1 "Blood of the Hom-dai"
By May It Be
~~ Authors Notes: Sankyou to Everyone as always! I love you people!!! I also wanna say a special thank you to Deana my new Beta reader! I couldn't do this without you! Shukran Sadiqi!!! Well, I said I was gonna try and get more Jonathan into this chapter but that didn't happen since this chapter is mostly about Ardeth ^___^. (hope that makes up for it ^_^) I will put him more in the next chapter anyway, sorry for the mistake! Oh and I'm sorry this one took longer to get posted! I hope that I can write them faster in the future. Anyway, Enjoy!
Oh P.S. Some of this is extremely graphic one way or another. Please don't hurt me!
Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Mummy', 'The Mummy Returns' or any of the characters belonging to them. (Just the bad guys, 'Heneb and Andrahi, Taniif, his brother and other Misc. characters you don't recognize.) So please do not sue me I have no money this is just for twisted entertainment purposes only. However, the idea's and plot for this are solely mine. Do not take them please, ask first if you want them and can do better justice to it.
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Chapter Five…. " Dangerous Dreams."
The Sun was high, softly cresting over the far cliff's and dunes surrounding the Ancient lost city, the sand white and hot reflecting its boiling rays.
It was well into the next morning when the Med-jai and the O'Connell's had finally reached the warriors camp after a full dark night of traveling. The camp site was in a near uproar at their Leader and his groups swift return, each shouting one thing or another, having been informed by the party returning with Asheed's body of their troubles in Cairo. Apparently, their time away had not been uneventful, on either end.
Ardeth hurriedly dismounted his collapsing horse, passing the reins to the first Med-jai to run to their leader with comments of 'I am fine' and "See to the others', then turned and started to walk swiftly towards his tent. "Chief?" One of Taniif's siblings questioned, running quickly up to Ardeth, glancing back at the O'Connell's and the rest of the exhausted group worriedly.
"Prepare a tent for the O'Connell's, and call the elders to a meeting. I shall meet them at the great hall in one hour's time." Ardeth Bay ordered in Arabic, stopping only once in his wide stepped trek to glance back at the others, clutching Asheed's letter in his hand. "Yes sir." The young teen replied, practically running as he tried to match his leaders long strides.
"Has Asheed been returned?" Ardeth questioned then, glancing down at his little companion. He nodded. "Yes, Hadji and Fa'siil arrived with him before dawn, having ridden all day yesterday. They are resting now. Two others- prepared Asheed's body and left not long before you and your party arrived to return him home." The boy replied, looking down sadly. He had known the Curator, he had been a good man. "Good." Ardeth responded, his voice tight hiding all emotion and pain.
"Yes sir, but um, much has happened since your departure-" the little Med- jai paused then, looking nervously up at his chieftain, ringing his hand's in worry. Ardeth nodded, coming to a stop in front of his dwelling. "I must see to my own matters now, I shall be out in a moment. You can inform me of your troubles then." He replied, looking down at his friends little brother and patted him on the shoulder.
The young one's face lit up at the gentle gesture and he nodded swiftly, leaving then to go greet Jonathan, Rick, and Evy and assure himself of his beloved older brother's continued health. 'Children are amazing.' Ardeth thought his lips quirking slightly as he watched the boy hug his brother warmly, then he sighed and turned pushing the opening flap to his large tent aside and entered.
Walking to the far end of the dwelling, he knelt in front of a small wooden table with a washbasin atop it and set it aside.
'Please, let it still be here!' He thought with urgency, pushing the long multicolored rug the table had rested upon away and started to dig carefully through the yellow white sand below. His knuckles soon scrapped against hard cold stone and he swiftly dusted off the rest of the grit revealing a long Egyptian gold marble box. Carefully and as quietly as he could, Ardeth pried the lid off and set it aside looking down at the cloth inside.
Leaning forward, he folded back the purple and blue material revealing a large silver Egyptian book with a long fingered handprint carved out of the center, ancient hieroglyphs surrounding it and the latches on the side. Ardeth released a breath he had not even known he had been holding, and practically collapsed against its hard surface running his fingers mindlessly over the cold gold of the book protectively.
Blessed be, it's still here.
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"Ardeth?" Jonathan asked, lifting the flap to the Med-jai's tent and looked in spying the said Med-jai rearranging a small wooden table atop a beautiful thick rug. Ardeth turned silently and greeted Jonathan with a small smile motioning him in.
"Jonathan, come in. Can I help you with something?" Ardeth questioned in reply, watching the way the other staggered a bit as he walked. "Is your tent suitable?" he asked then, when the other did not respond. He himself had been in his tent for a good twenty minutes that was more than enough time for the Med-jai to erect and furnish a large dwelling for their company.
"Oh yes, it's nice, lovely rugs. How much did they cost you, old boy?" He asked, plopping down on one of the rugs in Ardeth's chamber unable to walk any further. Ardeth held in a smirk and sat more gracefully across from him. "They were all made here, hand woven." He replied slowly, watching Jonathan with a tilted head.
Carnahan was stalling for some reason, and he wasn't as drunk as he appeared either, if even at all.
"Really? I say, I haven't seen one woman yet. Who--" he stopped suddenly, a funny expression crossing his cleanly shaven face, "You mean, you, the men- I say now that's bloody hilarious!" Jonathan suddenly said, bursting out laughing. 'It would be an interesting sight I suppose, the Med-jai, legendary warriors of Ancient Egypt, weaving.' Ardeth thought, though still not buying the Englishman's chit chat as his real purpose for coming here and raised an eyebrow at the slowly sobering man.
