Oh, you can ask questions in a review and I'll answer them in my next update:

bfireworks5: No, Masika isn't related to the Pharaoh by blood, but by marriage, so she wouldn't be considered as royalty.

Chapter Two

I didn't get up again until 8 A.M. and dressed in some black fitting trousers that tucked quite well in my boots and a long sleeved dark gray shirt. I let my long black curls fall down my back, for once. Rick and them were supposed to come back today, but I wasn't expecting them for another few hours, but knowing Evy, she would want to go somewhere else when she got back home. I am very surprised that they even decided to settle in London in the first place.

"Jonathan!" I called, as I headed down the stairs, just to see if he was home, which he wasn't, instead, I found a note saying that he was at a poker game. "Figures." I muttered.

I was sitting in the parlor, on a couch, reading a book when they arrived back that night. "Aaliyah." Rick greeted me as he and Evy came through, debating about some kind of new adventure that Evy wanted to go on.

"Aunt Ali!" Alex greeted me as he carried a chest.

"Mom! What do I do with this chest?" He called up to her. "This sucker weighs a goddang ton."

"Alex, watch your language!" She scolded him. I hid my amused expression behind the book.

"Rather weighty this." My nephew corrected himself. I heard the thud as he sat it on a table and I went back to reading.

I looked up upon hearing Evy's voice as she looked at Alex. "Happy to be home?"

"Couldn't be happier."

"It's the year of the scorpion." She handed Alex a book.

"Neat."

"Thought you might like that." She said. Then she looked at me. "Things have been okay around here? Has Jonathan behaved?"

I shrugged, putting the book down. "It's been quiet, nothing's really gone on." Then I sighed. "And you know Jonathan, when does he ever behave?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Got a point there." She turned back to look at Alex. "Where's the key?"

"I don't know." He shrugged.

She sighed and started going through his pockets. "Alex, I'm serious, if you've lost that key, you're grounded."

"I haven't lost it. I just can't find it. There's a difference." He looked over at me, expecting me to say something or to agree with him.

"Oh-ho. No, you're not bringing me into this." I warned the kid.

"Well, you'd better start finding it then."

"I will mom. There's nothing to worry about." He said, and I heard a noise, and I could sense that it wasn't my brother or Jonathan.

"Evy." I warned, standing up now. I couldn't help my hand going down to rest around the handle of my sword that was on my hip out of instinct. I had a bad feeling about this.

Evy looked at me curiously, before looking to where I had my eyes fixated on.

"Good evening." A tall dark skinned man said, he was dressed in all red, including a red headdress to match.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for the chest of course." He said, sending my nephew a pretty mean look. Alex grabbed it. "Give it to me now."

Evy walked over to a wall and grabbed a short sword off the wall. "Get out of my house."

"Woah, Mom. Maybe not the best idea."

"Alex, get back there." I reached out and grabbed my nephew and pushed him behind me. I drew my sword as more men came to join the first one. This wasn't good. This wasn't good at all.

"Definitely not the best idea."

"Alex." I scolded him.

"I think it's time to yell for dad now." He ignored me, as he inched closer behind me.

"Now I will kill you and take it anyway."

"I think not." A new voice said, but I immediately knew who that voice belonged to. We all turned to see Ardeth walking in, and the other men drew their swords.

"Ardeth." Evy and I both said.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

He looked at us both. "Perhaps explanations are best kept for later."

"Ardeth Bay." The first man said.

"Lock-Nah." Ardeth said.

Lock-Nah spoke in Arabic, and of course, Arabic being among my first two languages, I knew that he had ordered his men to attack.

Ardeth shed the fabric off his shoulders and got his sword out in the same second and Evy did a flip, knocking several of them in the face with her feet. I got Alex in a corner and fought off the ones that were trying to come for Alex.

Two of them came at once and I used my sword to knock their weapons out of their hands and then ducked, using my feet to knock them both down to the ground.

Alex stared at me. "What?" I asked.

"How'd you learn to do that?" He asked.

I shrugged as I fought off another one. "My father taught me."

I saw Evy over there holding her own pretty well, she was actually really good with that thing. Alex asked the question that I was wondering.

"Whoa, Mom! When did you learn to do that?"

"I have no idea." She said, as another red cloaked guy went to her and put his hands around his neck. I kind of couldn't help her out because I was too busy fighting off another one. Where the hell did they all keep coming from. She made a move to fight him off, which included kneeing him in the groin, I nodded, I was impressed. "That I learned from your father."

I pushed a guy in the stomach with my foot and he went tumbling back into the couch. "Now who the hell are these guys?" I wondered.

I looked over to see how Ardeth was faring, though I knew he could hold his own. He was doing pretty good. I looked back over at Alex to see one grab the chest. "Let go!" He said, but the man pulled harder and Alex went swinging, into me, and I managed to catch him before he fell onto the floor.

"Thanks aunt Ali." He murmured, getting settled back on his feet. I put Alex back into his corner and went to help out Evy.

"What's in the chest?" Ardeth asked as he went to face Lock-Nah, who had joined in on the fight.

"The bracelet of Anubis!" She called back.

Oh wonderful, I thought, as I kicked back another man.

"They must not get the bracelet!" Ardeth called back. "Get it and get out of here!"

I saw Alex push a bookshelf over another guy who was trying to get his weapon. Well, Alex was most certainly an O'Connell alright.

Evy grabbed the chest right as one of the men came after her, but I managed to distract him so she could get away.

"Mom, look out!" I heard Alex call out and I looked over to see what he was hollering about, and managed to duck just in time as the man I had been fighting swung his weapon, but he lost his footing and fell when I did that.

"Evy!" A man had knocked her out and took her out of the room while another grabbed the chest.

"Mom!" Alex called again and attempted to go after them, but I managed to grab my nephew in time.

"Oh no you don't." I told him.

"But Mom." He looked at where she had gone.

"I know Alex." I sighed. "I know."

We looked in the door way to see where Lock-Nah threw something at Ardeth, but thankfully it only embedded itself in the wall next to his head.

"Aaliyah." I turned at the sound of my name; over at Ardeth. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." I steadied my breathing. "Just peachy." My arms were just a little sore. I hadn't practiced with my sword in so long, my arm was out of shape, but I still knew how to use it. I let my nephew go and returned my sword to its rightful place. I noticed him holding his shoulder.

He nodded. "Fine." He said as I approached him.

"Let me see." I said gently and he eventually nodded, giving in, allowing me to get him patched up. It was a small cut, barely bleeding, but it was one of those that could easily get infected if he wasn't careful. I looked back over at Alex. "Alex, get me my bag please." I said, and he nodded, bringing it to me moments later.

I still kept medical gauze and all with me wherever I went, because you could never know when you could have a scene like what just happened in this family. It didn't take no time to get him patched up. I stood back up and held out an arm to help him up.

"Thanks." He said, standing.

"It's good to see you." I said as he hugged me.

"Only wish it was under better circumstances." He replied, kissing my forehead.

I heard Alex make a sound and I looked him as he turned his head, muttering something under his breath. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, let's go find Rick." I sighed. "Come on Alex."

I tried my best at the fighting scene. Hope it wasn't too bad.