WAKING THE DEAD
When Ardeth declared he was dead to Laurel, he wasn't kidding. It seemed as if [and she didn't doubt this] he had a lookout informing him of each and every visit she made. If there was some type of unintentional contact, he slipped past her as he would any other stranger he encountered. Yet he isn't dead to strangers, is he? Only to you. It hurt and she had spent an entire day crying her eyes out, refusing contact with either of her parents. It wasn't just the words that hurt, it was the pain of knowing he believed two liars before her. He told her he loved her, but listened to someone else, believed someone else. If he had thought something like that of her, then he didn't think so highly of her anyway. It's back to the oasis. 'Oh, I love you, but I must leave you.' Now it was 'I love you, but I'd believe slimy bastards before I would believe you.' As Ardeth had thought before her, it didn't matter. He was set to marry her friend regardless of what anyone told him. What did it matter how he felt about her anymore? Had she thought she would have him anyway? Had she? It hurt. It hurt so much. She knew she should stay away from the village, but she couldn't. At this point, she wasn't certain her interest was seeing Waqi anymore, and she hated herself for that. She longed to talk to Ardeth, to convince him otherwise. The thought of his hating her so was one she could hardly deal with. However, her anger countered it at every step, goading her, reminding her that it was Tehotu he believed…Tehotu…a man who wanted to push her to marry a murderer. Had Reginald had time to tell her stepfather his suspicions? Something didn't sound right about that. Reginald hadn't told Tehotu anything. How had he known? Tarita wouldn't have said a word. Her diary? Was that it? The last person to have it, of course, was Reginald. Had Tehotu somehow found the diary in his belongings? Had he read it and made his own assumptions as Reginald? Her diary. Her bloody damn diary. It had hurt her more than anything ever had.
Breaking out of her thoughtful reverie, Laurel stood and brushed the sand off her legs. They were quickly growing numb. She had been sitting on them a good half-hour, if not longer, helping Waqi scrub clothes. She absolutely didn't know how the girl did it. She did most of the work for her entire family. How in the hell did she hold out? Waqi looked up at her friend briefly before she went back to scrubbing like a woman possessed by a cleaning demon.
"I'm a big baby," Laurel began. "I thought my legs were going to fall off."
"Some can sit for hours, but others cannot. I suppose I am one of the fortunate souls who can," she said with a wry smile. "I do not know why these endless chores of mine fascinate you so."
Laurel sat down again and crossed her legs before her. "I was never taught how to appreciate true work. I think I'm simply tired of being a spoiled brat. Egypt is very different from England."
"I would not know," Waqi said, "I have never been outside this village. It is all I know."
Laurel was about to open her mouth and reply, but she saw Ardeth. The words immediately dried up as if she had thrown a cup of sand down her throat. Her body tensed abruptly. He knew she was there, he could see her as plainly as she him. However, she didn't want to look at him, especially not now, in front of her friend. Waqi stopped for a moment and ran the back of her hand over her brow. She glanced at Laurel sideways, wondering why she had suddenly decided to stop speaking. Another turn of Waqi's head gave her a good view of the Chieftain. Laurel had the same view. He was standing a good distance from the women. She noticed that Laurel was fine until Ardeth became visible. Actually, she had noticed that Laurel did that often whenever the Chieftain was around. At first, Waqi assumed that her friend was frightened. Ardeth Bay was like his father and his father before him. They were silent, stoic figures, and could appear menacing. Yet, anyone who truly knew the family would understand that they weren't as lethal as they appeared. When Waqi thought about it after a few times of witnessing Laurel's behavior, she realized that it wasn't exactly fear she saw in the other woman's eyes. It was something else, a myriad of emotions. The emotion most prevalent seemed to be reproach. She hadn't ever witnessed the Chieftain interacting with her or exchanging looks, not until today. Ardeth turned his head toward Laurel, affording a very long and intense look. If she had been closer, perhaps Waqi could have seen the emotions in the Chieftain's eyes. When Ardeth noticed that his behavior was being observed, he quickly diverted his eyes.
"Laurel? Are you all right," Waqi asked.
Little by little, the tension unwound in her body. Waqi's voice had called her back to reality. She couldn't allow her friend to see her flipping her lid over her fiancé. She nodded as she ran her hand over the nape of her neck. She had long ago given up trying to wear it down in this heat. "Yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry. My mind drifted away for a second."
"Have you ever met our Chieftain," Waqi asked.
The question was sudden and unexpected. Laurel looked up and into Waqi's dark eyes. She was such a wonderful friend, a dark beauty with a gentle nature. It was wrong of her to love Ardeth so much. He was practically Waqi's husband. She felt sick and upset. She should have left right then, but she didn't. "No," she said, "I haven't. My father has."