Slowly, Carnahan's laughing died down and he gulped watching the silent man in front of him watch him with dark eyes in return. "What is it you really need Jonathan?" Ardeth asked softly, trying to coax him into speaking with out scaring or insulting him. Jonathan swallowed again and rubbed the back of his neck. "A few things actually." He responded, looking at Ardeth expectantly then sighed and continued when he remained silent. "Well, first off, that chap, Taniif I believe, told me to tell you the Elders will not meet you today."
Ardeth tensed then, looking hard at the Englishman. "What? Why?" He asked, hoping something bad had not happened.
Jonathan hid a smile despite himself. "They said you bloody needed to rest and have your wounds taken care of first and even though you are the, um, some blasted word I can't pronounce right now, they are older and wiser and know better, and so are denying you the meeting until you have rested." Jonathan informed the Med-jai leader, a smile breaking on his face at the perplexed look Ardeth was trying to hide.
Ardeth Bay shook his head and ran a hand over his face with a small laugh. "Will they never cease treating me like a child?" He mumbled, smiling anyway. "And?" he asked, looking back towards a still smiling Jonathan. "I wanted also to say I'm sorry again for running into you yesterday like that." Carnahan replied, a faint blush painting his cheeks again. Jonathan was taking it worse than he was. Amusing.
Ardeth chuckled lightly at his friend's embarrassment. "I told you not to worry. It was an accident." He replied, as Jonathan shifted nervously on the rugs in front of him. Quietly he shifted again before he nodded, looking anywhere in the tent but at Ardeth.
"Lastly, I wanted to talk to you about Evy's dream." Jonathan all but whispered, looking up finally to meet the Med-jai's eyes. "What about it? Did you dream it too?" Ardeth asked, tensing at the thought. Jonathan shook his head quickly. "No, no I didn't, I've just been thinking about the bloody thing a lot lately." "What about it?" Ardeth asked immediately afterwards, trying to keep him talking and not show his own worry at the same time.
"Well, what if its true? What if some bloody bastards want to take you away and rip you apart? What are you going to do?" He asked, shifting again to look hard at the darker man in front of him. Ardeth shook his head. "Not likely, no one outside of the Med-jai and yourselves know how to get here for one. And two, no one knows who I am, and would not know who to look for. You should not worry so. I am sure it was just a dream." He replied, leaning forward elbows on his knees.
"Think about it, old boy. You said you were attacked by men in red right, the men in Evy's dream wore red. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?" Jonathan responded, leaning forward as well, his face worried. Ardeth sighed, yes, he had thought of that and had hoped no one else had noticed, apparently someone had.
Why wouldn't Jonathan just button up and believe what he said, he was only trying to ease his worry after all!
"You must remember that one month ago, the creature and that woman's men wore red as well. Perhaps Evelyn's dream is a trick played by her mind. She did after all have a traumatic experience at their hands." Jonathan's face changed at that, contemplating that new thought. "I hadn't thought of that…. But still, how could they both have had the same dream?" Jonathan then asked, almost acting as if he wanted it to be true. "Their dream's were similar, not identical. If two people are connected strong enough they can have similar dream's. It has happened before."
"You sound like you know for sure that its not going to happen." Carnahan then accused, raising an eyebrow at Ardeth. The Med-jai leader shook his head then, folding his hands. "No, I do not know if it will or will not happen. I am just trying to ease your mind from matters that should not worry you so."
Jonathan smiled then despite his worry and unease.
The rest of the conversation had gone smoothly, both actually sharing a friendly laugh here or there, smiling often. They had spent a good hour just talking when Taniif and his brother entered the tent needing to speak with Ardeth before he slept. Jonathan had left patting Ardeth hardily on the back before doing so and smiled to Taniif, who then returned his attention to Ardeth.
The younger and older Med-jai brothers then spent a good ten minutes informing him of what had happened while he and his party were away, and also informed him of the present state of the rest of the party and their guest. Ardeth nodded grimly throughout the conversation remaining silent as he listened. Soon they too left, ordering Ardeth to rest.
Ardeth had laughed at that reminding Taniif that he too had taken the journey and ordered him to rest as well.
Red faced, he had left laughing.
Immediately after Ardeth Bay removed his heavy robes, weapons and boots, rewrapped his injuries carefully, glad to see neither infected… yet… and climbed dutifully into bed. Falling into a deep sleep only moments after his head hit the pillows.
~There was disturbance outside suddenly as the Med-jai king slept.
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~~~~~( "But-" Heneb started, looking sadly into his cousin's dark almost black eyes. "Please trust me cousin." Andrahi replied, holding gently onto his taller sibling, looking him straight in the eye with a warm love glowing in his own.
"Do you trust me?" he then asked when the other had remained silent. "I-" Heneb's mouth opened, his eyebrow's knitting up in confusion and pain. "Yes. Of course I trust you, with my life, but, I worry for you so."
Andrahi smiled sadly, shaking his head at his cousin's protective nature; he was more like a mother hen then a cousin really. "I worry for you as well, dear sibling, and that is why I cannot allow you to do the binding." 'Heneb opened his mouth to retort but the long haired man cut him off shaking his head. "Please just trust me, know that I will not die, if only because you wish it so, and I will return to you and father." Andrahi replied, waiting for the other to reply.
'Heneb studied the shorter man, memorizing everything about him all over again, just in case. Sighing, defeated, he closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright, you win me over. I will obey you and finish my duties here." He responded, wrapping his arm's around the slighter frame as Andrahi pulled him into a sweet hug.
"Thank you, cousin." He whispered before pulling away with a final smile then turned and left.
`Heneb watched his cousin walk away silently, his hand straying to his cheek where he had touched him. He lowered his head and turned to the chaos around him searching out the Med-jai who were dealing with Imhotep. Silently, heaving a deep breath, he made his way over to the group, watching the priest who likewise watched him as he neared.
"The princess wants him prepared and ready within the hour. The' Chosen One' has been ordered to prepare as well, and will be awaiting you once you are done." He stated to the men, watching the one wearing the Anubis mask more closely than the others.
