Wow. Almost two months since my last update. I feel so bad for keeping all of you hanging like that, but I'm sure most of you can sympathize with me on the whole school thing… this semester has been so hard for me as I handled 18 credit hours of work and two part time jobs. There was not much time left over for writing my story.

BUT……..

Thank God for Christmas break!! I wasn't sure how much longer I could keep writing papers and taking tests and trying to figure out the difference between do pentatonic scales and la pentatonic scales, and suddenly, it was time to clean my dorm room so I could GO HOME!! I have been out of class for 2 days now, and I am proud to present to you the latest addition to my story. So here it goes…

Oh, wait, I lied. I just want to say thank you to all my reviewers. Thanks to my regular reviewers, Snowfire the Kitsune, lea, cindy, Empathy Is Me (who is in the middle of writing a GREAT parody of The Mummy, which you should all check out because it is AWESOME!), and of course, my wonderful mummy mate, Lilylynn. And to my new reviewers… Avalon, Faerie Child, and Izzy… you guys rock! Stay tuned, Avalon, you will soon find out what is up with Rick. And yes Izzy, it is sooo annoying that a lot of Izzys are boys… actually, a story I wrote last year for my English class had a girl named Izzy in it… just thought I'd share that with you. Anyways, I won't hold you up any longer… here it is, chapter 12!!

Chapter 12 Promises, Promises

The desert sun was awakening. The sky was lightening; the air, warming. Though still dark, hints of day were peeking over the horizon.

The camels and one horse trudged through the sand, their eyes drooping, their hooves landing heavily on the ground as they moved their cargo over the land. One of them let out a snort, and his rider's head shot up, his eyes now wide open.

"What?" asked Jonathan with a shout, jerked from sleep. He looked around himself, spotting one camel to the side and one ahead of him, and suddenly remembered where he was and what was happening.

"Welcome back to the living, uncle Jon," said the tired voice from next to him.

"Oh, uh, thank you," Jonathan mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "Where are we?"

"Not far from Rathshad," spoke up Evelyn from ahead of them, Ardeth's horse following quietly along behind him. "We'll be there within the hour." Just as she said that, she yanked on the reins. "Whoa!" she yelled, and her camel and the horse came to a dead stop, grateful to stop moving.

"Jeez, Mum!" yelled Alex as he tried to stop his own camel before it crashed into his mother's. Jonathan tossed in a few obscenities, and Evie whirled around and gave her brother a sour look, until her curiosity got the better of her and she turned back to face ahead of her again.

"What is it, Mum?" asked Alex.

Evelyn pointed dead ahead towards the skyline, where the outline of a plane was visible.

Alex and Jonathan's eyes followed where she was pointing, and then all at once, they heeled their mounts, and the trio and one horse went galloping off towards the horizon.

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"Ardeth."

The whisper was like music to his ears. Pulling away from her, he looked into her delicate face and her baby blues, which were open, but barely. "Leah," he said to her, his voice husky. "You are awake."

Leah's head moved ever so slightly in a confirming nod.

Ardeth cupped her face in his hands, glad to see the color of her eyes instead of their pale lids. He stared into her features, his heart pounding.

"A-Ardeth," Leah breathed, reaching her arms upward and wrapping them around the Medjai's neck. "Ardeth, I never thought I'd see you again."

"And I, you, Bent Hair," Ardeth said, lifting Leah to a sitting position and clutching her tightly to his chest. He buried his face in her now shorter locks, taking in her scent, reveling in the feeling of having her in his arms. He felt that he would never let go; now that she was with him, he would protect her with his life, and never take his eyes off her.

The two sat cuddled on the ground for several minutes. Ardeth felt the heat radiating off her body, but noted that for now, her breathing was less labored and she seemed much more alert than earlier.

"Where are we?" Leah managed to ask softly.

"We are somewhere near Rathshad," Ardeth answered.

Leah moaned and closed her eyes, as if in pain.

"What? What is it?" asked Ardeth, his heart racing. "What is the matter?"

"Rathshad," Leah said. "I hate that place. I just want to go home. Back to London. Where the hardest thing I had to do was figure out if A comes before B in the alphabet, and where I could have ice cream whenever I wanted it, and go ice skating whenever I had the urge…" Leah's eyes opened and she looked up at Ardeth. "Have you ever been ice skating?"

