CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Morning came sooner than he wished and Ardeth softly got dressed and left the tent. It was before dawn, but outside he found his bother saddling the horses. Tarek saw the hurt in his eyes and placed a hand on his shoulder. Ardeth smiled at him and they both went on with their tasks, with no need for spoken words.
It was still dark when Jean walked out into the morning air and saw Ardeth, Tarek, and their horses waiting for her.
"Good morning Jean. Do you have everything ready?" Asked the younger brother, trying to put up a brave front and failing miserably.
She gave him a ghost of a smile. "Yes, I've just finished packing all the gifts you have given me."
As they were talking, every single warrior in the camp went to bid her farewell. It took her a while to greet them all, but it was definitely worth it. And she had managed to put up a brave front until it was Ahmad's turn.
The boy had waited until she had said goodbye to all the warriors before approaching her and when their eyes met, Jean felt him so close to her in spirit that it touched her. It was like saying goodbye to the dearest of her friends, to a brother.
" Bye Ahmad, take care…" she started but was unable to go on. Not with those adoring brown eyes staring up at her.
" I will miss you, Jean," he muttered, nearly choking with the painful lump on his throat.
The woman nodded and smiled tenderly at him, unable to verbalize her feelings at that moment and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek.
Ahmad smiled as well and clasped his hand to his chest, saying something in Arabic that meant he was wishing her a safe journey back home. Then he turned and walked away from her, going somewhere where he could be alone, where he wouldn't have to pretend that her departure wasn't tearing his heart.
"It is time to go," Ardeth said sorrowfully. Jean nodded again.
He swung himself up into the saddle and kicked his foot out of the stirrup. She sighed as she realized she would be riding Diamond for the last time. She put her foot in the stirrup, swinging her own leg across the back of the horse and hitched the skirt of her Medjai robe up to tuck under her thighs. When Tarek had done the same, the three of them spurred their horses off. Jean turned around and saw that all the warriors were watching them as they galloped into the morning and some of them were waving to her.
But what she did not see was Ahmad, sitting on top of a dune and watching her as she left the camp until he could no longer see her.
" Goodbye, my beautiful friend, sister and mistress," he whispered before turning his eyes to the sky. " Please Allah, bring her back to us soon."
***
They rode hard all through the morning and Jean was miserable as she thought about the things she was leaving behind and how much she would miss the Med-jai. Noon came and went, with a brief rest for the horse and themselves, then they were back on the horse racing across the desert. She was tired already, having not fully recouped from her wound. The afternoon sun slowly dropped from view as dusk came upon them. Off in the distance, they saw a caravan heading in the opposite direction and Ardeth decided to alter their course slightly so as not to run into them. He wanted no interference in his short time with Jean, so he took them wide around the convoy, eventually getting back on course.
The moon was up, full and high in the sky, when Ardeth decided it was time to stop. He helped her down from the horse and went about setting up their small campsite in silence, while Jean stretched her sore muscles, massaging some life back into her numb limbs and Tarek began cooking their small supper. When it was ready, they ate in silence.
After they finished, Jean washed the few dishes and put them away while Ardeth and Tarek attended the horses. The older brother seemed troubled and Tarek wanted to help him overcome his sadness.
"She will come back, my brother," he whispered, trying to sound as reassuring as he was able to at the time.
Ardeth paused from his task of brushing Quicksand's mane and looked at Tarek straight into the eye. "I sincerely hope so, Tarek," was all he said.
The younger brother nodded and let out a faint smile. "Look…I know you want to sleep with her. Wait, Ardeth, don't cut me in," he said when he saw the look on his brother's face. "I am not stupid, I saw you set only one bedroll for both of you. I don't have a problem with that and I will try to interfere as little as possible between you two."
Ardeth was moved by his brother's sympathetic attitude. "Thank you very much for understanding how much Jean means to me."
"Well, we must support ourselves as brothers. Now, go to her, I will finish here," he urged.