The men nodded in reply. "Who has been chosen 'Heneb?" one of the Med-jai asked, standing next to a tall table of deadly looking instruments. 'Heneb winced and closed his eyes briefly before turning to the man and gave him a hard look. "The Med-jai king's son." He responded his voice going dead as he spoke.
The men were taken aback at the news some actually taking a bodily step away. "I am so sorry 'Heneb! May the heaven's keep him safe, he is dear to us all." The man who had asked replied, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder.
`Heneb nodded. "That is all that can be done now." He replied, looking down at the kneeling man, who was staring disbelievingly up at him. "You mean that pitiful excuse of a MAN will soon have the power that I could not?-" "Hold your tongue deceiver!" `Heneb spat, slapping Imhotep hard across the cheek. "I had felt pity for you before, but now you have my anger." He growled, glaring down at the man.
He had not hated him before, that much was true, he was saddened that the Pharaoh had forbade his love but now, no one insulted his family, high priest or not!
"See to it he is prepared. I must attend to Andrahi and make preparations for the ceremony." `Heneb informed looking back up to the men who all bowed slightly and nodded returning to their work. Silently, the tall Med-jai turned and left the chamber, following the path both the princess and his cousin had tread not long before )~~~~
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My head was pounding.
A finger twitched somewhere, a cold air blowing across my mind or was it my face? I could not decide which, and off in the far distance I thought I heard a voice, the fuzzy sounds only succeeding in causing my head to beat worse. I was numb from the inside out, except for the dull pains I could feel here or there that I couldn't really connect with any real part of my body or memory.
I was sort of floating in a milky haze, not really a part of anything, the dull sensations coming and going too often to leave that long of an impression; Except for the head. The pounding in my mind was steady and hard, sort of a sick parody of a person beating a drum. Nausea would come and go every once in a while and the breeze I thought I felt blew hard and colder at some point covering more of me that I could not really feel.
The main voice had abruptly ceased at sometime or other, the remaining voices soon becoming clearer and more urgent. I know some of them, I think, they sound hazily pained and distressed. What was wrong? What was going on?
Faintly, I felt a finger twitch again, and this time it connected with my mind that it was above my head.
Suddenly that odd, milky hazy vanished and my mind snapped back into its body at the sharp feel of something wickedly penetrating my skin. My head shot up with a pained and confused gasp, vision spinning sickly, trying hard to focus on the form in front of my dark eyes. Something was definitely wrong!
There was a man dressed in red standing there, a man I did and yet did not recognize. He had a blade in his hand and was repeatedly forcing it into the flesh of my chest, forming a faint bloody design.
The rest of the world came into focus then and I noticed about thirty of my missing men, Taniif included, around the room, battered and bruised but alive. Thank Allah. The pain in my chest then began to sharpen as the man continued to carve into it and I refocused my eyes upon him. He did not seem to notice or care that I was awake. It was then that I noticed my arm's were shackled heavily above my head. Oh. That's why he wasn't worried.
I heard a voice, no, two suddenly screaming at the men around me to stop and my head snapped up again, my once again blurry eyes locking onto those of my companion Rick O'Connell's. On impulse, I kicked out at the being in front of me, my bare foot smashing hard into his jaw sending him sprawling towards the stone floor.
I felt my legs being tugged sharply back under me then as I watched helplessly as Rick, and Evy were tackled and pulled back towards the others, they were soon after gagged and shackled. The man stood and wiped at his mouth stalking up to me with anger in his eyes.
He balled up his fist and struck me viciously on the cheek, sending my head to the side and my long hair flying out behind me and over my tense shoulder. That was when I noticed it was longer, hanging almost to my waist and straight as a board as well as my face was smooth and cleanly shaven, hairless like the rest of my form.
How long have I been here?!
Looking down through blurry, watering eyes as the man finished up his cutting into me, I noticed also a multitude of blue tattoos I had not had before. Some now around my ankle's and atop my feet, above my knee's and upon my thigh's as well as a large cluster on my stomach and around my belly button, so many now littering my form as they had been on Med-jai back in ancient times.
Vaguely I did and did not recognize the symbols the man had carved only able to see a few of them from my vantage point, but the book he handled I knew all to well. I realized rather abruptly that he must think that 'I' was the Chosen One! Impossible!
He reaches forward then despite my thoughts and places his free hand upon my bloodied chest, rubbing into it fiercely, bloodying his hand thoroughly before removing it. I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning in pain at the stinging in the fresh wounds that simple contact had caused, watching wide eyed as he placed his dripping hand firmly into the too long and too thin handprint lock upon the Book's silver cover. And, to my horror, the book unlocked!
The man looked up and smirked in triumph at me as he stepped back, motioning two of his men forward. The first of the two picked up two blades from a table next to his leader and moved in front of me, while the other moved behind me, spooning up against my back, wrapping one arm about my waist and the other about my neck.
These men are insane!!
The man in front of me then moved closer, having tucked one blade into his belt and raised the other spoon-like one to my face. I tensed even more then as he slowly pressed into the flesh of my eye just next to my nose and I bit back a scream as the thing scraped against the bone digging deep. I did scream, however, as he gave it a vicious push and twist digging into the very back of my eye socket and I lost the sight from my right side.
I could feel so clearly the blade as it severed each cord and muscle that had connected the eye tissue to that behind it and the hot feel of blood and the milky liquid from inside the eye ball seeping disgustingly down my face as he scraped the rest of the gore out of my head.
I held back vomit at the feel of my mutilated eyelid hanging limply and torn almost completely off against my cheek bone. The soldier in red turned then clearing my one sided vision for a moment and I looked straight at the O'Connell's, my good friends, biting back the need to vomit again.
