Ardeth was gasping for air as the woman was strangling him with her arm. He
felt the cold blade of the dagger against his throat. He wished for this
moment to end as well as the immense pain over his entire body.
"Spire, can Catty and Marok get out of the tent?" Rick asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes, they can. In fact, they are on their way as we speak," the Spire replied just as the two ran out.
Tarnay looked back at them. She showed them the dagger in her hand and they stopped dead in their tracks.
"He will die if you move any closer," she warned them as she prepared the dagger.
Rick looked at the Spire in his hand. He couldn't say or do anything. His stare came to Catlanda.
"Catty. She would know what to do in a situation like this and she knows how to use this thing better as well," he quietly said, innocently looking away.
He waved his arms to get her attention and it successfully worked.
"Catty, here! Catch!" he called over to her as he threw the Spire.
All eyes were on it as it sailed through the air. It landed feet from the two Medjai. Catlanda eyed Tarnay before running for it. Tarnay stabbed Ardeth in the upper leg, letting him drop to the ground and began running for it as well. The two ran side by side for it before Tarnay dived and grabbed it.
Catlanda grabbed onto it with both hands but it was jerked from her weak grasp as Marok and Sharak ran up to Ardeth.
"It's mine. All I need now is for this man to tell it to listen to me," she laughed as she faced the American.
She walked over to him as he carefull watched her.
"Tell it to listen to me," she told him. "Now or else your friend dies here and now."
Rick growled at what he had to do but he didn't want to see his friend die.
"Spire, listen to..." Rick started, putting a hand out as an indication for her to tell him her name.
"Tarnay," she told him, a huge grin on her face.
"Rick, no! Don't do this! She'll kill us all!" cried Sharak
"Tarnay from now on," Rick sighed as he put a hand over his eyes.
The eyes glowed yellow. The two brothers groaned in disappointment.
"It is done," the Spire said.
"I knew he was not to be trusted since he was an outsider," Sharak snarled. "This proves my point and just when I was beginning to trust him and his wife and child."
The four looked at the woman who was now laughing.
"It's all mine. In my fingertips, there's unimaginable power," she cried.
Her laughs turned to cries of pain as she threw the Spire to the sand. She held her hand as if it were in pain.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"What? I didn't do anything," Rick replied, holding out his hands as if to say 'what'd I do?'
"The Spire became really hot. I thought you said it would be under my control," she replied, showing him her hand.
It was super red from where it had burned her.
"He did tell you that it would listen to you from now on. But it was no longer under his control. It was under mine. I told it to burn you," came Catlanda's voice.
Tarnay turned around and was very surprised.
"All the Spire needed to become under my control again was my touch. Since I grabbed onto it before you pulled it away from me, it was much easier since you would still think Rick had control. Having you believe that made it easier to do something because you would've thought the eyes glowed for his command," Catlanda explained as she moved towards the woman. "Spire, bind her, call a horse and put both her and Altaram on it. We're taking them back with us."
As this was happening, Rick ran over to Ardeth and the brothers.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked.
"Help me get him on his stomach. I need to check his back," Marok gasped.
"Why? There's nothing wrong with him except the injuries he suffered..." started Sharok.
He stopped when he saw all the whip marks on Ardeth's back.
"Come on, let's get him up on a horse," Rick told them.
They slowly lifted Ardeth as a horse ran up to them. It was Geb. It was as if he knew something was wrong. Rick raised his eyebrows at the horse.
"Can't go wrong with this," he said as they put hin on and held him there.
Catlanda ran over to them and climbed onto the horse.
"I knew you'd want to do this. Especially since he's your horse," Rick said , rolling his eyes.
She smiled before she led Geb on his way. The three watched her go.
"Let's just hope she can get there in time to save him," Sharak said to noone in particular.
"I know she will. Come on, let's get these two back where they can be dealt with properly," Rick told him as he held onto Sharak's arm.
***
Catlanda galloped closer towards the village, using the Spire as a map.
"Spire, where are we now?" she asked.
"We should soon be in sight of the tribe," it replied.
Catlanda looked up ahead to see that the Spire was right. She suddenly heard a groan behind her. Ardeth was laying across her back.
"Ardeth, what's wrong?" she frantically asked him.
She didn't get an answer. She anticipated that. But when she heard gasping, she grew scared.
"Oh no. Ardeth, don't leave me now!" she cried.
She encouraged Geb on his way but the horse was growing very tired.
They were almost to the village when the horse had to stop. Geb fell to the ground, taking his two riders with him. Catlanda gasped in pain from her shoulder. She looked over at Ardeth and slowly crawled over to him.
***
Since Alex was playing with the other children in the tribe, Evie patiently sat on the bed in her tent when she decided to walk outside and get some fresh air.
A Medjai passed her as she looked around the place. Everybody was milling about, talking to each other. Two older women passed Evie and they were talking about Ardeth.
"It's sad. Ardeth can not bear to see that child of his harmed in any way," one said.
"It's true but it's part of that promise he made Cathanak many years ago," replied the other.
Evie hurried over to them.
"Excuse me. But is it about this promise?" she asked them.
The two women stared at each other before returning their gaze back to Evie.
"You mean Ardeth didn't tell you? I knew he told you what happened to Catlanda's parents, no wait. I guess not. It's not something he usually likes to tell anyway. Even to his friends. He made a promise to Cathanak, Catlanda's father soon after she was born that if anything should happen to him, or both her parents, that he would take care of her no matter what. Ardeth upholds that promise and will continue to do so, even if it costs him his life. He told me so himself," the one explained.
"And how do you know this?" Evie demanded.
"Why, I'm her grandmother. Iscantil," she said with a smile. "This is Ayanna. Ardeth's mother. She considers Catlanda as much as her granddaughter as Ardeth does his daughter."
