'The Mummy Returns::;-=;,.*743938734'
THE PROPHECY OF ANU------RA
By Wendy Hislop
Part one
{Egypt; Secret location of the Med-Jai}
{
"NO, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!" A fist slammed onto the table as its owner leapt to his feet. "He is a treasure hunter, an adventurer. He is not 'The Wahid' we seek," the grey-whiskered Med-jai announced with all confidence.
Ardeth Bay sat in silence, listening closely as his fellow chieftain's argued the merits of the link of the 'Prophecy' to his friend Rick O'Connell.
"But Asim, he has shown his worth many times. He has saved us, not only at Hamunaptra, but at Ahm Shere," another Med-jai stood to defend.
"And you forget Hamadi, he and his wife were also part of the cause of both resurrections. In their lust for wealth and knowledge that did not belong to them, they sought out the elements of our destruction."
"And you too forget Asim," Ardeth's voice was soft, but broke no argument as he rose to his feet. "That he bears the mark of the Med-jai. He 'is' Med-jai and as such will be spoken of with respect."
Asim acknowledge his rebuke with a respectful bow, "I am sorry, Ardeth. You are right."
Ardeth bowed back as he glanced at each Medjai leader in turn, "We can argue for many sunrises and sunsets about Rick O'Connell's 'true' heritage, but we cannot argue his heart. He has proven himself many times worthy of the title Med-jai. But that aside, what we do know for certain and one of the reasons we are meeting this way, is that the Anu-Ra have heard whisperings of the man who not only defeated Imhotep twice, but challenged the Scorpion King and won. It will be their duty to hunt O'Connell down and kill him. It is 'our' duty whether he is 'The Wahid' or not, to make sure that does not happen."
"Is he not safe where he is, in London with his family?" Hamadi asked.
"The mortal army of Anubis has a long and powerful reach. Rick O'Connell will not be safe anywhere."
{London; O'Connell Estate}
Closing the book that she had been only half-heartedly reading, Evelyn O'Connell glanced over the balcony at her family below. While watching the heart-warming scene of a father and son playing chess by the fireplace, Evelyn could see even from second floor library, that Rick's mind was not on the game. In fact, she doubted her husband's mind was even in the same country, let alone the same room as his family.
After destroying Imhotep for the second and hopefully last time and returning to London, Evelyn had seen a pensive change in her husband. And she had grown tired of ignoring it. It was time talk to Rick about it.
"Alex, why don't you go and see what Uncle Jonathan is doing?"
Evelyn called to her son as she made her way the stairway.
"Checkmate!" Alex grinned at his father as he pushed himself to his feet and scampered toward his mother.
Abruptly brought back to the present by his son's winning cheer, Rick looked up in time to see Alex run toward the staircase to greet his mother. Watching as Evelyn stooped to talk to her son, Rick suddenly shuddered as if someone had just walked over his grave. All his fears and memories suddenly assaulted him and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of how close he had come to loosing his family. Quickly jumping to his feet, Rick looked away from his fears and resting both arms on the mantle piece, stared into the flickering flames below.
"Rick?"
How he loved that voice. As he had stared down at her beautiful face, so deathly still and silent, at Ahm Shere, Rick had thought he was never going to hear her voice again. Pushing his fears back down, Rick forced a smile to appear as he turned to his wife. "I'm never going to win you know. You feel somewhat inadequate when your own eight year old son beats you at Chess."
"He'll be nine next month and you will never be 'inadequate' in our eyes," Evelyn smiled as she slid into her husband's arms, burying herself into his chest.
"Yeah, but you're biased. Save a woman from Mummies and Scorpion Kings and she thinks you can save the world."
The small tremor in his husband's body didn't go unnoticed by Evelyn as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "You did....twice," she joked back, her frown of concern hidden against his chest.
"I didn't do it alone, Evy. Anyway that's all over now," Rick said as he kissed the top of her head and moved away.
"Is it?" Evie asked as she watched her husband go back to watching the fire. "You know we have never really talked about what Ardeth said...."
"I don't care what Ardeth said," Rick snapped. Realizing he was talking his frustration out on his wife, he turned around and smiled in an attempt to alleviate her concerns. "It's a tattoo Evy, that's all it is and all it ever will be. Someone's idea of a big joke and it was on me, so let's drop it, okay?"
"I would," Evelyn conceded, "But I know this is eating you up inside. You haven't been the same since we got home."
"Of course I'm not the same," Rick smile had long disappeared as he managed to choke out his pain. "I nearly lost my son and I did lose you."
"Alex is alive, you saved him and I'm right here," Evelyn implored Rick to see the bright side.
"You were 'dead' Evy," Rick stated as ran his trembling fingers through her hair. "If it wasn't for Alex and Jonathan......God, you were dead," he cried as he hand dropped away from her hair.
Reaching out for the receding arm, Evelyn pressed the palm of Rick's hand to her chest so that he could feel the vibration of her pulsing heartbeat. "I'm alive Rick. It doesn't matter how, who, or why. I'm alive. We're alive." She whispered as she proved her point and captured Rick's lips with her own.
{Egypt; Cairo}
"We now know it to be true, Ubaid."
"It can't be... yet," Ubaid Ammon cursed as he rued the realization of the prophecy. Long flowing red robes swirled around as the Anu-Ra leader paced the floor. "Where is this.... 'Wahid' now?"
"He has gone back to his country. Why not just leave him there?" Husani asked.
Ubaid fingered the tattoo of Ra, his Lord and master that adorned his right cheek, "Because he will not stay there. Ardeth Bay and the Med-jai will seek him out and protect him as they did twenty-eight years ago. The Anu-Ra has failed once to kill this 'Wahid', we must not fail again."
