Perry: Hiya, and eventually, I've written another chapter, I will try to be more regular with my updates but things have been a little hectic with my life recently, damn exams and revision.

Gianni Lee: Thanks for reviewing again! It's nice to know that I have somebody that's interested in this. Hopefully this chapter will live up to the previous two! Thanks again!

Lauren Hedgehog: Yes, you should check back more often! There are plenty of writers WAY better than me writing Mummy fanfiction, imagine what you're missing out on:P I'm glad you like my writing style, thank you, and I hope my plot with live up to it's potential. Unfortunately I haven't got all of the creases ironed out of it yet, but it should be soon. Thank you for reviewing!

Cursed

Chapter Two

Pain had long ago become a well-known companion to the Med-Jais. They had known it when they first pledge their lives to keeping the secrets beneath the sand exactly that, secret. However, they had also always known what it was exactly that they were dealing with before.

It was just a shame then that the knowledge of what was causing this epidemic, and how to treat it had been long lost in the pages of time. The entire camp had been in turmoil since the first case. More people were falling ill daily, the Med-Jai were at their weakest for centuries, a fact that Ardeth Bay knew all too well.

"It's not just this camp Ardeth." The dark haired man explained raking a tanned hair through thick midnight curls in frustration. "It's spread to the others too." Ardeth nodded showing that he had heard and understood.

"Be that as it may Kaden, the nearest camp is still further from us than Cairo. Why has it spread to them and not Cairo? This is not a normal illness, why does it only hunt us? The Med-Jai pondered turning to look at his long time friend. Kaden paused looking uncomfortable.

"I do not know Ardeth." He answered eventually. "I really do not." His hand went to his hair again. It had been a habit ever since he was a young child in training, since before Ardeth had known him.

Kaden was a tall man, at least a foot taller than his friend and leader, and was of a larger, although still slim build. He and Ardeth had been friends since childhood having both begun their training at the same time, even when as time pasted Ardeth began to pull in front of him they had remained firm friends until eventually when it was Ardeth's time to take over leadership where he had appointed Kaden his second-in-command. No one could deign that they worked well together, after years of fighting by the others side they had developed a keen sense when it came to knowing what the other would do.

"Neither do I Kaden." Ardeth sighed in frustration. "That's what worries me, no one else does either."

"Abu!" A young mans voice cried out. "Abu! They are missing!" Kaden whirled around turning to look at the boy, obviously his son as the older teen looked to be almost his clone. Kaden frowned wondering what could possibly have happened now?

"What is it Nikal?" His tone stressed and Nikal looked uneasy about telling his news to not only his father but now unfortunately Ardeth Bay as well. He had been hoping that his father would have been alone. Ardeth would not take this well.

"They are gone. The children, they have gone."

"I'm telling you Evy. This is not a good idea." He insisted taking another sip from his cup as he looked at his wife meaningfully whilst she merely waved away his concern with her hand.

"Don't be ridiculous Rick, I'm sure it was nothing. I mean what harm could it do? He's only trying to find some records." Evy reasoned, although Rick failed to see the logic in her view.

"Evy, do you remember what happened last time we were warned by mysterious spooky people to leave things alone? Look what happened there by not listening to them." Evy looked slightly unsure again but she merely shrugged it off.

"That may be true honey but she may have just been a regular Cairo citizen that hates us tourists visiting and wants to get rid of us? Or perhaps-"

"Perhaps a Med-Jai with a point. Like last time." He interrupted.

"Oh Rick. She didn't have any tattoos like all the other Med-Jai we have seen to have. You don't know that she is indeed a Med-Jai." She argued back.

"I don't need to Evy. Something about her makes me think she might know what she's talking about. Something about her reminded me of our old buddy." Evy nodded in agreement.

"That's true. She reminded me of Ardeth too." The two sat in silence a minute sipping their drinks in the small café they had found. "But surely, nothing bad can come from looking for some old documents right Rick?"

"Uncle John, I really don't think that this is worth it." Alex argued as his uncle walked down the street aimlessly looking for the guy who had stolen that amulet from him.

"Of cause it is Alex, you said so yourself, that necklace was pure gold, it must be worth a fortune!" Jonathon exclaimed continuing down the street, Alex stopped noticing that his uncle was heading towards a dead end and waiting for his uncle to realise as well. Rolling his eyes he reminded himself that this was his uncle Jonathon he was talking about.

"Uncle John. You're going towards a dead end." Alex informed the other. Jonathon huffed as he turned back towards his nephew.

"If you know Cairo so well, you tell me where to go." Alex raised an eyebrow at the suggestion and shrugged.

"Perhaps you should head in the direction he went after he took off, with your necklace?" Alex suggested. Jonathon's reply however was not to be heard when he was cut off by some commotion from further down the street.