TBC...
"Spire, can Catty and Marok get out of the tent?" Rick asked through gritted teeth.
"Yes, they can. In fact, they are on their way as we speak," the Spire replied just as the two ran out.
Tarnay looked back at them. She showed them the dagger in her hand and they stopped dead in their tracks.
"He will die if you move any closer," she warned them as she prepared the dagger.
Rick looked at the Spire in his hand. He couldn't say or do anything. His stare came to Catlanda.
"Catty. She would know what to do in a situation like this and she knows how to use this thing better as well," he quietly said, innocently looking away.
He waved his arms to get her attention and it successfully worked.
"Catty, here! Catch!" he called over to her as he threw the Spire.
All eyes were on it as it sailed through the air. It landed feet from the two Medjai. Catlanda eyed Tarnay before running for it. Tarnay stabbed Ardeth in the upper leg, letting him drop to the ground and began running for it as well. The two ran side by side for it before Tarnay dived and grabbed it.
Catlanda grabbed onto it with both hands but it was jerked from her weak grasp as Marok and Sharak ran up to Ardeth.
"It's mine. All I need now is for this man to tell it to listen to me," she laughed as she faced the American.
She walked over to him as he carefull watched her.
"Tell it to listen to me," she told him. "Now or else your friend dies here and now."
Rick growled at what he had to do but he didn't want to see his friend die.
"Spire, listen to..." Rick started, putting a hand out as an indication for her to tell him her name.
"Tarnay," she told him, a huge grin on her face.
"Rick, no! Don't do this! She'll kill us all!" cried Sharak
"Tarnay from now on," Rick sighed as he put a hand over his eyes.
The eyes glowed yellow. The two brothers groaned in disappointment.
"It is done," the Spire said.
"I knew he was not to be trusted since he was an outsider," Sharak snarled. "This proves my point and just when I was beginning to trust him and his wife and child."
The four looked at the woman who was now laughing.
"It's all mine. In my fingertips, there's unimaginable power," she cried.
Her laughs turned to cries of pain as she threw the Spire to the sand. She held her hand as if it were in pain.
"What did you do?" she demanded.
"What? I didn't do anything," Rick replied, holding out his hands as if to say 'what'd I do?'
"The Spire became really hot. I thought you said it would be under my control," she replied, showing him her hand.
It was super red from where it had burned her.
"He did tell you that it would listen to you from now on. But it was no longer under his control. It was under mine. I told it to burn you," came Catlanda's voice.
Tarnay turned around and was very surprised.
"All the Spire needed to become under my control again was my touch. Since I grabbed onto it before you pulled it away from me, it was much easier since you would still think Rick had control. Having you believe that made it easier to do something because you would've thought the eyes glowed for his command," Catlanda explained as she moved towards the woman. "Spire, bind her, call a horse and put both her and Altaram on it. We're taking them back with us."
As this was happening, Rick ran over to Ardeth and the brothers.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked.
"Help me get him on his stomach. I need to check his back," Marok gasped.
"Why? There's nothing wrong with him except the injuries he suffered..." started Sharok.
He stopped when he saw all the whip marks on Ardeth's back.
"Come on, let's get him up on a horse," Rick told them.
They slowly lifted Ardeth as a horse ran up to them. It was Geb. It was as if he knew something was wrong. Rick raised his eyebrows at the horse.
"Can't go wrong with this," he said as they put hin on and held him there.
Catlanda ran over to them and climbed onto the horse.
"I knew you'd want to do this. Especially since he's your horse," Rick said , rolling his eyes.
She smiled before she led Geb on his way. The three watched her go.
"Let's just hope she can get there in time to save him," Sharak said to noone in particular.
"I know she will. Come on, let's get these two back where they can be dealt with properly," Rick told him as he held onto Sharak's arm.
***
Catlanda galloped closer towards the village, using the Spire as a map.
"Spire, where are we now?" she asked.
"We should soon be in sight of the tribe," it replied.
Catlanda looked up ahead to see that the Spire was right. She suddenly heard a groan behind her. Ardeth was laying across her back.
"Ardeth, what's wrong?" she frantically asked him.
She didn't get an answer. She anticipated that. But when she heard gasping, she grew scared.
"Oh no. Ardeth, don't leave me now!" she cried.
She encouraged Geb on his way but the horse was growing very tired.
They were almost to the village when the horse had to stop. Geb fell to the ground, taking his two riders with him. Catlanda gasped in pain from her shoulder. She looked over at Ardeth and slowly crawled over to him.
***
Since Alex was playing with the other children in the tribe, Evie patiently sat on the bed in her tent when she decided to walk outside and get some fresh air.
A Medjai passed her as she looked around the place. Everybody was milling about, talking to each other. Two older women passed Evie and they were talking about Ardeth.
"It's sad. Ardeth can not bear to see that child of his harmed in any way," one said.
"It's true but it's part of that promise he made Cathanak many years ago," replied the other.
Evie hurried over to them.
"Excuse me. But is it about this promise?" she asked them.
The two women stared at each other before returning their gaze back to Evie.
"You mean Ardeth didn't tell you? I knew he told you what happened to Catlanda's parents, no wait. I guess not. It's not something he usually likes to tell anyway. Even to his friends. He made a promise to Cathanak, Catlanda's father soon after she was born that if anything should happen to him, or both her parents, that he would take care of her no matter what. Ardeth upholds that promise and will continue to do so, even if it costs him his life. He told me so himself," the one explained.
"And how do you know this?" Evie demanded.
"Why, I'm her grandmother. Iscantil," she said with a smile. "This is Ayanna. Ardeth's mother. She considers Catlanda as much as her granddaughter as Ardeth does his daughter."
TBC...