Here is the next chapter, as promised! I'm hoping to have the other one up soon as well, since I actually am inspired to write at the moment.
This was one of my favorite chapters to write, mainly because I love the whole scene with Izzy, then with Evie's visions.
Please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine, Kida, Asim, and Oris.
Chapter Four
"This is the magic carpet?" Evie asked skeptically, stepping out of the car. They were back in Cairo, just outside of the city, near a run-down camp, with a large wooden door blocking the main camp. Jasmine smiled widely, excited to see the magic carpet her father had been talking about.
"It'll be fine. He's a professional." Rick reassured his wife as the door opened, revealing a black man wearing an eyepatch. "Izzy!" The man promptly shut the door, locking it soundly.
"He definitely remembers you, Dad." Jasmine said teasingly, raising an eyebrow at Rick. Evie laughed in agreement.
"He's a little shy." Rick replied. "Jonathan, get our bags." Jonathan stepped out of the car, holding a gold scepter in his hands, looking around absent-mindedly.
"Oh, my hands are full." He said, and Rick rolled his eyes, taking the scepter.
"Now." Rick said, and Jonathan sighed.
"Right. I'll get the bags." He said in defeat, walking back to the car.
"I'll deal with the flight details." Rick said, pulling out his pistol. He shot the lock off the door, making it slowly swing open.
"Honey, you're not a subtle man." Evie sighed fondly as she followed Rick into the camp.
We don't have time for subtle." Rick shot back. "Izzy, come here." The man was running away from them, scrambling through the sand.
"He doesn't look very happy to see you." Jasmine said, and Rick shrugged as he approached his friend.
"Never turned me down yet." He replied. Izzy walked over to a desk where a man was sleeping on top of maps. He grabbed maps, trying to get away from Rick.
"Whatever it is, whatever you need, I don't care. Forget it, O'Connell." Izzy snapped, not making eye contact. "Every time I hook up with you, I get shot. Last time I got shot in the ass. I'm in mourning for my ass." Jasmine and Evie looked around, and saw a man sitting in the open taking a bath. They looked at one another with raised eyebrows, before focusing back on the conversation. "Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?"
"Bank job?" Evie asked, crossing her arms. Rick winced slightly.
"It's not like it sounds." He said sheepishly, and Jasmine smirked.
"It's exactly how it sounds." Izzy said sharply, pausing to look at Evie and Jasmine. "I'm flying high, hiding in the sun. The white boy here flags me down, so I fly in low for the pick-up. The next thing you know, I get shot. I'm lying in the middle of the road with my spleen hanging out, and I see him waltzing up with some belly dancer girl." Rick looked away, shutting his eyes tightly.
"This was before he adopted me." Jasmine said. "I definitely don't remember that." Evie patted her arm, looking at her husband's friend.
"Izzy, I think you and I should talk." She said, and Izzy nodded.
"As long as I don't get shot." He replied. Rick approached his friend.
"Quit your whining. You're gonna get paid this time." He reassured him, and Izzy scoffed, continuing to walk away from the family.
"Have you looked around here any? What do I need money for? What the hell am I gonna spend it on?" Izzy snapped, stopping when Rick grabbed his shoulder forcefully, turning him back around.
"I'm gonna keep this short." He snapped, and Jasmine and Evie paused, watching the scene. "My little boy is out there. I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him back." Izzy's eye wasn't focused on Rick at all. Instead, they were watching the scepter in Rick's hand that was being waved around.
"If you give me that gold stick, you can shave my head, wax my legs, and use me for a surfboard." Izzy said, his voice almost pleading.
"Didn't we do that in Tripoli?" Rick asked, handing him the scepter. His tense appearance slipped slightly, replaced by concern. "Say, by the way, when did you lose your eye?" Izzy grinned widely, lifting the patch to reveal a perfectly healthy eye beneath.
"I didn't. I just thought it made me look more dashing." He said happily, and Jasmine laughed as they began to walk, hope filling her at the prospect of finding her brother. Jonathan came running up behind them, carrying the bags from the car. Rick rolled his eyes and ripped the eyepatch off, shoving his friend forward.
"You're not catching me at my best." Izzy said shyly to Jasmine and Evie.
"It's okay. I'm Jasmine, and this is my mother, Evie." Jasmine said, smiling back at Izzy before taking one of the bags from Jonathan. The group of four stopped as men dressed in black rode up to them, forming a barrier.
