THE PROPHECY OF ANU-RA
Part Twelve
If Marsden was surprised by his patient's sudden awareness, he was even more astonished at the strength that still seemed to flow through the Med-jai's as the Egyptian's grip tightened around his wrist. Unable to extricate himself from his reluctant patient, the Professor desperately turned to Rick for help. "Mr. O'Connell, please? Will you explain to your friend that I do not mean him any harm, and that I am here, after all, only to help."
Marsden's plea was barely acknowledged as Rick, his concern for Ardeth paramount in his mind, moved quickly to his friend's side.
"Ardeth," Rick entreated as he attempted to pry the ailing Med-jai's iron grip from the professor's wrist.
Dark brown eyes, bright with fever, but still powerfully intimidating sustained their penetrating glare on the stranger as the ill Med-jai warrior refused to let go.
"Ardeth? It's all right," Rick gently urged his friend. "He's right, he's just trying to help you."
"O'Connell?" Ardeth queried the familiar voice.
"Yeah, it's me," Rick replied with an encouraging smile. "So, how about you let the man go now, okay?"
Adjusting his line of sight, Ardeth's eyes came to rest on his friend, "Do ...you... trust... him?" He asked breathlessly.
Glancing across at now red-faced Professor, Rick, shook his head as he turned back to Ardeth. "No, I don't."
"I beg your..." Marsden indignantly spluttered, as he attempted to squirm his arm from the Med-jai's grasp.
"But," Rick interrupted. "For whatever his reasons, I do believe he will do what he can for you and don't worry, I won't leave your side."
Weakly nodding his agreement, the Med-jai relented and released his grip on the flustering professor, his arm dropping to bed as he succumbed once again to darkness.
Rubbing his wrist, Marsden glared at the two men, briefly reconsidering his offer to help before remembering his reasons for being there in the first place. The Med-jai was no good to anyone dead.
"As 'touched' as I am with regard to your estimations of my integrity, Mr. O'Connell, I would like to continue my examination before your friend gets any worse."
With a brief self-assuring touch to Ardeth's shoulder, Rick nodded before stepping back, but never taking his eyes off the Marsden for a moment. He had told Ardeth the truth, he didn't trust the Professor, but he also knew that with no other help available, Marsden was all they had.
Rick watched as Marsden checked the Med-jai, examining everything down to his fingernails before a frown creased his face.
"When did this happen?" Marsden seemed to be asking no one in particular as he took a closer inspection of Ardeth's left hand.
"What?" A worried Rick asked as he stepped closer to see what the Professor was referring to.
"This scratch," Marsden gestured to a small wound on the back of Ardeth's hand. "I wouldn't usually take note of such a small injury, but it seems fresh, and it's already very infected. This could be the problem right here. I'm just not sure."
"But if it's only a scratch, why...?"
"I don't know why, Mr. O'Connell," Marsden answered as began to forage around in his bag. "It could be a bite that your friend scratched which caused it become infected. Heaven knows, with the bugs and germs around these foreign places, it could anything, I just don't know...Ah, there they are," he announced as he pulled some vials with different colored contents from his bag.
"What are they?"
"Herbs, Mr. O'Connell. I meet a Chinese apothecary once. Even the most backward of countries can be quite ingenious at times." Marsden explained before turning to his silent manservant. "Sahir, prepare what I will need. I'm going to brew up a tea to try to fight the fever and infection and mix a poultice which I will wrap around the wound to try and draw out the poison."
"Poison?" Rick repeated, as he looked from Ardeth back to the professor.
"As I said Mr. O'Connell, I don't know what is causing the symptoms your friend is exhibiting, but they are severe enough for poison to one of the causes or as I have already said, it could be as simple as an infected bite." Marsden elaborated as moved over to the table to mix the quantities he would need. "I'm two days from Cairo, Mr. O'Connell, and in the room of a damn steam ship. Do you honestly think I can do some of my best diagnosing here? But, I will do the best I can. The rest will be up to your friend."
