I got one review! I got one review!! YAY!! Thanks soo much Karri. You made my day! *huggies*
Well, i hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter before this one.......u did read it right? Oh well, this one prolly won't make much sense if u didn't!
****Shahin took one more look around him at the slowly waking up camp as he saddled up his horse. He would be glad to be out of here. Just being so near the Med-Jai made his skin crawl.
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at the tent that held the elders in a council. Hashim was in there, no doubt talking about conquering neighbouring villages and slaughtering innocents. Shahin grinned madly as he thought about what was happening to Hashim's son as Hashim himself, sat comfortably inside a tent discussing petty affairs.
Oh, it would be so easy to chuck a stick of dynamite into the tent, hopefully killing all the elders and delivering a blow that even the Med-Jai would find hard to recover from. But he had been given his orders and he would not waver from them.
He had been told to enter the camp disguised as a Med-Jai. Seek out information that might help the Sami-Nhir destroy them, and find a way to compromise the Med-Jai. And then leave. He had done that. He had found out about Ardeth's coming of age hunt, and realising how vulnerable the child would be, he had sent out word to his comrades in arms, virtually laying the trap that would fell the stinking Med-Jai beast.
The dynamite would have to wait. Soon, soon the time would come where Shahin would have the almighty Med-Jai leader, Hashim himself, begging on his knees, grovelling for mercy.
The time was coming where the Med-Jai were going to pay for everything they had done to the Sami-Nhir tribe. And more.
****Abel sighed heavily again and her shoulders slumped even further as if the weight of the world rested upon them. The nervous, anxious, edgy feeling had passed but was now replaced with a leaden, sunken, uneasy feeling that made her feel nauseous.
She couldn't stand it any longer. Even though it had only been 2 days since her child had left the camp, something felt horribly wrong. Something was out of place.
She tossed her long, silken, black hair over her shoulder and unwrapped her arms from around her waist. She would tell Hashim as soon as he got out of the meeting her feelings and maybe she would beg him to go out into the desert and seek out their son. Even if he couldn't do it, perhaps he could send one of the younger Med-Jai warriors out to track Ardeth. If something was wrong, then it would confirm her worst fears and hopefully they would've found out soon enough to prevent anything really bad happening, but if nothing was wrong, then no harm would come of it and a mother's worries would unduly rested.
She brushed her hand over her forehead, where she suddenly realised that she had been sweating even in the brisk air of the desert morning. Making up her mind, she hesitantly stepped out of the tent and walked jerkily along the desert track to the elder's tent.
She saw Shahin saddling up his horse and she gave him a quick nod, a wave and a wan smile. He looked back at her and smiled but the warmth never reached his eyes or smile. There was something about that man that made Abel uneasy.
Maybe she was just paranoid.
Maybe not……………
She would find out soon enough.
****The sun was high in the sky when Ruwaid spied the oasis. Sighing with relief he turned his horse around and galloped back to his son, who rigidly held the Med-Jai child close against him.
"How is he? Has he gotten any worse?"
Jawhar looked up into his father's eyes, his hate for the Med-Jai quickly erasing itself. "Yes and no."
"Yes and no?"
"Well, he's not having anymore spasms, father, and he's not freezing anymore."
"Well, then? What's so wrong about that??" Ruwaid snapped at his son impatiently.
"He's burning up now. I think that his wounds have been infected and he's contracted a fever."
Ruwaid blinked in amazement and moved closer to get a better look at the Med-Jai child. "So quickly? His wounds got infected so quickly??"
"Well, his wounds are pretty bad and he was rolled through the sand for a fair while and then put over this horse. I would've been amazed if he didn't get an infection. But if he continues in this way, we will definitely loose him before the moon rises." Jawhar said smugly and hoped like hell that his father would just absentmindedly nod his head and let the boy die.
Contrarily, to his wishes, Ruwaid scowled and snarled, "He will not be let out of this life so easily. The oasis is up ahead, we'll camp there the night and after his fever breaks we will continue to our camp."
Jawhar managed to control his bubbling anger and in his best whiney voice said, "But father!! Wouldn't it just be easier to let him die? The son of the leader of the Med-Jai? Hashim would be devastated and then he and the order beneath him would crumble. The Med-Jai might not regain their feet for decades!!"
Ruwaid made to look like he was about to make a fiery reply, but his shoulders suddenly slumped and he sighed deeply. Without meeting his son's eyes he tiredly replied, "Jawhar, my son. There are just some things you cannot fathom. This matter does not concern you. Just remember your sister, Emira. There are some things worse then death. Just follow my orders."
His father's sudden change of attitude left the Sami-Nhir youngster astounded and silent. Maybe there were things that he just would not understand. But he understood about his sister and things being worse then death.
He sighed as his father left his side and straightened the Med-Jai teenager against him and held him close. After his father's soliloquy he would not let the boy die. His father was right. The Med-Jai didn't deserve to get out of this life that easily.
He would leave it begging and pleading for mercy and death.
****Shahin straightened atop his horse and surveyed the Med-Jai camp below him before turning around suddenly and galloping off. His horse panted as it's hooves thudded into the sand and took it further away from the Med-Jai cesspit. Shahin didn't even look back but his smile of vicious malevolence expressed his thoughts easily enough.
He spotted the carcass of the dead horse after about 3 hours of solid riding. The Med-Jai would not start looking until the week was up and the Med-Jai teenager was discovered missing. By then all that would be left of the horse would be the bleached, skin-pecked, white bones of the horse.