The Chieftain squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Thank you again, Tarek."
With that, Ardeth quickly left his horse and walked over to his bedroll, waiting for Jean. When she was finished, she looked over at him. Without saying a word, he held out his hand to her and she walked over into his embrace. He went closer to her, fitting her body into his and putting his arm around her waist. They fell asleep holding each other close, knowing that their time together was running out, but helpless to stop the inevitable.
Tarek saw them sleep and a cheerless smile crossed his face. 'I wish things were different for them,' he thought, as he put his bedroll at the other side of the fire as not to disturb them. He lay down and soon he was sleeping too.
***
The next morning they resumed their ride, continuing on like the previous day, covering mile after mile of endless desert. Noon found them riding up to the outskirts of Cairo. As they rode in, the looks on their faces made a few passers by stare. Jean wore a look of defeatism laced with sadness, while Ardeth's face was blacker than thunderclouds and Tarek's expression was full of concern.
They stopped at a stable and there they left their horses to be taken care of. Jean caressed Diamond's mane and whispered something into his ear before leaving, waking Ardeth's curiosity.
"What did you say to Diamond?" He asked.
"I said goodbye to him," replied Jean sighing deeply.
"You should have told him 'see you later', as we expect you to return to us soon," pointed out the younger warrior.
"That's true, Tarek… but you never know... Now, were are you taking me?"
"There is a really nice hotel downtown were you can stay until your flight leaves tomorrow. We thought you could go there, rest for a while, shower and then we can take you sightseeing."
"Sounds great, but where will you stay?"
"At the Med-jai village. We have a house there and lots of people to visit, right Tarek?" Ardeth winked at his brother.
"Oh yeah, specially a young woman named Sheelah."
Jean laughed. "Ok guys, take me to the hotel."
They took a cab and Jean finally had the chance to study Cairo. Yes, she had been there before going to the desert, but she had been too consumed by trying to find out what her nightmares meant as to pay any attention to the city. Now she could do so.
The skyline was a jumble of different cultures - from the colonial buildings in the French and British styles, to the gilded minarets of the mosques that immediately conjured up images of the Arabian Nights, to the tall buildings, almost skyscrapers that reminded her of her own city.
It seemed almost unreal, having arrived on horseback and now being swallowed by that impressive and modern metropolis. It took the cab quite a long time to get to the Luxor Hotel, located in the very heart of Cairo.
It was wonderful, almost a palace itself. There were small trees and chairs to rest if you wanted, and a waterfall in the middle of the palazza. It was not very big, but extraordinarily luxurious and Jean was surprised to find an available room, for it seemed to be quite popular. She had no idea that the Med-jai robes she and her escorts were wearing had granted her a room immediately. Jean checked in and the Bellman took her trunks.
"Miss Marquet, would you like me to take you luggage up to your room?" He asked.
"Yes please, I will be up in a few minutes."
The man left and she turned to her friends.
"Shall we meet here in three hours?" She asked, glancing at her watch.
"Sounds fine to me Jean," said Tarek.
" To me too, enjoy your stay, kalila."
"Thank you Ardeth. I'll see you tonight," she whispered and watched her two escorts turn around and walk out of the hotel.
Feeling strangely lonely, Jean took the elevator up to the tenth floor and entered her room. As she saw it, the woman froze. It had a large window with a breathtaking view of Cairo; there were flowers on top of the King bed and the whole room was decorated in gold and purple. A basket filled with fruits and cheeses was waiting for her and her trunks had been carefully placed inside the huge closet.
She slowly undressed as she nibbled on some cheese and filled the antique tub with warm water and bath foam, imagining how wonderful it would feel to take a bath in it. She went to the bedroom to retrieve her toiletries, took the basket with her and returned to the bathroom. The steam had already clouded the huge mirror on the wall above the sink. The bathtub was huge, with feet, and took up most of the back half of the room and the smell was rich and fragrant. She laid out some thick towels and sighed in relaxation as she sunk into the silky water, enjoying the heat on her tired muscles. She hadn't been wrong, it was so pleasant that she stayed there, soaking and eating for and hour.