Ardeth, who was still worrying more about Leah's physical well-being, said, "Uh, no, I cannot say that I have." His hands roamed her abdomen, checking for any sign of internal injury.

"Ice skating is so much fun when you have somebody to go with you," Leah said, her words a little slurred. "I went almost every day last month. There's a little pond about a mile from my apartment… it froze over pretty early on in the winter. I took Rick with me one day. He had never ice skated before in his life." Leah gave a little laugh. "But I taught him. Or at least, I tried to teach him. Didn't work too well, but I had a blast laughing at him. Although, it was always the most fun when Andrew went with me." Her eyes narrowed. "Andrew. What a back-stabbing jerk. He just—ohhh!" cried Leah as tears stung her eyes. Ardeth's hands, which were probing the left side of stomach, had hit a horribly sore spot right below the left side of her rib cage. Her hands instinctively went to the source of the pain.

Ardeth moved back abruptly. "I am sorry, Leah," he said, his face etched with concern. His hands moved slowly back to her stomach and took her hands, which were still clutching her side. "Leah, please allow me to see. I must assess your injuries so I know how to care for you." Their eyes met, and Ardeth saw the trust in her eyes.

"Okay," Leah whispered.

"I will try not to hurt you," Ardeth told her, and he placed his hands on her skin.

They felt cool to her burning body, and now that she was aware of a man's hands on her, she felt a little self-conscious. However, she trusted Ardeth. He was a man of honor, a man of valor… a man whom she knew loved her, and she took comfort in that.

She whimpered a little when his hands found her swollen spleen, but did not move. "What is it, Ardeth?" she whispered.

"You're spleen has ruptured," Ardeth told Leah, slowly pulling his hands from her.

"Is that bad?" asked Leah softly, her eyes searching Ardeth's, though she knew the answer.

Ardeth, who was standing on his knees on the desert floor, rocked back so he was sitting on his ankles. "It is," Ardeth whispered. "You are bleeding on the inside."

Leah nodded. "I know. I read a book about it once." Her eyes closed as Ardeth took her hand. "I'll be fine, Ardeth, I just need some rest.

"No, Leah. You are more ill than that. We must find a hospital," Ardeth said, slipping his arms under Leah, preparing to pick her up.

Leah shook her head. "No. It's okay. We're at least a hundred miles from the nearest hospital, and I would never be able to walk that far, with my sprained ankle and all."

"I will carry you," Ardeth said.

"A hundred miles? No. You'd never make it, either. You are strong, but I do not think you are that strong."

"I will make it," Ardeth said fiercely, hoisting her up. "I will make it. I must." He began to walk with Leah in his arms.

Leah felt herself slipping away again. She tried to shake off the wave of blackness attempting to overcome her senses, but it was of no use.

Ardeth felt her go limp in his arms. His heart thudding in his chest, he started his trek. He walked for what seemed like miles, until he looked up and breathed a sigh of relief. Their rescuers had arrived.

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Rick's head hurt. That was all he knew as he woke up. Then, as he opened his eyes, he was aware of a sharp prick on his neck. His eyes moved to look upwards, and he saw one of Imhotep's evil followers holding a sword to his neck, the Egyptian desert sunrise creating the backdrop of the scene.

"Get up," he growled, though Rick didn't understand it, as it was said in Arabic. "Up!"

Rick's hands began to move quickly to the direction of his holster, until he realized that they were tied tightly behind his back. He began to move them desperately, trying to free himself, but to no avail. "You stupid bastard! Untie me!" he screamed.

The captor just laughed in Rick's face and traced a faint outline with the sword on Rick's neck. "How quickly the tables can turn, my friend," he said, though the hostage didn't understand the language.

Rick felt the blood trickle down his neck, but didn't move. His lips remained in a tight, angry frown. "Kill me!" he yelled. "Kill me! I don't give a damn! Leah is safe, and that's all I care about! So bring it on!"

The ugly man didn't know what Rick had said, but he could read the tone, and became angry. He quickly drew the sword up and was almost ready to plunge it into Rick's heart when there was a roar behind the two.

