The sun was just peeking over the horizon when Ardeth emerged from his tent. With a yawn and a stretch, he headed toward the horse enclosures, rolling his shoulders to loosen them up. He stopped by a small enclosure, occupied by only one horse. The gray mare nickered as he approached her. Entering the pen, he reached out to stroke her soft muzzle. "A few weeks yet, hmmm my love?" he murmured, running his hand over her bulging sides. The mare nickered again and butted her head against his shoulder. Ardeth chuckled softly and continued to fondle her. This would be her first foal, and Ardeth was anxious about it. Dawn's Light had been his favorite mount until advancing pregnancy had made hard riding impractical.
Like most of the desert warriors, Ardeth rode mares into battle. The reason for this was basic practicality. Mares were thought to have more endurance than a male horse. A mare can also run and urinate at the same time. A male horse cannot. He must stop and stretch out to relieve himself. A horse that doesn't have to stop for any reason is a great advantage in the long distance treks often necessary in the desert. It had caused great difficulties several hundred years ago, he mused, remembering old tales. The Crusaders from Europe had arrived riding stallions. The Arabic warriors had been riding mares. More than one charge had ended up with the combatants spending more time separating their horses than killing their enemies.
Giving Dawn's Light a final pat, he moved to the next pen, a larger one that held four horses. Again, all four were mares. Midnight Song was another favored mount. Older than Dawn's Light, she'd had five foals over the years. One of them, two year old Flute Song was Ardeth's project for the morning. A man who spent his life fighting from horseback spent a great amount of time training his horses. The two-year old filly had been started under saddle a few months ago and had mastered the basics. Now Ardeth would work with her on more advanced lessons. But first, he thought with a smile, a gallop to pleasure them both. A coal black copy of her mother, Flute Song danced coquettishly as Ardeth brushed her coat. "Easy, easy," he said softly. "We'll run in a moment." Once saddle and bridle were in place, he led her from the enclosure and swung easily onto her back.
Tia DeWitt smiled with anticipation. The trek from Cairo had been longer than she'd expected, but her map indicated that they were very near their destination. She'd always been drawn to Egyptian history, something that had amused her father, a math professor at a small university in Connecticut. After Tia's parents had passed away, she'd decided to visit the land she'd dreamed of for years. She had obtained a clerical position at the Cairo Museum of Antiquities, and spent much of her free time familiarizing herself with the exhibits. Well, whatever free time she hadn't been spending with Rob. Robert Varne was the son of one of the museum's patrons. While she was well aware that the Rob's father, Sir Randolph Varne, was very much opposed to her friendship with Rob, she wasn't terribly concerned about it. Rob was a pleasant fellow and she enjoyed the time they spent together. Much as she thought Rob would like to be more than a casual date, she had no intention of getting deeply involved.
Tia glanced around at the other members of the party. There were eight of them total, including herself and the guide hired by the museum. She wondered a bit why the curator of the museum had urged the group toward this particular site. Supposedly, it was a small burial site. According to the curator's research, two of Pharaoh Seti I's children were buried there. Tia wondered if the research was rather sketchy. The party was made up of young, less experienced archeologists, and they'd been cautioned to keep their destination secret. Perhaps she and the others had been sent to check the area out and see if it was worth sending a more acknowledged team in.
She leaned forward and stroked the neck of the bay gelding she was riding. She couldn't wait!
"Lord Ardeth," a voice called as he neared the encampment on the now tired filly. Ardeth narrowed his eyes and recognized the patrol rider from the Tirza district.
"Rashid, what are you doing here? You should not be back until tomorrow at the earliest."
Rashid bowed quickly. "My lord, there is a team of archeologists approaching the burial ground."
Ardeth's eye's narrowed further. "How many?"
"Eight, including a guide. They will reach the site by sunset."
"Damnation." Making eye contact with Rashid, he nodded a dismissal. "Thank you. Go rest." Quickly he stripped the tack from Flute Song and gave her a thorough, if rather quick rub down. As soon as he had finished with the horse, he strode across the encampment until he reached the largest tent. An attendant was standing at the opening, but Ardeth ignored him, brushing past quickly and entering the tent. Once inside he stood for a moment and waited for his vision to adjust to the sudden dimness after the brightness of the desert sun outside.
"Ardeth? What do you here?" A deep, rich voice sounded from near the center of the tent.
Turning his head toward the sound, Ardeth bowed to the old man sitting on a low chair in front of a charcoal brazier. "Grandfather. I have news."
Lord Asim ibn Abdullah was more than seventy years old and had not been strong enough to ride to battle for many years. Ardeth had been War Commander of this tribe of the Medjai for a decade. However, Lord Asim was a revered leader with a commanding presence, and no one, particularly his beloved grandson, took him for granted or gainsaid his word.
The Medjai had once been the sacred bodyguard of Pharaohs of Egypt. Although there was no longer a Pharaoh to guard, the Medjai still had important duties. Sacred sites, generally temples or tombs still dotted the country. Many were of no particular importance save for historical curiosity, and those could be examined with impunity. Some, like the Sphinx, were so obvious that they were impossible to guard. However, certain areas were still kept secret and guarded carefully. The twelve tribes of the Medjai were scattered about the land, each charged with guarding those sites within their area. The Bey Tribe, which was Ardeth's command, was responsible for the city of Hamunaptra as well as several smaller, less well-known sites. The burial ground at Tirza was one of these. The gods of ancient Egypt held little sway over the modern world, but their power was still felt in the artifacts left untouched for centuries in the ruins of the ancient lands. Some things were best left buried and forgotten.
Author's notes:
Thank you very much d'shael, Mistress of Mordor and Leowyn11 for the reviews! I very much appreciate it.
I've completely made up the culture of the Medjai. I did a little bit of reading about some of the Bedouin tribes, but not much. What I read didn't jive well enough with what I wanted to write, so I went with inaccuracy. I hope no one is offended.