Chapter 18
"Dwell not upon thy weariness, thy strength shall be according to thy measure of desire."
Arabic proverb
~*~
Sued was a senior member of the Medum helper sect. For all of his adult life, he had lived for one purpose: to honor his oath taken as a helper and to assist the warrior sect whenever needed. He had sacrificed much, giving no time or consideration to a wife or family as other helpers had done. But the choice to dedicate his life was his own and if asked to make it again, he would gladly do so. Sued had no regrets and when he reflected back on his many years of service, he considered himself to be quite fortunate.
He had been given the chance to witness the birth of legends.
Stories were often told by one generation to the next; it was a favorite pastime of his people, keeping alive tradition and the memory of men who had given their lives. Fathers would tell their sons about the glory of battle, how the Tuareg were easily defeated in the uprising of 1897 or how vigilant the Tribe of the Eighth would always be in protecting mankind from He That Shall Not Be Named. Names were spoken in hushed and reverent tones, inspiring awe and admiration. Deeds were recounted and sometimes embellished, making the warrior who had performed the heroic acts seem almost invincible.
But when Sued met Ardeth Bay, he began to think that perhaps the stories were not embellished after all.
In amazement, Sued watched as Ardeth gave little regard to his injury and masked any discomfort he may have felt with stoic indifference. It seemed that Ardeth had firmly taken on the responsibility for finding the chest but Sued had to speculate: at what cost?
The warrior must have already known the limits of his strength before they left the healer's compound earlier that morning; why else would he have set such a grueling and demanding pace? They had ridden at a fast gallop for most of the day and Sued suspected Ardeth had hoped to cover as much distance as possible before he was unable to continue any further.
As the hours of the morning melted into the long, hot afternoon, Ardeth's horse slowly broke from its gallop to a trot until finally, it seemed the warrior was barely able to keep the animal at a steady walk. Ardeth retreated deep within himself, and hardly spoke, the lines of his face deeply etched with pain. His shoulders were hunched over and his hands were tangled in the horse's long mane as though this were a means to keep himself anchored in the saddle. The brutal rays of the sun, combined with the oppressive desert heat, chipped away at the warrior's resolve and by late afternoon, Ardeth began swaying in the saddle.
"With all due respect, Commander, you have to be the most stubborn yet courageous warrior I have ever met." Sued hoped his unexpected comment would break through the haze of misery that had enveloped Ardeth over the past few hours, prompting a reaction.
Ardeth's laugh came out as a breathless wheeze. "I am…not sure, was that a compliment?"
"An observation," Sued clarified, his eyes twinkling with subtle humor. "I have had the honor of meeting and assisting many warriors during the course of my life. I have observed more than a few who were too stubborn for their own good; their willfulness was almost their downfall."
Ardeth sighed. "Do you always make it a habit to inform others of your observations?"
Sued watched as Ardeth shifted uncomfortably, closing his eyes briefly against the flare-up of pain that the movement had surely invoked. "When I see it impeding their judgment, aiwa," Sued replied.
Ardeth sighed again and looked at Sued, a rueful smile on his face. "I seem to have this distinct habit of late in finding people who speak the truth to me, no matter how unpleasant it may be."
"Then I would consider you a fortunate man," Sued said.
Suddenly Ardeth's horse missed a step in the deep sand and the animal immediately compensated for the shift in its weight, drawing forth a deep groan of pain from the warrior. Alarmed, Sued watched as Ardeth's body slumped forward, his head almost touching the horse's neck as his hands grasped and released their tenacious hold over and over. Finally they came to a rest, once again tightly entangled in the horse's mane and slowly Ardeth sat up, exhaling noisily.
The question "Why do you do this?" was ready to tumble from Sued's lips but he already knew the answer to his redundant question. An oath, whether taken when inducted into the warrior or helper sect, was meant to be honored; the sacrifice of one's life was often the price paid. As a commander of the Medjai, as a respected warrior, and as a man, Ardeth would always do what was in his power to rectify his mistakes.
"…knowing that I shall find only torment and never rest if my vows are broken through action or inaction and I seek not to right my wrongs."
They rode in silence for a few minutes until Ardeth pulled his horse to a stop. Sued was surprised, certain that the warrior would have tried to endure a few more hours of riding. "Commander?" he asked.
