The Mummy Returns . . . Again?
SW: We do not own The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, or their characters. However, the elementals and the plot are mine and Krenya's, so do not touch them unless you wish to be tortured for the next two and a half millennia.
KA: We do appreciate reviews, so feel free to send in comments, what you dislike and what you think could be improved. No flames, though, please.
SW: Or else I'll—
KA: Stormwing.
SW: *mutters* You never let me have any fun.
KA: That's because you know Mum and Dad told us to make sure we don't do any serious damage.
SW: Fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 3
Sylv listened intently, her ear pressed up against the stone wall beside the pile of rubble blocking the hall. The scrapes of stones being moved, accompanied by the muffled sound of voices, reached her ears. Sylv sighed. "I should have known they wouldn't give up that easily."
-What is it?- Pyr asked.
"They're starting to move my barrier. There is no other way in for them, remember."
-Now what?-
"Keep working. I'll figure out something."
Sylv's mind was silent for a moment. Then Pyr spoke. -They wouldn't try to get through magma.-
"But how would you do that without them noticing that something was unnatural about it?"
-They already know that something is different. And between us-
"No," Sylv interrupted. "It's too risky."
-Tell you what. Give me a chance. You can continue this work, and I'll take over yours.-
"That might mess it up. We've never brought twice-dead people back to life, much less thrice-dead."
-Fine.- Pyr was silent for a moment. -Be careful.-
Sylv stepped back from the wall and faced it, her silver-and-green eyes narrowed. "Don't worry. I will be."
* * *
Ardeth Bay straightened up. Two other Med-jai continued to shift rocks industriously, though carefully. Another Med-jai stepped forward to take his place. Ardeth stepped back and examined the corridor. "Surely there is another way in," he said.
Sakhi shook his head as he wiped sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and rewrapped his turban over his grey hair. "Sorry, Ardeth, but you know these corridors as well as any of us. There's no other way. They were all blocked in by the Pharaoh's Sand."
Ardeth sighed. "Let's move these rocks further back. I hope this rock fall does not extend too far."
"Yes."
As Ardeth moved the rocks back to make more room for his men, he glanced at the rock fall. 'But it happened just as we were coming down this corridor. Why? And how?'
* * *
Sylv smiled as she listened to the Med-jai's conversation. Maybe it wouldn't be a permanent solution, but it would give her more time. She returned to the open tunnel behind the rock fall and laid her hand on the wall. She stepped back.
Once again the tunnels were filled with roaring, dust, and falling stone. Now the Med-jai had at least ten feet of rock to clear. That would give her much time to think.
* * *
Evie sighed, resting her forehead against one hand.
"What's wrong?"
Evie turned to Rick, and he set a mug on her desk. She picked up the mug and smelled the steam rising from it, smelling of peppermint. Then she sighed and sipped from the mug. "I can't find anything about that painting anywhere. As far as I can tell, it dates from close to four thousand years ago."
"From before Imhotep?"
"Yes, but that's all I have figured out. It seems like some sort of warning, but other than that . . ." Evie shrugged.
"Well, why would anyone make this sort of thing. Is it talking about real people?"
"What else would it be talking about?"
"All right. Why would anyone make it? What's its purpose?"
Evie sighed. "I don't know. It seems to me that these people must have been dangerous somehow and that people were being warned of them, to be careful about them."
"But they look so friendly."
"Rick, I'm trying here. But I've never seen this before and I don't know what to do—"
"Sh, sh. It's all right." Rick hugged Evie while she simply stared at the book in front of her. "Maybe Jonathan would know. Your parents taught him, too, didn't they?"
"Yes."
"Then ask him. Actually, I'll go call him. I want you to take a break. Alex is in the study playing, and I'm sure he'd love to spend time with his mom."
Evie leaned back against Rick. "You know, that does sound like a good idea. I think I will." She stood and wrapped her arms around Rick's neck. "Thanks."
* * *
Jonathan examined the piece of slate. He tapped the painted faces. "I recognize these," he said.
"Well, what are they?" Rick said.
"Patience, my good fellow. Let's see, was it in a book?" Jonathan started perusing the texts. Rick sat down, stood up, paced, stopped, tapped his foot, sat down again, stood up, paced, sat down, opened a book, closed it, stood up again, paced-
"Ah-ha!" Jonathan pointed triumphantly to a page. Rick leaned over his shoulder and started reading with him. Slowly Rick's eyes grew wider. By the time he reached the end of the page, his expression had changed. "So that's—Rick?"
Rick looked up at his brother-in-law. "Why do I have the feeling that if someone doesn't stop them, they're gonna wipe out the world?"
* * *
". . . ametaphus."
As Pyr's voice echoed around the sanache, golden light filled the air. It gathered around Imhotep's body, growing brighter and brighter until it flashed out once.
* * *
The Med-jai were still steadily removing the barrier. It had already slipped once, almost hitting Sakhi, but so far no one had been hurt. Ardeth Bay was moving in to take another Med-jai's place when the air around them rippled, like a wave passing around a stone. The tunnel fell silent as the Med-jai looked at each other and then to Ardeth.
* * *
The chamber fell silent except for the excited breaths of Pyr, the regular breath of Sylv, and the deep breathing of a person in sleep.