Evy wretched forward and heaved herself into the black gag about her mouth, some of the wet bits leaking out around the cloth and onto the floor while the rest fought its way back down her throat nearly choking her. The guard positioned behind her took note of her distress and pulled her gag down which she responded to by promptly vomiting again. Then the man was back again brandishing the now empty blade, pushing into my other eye.
Again, I screamed as it ripped in, twisted, then dug out, taking with it the last of my sight and will. Soon after that, being unaware of my surroundings now, I felt a hand push its way into my mouth and my tongue pulled out harshly, then I felt it severed sharply at the base, my bottom teeth being scraped and lip nearly being taken off as well.
But, I was way past fighting now.
The pain was unimaginable, like nothing I had ever felt before.
I have known pain, so much so its almost hard to remember it all. I've been shot, stabbed, whipped, beaten, had broken bones, and third degree burns and yet none of those compared to all this burning pain, for some reason.
I heard the chanting man then fuzzily in front of me, his voice getting slightly louder as he tapered off the chant, the cold of something sharp poking slightly into my left chest area as the man behind me released and moved away. Underneath all the pain, I was relieved he had finally let go.
I felt a wind kick and tear at my small waistcloth and hair and a thick smoke filled my lungs along with the blood from my severed appendage, making it even harder to breath. The chant became louder and louder and louder until suddenly it stopped and the room fell dead silent.
Instantly I heard a sharp pained screamed followed soon by dozens more and realized it was my own and the rest of the Med-jai, a pounding aching banging ringing through my skull like something was squeezing it in a monstrous grip and something else was beating from the inside trying to get out.
Then without warning my scream stopped, gurgled for a moment in my throat, then fell silent as a blade sheathed itself through my heart and everything went dead.
Or rather, I did.
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Ardeth gasped as he shot up abruptly in bed, his eyes shooting wide as sweat dripped from his face. THAT DREAM-?!--
"Ardeth!!!!"
Suddenly a deep bang rang out through the tent and something small and burning impacted roughly with the left side of his chest ripping a startled yell from his dry throat. With a choked off confused breath he was thrown back against his bed roll, his head pillowed against his feather filled cushion's as blood oozed steadily down his bare chest and onto the thick blankets. His body was shaking as he looked up through wide shocked eyes looking for the source of the shot.
Ardeth's eyes connected to the barrel of a still smocking gun then traveled up the arm and to the face, starring, with a choking gasp at the man from his dream. How was this possible? How'd they get here? Wait…D-Didn't they need him alive? "We've got it sir." A man to Ardeth's left said in Egyptian moving up to his leader holding the large silver book; the third book of Egypt. "Good. Now take the others and kill the remaining Med-jai. We have all we need." The leader growled looking mockingly down at Ardeth.
The man nodded, putting the large book under his arm and relayed the orders to the rest of the red robed men in the tent and yelled it to the men outside that Ardeth could not see. 'Oh Allah, my people!!' Ardeth bit back another scream, his left hand fisting in the blankets while the other tried to smother the blood flow.
The man lowered his gun and knelt next to the Med-jai leader on the ground, watching him struggle to live for a moment before he laughed and spoke. "Oh how the mighty have fallen, great leader… Being their Chieftain, I know I should have kept you alive, making you watch ever single one of their deaths but..." the man grinned then, glancing to his right and two men holding tightly onto a tearful Taniif.
"I am not a patient man. Mmm, and it was sweet watching you suffer in your sleep, you were so far gone you didn't even hear the battle, oh and it was a good one too. I slit the throats of your foreign friends personally." The man smiled in sweet pleasure, closing his eyes momentarily as he drug his finger slowly across his own neck in a mocking gesture of death.
Ardeth choked again, his eyebrows knitting up in pain as blood slowly gurgled its way up his throat in into his mouth. "A-Ardeth! Laa!!!" His wide eyes darted to Taniif quickly at the sound of his voice, watching the pain and loss flitting across the older Med-jai's handsome but bruised face.
"Ah you found your friend I see. Yes, I was quite surprised when I discovered that he is the reincarnation of the Chosen One." Ardeth's eyes snapped painfully back towards the smug man, who was watching his every movement with a grin.
"Yes indeed. I was convinced it was you at first, but it seems I was wrong. Oh well, at least I got to kill you anyway." The man laughed, patting Ardeth's cheek, which caused the collecting blood in his mouth to spurt out and spill over his pale lips and chin. The leader of the enemy laughed harder at that then stood motioning his men out.
"Ardeth! No! Ardeth, ARDETH!!!" Taniif screamed as the three men together drug him out of his leaders tent his eyes locking onto his dying friend for as long as they could. 'Taniif, O'Connell.. my people… No..' Ardeth thought his body jerking in shock, spurting more blood onto his face and chest, a steady ribbon now slithering its way out of his nose as well.
'By Allah, nooo-oo…'
Ardeth's eyes rolled up into his head and his form went slack upon his blood soaked bed.
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TBC!
Mwhahahahahhahaaaaaaa!! Hehe nasty little bugger aren't I? *grins*
PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, and come back for more!! Don't let this chapter stop you from reading!! PLEASEEEEEEEE!!!! I know it was weird but PLEASE come back and read more I promise a lots still to come this ISN'T the end ok!?
Anyway, SEE I made it longer! Aren't you proud? ^_^ Anywho, like I said there's a lot still to come, the plot is just getting going so buckle your seatbelts baby! Lol yeah, well, hopefully I can get John-John in the next one more. I really like John Hannah he's so funny! And It was hard just getting him in this chapter! That boy's so complex! (not to say that Ardeth isn't! Grrr..) Oh well, hopefully your all still with me! ^_^ Sankyou again for reading and come back for more!
(Lol reviews are welcome of course!)
Shukran!
