Here is chapter six!
I know it's a bit short, but I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I only own Jasmine
Chapter Six
The group of four walked through the dense forest, looking around warily.
"This place is creeping me out." Jasmine said, unease filling her.
"You hear that?" Jonathan asked, turning suddenly.
"What?" Rick asked.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Jonathan replied, looking around in fear. Jasmine shivered uncomfortably as they kept walking.
"Of all the places for the pyramid to be located, it had to be in a terrifying forest." She said.
"Jazzy, you've faced down mummies and scarabs, and a forest scares you?" Rick asked, raising an eyebrow at his daughter. Jasmine stuck her tongue out at him childishly, making him chuckle.
"My word! I say, chaps, look at this. Shrunken heads." Jonathan remarked, looking close at a tree. "I'd love to know how they do that." Jasmine looked at her uncle with wide eyes that were horror-filled, along with her parents and Ardeth. Jonathan shrugged, dusting himself off. "Just curious." The quartet positioned themselves on a crumbling wall, where Evie and Jonathan began setting up their guns, preparing to take sniper spots to guard Ardeth, Jasmine, and Rick from above. Jonathan loaded his pistol as Jasmine sat at his feet, sharpening her swords.
"You any good with that?" Ardeth asked, nodding to the gun. Jonathan scoffed.
"Three times Fox and Hound`s grand champion. You any good with that?" he asked the chieftain, offended. Ardeth looked at him for a moment, silent, before taking out the sword, holding it against Jonathan's neck.
"You'll know soon enough because the only way to kill an Anubis warrior is by taking off its head." Ardeth said, and Jonathan gulped, looking at the blade nervously.
"I'll remember that." He stammered, and Jasmine rolled her eyes.
"Don't make my uncle wet himself, Ardeth. He scares himself enough on a daily basis without anyone's help." She said, smirking teasingly at Jonathan, who glared at her slightly. Jasmine stood, swinging her swords in practice. Ardeth watched her.
"You've gotten better." He remarked, and Jasmine beamed at him.
"Dad helped. So did my dreams. It's kind of like Kida was training me in a way." She replied, and Ardeth nodded proudly.
"Something is coming." Rick announced, straightening. Evie crouched down, holding her gun tightly. "Let's go." Jasmine and Ardeth followed Rick down the covered path, and through the trees. They ran through the trees, looking around.
"Where are they?" Jasmine asked, and Rick held a hand to his lips. They wanted in silence for a moment, and the alarming sound of gunshots came from their right. The trio took off running towards the noise, coming upon Imhotep and his followers being attacked by small pygmies. Jasmine entered the fight, dodging the flying pygmies and searching for her brother.
"ALEX!" she cried.
"Dad! Jazzy!" Alex's voice screamed, and Jasmine saw Rick run towards the voice. She ducked underneath a sudden gunshot, narrowly dodging another pygmy.
"These things are everywhere." she snapped, irritated.
"Come here, little girl!" Lock-Nah suddenly said, and Jasmine spun around, blocking his strike.
"You've lost. My brother's been saved, and we've got the bracelet." She said with a smirk, and Lock-Nah growled, stepping back before shifting, throwing a thin knife at Jasmine. She gasped as she stepped to the side, feeling the knife barely brush her cheek.
"You still will die, and Lord Imhotep with thank me for killing you." Lock-Nah said.
"I will not lose my life to an insignificant man who believes that Imhotep will reward him." Jasmine replied proudly as she blocked Lock-Nah's next strike. "You are a fool if you believe he will grant you any gifts. He is a cruel man who will not stop for anything."
"Still, it will be a pleasure to kill you." Lock-Nah snapped, raising his sword, but he found it ripped from his hands by Ardeth, who stood beside Jasmine.
"You cannot kill us both, Lock-Nah." Ardeth said, and the two began to attack the warrior, who impressively blocked their strikes with his own. He managed to sweep Jasmine's legs from beneath her, but not before she used one of her swords to twist his knives away from him. Lock-Nah pulled out his last knife, throwing it, pinning Ardeth to a tree. He pulled out a pistol, and Jasmine jumped to her feet, hand tightly gripping her sword. A single shot rang out, and all three stiffened just before Lock-Nah slumped to the ground, dead. Ardeth and Jasmine both looked towards where the shot had come to see Jonathan reloading his gun. She smiled at her uncle before turning to Ardeth.