Jean then got out and grabbed a towel, wiping off and enjoying the feel of the heavy cotton against her bare skin, dried her hair and went to bed. She couldn't sleep, so she entertained herself watching TV. Half an hour before meeting with Ardeth and Tarek, she got up and begun getting ready. She applied subtle make-up to her face and brushed her hair a hundred times to let it shiny and silky. After arguing with herself for a while, she put on a pair of golden sandals and a comfortable but elegant purple dress made of gaza that reached below her knees. She smiled at her reflection on the mirror, took her purse and left the room feeling like and Egyptian princess.
Waiting for her in the lobby were the two brothers, who simply gaped at her when she left the elevator.
"You look very beautiful Jean," said Tarek.
"And radiant as well," added his brother.
"Thanks, but you don't look so bad yourselves," she replied. They were both still wearing Med-jai robes, but those ones had intricate silver linings and Ardeth's was more decorated than Tarek's. "And I love your robes," she commented.
"Thank you, these are the ones we use in the city," informed Ardeth.
"Yeah, they are more civilized," added Tarek.
Jean laughed lightly at his expression. "I see. Well, my men, I am ready for touring," she announced.
"Then we shall please you," answered Ardeth.
They took her to Giza Port to see the steamers, they went to an observatory where Jean could delight herself watching the three Pyramids of Giza and the imposing ancient statue of the Sphinx. Then they spent the rest of the evening strolling by the streets of Cairo's open-air market and shopping. Then they went for dinner to a restaurant named Horus, where they were served magnificent Egyptian food. Throughout dinner, the two brothers gave Jean a mini-lesson of mythology. She was fascinated to hear the stories of love, death and revenge starred by Isis, Osiris, Seth and Horus.
"This restaurant is named after the falcon-headed god, Horus," Ardeth explained.
Jean's sketchy knowledge of Egyptian mythology allowed her to recognize whom Ardeth was talking about.
"Oh, there is a god I remember… his image was unusual. A man in the form of an unidentifiable animal with large ears, a long curving snout and a forked tail."
"I think you are talking about Seth," Tarek replied. "God of chaos and disorder, who murdered his brother Osiris. Later, when he was full grown, Horus fought Seth and defeated him, avenging his father."
None of them wanted the night to end, for they were having a marvelous time, but all good things are bound to end and, at 11 PM, she was escorted back to the hotel by her two Medjai brothers.
"Thank you for everything," she told them, as the three of them stood in the lobby.
"You deserve the very best Jean," replied Tarek. "Sleep well. I will wait for you outside, Ardeth."
He acknowledged his brother with a nod and Tarek left.
"I am glad you spent a pleasant evening, Jean," murmured Ardeth, turning his attention back to her.
She closed her eyes for a second and breathed in deeply. "It was more than pleasant, Ardeth. I will really miss all this…"
"And I will miss your presence in bed tonight," he stated, making her eyes pop back open.
She blushed, and then gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "I will miss you too. See you tomorrow."
"We will pick you up at nine," reminded Ardeth, still shocked by her kiss.
"Yes. Bye," she whispered, as she entered the elevator.
"Sweet dreams, kalila," he said to the closing doors. Then he joined his brother and went to the Med-jai village, where Ardeth knew he would spend a sleepless night.
~~~~~~~~~~
Sad, isn't it? There's only one chappie left to go, so I hope you enjoyed this one. It was very hard to write, 'cause I don't want to make Jean go either, but...
Maamul filled with dates for everyone who reviews!!! And, believe me, I make excellent maamul...
"Yes you do, my sheytana."
*blushes* Ardeth! You aren't supposed to let people know you're living with me. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?)