Jonathan crouched down by the hole and looked down into it, wishing he had had the foresight to get a torch from somewhere. Still, the faint light from the Med-jai's own torches still cast a slight glow and he was pretty sure his nightmares had implanted plans of this place in his brain somewhere. As if he could ever forget. Gathering all his courage - courage he never knew he possessed - he went swiftly into the opening, following the distant sound of voices and using his memories of these corridors to guide him. Before long he was at the entrance to the large chamber where they had defeated Imhotep the first time, and he shuddered as even more memories assailed him, none of them good. A few steps took him to the top of the steps and he looked down at the scene below him, closing his eyes when he saw Charlotte laying on the stone table where Evy had once been chained. Only Charlotte wasn't fighting as Evy had been, she wasn't even attempting to get out of her bonds. Her eyes stared vacantly to one side, not even taking any notice of the fight going on around her.
Jonathan had thought that the Med-jai would find this easy, but apparently they had misjudged Grayson Johns. The man had power, that was obvious and he was using it to keep the warriors at bay. Among the black clad figures he could make out mummies battling, a sight he had grown accustomed to it seemed, because he didn't find it surprising. The Professor must have made them rise to help protect him. Aslar wasn't quite so lucky, and he was nursing a wound in his side, battling against impossible odds because it was Ardeth swinging his sword at him.
The blade sliced through the air with unerring accuracy and sliced the other man across the chest, and Jonathan frowned as he watched. Ardeth appeared to be toying with him, not ending it quickly as he would have done before. He spun around to avoid a blow from the smaller man's sword, his hair playing out behind him as he did and his robes swishing around him. It was poetry in motion, for sure, and Jonathan wished he had such skills. Well, he did, in a way, only it was with a gun not a sword. Despite his anger for Ardeth, he found himself rooting for him, holding his breath when Aslar got too close. A couple of times he had been lucky and he had managed to hit his leader, drawing blood but not one sound from his tight lips.
He had the upper hand in this battle, and he had had it from the very start. As good as Aslar was, he was no match for this proud warrior, and he was suffering because of it. Ardeth deflected his blows with ease, his eyes almost amused as he parried the attacks as if they were from a child. After a while he seemed to become bored with the game and he swung with more strength, forcing Aslar backwards again and again with the powerful blows. For his part, Aslar was trying desperately to keep his footing under the onslaught, unable to believe how hard it was. He lifted his sword to protect himself as Ardeth brought his sword down, only to find he had been deceived and Ardeth spun the blade quickly so it arced upwards instead of down, slicing his chest once more. He cried out at the burning pain and felt himself weakening again, blood starting to flow from his body with more speed.
Ardeth narrowed his eyes and struck again, using all his skill and all his considerable strength to chop at Aslar's side, a feral smile tilting his lips as the other man's arm was severed and fell to the floor. Aslar screamed and fell to his knees, his fight now over, and his life about to follow it. He had time to glance up at the man he hated more than any other, and saw the blade rush towards his neck, slicing cleanly through it. Had he been able to think at that point he would have wondered that it didn't hurt.
Ardeth kicked the body over and watched dispassionately as it fell at his feet, head, body and arm separate. The sight didn't sicken him as it would some Westerners, he had seen far worse in his life. A sound behind him alerted him to more danger and he spun around in time to find a decaying soldier about to attack, making him forget everything else as he defended himself.
On the steps, Jonathan was having a hard time controlling his roiling stomach, the sight of what Ardeth had done making his face turn an interesting shade of green. He knew that the Med-jai were going to be busy for some time, and his chance to help Charlotte was now, so he ran down the steps and swerved around a small battle, making his way quickly over to the altar.
"Charlie?" he said quietly, bending to whisper in her ear and looking into her blank eyes with concern. When she didn't answer he shook his head sadly and starting trying to get the chains off her wrists. Luckily there was no lock as such, just a small metal peg driven through the things and he found them fairly easy to undo. He undid her ankles too and then pulled her up into a sitting position, looking her over to make sure she hadn't been hurt too badly. Apart from bruises on her face, she appeared unharmed and he looked around him to make sure the coast was clear to get them both out of there. A frown creased his brow when he saw how thick the fighting had become and that they were now surrounded. Of course, the Med-jai were busy so they probably wouldn't stop them. But what if they tried? He firmed his jaw. So what if they did? He had a gun, and Charlotte was too important to just leave here. He picked her up and cradled her against him, still concerned with how pale and listless she was.
Khalid finished disposing of his undead attacker and turned to see where else he could help, and he saw Jonathan carrying Charlotte towards the steps, his eyes narrowing with uncharacteristic doubt. He knew something had been wrong about all this, but he also knew what his eyes had told him. Somehow, the thought of that young girl being an enemy didn't sit well. But he had his duty to his leader, his duty to his tribe, and he couldn't let her go. With a deep sigh he started following them, his hand tightening on the hilt of his sword as he realised what he might have to do.
Jonathan stopped suddenly when he felt the sharp tip of a sword press into the back of his neck and he stiffened his spine as Khalid spoke. "You must stop, Mr Carnahan."