Waqi picked up another garment and began scrubbing it furiously against her washboard. It was obvious in her voice that the other woman was being less than truthful. She was tempted to say more, but she wasn't sure how she should proceed. "Ah yes," she said, "He has. Perhaps you should meet him, he is a very learned man."
She began to panic and listened to her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Waqi wanted her to meet Ardeth? What was she thinking? She shuddered to think what his reaction would be if Waqi waltzed up to him and introduced her 'friend.' Yes…this is my friend, Laurel. What was that? You know her already? How is that? Oh? You were lovers you say? How nice. I suppose introductions aren't quite necessary. "No, that's okay, Waqi," she said, "I'm sure he has other matters to tend to, and I don't want to take him away from them."
Waqi looked up and smiled a little. "Very well. Maybe later?"
Laurel nodded. "Yes, later." Lots later. Perhaps never? Haven't you heard? He is dead to me now. "Let me help," she said as she grabbed a washed item and began to wring it out. Let's drop the subject of Ardeth. Please don't mention his name again. I don't want to see him. I don't know if I would cry or shout.
* * *
Tehotu and Bishop had chosen a campsite close to the village. They had watched the traffic between the village and Robinson's home, hoping to catch the warrior alone and vulnerable. The only time he was alone, both of them had been sleeping and completely unaware. However, they watched as Laurel rode out toward the village just after sunrise. Tehotu insisted on riding closer to the home. He wasn't sure what drew his interest. He felt nothing but contempt for Bartholomew Robinson. His wife never made it any secret that she still longed for and loved the man. She doted on his daughter over their boys. He watched, amazed, as Tarita strolled casually out of the house. His wife. Cheating. How dare she do this to him. The anger intensified as he watched Robinson walk out behind her. His blood pressure skyrocketed when the other man wrapped his arms around Tarita from behind. His focus left the Chieftain and focused on his wife. She was apparently a whore like her daughter.
Tehotu rode back toward where Bishop was acting as lookout. "My wife is with Laurel's father. Before you touch the warrior, deal with my wife. I will not have her whoring around, making me look like a fool."
* * *
It was nearly dusk and Laurel was preparing to leave. She didn't like riding back home in the dark, but she had gotten caught up in Waqi's chores. The girl had offered her a bed for the night, but she absolutely balked. There was no way in hell that she would spend the night so close to Ardeth Bay. Oddly, the instant she had that stray thought of Ardeth, he appeared. What the bloody hell was he doing? He seemed to be lurking about every corner today. As he had done the last two days, he didn't speak or look her way. In fact, he went about the chore of readying his horse for whatever trip he set out to make as if he were alone. She noticed that he intended to stay wherever he was going for a little while. He had the knapsacks that likely held a tent, food, and water. He stood no more than eight feet away from her, but they were completely and totally separated as if there was a wall between them. She longed to speak to him, but he wouldn't listen to her. His mind was made up and there was nothing she could do that would change it. This was the closest she had been to him in two days and she had to try, even if he wouldn't say anything. So, he was dead to her. People spoke to the dead all the time.
"You're dead to me, that I understand, but you didn't give me a chance to defend myself," she began. "What they told you was cruel and vicious. There was no truth to their words at all." Nothing. He ignored her completely and turned away. "Is any of this getting through to you? There was no child, Ardeth. They lied. I didn't stay away from you because I destroyed your child. You know why I stayed away, I told you. Before Waqi told me about the marriage contract, I came here to tell you that I…" He made a sudden move, cutting her off. She hoped he was turning toward her. Instead, he mounted his horse. Before he passed by her to ride off, he afforded her a hard, angry glance. He had heard nothing. She didn't try to speak to him again. Instead, she shook her head and continued to prepare for her own journey. "Bull headed stubborn bastard," she called in his wake. Since Ardeth was leaving, Laurel decided to stay behind. She found Waqi and took the offer to spend the night. She would go back home tomorrow and then never return here again.
Hours later, Laurel was having an odd dream. In it, she could hear the frantic shouts of several men and women. The voices were speaking Arabic. She had only learned a few words here and there, but she picked up on the translation. Someone in her dream world was calling for a healer. Another seemed to be trying to calm another down. The voices grew louder and louder. This was the strangest dream she had ever had. Her dream shifted and another voice, this one female, began to call out to her. She didn't want to react to it. This dream person was extremely persistent. The voice went away, but was replaced by hands shaking her. Moaning, Laurel realized that someone was trying to rouse her. She opened her eyes and blinked up at the face in the dark. Waqi.
"What is it," Laurel asked.
"Laurel, it is your mother. Ustâd brought her to the healer. Someone shot her."
She sat up and stared at Waqi. Was she losing her mind? "What? My mother? Shot?"
"You must come. Your father is very distraught."
