AN: Ickles, its been way too long between updates, a thousand
apologies by the way! I got sidetracked by RL, creating some web
sites, Harry Potter, and about five new fics... LOL... Many thanks to
those who have reviewed, especially Marcher who has reviewed *every*
chapter so far! =) Thankies! The plot should start appearing soon
and, bear with me as I fumble through my egyptian mythology... Greek,
Roman, hell even Norse, I can handle but egyptian is not my area of
expertise...LOL Any comprehensive web site suggestions would be very
welcome for research... Till next time, hopefully much sooner...
~Kei
PS: standard disclaimers apply, as always...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Akayla Bay: Chapter Four~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Geitran stepped gingerly, softly, barely a shadow that slipped through
the darkness of the desert's absolute night. Akayla was perched on a
slab of sandstone that stretched precariously out over the remains of
Hamunaptra and was a part of the cliffs that Ardeth, that Akayla's
tribe called home. She turned to look at him and her severe face was
softened by the slight light offered by the full silver moon. Her
tattoos stood out sharply though, marks of duty on a face paled and
smoothed by moonlight. Dark eyes studied him briefly before she
turned back to the valley that had been her home for almost twenty
years.
"Is the Englishman gone?" she asked crisply in their native tongue.
Geitran winced. Night might have softened her features but her
personality, her tongue, was always sharp. She turned swiftly as
silence greeted her question, face dangerous.
"I AM leader of this tribe Geitran. If you wish to interfere go home
and do it. May I remind you that you are my father's friend, not
mine."
"Was you father's friend," he said, gently as possible, but the proud
Akayla flinched anyway.
"Kayla, please, listen to wisdom... Ardeth did everything for a
reason. If he called Alex O'Connell here it was for a purpose. You
cannot, must not, send him home yet, not until you know why your
father wished him to come." Akayla's generous mouth firmed into a
bitter hard line.
"Perhaps he simply wished for the Englishman's company. You saw his
face Geitran, when he learned of Father's fate, of his death. I
imagine mine looked much the same... He loved Ardeth, like a father.
Perhaps that was the reason that Father called him, because he wished
to see the son of his soul, since all he had to hold was a daughter."
Geitran's eyes widened. So that was it... He knew Akayla Bay but
remotely. None had known her closely save her father, none had been
able to pierce the walls she had built around herself. He had seen
her anger, her spirit, her stubbornness, over the long years, but he
had never seen her as she was now, vulnerable. He barely knew how to
recognize it in her but it was indeed there, a softness Geitran had
guessed long ago erased by harsh desert winds and a fierce sun.
He walked to her side and sat. Her eyes flickered, unreadable, and
Geitran wisely ignored the faint suggestion of tears. He reached up
and patted one cheek. She was cold to the touch.
"Is that what's bothering you Akayla? That your father might have
cared for another as much as you simply because he was a boy?" She
didn't answer but her own silence was answer enough. "Come child," he
chided, "did you think so poorly of your father?" She stiffened with
anger and he continued, ignoring her reaction. "Ardeth Bay loved you
from the first wailing breath you took. He loved you as he buried his
wife, your mother. He loved you as you cried, as you raged, as you
turned your back on tradition and embraced the life that would make
you happiest. He loved you even as he helped you wash the blood of
dead men from your hands. He loved you as he defended you from the
rest of the Medjai leaders." Akayla jerked away and Geitran smiled
grimly.
"Oh yes child. You never knew? I expect that he kept it from you.
The Medjai have survived by tradition and you, you young hellion
promised to be the undoing of all we've built and believed in, even as
you dedicated your whole existence to our continued survival. He won
in the end; we did not interfere in your upbringing. We did not
contest his will, that you be leader in the event of his tragic or
eventual death.
"He loved you young Kayla. Perhaps that was the one thing he never
needed a reason to do. He loved you for all you were and all that
you'd ever be. Don't you know that?" Akayla closed her pained eyes
tightly, lashes dark against white cheeks.
"Yes," she hissed. "But what about the Englishman?" Geitran rose
before he answered.
"Your father had a very big heart Kayla. Rick and Evelyn O'Connell
were dear friends of his and Alex was in all things their son, the
best of them both. There is no reason why he shouldn't have been
friends with the young man. Both of them stood and watched Ahm
Shere disappear beneath the sands. There are things that can bind
people together for lifetimes, I'd say that saving the world qualifies
as one of those things.