"And if I don't?" Jonathan asked, hoping he could persuade Khalid to just let them go.
"Then I will be forced to stop you, and that is something I do not wish to do," Khalid said, holding the sword steady. He looked back over his shoulder and saw Ardeth striding towards him, his eyes sparkling with anger.
"What are you doing in here?" he asked Jonathan when he got close enough, moving around in front of him and looking down at Charlotte.
"I'm doing exactly what I told you I would. I'm saving her life," Jonathan said proudly, lifting his chin up and glaring at the bigger man.
"You are mistaken," Ardeth said, nodding to Khalid to take Charlotte. He lifted his sword and held it across Jonathan's throat when he resisted. "Do not think that I will let you live just because of past history, because you are mistaken if that is your belief. Let Khalid take the girl, and you may go."
"I'm not bloody well going anywhere!" Jonathan protested, shouting angrily when Khalid finally got Charlotte away from him. "Don't you dare hurt her!"
"She has already been judged, this you know," Ardeth said quietly. "Her life is no longer her own, nor is it yours. Leave now if you do not wish to see her demise."
"Ardeth you can't do this," Jonathan said unsteadily, his heart starting to thump when he realised they were going to kill her right here, right now.
"I can do whatever I wish," the other man said wearily. He looked at Jonathan with his expression unveiled, and Jonathan winced at the raw pain that shone through. "Do you not think that I wish it had been otherwise? I would not want this task."
"Then don't do it. Ardeth, please, let me take her back to England...you'll never have to see her again ever, it would be as if she were dead," Jonathan started pleading, his despair becoming deeper as the shutters went back up in Ardeth's eyes and he looked cold again.
"You ask the impossible. I am sorry, my friend, I cannot grant your wish." Ardeth bowed his head and walked swiftly away, the pain of what he had to do almost more than he could bear. Khalid watched him go and sighed again. He hated to see his friend in pain, and yet he knew of no way to ease it, no way out of this situation.
The fighting continued for a short while longer, the warriors finally gaining on the undead until the last of them was returned to the sands and they all stood facing Grayson Johns. For the first time Jonathan noticed the change in the man. His eyes were glowing eerily in the shadowed cavern and he had an aura around him that deflected any attempts to attack him. It appeared that he could use magic on the warriors, but couldn't actually physically hurt them with it. Every attempt he made to slash at one of the men with the sword he was holding required him to drop his protective field briefly, and it left him vulnerable. Rachid was almost as good a swordsman as Ardeth was, and he had managed to land one blow before the field went back up, injuring the professor in the ribcage. He circled him, waiting for another opportunity and smiled as Ardeth joined him, other Med-jai moving in as well as if given a signal. Grayson was sweating with effort and also with blood loss, his movement becoming less defined. His mind made him take more and more foolish risks and he slashed out at Ardeth, his breath gushing out of him as Rachid's sword embedded itself in his stomach. Uttering another temporary spell, he stopped himself from bleeding to death and walked backwards away from the attacking warriors, needing to get out of here so he could heal himself. He summoned some strength and made a dash for the stairs, straight past a stunned Jonathan and Khalid, Ardeth and Rachid following him.
Everything would have been fine, they would have caught up with him, but Ardeth turned his head helplessly to look at Charlotte, faltering slightly. It was all the professor needed and he slashed backwards with his sword, delivering an inexpert blow that nevertheless caught the bigger man between the ribs and made him collapse bonelessly to the ground. An evil laugh resounded in the chamber and the professor continued his flight, disappearing up the stairs with more speed than should have been possible considering his injury.
Jonathan automatically dropped to his knees and checked Ardeth over, his eyes widening with horror when he saw the deep gash in his chest, blood pumping copiously from it. Ardeth's face had gone a pasty shade of grey under his natural tan, and his breath was whistling harshly between his teeth. "Oh God, what do we do?" Jonathan asked, panicking at the sight of so much blood. Khalid put Charlotte down on the ground and pushed Jonathan gently out of the way, immediately setting to work pressing on the wound and ordering Rachid to tear his robes into strips. They worked efficiently over the prone body, wrapping his robes tightly until his breathing sounded better, then they lifted him off the floor. By this time Ardeth was unconscious.
"We must take him to Cairo, they will know how to treat him there," Khalid said, looking at Jonathan and then down at Charlotte. "Your cousin....I am in charge whilst Ardeth is incapacitated, and so my orders will be followed, not his. I have a bad feeling about all of this, and I cannot so easily condemn her to death. Take her back to England, and make sure she stays there."
"Thank you!" Jonathan said, patting Khalid on the shoulder with deep gratitude. "If there's anything I can do to help Ardeth, or you, you only have to ask."
"I know," Khalid said. "I cannot promise that Ardeth will not want retribution when he recovers...I think it best if you leave immediately."
"Don't worry," Jonathan said, scooping Charlotte up. "I'm not staying here a second longer than necessary. Please let me know how Ardeth is."
"I will." Khalid gave a last nod and called for the men to follow him, leading the way from the tomb with the men carrying Ardeth carefully up the stairs and out of sight.
Jonathan looked down at Charlotte. "It's alright, old girl, everything will be fine from now on. You'll see."