Still believing this all to be a dream, Laurel dressed and quietly followed Waqi. She soon realized that this was no dream. Her father was speaking to Bahir Bay, telling him that the bullet seemed to come from nowhere. Tarita had been fine one second and then fallen the next. "Father? Is she…is she all right?"
Bart turned toward his daughter and approached her. He hugged her briefly. "She's lost a lot of blood," he said, "If I hadn't brought her here, she wouldn't have lived long enough to make the trip to Cairo."
"I want to see her," she said and tried to move past him.
Bart gripped her shoulders. "You can't. The healer is trying to stem the flow of blood and they need to work on her. She'll be okay."
Was he saying that to comfort her or himself? There were tears in his eyes. Things had gone from bad to worse. "Father, please…let me see her."
"No, not yet," he insisted.
He turned when Bahir approached. "I sent Haroun out to fetch Ardeth. He will help you find the people responsible."
Bart nodded. "Thank you."
By sunrise, Laurel was allowed to see her mother. She was sleeping quietly with her hands folded over her stomach. She had been shot in the back, the coward's way. The bullet hadn't damaged any internal organs and didn't come near her spine. She had lost a lot of blood and would need several days to heal before she could make it to Cairo. Laurel sat on one side of Tarita, and Bart the other. Bart looked up when he heard Ardeth enter. Laurel couldn't look at him.
"Is she all right," Ardeth asked.
"For now," Bart said. "Eventually, we'll have to take her to Cairo, but she's not strong enough to make it."
Ardeth nodded respectfully. "My father told me what happened. I will do anything I can to assist you." He didn't say as much to Bart, but he had a couple of suspects in mind. They had been looking for him, but had gotten to Bart and Tarita first. Both men watched as Laurel left the stifling confines of the tent. She couldn't deal with her mother's injuries and Ardeth at the same time. Bart started toward the exit, but Ardeth laid a hand on the other man's shoulder. "I will talk to her." For three days, he had ignored her. It was the most difficult and harrowing three days of his life. He left the tent and found Laurel standing close to the entrance. As soon as she saw him, she started to go back inside, but he took hold of her arm. "I am sorry, Laurel. We will find them."
Laurel backed away from him. "You're speaking to me now? I didn't know dead men could speak."
Her words bit into him, piercing his heart. "I have not forgotten what happened and will never. I will put it aside for now to assist. We both know who is behind this, and as soon as we find them, our connection will break again."
"Don't do me any favors," she snapped. "Chieftain Bay, for three days you were dead to me and that's the way it'll stay. You work with and assist my father; neither you nor I need each other. My mother, however, does need me." She turned away and reentered the tent, her words effectively slapping his face much harder than her hand ever could.
* * *
Feeling more than responsible for what happened to her mother, Laurel stayed at her side, holding her hand, stroking it. She was mostly oblivious to the activity around her, but she would acknowledge any visitors who came by, with the exception of one. Ardeth had come in once since they exchanged words. He would make one more visit before he, a few of his best men, and Bart searched for Tehotu and Bishop. As was always the case, she sensed his presence long before she looked up at him. She fought with everything she had in her to keep her eyes diverted. He would leave today and not return until he found her stepfather.
"Is she better," he asked.
The dead man speaks again. "She's fine," she said stiffly, still not looking up at him.
He wanted to say so much to her, to tell her he was sorry, but there was no way he could wrench the words out of his mouth. Instead of trying to speak, he took Tarita's other hand and held it briefly with his own. "Kân qawi." [Be strong]
Ardeth released her hand and wanted to move away, but he couldn't make his feet listen to his brain. He kept his eyes on Laurel, willing her to look at him. She was very much aware of his intense gaze, but she couldn't meet it. She didn't want to see the hate in his eyes. Eventually, her eyes settled on his, if only to get them off her. What she saw in them wasn't hatred. It was something else, something she hadn't seen since he became dead to her. They held their gaze for several intense moments, and soon…very soon…she didn't doubt that she would taste his kiss again before he left. Neither of them was aware of another visitor, not quite yet. Waqi had been very concerned about her friend since her mother was injured. However, she had stayed back to give Laurel some space. Today, she came to be with her friend for a while and when she entered, she saw two supposed strangers passing such an intense gaze filled with desire, passion, and love that it could be felt in the atmosphere, cut with a knife. She moved toward the exit to leave them alone, but somehow, Laurel's attention was drawn away from Ardeth's intense gaze.
"Waqi," Laurel said, her dark cheeks pinking considerably.
Ardeth's body stiffened. Immediately, he began to wonder how much she had seen and heard. "I shall go now," he mumbled. He nodded demurely toward both women before making his exit.
Laurel waited before saying anything, because she wasn't sure how much Waqi had seen. The other woman approached her. "How is she," Waqi asked.
She sighed a trifle uneasily. "I think she's going to be fine," Laurel said.
Waqi nodded, thinking: It is time for us to talk.
____________________
To be continued…
