Disclaimer: Mummies Alive! Don't belong to me.

Did anyone pick up the 'Carter' name and where I got it from?

Chapter Five

The first thing Presley became aware of was a searing pain in his arm. He groaned and shook his head feebly before screwing his eyes shut. A familiar warmth wrapped tightly around him and a breath down the back of his neck that sent shivers down his spine.

Presley's eyes watered as he forced himself to open his eyes. He let out a small gasp and his breathing hitched as a new wave of pain shot through this arm.

"Aw… am I dead?" he murmured.

A hand stroked his hair in reply. "No kiddo. You're still with me thankfully." Paul's voice said smoothly somewhere near him. Presley stirred and turned slightly and found that he was in Paul's tight embrace. "Dad what are you doing here?" Presley blinked dazedly and yawned. His voice seemed scratchy as if he had not used it in a millennia.

"Rescuing you," Paul said dryly. "Although I think we now need rescuing," he added somewhat ruefully.

"What do you mean?" Presley turned his head and for the first time gazed around at his surroundings. They were in a dank and miserable cell. The floor and walls were constructed of entirely of grey stone. In the corner sat a very angry Arab.

"Dad?"

"Shush, it's okay. Ahmed won't eat you will you Ahmed?"

Ahmed shrugged uncommitted to answering.

"Where are we?"

"Scarab's palace." Paul answered.

Presley uttered a stream of obscenities which earned him a reprimanding growl from Paul. Not that Presley noticed.

"I won't let him hurt you," Paul finally said finally deciding to ignore his son's loss of control over his tongue. Presley's only answer was to look up at him with unbidden tears springing into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry to have done this to you," Presley whispered shakily.

"What are you talking about kiddo?" Paul demanded a little too sharply.

Presley let in another shuddering breath. "You cannot protect me."

Speechless and frightened for his only son Paul could not find any words of comfort. Indeed their situation did look outwardly glum. And he could not grasp that the old evil sorcerer wanted his son's soul. It was too surreal that any should wish to harm any twelve year old for an ancient spirit.

"I don't think I could bear loosing you," Presley continued. Being in Scarab's hold was the worst situation he had landed himself so far. Ja-kal would probably throttle him – if he got out alive.

"You won't loose me," Paul returned.

Presley's breath hitched again. "I'm scared," he confessed. "I'm scared to die."

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"Rise Nefer-Tina," Pharaoh commanded. There was no question of disobeying the most powerful man on the earth; even if he had been deceased for three thousand years. Nefer-Tina stood shakily and Pharaoh smile; nodding his head in Amanda's direction. Amanda was standing stiffly biting her nails.

Careful not to meet Pharaoh or the remaining guardian's eyes Nefer-Tina moved to Amanda's side. With a simple touch the female guardian lead the young prince's mother to the door and too the waiting Hot – Ra.

Pharaoh watched seemingly pleased and crossed his arms around his broad chest. "I presume you have a way of tracking my son?"

Rath grinned and nodded wordlessly.

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"What do you mean you are scared to die?" Paul demanded cursing himself for loosing control. Presley glanced up at him with uneasily emerald eyes that swirled with emotion and unshed tears. "I just scared," he mumbled apologetically.

"When Scarab takes Prince Rapses' soul it'll kill him," Ahmed said. Paul glowered at him from his corner his arms instinctively tightened around Presley's middle. "I won't let him!" Paul cried. "I just won't let him!"

Ahmed sighed heavily. "I have seen this before… Do you think your son is the only restless ancient spirit wandering the land?"

Presley shuddered but could not keep the wonder from his voice. "There are others like me?"

Ahmed nodded and studied Presley for the first time. "There are others. But none so special as you… you really should do something with his arm Paul…"

Presley winced and looked at his arm which indeed was broken. Registering the injury in his mind brought a fresh stab of pain. He hissed loudly and cursed once more. His arm looked like foreign material; seeing it laying so limp and useless made it seem like an extension of someone's else's body.

