THE PROPHECY OF ANU-RA
Part seven
Rick watched Jonathan excuse himself from the stranger and fellow passenger and storm toward his room.
"Way to go O'Connell," Rick quietly chastised himself as he watched his brother-in-law leave. "You had to go and be a warrior from God, you couldn't be something more useful, like the diplomat from God could you?"
He hadn't meant to hurt Jonathan's feelings, but in jokingly making light of his wife's brother's archeology career, he seemed to have unknowingly struck a raw nerve in the usually less than scholarly Englishman.
Rick had never seen this side of Jonathan Carnahan before and was more than a little surprised at this less self-absorbed version. Not that he ever saw Jonathan as selfish, far from it. The man had braved his own fears more than once to save not only individual members of the family, but Ardeth Bay as well. Rick realized that Jonathan definitely deserved better than to have his credentials belittled even if there was no malice intended and made a promise to himself to apologize to his brother-in-law when he saw him next.
"Mr. O'Connell?"
Rick turned to see that the man, who had been only moments before so deep in conversation with his brother-in-law, had left his chair and was now standing behind him.
"Do I know you?" Rick asked as he eyed the stranger with some mistrust.
"No, we have yet to be introduced, my name is Professor Marsden and you are the famous Rick O'Connell. Your brother-in-law and I was just talking about you."
The thought that he might again have found Jonathan letting loose with information that wasn't in their best interest, was suddenly draining the concerned feelings he had for his brother-in-law. It was one thing to let slip on Hamunaptra's whereabouts, but it was another for Jonathan to openly talk about things that didn't concern him.
"Were you now." Rick's words were spoken through pursed lips. "And just how did I become such an interesting topic of conversation?"
"Why Mr. O'Connell, surely you jest?" Professor Marsden exclaimed. "The O'Connell and Carnahan finds are famous the world over. They will be talking about your archeology luck for many years to come."
"Luck?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, there is always a bit of luck involved in finds, don't you think?"
"No luck at evolved at all, my wife knew exactly what she was doing, Mr. Marsden." Rick said proudly, as he deliberately misquoted Marsden's title.
"It's 'Professor' Marsden, Mr. O'Connell, and I'll be bidding you goodnight, sir" The Professor replied curtly as he turned and abruptly walked back to his table.
"Touchy," Rick smiled to himself.
MRMRMRMRMRMR
Ubaid caressed the Jackal tattoo on his check with the back of his hand as he impatiently waited for news on this 'Wahid'. He was still unsure of the claim that the western-bred adventurer was the 'one' but he was not one to take any chances. Innocent of being the 'Wahid' or not, maybe with the death of Rick O'Connell the Med-jai would find that no prophecy could match the power of the Anu-Ra.
"Ubaid?"
"What have you learned?" Ubaid asked as he looked up to see his right hand man, Husani standing before him.
"The 'Wahid' and his family are on their way to Cairo," Husani smiled.
"And Ardeth Bay?"
"It seems he has taken upon himself to be, the Wahid's personal guard."
"How Med-jai of him," Ubaid scoffed. "Our man?"
"Still close by and undetected. He will keep us informed of their movements."
"And he is to do nothing," Ubaid reiterated his orders. "Ardeth Bay is not stupid and this will need to be handled with some intelligence to get under the Med-jai chieftain's guard. Anyway," the Anu-Ra leader became thoughtful. "Ardeth Bay's head is mine."
TBC
Part seven
Rick watched Jonathan excuse himself from the stranger and fellow passenger and storm toward his room.
"Way to go O'Connell," Rick quietly chastised himself as he watched his brother-in-law leave. "You had to go and be a warrior from God, you couldn't be something more useful, like the diplomat from God could you?"
He hadn't meant to hurt Jonathan's feelings, but in jokingly making light of his wife's brother's archeology career, he seemed to have unknowingly struck a raw nerve in the usually less than scholarly Englishman.
Rick had never seen this side of Jonathan Carnahan before and was more than a little surprised at this less self-absorbed version. Not that he ever saw Jonathan as selfish, far from it. The man had braved his own fears more than once to save not only individual members of the family, but Ardeth Bay as well. Rick realized that Jonathan definitely deserved better than to have his credentials belittled even if there was no malice intended and made a promise to himself to apologize to his brother-in-law when he saw him next.
"Mr. O'Connell?"
Rick turned to see that the man, who had been only moments before so deep in conversation with his brother-in-law, had left his chair and was now standing behind him.
"Do I know you?" Rick asked as he eyed the stranger with some mistrust.
"No, we have yet to be introduced, my name is Professor Marsden and you are the famous Rick O'Connell. Your brother-in-law and I was just talking about you."
The thought that he might again have found Jonathan letting loose with information that wasn't in their best interest, was suddenly draining the concerned feelings he had for his brother-in-law. It was one thing to let slip on Hamunaptra's whereabouts, but it was another for Jonathan to openly talk about things that didn't concern him.
"Were you now." Rick's words were spoken through pursed lips. "And just how did I become such an interesting topic of conversation?"
"Why Mr. O'Connell, surely you jest?" Professor Marsden exclaimed. "The O'Connell and Carnahan finds are famous the world over. They will be talking about your archeology luck for many years to come."
"Luck?" Rick asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, there is always a bit of luck involved in finds, don't you think?"
"No luck at evolved at all, my wife knew exactly what she was doing, Mr. Marsden." Rick said proudly, as he deliberately misquoted Marsden's title.
"It's 'Professor' Marsden, Mr. O'Connell, and I'll be bidding you goodnight, sir" The Professor replied curtly as he turned and abruptly walked back to his table.
"Touchy," Rick smiled to himself.
MRMRMRMRMRMR
Ubaid caressed the Jackal tattoo on his check with the back of his hand as he impatiently waited for news on this 'Wahid'. He was still unsure of the claim that the western-bred adventurer was the 'one' but he was not one to take any chances. Innocent of being the 'Wahid' or not, maybe with the death of Rick O'Connell the Med-jai would find that no prophecy could match the power of the Anu-Ra.
"Ubaid?"
"What have you learned?" Ubaid asked as he looked up to see his right hand man, Husani standing before him.
"The 'Wahid' and his family are on their way to Cairo," Husani smiled.
"And Ardeth Bay?"
"It seems he has taken upon himself to be, the Wahid's personal guard."
"How Med-jai of him," Ubaid scoffed. "Our man?"
"Still close by and undetected. He will keep us informed of their movements."
"And he is to do nothing," Ubaid reiterated his orders. "Ardeth Bay is not stupid and this will need to be handled with some intelligence to get under the Med-jai chieftain's guard. Anyway," the Anu-Ra leader became thoughtful. "Ardeth Bay's head is mine."
TBC