a street side stand. Baby? Why are you crying?"
Ardeth drew her close again. "I thought I had lost you."
* * *
For the next few days, the man who was completely unaccustomed to fussing fussed ceaselessly over his wife. They stayed in Cairo with the O'Connell's until Leven was well enough to travel back home and after she received a stamp of approval from a local doctor. The trip down had seemed horrid and endless, but the trip back was more pleasant. The camp outs under the stars were the best part of the trip, of course. Once they made it back to the village, it was nearly nightfall and there weren't many people out and about. Most of the people that were out shouted greetings to the Chieftain and his wife.
Leven insisted on stopping at the quarters once occupied by Elder Haka. She had left her few meager belongings there and wanted to pick them up. When they entered the little room where Haka had died, they noticed that the old cot-like bed had been removed and was replaced with a comfy pallet. Leven smiled a little. It reminded her of the pallet she had Ardeth had made on her floor. She looked about the room for things, but couldn't find them. She called out to Mukhtar and he appeared carrying what appeared to be a large, ancient book. It was so old that the pages appeared to be crumbling.
"Ahlan riji, Chieftain, Is-saiyida Leven," Mukhtar said. ["Welcome back, Chieftain, Miss Leven."] "Your quarters are ready for you."
She looked at him with a creased brow. "My quarters," she interjected. "It belongs to you, Mukhtar, you were Elder Haka's apprentice."
He nodded respectfully. "Yes, I was, but you are his damm [blood] successor," he explained.
Leven looked to Ardeth. "Damm?"
"It means blood," he said.
She turned to look at Mukhtar again. "I don't understand. What do you mean I'm his blood successor?"
He smiled. "I know you do not understand. Permit me to explain." When neither Ardeth nor Leven made any comments, Mukhtar continued, "After you left to be wed, I began clearing out Haka's belongings and I found his sacred prayer book. Inside the book was a journal of sorts. Most of it contains different prayer incantations, but some of it gave details of his younger life. The keeper of records and the mystic must be bestowed upon a blood relation. If no blood relation exists, then an apprentice must come in. He wrote of his connection to you. You must take the prayer book, as you are its rightful owner and the owner of these quarters. When you have children, one of them will be chosen for this duty. What you see here," he said sweeping his hand over the pallet and the room, "was done for you and the Chieftain."
Stunned, Leven took the thick, ancient book and carried it over to the pallet. She dropped down onto it and laid the book in her lap. Ardeth went to Leven and sat beside her. Neither of them noticed when Mukhtar left the room. Leven opened the book and saw the ratty, dog-eared journal fashioned out of twine and parchment paper. She was again reminded of the day she read Grandpa Q's idle thoughts after his death. She found a note written in English that was addressed to her. She held it out so that Ardeth could read it with her.
"My Dearest Leven," he wrote, "when I pass onto the afterlife, you will become the keeper of the mystic because you are my Hafîda [granddaughter]. I know you do not understand, but I will explain as best as I can. Your great-great grandmother was a wonderful, brave woman. She was only a bit younger than I when I saw her for the first time. You know of love. This I can see when you speak of your Ardeth. I had the same feeling for Taiyib and she felt the same for me. She had been promised to Elder Zilan, but she only loved me, and I her. We became lovers and Taiyib conceived a child, Sharîk. No one but us knew of this child. One horrible day, a band of marauders came into the village set to destroy it and our people. The leader of the group was a minion of Set and he threatened to curse us and our entire way of life. She was kidnapped and taken into the desert. I cannot say what horrors she suffered at the hands of these men, but when she returned, the marauders never came back. The minion, the leader, was Sharr. I do believe you know of whom I speak. When it became obvious that Taiyib was with child, the village assumed it had resulted due to her assault. Taiyib was so very respected amongst our people for what she did for our people. Although she was tainted, she had also saved us by sacrificing herself to these men. She did not marry and was allowed to be the first and only single mother with status. Elder Zilan did not want her after her assault and I could not shame her further by declaring that I had fathered her child. When she gave birth, I attended. I remained on the fringes, always watchful, always loving. However, I could not be a true father and my heart began to grow cold. It grew colder still when my sweet, sweet Taiyib died.
"Sharîk was eighteen when Taiyib died. By then, she had been promised to marry Qâtil. What she did not know was that she had originally been promised to Ardeth. Yet, Qâtil was very much infatuated with Sharîk. He did not love her, but he wanted her to keep her from the Medjai warrior. Qâtil's family learned of Taiyib's secret and mine. Qâtil's father confronted Taiyib with what he knew and she had no other choice but to relent to his demands. If Taiyib had refused, she would have been driven out, as would I. It was a cowardly move on my part and probably hers as well. I was foolish and I shall pay for that in the afterlife. After Sharîk died, my heart became so much stone and ice. I felt nothing, I knew nothing. I learned of the Chieftain's love for you, and I discovered that he would father a child, a child he would never be allowed to see. I could not allow Ardeth to suffer the same fate as I. My dear Hafîda, I did everything in my power to bring you to your love. I wanted Ardeth to know his child, to see it, to love it. I did not want him to grow cold and bitter. He is truly a man pure of heart and did not deserve such a cruel fate. Since you are my blood, Hafîda, you will carry on the traditions of my bloodline if you wish to take it. If you do not, then it will end. I only hope that you can forgive an old man's foolishness."
Leven read through the letter three times, allowing the words to sink in. She understood the visions, the dreams, and the feelings of precognition. It was in her blood to see and experience these things. The bits and pieces of the last several weeks began to fit together and come full circle. So much pain, so much grief. Every bit of it could have been avoided if they had been allowed to love who they wanted. She felt Ardeth's arm encircling her waist and she leaned into him.
"Are you all right," he asked.
She looked up at him. He was as emotionally wrecked as she, but behind it all, there was great happiness, peace, and relief. "Yes."
"Will you take your rightful place?"
"I will."
He kissed her gently. "I love you."
She smiled a little and returned his kiss. "Will you show me?"
He nodded. "Every day."
"Eternity, my love," she whispered, "Eternity."