"Hey! Get him!"

"Stop that guy!"

"He's too fast!"

"What did he do?"

Shouts could be heard in a mixture of different languages from down the street as the uncle and nephew turned to look towards the source of the disruption. A herd of people could be seen stampeding through the narrow street towards them, lead by a familiar black-cloaked character.

"Alex, that's -!"

"I know uncle John."

The figure was a while ahead of the group and came storming down the sandy path, the long black robes streaming behind as the group fought to keep him in sight. She rounded the bend in the track still at a run, he head facing behind her, keeping a weary eye on her hunters. She was so focuses that she never noticed the two males and ploughed straight into them both, knocking all three to the floor.

In the process the hood that had kept his face hidden was flung off, to where it now lay on the floor to his side. Or should we say her as Alex found himself staring into a pair of slanted brown eyes situated in a very tattooed, very tanned and very female face.

It had taken many hours, numerous books and unimaginable amounts patience, but he had prevailed. He had made progress in his research.

Dawson had been sat in the Cairo Museum's Library for hours now and all he had to show for it was barely a page full of notes, but that was enough for the young Professor. He had made found something.

After reading many books on him, Dawson had finally found what it was that he needed to find about Professor Wilfred J. Pickering. He had found the notes that the elderly professor had made mere days before his mysterious death in an accident. He had not read up on the method of death seeing it as unnecessary.

Pickering had discovered that the loss of records from that era was somehow connected to the Sphinx, the man had intended to head towards the Sphinx in order to find out more, a journey that was never meant to be.

But now he was here he could continue the research of Pickering, and he would start in the exact same place that Pickering had left off. The Sphinx.

Now he had only to find a guide to take him there…

"I still don't understand why you are so against him continuing in his research." Evy confided in Rick as he frowned.

"And I still don't understand why you refuse to listen to that woman's advice." Evy frowned.

The two were heading back towards the Museum where they were staying for the visit. Hopefully Alex and Jonathon would be there already. The silence was cut short when some murmuring could be heard from a nearby alley.

"I'm telling you, they're worth every penny." A rough voice came from the alley.

"I know those robes, they are of the Desert People. No amount of usefulness is worth crossing the Med-Jai." Another voice answered harshly. The O'Connells shared a look creeping forward to hear more clearly.

"They could not possibly harm you." The first voice replied equally harshly. "I doubt they even know they are missing."

"You underestimate the Med-Jai. Their leader is one to be feared." The two eavesdroppers peeked around a pile of crates revealing two men. The first was dressed in fine robes of an expensive nature. He looked pampered, well groomed, and very out of place in the dingy, damp and dirty alley. Unlike the first man however, the second one looked very much at home in the dark place. His clothing was threadbare and dark; it was unlikely that it had been washed for weeks by its appearance. He was of a short nature and build, and his features were vague in the dim light.

Next to the second man were about ten children, all under the age of ten and of mixed genders. They were indeed dressed in the dark robes of the Med-Jai Evy noticed. The eldest two, a boy and girl no older than 9, appeared to be the only ones unworried, the boy standing at the front whilst the girl hung around in the group, calming the other children and attempting to sooth the youngest ones as well as she could.

"Ardeth Bay is nowhere near as fearful as the stories that have been made up of he." The second man, whom Rick presumed to be a slave trader, huffed appearing to be very angry.

"No," The first man agreed. "Indeed he is worse." The trader growled to which the youngest child, a little girl, whimpered in fear. The trader was obviously angry and had just been waiting for an excuse to take it out on someone. He whirled around furiously.

SLAP!

Evy gasps, although luckily it remained unheard by the two men over the little girls wailing, although it was not from pain. The eldest girl that Evy had been watching had stepped in front of the little girl and in turn it was her whose head had been whipped to the left with the force of the slap, and it was her whose cheek had begun to turn a sore red colour, not the little girl. Evy knew it must have hurt her, but her face remained as calm as ever showing nothing of pain as she turned to the little girl.

"Shush now Aiesha, don't cry." She shushed.

Rick turned to her and the couple shared a silent agreement as Rick moved his hand to retrieve his gun and take aim.

Perry: Well that's another chapter done, I hope you all enjoy it. Seems like the plot is thickening, I just hope it doesn't confuse you, everyone should be meeting back up in a couple of chapters. Then I won't be jumping to four different places. I think it is chapter 4 when everyone meets up. Until then, you'll just have to bear with me. It will get simpler as it goes on. Hopefully.

In the meantime while you return to the other fanfiction on this site, why not review? I'll appreciate it and you can go, your heart at ease knowing that you've done a good thing today and made a writer feel appreciated.

Is that persuasive enough for you?