THE PROPHECY OF ANU-RA
Part five
Unable to sleep, and wondering what the Hell he was doing returning to Egypt, Rick stood at the starboard end of the steamer, watching the night sky. He had so many questions. Questions about who his parent's were, his past, yet the adventurer couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't sure he was quite ready to hear the answers.
Slipping off his leather band that he used to cover his marked wrist, he fingered the lines of the tattoo. Barely visible under the night sky, Rick didn't need to see it, he knew each line of the brand by heart and as he traced its course, he pondered the secrets it continued to hold for him.
"What are you afraid of?" A soft asked from behind him.
About to replace the band, his wife's hand reached out to stop him.
"Why hide who you are, Rick," she said as she gentle took hold of Rick's arm, her thumbs gently caressing the tattoo.
"Because you were right, I am scared," Rick answered, looking away as he eased his arm from his wife's tender grasp and continued to restore the leather band to his wrist. "I'm scared that you, Alex and Jonathan are in danger because of me and this stupid mark."
"That 'stupid mark' as you call it, is part of who you are." Evy gently rebuked her husband as she placed her hand on his cheek and guided his full attention back to her, "and that's why we're here. It's not because of any danger that we might be in back home; it's because you have to do this and we need to be with you. Rick, everyone has a right to know who they were, who they are."
Rick smiled as he pulled Evy in close, savoring the feel of her body, "Even if it means they used to be an Egyptian princess?"
Smiling back, Evy snuggled into her husband's chest, "Even if it means they are the prophesied 'Wahid'."
Wrapping his arms tightly around his wife, Rick breathed in the scent of hair and unseen by Evelyn her husband's smile faded.
MRMRMRMR
Having received word that Ardeth Bay had indeed left for London as predicted, Ubaid Amen pondered on his next move as he sat, cleaning his scimitar. Even after all these years, he still marveled at the intricate jackal design that had been carved into the hilt and had never once tired looking at it. When the blade was in his hands, it felt like Ra, himself had picked him to wield his power.
Holding the weapon to the air, Ubaid watched the light reflect over the steel curves and wondered how many lives its razor sharp blade had taken. He knew of the many that his grandfather and father had taken, but one in particular came to mind as he hoped soon to add the son of Aswad Bay to the sword's history.
Many times the sword had tasted just mere drops of Ardeth's blood, but with the talk of the 'Wahid', he hoped that it would soon be able to feast. The Med-jai chieftain had always been a formidable enemy in their confrontations, an enemy worthy of an Anu-Ra leader. He was looking forward to taking Bay's head, before destroying the 'Wahid' once and for all.
MRMRMRMR
Asking for a little more time alone on deck, Rick kissed his wife goodnight, watching her until she disappeared into the doorway that lead to the cabins. But it wasn't long until he felt another presence.
"How long were you going to stand there?" Rick asked the man who had emerged from the shadows.
"Until you were ready to speak," Ardeth replied.
"Then you could be waiting a long time."
"I can wait," the Med-jai answered as he started to step back into the darkness from where he came.
"She agrees with you, you know," Rick nodded in the direction that Evy had just gone.
"This does not surprise me, does it you?"
"With Evy, nothing surprises me." The half-hearted smile dying on his lips as he stared out over the ocean. "Do you really believe that I am this...'Wahid' that you think I am?"
Ardeth followed Rick's line of sight, mindful of saying too much too soon. "The first time I saw you up close, that first night; the night we faced each other weapon to weapon, I knew there was something about you. After all, I let you live didn't I?"
"Hang on a minute, you let 'me' live?" Rick was quickly roused from his deep thoughts, by the Chieftain's claim. "If memory me serves right, the lit stick of dynamite that I held in my hands had something to say about who was leaving that night."
"And my scimitar said I would leave on my terms," Ardeth smiled as he bantered back at the adventurer.
"Ah, yes, but by that time I had already shot your sword out of your hands once already."
"True, yet, I had used that same scimitar to dislodge your gun from your hands moments after."
"Okay, so that brings us back to the dynamite...."