"We've got Alex. You need to go warn the Medjai." She said.
"I cannot leave you and your family." Ardeth replied, shaking his head.
"We'll be fine, I promise. You promised my dad you would help save Alex, and you did. Without Horus, the other chiefs don't know that the Army of Anubis could be rising soon. You need to tell them." Jasmine said firmly, and Ardeth pulled her into his arms, kissing her.
"We will see each other again, my princess. I promise." Ardeth said as they parted, his hand brushing her cheek before he turned, running back through the forest. Jasmine smiled, and ran in the direction that her family was. She reached Rick and Alex just as Evie and Jonathan did. Evie was holding the Book of the Dead in her arms.
"Alex!" Jasmine said happily, hugging her little brother tightly. Alex clung to her. "Thank God you're okay. You are okay, right?" She pulled back, allowing Evie to hug her son tightly before both women looked him over.
"I'm fine!" Alex protested, looking very nervous. "Come on, come on! We have to get to the pyramid, now! I have to get the bracelet off!" Alex was tugging at Rick's arm, and Jasmine's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Leave it on. Looks good on you." Jonathan said, and Evie laughed slightly.
"No, you guys, you don't understand. It'll kill me if I don't get inside the pyramid before the sun hits it- today!" Alex said firmly, and The laughter turned to horror, and they looked towards the sky, where the sun was slowly beginning to rise.
"Oh, my God." Evie breathed. Rick grabbed Alex.
"Time to go!" he shouted, and the five began to run as fast as possible through the forest. They reached a chasm, and slowed down slightly, crossing the tree that rested across. Jonathan came screaming after them, followed by the pygmies.
"I thought it was nothing!" he cried as Rick pulled out a stick of dynamite, lighting it. He threw it onto the tree, destroying it.
"Let's go, Alex!" Jasmine said, holding her brother's hand tightly. "Run!" They ran, trying desperately to outrun the sunrise. Alex stumbled slightly, wincing.
"Come on, Alex, faster!" Rick urged, and Alex collapsed. Evie froze, and Jasmine took the book from her.
"You'll run faster, Mom. Go!" she said, and Evie nodded.
"Dad! The bracelet!" Alex whimpered. Rick paused and picked him up, running faster than the trio behind him.
"Hurry, Dad! The sunrise is coming!" Jasmine yelled in fear, praying that they would be fast enough. Evie, Jonathan, and Jasmine reached the pyramid moments after Rick and Alex, finding them just inside, and the bracelet thrown off of Alex's wrist.
"They made it!" Jonathan cheered, and Evie laughed in relief. Jasmine grinned widely, looking at her mother.
"JAZZY!" Alex suddenly screamed, and her happiness was replaced by a sharp pain through her stomach, making her gasp. Jasmine's eyes widened as she saw Anck-Su-Namun pull a sword away, along with the Book of the Dead. Jasmine pressed her hands over the wound, falling to the ground. The woman smirked at her, walking off beside Imhotep, who was looking down at Jasmine with a sadistic glee.
"Jasmine!" Evie said, kneeling beside her daughter. Rick and Alex ran over, falling to the ground beside her.
"She's going to be all right, isn't she?" Alex asked, his voice trembling.
"She'll be fine." Jonathan reassured him, pulling the young boy away from his parents and sister, consoling him.
"You're real strong. You're gonna make it." Rick said, looking down at Jasmine, who was gasping for breath. The pain of the wound was dull, but she could tell she was losing blood.
"You're going to be okay, sweetheart." Evie said, tears in her eyes. Jasmine smiled at her.
"Take care of Alex, and make sure Ardeth knows how sorry I am." She told her parents softly.
"Come on, baby girl. You can make it." Rick said, his strong façade crumbling as he held his dying daughter. "Don't leave us, Jazzy." Jasmine smiled sadly, gripping her mother's hand tightly.
"I love you. I love you both so much." She whispered as her eyes slowly drifted closed.
"Jasmine? Jasmine, come back!" Alex cried, seeing his sister's still form.
Please review!
I hope you all enjoyed the little cliffhanger, and let me know what you think!
See you soon, Medjai, mummies, and princesses!
Love,
Enchantress