Hi, Guys! Ok...sry it took me sooo long to update; I've been camping. Funfunfun! Ok, I'm sry to report that this chapter is a little short, but that's ok. Why? Because the next one (which happens to be the last chap for this story!) is going to be long!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Special thanx to ALL my reviewers, and welcome to the new one: I'm glad ur reading now. I hope you like it...*bites lip in Evy-like fashion* *laughs* Ok, All. The last chappie is next, so I'll make a big, big, BIG deal out of all of you, ok? Kisskiss.
Chapter 22
"What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?"
"Why are you asking me? I'm just a stupid pilot!"
Jonathan looked around, breathing hard; he knew he had to help Rick before it was too late, but how? He was watching Ardeth climb laboriously to his feet, a grimace of pain etched upon his features. Behind him, several men were charging, swords drawn, to steal his last bit of strength.
"I have to help! I have to! But...how?"
Izzy nodded at Jonathan's waist, "What about the gun there?"
Jonathan glanced down at the revolver at his hip. After a second, he nodded, "That would work."
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Shadows. Fear. Suffocating. Shanala grappled in the darkness for what could only be Anck-su-namun's hands wrapped around her throat.
"Let go!" she choked out, and the effort it took to simply say those two words nearly matched the pain they caused deep in her chest.
She could actually feel the air, like a liquid, seeping out of her lungs with every passing second.
"She's going to kill me," Shanala thought frantically, "She doesn't care how or when...she will kill me!"
Finally, Shanala's hands found her stepmother's wrists and she pushed them, fighting with every ounce of strength she had to get away. Already the little amount of light cats by the torches on the walls was beginning to dim as Shanala's vision clouded. Her head was getting lighter and lighter, her pulls on Anck-su-namun's wrists becoming weaker and weaker. Her lungs ached for oxygen. Her throat burned for air. Her eyes were becoming heavier and heavier, the pain slowly subsiding and turning into exhaustion...far off, she heard a loud cry, and then the weight of Anck-su-namun's hands on her neck disappeared. Shanala's eyes snapped open and she began coughing loudly and painfully, desperately drinking in the stale, warm air; to her, it was as desperately wonderful as a drink of cool water after a day in the scorching desert.
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Evelyn didn't know how in the world she'd done it. She had come into the room quickly, her eyes searching for movement of any kind. She had raced along the corridors, calling Shanala's name, heart thudding against her ribs hard. Then, she had finally found her, and she had seen Anck-su-namun strangling her. Summoning up an almost unearthly strength that she had never possessed, Evy had managed to pry Anck-su-namun's fingers form Shanala's throat. Now, with Anck-su-namun standing stunned against the far wall, and Shanala lying on the ground gasping, Evelyn was almost afraid of how she had done it; it seemed almost impossible. Anck-su-namun was too startled to do much of anything; she had never lost her wits like that before. Shanala was holding her throat and wincing, tears beginning to trickle down her cheeks at the realization of what had happened. Evelyn dropped down next to the girl and hesitatingly touched her cheek; Shanala looked up at her and her eyes lit up. Slowly, a small, painful smile it up on her face, "Nefertiri."
Evelyn grinned, "Shanala, Darling...call me 'Mum'."
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Ardeth felt his muscles straining at the pain he faced in standing. He clenched his teeth together as he slowly made his way across the floor, his eyes focused on the golden glimmer of hope before him. Behind him, he could faintly hear loud footsteps and angry cries; he simply ignored it, assuming it to be part of the battle. Eventually, after several agonizing steps, Ardeth had reached the book. He dropped to his knees and started to grab it, but before h could a hand grabbed his robes and jerked him backwards. Ardeth's head his the floor with a loud, resounding crack, and he immediately felt faint. Blinking, forcing himself to stay conscious, he looked up at his attacker; it turned out that there were several men staring down at him wickedly. He tried to get up, but found himself too weak. Instead, he simply lay there, his eyes closed as fear and pain pulsed through him.
"Allah help me."
There were several loud, echoing blasts then, and then many loud thumps. After a second, Ardeth opened his eyes and found the men lying on the ground before him, dead. Looking around, Ardeth saw Jonathan high-fiving Izzy and shouting, "I did it! I did it! Take that, you old buggers!"
Ardeth managed a small smile and a thankful nod at Jonathan, and then he took the book in his hands.
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Rick saw Ardeth get the book, and a great hope swelled in him. Just as Imhotep stepped forward, ready for the final hit, Ardeth opened the book, opened his mouth...and slid it over to Rick. "Read it, Rick! Hurry!"
Rick's mouth dropped open. Imhotep saw him hesitate and made a grab for the book, but Rick managed to yank it out of his reach. Sporting a confident grin but feeling wary of his Egyptian-reading talents, Rick looked down at the page; how in the world was he supposed to read this?
"Ummm...horno....hornotopia? Umm...Hornotopia....djars....djarsto...malsh...what the heck?!?"
Rick looked up and saw Ardeth's face fall into his hands.
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"Are you alright?"
"I...I'm fine..."
