Chapter 21

I amar prestar aen…
The world is changed.

han mathon ne nen…
I feel it in the water.

han mathon ne chae…
I feel it in the Earth.

a han noston ned gwilith.
I smell it in the air.

"Prologue to The Lord of the Ring"

~*~

It was the kind of night he preferred, perfect for a battle to be waged.

Ideal for the predator in him to exalt in, to revel in the feelings of hatred and malice he harbored for the Medjai.  Jahm stood outside his tent, surveying what he had come to sardonically refer to as his kingdom over the past few days, knowing that all tasks had been accomplished to his satisfaction.  He was oblivious to Loch-nah's presence, to the subtle, continuous undermining of his position as leader, to everything except what his mind perceived as important.

To kill or be killed.  This was his life and he accepted it, the slight veneer of a civilized man melting away to reveal the true black nature of his soul.  Cold, dark lifeless eyes swept over the desert landscape as Jahm absent-mindedly touched the scar on his face in a morbid caress.

"Soon… soon," he chanted to himself, darting a nervous glance to where the chest was safely secured, resting under a tarp in the wagon.  A distorted smile slid over his face as he heard it whispering to him, as it had done ever since its arrival in camp; it seemed tonight would be no different.  Like a lost lover, Jahm embraced it, welcomed the voice in his mind and listened to it urge him to destroy the Medjai.  They had much in common, the disembodied voice and the man who had shunned repentance; they wallowed in what might have been and would always fight for what could still be - control of their worlds.

"There is still no sign of them," Loch-nah spoke up from Jahm's side, his haughty tone laced with impatience.  "The sentries report all is quiet.  I will take a squadron of men and ride to the perimeters of the camp…"

Jahm's bark of laughter momentarily silenced the Nubian.  "Still desire what you do not have, eh mercenary?"

Loch-nah seemed unfazed by Jahm's temporary show of bravado and tilted his head to one side, studying Jahm with glittering eyes.  "As much as you believe the chest is your talisman.  Be careful in what you choose as a charm, soon the chest will be gone.  And the immunity you may believe to have from my dagger will disappear, like a mirage."

"Are you threatening me?" Jahm asked in amazement. 

Loch-nah smirked and started to walk away.  "I will check the perimeters of the camp now," he called out over his shoulder.

~*~

Darwish was sorely disappointed.

So far, being a part of the mighty and renowned army for Jahm Musad was turning out to be incredibly boring.  There were no great battles, no daring raids on unsuspecting villages, and no treasure to be plundered from ancient temples and crypts.

Instead, there were responsibilities and being a sentry was the worst in the young man's opinion.  With nothing to do to help pass the endless tedious hours of the night, recently he had taken to daydreaming.  He fantasized about the day when he would be a fearless leader like Musad, commanding his own men to raid a nearby village.  Clever leader that he was, he would order them to kidnap all the beautiful young maidens and bring them back to a secret hiding place situated in the…

"Do you hear me?" a harsh voice asked.

Darwish flinched when he felt a hand connect solidly with his ear and he spun around, embarrassed to have been caught negligent in his duties.  "Yes, sir… I mean no, sir," he stammered and offered a sloppy salute to the older man.

"I asked if you had seen anything while on duty but, judging by your dazed expression, it would seem I already have my answer,"  Akki-Badr snapped as he folded his arms across his chest. 

He fired off several orders to Darwish, who immediately tried to pacify the elder with his speedy compliance but something out on the horizon caught the young man's eye.  Subsequently he missed the last command, and earned himself another cuff alongside his head.

"Stupid, worthless, gutless boy," Akki-Badr fumed and started pacing.  "Word is spreading like a fire through the ranks that Loch-nah himself will be checking the posts in a few minutes and what do I have to show him?"

Darwish didn't answer and squinted his eyes; surely in the darkness, his mind was playing tricks on him.  Something large and mysterious on the horizon continued to grow, flooding the plains like a black flood and Darwish's eyes widened in surprise. 

"Medjai," the young man whispered, unable to hide the awe in his voice. 

"What?" Akki-Badr's asked skeptically and spun around, following Darwish's line of vision.

He peered into the darkness, and a moment later, Darwish thought it quite appropriate that his mouth simply dropped open in astonishment. They watched for a few tense and silent moments as the spot grew bigger, its size and capacity almost impossible to imagine.  The sound of thunder rumbled across the desert, the earth fairly shook as thousands of warriors emerged as one from the cover of night.  

Icy shivers of dread trickled down Darwish's spine as he and Akki-Badr watched in disbelief as the undulating mass spread itself across the landscape, stretching as far as the naked eye could see.  It came to an abrupt but precise stop, several leagues away and stood ready, poised like a hunter stalking prey, anticipating the perfect moment to strike.

"Sound the alarm," Akki-Badr ordered Darwish, unable to tear his eyes away from the enemy. 

Darwish remained immobile for a moment and then turned to his superior, his question showing the extent of his maturity.

"Are we going to die?"