"Hate young Alex if you wish, not even Ardeth managed to tell you what
to do or not to do. I would not presume to be so brave. Hate him if
you wish but do not send him away, not yet." Geitran offered her his
hand. Akayla stared at it warily before rising by herself, ignoring
the pace offering. She did smile slightly though and Geitran accepted
the terms of that smile.
"Come, sleep, in the morning we shall see if we can find the reason to
all this madness. Perhaps Ardeth left behind notes, or a letter..."
"My father wouldn't be that stupid... And what if I don't want to
sleep?" Geitran sighed, patience at his end.
"Then lay awake all night staring at the ceiling to your tent... Or
better yet go keep young Alex company. I doubt he sleeps much this
night either." Akayla laughed and it was a brittle, harsh sound.
"If I had my knives with me..." she started, threat clear in her
lovely, velvety voice.
"You do have your knives," Geitran stated plesantly enough.
"Why yes, I do," she replied swiftly as they made their way back to
camp. "And thus my threat has truth in it." Geitran chuckled
hollowly and bowed slightly.
"You child, are more like Ardeth than you know." A knife was out, in
a blink of the eye, and was twirled carelessly from hand to hand.
"Father rarely threatened his friends," Akayla said,
conversationally. Geitran grinned, finding himself liking this gruff
young woman.
"No, but besides you establishing the fact that we are not friends,
you and your father both have a flair for the dramatic." The knife
disappeared into the folds of Akayla's black robes.
"You've tread on dangerous ground Geitran..." Geitran coughed
politely.
"All ground with you is dangerous Akayla Bay." Kayla flashed him a
perfect, white smile that left the elder Medjai stunned.
"Well spoken. I can see why Father liked you Geitran." He spoke
before he could stop himself. Spoke because he missed Ardeth, not as
painfully, not as bitterly as the two young people who called him
father, but just as deeply.
"And you, young Akayla Bay? What of you?" The smile faltered and
died as Kayla regarded him, warily, thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," she replied finally, softly. "We shall see... We shall
see."
apologies by the way! I got sidetracked by RL, creating some web
sites, Harry Potter, and about five new fics... LOL... Many thanks to
those who have reviewed, especially Marcher who has reviewed *every*
chapter so far! =) Thankies! The plot should start appearing soon
and, bear with me as I fumble through my egyptian mythology... Greek,
Roman, hell even Norse, I can handle but egyptian is not my area of
expertise...LOL Any comprehensive web site suggestions would be very
welcome for research... Till next time, hopefully much sooner...
~Kei
PS: standard disclaimers apply, as always...
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Akayla Bay: Chapter Four~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Geitran stepped gingerly, softly, barely a shadow that slipped through
the darkness of the desert's absolute night. Akayla was perched on a
slab of sandstone that stretched precariously out over the remains of
Hamunaptra and was a part of the cliffs that Ardeth, that Akayla's
tribe called home. She turned to look at him and her severe face was
softened by the slight light offered by the full silver moon. Her
tattoos stood out sharply though, marks of duty on a face paled and
smoothed by moonlight. Dark eyes studied him briefly before she
turned back to the valley that had been her home for almost twenty
years.
"Is the Englishman gone?" she asked crisply in their native tongue.
Geitran winced. Night might have softened her features but her
personality, her tongue, was always sharp. She turned swiftly as
silence greeted her question, face dangerous.
"I AM leader of this tribe Geitran. If you wish to interfere go home
and do it. May I remind you that you are my father's friend, not
mine."
"Was you father's friend," he said, gently as possible, but the proud
Akayla flinched anyway.
"Kayla, please, listen to wisdom... Ardeth did everything for a
reason. If he called Alex O'Connell here it was for a purpose. You
cannot, must not, send him home yet, not until you know why your
father wished him to come." Akayla's generous mouth firmed into a
bitter hard line.
"Perhaps he simply wished for the Englishman's company. You saw his
face Geitran, when he learned of Father's fate, of his death. I
imagine mine looked much the same... He loved Ardeth, like a father.
Perhaps that was the reason that Father called him, because he wished
to see the son of his soul, since all he had to hold was a daughter."
