A/N. Hey everybody sorry about the wait with this update but I promise to make it up and post the next chapter a lot quicker. Just a quick thanks to jax who with out this chapter still wouldn't be up. And to all my wonderful reviewers, Lucky fannah, Evie fan, Lilylnn and hypercaz. I love hearing from you guys.

Anyway...

Chapter three-Not a happy bunny.

Ardeth turned to Rick after a short pause. "My friend," he began, "could you describe the events of your dreams?"

"I err..."Rick looked around the room, unsure, but Evie met his questioning gaze and nodded.

"Go on," she urged him, eager herself to know what it was that her husband had kept from her.

Encouraged, Rick did just that, and described not only his dream, but the strange vision-like experience of today. He did not fail to notice, however, Evelyn's raised eyebrows and suspect look when he got to the part about Nefertiri's bedroom. And from that look he just knew there would be questions later when she got him alone.

After Rick had finished, everybody sat in silence for a few minutes, taking it all in.

"Is that what you were looking up this morning?" Evie asked, "The word Menka?"

Rick had commented that it was the only word that he hadn't understood.

Rick confirmed this fact, slightly sheepishly, with a nod of his head.

"Well, broken down," Evie continued, "ka means soul and men eternal, so 'eternal soul', men-ka."

"Well I guess everyone has to be called something," Jonathan quipped from his seat.

"That's it," Rick spun around, surprised, "it's like a name- maybe my name."

As he saw Evelyn nod in agreement he turned to Ardeth, and his satisfaction at having got to the bottom of one mystery slipped at the thoughtful look on his face.

"What are you thinking, buddy?" Rick asked in a deceptively casual tone as he crossed and sat in front of the warrior.

"Well, it seems obvious to me that these dreams are visions of your past life, much as Evelyn's ones last year were," Ardeth stated simply. "I also think," he continued, "that it is no coincidence that you received the first dream on the night the chain of Anubis was activated."

"Hold on, hold on," Rick interrupted. Despite all the evidence he was still reluctant to believe they were involved in something yet again. "Tell me again why the dreams have to be real."

"The facts, my friend," Ardeth replied simply. He had been here with Rick before, and knew only the truth would satisfy him. "Princess Nefertiri was indeed at Hamunaptra while Imhotep was cursed, although it is not widely known. Also she did inhabit one of the most decadent bedrooms in the palace. She had two guards who followed her everywhere, and guarded her door every night, and it is recorded that they never spoke."

Rick folded- even he could see that these were things he could never have known, had he not been there. "Ok, so they might be real," he admitted "but I still don't see what that has to do with this Anubis thing."

Ardeth went to answer but Jonathan cut him off.

"Wait," he said, intrigued by part of the story, "why did Nefertiri's guards not talk?"

"Because they couldn't," came the reply. "After swearing to protect the princess they would have voluntarily cut out their own tongues. It was a way of showing their commitment to their oaths and their total loyalty- if they were mute they could never be tempted to betray their mistress," Evelyn explained to her brother, who with Rick just stared at her in amazement.

"What?"

"How do you know that?" Rick replied.

"I do happen to know just a little about ancient Egyptian rites," Evie reminded him. "And after last year, I might have been studying Nefertiri's life," she admitted awkwardly. "Although," she continued, "I wasn't aware of her presence at Hamunaptra."

Ardeth nodded his head. "It was a secret kept by the Medjai, a secret that pertains to our current problem; it was while Nefertiri was at Hamunaptra that she was alleged to have seen the necklace."

Finally taking a seat, Evelyn turned to Ardeth. "What was Nefertiri, doing there?" she asked, intrigued by her past.

Rick considered answering, but paused to see what Ardeth had to say.

"No one knows," the Medjai admitted. "The Medjai papyri simply record that Nefertiri was injured at Hamanaptra while in the charge of her two bodyguards. They died attempting to protect her, and their sacrifice is commemorated in a tomb in the Valley of the Queens, next to Princess Nefertiri's. It is thought that they were killed by some of Imhotep's escaped priests."

"Escaped?" Evie asked with interest, one eyebrow raised. And although she wanted to ask about nefertiri's tomb she realised now wasn't really the time.

Ardeth nodded grimly.

"It is another well guarded secret that the Medjai did not bring all of Seti's assassins to justice. Some of Imhotep's followers managed to slip away when the high priest was apprehended."

"So one of these priests was this Djeser-si chap?" Jonathan asked, desperately trying to keep up.

"Yes," Ardeth confirmed. "It was around the neck of this priest that Nefertiri saw the necklace- a wall carving in the burial chamber of her tomb depicts this man wearing a bright gold chain with a large opaque stone at its centre. It is only recently that we have come to understand who this figure represents, and that in commissioning this inscription Nefertiri was trying to identify the man who attacked her."

Standing up, Rick exhaled. "Ok," he said, "I think I'm getting the picture. So the Medjai presumed the necklace didn't exist for years, until someone deciphered the message on Nefertiri's tomb, right?" he asked Ardeth, who confirmed his guess by nodding his head. Rick turned and grinned at Evie. "Well at least it wasn't you this time," he teased

Evelyn pretended to look hurt before smiling back.

"What I don't get, however," Rick continued, "is why this Djeser-si is now walking around, and what it has to do with us?"

Ardeth sighed a little; he knew Rick wasn't going to like the answer to his question.