"I would also consider…myself an intelligent man," Ardeth murmured hoarsely, a ghost of a smile dancing around the corners of his mouth. "We should stop and rest. Granted I am known to be stubborn but I would not…wish to have the trait of willfulness added as well."
Sued laughed. "Too late, ya sahib. I am already thinking about the story I will tell my nieces and nephews about the great Ardeth Bay."
"I am…only a man," Ardeth stated quietly.
Sued shook his head. "La, you are a warrior. One of extraordinary courage whose tale shall be told many times over by the generations to come. I am honored to be your helper."
Ardeth lapsed into silence as they brought their horses to a stop. Sued decided to set up a temporary camp near the base of a large dune and under his watchful eye, Ardeth used the commands Is'af had taught him to dismount. When Ardeth lingered far too long resting against the side of the saddle, Sued felt apprehensive; had he misjudged Ardeth's capacity to travel?
"Commander?" Sued called out.
Ardeth's response was to take a few staggering steps before he collapsed to the ground.
Uttering a string of curses, Sued rushed to Ardeth's side and found him conscious but obviously weak and exhausted.
For the next hour, Sued worked quickly to set up the camp. Ardeth was brought inside the tent, made as comfortable as possible and ordered to drink a large quantity of water mixed with Asiya's herbs while Sued checked the warrior's thigh wound. Ardeth's weak attempts to stop Sued from checking the torn stitches were met with a firm resistance and eventually, he stopped struggling.
"Stubborn warrior," Sued chided gently as he wrapped Ardeth's thigh with a temporary bandage. He looked up to find Ardeth staring at him with a weariness in his eyes but a lopsided grin.
"Aiwa…I am," Ardeth whispered weakly as his eyes fluttered shut.
~*~
Olivia was hot, tired, and dirty.
Her dress was ruined, permanently stained with blood and caked with dirt, and her hair was a tangled, lumpy braid that hung limply down her back. Her shoes, purchased in England and considered to be very fashionable, had died a swift death and her stockings were riddled with various holes of all shapes and sizes. She wanted to take a nice, long, hot bath, scrub herself from head to toe and then crawl between cool cotton sheets and sleep for at least a week.
Olivia wanted to do a lot of things once they reached Sedment el-Gebel but at the moment, none of these creature comforts mattered.
Not if she couldn't share them with Nabil.
For the past four hours her entire being had remained focused on the man she had been gently cradling in her arms. While his dark head nestled intimately on her chest, his face pressed into her neck, Olivia offered prayer after prayer to God as she felt the waves of heat radiating off of Nabil's body. It was a simple, direct litany that came from her heart. "Please God, let him live. Please." Her hand rested on Nabil's good shoulder then reached upward, to lightly cup his tattooed cheek. "Hold on, warrior…it's not much further now. Don't give up."
Lost in the battle to keep Nabil alive, Olivia was more than startled to hear Faris' sudden announcement.
"Riders coming this way," he called out.
As the wagon started to slow down, Olivia tried to carefully extract Nabil from her arms and climb up to see but something hindered her movements. With a startled yelp she fell back and in the process, jostled Nabil's wounded shoulder. "Oh God, I'm sorry," she whispered to the warrior as a low moan of pain slipped through his lips. She grazed her knuckles across Nabil's feverish cheek, and then looked up at Faris. "Can you tell who they are?" she asked.
"Yes, soldiers from Fort Brydon," Faris replied and brought the wagon to a jarring halt. "They are heading this way."
"We're rescued," Olivia exclaimed excitedly. She bent down and cupped Nabil's face with both hands, tears brimming in her eyes. "Did you hear that, my warrior? We are rescued."
~*~
Allan had always considered himself to be quite fortunate.
He had managed to graduate from college with mediocre grades, marry the daughter of a well respected and wealthy doctor, and was happily but carelessly depleting his wife's wealth without her knowledge. Life had been good.
