Allo, allo, allo! How are you all? Well, I hope? It's my BIRTHDAY!!!!! YAY! I'm FIFTEEN! I hope u all enjoyed my last chapter. Now, unfortunately, I won't be able to update as often, cuz I'll be gone 4 a while to c my family. I'll try to use my best friend's computer, but ya never know when she'll cut me off form all communication. LOL. Just kidding, Hun. OK, so just to warn you guys. Here's the next chapter...on my BIRTHDAY!!! Yay! OK. Sry. Lol. (

Chapter 11

"Y'know, there' still one thing I don't get."

"And what's that?"

"How can anyone be as ugly as you? I mean, I've seen decomposed, rot- dripping bodies better-looking than you!"

Alex ducked with a chuckle as Lock-Na swung his fist out over his head. "You will regret you ever crossed me, Boy!" Lock-Na snarled grabbing Alex by thy front of his shirt.

Alex made a face, "Ugh! Your breath smells! Get away! Ugh!" Lock-Na swore in Egyptian and threw Alex to the ground before storming out of his tent.

Alex looked over at Mugentai and shrugged, "Was it something I said?"

Mugentai rolled his eyes and turned back to his work at hand: sharpening his dull, short sword. Alex stood and walked over to the opening of the tent. The camp was alive with swarming, hurrying soldiers; they had heard that their message had been received by Alex's dad and that he was on his way.

Alex moaned and leaned against a pole of the tent, "I can't believe Dad would fall for that..."

"Hey! Get back in here!" Mugentai yelled.

Alex took a step back and shrugged, "I wasn't doing anything..."

"But all the same," Mugentai sneered, "We need to use you for the bait."

"Bait?"

Alex turned and frowned, "Whaddya mean? My dad's coming. You don't need bait."

"Yea, but we're gonna use you to get O'Connell to give us the girl! Then, Her Majesty and His Lordship-"

"The Wench and Baldy," Alex muttered.

"-they'll take the girl into Set's temple, and they'll sacrifice her there, and then they'll kill your father and mother in front of you, and then..." Mugentai grinned, "They'll chop your head off."

Alex raised an eyebrow, cool and calm as always, "Oh really? And what makes you think you'll succeed?"

"Well, once we show your dad that we have you--and that you're in terrible condition--he'll go mad to get you back, and he'll give us the girl, and then we'll keep you with us and keep the girl with us, and we'll go to the temple, and your dad will follow us, and we'll kill you all!"

Mugentai laughed hoarsely, and then coughed madly. Alex stared at him until he stopped.

Mugentai looked at him, "I have a cold."

"A cold? This is the desert. You can't get a cold."

Mugentai shrugged, "Well I did."

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"I'm in a madhouse. I'm in a bloody madhouse!"

Evelyn winced as a soldier prodded her in the back with the edge of his sword, "Get moving!"

Evelyn turned to him, "Don't touch me!" She said it with such ferocity that the man took a step back, eyes wide. Evelyn glared at him, "That's right. Now take another. And another. Stay there. Don't come closer, or I swear I'll knock your block off!"

The soldier nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."

Evelyn turned then and continued walking. "Serves him right. Touching me with that bloody old sword...the nerve!"

"Mum!"

Evelyn turned, her heart leaping at the sound of Alex's voice. In the next instant, her son was in her arms, hugging her tightly, and she was smiling, all of her irritation gone.

"Alex! Oh thank God you're ok!"

"Sure Mum, I'm fine! I'm just glad you're good!"

"Yes, but I'm better now! I was so worried about you!"

"Me too, Mum! I thought they'd killed you!"

"All right, all right, that's enough."

Evelyn turned as that same irritating soldier came forward to try to pry them apart. She gave him a livid glare.

"Well, I guess...ummm...maybe...yes, never mind."

Alex grinned, "You go, Mum."

"Thank you Alex."

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"Last stop, evil oasis filled with who-knows-what and all other evil things! All off!"

