Hello, my beauties!
Here is the second chapter, as promised. Thank you all so much for the positive feedback on Chapter One.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine :)
Chapter Two
When the O'Connells returned to London two days later, Jasmine walked into their manor home, dropped her knives on one of the chairs in the library, and immediately ran up the stairs to her bedroom.
"Young love." Evie said wistfully, and Rick chuckled as he watched his daughter disappear into her room. As protective as he was of his little girl, and he had a right to , being her father, Rick trusted Ardeth not to break his daughter's heart. Jasmine walked into her room, and put her bag on her bed, barely stopping to take her coat off. She immediately sat at her desk, and began to write a letter, seeing as her previous one had been destroyed in the flood.
My dear Ardeth,
I am so sorry I haven't written back to you sooner. So much has happened, and I have so much to tell you! Dad, Mum, Alex and I all went back to some old ruins, and Mum, Dad and I went down into some of the catacombs that rested underneath the ruins, while Alex stayed above. Mum and I found an interesting engraving that corresponded with some of her dreams that I was telling you about before, and she said that there was a room behind the wall. Dad helped us knock the wall down, and we found exactly what Mum was talking about. It was a series of rooms, the final room being a chamber. While we were in the first chamber, I had a flashback to Kida's memories. She and Nefertiri were inside the innermost chamber, locking something in a box, and leaving it in there, intending to return the next day. I had a reason for knowing how to unlock the door to the chamber, and the box, but Mum somehow knew how to open the door as well, and that was something only Nefertiri and Kida, meaning myself as well, could know. When we got into the chamber, we found the box, and opened it. Inside was the Bracelet of Anubis! And above the box was the emblem of the Scorpion King. The curse upon the box was still strong, as you know about the curses of our time. I think Seti loved his traps a bit too much. We were able to escape unharmed, of course, thanks to little Alex! I miss you so much, Ardeth. It has been so long since I last saw you, and I hope that we can see one another again soon. As I always tell you, I wear my necklace and ring every day to remind myself of our love.
I love you, my Medjai warrior
Jasmine
Jasmine rested her pen back on her desk, and smiled, happy with her letter. She heard her father from outside her bedroom.
"Alex, behave yourself for five minutes, all right?" Rick called, and Jasmine laughed slightly, standing. She realized that she was still in her travelling clothes, and decided to change before heading back downstairs to her brother and parents. She changed into a simple lavender nightgown that reached her ankles, and short sleeves, and braided her hair away from her face. She folded her letter on her desk, deciding to send it before she went to bed, and Jasmine exited her room. She walked down the stairs, to where her mother and brother were.
"Happy to be home?" Evie asked her as she came into view. Jasmine smiled at her.
"Of course!" she replied.
"Did you write a new letter to Ardeth?" Evie inquired, looking over to inspect the chest.
"Yup! I told him about what happened, and what we found. I'll send it before I go to bed." Jasmine said, and Evie nodded in agreement.
"Alex, where's the key to the chest?" Evie asked, looking around the floor.
"Ummm.." Alex stalled, looking around. Jasmine looked at her brother, and noticed an unnatural bump at the edge of his arm, making her raise an eyebrow.
"I'm serious. If you've lost that key, you're grounded." Evie said, kneeling, and beginning to search through her son's pockets. Jasmine watched in slight amusement.
"Alex, that key is very important." She said, and Alex looked at her apologetically.
"I haven't lost it. I just can't find it. There's a difference." He said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well, you better start finding it then." Evie replied sharply, and Alex nodded.
"I will, Mom. There's nothing to worry about." He reassured her. Jasmine's eyes were drawn away to her family by the appearance of an African man in front of them, wearing a red and black garment, and a red and black headpiece. A long knife was strapped to his waist, and he had five men behind him, dressed similarly.
"Good evening." The man said in a deep voice that sent shivers down Jasmine's back. She was suddenly very happy she had left her knives beside the chest.
"Who are you?" she asked the man, pulling out her knives from their sheaths, much to Alex's surprise. " What are you doing here?" The man simply smirked at her.
"I'm looking for the chest, of course. Give it to me now." He ordered, his eyes glancing to the ornate chest on the table. Alex immediately grabbed it, and backed up slightly. Evie walked over to the wall, and pulled one of the swords out of the display.
"Get out of my house." She said protectively, and Alex's eyes widened.
"Whoa, Mom. Maybe not the best idea." He said cautiously, but Evie motioned for him to stay behind her.
"Alex, get back there." She told him, and Jasmine's grip on her knives tightened as the mysterious man pulled out his own knife. Alex gasped sharply.