Geitran's eyes widened. So that was it... He knew Akayla Bay but
remotely. None had known her closely save her father, none had been
able to pierce the walls she had built around herself. He had seen
her anger, her spirit, her stubbornness, over the long years, but he
had never seen her as she was now, vulnerable. He barely knew how to
recognize it in her but it was indeed there, a softness Geitran had
guessed long ago erased by harsh desert winds and a fierce sun.
He walked to her side and sat. Her eyes flickered, unreadable, and
Geitran wisely ignored the faint suggestion of tears. He reached up
and patted one cheek. She was cold to the touch.
"Is that what's bothering you Akayla? That your father might have
cared for another as much as you simply because he was a boy?" She
didn't answer but her own silence was answer enough. "Come child," he
chided, "did you think so poorly of your father?" She stiffened with
anger and he continued, ignoring her reaction. "Ardeth Bay loved you
from the first wailing breath you took. He loved you as he buried his
wife, your mother. He loved you as you cried, as you raged, as you
turned your back on tradition and embraced the life that would make
you happiest. He loved you even as he helped you wash the blood of
dead men from your hands. He loved you as he defended you from the
rest of the Medjai leaders." Akayla jerked away and Geitran smiled
grimly.
"Oh yes child. You never knew? I expect that he kept it from you.
The Medjai have survived by tradition and you, you young hellion
promised to be the undoing of all we've built and believed in, even as
you dedicated your whole existence to our continued survival. He won
in the end; we did not interfere in your upbringing. We did not
contest his will, that you be leader in the event of his tragic or
eventual death.
"He loved you young Kayla. Perhaps that was the one thing he never
needed a reason to do. He loved you for all you were and all that
you'd ever be. Don't you know that?" Akayla closed her pained eyes
tightly, lashes dark against white cheeks.
"Yes," she hissed. "But what about the Englishman?" Geitran rose
before he answered.
"Your father had a very big heart Kayla. Rick and Evelyn O'Connell
were dear friends of his and Alex was in all things their son, the
best of them both. There is no reason why he shouldn't have been
friends with the young man. Both of them stood and watched Ahm
Shere disappear beneath the sands. There are things that can bind
people together for lifetimes, I'd say that saving the world qualifies
as one of those things.
"Hate young Alex if you wish, not even Ardeth managed to tell you what
to do or not to do. I would not presume to be so brave. Hate him if
you wish but do not send him away, not yet." Geitran offered her his
hand. Akayla stared at it warily before rising by herself, ignoring
the pace offering. She did smile slightly though and Geitran accepted
the terms of that smile.
"Come, sleep, in the morning we shall see if we can find the reason to
all this madness. Perhaps Ardeth left behind notes, or a letter..."
"My father wouldn't be that stupid... And what if I don't want to
sleep?" Geitran sighed, patience at his end.
"Then lay awake all night staring at the ceiling to your tent... Or
better yet go keep young Alex company. I doubt he sleeps much this
night either." Akayla laughed and it was a brittle, harsh sound.
"If I had my knives with me..." she started, threat clear in her
lovely, velvety voice.
"You do have your knives," Geitran stated plesantly enough.
"Why yes, I do," she replied swiftly as they made their way back to
camp. "And thus my threat has truth in it." Geitran chuckled
hollowly and bowed slightly.
"You child, are more like Ardeth than you know." A knife was out, in
a blink of the eye, and was twirled carelessly from hand to hand.
"Father rarely threatened his friends," Akayla said,
conversationally. Geitran grinned, finding himself liking this gruff
young woman.
"No, but besides you establishing the fact that we are not friends,
you and your father both have a flair for the dramatic." The knife
disappeared into the folds of Akayla's black robes.
"You've tread on dangerous ground Geitran..." Geitran coughed
politely.
"All ground with you is dangerous Akayla Bay." Kayla flashed him a
perfect, white smile that left the elder Medjai stunned.
"Well spoken. I can see why Father liked you Geitran." He spoke
before he could stop himself. Spoke because he missed Ardeth, not as
painfully, not as bitterly as the two young people who called him
father, but just as deeply.
"And you, young Akayla Bay? What of you?" The smile faltered and
died as Kayla regarded him, warily, thoughtfully.
"Perhaps," she replied finally, softly. "We shall see... We shall
see."