Shanala stepped off of the blimp and blinked once or twice, the shock of sudden green filling her senses. Trees were everywhere--bunched together along a large stream, tangled along the path, and twisted into the grass. Where there weren't any trees, there were hundreds of bushes and plants, all looking very threatening and monstrous, like they would swallow you up if you came too near. Rick was coming off of the blimp now, along with Jonathan.

"What, no whining?" Rick asked.

Jonathan shrugged, "I've decided to push myself to the limit. There was a strangled cry, and Jonathan jumped, "Ok. That's my limit."

Rick chuckled, and then slapped Jonathan on the back, "C'mon, John. You can do better than that."

"Y-yes...I...I guess I can..." Jonathan cleared his throat, "OK. Let's save my nephew!"

He started walking forward, chin held high, chest puffed out. Rick sighed and looked up at the sky, "Jonathan, that's the wrong way."

Ardeth came off next, "I hope you are prepared, O'Connell?"

"I'm always prepared," Rick replied, cocking his gun.

Ardeth smiled, "Yes. That seems true."

Shanala turned from the two men and looked up into the high branches of the trees. Above her the sky was completely hidden behind the canopy of tree leaves; the oasis beyond was completely dark. "Oh, I love this!" Shanala sighed.

Rick raised an eyebrow, "You love this? This dark and musty, smells-like- decay, hiding-live-skeletons place?"

Shanala nodded, and Rick grinned, "Me too."

"Ok, All. I'll just be flying above here, looking down and laughing when you all get eaten alive by devil children..."

Rick rolled his eyes, "Izzy, you're more of a coward than Jonathan!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry, John. It's the truth. Prove me wrong today, though, and I'll never call you coward or chicken again."

"Deal."

Rick turned to Ardeth with a dry smile, "Show us the way, Great Master."

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Imhotep stared up at the great statue guarding the entrance to the temple. His eyes were filled with thought, and the air around him was very still. Anck-su-namun was silent as she stood with him, looking around at her surroundings and half-listening to the soldiers' conversations. Finally, Imhotep spoke, and his voice seemed certain and courageous, as it always had seemed to her: "Waes, Ben Maaña, echt lais trueque geaus kins lonto."

Anck-su-namun smiled and nodded, "Tieu, Ben Maaña. Daes Nefertiri lis Shanala trie loshta ninsk qjinno losde."

Behind them, Alex pulled on his mother's skirt and whispered, "Mum? What are they saying? I don't understand all of it."

Evelyn bit her lip in thought as she listened, and then she murmured, " 'Soon, My Love, we shall take this world over.' 'Yes, My Love. And Nefertiri and Shanala will trouble our lives no more."

Alex wrinkled his nose, "I still can't believe you two are sisters..."

"We were sisters, Darling. Now...we're...well..." Evelyn frowned, "I don't know what we are."

Alex seemed to consider that for a second, and then his eyes lit up, "Daughter! Oh please, Mum! Please! After Dad gets back with all of them and we leave, let's take Shanala and she can be my little sister! Oh please, please, please!"

Evelyn looked at Alex in shock, "Alex! We...I mean I...I mean...Alex, what on earth...?"

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It was night now. Jonathan could tell. The oasis was darker and colder than it had been before, and all sorts of night noises--moving bushes, animal sounds-- were echoing around him.

"We don't have to stop do we?" he asked, trying to keep the nervousness from his tone.

Rick glanced at him, and then down at Shanala; she was as determined and energized as always.

We prolly won't have to," he replied, "Why?"

"Just wondering."

"Uh huh..."

"I was..."

Jonathan frowned; maybe he was just overreacting. After all, he'd survived many trials in his life, and he was still perfectly fine...if not a little rusty. He shrugged, "I can do this."

"Sure, Jonathan, whatever ya say. Do me a favor now?"

"What?"

"Step away from the quicksand."

Jonathan yelped and then leaped back, away from the grimy substance before him.

"Thanks," Rick said simply.

Ardeth Bay shook his head, "Rick, sometimes you amaze me."

"What? What'd I do?"

Ardeth shook his head again, smiling.

"So, Ardeth...I know you've heard this before...but...what can we expect from our old pal Imhotep? Haven't really thought of him for a while, and I figured it was due-time to face the facts."