Rick rolled his eyes to himself as Imhotep walked quickly to them.

Imhotep yelled something in Egyptian, and his follower dropped the sword and dashed away.

"Hello, mummy jackass," Rick said sarcastically. "How goes it today?"

Imhotep yelled something over his shoulder.

"Not very good, huh," Rick said. "Well, that's okay, it's bound to be a bad day when you're the undead and have no friends."

Imhotep knelt to Rick, who was still laying on the ground, his feet and hands tied. "Life is quite ironic, is it not?" He fingered the blood running down Rick's neck, which was now drying and sticking to his skin.

"Y-you called for me, sir?" a hesitant, shaky voice said from behind Imhotep.

"Yes," Imhotep said, not in Egyptian, but in Hebrew. "Translate to him." He pointed to Rick.

The translator stepped out from Imhotep's shadow. "Hello, O'Connell."

"Beni!" Rick gasped, his mouth hanging open.

"Bet you didn't think you'd ever be seeing me again," the little ugly man who had supposedly been killed by bugs, said.

"But you died!" Rick yelled.

"Yeah, and so did he… but obviously he's alive," said Beni, jerking his thumb in Imhotep's direction.

Rick began to move again, trying to free himself, and then glared up at Imhotep and Beni as they stood above him, laughing their heads off. "You won't be laughing when my family and I put you in your grave again!" Rick shrieked, his anger spiking, his adrenaline running on high.

Beni quickly translated to Imhotep, and Imhotep roared with laughter. Raising his hands into the air, he levitated Rick's body half a dozen feet off the ground, then spun his hands in a circle, causing Rick to turn also. When Imhotep finally lowered his hands, Rick crashed to the ground with a hard thud, hitting his head on the desert floor. Imhotep spoke some words in Hebrew.

Rick's head ached even worse now, and his vision was swimming. Still, he knew he had to stay conscious if he was ever going to see his family again, so he forced himself to focus on a point in the dawn's horizon. "What did he say?" Rick barked at Beni.

"He said, 'I believe it is I who will be putting you in your grave,' " Beni told Rick.

Imhotep spoke again.

"Unless," Beni translated, "you hand over the princess."

"What princess?" Rick asked. "I don't know any princesses."

Beni just chuckled nervously and said something to Imhotep, who replied back in Hebrew. Rick's body tensed when he heard the name Leah among all of Imhotep's unintelligible syllables.

"You know who he is talking about. Imhotep would like to arrange a trade. Your life, for the girl now known as Leah, who shall once again be known as Samir-hi."

"Never!" hissed Rick through clenched teeth. "Never!"

Imhotep, without even having to ask Beni to translate, knew what Rick had said, and he spoke to Beni.

"Lord Imhotep does not wish to hurt Leah. He only wishes to make her realize who she really is. He loves the princess as if she were his own, and he only wants what is best for her. He will agree to spare your life, if you agree to tell him where Leah is."

"I don't know where she is! And even if I did, I wouldn't tell you!" said Rick. "I would rather die than betray my family!"

Beni relayed Rick's words to Imhotep, and then Imhotep answered, his tone becoming irritated. The mummy turned and stalked off, leaving Rick alone with Beni.

"Lord Imhotep does not wish to waste his time arguing with you. Since you will not cooperate, you will be making the journey with us to Rathshad. Hopefully, time will change your mind, and you will what we know is right." Beni turned on his heel and began to walk away. Then he stopped and turned back around, looking at Rick laying helplessly on the ground. He just laughed like it was the most hilarious thing he had ever seen, then turned back around and continued his walk after Imhotep.

"You freak!" cried Rick, pulling harder than ever against his restraints. "I'm going to kill you! Both of you! All of you!" He yanked one last time on the binds around his hands, and whistled happily when they came free. "Ah! Ah ha! Yes!" he yelled, sitting up and reaching to his feet to unbind his ankles.

He had nearly finished when he looked up to find himself face to face with six gun barrels pushed right up under his nose.

"I'm in trouble. I'm in deep trouble," he said right before the butt of one of the guns met his temple and the world swirled away to blackness.