Akki-Badr's gaze never left the horizon as his hand came to rest on the hilt of his sword.  "Yes, and by the grace of Allah, may we die well this night.  Now go!"

~*~

For an infinitesimal amount of time, the world hung in the balance, holding its breath as two adversaries met and measured one another on the proposed field of battle.  The occasional nervous whinny of a horse broke the tense silence and the very air seemed charged with animosity and inevitability – the hour was at hand. 

With the cold, pale orb of the moon as a companion and impartial witness, the enemy's battle cry floated across the desert as they rattled their swords and beckoned for the Medjai to attack.  Their show of audacity was met with the fury of a nation finally being released.  As one, the warriors surged forward, silent and lethal as they charged across the plains, their scimitars winking in the moonlight.  The earth shuddered and like a storm released, the Medjai swarmed towards Jahm's army; a lone voice shouted "Hatta maut!" and was answered with a swelling cry that pierced the serenity and innocence of the night. 

~*~

Rick leaned low over the neck of his horse, and the wind whistled around him as he galloped across the sand.  He directed the animal with his legs, his powerful thigh muscles bulging and flexing as he guided the horse to ride next to Kedar and the rest of the warriors.  He clenched the reins in his teeth, and pulled out his loaded pistols.  He glanced over at Kedar, and saw his silent gesture to hold fire until they were close enough and reluctantly, Rick complied. 

When the battle cry rippled through the ranks, Rick joined in and finally purged all the grief and anger he had been harboring since Ardeth's death.   He grabbed the reins with one hand and shouted until his throat was sore and raw.  He threw his hands up and tilted his head back, emitting a long cry that spilled forth from his heart in a torrent of emotions.  The ache in his heart eased somewhat and Rick fleetingly wondered if even God had heard him. 

~*~

The Medjai's charge had rattled Akki-badr's poorly trained and ill-equipped men and he rallied them as best he could, sending the signal for the men in the holes to strike.  When the Medjai were close enough, he dropped his hand with a triumphant shout.  He darted around the ranks of his men, laughing and watching with malevolent delight as the tide of the battle seemed to be turning in Musad's favor; the warriors fell like ripened wheat. 

For the rest of his brief life, Akki-badr would remember what happened next - when he came face to face with the wrath of the Medjai.  Volleys of gunfire erupted from the northern ridge above and to him, it seemed that the heavens had opened up and spewed forth molten fire.  The men fell, screaming and bleeding, their eyes silently accusing him of never anticipating return fire.

They died with his name as a curse on their lips.

He stumbled over the limp body of Darwish and collapsed to his knees, as rider after black rider raced past him, churning up the maroon colored sand in his face.  With a defiant snarl, he sprang to his feet, determined to fight to the death and a moment later, his wish was granted.  A scimitar impaled his chest and Akki-badr toppled over, his sightless eyes staring up into space as if in one last petition for mercy.

~*~

Ignoring Zaki's warning shout, Berin turned his horse away from the main contingent of warriors and rode towards the tent where he believed the missing commanders were being held.  His horse skidded to an abrupt halt and he jumped down, pulling his weapon free in one fluid motion.

Instinct prompted him to duck and roll, narrowly missing a blade meant to decapitate him and Berin responded with a savage ferocity – he crippled his attacker with a slice to the tendon behind the man's knee.  He ignored the screamed curses of the fallen man and cautiously approached the tent, bending down to extract the dagger from his boot.

Legends are known among the warriors: skill in battle and technique with the scimitar and dagger were honored and regaled with admiration.  Besides Nabil, Berin was one of the few warriors that had mastered the use of the three pronged short sword and his brethren knew quite well that he preferred to fight with two blades.  

Eyes burning with the fires of vengeance, Berin ducked into the tent and paused for a moment, his eyes adjusting to the dimly lit interior.  The strong metallic smell of blood assaulted his senses.  Suddenly Berin knew the horrific reason why – the bodies or what remained of Aliyy and Wajeeh were haphazardly piled in the center of the tent.  Six men circled the two commanders and they gestured for Berin to come closer, the largest of them smiling evily in what may have been in the anticipation of an easy kill. 

"Come Medjai, it is time to die," he said coldly. 

Berin's battle cry echoed through the night as he raised his scimitar and charged…

~*~

As Quadamah and the other commanders watched the battle below, he fervently wished that he was the one leading his men into battle.  Instead, the task of acting as advisor and spectator did little to appease the burning desire for revenge in the heart of the warrior; Quadamah barely held himself in check.

A collective groan came from the commanders when they had witnessed Musad's camouflaged men deal what could have been a lethal strike to the warriors.  The next wave of Medjai riding towards the front line of the enemy were prepared and entangled their arms through the loops of rope, securing them to their saddles.  When the order came for the tribes of the First and the Ninth to fire, Quadamah acted on instinct.  He heard the startled shouts from the others but disregarded them as he urged his horse forward. 