TBC
THE PROPHECY OF ANU------RA
By Wendy Hislop
Part one
{Egypt; Secret location of the Med-Jai}
{
"NO, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE!" A fist slammed onto the table as its owner leapt to his feet. "He is a treasure hunter, an adventurer. He is not 'The Wahid' we seek," the grey-whiskered Med-jai announced with all confidence.
Ardeth Bay sat in silence, listening closely as his fellow chieftain's argued the merits of the link of the 'Prophecy' to his friend Rick O'Connell.
"But Asim, he has shown his worth many times. He has saved us, not only at Hamunaptra, but at Ahm Shere," another Med-jai stood to defend.
"And you forget Hamadi, he and his wife were also part of the cause of both resurrections. In their lust for wealth and knowledge that did not belong to them, they sought out the elements of our destruction."
"And you too forget Asim," Ardeth's voice was soft, but broke no argument as he rose to his feet. "That he bears the mark of the Med-jai. He 'is' Med-jai and as such will be spoken of with respect."
Asim acknowledge his rebuke with a respectful bow, "I am sorry, Ardeth. You are right."
Ardeth bowed back as he glanced at each Medjai leader in turn, "We can argue for many sunrises and sunsets about Rick O'Connell's 'true' heritage, but we cannot argue his heart. He has proven himself many times worthy of the title Med-jai. But that aside, what we do know for certain and one of the reasons we are meeting this way, is that the Anu-Ra have heard whisperings of the man who not only defeated Imhotep twice, but challenged the Scorpion King and won. It will be their duty to hunt O'Connell down and kill him. It is 'our' duty whether he is 'The Wahid' or not, to make sure that does not happen."
"Is he not safe where he is, in London with his family?" Hamadi asked.
"The mortal army of Anubis has a long and powerful reach. Rick O'Connell will not be safe anywhere."
{London; O'Connell Estate}
Closing the book that she had been only half-heartedly reading, Evelyn O'Connell glanced over the balcony at her family below. While watching the heart-warming scene of a father and son playing chess by the fireplace, Evelyn could see even from second floor library, that Rick's mind was not on the game. In fact, she doubted her husband's mind was even in the same country, let alone the same room as his family.
After destroying Imhotep for the second and hopefully last time and returning to London, Evelyn had seen a pensive change in her husband. And she had grown tired of ignoring it. It was time talk to Rick about it.
"Alex, why don't you go and see what Uncle Jonathan is doing?"
Evelyn called to her son as she made her way the stairway.
"Checkmate!" Alex grinned at his father as he pushed himself to his feet and scampered toward his mother.
Abruptly brought back to the present by his son's winning cheer, Rick looked up in time to see Alex run toward the staircase to greet his mother. Watching as Evelyn stooped to talk to her son, Rick suddenly shuddered as if someone had just walked over his grave. All his fears and memories suddenly assaulted him and he felt sick to his stomach at the thought of how close he had come to loosing his family. Quickly jumping to his feet, Rick looked away from his fears and resting both arms on the mantle piece, stared into the flickering flames below.
"Rick?"
How he loved that voice. As he had stared down at her beautiful face, so deathly still and silent, at Ahm Shere, Rick had thought he was never going to hear her voice again. Pushing his fears back down, Rick forced a smile to appear as he turned to his wife. "I'm never going to win you know. You feel somewhat inadequate when your own eight year old son beats you at Chess."
"He'll be nine next month and you will never be 'inadequate' in our eyes," Evelyn smiled as she slid into her husband's arms, burying herself into his chest.
"Yeah, but you're biased. Save a woman from Mummies and Scorpion Kings and she thinks you can save the world."
The small tremor in his husband's body didn't go unnoticed by Evelyn as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "You did....twice," she joked back, her frown of concern hidden against his chest.
"I didn't do it alone, Evy. Anyway that's all over now," Rick said as he kissed the top of her head and moved away.
"Is it?" Evie asked as she watched her husband go back to watching the fire. "You know we have never really talked about what Ardeth said...."
"I don't care what Ardeth said," Rick snapped. Realizing he was talking his frustration out on his wife, he turned around and smiled in an attempt to alleviate her concerns. "It's a tattoo Evy, that's all it is and all it ever will be. Someone's idea of a big joke and it was on me, so let's drop it, okay?"
"I would," Evelyn conceded, "But I know this is eating you up inside. You haven't been the same since we got home."
"Of course I'm not the same," Rick smile had long disappeared as he managed to choke out his pain. "I nearly lost my son and I did lose you."
"Alex is alive, you saved him and I'm right here," Evelyn implored Rick to see the bright side.
"You were 'dead' Evy," Rick stated as ran his trembling fingers through her hair. "If it wasn't for Alex and Jonathan......God, you were dead," he cried as he hand dropped away from her hair.
Reaching out for the receding arm, Evelyn pressed the palm of Rick's hand to her chest so that he could feel the vibration of her pulsing heartbeat. "I'm alive Rick. It doesn't matter how, who, or why. I'm alive. We're alive." She whispered as she proved her point and captured Rick's lips with her own.
{Egypt; Cairo}
"We now know it to be true, Ubaid."
"It can't be... yet," Ubaid Ammon cursed as he rued the realization of the prophecy. Long flowing red robes swirled around as the Anu-Ra leader paced the floor. "Where is this.... 'Wahid' now?"
"He has gone back to his country. Why not just leave him there?" Husani asked.
Ubaid fingered the tattoo of Ra, his Lord and master that adorned his right cheek, "Because he will not stay there. Ardeth Bay and the Med-jai will seek him out and protect him as they did twenty-eight years ago. The Anu-Ra has failed once to kill this 'Wahid', we must not fail again."
TBC