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"Ardeth!" Evelyn called, jumping off her camel without giving it the halt command and dashing across the sand to where she saw Ardeth carrying her sister-in-law. "Leah!" She came to a dead stop as she reached them. "Oh, Leah," she whispered as she took in her minimal clothing, short hair, and blotchy, feverish skin.

Ardeth, who was walking, almost running towards the camels, didn't respond to Evelyn until he reached his destination. Evelyn sensed the urgency in the situation, and without hesitation, reached into one of her saddlebags for a blanket, which she stretched out on the ground next to her camel, who had stopped walking as soon as Evelyn had dismounted.

"She needs water," barked Ardeth in a voice that Evelyn had never heard him use as he lowered Leah to the ground.

Evelyn grabbed her canteen from a saddlebag and handed it to Ardeth, who took it and knelt next to Leah.

"What is wrong with her?" asked Jonathan, concern in his voice as he walked forward from the direction of his camel, which he had stopped right behind Evelyn's.

"Leah is suffering from heat stroke," Ardeth said as he ripped the hem of his robe and doused the bit of material with water from Evelyn's canteen. "She needs much water, and medical treatment that I cannot provide. She has ruptured her spleen." Ardeth laid the soaked material across Leah's burning forehead.

Evelyn's face turned white as Ardeth said this. "Oh, no," she said.

"What does that mean?" asked Jonathan.

"It means that if she does not get to a hospital, and soon, she will die," Evelyn said.

"Oh," was all Jonathan said, not sure how else to respond.

"Where's my husband?" asked Evelyn as she knelt by Ardeth.

"The creature has him," Ardeth answered, ripping more of his dark robes and dumping the rest of Evelyn's water on them. He placed a piece on Leah's chest, and then gently lifted her head and placed another on the back of her neck. "Her body temperature must be lowered, she must be cooled. I need more water."

"What do you mean, the creature has him?" asked Evelyn, her voice rising several decibels in level as fear set into her heart.

Ardeth continued working as he spoke. "When we found Leah, we were being attacked. Rick served as a diversion so I could get Leah out of their camp."

"What do you mean, a diversion?" asked Jonathan, also kneeling next to Leah.

"Rick was very brave. He was greatly outnumbered… at least a dozen men against him, and him alone." Ardeth stroked Leah's cropped hair.

"Where is my husband now?" asked Evelyn.

Ardeth did not answer.

"Ardeth. Where. Is. My. Husband. Now?" she asked, her voice soft, her tone deep and scared.

"I do not know," Ardeth answered. "But wherever the creature is, your husband will surely be."

"Rathshad," Evelyn said immediately. "They are taking him to Rathshad. And that is where we must go." She stood up and turned to her camel, throwing things into her saddlebag.

"Evelyn, we--" started Ardeth, but then he stopped when he felt something grab his wrist.

"Ardeth," Leah croaked, opening her eyes. She saw Jonathan sitting next to her and smiled weakly. "Jonathan! Oh, I never thought I'd be so glad to see you!" she said, reaching up with the last bit of strength she had to touch his face.

"Welcome back, ol' girl," said Jonathan, his heart soaring as he saw the young girl awake.

Leah continued to smile and slowly turned her head, gripping Ardeth's hand as tightly as she could. The cloth on her forehead slipped off, but she didn't notice as she caught of sight of Evelyn closing the last of her bags. "Evelyn. Oh, I'm glad to see you, too."

"Leah!" said Evelyn. Though she was desperate to find Rick, she was glad to see her sister-in-law conscious and speaking. She stopped what she was doing and went back to the group on the sand. "I'm so glad you're awake," she told Leah, placing a kiss on Rick's sister's cheek. She winced when she felt how hot her skin was, and felt guilty for wanting to press on to Rathshad when Leah was obviously not doing very well.

Leah just smiled again, and then looked around to either side. "Where's Rick? And Alex?" she asked.

Ardeth noticed for the first time that Alex was missing from the group. "Where is your son?" Ardeth asked Evelyn.

"He's with Izzy," Evelyn explained. "We met up with him a few hours ago, and I sent the two of them to Hamunaptra in Izzy's plane to find the Book of the Living, since Alex knows where it is because he was the last one to ever hold it. That is the only way we are going to stop him once and for all. They are going to meet us at Rathshad as soon as possible."