By May It Be
~~ Authors Notes: Sankyou to Everyone as always! I love you people!!! I also wanna say a special thank you to Deana my new Beta reader! I couldn't do this without you! Shukran Sadiqi!!! Well, I said I was gonna try and get more Jonathan into this chapter but that didn't happen since this chapter is mostly about Ardeth ^___^. (hope that makes up for it ^_^) I will put him more in the next chapter anyway, sorry for the mistake! Oh and I'm sorry this one took longer to get posted! I hope that I can write them faster in the future. Anyway, Enjoy!
Oh P.S. Some of this is extremely graphic one way or another. Please don't hurt me!
Disclaimer: I do not own 'The Mummy', 'The Mummy Returns' or any of the characters belonging to them. (Just the bad guys, 'Heneb and Andrahi, Taniif, his brother and other Misc. characters you don't recognize.) So please do not sue me I have no money this is just for twisted entertainment purposes only. However, the idea's and plot for this are solely mine. Do not take them please, ask first if you want them and can do better justice to it.
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Chapter Five…. " Dangerous Dreams."
The Sun was high, softly cresting over the far cliff's and dunes surrounding the Ancient lost city, the sand white and hot reflecting its boiling rays.
It was well into the next morning when the Med-jai and the O'Connell's had finally reached the warriors camp after a full dark night of traveling. The camp site was in a near uproar at their Leader and his groups swift return, each shouting one thing or another, having been informed by the party returning with Asheed's body of their troubles in Cairo. Apparently, their time away had not been uneventful, on either end.
Ardeth hurriedly dismounted his collapsing horse, passing the reins to the first Med-jai to run to their leader with comments of 'I am fine' and "See to the others', then turned and started to walk swiftly towards his tent. "Chief?" One of Taniif's siblings questioned, running quickly up to Ardeth, glancing back at the O'Connell's and the rest of the exhausted group worriedly.
"Prepare a tent for the O'Connell's, and call the elders to a meeting. I shall meet them at the great hall in one hour's time." Ardeth Bay ordered in Arabic, stopping only once in his wide stepped trek to glance back at the others, clutching Asheed's letter in his hand. "Yes sir." The young teen replied, practically running as he tried to match his leaders long strides.
"Has Asheed been returned?" Ardeth questioned then, glancing down at his little companion. He nodded. "Yes, Hadji and Fa'siil arrived with him before dawn, having ridden all day yesterday. They are resting now. Two others- prepared Asheed's body and left not long before you and your party arrived to return him home." The boy replied, looking down sadly. He had known the Curator, he had been a good man. "Good." Ardeth responded, his voice tight hiding all emotion and pain.
"Yes sir, but um, much has happened since your departure-" the little Med- jai paused then, looking nervously up at his chieftain, ringing his hand's in worry. Ardeth nodded, coming to a stop in front of his dwelling. "I must see to my own matters now, I shall be out in a moment. You can inform me of your troubles then." He replied, looking down at his friends little brother and patted him on the shoulder.
The young one's face lit up at the gentle gesture and he nodded swiftly, leaving then to go greet Jonathan, Rick, and Evy and assure himself of his beloved older brother's continued health. 'Children are amazing.' Ardeth thought his lips quirking slightly as he watched the boy hug his brother warmly, then he sighed and turned pushing the opening flap to his large tent aside and entered.
Walking to the far end of the dwelling, he knelt in front of a small wooden table with a washbasin atop it and set it aside.
'Please, let it still be here!' He thought with urgency, pushing the long multicolored rug the table had rested upon away and started to dig carefully through the yellow white sand below. His knuckles soon scrapped against hard cold stone and he swiftly dusted off the rest of the grit revealing a long Egyptian gold marble box. Carefully and as quietly as he could, Ardeth pried the lid off and set it aside looking down at the cloth inside.
Leaning forward, he folded back the purple and blue material revealing a large silver Egyptian book with a long fingered handprint carved out of the center, ancient hieroglyphs surrounding it and the latches on the side. Ardeth released a breath he had not even known he had been holding, and practically collapsed against its hard surface running his fingers mindlessly over the cold gold of the book protectively.
Blessed be, it's still here.
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"Ardeth?" Jonathan asked, lifting the flap to the Med-jai's tent and looked in spying the said Med-jai rearranging a small wooden table atop a beautiful thick rug. Ardeth turned silently and greeted Jonathan with a small smile motioning him in.
"Jonathan, come in. Can I help you with something?" Ardeth questioned in reply, watching the way the other staggered a bit as he walked. "Is your tent suitable?" he asked then, when the other did not respond. He himself had been in his tent for a good twenty minutes that was more than enough time for the Med-jai to erect and furnish a large dwelling for their company.
"Oh yes, it's nice, lovely rugs. How much did they cost you, old boy?" He asked, plopping down on one of the rugs in Ardeth's chamber unable to walk any further. Ardeth held in a smirk and sat more gracefully across from him. "They were all made here, hand woven." He replied slowly, watching Jonathan with a tilted head.
Carnahan was stalling for some reason, and he wasn't as drunk as he appeared either, if even at all.
"Really? I say, I haven't seen one woman yet. Who--" he stopped suddenly, a funny expression crossing his cleanly shaven face, "You mean, you, the men- I say now that's bloody hilarious!" Jonathan suddenly said, bursting out laughing. 'It would be an interesting sight I suppose, the Med-jai, legendary warriors of Ancient Egypt, weaving.' Ardeth thought, though still not buying the Englishman's chit chat as his real purpose for coming here and raised an eyebrow at the slowly sobering man.
Slowly, Carnahan's laughing died down and he gulped watching the silent man in front of him watch him with dark eyes in return. "What is it you really need Jonathan?" Ardeth asked softly, trying to coax him into speaking with out scaring or insulting him. Jonathan swallowed again and rubbed the back of his neck. "A few things actually." He responded, looking at Ardeth expectantly then sighed and continued when he remained silent. "Well, first off, that chap, Taniif I believe, told me to tell you the Elders will not meet you today."
