The next thing Catlanda was aware of was someone calling her name. She squinted her eyes and quickly rose to a sitting position to see Marok sitting next to her. She rubbed her head.

"What happened? Where are we?" she asked him quietly.

"Where we are, I couldn't tell you. I was unconscious almost the entire trip here. You've been out since the attack," he replied. "And it looks like we're the only two Medjai here. We were taken prisoner."

She looked around at their prison. She balled her hand up into a fist before realizing that she was grabbing nothing but air.

She didn't have the Spire.

"Oh no! Where is it?" she screeched as she stared at her empty hands.

Marok groaned.

"I was hoping you wouldn't notice that just yet," he admitted.

"And I was hoping you could tell me where to find it," came a voice.

Two sets of eyes looked to see someone standing outside the cell. The man was tall, and fully clothed in midnight black robes. A piece of cloth covered his entire face except his eyes.

"I demand you tell me where the Spire is," he told them, his voice muffled through the cloth.

They looked at each other before staring back at him.

"We have no idea what you're talking about," Marok told him with a laugh.

"Oh yes you do. Both of you do. I saw you with during it during the battle. That cat of yours took it before any of my men could. Where would that accursed cat take it?" the man demanded, refering to Catlanda.

"I wouldn't tell you even if I knew," Catlanda replied in her rare 'defying orders' tone.

"Wrong answer," he said. "I will be back and that time, I won't be as lenient."

He turned their back on them.

"Before I go, you should know my name. It's Altaram," he said before finally walking out the door.

00000

He walked outside to be greeted by a woman.

"So did they talk?" she asked, her waist-length black hair flowing down her back.

"No, they did not. But they soon will. I'm sure of it. If not them, I'm sure Ardeth will gladly listen to me," he replied.

They gave each other an evil smile.

00000

Back at the Medjai camp, Ardeth was literally going out of his mind. He was sitting on the bed only to have Rick and Evie trying to keep him down.

"You must let me go. I have to find them," he told them as he tried to get away from his friends.

"Ardeth, you just received a concussion and you have a severe cut across your shoulders. Besides that, you're just getting over some pretty severe wounds. You're in no shape to go looking for them. They could be dead now for all we know," Rick told him.

Ardeth turned his head and stared into the American's eyes. Rick saw a feeling of dread and urgency he never saw in his friend's eyes before.

"I will not accept that until I have seen it. I have to go find them," Ardeth replied as he looked away. "You don't have to understand, but you have to trust me now more than ever."

Rick sighed as he loosened his grip off Ardeth and helped him to his feet. Ardeth limped out of the tent and up to Geb, who was right outside. Isis was sitting right next to him. It's as if they knew and were waiting for him to come.

His second-in-command ran over to him.

"Ardeth, you can't go! You're in no shape! Besides, you have things to do here," he said.

"I have to go Sharak. I just have to. She's out here and..." he started.

"I know how you feel but we can't keep going after every missing Medjai after a battle. It's just not possible!" Sharak cried out.

Ardeth looked at him with determination in his eyes.

"I, at least, have to Sharak. If I don't, I would feel guilt for the rest of my life," Ardeth replied as he attempted to climb on the horse.

"You're risking this entire tribe's safety by going after her. She's a woman. Even though she helps us just as much by keeping that Spire, she's expendable!" he yelled at him.

"No, she's not expendable! You don't understand! You'll never understand what I'm going through right at this moment," Ardeth replied, anger obvious in his voice as he walked up and faced Sharak.

"No, I'm not, but I do know when a man is endangering others by his actions," Sharak told him. "By you going out after her, you're risking your life and many more here by leaving us leaderless even for a short time. If you take out others, you're risking thier lives as well."

Ardeth stared at him with a strange look.

"You know, you're just as bad as your brother was. Never listened to authority," Ardeth said, starting to walk away from him.

Although, the animals also seemed to know what was wrong with him. Geb nudged Ardeth in his back with his head and looked at him with eyes that said a lot. Isis gave a mournful cry. Ardeth couldn't help but sigh.

"Maybe you should listen to the opinion of many Ardeth," came Rick's voice.

Ardeth looked over at him, but all he saw was blurry images as he collapsed onto the sand.

"Ardeth!" cried Rick as he ran over to his fallen friend.

"It must be some effects from the concussion still. He's still crazy to go after them," Sharak mumbled, crossing his arms in disgust.

00000

Altaram went to meet the prisoners. He walked up to their prison. Catlanda was huddled in the corner while Marok sat beside her. He looked up at the man.

"What do you want now?" asked an upset Marok.

"The same thing I did before except I also want to know about your leader," replied the masked man.

"He's same as any other one," Marok replied.

"I never see my leader. I'm always on the go," Catlanda softly said. "So I would have no idea what he is like."

"I see," the man said, lifting his eyebrows. "You will not tell me. Guard, let me in."

The door was opened and Catlanda was given a slap across the face, causing her to fall to the sand. Marok was a bit surprised.

"Why you..." he started but was pushed to the ground. Hard. 'This guy's stronger than he looks.'

Altaram started to leave and Marok wasn't surprised.

Once he left, he turned towards Catlanda.

"Will you be alright?" he asked her.

She gave a slight nod before staring at him with sad eyes. She held a hand over where she was struck.

"What's wrong?" he wondered.

"The Spire. I don't have it. I've failed Ardeth by not having it. He gave it to me watch over and now I don't have it," she whispered, staring to cry.

Marok put his arm around her, trying to comfort her as she sat crying.

00000

Outside, Altaram heard the crying. He peeked back in the tent to see the scene.

'I don't care who you are. I will get what I want, one way or another,' he thought to himself.

He walked away to his tent.

00000

Evie sat by Ardeth's side as he slept on the bed. She held a cloth on his forehead as a fever began to rise. She took it off and felt it as Rick walked in.

"He's getting worse. I fear he's getting either sick or an infection," Evie told him quietly.

"As much as I want to see Catlanda and Marok safe, we can't risk sending anybody out to rescue them. Besides, Ardeth has to get better then deal with his duties here," Sharak said from the opening of the tent.

Rick and Evie looked at him, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the moment.

"What are we supposed to do then? Watch as Ardeth crumbles down to nothing? I don't know about you, but I don't want to see that happening," Rick replied.

"I cannot deter from your position. That is how you feel about this," the man said before leaving.

Rick watched him as he shook his head.

"I will never understand that guy," Rick told Evie pointing a finger in the direction that Sharak left in.

"Don't let him bother you. Now let's go get some sleep," Evie suggested.

"But I don't think I'll get any. I'll try though," Rick said before he left the tent.

Evie gave one last look at Ardeth before she also left the tent and followed her husband.

00000

Just before dawn, a lone figure rode atop a horse as it sped out into the desert. The rider stopped the horse on top of a dune and looked across the landscape.

He then looked from where he came and shook his head with a sigh.

00000

Evie awoke before Rick did. She rubbed her eyes as she stood up.

'I'll go see how Ardeth's doing,' she thought.

She walked into the tent Ardeth was resting. She saw his form sleeping on the bed.

'He's sleeping. I'll let him be,' thought Evie.

She turned to leave until she saw the still form wasn't moving. She walked up to him and pulled the covers off his head only to scream.

TBC...