Saga Side Story: Treasures of Egypt
Disclaimer: I own nothing of this except the obvious, the rest belongs to JK Rowling.
Authors Note: This story was inspired by the movie-trilogy 'The Mummy', 'The Mummy Returns' and 'The Scorpion King'. I have taken some things from the movies, like the Medjai and Ardeth himself, but I am not making any money from this, so don't flame.
I also know that Set and Selket aren't evil, but in my story they are. If this offends someone please accept my apologies.
Thanks to my wonderful beta and friend Paladin Steelbreaker.
Chapter Four
They swiftly found the way the archaeologists had taken. There was a wide trail through the jungle that stopped at a campsite. Harry and Ardeth didn't barge on like idiots, but made sure that it was safe every time they put their foot down. It may take more time than normal, but at least they would be somewhat prepared.
"Something attacked these people." Ardeth said as they looked around the camp.
Ruined tents and equipment. Books and papers strewn all around the place; food, clothes, overturned tables. The place was the testimony of complete chaos and disorder.
"Something big." Harry agreed quietly and lifted up a page from a book.
'We have been here for three hours. The workers seem worried for some reason, and I must admit that so am I. This place is too quiet for the peace of my mind.
John and Anna are pouring over the Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead. I don't like them, the books I mean. Some sort of energy is pouring off the Book of the Living, and the Book of the Dead doesn't feel any special, which is weird. You'd expect that it would be the other way around, the Book of the Living giving life, and the Book of the Dead taking it.
I have been sitting here by the tent-flap for a few hours, ever since we put up the tent. The workers are sitting around the fireplace looking extremely worried. Then there's that black rider that Anna saw earlier today. Even if we tried to rationalize it away, all three of us know it was a Medjai. Good thing that the workers didn't see him, or we'd have no workers left.
Something's out there. The place has become even more silent than when we first got here.
The calm before the storm.'
"Cheery." Ardeth commented and took the page out of Harry's hands. "Now we know the name of two of the archaeologists. John and Anna."
"Hmm, that must've been written by the third of them." Harry replied and looked around again. "Have you noticed that there are no bodies here?"
The Medjai looked around. "Yes, I knew something wasn't right with the picture. They must all be either at the pyramid or lost somewhere in the jungle."
Harry nodded. "We go straight to the pyramid. We have no time to go searching all over the place for the missing ones. We'll have to be careful though, whatever attacked the camp can easily attack us. And there's just two of us, while there was 33 of them."
"Not the best of odds is it?" Ardeth asked as they continued inwards.
"One could wish for better." Harry agreed and they continued.
The jungle was thick and it would've been almost impossible to get through it if it hadn't been for the fact that both Harry and Ardeth were Elementals, and could just command the plants out of their way. One of them would command the plants and the other would be ready in case something attacked. It was slow work that required a great deal of patience and nerves. By nightfall they hadn't gotten as far as Harry would've liked, but at least they were still alive. They had avoided dozens of traps and pitfalls, quicksand and hexes. Several times one of them would've died if the other hadn't acted quickly.
"That was fun." Harry remarked after Ardeth pulled him out of his second quicksand-pit that day. "Thanks."
"No problem." Replied the Medjai. "Do we camp here for the night, or move on?"
"Not here on low ground." Harry looked around and spotted the ideal place. "We'll camp up there." He pointed to a small ridge high up on the side of a cliff.
The other man nodded in agreement. "Well, you know what you're doing at least."
Harry stared after the man as he began to climb. All day he had had to endure small comments like that. Either the man was trying to annoy him and piss him off, or he was another Snape. Harry shook his head and started to climb after the Medjai-warrior. Trust his luck to end up with another Snape.
They made a small fire and sat with their back to the cliff-wall. From where they sat they could see a bit of the starry skies, and Harry searched at once for the Constellation of the Dragon, then he searched for Drake. Drake's star twinkled brightly and Harry smiled. Drake was watching over him and making sure he didn't get himself killed, that he was sure off.
"I have one question for you," Ardeth spoke up after a while. "What would an Elemental like you want to do with the two books?"
It seemed as though Harry had finally met a worthy opponent in the Big Game. It was refreshing.