Ardeth tensed then, looking hard at the Englishman. "What? Why?" He asked, hoping something bad had not happened.
Jonathan hid a smile despite himself. "They said you bloody needed to rest and have your wounds taken care of first and even though you are the, um, some blasted word I can't pronounce right now, they are older and wiser and know better, and so are denying you the meeting until you have rested." Jonathan informed the Med-jai leader, a smile breaking on his face at the perplexed look Ardeth was trying to hide.
Ardeth Bay shook his head and ran a hand over his face with a small laugh. "Will they never cease treating me like a child?" He mumbled, smiling anyway. "And?" he asked, looking back towards a still smiling Jonathan. "I wanted also to say I'm sorry again for running into you yesterday like that." Carnahan replied, a faint blush painting his cheeks again. Jonathan was taking it worse than he was. Amusing.
Ardeth chuckled lightly at his friend's embarrassment. "I told you not to worry. It was an accident." He replied, as Jonathan shifted nervously on the rugs in front of him. Quietly he shifted again before he nodded, looking anywhere in the tent but at Ardeth.
"Lastly, I wanted to talk to you about Evy's dream." Jonathan all but whispered, looking up finally to meet the Med-jai's eyes. "What about it? Did you dream it too?" Ardeth asked, tensing at the thought. Jonathan shook his head quickly. "No, no I didn't, I've just been thinking about the bloody thing a lot lately." "What about it?" Ardeth asked immediately afterwards, trying to keep him talking and not show his own worry at the same time.
"Well, what if its true? What if some bloody bastards want to take you away and rip you apart? What are you going to do?" He asked, shifting again to look hard at the darker man in front of him. Ardeth shook his head. "Not likely, no one outside of the Med-jai and yourselves know how to get here for one. And two, no one knows who I am, and would not know who to look for. You should not worry so. I am sure it was just a dream." He replied, leaning forward elbows on his knees.
"Think about it, old boy. You said you were attacked by men in red right, the men in Evy's dream wore red. Doesn't that seem a bit odd?" Jonathan responded, leaning forward as well, his face worried. Ardeth sighed, yes, he had thought of that and had hoped no one else had noticed, apparently someone had.
Why wouldn't Jonathan just button up and believe what he said, he was only trying to ease his worry after all!
"You must remember that one month ago, the creature and that woman's men wore red as well. Perhaps Evelyn's dream is a trick played by her mind. She did after all have a traumatic experience at their hands." Jonathan's face changed at that, contemplating that new thought. "I hadn't thought of that…. But still, how could they both have had the same dream?" Jonathan then asked, almost acting as if he wanted it to be true. "Their dream's were similar, not identical. If two people are connected strong enough they can have similar dream's. It has happened before."
"You sound like you know for sure that its not going to happen." Carnahan then accused, raising an eyebrow at Ardeth. The Med-jai leader shook his head then, folding his hands. "No, I do not know if it will or will not happen. I am just trying to ease your mind from matters that should not worry you so."
Jonathan smiled then despite his worry and unease.
The rest of the conversation had gone smoothly, both actually sharing a friendly laugh here or there, smiling often. They had spent a good hour just talking when Taniif and his brother entered the tent needing to speak with Ardeth before he slept. Jonathan had left patting Ardeth hardily on the back before doing so and smiled to Taniif, who then returned his attention to Ardeth.
The younger and older Med-jai brothers then spent a good ten minutes informing him of what had happened while he and his party were away, and also informed him of the present state of the rest of the party and their guest. Ardeth nodded grimly throughout the conversation remaining silent as he listened. Soon they too left, ordering Ardeth to rest.
Ardeth had laughed at that reminding Taniif that he too had taken the journey and ordered him to rest as well.
Red faced, he had left laughing.
Immediately after Ardeth Bay removed his heavy robes, weapons and boots, rewrapped his injuries carefully, glad to see neither infected… yet… and climbed dutifully into bed. Falling into a deep sleep only moments after his head hit the pillows.
~There was disturbance outside suddenly as the Med-jai king slept.
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~~~~~( "But-" Heneb started, looking sadly into his cousin's dark almost black eyes. "Please trust me cousin." Andrahi replied, holding gently onto his taller sibling, looking him straight in the eye with a warm love glowing in his own.
"Do you trust me?" he then asked when the other had remained silent. "I-" Heneb's mouth opened, his eyebrow's knitting up in confusion and pain. "Yes. Of course I trust you, with my life, but, I worry for you so."
Andrahi smiled sadly, shaking his head at his cousin's protective nature; he was more like a mother hen then a cousin really. "I worry for you as well, dear sibling, and that is why I cannot allow you to do the binding." 'Heneb opened his mouth to retort but the long haired man cut him off shaking his head. "Please just trust me, know that I will not die, if only because you wish it so, and I will return to you and father." Andrahi replied, waiting for the other to reply.
'Heneb studied the shorter man, memorizing everything about him all over again, just in case. Sighing, defeated, he closed his eyes and nodded. "Alright, you win me over. I will obey you and finish my duties here." He responded, wrapping his arm's around the slighter frame as Andrahi pulled him into a sweet hug.
"Thank you, cousin." He whispered before pulling away with a final smile then turned and left.
`Heneb watched his cousin walk away silently, his hand straying to his cheek where he had touched him. He lowered his head and turned to the chaos around him searching out the Med-jai who were dealing with Imhotep. Silently, heaving a deep breath, he made his way over to the group, watching the priest who likewise watched him as he neared.
"The princess wants him prepared and ready within the hour. The' Chosen One' has been ordered to prepare as well, and will be awaiting you once you are done." He stated to the men, watching the one wearing the Anubis mask more closely than the others.