TBC
Part Twelve
If Marsden was surprised by his patient's sudden awareness, he was even more astonished at the strength that still seemed to flow through the Med-jai's as the Egyptian's grip tightened around his wrist. Unable to extricate himself from his reluctant patient, the Professor desperately turned to Rick for help. "Mr. O'Connell, please? Will you explain to your friend that I do not mean him any harm, and that I am here, after all, only to help."
Marsden's plea was barely acknowledged as Rick, his concern for Ardeth paramount in his mind, moved quickly to his friend's side.
"Ardeth," Rick entreated as he attempted to pry the ailing Med-jai's iron grip from the professor's wrist.
Dark brown eyes, bright with fever, but still powerfully intimidating sustained their penetrating glare on the stranger as the ill Med-jai warrior refused to let go.
"Ardeth? It's all right," Rick gently urged his friend. "He's right, he's just trying to help you."
"O'Connell?" Ardeth queried the familiar voice.
"Yeah, it's me," Rick replied with an encouraging smile. "So, how about you let the man go now, okay?"
Adjusting his line of sight, Ardeth's eyes came to rest on his friend, "Do ...you... trust... him?" He asked breathlessly.
Glancing across at now red-faced Professor, Rick, shook his head as he turned back to Ardeth. "No, I don't."
"I beg your..." Marsden indignantly spluttered, as he attempted to squirm his arm from the Med-jai's grasp.
"But," Rick interrupted. "For whatever his reasons, I do believe he will do what he can for you and don't worry, I won't leave your side."
Weakly nodding his agreement, the Med-jai relented and released his grip on the flustering professor, his arm dropping to bed as he succumbed once again to darkness.
Rubbing his wrist, Marsden glared at the two men, briefly reconsidering his offer to help before remembering his reasons for being there in the first place. The Med-jai was no good to anyone dead.
"As 'touched' as I am with regard to your estimations of my integrity, Mr. O'Connell, I would like to continue my examination before your friend gets any worse."
With a brief self-assuring touch to Ardeth's shoulder, Rick nodded before stepping back, but never taking his eyes off the Marsden for a moment. He had told Ardeth the truth, he didn't trust the Professor, but he also knew that with no other help available, Marsden was all they had.
Rick watched as Marsden checked the Med-jai, examining everything down to his fingernails before a frown creased his face.
"When did this happen?" Marsden seemed to be asking no one in particular as he took a closer inspection of Ardeth's left hand.
"What?" A worried Rick asked as he stepped closer to see what the Professor was referring to.
"This scratch," Marsden gestured to a small wound on the back of Ardeth's hand. "I wouldn't usually take note of such a small injury, but it seems fresh, and it's already very infected. This could be the problem right here. I'm just not sure."
"But if it's only a scratch, why...?"
"I don't know why, Mr. O'Connell," Marsden answered as began to forage around in his bag. "It could be a bite that your friend scratched which caused it become infected. Heaven knows, with the bugs and germs around these foreign places, it could anything, I just don't know...Ah, there they are," he announced as he pulled some vials with different colored contents from his bag.
"What are they?"
"Herbs, Mr. O'Connell. I meet a Chinese apothecary once. Even the most backward of countries can be quite ingenious at times." Marsden explained before turning to his silent manservant. "Sahir, prepare what I will need. I'm going to brew up a tea to try to fight the fever and infection and mix a poultice which I will wrap around the wound to try and draw out the poison."
"Poison?" Rick repeated, as he looked from Ardeth back to the professor.
"As I said Mr. O'Connell, I don't know what is causing the symptoms your friend is exhibiting, but they are severe enough for poison to one of the causes or as I have already said, it could be as simple as an infected bite." Marsden elaborated as moved over to the table to mix the quantities he would need. "I'm two days from Cairo, Mr. O'Connell, and in the room of a damn steam ship. Do you honestly think I can do some of my best diagnosing here? But, I will do the best I can. The rest will be up to your friend."
TBC