Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to the Mummy movies or any characters therein. I don't make a cent from writing this.

Chapter Nine: In Which Night Falls

A temple. He led me down the dusty streets, under the worst of hovels, to an underground temple. I'd seen the temple before. The scarlet cloth waving in the night breeze, the clink of golden bracelets and their cold grasp on my thin wrists, the whisper of something I knew but could not remember, and the voice that called to me by name. My eye. My love. "I know this place." I breathed, barely audible. "I know this."

I broke away from Talib's side, hardly remembering that he was even there as I progressed into the wide, lavishly decorated room. I was suddenly not the daughter of Rick and Evie O'Connell. I was something else. Something…ageless. The world faded.

"So you've come at last?"

"Yes, my lord." I said sweetly, bowing low, my gauze skirts fluttering about me. I stood, the cold air touched my bare torso and played with the colored strings that wrapped about my hips. My earrings tinkled as the tiny stones hit each other when my head cocked to give the man in the throne a coy smile. The anklets provided music to the golden room as I strode up to the throne. "I have missed you."

"More than you missed Lord Ptah?"

"Much more." I replied smoothly.

"I assume your guardian led you here?"

"He did indeed."

"Thank him for me with a pharaoh's treasure."

I nodded to my guards and they hurried to do my bidding. I placed myself carefully on the arm of the throne and played with my lord's dark hair absentmindedly. "When will it be complete?" I whined prettily.

"Soon, my love. Very soon. You must only wave your sickle and it shall all be over."

"But when?"

"When the time is right. And the time is nearly upon us."

"Time. I do so despise time. Time only binds mortals! Why must we wait?"

The man patted by shoulder and placed a kiss upon my forehead. "Patience, Sekhet. We have all the time in the world."

I kissed him passionately, with all the longing I had possessed during our terrible absence.

And quite suddenly, I was shoved away. "Sekhet? That's the second time you've done that in the span of a day. If you want to bed me just say so."

That voice! It was not my lord's! It was not my love! It was Talib. The thief held me at an arm's length and looked at me suspiciously. "Perhaps, that was not the best thing to say." he mused aloud. "Sekhet?"

Oh gods. I'd kissed him again, hadn't I? Oh damn. "Erm…"

"That's all you can say?"

I nodded weakly. "I'm not feel so dandy." I muttered. "It's the bite."

The thief muttered a few curses under his breath and swung me up into his arms. "You shouldn't be out, damn you. And I shouldn't have brought you here. But this, this is why I think they want to kill you."

At my dazed look, he sighed. "Why do I try? You'll understand when the rest of your mental faculties return. Watch the pretty lights. Or whatever it is you're seeing."

He returned me home. Well, back to Ida's place, anyway. I was lucid enough to listen to him and Alex duke it out while Ida took tea with me. Giles mysteriously made himself scarce. Talib went to the room Ida had given him and slammed the door just as Alex stormed into my room. "Why did you go out?"

"Because I wanted answers." I responded more calmly than I meant to.

Ida hurried out with our empty tea cups. Traitor. "You could have asked me!"

"Ha! And you wouldn't have told me anything. Per usual."

"I might have!"

"Oh please, Alex! I want to know why I'm being hunted and why my name is strange, and why my head is pounding, and why I've been bitten by a snake—twice!—and why the hell everyone is so bloody secretive!"

"I can't answer all of those."

"See! I knew you wouldn't."

"But," he continued sternly. "I will answer some. I'll tell you what I know. You know mum was a reincarnation, don't you?"

"Well, I've heard stories, but I've never believed in that rot."

"You're not really my sister. We…found you and adopted you. You were already named. You were also nearly dead. We knew you weren't full Egyptian, you looked too English, so we decided to call you our own. You look enough like mum and dad anyway. Two days after we found you, 'they' attacked and left a snake in your crib. You died. Mum was devastated. She prayed that it was all a dream and then suddenly, you woke up, giggling as if nothing had happened. So we took you to England as soon as possible. And there you have your early life. Mum believes you're a reincarnation of someone. Someone important, but she's never been sure."

"That's the worst load of rubbish I've ever heard!"

"Well, it's all true."

"Alex, get out of here and tell your lies to someone else. I don't want to hear them!"

Sullenly, Alex left the room and I burst into angry tears. He was lying. This was stupid, confusing…stupid…I needed something…someone I could trust! But there was no one. I was going crazy and there was no one I could turn to. The world was an unfair place. Completely unfair. Where was my hero? Where was my knight in shining armor?

I didn't sleep. I couldn't. Instead, I sat at my window and watched the wind play across the sand as feelings of déjà vu swept over me. Presently a voice called to me. "Sekhet?"

"Come in." I muttered, hardly caring anymore.

I felt him rather than saw him. "What is it, Talib?"

"I won't let them hurt you."

"Thank you for the consideration." I said emotionlessly.

"What's wrong?"

"Wrong question to ask."

He sighed and leaned against the window, chin in hand. "I—" he paused. "I came to say goodnight."

"Did you?" I asked, not hearing him or really caring.

He shrugged and turned to the door. "Goodnight, Ms. O'Connell. I shan't bother you anymore."

"Goodnight." I said mechanically.

You fool. Fool. Fool. Child. Fool. What the bloody hell are you doing?

"What I should have done ages ago." I said to the empty room. "Farewell Talib. I hope you find her. Ma'a ssalaama."

I resisted the urge to move and go find him with all the dignity a stubborn woman could possess. Because I was very good at such childish games. Very good indeed.