Speak Softly
Bringer of Life

1935: Ardeth Bay is resurrected from the dead. He awakens to a world vastly different, to familiar faces changing and to the knowledge that he is Egypt's final hope for freedom.

He also finds out just how far love and despair can take him.

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Lightening illuminated the great throne room as if the many blazing torches weren't enough. Jonathan shivered against the hardened stare of his master. "Where is she?" the king asked in dark tones, never moving his gaze from the shivering Englishman before him. Those eyes were always cold, always devoid of mercy and compassion. Jonathan hated being in the same room with this man.

He licked his lips and shook his head. "I-I don't know." Wherever she was he was thankful it wasn't here.

Imhotep leaned forward from his throne and glared. He slowly turned his head from side to side, looking at the creatures of Anubis he was now master of. "Find my slave," he commanded, and then looked again to Jonathan. "If she is not returned to me, you will answer for it." A loud crack of thunder broke the silence after the priest's threat as if to confirm the danger. (It was whispered that with his unearthly powers, his displeasure could be reflected by even the weather.)

Imhotep leaned back against his large chair and rubbed his temples. "Take him to his rooms and lock him there. He is not to leave until she is found."

Two creatures came forward and gripped Jonathan's arms, yanking him towards the grand doors. They pushed him into the halls and on towards his quarters. Thank God she was gone from here. He didn't know where she could be or how she had escaped, but the relationship between she and Imhotep was unbearable for him to watch. She was better off anywhere but here, even dead.

Jonathan Carnahan was ushered into his quarters and a loud click made it very apparent they had locked him in. Thankful he was still alive, he shakily moved to stand in front of his barred window. The storm outside looked quite inhospitable, as did everything in this terrible place.

Was she somewhere out there in the barrenness that was Egypt? What could she hope to find out there in the sands that held death and despair? The few settlements out there were violent and unwelcoming. She likely would end up a slave to someone possibly no better than Imhotep himself. But perhaps that wouldn't matter to her.

Imhotep frightened her badly with his strange ways and mind games. Another master to whom she meant nothing would be better than the priest. His obsession with his sister drove him to dark things that hurt her far worse than things an apathetic stranger might do. Maybe by some miracle she could find happiness somewhere out there. Maybe that was a load of rubbish. In any event she was better off for what little life she may have left.

Grunting, Jonathan kicked at the wall and stared sadly out the window. "Run far away, Evy. Don't ever come back here."

*

Ardeth sat against the wall, listening to the wind howl around the corner. Evelyn lay beside him, still sleeping. He had brought her back to the crypts and kept her near the entrance where the light was. Right now a storm went on outside unlike anything he had ever seen in Egypt. Electricity charged the skies and a great rain fell as it hadn't in ages. He would be out there now letting it wash him if it weren't for the woman who lay beside him.

Even though there was nothing here to harm her, he wanted to be close to her. She was alive and somehow it gave him comfort from his confusion and emptiness. He enjoyed watching her live because he himself felt as though he weren't alive. Nor did he feel dead, however, but somewhere caught between. Life was something, death would be something. He felt as if he were nothing, unnatural.

Thunder rolled and he exhaled, watching flashes travel the walls. The lightening was cold and hard, the thunder jarring. Ardeth closed his eyes and wanted for rest. Perhaps death would return with sleep. But Evelyn needed him. That alone tempted him to keep his eyes open, but whether or not he did likely wouldn't matter. He was back and would remain for some time.

Suddenly Evy stirred and a hand hit his thigh. Ardeth looked down and watched as she opened her eyes. Her hand tightened around his pant leg and those dark eyes filled with emotion when she saw him. "Thank God," she breathed, then braced herself on his leg and sat up. In an instant her arms were around his waist and her body hugged into his warmly. Evelyn rested her head against his chest and stayed that way.

He touched her hair and gazed ahead at the wall. Questions flooded him, but he could not bring himself to speak just now. Her life seemed to echo through his senses and it felt nearly intoxicating. He clung to that.

Finally after some time had passed she said, "I didn't know if it would work after so long."

So long? How long had passed? It was just another question on his list. But there was another more important question on his mind. "Why did you wake me?" This was the second time he had spoken since earlier—since he had returned. His voice seemed out of place in the quiet.