"I knew it. I'm gonna get shot." Izzy groaned, but Jasmine's smile grew as she nearly ran after her father. Ardeth led the horses, and dismounted, nodding to the family.
"These are the commanders of the 12 tribes of the Medjai." He said, motioning to the men behind him. He held up an arm, facing one of the men. "Horus." A falcon flew onto his arm, and Jonathan's eyes widened slightly.
"Pet bird." He remarked
"My best and most clever friend. He will let the commanders know of our progress so that they may follow." Ardeth explained, and Jasmine relaxed slightly. She felt as if they were actually a step ahead of Imhotep, and she felt happy. "If the Army of Anubis arises, they will do all they can to stop it." Ardeth saluted the other commanders as they rode off. Jasmine approached Ardeth, and looked at Horus, smiling.
"He's beautiful." She said, reaching a hand up and gently stroking the falcon's feathers.
"He has been my companion for many years." Ardeth replied. He smiled back at Jasmine, taking her free hand. "We will find your brother, Jasmine. I promise you." Jasmine nodded, and the two began to walk towards Izzy.
"Isn't she beautiful?" the man exclaimed, revealing a large balloon.
"It's a balloon." Rick deadpanned.
"It's a dirigible." Izzy protested firmly.
"Where's your airplane?" Rick questioned. Izzy let out a bark of laughter.
"Airplanes are a thing of the past." He replied. Rick tensed.
"Izzy, you were right." He began. He pulled out a pistol, aiming it at Izzy. "You are gonna get shot." Izzy held up his hands in surrender, backing up.
"She's faster than she looks. And she's real quiet. Perfect for sneaking up on people, which is a very good thing." He said dryly, glaring at Rick. "Unless, of course, we go with your approach- barging in face first, guns blazing, gettin` your friends shot in the ass." Rick put his pistol away, and took the bags from Jonathan, choosing to stay silent as he followed Evie towards the dirigible.
"Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?" Ardeth asked, making Jasmine giggle. She pulled him towards the vehicle.
"Hopefully we'll get there soon. I can't even think of what they might be doing to Alex." She said, a sense of dread filling her at the thought of her brother being hurt. Ardeth squeezed her hand reassuringly.
"He will be fine. They cannot hurt him, and I am sure he is smart enough to keep himself out of trouble." He replied, and Jasmine looked at him thankfully. They boarded the balloon, and Jonathan put their bags away. Izzy's companions on the ground released the ropes that anchored the balloon, and they flew up. Jasmine leaned over the edge, feeling the wind rush past her as they soared into the air.
"O'Connell does not want to believe, but he flies like Horus to his destiny." Ardeth said, sitting beside Jonathan. They had been flying for a few hours, and night had fallen. There was a serene silence around them, and Jasmine was sitting on the floor between her uncle and Ardeth, reading through one of the books she had brought about the Scorpion King.
"Yes, very interesting. Tell me more about this gold pyramid." Jonathan said briskly, and Jasmine rolled her eyes.
"It is written that since the time of the Scorpion King, no man who has laid eyes upon it has ever returned to tell the tale." Ardeth replied, and Jasmine looked up.
"That's pretty convenient." She remarked, and Ardeth nodded in amusement.
"Where is all this stuff written? Hello!" Jonathan exclaimed quietly, reaching into a small hole in the wood, and retracting his hand to reveal the gold scepter. "This is all I have left in the world. The rest of my fortune was lost to some rather unscrupulous characters." Ardeth took the scepter, looking it over.
"If the curator reacted the way you say, it must be very important. If I were you, I would keep it close." He said, and Jonathan took it back, holding it reverently.
"My friend, the gods couldn't take this away from me." He replied proudly, just as Izzy reached down and grabbed onto the scepter, pulling it.
"That's mine." He exclaimed, and Jonathan attempted to take it back, protesting.
"No, it's not!" he retorted, but Izzy managed to pull it away, glaring darkly at Jonathan.
"Keep your hands off it." He ordered, and Jonathan pouted, standing and walking away. Jasmine leaned back, looking at Ardeth.
"Anck-Su-Namun will be unpredictable. Nefertiri was the one who trained to fight, and she's fought her before. I never really encountered her." She said softly. "What if she's the key to pulling us apart permanently?" Ardeth reached down, taking both of her hands gently in his.
"I watched her train, my princess. I know her way of fighting. We will defeat her and Imhotep, no matter what it takes." He promised, and Jasmine smiled. She leaned back against Ardeth, and closed her eyes, succumbing to a strange sleep.
