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I hope you guys continue to enjoy! :3

The ride back to civilization was a quiet affair. Other than ditching the bus for a more suitable cab, there were not many words spoken as we made our way back to their family house. It was fine with me though because I needed a chance to think. I had to compartmentalize the entirety of my academic career in a new light because of more knowledge than I would to care to know again. The changes and allegiances were something I could not have seen coming and this shook the world that I knew and depended on.

Even when we arrived back at their estate, Rick only barked out an order to grab the already packed bags they seemed to have in their estate. Perhaps they had just come back from a dig, or from traveling to another place because even their weapons were loaded and ready to go. In the whirl of chaos Evelyn managed to give me some medicine before she packed that into her bags as well, and I was grateful. This headache and nausea were not helping matters at all.

Finally when the bustle started to calm they noticed my awkward presence in their entrance. It wasn't as if they had forgotten me; they had merely shifted their attentions to other priorities. I needed all the time that I could have and was grateful for the silence I had to think of my next move.

"I wanted to thank you for your help today," Rick finally broke the tense silence to speak with me. I turned to him and saw Evelyn at his side and heard Ardeth walking behind me. The bus driver was beside the couple looking out of sorts and overwhelmed. "You helped save my wife. For that I owe you more than you could ever know."

"I'm glad she was all right," I replied back, smiling at Evelyn. "And I'm glad that I could have been of some assistance to you."

"But this is where we part ways. We need to leave to save our son. And where we are going, you aren't going to like any part of it."

There, that was the crux that had my mind going around in circles. To help them would mean danger and danger meant my life could be ended at any time. I liked my life as it was, properly forging ahead to blaze the trail for others behind me. I was a beacon to those who thought they weren't good enough. A ray to give hope to those who had theirs ripped away. If I left now, I would be leaving all of that behind. My work since I was five years old would mean nothing. I would have to give away my chances of promotion, the chance of any job hiring me, and most importantly give up the dream I had worked so hard to achieve.

"What will you do?" I asked them.

"We will follow our son to the ends of the earth." This time it was Evelyn who spoke vehemently in her rage over her son's kidnapping. "I will find him, I will protect him, and I will do everything I can to bring him back safely in my arms." There was a choked sob at the end, a frustration in her ability to do nothing. Rick pulled her to his side with his arm and kissed the top of her hair in a comforting gesture. The bus driver looked on with pity at the two but said nothing.

Her words struck a chord in me, reminding me of a time in my past where I had heard some of the same sentiment. My own parents and the way I was raised, all of it came back to me in a flash of memories. I had been raised to protect myself in the absence of the one who did not make it. My parents wanted to make sure the tragedy did not happen to them again. Here in front of me where the echoes of the past vibrating to the future; a generation later now laden with the same grief and pain. They could not protect their own, just as mine had not.

My heart beat painfully, reminding myself that I was here alive today and Ryan was not.

But here in this moment looking at the tender gesture that Rick gave Evelyn, this story was not finished yet. In seven days the world could end and their son could be killed. I was torn in my desire to save the world as I knew it, showing that a woman could do so, or to slink back to my home and pretend that I knew nothing of the dangers that awaited the world. Instead I was blindsided by the emotions of the couple in front of me and my personal memories of Ryan. This feeling of dread and sadness, the helplessness of the situation, the reminder of the aching hole left behind in my life, these I did not have a defense for.

"I will go with you." The words tumbled out of my mouth before I had a chance to solidify the choice, but hearing them helped to quell any doubts I had of my next move. My decision was made with those fateful words.

"You will not," Ardeth replied. "You have no business with us and to risk your life for our cause when you are not directly involved is something I cannot allow."

"You're wrong." Those dark eyes widened in surprise that I would contradict him so readily. "In seven days I could die if you fail. My life will be given away to a conqueror that will destroy the world. So instead of waiting for the danger to come to me, I will fight against it instead."

"You might perish during the journey," Ardeth warned.

"If I die, I die knowing that a woman dared to stand up to an undead mummy. I die knowing that I fought against those who would threaten not only my life and the lives of my family, but of those all over the world. If I die, I will carve my name out in history as one who had the courage and would to not give up when hope seemed lost. If even just my name survives in textbooks, I hope that it will one day lead others to change. To show that a woman can do the same as a man and maybe inspire others to fight against the society that chains us."

Ardeth held up my hand, stopping my increasingly passionate speech. Knowing I was going off tangent I took a breath and released it instead.

