I hate 'em! I hate 'em! I hate 'em! If you're wondering, I'm talking about hockey. National Hockey League hockey. New Jersey won and I wanted Anaheim to win. (Anaheim good. Anaheim VERY good). I'll shut up now about how much I hate New Jersey and continue on with the story. (I hate 'em!)

00000

Rick and Sharak ran into the tent and up to Evie, who was crying.

"What's wrong?" Rick asked frantically, holding onto her shoulders.

She didn't say anything, only looked at the bed where Ardeth was supposed to be sleeping. Rick followed her gaze to see that he wasn't there. Only pillows in place of him.

"Oh my. He is in very serious trouble," Rick said.

"He's out of his mind to go after them now. Why try and change his mind anyway? He won't stop until he finds them," Sharak snorted. "I can remember one time she got lost in one of the temples and once he heard about it, he wouldn't stop until he found her."

Rick stared at the Medjai before stomping up to him and grabbing his collar.

"Listen to me and listen well. I know that you're the second-in-command around here but a good friend of mine is in the desert, alone, sick and injured. Now I don't plan to exactly leave him there to the torment of those guys or the desert. We're going to look for them," Rick angrily replied.

"'Them'?" asked Sharak with a strange look.

"Yes, them. Ardeth, Catlanda and Marok," Rick confirmed.

Sharak angrily looked at the American as he freed himself and walked away from the tent.

"You know, I don't think he approves of Ardeth being in command and his strong relationship with Catlanda," Evie piped up.

"Neither did Marok until I knocked some sense into him," Rick reminded her.

He walked out of the tent and headed for the camels. Evie began to follow him.

"You're going now?" she asked him.

"Someone has to otherwise he'll die out there. I have to find him before he dies trying to save them," Rick replied as he climbed onto one of the camels. "By the way, is the Spire still in there?"

Evie ran back into the tent and looked beside the bed. She gasped for it wasn't there. She must have missed the fact it wasn't there when she saw Ardeth was not in the bed. She headed back outside to meet an anxious Rick.

"It's not there," she replied.

"I might have known. He took it with him. It's the only explanation," Rick quietly told himself.

Evie said nothing as he started off into the desert.

00000

Ardeth sat atop the horse, drinking some water out of the canteen. Geb snorted as Isis cried beside them. Ardeth looked down at her.

"We'll find her Isis. We'll find her," he told her.

He put away the canteen and wiped his forehead. He was feeling really hot.

Up ahead, he spotted some green land. He squinted his eyes to see that it was an oasis.

'Finally,' he thought. 'Shelter and water.'

He led Geb towards the ever growing patch of green. Once there, he climbed off the horse. In his hand, was the Spire of Isis. He laid it on the sand before taking a drink out of the pond.

Isis stayed by his side, ever watchful for strangers. Geb stood nearby, eating some grass.

"Come on, let's go find them," he finally told the animals.

He stood up and a wave of nausea came over him. He felt something moving within his stomach.

"It might be the concussion I suffered during the battle," he gasped. "Either that or I am becoming ill."

He stood beside the horse, leaning against him. Geb neighed loudly and Isis gave a growl as Ardeth suddenly fell to his knees beside them. He vomited onto the ground.

"I wasn't feeling well before I left. It must be an illness," he said quietly, slipping into a deep sleep against a nearby rock.

Isis whimpered as she nudged his side but he didn't seem to notice anything anymore, not even the approaching men.

00000

Rick rode through the desert, looking carefully from side to side with any hope of finding his friend. He thought he wouldn't be too hard since Ardeth was probably wearing his black robes.

"But of course in the desert, it's like finding a needle in a haystack," he said to himself as he stopped the camel.

He took that time to take a look around the area.

"Where could he be?" he asked aloud before he started on his way. "Where could they all be?"

Altaram again walked into the cell. He watched the two Medjai as he walked up to it.

"What do you want?" asked Catlanda in a small voice.

"The same as I did before. The location of your leader and Spire," he replied.

"Which we'll never tell. Especially not you," Marok snarled back at him, leaping at the bars and holding onto them.

Altaram took the butt of his sword and shoved it into his stomach. Marok gasped and he sat back down on the sand. The masked man pointed it the other way and aimed it at Catlanda.

"Tell me now or she will die," he demanded.

"No!" cried Marok.

"Never! I would rather die than give up the location of my people!" she cried.

"Wrong answer," Altaram said. "Now, you shall die, just as you wished."

The man put his finger on the triggor and fired the gun.

TBC...