The men nodded in reply. "Who has been chosen 'Heneb?" one of the Med-jai asked, standing next to a tall table of deadly looking instruments. 'Heneb winced and closed his eyes briefly before turning to the man and gave him a hard look. "The Med-jai king's son." He responded his voice going dead as he spoke.
The men were taken aback at the news some actually taking a bodily step away. "I am so sorry 'Heneb! May the heaven's keep him safe, he is dear to us all." The man who had asked replied, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder.
`Heneb nodded. "That is all that can be done now." He replied, looking down at the kneeling man, who was staring disbelievingly up at him. "You mean that pitiful excuse of a MAN will soon have the power that I could not?-" "Hold your tongue deceiver!" `Heneb spat, slapping Imhotep hard across the cheek. "I had felt pity for you before, but now you have my anger." He growled, glaring down at the man.
He had not hated him before, that much was true, he was saddened that the Pharaoh had forbade his love but now, no one insulted his family, high priest or not!
"See to it he is prepared. I must attend to Andrahi and make preparations for the ceremony." `Heneb informed looking back up to the men who all bowed slightly and nodded returning to their work. Silently, the tall Med-jai turned and left the chamber, following the path both the princess and his cousin had tread not long before )~~~~
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My head was pounding.
A finger twitched somewhere, a cold air blowing across my mind or was it my face? I could not decide which, and off in the far distance I thought I heard a voice, the fuzzy sounds only succeeding in causing my head to beat worse. I was numb from the inside out, except for the dull pains I could feel here or there that I couldn't really connect with any real part of my body or memory.
I was sort of floating in a milky haze, not really a part of anything, the dull sensations coming and going too often to leave that long of an impression; Except for the head. The pounding in my mind was steady and hard, sort of a sick parody of a person beating a drum. Nausea would come and go every once in a while and the breeze I thought I felt blew hard and colder at some point covering more of me that I could not really feel.
The main voice had abruptly ceased at sometime or other, the remaining voices soon becoming clearer and more urgent. I know some of them, I think, they sound hazily pained and distressed. What was wrong? What was going on?
Faintly, I felt a finger twitch again, and this time it connected with my mind that it was above my head.
Suddenly that odd, milky hazy vanished and my mind snapped back into its body at the sharp feel of something wickedly penetrating my skin. My head shot up with a pained and confused gasp, vision spinning sickly, trying hard to focus on the form in front of my dark eyes. Something was definitely wrong!
There was a man dressed in red standing there, a man I did and yet did not recognize. He had a blade in his hand and was repeatedly forcing it into the flesh of my chest, forming a faint bloody design.
The rest of the world came into focus then and I noticed about thirty of my missing men, Taniif included, around the room, battered and bruised but alive. Thank Allah. The pain in my chest then began to sharpen as the man continued to carve into it and I refocused my eyes upon him. He did not seem to notice or care that I was awake. It was then that I noticed my arm's were shackled heavily above my head. Oh. That's why he wasn't worried.
I heard a voice, no, two suddenly screaming at the men around me to stop and my head snapped up again, my once again blurry eyes locking onto those of my companion Rick O'Connell's. On impulse, I kicked out at the being in front of me, my bare foot smashing hard into his jaw sending him sprawling towards the stone floor.
I felt my legs being tugged sharply back under me then as I watched helplessly as Rick, and Evy were tackled and pulled back towards the others, they were soon after gagged and shackled. The man stood and wiped at his mouth stalking up to me with anger in his eyes.
He balled up his fist and struck me viciously on the cheek, sending my head to the side and my long hair flying out behind me and over my tense shoulder. That was when I noticed it was longer, hanging almost to my waist and straight as a board as well as my face was smooth and cleanly shaven, hairless like the rest of my form.
How long have I been here?!
Looking down through blurry, watering eyes as the man finished up his cutting into me, I noticed also a multitude of blue tattoos I had not had before. Some now around my ankle's and atop my feet, above my knee's and upon my thigh's as well as a large cluster on my stomach and around my belly button, so many now littering my form as they had been on Med-jai back in ancient times.
Vaguely I did and did not recognize the symbols the man had carved only able to see a few of them from my vantage point, but the book he handled I knew all to well. I realized rather abruptly that he must think that 'I' was the Chosen One! Impossible!
He reaches forward then despite my thoughts and places his free hand upon my bloodied chest, rubbing into it fiercely, bloodying his hand thoroughly before removing it. I had to bite my tongue to keep from moaning in pain at the stinging in the fresh wounds that simple contact had caused, watching wide eyed as he placed his dripping hand firmly into the too long and too thin handprint lock upon the Book's silver cover. And, to my horror, the book unlocked!
The man looked up and smirked in triumph at me as he stepped back, motioning two of his men forward. The first of the two picked up two blades from a table next to his leader and moved in front of me, while the other moved behind me, spooning up against my back, wrapping one arm about my waist and the other about my neck.
These men are insane!!
The man in front of me then moved closer, having tucked one blade into his belt and raised the other spoon-like one to my face. I tensed even more then as he slowly pressed into the flesh of my eye just next to my nose and I bit back a scream as the thing scraped against the bone digging deep. I did scream, however, as he gave it a vicious push and twist digging into the very back of my eye socket and I lost the sight from my right side.
I could feel so clearly the blade as it severed each cord and muscle that had connected the eye tissue to that behind it and the hot feel of blood and the milky liquid from inside the eye ball seeping disgustingly down my face as he scraped the rest of the gore out of my head.
I held back vomit at the feel of my mutilated eyelid hanging limply and torn almost completely off against my cheek bone. The soldier in red turned then clearing my one sided vision for a moment and I looked straight at the O'Connell's, my good friends, biting back the need to vomit again.