Evy smiled and stood, offering her hand to Shanala, "Then let's get out of this place."
Shanala nodded, taking Evy's hand and getting to her feet, swaying slightly with dizziness. Evy held her arms, steadying her as they started to walk out; they had only forgotten one thing...
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Anck-su-namun felt the cool medal of the knife against her palm as she walked hurriedly towards Shanala and Evelyn, the blade glinting in the light above her...
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Jonathan felt his mouth drop open as Rick continued struggling to read the words. Imhotep was simply standing there, his face a mask of confusion. Ardeth was calling to Rick in Arabic, saying something that sounded dreadfully like, "I eat oil and all things living!" Rick, however, must have understood the meaning to his words, as he immediately dropped to his knees, slid the book over to Ardeth, and managed to block a sudden blow from Imhotep. Ardeth snatched the book from the ground, flipped to the right page, and instantly began reading: "Horatisha djans klsa minña roke bjeen!"
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Imhotep immediately recognized the words spoken by Ardeth Bay and felt his skin go cold as a electric charge raced through him. He only had enough time to give a final, despairing cry before the bolt of light hit him, sucking away all of his powers and his immortality.
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Evy and Shanala stopped with a startled gasp at Imhotep's sudden, sharp shriek. "What happened?" Shanala asked Evy, wide-eyed.
"I...I don't know...let's go find out..."
Evelyn was worried, of course, that it had been her husband's shout and not Imhotep's. Or if it hadn't been Rick's, perhaps it was Jonathan or Ardeth? However, as much as Evelyn wished to investigate, she could not, for just as she and Shanala stepped closer to the inviting doorway, Shanala was jerked backwards with a startled cry. Evy whipped around, her blood pulsing quickly through her veins, adrenaline working through her body. Anck-su-namun gave her a wide, crazy smile, "Hello."
She held the point of a dagger to Shanala's throat, her eyes dancing wildly, her free hand holding Shanala to her. Shanala was breathing hard, skin whitening, eyes glued to the sharp blade inches from her pulsing throat. Evelyn could sense how crazy with hatred Anck-su-namun was and she couldn't help but to ask, "What is wrong with you? Leave her alone! She's never done anything to you!"
"That's wrong, Nefertiri," Anck-su-namun snapped, "She's done everything to me! Anything bad that has happened to me is all her fault!" Anck-su-namun shook Shanala to emphasize her last words. Shanala screamed.
"Just let her go," Evelyn said quietly, "She...couldn't have done anything...she..."
"She told!" Anck-su-namun spat, "She told your FATHER, that worthless swine of a man! She told him and he made my life miserable!"
"What my father did has nothing to do with Shanala!"
Anck-su-namun forced a smile, "Ah, Nefertiri. Don't you see? Your father would never have done anything if he hadn't known about Imhotep and I. And he never would have known anything about Imhotep and I if SHANALA hadn't told."
"...that's not why you want to kill her," Evy said quietly, "You would find any reason at all to hate her and go absolutely mad over it! You hated her form the moment she was born, I saw you! You always wanted to kill her!"
"Who didn't? Everyone hated her!"
"That's not true!"
"Don't lie, Nefertiri. What's the matter? You can't repeat to Shanala what you told me so many years ago? Don't you remember?"
Shanala looked up at Evelyn, sensing a strange recognition to Anck-su-namun's words. Evelyn stared at Anck-su-namun, confused and yet oddly dreading what was going to be said next.
"Don't you recall how angry you were at your dear little sister? You blamed everything on her, Nefertiri. You blamed your mother's death on her. You hated her. You told me how much attention she got, how much of a brat she was..." Anck-su-namun's eyes flickered, "...how much you would give if someone could simply get rid of her..."
Evelyn felt her heart sink; she realized that she remembered staying those words. "...I...I..."
Anck-su-namun snickered, "You see? I was right. No one wants her. I don't. Imhotep doesn't. YOU don't. What's the point of her being alive?"
Shanala looked heartbroken as she read the look on Evelyn's face. Tears pooled in her eyes. Evelyn forced herself not to cry, "That was then. This is now. Right now, at this time, I would do anything to prevent any harm coming to her."
"Is that true? You would do anything? Well, how could that be true? You agreed to give Shanala up in exchange for your SON..."
Evelyn's heart rate wert up, "No! I never-"
"But you did. You had a choice: Alex or Shanala. Which one? And who did you pick, Nefertiri? Don't lie; Isis's Blessing can tell lies from truths."
Shanala gazed at Evelyn sadly. Evy blinked back tears, "I was going to...to figure out some way to get you back..."
Anck-su-namun snickered, "You see, Shanala? No one wants you."
Shanala looked at the ground. Before she had been hopeful that everything would be ok; that somehow she was worth something to someone. That was why she'd been fighting so hard to live...but now...what was the point? She would always be second best at most. Before, she had been struggling against Anck-su-namun, prying at her hands and backing away from the knife, but now she let her hands drop slowly to her sides as a single tear rolled down her cheek and fell down to the ground, landing with a silent crash.
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