Ch. 6~ Egyptian Nights

Jeweli was familiar with Cairo, as her cousin had brought her to Egypt a few times. She also knew several of the oder women who walked around in hoods and weils. There was a happy reunion when they saw the family in the small in one of them owned. Munlai was a very good friend of Jeweli's, as well as the only one who spoke fluent English, and invited her to join the women at her home for tea. Once there, there were many questions about her wellbeing and such.

"So, Jeweli, we have all met you family before, but this time...there is another man traveling with you. He does not look like a foreigner, no. More like he belongs to the desert itself. Who is he?"

"He's a friend of my cousin's." She waited as the older woman translated. "My nephew, Alex, was taken by bad men. This man, Ardeth Bay, he's helping us track them."

One of the women errupted into excited chatter. "She says she knows this man," Munlai told her. "She says he is one of the Madji, that he often comes to her stall for supplies. How is he going to help you?"

"He's a Madji...he knows the desert better than anyone, every temple and secret oasis."

"You are going on a long journey, then?" Jeweli nodded, taking a sip of tea. "Do you have travel robes?"

"Travel robes? No, just stuff like what I'm wearing now." She was wearing a sleeveless tan half-jacket, white tank top, and tan pants with darker tan boots. Her hair (which was usually back in a ponytail) had been put in an elaborate bun by these women.

"Oh, child. Every woman must have a set of good, sturdy robes to protect her from the desert's harsh elements."

And this led to hours of Jeweli being paraded in and out of shops as the women tried to find the perfect set of robes. Suffice to say, she was grateful when it got dark and time to head back to the inn. Jeweli left the house, bowing in thanks for the beautiful green outfit the women had insisted on buying her. The night air was wonderfully head-clearing. It was so much cleaner than that which she breathed in either England or America. Then, she noticed a man leaning against one of the buildings, watching the sky with charming serenity. There was only one person those black robes and long hair could belong to.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked Ardeth when she was close enough not to have to shout.

"I beg your pardon, madam?" Oh, yeah, she was still wearing the hood and veil. She pulled the veil down and smirked at the confused Madji. "Jeweliandra! What..."

"The ladies had a field day when I told them I didn't own any robes."

He looked her over breifly. "They suit you."

"Thanks. Now, why are you spying on me?"

"I wasn't, I was waiting. O'Connell asked me to make sure you made it back to the inn safely."

"Of course he did. Well, come on, then."

They started down the street, idly chatting about nothing in particular, when Jeweli suddenly froze. Ardeth, who hadn't been paying attention, bumped right into her back.

"Jeweliandra? What is it?" He got no response, only a frozen, fearful look in front of them. "Oh, no." Before them, in the middle of the ally they'd just turned into, was a huge cobra, already coiled and ready to strike. And it was looking right at Jeweli. There was a tense moment as the snake lifted himself up and flared his hood, hissing and dripping venom, then he struck. And Ardeth's sword met the creature's neck half way. The severed head continued on its course, until it his Jeweli's foot, making her yelp.

She fainted.

Ardeth

He worried that he hadn't been fast enough. That, despite his effores, she had still been bitten. When Jeweli had fallen, Ardeth feard the worst. Now, running with the girl in his arms, he wondered if it was too late. A bite from a cobra was quick to kill, and by the way she had suddenly collapsed...

"O'Connell!" Ardeth burst into the room where they were staying.

"What happened? What'd you do?"

"I did nothing!" he quickly explained what had happened as Evie ushered for him to put her on the settee. "I do not know if she was bitten, there was no time."

"You said it hit her foor?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes."

Evie hurridly untied her boots and pulled her socks off. After a quick, yet thourough examinatio, it was determined that here was no bite marks, not even up on her ankle. "Well, that's odd. Not even a scratch."

Ardeth nearly pushed Jon out of the way to look. "But, then what happened to her?"

"I think I know." Rick walked over to his suitcase and pulled out a fask. As he unscrewed the cap, he held it under her nose, and her eyes shot open. "Whisky, works every time. Here, Jewels, drink up."

They helped her sit up as she crabbed the container. "Thanks, cuz." Jeweli took a long drink. "I'm ok."

"What happened?!" Ardeth insisted.

"Nothing, I'm fine. My brain just froze for a minute. Nothing happened, so just drop it." She shoved the flask back into her cousin's hand and walked out onto the balcony.

The Madji looked around after she dissappeared, confused. "What..."

Rick sighed and sat down. "Jewels has issues with letting people see when she's weak." The darker man reaised an eyebrow. "I don't know why, but ever since she was little, she's been deathly afraid of snakes. Any kind of snake. She's fine with any other reptile. Once, when she first moved in with us, Alex caught this little garter snake and showed it to her." He ran his hand over his face. "Jewels nearly had a heart attack. It took us forever to calm her down. It got worse after Aunt Aida died, I think."

"But...what could possibly cause her to shirk off our help? Why does she-"

"She's an O'Connell. We're rough and tough all the time, it's in our blood. The girl can't even talk about any time she gets hurt in any way."

Ardeth's eyes widened. "The night your boy was taken, I heard her scream. When I went in her room, she was having a terrible nightmare. Jeweliandra said something about trying to talk about them, but...he always came back." The family all looked at each other knowingly. She would not tell me who she was speaking of. Who is he?"

"Ardeth," Evie put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I think that's something you should talk to Jeweli about. We are not the ones to tell you her secrets."

...

A/N: Du-du-DUUU! What's going on? What's she gonna say? Read and Reveiw.

AcaciaDawn.