"Lots of things, my friend." Harry replied. He was about to say something else, when a sharp cry made him look up. Osiris was heading their way, and Harry held out his arm. The bird landed and he took the letter. Ardeth let the falcon sit on his arm while Harry read the letter. "Well, I was beginning to wonder when they would turn up." Harry mumbled after a while.
"What?" Ardeth asked and looked up from petting the bird.
"Oh, nothing. Just a couple of... old acquaintances of mine on our trail." Harry replied and threw the letter into the fire. "Perhaps you know of them, but the bottom line is that they are bloody annoying."
"And who are they?" the Medjai asked.
"Call themselves the Black Snakes Order. Have a tattoo of a black snake on their arms."
The other man nodded. "Yes, we know of them. They have tried to get to Ankh- Torom for centuries." He looked up to the skies and Harry followed. Another bird came flying towards them, and it landed on Ardeth's other arm. Harry chuckled and took over both birds – who were eyeing each other with distrust – while the other man read his letter.
"The Medjai haven't been able to stop them." Ardeth spoke up in the end. "Something scares the Medjai-horses away, the Snakes are on foot."
"Hmm, indeed. How can they carry so much provisions for such a long journey if they are on foot? And what is it that scares away your horses? This gets better and better. Did the note say exactly how far the Snakes have come?"
"They will enter the jungle just before dawn."
Harry looked towards the way they had come and a smirk crossed his face. "Lets not make it too easy for them."
'~~''~~''~~''~~'
After a few hours of rest, Harry and Ardeth began to set out traps using their Elemental powers. Then they followed after the them, letting the Snakes do all the dirty work leaving the road completely open for the two of them.
The Black Snakes had sent fifty men, and at the head of that group was none other than Victor Krum. Harry raised an eyebrow; that guy was really starting to get on his nerves.
By the time the large group reached the place that Harry and Ardeth had camped, they had lost nine of their men to various pits and other things that the other two had avoided. And they had lost another four to traps set out by Harry and Ardeth themselves.
"A good days work, don't you think?" Harry asked as he and the Medjai sat on the ledge. The Snakes were camped not too far away, so the two on the ledge couldn't lit any fires.
"You are a cunning fellow, my friend." Said the other man with a grin. "I better watch out."
"I never kill partners." Harry said and grinned himself.
"That is comforting."
There was suddenly a great commotion in the Snakes camp, and both Harry and Ardeth quickly slid off the ledge and started to make their way towards the camp. They didn't have to communicate, it was as if they could read each others thoughts. Both moved silently, and with only a movement of a hand, or a small nod, could they tell the other what to do or what they were planning on doing themselves.
The commotion had died down slightly by the time the two of them reached the camp. Harry and Ardeth crouched low behind the enormous leafs from some plant, and watched the scene.
Krum was standing in the middle of the tents, hollering his guts out. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THEM?!"
A young trainee winced. "I am sorry, Commander," she said. "But the Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead are gone."
"They must've found other copies of the books." Harry whispered to Ardeth.
"Must've been really early copies then if they showed them the way to Ankh- Torom." The Medjai replied just as quietly. "Over the years, as more and more copies were made, the priests changed them so that the clues to Ankh- Torom were misleading. Otherwise the whole world would've been ruled by Nassithoth, Set and Selket by now."
Harry nodded and turned his attention back to the Black Snakes.
Krum looked livid. "Lets take this from the beginning, shall we? We had the books nicely hidden in the chest over there-" he pointed to a large chest in the middle of the camp "-protected by every kind of spells and charms and hexes."
"That's right, sir." Replied the trainee.
"No one opened the chest or moved it after we put it down, correct? Then how the hell can the books be gone?!" Krum kicked the chest and it turned over. Everyone stared. There was a hole in the ground right where the chest had been placed. The cloth that had been at the bottom of the chest had fallen away revealing a large hole in the chest itself.
"That can't be good." Harry mumbled.
'~~''~~''~~''~~'
Well, what do you think?
Thanks to:
Andine, Jess16, PhoenixTears101, hermionepotter141, Chicken Stars, chaser1, HarryPotter21, aerinoutlander, Arianne, misty43, Jeni Black, insanechildfanfic, SSSRoaB and The Lady Reaper of the Shadows.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of this except the obvious, the rest belongs to JK Rowling.