"You're going to hate me," she replied in a voice that had accepted what she said. Her arms around him tightened slightly. "I've done a terrible thing by waking you up, Ardeth, but I just didn't know what to do. You are the only thing he fears."

He let her words sink in. No, he doubted he could hate her no matter how terrible she thought her waking him was. She obviously needed him and he wouldn't deny a friend. Not when there was such hopelessness in her voice. "What's happened, Evelyn? Even the weather has changed."

Evy remained silent for a moment as her body became limp against his. Obviously she drew as much comfort from him as he did of her. He wondered what she needed comfort from and thought about the white, revealing clothing she wore. His mind shuddered away from what possibilities came to him. "So much has happened it's hard to know where to begin," she answered finally. "Do you remember 1929?"

The truth was he did not. He could recall major life events throughout his years, but the events leading to his death were a blur. Yet he knew that was what she was referring to. There was a shadow in that part of his mind. "My…death happened in that year, didn't it? I don't remember it."

"We got a letter," she began what he knew would be a likely sad tale. "Jonathan and I had been home from dinner out for about an hour when a knock came at the door. When I opened it I saw a Med-Jai. His face was dark and pained as he held up an envelope and as soon as I took it from him he left without a word." She paused for a breath. "You died in October, the 5th to be exact, fighting a group of unknown raiders, people who have more to do with what is happening now than we had first thought.

"Their purpose for attacking the Med-Jai encampment had been to kill you and they had succeeded. The man who composed the letter, Raheem I think his name was, he said you fought bravely and saved many that day, but unfortunately you couldn't save yourself. A man we later learned went by the name of Lock-Nah had shot you and k-kicked you in the head." He felt her arms tighten and to tell the truth he felt like hugging her back. Waking from death was disorienting enough without hearing how it had happened. But he was curious, so let her continue. The thunder crashed.

"You fell unconscious and died that night without ever waking. The next day after receiving that letter Rick showed up on our doorstep, asking if we were going to attend the…the funeral." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "We went and that was that. Time passed and 1933 rushed upon us before we could blink. Before we were ready for it, that's for sure. Do you know what 1933 is to the Egyptian calendar?"

His mind was still reeling from the fact that he had been dead nearly four years, possibly more if this wasn't where the story neared present. Her face was still young, though. He searched through Egyptian history that had been passed down until it came back to him until an answer came. "The year of the Scorpion."

He felt her nod against where she was pillowed, still holding him through her story. "Ancksunamun reincarnated came that year with Lock-Nah and his people. The Med-Jai could not stop them, and they raised Imhotep to fight the Scorpion King. Despite losses—including Ancksunamun herself, the victory came to him. The armies of Anubis became his own and with them he conquered Egypt, then moved onto the rest of the world. That started two years ago."

The creature had been raised and had done all the terrible things they had fought to stop back in 1923. Ardeth blinked at that defeat, but it proved one thing. Death truly could be only the beginning and he himself would become a living example of that fact. "Does he rule the whole of the world now, Evelyn?" he asked, not sure what he alone could do against such odds.

Now she finally sat up and he saw her eyes glistening in the small light offered from the entrance around the corner. "As well as if he did, I suppose," she returned sadly. "Oh there are a few countries still fighting him, but just like all the others they will fall. Everything has changed…all places are becoming desolate, barren wastelands because out of fear of Imhotep the people leave the cities and hide. He burned Cairo to the ground for their disobedience."

That was a chilling thought. "He is that powerful?" Ardeth breathed, trying to come to grips with this terrible reality.

Evy nodded her head and looked him over as if still trying to make herself believe he was alive. "More powerful than we could have imagined. The world threw everything at him and was no match for his magery. He has a barrier around Egypt that no one can cross without the proper spells. It kills instantly. He has dominion over the weather. Nothing is the same as it was. Nothing."

She sighed and looked at the floor, then back into his eyes gravely. "Some countries allied with him out of fear or desire of power and as I said, some still try to fight, but in the end it never matters. We're all his slaves no matter where we come from." Her eyes grew soft and regretful. "I've taken you from Heaven and brought you to Hell. I can see it in your eyes when I look at you. Please…please forgive me someday."