Kida sat beside her father, with Asim and Oris standing behind her. They were in one of the largest rooms of the palace, surrounded by other nobility. Nefertiri was in front of them, clad in a gold battle uniform, with a mask over her face. She was fighting against Anck-Su-Namun, their father's future wife. Seti raised his hands, clapping them once as he commanded for the fight to begin. Kida watched with wide eyes as the two women fought. She knew that Nefertiri had been practicing with Oris during the day with the permission of their father. The two women were equally matched, and their fight was more like a dance, beautiful and deadly. It became more intense as they lost the smaller weapons they fought with in favor of the larger ones hanging on the wall, until Anck-Su-Namun flipped Nefertiri over her shoulder, pinning her to the ground. The bystanders burst into applause, and Kida released the breath she had been holding. She looked back at Asim and Oris, both of whom had pride in their eyes for Nefertiri's battle.
"Well done!" Seti said, standing. Anck-Su-Namun bowed as the pharaoh placed an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "Who better to protect the Bracelet of Anubis than my two daughters, Kidashka and Nefertiri." One of the Medjai brought forward a chest that held the golden bracelet, and Kida smiled widely as Nefertiri flushed with pride. "And who better to protect me than my future wife, Anck-Su-Namun?" The woman bowed as Seti embraced Nefertiri. "Well done, daughter. "
"Thank you, Father." Nefertiri replied, smiling as she hugged her father back. Kida walked down from the throne to hug her sister tightly.
"Oris and Asim are very proud of you, sister." She whispered, and Nefertiri laughed slightly.
"But I lost." She said, and Kida rolled her eyes.
"That doesn't matter. You did your best, and you nearly had her." She replied, and the sisters broke apart as Imhotep and the other priests followed the pharaoh out of the room. They noticed the look that Anck-Su-Namun and Imhotep gave each other, and were shocked. The vision suddenly changed as she found herself watching Nefertiri as the young princess watched as their father was brutally killed. Nefertiri leaned forward with a cry, and fell from the balcony, caught at the last moment by Oris, who gripped her wrist tightly.
"Princess, hold on!" the Medjai said, pulling Nefertiri back and holding the trembling woman.
Jasmine gasped as her eyes flew open at a scream, and she looked forward to see Evie hanging over the edge of the balloon, Rick grasping her wrist. He pulled her back onto the deck, and hugged her tightly.
"Mom!" Jasmine exclaimed, standing and running forward to hug Evie as well. "Are you okay?" Evie nodded, clearly spooked by something. Rick brought her over to sit by the wheel, holding her close as she wrung her hands. Jonathan sat on his sister's other side, and Jasmine sat beside Ardeth.
"Evie, I know you haven't been yourself lately with these dreams and visions…" Rick began, and Evie held up a hand.
"No, they're memories from my previous life." Evie explained, and Jasmine looked at her mother with shock. "Honestly, I'm not losing my mind. It all makes perfect sense now." Rick raised an eyebrow.
"That's why we found the bracelet?" he questioned, and Evie nodded.
"Exactly. I was its protector." She replied, and Jasmine gasped.
"How did I not realize this?" she exclaimed, and Evie smiled at her sadly. Jasmine reached over, taking her mother's hand tightly.
"Now do you believe, my friend? Clearly, you were destined to protect these women." Ardeth said, motioning to Jasmine and Evie, who were silently looking at each other.
"Right. They're reincarnated princesses, and Im a warrior for God." Rick said, struggling to believe what was going on.
"And your son leads the way to Ahm Shere. Three sides of the pyramid. This was all preordained thousands of years ago." Ardeth replied casually, and Jasmine looked at Rick.
"Dad, you know he's telling the truth. Don't you remember when I started talking about my visions before we first fought Imhotep?" she asked gently, and Rick sighed.
"And how does the story end?" he asked Ardeth.
"Only the journey`s written, not the destination." The Medjai replied as Jasmine leaned back against him, her mind reeling with what she had realized.
"Convenient." Rick huffed.
"How else do you explain Evie and Jasmine`s visions? That it is your son who wears the bracelet?" Ardeth asked, and Rick was silent, looking at his wife and daughter. "How do you explain your mark?"
"Coincidence." Rick replied, making Jasmine sigh.
"My friend, there is a fine line between coincidence and fate." Ardeth told him.
Please review!
I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope to hear your feedback soon!
See you soon, Medjai, mummies, and princesses!
Love,
Enchantress