He had even managed to capitalize on Olivia's abduction by asking her family to send money so he could help finance her rescue. He had no intention of paying the good Captain Mallory because he had firmly believed his luck would hold out. The chances of finding Olivia alive after three days in the desert were very unlikely and although he felt it a tad premature, Allan started making plans for his future as a widower. His mood has been more than sour prior to arriving in Sedment el-Gebel, and he had waited with feigned patience as Captain Mallory questioned all of his informants. With each negative response, each statement verifying that a woman matching Olivia's description had not been seen in the area, Allan felt his spirits began to soar. He felt more than fortunate, he felt like he was the luckiest man alive. They had left Sedment and continued to travel southeast for a few hours and during that time Allan had gladly submersed himself into his dreams of fame and fortune to alleviate the boredom.
It all came crashing down when suddenly the solider who had been scouting ahead of the men called out, "Captain Mallory, wagon up ahead. And I think I see a woman."
"No, it can't be," Allan cried out in dismay. He caught the looks of surprise from the other soldiers and quickly added on, "Dear God, could that be my wife?"
"We'll know soon enough," Captain Mallory said and brought out his revolver. He ordered for the men to charge and as the column surged forward, Allan was helpless to do anything but ride along with them. Fortunately for him, no one heard his muttered curses that were lost into the wind as it whipped around him.
~*~
"I believe your skirt is caught on something," Faris said. "I am going to try and pull you free." He had climbed up on to the wagon bed and stood over Olivia, having gently pulled Nabil's weight off of her, and was diligently tugging on her one hand.
"What's that noise?" Olivia asked. She tugged on the fabric, all of her attention focused on remains of her tattered hemline caught in the wooden flooring of the wagon. Blissfully unaware of the soldiers bearing down on them, she jerked her head up in surprise when suddenly a bullet landed with a solid "thunk" in the side of the wagon.
"Whatever happens, take care of the warrior," Faris instructed ominously. "Do not worry about me."
"Oh my God, why are they shooting at us?" Olivia's question would forever remain unanswered as the material tore and she was pulled free. She stood up in the wagon, turned to give Faris her thanks but the words died in her throat when she saw his body unexpectedly stiffen and topple off the wagon. Her hand ripped from his, she watched in horror as his body fell and landed with a sickening thud on the ground.
Olivia screamed Faris' name, her anguished cry drowned out by the noise of the soldiers as they finally converged around the wagon. She leaned over the side, tears streaming down her face as she reached down with one hand, refusing to believe the young boy who had risked so much was dead. Gradually the world interceded upon her grief; sounds filtered through her shock and sorrow, rudely pulling her back to reality.
"Cease fire! Damn it, cease fire!"
"Hold your fire!"
Olivia lifted her head and was amazed to see that the wagon had been surrounded by soldiers.
"Mr. Merriweather, I must insist you hand over your weapon immediately," an officer angrily requested and Olivia watched with a detached interest as he waited for Allan to comply.
"Allan?" Olivia whispered in disbelief. Yet her eyes were drawn back down to Faris' body and she watched in morbid fascination as the sand beneath him slowly turned red.
"Really, Captain, I don't know why I should have to relinquish my weapon when anyone will be able to testify I was protecting my wife," Allan's calm reply made Olivia look up again and she watched him jump down from his horse. He arrogantly twirled his weapon then shoved it into a concealed pocket in his coat. "That savage had his hands all over her. I was protecting what is rightly mine."
"Allan," Olivia said his name like it was a curse. He was the reason Faris was dead and the fury over his senseless death coursed through her body. She carefully maneuvered around Nabil, and then jumped off the wagon. Ignoring the curious stares coming from the soldiers, she advanced on her husband, her hands clenched into tight fists by her sides.
"Dr. Groves? Take Private Bennings and check to see if the poor bastard is still alive," the officer commanded, ignoring Allan's reasoning. "As for you, Mr. Merriweather, I strongly suggest…"
"Hello Allan," Olivia calmly said as she stood in front of him. With a critical eye, her gaze swept over his appearance; from the top of his perfectly combed hair, over his almost neatly pressed clothes and down to his expensive boots. Desperately, Olivia tried to dredge up some form of fondness for the man who was her husband but instead, she helplessly pictured him with black hair, gray eyes and crescent shaped tattoos that graced both cheeks.
"Well there's my girl," Allan purred and reached out to take Olivia's arm. He seemed surprised when she stiffened against him and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I know you have missed me, my love, and you may show your affection for me by kissing my cheek."
"I would sooner kiss a camel's ass," Olivia retorted and wrenched her arm free.
"Olivia, what on earth are you doing?" Allan sputtered and grabbed it once more.