Evy wretched forward and heaved herself into the black gag about her mouth, some of the wet bits leaking out around the cloth and onto the floor while the rest fought its way back down her throat nearly choking her. The guard positioned behind her took note of her distress and pulled her gag down which she responded to by promptly vomiting again. Then the man was back again brandishing the now empty blade, pushing into my other eye.
Again, I screamed as it ripped in, twisted, then dug out, taking with it the last of my sight and will. Soon after that, being unaware of my surroundings now, I felt a hand push its way into my mouth and my tongue pulled out harshly, then I felt it severed sharply at the base, my bottom teeth being scraped and lip nearly being taken off as well.
But, I was way past fighting now.
The pain was unimaginable, like nothing I had ever felt before.
I have known pain, so much so its almost hard to remember it all. I've been shot, stabbed, whipped, beaten, had broken bones, and third degree burns and yet none of those compared to all this burning pain, for some reason.
I heard the chanting man then fuzzily in front of me, his voice getting slightly louder as he tapered off the chant, the cold of something sharp poking slightly into my left chest area as the man behind me released and moved away. Underneath all the pain, I was relieved he had finally let go.
I felt a wind kick and tear at my small waistcloth and hair and a thick smoke filled my lungs along with the blood from my severed appendage, making it even harder to breath. The chant became louder and louder and louder until suddenly it stopped and the room fell dead silent.
Instantly I heard a sharp pained screamed followed soon by dozens more and realized it was my own and the rest of the Med-jai, a pounding aching banging ringing through my skull like something was squeezing it in a monstrous grip and something else was beating from the inside trying to get out.
Then without warning my scream stopped, gurgled for a moment in my throat, then fell silent as a blade sheathed itself through my heart and everything went dead.
Or rather, I did.
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Ardeth gasped as he shot up abruptly in bed, his eyes shooting wide as sweat dripped from his face. THAT DREAM-?!--
"Ardeth!!!!"
Suddenly a deep bang rang out through the tent and something small and burning impacted roughly with the left side of his chest ripping a startled yell from his dry throat. With a choked off confused breath he was thrown back against his bed roll, his head pillowed against his feather filled cushion's as blood oozed steadily down his bare chest and onto the thick blankets. His body was shaking as he looked up through wide shocked eyes looking for the source of the shot.
Ardeth's eyes connected to the barrel of a still smocking gun then traveled up the arm and to the face, starring, with a choking gasp at the man from his dream. How was this possible? How'd they get here? Wait…D-Didn't they need him alive? "We've got it sir." A man to Ardeth's left said in Egyptian moving up to his leader holding the large silver book; the third book of Egypt. "Good. Now take the others and kill the remaining Med-jai. We have all we need." The leader growled looking mockingly down at Ardeth.
The man nodded, putting the large book under his arm and relayed the orders to the rest of the red robed men in the tent and yelled it to the men outside that Ardeth could not see. 'Oh Allah, my people!!' Ardeth bit back another scream, his left hand fisting in the blankets while the other tried to smother the blood flow.
The man lowered his gun and knelt next to the Med-jai leader on the ground, watching him struggle to live for a moment before he laughed and spoke. "Oh how the mighty have fallen, great leader… Being their Chieftain, I know I should have kept you alive, making you watch ever single one of their deaths but..." the man grinned then, glancing to his right and two men holding tightly onto a tearful Taniif.
"I am not a patient man. Mmm, and it was sweet watching you suffer in your sleep, you were so far gone you didn't even hear the battle, oh and it was a good one too. I slit the throats of your foreign friends personally." The man smiled in sweet pleasure, closing his eyes momentarily as he drug his finger slowly across his own neck in a mocking gesture of death.
Ardeth choked again, his eyebrows knitting up in pain as blood slowly gurgled its way up his throat in into his mouth. "A-Ardeth! Laa!!!" His wide eyes darted to Taniif quickly at the sound of his voice, watching the pain and loss flitting across the older Med-jai's handsome but bruised face.
"Ah you found your friend I see. Yes, I was quite surprised when I discovered that he is the reincarnation of the Chosen One." Ardeth's eyes snapped painfully back towards the smug man, who was watching his every movement with a grin.
"Yes indeed. I was convinced it was you at first, but it seems I was wrong. Oh well, at least I got to kill you anyway." The man laughed, patting Ardeth's cheek, which caused the collecting blood in his mouth to spurt out and spill over his pale lips and chin. The leader of the enemy laughed harder at that then stood motioning his men out.
"Ardeth! No! Ardeth, ARDETH!!!" Taniif screamed as the three men together drug him out of his leaders tent his eyes locking onto his dying friend for as long as they could. 'Taniif, O'Connell.. my people… No..' Ardeth thought his body jerking in shock, spurting more blood onto his face and chest, a steady ribbon now slithering its way out of his nose as well.
'By Allah, nooo-oo…'
Ardeth's eyes rolled up into his head and his form went slack upon his blood soaked bed.
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TBC!
Mwhahahahahhahaaaaaaa!! Hehe nasty little bugger aren't I? *grins*
PLEASE DON'T HATE ME, and come back for more!! Don't let this chapter stop you from reading!! PLEASEEEEEEEE!!!! I know it was weird but PLEASE come back and read more I promise a lots still to come this ISN'T the end ok!?
Anyway, SEE I made it longer! Aren't you proud? ^_^ Anywho, like I said there's a lot still to come, the plot is just getting going so buckle your seatbelts baby! Lol yeah, well, hopefully I can get John-John in the next one more. I really like John Hannah he's so funny! And It was hard just getting him in this chapter! That boy's so complex! (not to say that Ardeth isn't! Grrr..) Oh well, hopefully your all still with me! ^_^ Sankyou again for reading and come back for more!
(Lol reviews are welcome of course!)
Shukran!