He rode down the incline, as small stones and pebbles skipped in his wake and guided his horse into the heart of the battle.  With a stirring cry, Quadamah pulled his scimitar free with practiced ease and hurled himself into the fray.  The brotherhood of the warrior was indeed strong as it prompted him to react.

He was blissfully ignorant of the miracle that had appeared on the horizon and that was rapidly coming closer, irrevocably changing the tide of the war. 

~*~

Ardeth and Sued rode across the sand like two avenging wraiths, their brown robes flapping in the breeze like the wings of a great bird.  Ardeth bent low over his horse's neck, urging Nijm Zarik to go faster, and he felt the horse respond with a great burst of speed.   As they rode closer to the fighting, Ardeth gave a silent prayer of thanks that somehow, he had managed to make it this far.  His warriors, his brothers in blood, and his people needed him.  When he saw them falter from the tactical maneuver of Musad's, Ardeth reacted the only way he knew how – he pulled off the hood of the robe and revealed himself.

Weariness and pain were shrugged off as he rode through the ranks of the Medjai, his appearance alone lending them much-needed support.  Unquestionably, his battle cry sent shivers of dread into the hearts of the enemy.  The Phoenix had risen from the ashes and with a virulent cry it loomed over the Medjai, spreading its great wings.  It assured them of success in their time of need.      

A roar swelled up from the back of the teeming mass of warriors and men fighting and it rolled over the earth, a mixture of disbelief and unabashed joy.  It revitalized the Medjai and grew to enormous proportions, fed by jubilant eye-witness accounts.

Ardeth Bay had miraculously risen from the dead. 

~*~

A/N – Indeed it has been far too long since I last updated this and for that, I apologize.  Oddly enough, while I have an outline to follow, I still fell under a kind of writer's block.  I'm stuck on how I wish to end all of this and yes, the end will soon follow.  However, the adventures will continue for my characters in Heroes 5, I just have to decide which warrior besides Nabil gets his story told next.  LOL Have I ever mentioned how pushy warriors are? 

Thank you for reading and hopefully reviewing, as I've said on my other fanfic, "Somewhere In Time" your comments often inspire me. For that, I am grateful.  I hope this chapter and the next will leave you hanging on the edge of your seat and oh yeah, Rick and Ardeth's reunion is coming up…laws yes, it is.  LOL

Ps- I thought it was appropriate to have the prologue to LOTR start off this chapter, since technically, the world has changed for my evil guy Jahm.  And besides, I love hearing Elvish whispered and have freaked out my co-workers on several occasions by leaving them a voicemail of me saying that…LOL Oooops, did I divulge too much information? *wink*

Shout-outs:

JonnyCarnahan – welcome and thanks for the compliment regarding Jonathan.  He will appear in this fanfic again towards the end but in H5, he's taking on a more prominent role. I hope as I continue to write him, my version of him meets with your approval.  LOL

Patty – I hope this chapter for you was a tense little prelude for what is to come and I'm glad you liked Ardeth's dream of Janan and Jonny and Alex bonding.  You know me, this all serves a purpose for what I'm setting up to come…heh heh Thanks for reading.

Marcher – I'm tickled pink you like my Jonathan and as I said to Jonnycarnahan, we'll get to see a side of him in H5 I don't think anyone has written before.  Thanks so much for reading and your right, not only is Mr. Hafez a nasty little man, but he doesn't like it when people start snooping into his business.  *wink*

Deana – Ardeth…overdose…losing his spleen…oh wait, that's what you did to Frank in one of your fanfics.  *wink* I'm kidding, teasing oh Queen of Chaos.  LOL As you commanded, "SIT" is now finished and thanks ever so much for your reviews on both stories. I'm hoping what I've done to revise some future scenes turn out better than before and that another update for H4 will soon follow.

Ruse – Cultivating a good story is like gardening, I've discovered.  You write something, read it and tweak it a thousand times, like pulling weeds, until you're finally satisfied with the end product…or produce.  LOL I never imagined this story would take so long to write but I am determined to bring it to a close so I can continue with more adventures. Thanks for reading. J

Lula - *blushes* Thankee kindly for the sweet words and I'm glad quite a few things about the last chapter stuck in your mind.  And yes, the tour with Evy and Hafez will lead into something more, since we all know what eventually Hafez will reveal himself to be…thanks for reading and hopefully, you'll be updating your own fanfic soon? 

Dawn369 – Ardeth's reunion with Asiya is coming soon, and thankfully Kedar will take care of him as they ride back to the healer's compound.  Thanks for reading, my friend

Marxbros – Erm, so I take it you don't like Allan, eh?  LOL Well the skankbag isn't done wrecking havoc just yet.  Not by a long shot…heh heh *eg* Thanks for your vote on how I wrote Jonathan, he seems to be quite the popular lad with folks, and of course, you know I'm going to have to capitalize on some of those 'possibilities' since Evy and Jonathan are back in the story. Laws yes…heh heh

I believe I've covered everyone so onwards…to the next chapter and the much anticipated reunion.  Peace my friends.  LOL