"I am doing what should have been done a long time ago, my dear husband. I am proclaiming my emancipation," she replied and pulled away from him.
"Have you gone mad?" Allan hissed and nervously glanced at the soldiers who still surrounded the wagon and intently watching them. "I risked my life to come out in this blasted desert to rescue you and this is how you act?"
"I should ask the same of you. You killed an innocent boy," Olivia snapped.
"I killed a heathen who was manhandling you and was trying to prevent you from escaping…"
"Faris rescued me from my abductors. If you had given him half a chance to explain instead of shooting him and trying to impress everyone, we wouldn't be having this absurd conversation right now," Olivia said. "You are a bumbling fool."
She never saw the blow coming; one moment she was glaring at Allan, the next moment her head rocked back from the force of his hand slapping her face. Olivia was stunned into a temporary submission, almost reverting back to her old habits and behavior to placate Allan.
Almost.
"Ungrateful bitch," Allan snarled.
"Now see here, Merriweather, now is not the time to discipline your wife. God only knows what she has been through…" the officer tried to interject a protest.
"Stay out of this!" Allan retorted and tried to grab Olivia's arms.
It only took her a few seconds to remember all the trials she had been through over the past few days, the tests of internal strength and determination and she quickly recovered. Pride at what she had become, awareness of her own unique power coupled with the knowledge that she was a survivor flowed through her body like a bolt of energy. It channeled down from her head to her arms and legs, making her body tingle and her fists curl. Without thought, she drew back one hand and the energy pent up inside of her exploded with a solid punch to Allan's face. She watched him backpedal, arms waving frantically for balance, before he toppled over and landed on his backside.
Ignoring the laughter coming from the men, she walked over to where her husband had propped himself on the ground and watched as he gingerly touched one bloody corner of his mouth.
"As God as my witness, if you ever hit me again, I shall go and find my father's favorite scalpel. And when you think you can finally relax, or when you're just about to drift off to sleep, I'll appear and show you exactly what he taught his daughter about using it," she coldly stated.
"You are mad," Allan scoffed. He looked around the soldiers as if looking for support. "Did you see what she did to me?"
"Nice right hook, Mrs. Merriweather. Have ye ever watched the pugilists, per chance?" someone joked.
"Aye, she took lessons," another man spoke up amidst the laughter.
Olivia watched Allan scramble to his feet, his face red with embarrassment and as he menacingly advanced towards her, Olivia held her ground.
~*~
A/N: sorry for the slow update, between working long hours and fighting bronchitis, these past few weeks have passed by in a haze. As always, thanks so much for continuing to read this…my characters and I appreciate it. As for the upcoming chapters, well the big battle is coming up soon and I've been studying a few techniques on how to write it. I hope the next few chapters will live up to your expectations. ;-)
Here's some shout outs:
Dawn: Ask for an Ardeth and ye shall receive. I'm glad you liked my intros of the new guys. I gotta go read your story and have been waiting for FF to stop acting up tonight.
Marxbros: I am soooo flattered you like my version of Rick and I've already worked out a rough draft of the reunion scene between Rick and Ardeth; I think you'll like it.
Deana: Ah, my own little muse, like Dawn you asked for Ardeth and he's here, albeit a short scene. Thanks so much for the endless medical information you always provide and for just chatting with me sometimes. ;-)
Ladybug: Glad you liked it and again, let me express how thrilled I am to be playing with your boys. Heh heh ;-)
Ruse: hey there kiddo, I think I owe you a review or two, sorry I haven't been on FF in a while. Glad you liked the previous chapter and I tried to follow your advice and post more soon, I'm just a few weeks late in doing it, that's all. LOL
Ellbee: thanks for the review, very much. If anyone is interested, she and Jennifer Lee have a story in the Lord of the Rings section that rocks. I'm glad you liked this chapter and I gave the "boys" your message. ;-)
Patty, Marcher and Serena: In answer to Marcher's question, no there is nothing set in stone between Nabil and Olivia but they have a few more trials to face…oops, won't say any more than that. As always thanks for reading and letting me know how I'm doing on each chapter. ;-)
Lula: I see you coming in at chapter 18 and I'm glad you're around. I hope life is treating you well and I look forward to more updates on your story, laws yes. ;-)