"Facts?" Shanala asked.

Rick nodded, "Yea. The facts: My wife and son have been kidnapped by the same regenerated slime-ball that's been after us for the past sixteen years of my life, and I'm gonna have to know what I'm up against before I kick his a-butt."

Shanala was silent for a moment as they traveled through the heavily-wooded oasis. Then, she turned to Rick and asked, "What's an a-butt?"

"Nothing," Rick muttered, "Go on, Ardeth."

"The Creature will most likely be fully regenerated by now-"

"He is."

"-with all of his powers strengthened. Basically, you're up against the same thing you were five years ago."

"Super. One question though: Last time...five years ago...he and I were both hanging over a pit to Hell. Anck-su-namun left him, right? So why'd he take her back so willingly?"

Shanala giggled, and Rick looked at her, "What?"

"The question. It's just funny to me, that's all."

"How's it funny?" Rick asked, grabbing Shanala's shoulder to stop her. She turned around and sighed, "Well, see, Anck-su-namun has a twin, and the twin hates her, so she tricked Imhotep into believing it was her."

"What?" Rick yelled, stepping back. Then Shanala burst into peals of laughter, and he rolled his eyes, "For real. What?"

"Well, you remember that Anck-su-namun had to be reincarnated? Before she was she was just some lady...Mila was her name, I believe. At the moment of decision--save Imhotep or not--those two very different people were having an argument. One said to forget Imhotep, he's not worth it...and yet, the other insisted that she must save him and that she would do anything for him. Eventually, Mila won the argument, and they left Imhotep. He still thought that she was Anck-su-namun, which would explain why he let himself fall into the pit."

Everyone had stopped as Shanala spoke, and everyone was dead-silent while they listened. Even after she was done, complete silence greeted her. She bit her lip uncomfortably, "C'mon. Let's go..."

They started walking again, and Rick finally spoke up, "How do you know so much?"

Shanala shrugged, "I guess because I'm Isis's Blessing."

Shanala gasped sharply and stopped, making Rick nearly topple over her.

"What?" Rick's hand instinctively went to his gun.

"I-I...I wasn't supposed to...to..." Shanala looked absolutely terrified. No one seemed to understand why except Ardeth, who stared at her in open shock.

"Will someone please explain things to me?" Jonathan said, looking cross.

"It cannot be," Ardeth whispered. Shanala cast her eyes down.

"What?" Rick snapped, getting impatient.

"She is...Isis's Blessing...this...this explains everything!"

"Like what?" Jonathan asked, but Ardeth had already began walking far ahead, speaking briskly over his shoulder.

"The sacrifice...her necklace...the age difference between she and Nefertiri....yes! It all fits!"

"Explain, please," Jonathan whined, tromping along behind everyone else.

"Isis's Blessing...yes! You see, Isis would only bless one person every million years. The person blessed would be placed in a royal family that already had one child. The child would have to be at least sixteen before the Blessing could be born...yes! Of course! Your mother...she...you remember, don't you?"

Shanala nodded miserably, "Yes...before my mother died...she...she prayed that Isis would please bless her family, no matter what it took. So, I was born. No one knew I was a blessing until my mother died. After that happened, I guess...I don't know...some sort of sign appeared, and the prophets told everyone that I was Isis's Blessing. After that, I got this necklace..." Shanala held up the piece of jewelry to show Rick.

Rick took the charm in his hand and whistled, "Nice."

"Is that gold?" Jonathan asked.

"Jonathan," Rick said warningly.

"Pretty soon, everyone started acting differently around me. My father was...well, afraid of me. All of the servants refused to be near me alone, and...Anck-su-namun...she hated me more than ever."

"Why? That's no reason. Was she jealous?" Jonathan questioned.

Shanala shook her head, "No, that's not it...this is all so complicated..."

"We have plenty of time," Rick pointed out.

"I guess you're right...alright. I'll explain it to you, but only if everyone promises not to interrupt."

Everyone nodded or shrugged, so Shanala sighed and ran a hand through her long hair, "Alright."

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