SW: We do not own The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, or their characters. However, the elementals and the plot are mine and Krenya's, so do not touch them unless you wish to be tortured for the next two and a half millennia.
KA: We do appreciate reviews, so feel free to send in comments, what you dislike and what you think could be improved. No flames, though, please.
SW: Or else I'll—
KA: Stormwing.
SW: *mutters* You never let me have any fun.
KA: That's because you know Mum and Dad told us to make sure we don't do any serious damage.
SW: Fine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 3
Sylv listened intently, her ear pressed up against the stone wall beside the pile of rubble blocking the hall. The scrapes of stones being moved, accompanied by the muffled sound of voices, reached her ears. Sylv sighed. "I should have known they wouldn't give up that easily."
-What is it?- Pyr asked.
"They're starting to move my barrier. There is no other way in for them, remember."
-Now what?-
"Keep working. I'll figure out something."
Sylv's mind was silent for a moment. Then Pyr spoke. -They wouldn't try to get through magma.-
"But how would you do that without them noticing that something was unnatural about it?"
-They already know that something is different. And between us-
"No," Sylv interrupted. "It's too risky."
-Tell you what. Give me a chance. You can continue this work, and I'll take over yours.-
"That might mess it up. We've never brought twice-dead people back to life, much less thrice-dead."
-Fine.- Pyr was silent for a moment. -Be careful.-
Sylv stepped back from the wall and faced it, her silver-and-green eyes narrowed. "Don't worry. I will be."
* * *
Ardeth Bay straightened up. Two other Med-jai continued to shift rocks industriously, though carefully. Another Med-jai stepped forward to take his place. Ardeth stepped back and examined the corridor. "Surely there is another way in," he said.
Sakhi shook his head as he wiped sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and rewrapped his turban over his grey hair. "Sorry, Ardeth, but you know these corridors as well as any of us. There's no other way. They were all blocked in by the Pharaoh's Sand."
Ardeth sighed. "Let's move these rocks further back. I hope this rock fall does not extend too far."
"Yes."
As Ardeth moved the rocks back to make more room for his men, he glanced at the rock fall. 'But it happened just as we were coming down this corridor. Why? And how?'
* * *
Sylv smiled as she listened to the Med-jai's conversation. Maybe it wouldn't be a permanent solution, but it would give her more time. She returned to the open tunnel behind the rock fall and laid her hand on the wall. She stepped back.
Once again the tunnels were filled with roaring, dust, and falling stone. Now the Med-jai had at least ten feet of rock to clear. That would give her much time to think.
* * *
Evie sighed, resting her forehead against one hand.
"What's wrong?"
Evie turned to Rick, and he set a mug on her desk. She picked up the mug and smelled the steam rising from it, smelling of peppermint. Then she sighed and sipped from the mug. "I can't find anything about that painting anywhere. As far as I can tell, it dates from close to four thousand years ago."
"From before Imhotep?"
"Yes, but that's all I have figured out. It seems like some sort of warning, but other than that . . ." Evie shrugged.
"Well, why would anyone make this sort of thing. Is it talking about real people?"
"What else would it be talking about?"
"All right. Why would anyone make it? What's its purpose?"
Evie sighed. "I don't know. It seems to me that these people must have been dangerous somehow and that people were being warned of them, to be careful about them."
"But they look so friendly."
"Rick, I'm trying here. But I've never seen this before and I don't know what to do—"
"Sh, sh. It's all right." Rick hugged Evie while she simply stared at the book in front of her. "Maybe Jonathan would know. Your parents taught him, too, didn't they?"
"Yes."
"Then ask him. Actually, I'll go call him. I want you to take a break. Alex is in the study playing, and I'm sure he'd love to spend time with his mom."
Evie leaned back against Rick. "You know, that does sound like a good idea. I think I will." She stood and wrapped her arms around Rick's neck. "Thanks."
* * *
Jonathan examined the piece of slate. He tapped the painted faces. "I recognize these," he said.
"Well, what are they?" Rick said.
"Patience, my good fellow. Let's see, was it in a book?" Jonathan started perusing the texts. Rick sat down, stood up, paced, stopped, tapped his foot, sat down again, stood up, paced, sat down, opened a book, closed it, stood up again, paced-
"Ah-ha!" Jonathan pointed triumphantly to a page. Rick leaned over his shoulder and started reading with him. Slowly Rick's eyes grew wider. By the time he reached the end of the page, his expression had changed. "So that's—Rick?"
Rick looked up at his brother-in-law. "Why do I have the feeling that if someone doesn't stop them, they're gonna wipe out the world?"
* * *
". . . ametaphus."
As Pyr's voice echoed around the sanache, golden light filled the air. It gathered around Imhotep's body, growing brighter and brighter until it flashed out once.
* * *
The Med-jai were still steadily removing the barrier. It had already slipped once, almost hitting Sakhi, but so far no one had been hurt. Ardeth Bay was moving in to take another Med-jai's place when the air around them rippled, like a wave passing around a stone. The tunnel fell silent as the Med-jai looked at each other and then to Ardeth.
* * *
The chamber fell silent except for the excited breaths of Pyr, the regular breath of Sylv, and the deep breathing of a person in sleep.