"The necklace," he began, "made by Imhotep, was named after Anubis because it was imbued with the power of life and death. If it was placed immediately on the body of someone who had died, instead of that person's soul entering the afterlife, it would enter the necklace, and have the choice to return to the wearer's body. According to Nefertiri's inscription, Djeser-si was wearing it when she struck him down."

"So Djeser-si's soul entered the necklace," Evie realised aloud.

Ardeth nodded in agreement once again

"And," Rick began as he paced the room, "this guy's soul was still in the necklace when it went missing?" he continued, not even bothering to try and pronounce the name again.

"Someone must have removed the necklace, before Djeser-si's soul could re-enter his body," Ardeth guessed and then continued his story. "However, last night when a younger, rather naïve Medjai in training tried on the chain, after thousands of years Djeser-si received a body to enter."

"Phew!" Jonathan whistled after a moment of silence. "I'm guessing he's not one happy bunny."

"No, in fact he killed several Medjai as he escaped the encampment," Ardeth further informed them. "There is one more thing..." Ardeth paused, unsure how to continue

"What is it?" Rick prompted, concerned

Taking a deep breath Ardeth continued. "It is believed that for his mind to except its new body, he is required to kill the person who was responsible for his death."

"The person who killed him?" Jonathan asked in the ensuing silence. "But that was Nefer... oh!" slowly he turned to his sister, as the realisation sank in. "Oh."

"Well, that's not going to happen," Rick announced loudly and crossed to Evie. "So, what happens if he doesn't..." he paused, loathe even to say it, "doesn't kill e...Evie?"

"His mind, unable to accept its new body," Ardeth told them, "will go insane."

"This is simple then; all we have to do is return to London, keep Evie safe and wait for him to go mad." Rick liked the sound of his plan.

"His madness," Ardeth continued, using Rick's words, "will not stop him; it could make him even more dangerous. He will not stop until he has achieved his mission. Once his mind has stabilized he is required to resurrect his master."

"Great!" Jonathan exclaimed. "That's all we need- old mummy boy up and walking again!"

"That's not going to happen!" Rick insisted loudly.

"I'm not entirely sure Imhotep would want to be awoken," Evie continued with Jonathan's train of thought- much to Rick's annoyance. "I mean, after Anck-su-namun rejected him at Ahm Shere he looked... well... crushed."

"He is not coming back!" Rick insisted again.

"There we go then," Jonathan interjected before Rick could object to the conversation again. "All we have to do is find Djeser-si, explain to him nicely that Imhotep's already been back a few times, and that he won't welcome the experience again. Therefore he's not needed and that he might as well leave Evie alone," Jonathan looked around hopefully, just to find everybody staring back with their eyebrows raised. "No?"

"Ok, ok," Rick sighed. Sitting down, he gave in to the inevitable. "So how do we kill him?"

"It is rumoured that he can only be killed by the weapon which preformed the action the first time."

"Great," Rick sighed again, "let me guess; Nefertiri had some great mystical weapon, which is kept under guard in some dusty, booby-trapped tomb?"

"Actually no," Ardeth informed him, pleased that he could at last deliver some good news. "The only weapon Nefertiri is recorded to have had with her at Hamunaptra was her royal dagger, which is-"

"Which is," Evelyn interrupted, "in the Cairo museum."

Jonathan and Rick exchanged a look of surprise.

"You mean," Rick began after a minute, "all we have to do is go to the museum," he pointed in a random direction, "and get it?"

Ardeth nodded, as did Evelyn.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go." He stood up and crossed to the door.

"Rick," Evelyn called as she stood up, and crossed to him. "The museum's closed, and I'm tired. We can go in the morning."

Rick turned around to face her, and his will faded just a little as he saw resolve in her eyes. "I'd feel better if we went now."

"If we go in the morning, I can talk to the curator, and persuade him to lend it to us," Evelyn explained, and looked pointedly at Rick, "rather than whatever scheme you have planed! Besides, we're in no immediate trouble, right?" Evie continued, turning to Ardeth for backup.

"Well..." Ardeth attempted to answer.

"Exactly!" Evelyn turned back to Rick. "It can wait."

Rick paused as he looked in Evelyn's eyes; he recognised the determination there, and decided to give up without a fight. "Ok," he conceded, "but we're going first thing in the morning!"

Jonathan yawned and got to his feet "Well, if that's settled, can I go to bed?"

Evelyn smiled as she nodded. "Of course," she said as stifled a yawn herself.

Suddenly conscious of his presence, Ardeth stood up. "I should go. Let you all rest- you have had a long trip."

"That we have," Jonathan admitted from his stance by the door. Leaning down he kissed his sister on the cheek. "So I bid you good night." With that he disappeared through the now open door.

After some persuasion from Rick, Evelyn followed her brother and left the adventurer and the Medjai in the study.

After sitting for a moment in silence, Ardeth turned to Rick.

"My friend," he began, "you wish to ask me something?"

"Yes," Rick answered instinctively. "Wait, how did you...?" he stopped himself. "Never mind. I want to ask whether you will be staying here tonight?"

Ardeth paused.

"What I mean," Rick continued as they exited the study, "Is that I would like you to stay. I want to go out, but I don't want to leave Evie alone."

"In that case, my friend," Ardeth replied as he realised Rick was asking for his help. "It would be an honour."

"Thank you," Rick replied gratefully. Reaching for his jacket, which hung in the hallway, he added. "I won't be long."

A/N. . So you made it through huh? Well what are you thinking; you know the button to press to let me know. That little one down there titled, 'submit review'. Lol (grins) pretty please.