"Definitely not the best idea. I think it's time to yell for Dad now." He said, and Jasmine placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. He looked up into her green eyes, and found nothing but safety, and love in them. He nodded, trusting his sister completely. The man scoffed.
"I will kill you and take it anyway." He said nonchalantly. Jasmine moved up to stand beside her mother, ready to defend her brother.
"I think not." An achingly familiar voice said, and Jasmine turned to see wonderfully familiar dark eyes meet hers, and she couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her face. As soon as he appeared, the offending men pulled out their weapons in defense.
"Ardeth." She said with relief, and Ardeth returned her small smile with one of her own.
"What are you doing here?" Evie asked, happy for her daughter that the man she loved was beside them. Ardeth stepped beside Jasmine and Evie, pulling out his own weapon.
"Perhaps explanations are best kept for later." He told the older woman, looking at the mysterious man, who sneered.
"Ardeth Bay." He spat, and Ardeth looked at him coolly.
"Lock-Nah." The Medjai replied. Lock-Nah motioned for his men to retrieve the chest, and the fight began. Jasmine immediately had three of the men begin to attack her, and she fought them off, her double knives giving her an advantage. Two men were attacking Evie, and she was holding her own fairly easy. Jasmine kicked back one of her attackers, and swung her sword at another one, pushing his blade into the bookcase, where it stuck.
"Whoa, Jazz! Where did you learn to do that?" Alex shouted, and Jasmine smiled at him.
"From Ardeth." She replied. Technically it was true, but technically she had learned it as Kida. Evie had one of the attackers grab her by the throat, and press her against the wall. Evie kneed him in the groin, and punched him in the side of the head. Alex looked at her in awe.
"That I learned from your father." Evie told him. One of the men with Lock-Nah grabbed an end of the chest.
"I'll take that." He snarled, and Alex's eyes widened in panic.
"Not bad for a Medjai." Lock-Nah said sarcastically as he and Ardeth fought.
"Let go!" Alex protested, trying to yank the chest away from his attacker.
"What's in the chest?" Ardeth asked Jasmine as she joined him in fighting Lock-Nah.
"The bracelet of Anubis!" she replied, and Ardeth's eyes widened slightly in shock.
"They must not get the bracelet." He told her. "Get it and get out of here!" Jasmine looked at him in surprise.
"After what happened the last two times I left you alone? Yeah right." She shot back, and Ardeth shook his head fondly, knowing arguing against her was futile.
"Mum, look out!" Alex exclaimed, and Jasmine turned just in time to see her mother be hit across the head, and draped over the shoulder of one of the attackers. Her brief distraction allowed Lock-Nah to kick her back into one of the bookshelves, and he threw a knife at Ardeth, which would have impaled the Medjai had he not moved.
"Mum!" Jasmine gasped, but Ardeth held her back. She glared at him. "I need to help my mother."
"What about your brother? They will not harm your mother yet, I promise." He said, his hand holding onto hers tightly. Jasmine looked up into his eyes, and breathed deeply. She knew her mother could handle herself, and she trusted Ardeth. Ardeth smiled down at her, and Jasmine smiled back, before turning, and embracing her brother tightly.
"What's going to happen to Mum?" Alex asked, his eyes filled with worry. Jasmine kissed his forehead.
"She'll be fine, Alex. Let's go find Dad." She replied, standing, and strapping her swords around her waist. She held Alex's hand tightly, and Ardeth took her other hand, leading them out of the house.
"DAD!" Alex shouted as they exited the house, breaking into a run. Rick and Jonathan were standing by one of the light posts, as two cars drove away from the manor, and even in the darkness, Jasmine could see her father's face fill with relief.
"Alex! Jazz!" he exclaimed, and pulled them both into his arms. Jasmine could see Ardeth greeting Jonathan out of the corner of her eye. "Are you two okay?" Jasmine nodded.
"We're fine, Daddy." She replied, and Ardeth stepped forward, nodding to Rick.
"O'Connell." He said, and Rick was still for a moment, before he grabbed Ardeth by the collar and shoved him against the stone pillar.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Rick asked angrily, and Jasmine's eyes widened, and she gripped Alex's shoulder. Rick let him go almost immediately. "Scratch that. I don't care. Who are those guys and where are they taking my wife?" Ardeth placed a hand on Rick's shoulder, and Jasmine stepped up next to him, taking his hand
"My friend, I'm not sure..." Ardeth began, and he held up a picture of a slightly familiar man. "But wherever this man is... your wife will surely be." Alex grabbed the picture, and looked at it in shock.