Authors Note: This story was inspired by the movie-trilogy 'The Mummy', 'The Mummy Returns' and 'The Scorpion King'. I have taken some things from the movies, like the Medjai and Ardeth himself, but I am not making any money from this, so don't flame.
I also know that Set and Selket aren't evil, but in my story they are. If this offends someone please accept my apologies.
Thanks to my wonderful beta and friend Paladin Steelbreaker.
Chapter Four
They swiftly found the way the archaeologists had taken. There was a wide trail through the jungle that stopped at a campsite. Harry and Ardeth didn't barge on like idiots, but made sure that it was safe every time they put their foot down. It may take more time than normal, but at least they would be somewhat prepared.
"Something attacked these people." Ardeth said as they looked around the camp.
Ruined tents and equipment. Books and papers strewn all around the place; food, clothes, overturned tables. The place was the testimony of complete chaos and disorder.
"Something big." Harry agreed quietly and lifted up a page from a book.
'We have been here for three hours. The workers seem worried for some reason, and I must admit that so am I. This place is too quiet for the peace of my mind.
John and Anna are pouring over the Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead. I don't like them, the books I mean. Some sort of energy is pouring off the Book of the Living, and the Book of the Dead doesn't feel any special, which is weird. You'd expect that it would be the other way around, the Book of the Living giving life, and the Book of the Dead taking it.
I have been sitting here by the tent-flap for a few hours, ever since we put up the tent. The workers are sitting around the fireplace looking extremely worried. Then there's that black rider that Anna saw earlier today. Even if we tried to rationalize it away, all three of us know it was a Medjai. Good thing that the workers didn't see him, or we'd have no workers left.
Something's out there. The place has become even more silent than when we first got here.
The calm before the storm.'
"Cheery." Ardeth commented and took the page out of Harry's hands. "Now we know the name of two of the archaeologists. John and Anna."
"Hmm, that must've been written by the third of them." Harry replied and looked around again. "Have you noticed that there are no bodies here?"
The Medjai looked around. "Yes, I knew something wasn't right with the picture. They must all be either at the pyramid or lost somewhere in the jungle."
Harry nodded. "We go straight to the pyramid. We have no time to go searching all over the place for the missing ones. We'll have to be careful though, whatever attacked the camp can easily attack us. And there's just two of us, while there was 33 of them."
"Not the best of odds is it?" Ardeth asked as they continued inwards.
"One could wish for better." Harry agreed and they continued.
The jungle was thick and it would've been almost impossible to get through it if it hadn't been for the fact that both Harry and Ardeth were Elementals, and could just command the plants out of their way. One of them would command the plants and the other would be ready in case something attacked. It was slow work that required a great deal of patience and nerves. By nightfall they hadn't gotten as far as Harry would've liked, but at least they were still alive. They had avoided dozens of traps and pitfalls, quicksand and hexes. Several times one of them would've died if the other hadn't acted quickly.
"That was fun." Harry remarked after Ardeth pulled him out of his second quicksand-pit that day. "Thanks."
"No problem." Replied the Medjai. "Do we camp here for the night, or move on?"
"Not here on low ground." Harry looked around and spotted the ideal place. "We'll camp up there." He pointed to a small ridge high up on the side of a cliff.
The other man nodded in agreement. "Well, you know what you're doing at least."
Harry stared after the man as he began to climb. All day he had had to endure small comments like that. Either the man was trying to annoy him and piss him off, or he was another Snape. Harry shook his head and started to climb after the Medjai-warrior. Trust his luck to end up with another Snape.
They made a small fire and sat with their back to the cliff-wall. From where they sat they could see a bit of the starry skies, and Harry searched at once for the Constellation of the Dragon, then he searched for Drake. Drake's star twinkled brightly and Harry smiled. Drake was watching over him and making sure he didn't get himself killed, that he was sure off.
"I have one question for you," Ardeth spoke up after a while. "What would an Elemental like you want to do with the two books?"
It seemed as though Harry had finally met a worthy opponent in the Big Game. It was refreshing.
