AN: Hey everyone!!!!!! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update but college's been keeping me busy. Quite busy in fact. I had a Chemistry exam last week (I think I did well), and Anatomy one yesterday in which I got 100/100 (I'm still doing my very own happy dance) and tomorrow I have the statistics midterm. God, I hate the subject.
Well, enough rambling. It's time for the action.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Back in the camp, Jean and Ardeth had dinner by themselves in silence. Tarek and the other warriors arrived and went to them.
"The other eleven tribes will know the news soon. Tomorrow, we will all go to Hamunaptra," informed the younger brother.
"Good. You can all go to rest," answered Ardeth gravely.
"Thank you, brother. Good night Jean." Tarek greeted. The rest of the men bowed and left to their tents.
"Why did those priests awaken him?" Asked the woman, bringing Ardeth out of his silent reverie.
"Well, we were told that some tribes have pledged allegiance to a demon. They no longer follow Allah, but Lillith. They call her by a different name - an ancient one and she has other names in other religions - but it is the same demon."
"Who is Lillith?"
"In Islamic beliefs, Lillith is the demon of the night. Along with her evil offspring, the djinns, she haunts the desert and the ruins and lonely streets particularly on stormy nights," he said, matter-of-factly.
Jean was confused. "And what does it have to do with Imhotep?"
"Evil brings evil. That Englishman must have convinced them that Imhotep was more worthy than Lillith. Why did he let us go Jean?" He asked anxiously.
"He must be waiting for his powers to be fully restored before battling us," she said and shrugged.
"I fear he may try to hurt you," confessed Ardeth.
"Imhotep won't try anything, Ardeth. We're bonded together, remember?"
"Constantly," he said with great affliction. "What does it feel like, this bonding?"
"It's difficult to explain. It's like an invisible rope is tied to my insides and pulling me towards him. No matter which way I move, I know exactly where he is," she whispered wearily.
He had a sudden idea. "If you can feel his pain, can you feel anything else? Perhaps what he is thinking?"
"No, I can't read his mind. But I can feel his emotions, almost 'see' them in my mind. It's extremely tiring."
"Then you must go to sleep. I will go with you."
He took her hand and led her into her tent. Without even changing, she got in bed and looked at Ardeth.
"Won't you join me?"
"No, I will guard," he replied shortly.
"Come here," she made some room for him in bed, "you can guard from here."
Reluctantly, he got in bed next to her and took her hand.
"Try to sleep, Jean."
Obediently, she closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep. A few hours later, Ardeth suddenly sat up and awakened Jean.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"Something is not right," he whispered, his voice filled with apprehension.
They both happened to look around on the ground and noticed they were circled by a ring of yellow-tailed scorpions.
"Oh boy…" Said Jean completely terrified.
"Stay very still. Their poison can kill a man within minutes."
Ardeth reached to the other side of the bed for one of his scimitars and his hand stopped as he saw a couple of scorpions on them.
"Imhotep may have let us go, but this is his doing," he stated as he looked around frantically, trying to find a way out.
"But why would he want to kill us?"
"Not us, just me."
She swallowed hard. "So what do we do?"
"You will stay put and not move until I get back."
"Are you going somewhere?"
Without answering, Ardeth grabbed the large cushion they had been using as a pillow, threw it on top of some of the scorpions and, using the cushion as a stepping-stone, leapt from the bed and out of the tent.
"Is anything wrong, Master?" Asked Ahmad who was outside.
"Nothing, just stay here."
He ran to the rocks by the fire, grabbed an unlit torch, and lit it in the dying embers. He then entered the tent and saw the scorpions slowly moving towards Jean. She was in panic.
"Ardeth, do something quick!"
He realized he couldn't torch the bed, so he torched the scorpions on his scimitars. When they were dead, he threw away the torch, grabbed his scimitar and hacked the scorpions, carefully avoiding hitting Jean, until they were all dead.
"Are you alright?" He asked, rushing to her side.
"Yes," she answered shakily.
"I should never have let my guard down."
"He would've tried something whether you were keeping watch or not."
"There is no excuse for the leader of the Med-jai," he retorted sternly.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot. You're not supposed to be human."
"You do not understand." He looked at her for a moment. "I was on the verge of losing you this time, I will never let such thing happen again." With those words, he left the tent to wake his men.
When he was gone, Jean got up and looked at her reflection on the mirror. Suddenly, she heard the tent-flap open.
"Ardeth…"
Jean saw Imhotep behind her, but before she could cry out a warning, he rushed in, backhanded her across the face and knocked her out. He grimaced at the pain he caused himself, shrugged it off and carried Jean out of the tent. He slung her over his horse, mounted and rode off into the night.
Ardeth sensed something wrong and went back to the tent.
"Jean?"
Ardeth looked inside the tent and gasped in horror when he realized she was not inside it. He rushed out, calling an alarm and awakening the warriors to ride.
***
Wow, so things get more complicated. Don't kill me and continue reviewing as you, so lovely have been (thanks to infinity for that).
Love, Jeanne.