TBC
Part five
Unable to sleep, and wondering what the Hell he was doing returning to Egypt, Rick stood at the starboard end of the steamer, watching the night sky. He had so many questions. Questions about who his parent's were, his past, yet the adventurer couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't sure he was quite ready to hear the answers.
Slipping off his leather band that he used to cover his marked wrist, he fingered the lines of the tattoo. Barely visible under the night sky, Rick didn't need to see it, he knew each line of the brand by heart and as he traced its course, he pondered the secrets it continued to hold for him.
"What are you afraid of?" A soft asked from behind him.
About to replace the band, his wife's hand reached out to stop him.
"Why hide who you are, Rick," she said as she gentle took hold of Rick's arm, her thumbs gently caressing the tattoo.
"Because you were right, I am scared," Rick answered, looking away as he eased his arm from his wife's tender grasp and continued to restore the leather band to his wrist. "I'm scared that you, Alex and Jonathan are in danger because of me and this stupid mark."
"That 'stupid mark' as you call it, is part of who you are." Evy gently rebuked her husband as she placed her hand on his cheek and guided his full attention back to her, "and that's why we're here. It's not because of any danger that we might be in back home; it's because you have to do this and we need to be with you. Rick, everyone has a right to know who they were, who they are."
Rick smiled as he pulled Evy in close, savoring the feel of her body, "Even if it means they used to be an Egyptian princess?"
Smiling back, Evy snuggled into her husband's chest, "Even if it means they are the prophesied 'Wahid'."
Wrapping his arms tightly around his wife, Rick breathed in the scent of hair and unseen by Evelyn her husband's smile faded.
MRMRMRMR
Having received word that Ardeth Bay had indeed left for London as predicted, Ubaid Amen pondered on his next move as he sat, cleaning his scimitar. Even after all these years, he still marveled at the intricate jackal design that had been carved into the hilt and had never once tired looking at it. When the blade was in his hands, it felt like Ra, himself had picked him to wield his power.
Holding the weapon to the air, Ubaid watched the light reflect over the steel curves and wondered how many lives its razor sharp blade had taken. He knew of the many that his grandfather and father had taken, but one in particular came to mind as he hoped soon to add the son of Aswad Bay to the sword's history.
Many times the sword had tasted just mere drops of Ardeth's blood, but with the talk of the 'Wahid', he hoped that it would soon be able to feast. The Med-jai chieftain had always been a formidable enemy in their confrontations, an enemy worthy of an Anu-Ra leader. He was looking forward to taking Bay's head, before destroying the 'Wahid' once and for all.
MRMRMRMR
Asking for a little more time alone on deck, Rick kissed his wife goodnight, watching her until she disappeared into the doorway that lead to the cabins. But it wasn't long until he felt another presence.
"How long were you going to stand there?" Rick asked the man who had emerged from the shadows.
"Until you were ready to speak," Ardeth replied.
"Then you could be waiting a long time."
"I can wait," the Med-jai answered as he started to step back into the darkness from where he came.
"She agrees with you, you know," Rick nodded in the direction that Evy had just gone.
"This does not surprise me, does it you?"
"With Evy, nothing surprises me." The half-hearted smile dying on his lips as he stared out over the ocean. "Do you really believe that I am this...'Wahid' that you think I am?"
Ardeth followed Rick's line of sight, mindful of saying too much too soon. "The first time I saw you up close, that first night; the night we faced each other weapon to weapon, I knew there was something about you. After all, I let you live didn't I?"
"Hang on a minute, you let 'me' live?" Rick was quickly roused from his deep thoughts, by the Chieftain's claim. "If memory me serves right, the lit stick of dynamite that I held in my hands had something to say about who was leaving that night."
"And my scimitar said I would leave on my terms," Ardeth smiled as he bantered back at the adventurer.
"Ah, yes, but by that time I had already shot your sword out of your hands once already."
"True, yet, I had used that same scimitar to dislodge your gun from your hands moments after."
"Okay, so that brings us back to the dynamite...."
TBC