"Hey, I know him. He's the curator. He works at the British Museum." He said with surprise, and Jasmine looked at her younger brother.
"Are you sure?" Ardeth asked, and Jasmine laughed.
"Better believe him. He spends more time there than he does at home." She responded, and Ardeth smiled at her.
"Let's get to the car." Rick instructed, and his son and brother-in-law followed close behind him, with Jasmine and Ardeth stopping for just a moment.
"I've missed you." Jasmine said softly, and Ardeth pulled her into a tight embrace.
"I have missed you as well, Jasmine." He replied, and Jasmine smiled softly. Ardeth gently took her hand, and brought it up, looking down at the ring. He lifted her hand, and kissed the back lightly, before looking back at Jasmine.
"Hurry up!" They heard Alex call, and Ardeth chuckled, shifting his grip on Jasmine's hand.
"Shall we?" he asked, and Jasmine nodded happily, the two walking to meet up with the other three.
"Okay, you're here. The bad guys are here. Evie`s been kidnapped. Let me guess…" Rick began as they walked towards his car.
"They once again removed the creature from his grave." Ardeth replied, and Jasmine's hand tightened around Ardeth's, anger and fear filling her. Ardeth pulled her closer, leaning his head to touch hers gently.
"Not to point fingers, but isn't it your job to make sure that doesn't happen?" Jonathan asked
"Uncle John…" Jasmine sighed, shaking her head.
"That woman with him knows things no living person could possibly know. She knew exactly where the creature was buried. We hoped she would lead us to the bracelet. She obviously did. Now they have it." Ardeth said, almost frantically.
"I wouldn't get too nervous just yet." Alex said apologetically, rolling up his sleeve.
"So that's what it was!" Jasmine exclaimed, recalling the strange bulge on her brother's arm. Alex looked at her sheepishly.
"Is that gold?" Jonathan asked unhelpfully. Jasmine looked at him blankly. She was not amused by her uncle at the moment.
"When I stuck it on, I saw the pyramids at Giza. Then whoosh- straight across the desert to Karnak." Alex explained, and Ardeth took the eight-year old's arm, looking down at the bracelet.
"You have started a chain reaction that could bring about the next apocalypse." He said, making Alex tense, and gasp. Jasmine's eyes widened. Rick placed a hand on Ardeth's shoulder.
"You, lighten up. You, big trouble. You two, get in the car." He said, slightly annoyed. The five got into Rick's car, Jasmine sat beside Alex, who was between her and Jonathan.
"Dad, we can't take this lightly. The bracelet of Anubis is really dangerous." Jasmine said, attempting to placate her father as he drove away from their house.
"I am sorry if I alarmed your son, but you must understand. Now that the bracelets on... we have…" Ardeth began to say, but Rick stopped him.
"We? What we?" he asked in slight surprise. Jasmine sighed.
"If the Scorpion King isn't killed, he'll raise the Army of Anubis again." She replied, and Jonathan leaned forward.
"I take it that's not a good thing." He remarked, and Rick glanced back at him.
"Oh, he'll wipe out the world." He said, and Jonathan nodded in realization.
"The old 'wipe out the world'` ploy." He said back, and Jasmine shook her head fondly at her uncle.
"Whoever can kill the Scorpion King can send his army back to the Underworld or use it to destroy mankind and rule the Earth." Ardeth explained, and Rick sighed.
"So they dug up Imhotep `cause he's tough enough to take out the Scorpion King." He finished.
"That sounds like their plan." Jasmine replied. They reached the museum, and Jasmine stepped out of the car, making sure that her knives were secured around her waist. Rick and Ardeth walked around to the trunk, where Rick's guns were stored. The three quietly walked into the museum, which was eerily quiet. Suddenly, mummies around them in coffins and glass casings burst to life, letting out terrifying screams. Jasmine jumped back from the sarcophagus she had been walking beside as the mummy shot up. Ardeth pulled her to his other side, away from the mummy.
"It's a good thing Uncle John didn't come with us." Jasmine said softly. Rick smirked, walking in front of them.
"He'd be out that door in seconds." He replied. Jasmine took Ardeth's hand as they walked through, until they reached the balcony above a large room, where Mr. Hafez was standing behind a familiar dressed man, who was holding none other than the Book of the Dead in front of him. The same man who had broken into their home, Lock-Nah, was beside Mr. Hafez. Men around them were kneeling in a circle around a skeleton encased in a type of amber substance.
Please review, and tell me what you thought!
I'll have the next chapter up as soon as possible!
See you soon, Medjai, princesses, pharaohs, and mummies!
Love,
Enchantress