"Lots of things, my friend." Harry replied. He was about to say something else, when a sharp cry made him look up. Osiris was heading their way, and Harry held out his arm. The bird landed and he took the letter. Ardeth let the falcon sit on his arm while Harry read the letter. "Well, I was beginning to wonder when they would turn up." Harry mumbled after a while.
"What?" Ardeth asked and looked up from petting the bird.
"Oh, nothing. Just a couple of... old acquaintances of mine on our trail." Harry replied and threw the letter into the fire. "Perhaps you know of them, but the bottom line is that they are bloody annoying."
"And who are they?" the Medjai asked.
"Call themselves the Black Snakes Order. Have a tattoo of a black snake on their arms."
The other man nodded. "Yes, we know of them. They have tried to get to Ankh- Torom for centuries." He looked up to the skies and Harry followed. Another bird came flying towards them, and it landed on Ardeth's other arm. Harry chuckled and took over both birds – who were eyeing each other with distrust – while the other man read his letter.
"The Medjai haven't been able to stop them." Ardeth spoke up in the end. "Something scares the Medjai-horses away, the Snakes are on foot."
"Hmm, indeed. How can they carry so much provisions for such a long journey if they are on foot? And what is it that scares away your horses? This gets better and better. Did the note say exactly how far the Snakes have come?"
"They will enter the jungle just before dawn."
Harry looked towards the way they had come and a smirk crossed his face. "Lets not make it too easy for them."
'~~''~~''~~''~~'
After a few hours of rest, Harry and Ardeth began to set out traps using their Elemental powers. Then they followed after the them, letting the Snakes do all the dirty work leaving the road completely open for the two of them.
The Black Snakes had sent fifty men, and at the head of that group was none other than Victor Krum. Harry raised an eyebrow; that guy was really starting to get on his nerves.
By the time the large group reached the place that Harry and Ardeth had camped, they had lost nine of their men to various pits and other things that the other two had avoided. And they had lost another four to traps set out by Harry and Ardeth themselves.
"A good days work, don't you think?" Harry asked as he and the Medjai sat on the ledge. The Snakes were camped not too far away, so the two on the ledge couldn't lit any fires.
"You are a cunning fellow, my friend." Said the other man with a grin. "I better watch out."
"I never kill partners." Harry said and grinned himself.
"That is comforting."
There was suddenly a great commotion in the Snakes camp, and both Harry and Ardeth quickly slid off the ledge and started to make their way towards the camp. They didn't have to communicate, it was as if they could read each others thoughts. Both moved silently, and with only a movement of a hand, or a small nod, could they tell the other what to do or what they were planning on doing themselves.
The commotion had died down slightly by the time the two of them reached the camp. Harry and Ardeth crouched low behind the enormous leafs from some plant, and watched the scene.
Krum was standing in the middle of the tents, hollering his guts out. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIND THEM?!"
A young trainee winced. "I am sorry, Commander," she said. "But the Book of the Living and the Book of the Dead are gone."
"They must've found other copies of the books." Harry whispered to Ardeth.
"Must've been really early copies then if they showed them the way to Ankh- Torom." The Medjai replied just as quietly. "Over the years, as more and more copies were made, the priests changed them so that the clues to Ankh- Torom were misleading. Otherwise the whole world would've been ruled by Nassithoth, Set and Selket by now."
Harry nodded and turned his attention back to the Black Snakes.
Krum looked livid. "Lets take this from the beginning, shall we? We had the books nicely hidden in the chest over there-" he pointed to a large chest in the middle of the camp "-protected by every kind of spells and charms and hexes."
"That's right, sir." Replied the trainee.
"No one opened the chest or moved it after we put it down, correct? Then how the hell can the books be gone?!" Krum kicked the chest and it turned over. Everyone stared. There was a hole in the ground right where the chest had been placed. The cloth that had been at the bottom of the chest had fallen away revealing a large hole in the chest itself.
"That can't be good." Harry mumbled.
'~~''~~''~~''~~'
Well, what do you think?
Thanks to:
Andine, Jess16, PhoenixTears101, hermionepotter141, Chicken Stars, chaser1, HarryPotter21, aerinoutlander, Arianne, misty43, Jeni Black, insanechildfanfic, SSSRoaB and The Lady Reaper of the Shadows.