They were alone in the world to handle the priest themselves, quite possibly just he and Evy. That didn't explain what she thought he could do about it, though now that he was here he would likely die again trying for her. "I will help you, but I don't know this world anymore. You must help me understand what it is you want me to do." Her words played back in his mind. "You said he fears me?"

"Yes," she whispered, visibly at odds with the choices she had made. Evy rubbed her arms as a chilly breeze swept through the darkening place of the dead. "He fears you for the same reason you were killed back in '29 and the same reason there's a maze out before the ancient burial grounds. Ancksunamun had a vision of Imhotep dying at your hands. That's why she sent Lock-Nah and his men after you."

Ardeth exhaled and looked at her. "To eliminate the threat before I even knew the danger. What of the labyrinth outside at the foot of the hill? There was an inscription there."

Evy nodded at that and he was thankful she hadn't come without knowledge of the things he desired to know. Her eyes glanced towards the end of the hall where the final room was. "Imhotep put that labyrinth there, using his knowledge of the dark spells of Egypt to lay a curse on those stones. Anyone who walked there was to find death. I don't know who put the inscription there, but along with the Book of the Dead I was sent a message saying the curse had been nullified to those of a pure heart."

"I found you at the threshold of the maze," he told her, wondering why she hadn't dared to enter under those circumstances. "Surely you have a pure heart. I carried you through there and you survived."

She looked away and for a moment he left his ache behind, his heart going out to her. "I took away your peace," she breathed finally, not meeting his gaze. "I was bringing you back only to get you killed again. How could I…how could I think that was okay? I didn't feel very 'blessed' when I did what I did, Ardeth. This place is so terrible and I can't see how we can possibly fix it." When she could bring her eyes up to his he saw tears on her cheeks. "There is no hope and that's my gift to you."

Impulsively Ardeth drew closer to her, unnerved by so drastic a change in her. This woman had stayed in Egypt to face Imhotep alone O'Connell had told him, when the ex-Legionnaire himself had tried to convince her to leave and threatened to leave her behind. She had been so brave back then and obviously still brave enough to wake him when Imhotep would likely kill her if he found her. The Med-Jai touched her chin. "You have hope, otherwise you would not have brought me back at all. Draw strength from that, Evelyn."

At that she smiled and touched his hand. "It's been so long since anyone but Jonathan has called me that. Imhotep insists that I answer to the name 'Nefertiri' because that's how he knew me back in ancient times." Her eyes darkened at the mention of the priest.

He didn't like the sound of her voice when she spoke of him. She hadn't told him where she had come from, but at some point Imhotep had caused her to hate him in a more personal way. "He is in the building I saw to the north?" Evy nodded and he let his hand fall from her face. "Then we'll go south."

Her eyes widened and she fervently shook her head. "No, Ardeth. I won't take you south, not for any reason. It would be better to stay in here and die."

"What is in the south?" he asked, almost afraid to know the answer. Imhotep owned Egypt and in that were probably some very frightening realities.

Evelyn's head dropped again, her eyes cast down to hide her sorrow. He felt his pulse race, but didn't press her for an answer. "I don't want to take you that way," she told him in a soft voice. "It's a large graveyard."

Evy shivered and he removed his Med-Jai cloak, wrapping it around her naked shoulders. He didn't need to ask her who lay out there. Her pain was now for him. "Where will we go? To stay in here would only bring us death, Evy. What of the east and the west?"

She shook her head and wrapped the gold and black cloak around her snugly, covering her lips and nose from the cold. "Imhotep has guards out there. I was lucky to make it. Our only path is south, but…"

What was could not be changed, no matter how it might hurt him. He could appreciate her not wanting to cause him pain, but during a war that luxury wasn't affordable. He would not return to life in vain. "We will go south if that is the only way. Beyond the graves are there places we might hide?"

"Yeah," she breathed out. Her fingers toyed with the edge of his cloak. "There are places along the way we can take refuge in, until we get further from the capitol. There are some places in Egypt were his control is not complete simply because he doesn't care. We can blend in for a time until we reach the people that sent me the Book."

"Who sent you the Book?" he asked.