And a message written cruelly written in blood.
The blood of Ardeth Bay.
Shahin let loose a wild ululation full of loathing and contempt for the Med-Jai while expressing joy and wonder of the aforesaid teenager's capture.
Indeed, the time had come. The Sami-Nhir would rise up and wreak vengeance upon those it had come to loathe.
The Med-Jai would fall.
****Jawhar sighed in relief as his feet thudded onto the golden, pale sand of the oasis. He wiped his brow and pushed back his hood.
His long, light brown hair fell in curly waves onto his shoulder, the ends bleached by the sun an even lighter brown, flecks of blonde shining through. At the moment, his hair was ruffled and plastered to his forehead with sweat. His pale blue, almost grey eyes took in the oasis around him, eying the water with obvious satisfaction before turning back onto the figure still slumped on the back of his horse.
With rigid hands he gently took the teenager under his armpits and hauled him off the back of the horse. His dappled brown horse stamped and snorted nervously as it smelt the blood from the teenager. Jawhar whispered calming words to the horse in an effort to calm it, another trampling would kill the Med-Jai child for sure.
He lifted the Med-Jai across his shoulder and clasped his hands firmly, locking the Med-Jai in place. He walked smoothly across the sand, taking care not to jolt the boy anymore then was necessary.
It would not do to have the boy die suddenly on him. His father would be furious.
He laid the boy on the sand, cradling his head for a second before taking off his robe and placing under the boy's head. His wavy, black hair settling around his features, making them less harsh. The boy was absolutely covered in blood the red smears on his face, tinting his lips and cheeks. His black tunic and robe was slick and glistened in the sun with all the blood covering it.
Jawhar made sure the boy wouldn't choke on his own tongue, despite desperately wishing that the boy would choke. After everything was certain that the boy wouldn't suddenly die, Jawhar stepped back and looked at the thing he hated most in the world.
He didn't see a defenceless, wounded child. He saw a murdering, despicable, Med-Jai rapist and torturer.
Maybe his invisible aura of solid hate affected the boy, because Ardeth moved slightly in the sand and groaned softly.
Jawhar was treated to the blackest of black eyes, looking straight into his own, the owner's eyes glazed and dull with pain and unconsciousness before the Med-Jai slowly closed them. The child lifted his hand slowly and his fingers twitched, the desperate act of a child just wanting to be held, loved and comforted. His parched lips formed the word, "Father……." Before the Med-Jai teenager lapsed once more back into unconsciousness.
Jawhar didn't wait any longer but fled to the healer's horse, his light brown hair streaming behind him as he ran to get the healer.
The boy was burning up.
****Abel waited impatiently and watched the meeting tent solidly. She was waiting for her husband to emerge so that she could tell him of her fears. She looked at the sun and was surprised to see how far the shining orb had risen, showing that she had been waiting for around 3 hours. Another hour passed before the tent flap was thrown upon and Hashim strode out, his smile wide and infectious.
Abel didn't wait like a good Med-Jai wife should but ran out to meet her husband, her expression finally breaking out of it's stoic shell into apprehension mixed with fear.
"Wife! What is the matter?" Hashim asked urgently as Abel threw herself into his arms.
"Hashim!! Something is wrong with Ardeth! Something is very, very wrong!" Abel couldn't help herself and started sobbing into her husbands comforting robes.
"Calm yourself Abel! How can there be anything wrong with our son? I'm sure he is perfectly fun and out having fun." He tried to reassure her but something niggled in his mind. He ignored the niggling feeling and concentrated on making himself believe that everything was fine.
"But Hashim!! There must be something wrong! Why else would I be feeling like this?" Abel clutched the robes tightly, her knuckles turning white beneath pressure.
"You're just worried. It's virtually the first time that we've let him step outside the camp without a bodyguard or watcher. But you know that we have to start trusting him. He told us that himself. You know that we can't hold onto him forever. One day, he will have to command this whole tribe and keep the traditional way. That will be hard enough. He need not worry about over-protective parents." Hashim tried to calm down his wife, talking in a soothing voice and running his rough, calloused hands through her soft, silky hair.
"Hashim. Can't we at least send out a scout to make sure that he is alright?" Abel hiccupped softly as she got her emotions under control.
Hashim thought about it and said, "No. We must learn to trust him. Look, I'm sure he'll be alright. Abel……." With this he turned his wife to face him and put his hand under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Abel……..I'm sure that he'll be fine. He is our son. He will be the leader of the Med-Jai. There is nothing to worry about."
Abel turned away, he eyes scanning the desert horizon, worry still evident in posture. "I just don't think I can handle it if anything happens to him, that's all Hashim."
Hashim stepped forward and gently kissed the top of his wife's head. "I know. I know. Trust me, I know. How about this? We give him his week and then if he has not returned by then, I'll turn out the whole tribe to search for him. How's that?"
Abel trembled suddenly, like a leaf caught in a gale. She dropped her head and whispered, "I just hope that it's not too little too late."
****Sorry, that was a pointless chapter but i had to do it to try and set the scene. You know, full out the other characters? No? *sigh* I"m sorry, this story is turning out really crap. I'm beginning to wish i'd never written it.......Its so boring and drawn out........*sigh* DAMMIT!! ARGH!! Its all beacuse of stupid writer's block and stress from school.
I failed another math's test for those that want to know.....*sigh* *burst out crying* I CAN'T TAKE IT!!