Paul was looking down at him with uncharacteristically gentle eyes. "I can't," he choked. "It'll hurt him… I just can't."

Ahmed frowned.

"I'm going to die anyway," Presley murmured letting his head drop back into his father's chest. "Scarab will kill me."

"Keep optimistic," Ahmed replied. "Something is bound to happen."

"Something would have happened if you called Carter." Paul snapped irritably.

"Forgive me my old accomplice but I don't think Carter would be much use in this area. Besides what could you possibly offer him in payment."

"I could have offered my services."

"Would it be worth it?"

"For the life of my son, bloody oath it would!"

'Uh-oh,' Presley thought to himself ruefully. 'Sounds like shady business to me. I wander what trouble Dad has gotten himself into now.'

"Dad you promised me that your criminal days were over," Presley whined before his father's and Ahmed's heated argument could escalate further. Paul sighed and bowed his head he had known this discussion was inevitable.

"Presely what you must understand…."

"UNDERSTAND!" Presley yelled suddenly irrationally angry at Paul for breaking his promise. "You promised me! You promised me no more!"

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It was no use. Ja-kal picked up the golden amulet from the stone floor and twirled it around his fingers. "Over here!"

Rath, Armon and Pharaoh hurried to his side. "What? What is it Ja-kal?" Pharaoh demanded. Ja-kal held up the amulet for all of them to see.

They had been searching the deserted ally way for according to their 'track device' the prince was here. But alas only his amulet was found. There was signs of a struggle but none of where the prince might be.

"Em sen-jay! Hek-ah-hek ek ah."

None of the guardians had heard their native tongue in such a long while. They whipped around not knowing who or what to expect. They needn't have been alarmed. An old coffee skinned man stepped from the shadows, long black robes restlessly moved in the wind. He glanced at them with dour eyes and inclined his head in Pharaoh's direction.

"Nesoo en kemet."

Finding his voice despite the shock Pharaoh demanded stoically. "To whose palace shall we hasten to?"

The old man smiled wanly and glanced up to the waxing moon. He reminded Rath of the old patient High Priest of Amun-Re back in Thebes. "Your mortal enemy walks this earth. You'll find him in the pyramid by the river. Snb-ti."

The old man turned abruptly and disappeared. Rath stepped forward to run after him but found nothing but the darkness. "That's odd."

"Pyramid by the river," Ja-kal muttered under his breath, "Pyramid by the river… by the river. OH!" he smacked himself violently on the forehead. "Why didn't we ever think of it before… It was right under our noses!"

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"You promised me!" Presley finished lamely. "You promised me!"

"Presley please," Paul pleaded. "Please listen… be angry but listen."

"Fine," Presley growled wishing he could cross his arms around his chest for effect.

"After the unfortunate incident with the crown of Ramses the Great… I… well I know what I promised you…"

"Frankly you broke your promise."

"I know… I know. But I never meant to hurt you. Quite the opposite in fact," Paul soothed. "When it was over I still had certain contacts Scarab had used to contact me in the first place. He's made a few lingering enemies in the underworld and so with their aid I've been able to keep a slight eye on him… but by time I realised he was going to your mother's and your home and the risk. It was already too late…"

Presley remained silent.

"Presley…"

"Hmmm…"

"It's the truth."

"I know. Any chance of your underground friends fishing us out of here?"

Ahmed chuckled cynically. "No honour amongst thieves."

Paul glowered at him. "You could have called for help."

"Do you think Carter would help you?"

Paul glanced at his hands and back to Presley. "He was all I had to get us out."

"Then you are more the fool, Paul Carnarvon my friend. You could have found better friends out of the underground world that would have been honoured to protect your son."

"Where?"

Ahmed smiled knowingly. "In Egypt… in Egypt my friend."

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I got all my Ancient Egyptian phrase work from Bridget McDermott's 'Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs' – I hope I got it right!

"Em sen-jay! Hek-ah-hek ek ah." - Do not worry! You must make haste to the palace.

"Nesoo en kemet." - The king of Egypt

Snb-ti. - Goodbye

Sorry for the delay….