"Oh, no, Izzy and Alex? That is a bad combination," Leah said, attempting to laugh but failing, instead breaking into a series of coughs.

Ardeth's heart raced as he watched Leah's body spasm, not knowing what to do to help her.

When her coughing finally receded, Leah asked, "Where's my brother?"

Ardeth took her hand, realizing that she had not been conscious when Imhotep's men had overtaken Rick, and that he had not told her yet what had happened. "Well, my Bent Hair… the creature has taken your brother."

"What?" gasped Leah, her face paling a little under her flushed features. "What? Imhotep has my brother?" She attempted to sit up, and Ardeth and Jonathan quickly reached down and helped her. Her breaths came in small wheezes, but she continued to talk. "Wh-where are they taking him? We've got to get him back." Her eyes narrowed. "They took him when you were trying to rescue me, didn't they?" She looked up to Ardeth and looked square into his chocolate colored eyes. "Didn't they?"

Ardeth blinked his eyes slowly. "Yes."

"Oh, my god, this is all my fault! This whole thing is all my fault! Every single thing!" Leah collapsed in sobs and wracking coughs, her whole body shaking.

"No! Bent Hair, no, this is not your fault," said Ardeth, trying to put his arms around her. She shook him off. "Leah, do not blame yourself for this. Please, Leah, you need to rest." He tried once more to put his arms around her, and she finally let him hold her, collapsing against his chest as the last of her energy was zapped from her. "We've got to find him," she hiccupped. "Ardeth, I need to find him."

"We will find him, don't worry, Leah," Evelyn told her sister-in-law. "We will find him. But you need to go to a hospital. You need treatment. Ardeth and I will continue on to Rathshad to find Rick. Jonathan will escort you back to Thebes."

"Nooooooooooo!" wailed Leah, clinging to Ardeth's robes even harder. "Nooo! I have been separated from my brother, I will not be separated from my love, too. Oh, Ardeth," she spit out between ragged breaths. She pulled her face out of his chest. "Please. Please do not make me go. Please. Please. Please," she cried. "I need to get my brother back. I can help! Just please don't leave me… you promised me you wouldn't!"

Ardeth sighed deeply, hugging his Leah to his chest with all his might. His mind was racing. He had promised her that he wouldn't leave her, and Medjai always keep their promises. But if they were going to get Rick back, then he needed to go on to Rathshad, and he couldn't in good conscience take a severely ill Leah into battle with him. "Leah, I…"

Leah looked up at him, her baby blues wide in hope and desperation. "Oh, Ardeth, please, you cannot make me go. I must be with you. I cannot bear to be away from you. Please, Ardeth. Please. Please, you promised me…"

Against his better judgment, Ardeth gave in to his precious Leah's demands. He couldn't bear to be away from her either. "Yes, you may come with us, Leah. But if I decide that your health has deteriorated beyond your present condition, you and Jonathan will be heading to the nearest hospital."

"Deal," said Leah, and she let her head collapse back against Ardeth's robes. She clung to his thick sleeves with strength that Ardeth knew wasn't coming from her physical body, but from her strong spirit.

"We had better keep moving, then," said Evelyn.

"Are you sure she shouldn't go to the hospital?" asked Jonathan. "I would be more than glad to escort her back to Thebes, or wherever she wanted to go."

Nobody acknowledged Jonathan with an answer. Evelyn stood and turned to her camel, walking around the other side of it and returning with the reins to Ardeth's horse. Jonathan shut his mouth and wordlessly walked to his own mount.

Ardeth helped Leah stand on her good foot. She felt the world spinning as she stood upright, but she forced the feeling aside as she allowed Ardeth to help her mount onto his horse. She sat near the front of the saddle while the world swirled as Ardeth swung himself up behind her. He took the reins from Evelyn, and then, as he held onto them with his left hand, settled Leah against his chest, wrapping his arm firmly around her waist.

Evelyn jumped onto her camel, and taking the lead, she led the crew onward to Rathshad, praying the entire way for their safety, for the safety of her husband, and for the safety of Izzy and her son, who were also venturing into unsafe waters at Hamunaptra. "God be with us all," she whispered as the convoy moved forward. "We're going to need all the help we can get."