She shrugged and laughed bitterly. "I'm not sure. I think it might be some sort of resistance force, but who knows? Maybe Imhotep himself was trying to lure me into a trap. I hope not."

Ardeth shook his head at that. "If he fears me as you say he does, he surely would not have let you wake me. You would already be dead. We'll find these people and see what they have to say." Evy nodded, but still looked afraid. He touched her hand. "I will protect you, Bringer of Life." He smiled to assure her that wasn't a rebuke. At first that guilt returned, but soon after her face peeked over her collar and her lips returned his expression.

He looked towards the exit and back again. "Night is approaching. When is safest to leave?"

"Night," she sighed, looking weary. "But Imhotep probably has his creatures out looking for me. I ran away from his palace. We should probably wait."

Ardeth shook his head, looking to the bag that had been strapped to her shoulder. There was food in there, but not enough to support them through an extended journey. "How far is the nearest friendly settlement?"

She bit her lip and that hopelessness returned to her dark eyes. "The field of the M…um, dead is at least half a day's walk. After that I can't be certain of how long it will take to reach people."

After being newly raised just how long could a body go without food? He couldn't guess. They had enough food between them for three days if they were very careful. She rubbed her palms together and he thought of the blood he'd wiped off of her. Staying here for too long wasn't an option. Still, she looked so tired. "Rest for a few hours and then we'll leave. Perhaps the cover of a storm will keep us safe from eyes."

Evy smiled smartly at him. "Or the lightening could make us very visible, not to mention if it strikes one of us."

That reminded him of the Evelyn he had known so long ago. He smiled back and nodded to the floor beside him. "Sleep and when it's time to go I'll wake you."

"Won't you rest?" she asked him as she began to settle in nearby.

At that Ardeth couldn't help the distance in his eyes as he searched for memories of the past six years. "I have already rested too long," he replied, bringing his attention back down to her. She watched him for a moment with that same wonder from earlier and he playfully put his hand over her eyes. "You'll need your sleep." When he took his hand back they were closed.

~~~~~~~

Author: Angela – jedinineofnine@hotmail.com Disclaimer: No infringement intended.

A/N: I hate making Imhotep bad. *Sob* Hehehe. I considered making the Scorpion King the big bad, but chucked that idea. But anyway, I've done Meela bad, Ardeth bad for a time and even Jonathan…right now I can't think of a way to make Ricky bad, but who knows. Since I try to use only canon characters for majors, the evil fell to Imhotep this time around. *Sigh* What's this world coming to, making hot mummies evil? Anyway, here is this. :O

To Reviewers:

They came to me as a gift! My love, my own…my precioussss! Thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys thought the first part was interesting. :-) This is gonna be quite a long story I foresee, so I hope it's always interesting! Thank you very much and please, continue letting me know your thoughts on where it's headed.

Pol, Nicky, and Insane Dragoness--(like that handle!) – Thanks for your reviews…I'm glad you enjoyed and hope you'll enjoy what's to come.

Patty – Thanks for the review! Early on in Ardeth's adventure. Someday—if people would like to hear the tale, I might go back and write about Ardeth's last days…how Imhotep came to power and took Evy and so on.

Auratwyn – It focuses heavily on Ardeth and Evy. ;-) Na more shell I say. :-D Thanks!

Marcher – sowwy 'bout that. ;-) You'd better not delay in your stories…or I heff to git you. Thankie!

Hadassaknamu – Yes…she brought back Imhotep's Fear. Muahahaha! I mean although Immy is quite the hottie, I could understand him being threatened by Ardeth's beauty. ;-) Thanks for the review!

J-James – Well, I think this basically answered all three of your questions. Lol. I hope this doesn't mean you won't have more later and stop reading. :-O ;-) Thanks!

Lula – Hehehe. I live to tease. ;-) Thanks for your kind words and encouragement of my stories. :-) I'm heppy you like! Nag, huh? *screams like SpongeBob*

Marxbros – Thanks!!! I'll try and write fast. Lol…just expect this to progress a bit faster. :-)

Deana – Thanks for reading and reviewing, my friend…and for the reading beforehand and helping me keep it sane! ;-) lol. And as always, reminding me of the things I forget to add, such as mentioning of injuries and so forth. Oh, the forgetful mind. ;-)