"And that is not all. I want to save your son." This time I turned back to the couple who gave me their complete attention. "Alex was the light of my time at the museum. He was always around smiling and asking questions. I don't know if I could go back to work and not have him visit me every day. I could not bear watching more parents lose another son." Too late I realized what I had revealed to the couple. Rick looked as if he was going to ask me of the tidbit of information, but his wife placed a hand on his arm and he did not ask. Thankfully.

"You cannot go with us," Ardeth stated.

"If I cannot go with you, I will go alone. I have the skills to survive. Maybe not all skills, but I have enough and will find a way to follow you and to help in any way I can. Whether that is with you or behind you, I will be there."

Perhaps it was the way my body stood proudly or the inflection of truth in my tone. Maybe it was the words of my speech that tipped them off to the vast levels of stubbornness I possessed. The couple looked at Ardeth and he back at them in a silent conversation concerning my fate. Rick was the first to look back at me.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I do not regret any of my choices." The words echoed those of before and Ardeth caught on to my deliberate use of phrase. With a wry smile he inclined his head to me, acknowledging my choice.

"Then you are welcome to come with us."

"Do I have time to gather my things to come with you?" I asked the group. Rick shook his head adamantly. I honestly expected this and simply nodded in response.

"I have things that could fit you and my clothes are already packed. It is the least I could do to give you some of my things for the journey ahead," Evelyn stated.

"Thank you, Evelyn."

"If we are going to travel together, please call me Evie." The smile was genuine and I smiled back in response.

"And I'm Jonathon, an absolute pleasure," the bus driver stated, holding his hand out for me to shake. I did so as he grinned goofily, and was he really flirting with me right now?

"Then please, the car is ready. Let us leave and get back to Egypt," Ardeth stated, gesturing to the outside. I turned away from Jonathon and allowed myself to cut short that conversation.

We all followed and gathered into another car of the O'Connell's. It was sleek and looked as if it was a new purchase. I was surprised at the luxury of the car when I slid into the backseat with Ardeth and Jonathon, and actually took a chance to look back at the house as we sped away. It was pricy and definitely for the top echelon of wealth. The O'Connell's must have been wealthier than I had ever expected and I had expected a lot.

"What are you looking at?" Ardeth asked. I turned away from the home fading in the distance and looked at the man again. He was sitting in the middle seat with Jonathon crammed in beside him, and he was entirely too close for comfort. I could feel his side pressed into mine because of the cramped space and tried to ignore the closeness as best as I could possibly do.

Now that things were calm (to an extent) and I had medicine in me I could finally appreciate who I was sitting beside. It was odd but the darkness did nothing to take away from his features, it almost sculpted the shadows in a way that they were almost meant to be there. He almost belonged with a night in a way that no other I had ever met could be. It suited him, these planes and shadows in the darkness of the moonless night.

"Home I suppose," I finally answered him. "And before you ask, I regret nothing." The flash of white teeth as he smiled had my gaze flicking toward his mouth. A handsome smile in the dead of night.

"I was not going to. I am convinced you were going to follow us regardless. It is good that you will travel with us instead." Was the car confining or was it the man beside me that made it seem so? His presence could fill the air around me and I could not focus on anything but him. The streetlights would highlight his face then cast it back into shadow as they past. His exotic features appearing and disappearing from view, much like a tiger hiding in the jungle.

I shook my head at the terrible analogy, but he reminded me of something that would stalk its prey. To watch and wait until the right moment to strike. This man was not normal and he was in a sense dangerous. I felt it from him but still I could not look away.

"I will do all that I can to help you in any way possible." What words I could speak almost fell against the aura he exuded.

"And what can you do to help us?" He saw me bristle as I reacted to the attack on my gender and he held up a hand. "You have already helped us, Amber. I did not mean disrespect." Funny how that line of disrespect kept cropping up in conversations of my everyday life. Perhaps I was a bit touchy with certain things.

"I'm sorry. It's almost instinct." He smiled at me and it made my heart flutter. This man was absolutely leathal. "I know my way around firearms. I mostly carry my colt pistol but I can shoot rifles and have been trained in marksmanship. I can read and speak ancient Egyptian fluently and am well trained in Egypt antiquities. I also know hand to hand combat for self-defense. Though, I have not used my training before or killed anyone. Until today." I remembered the man crumpling as I shot him and I shelved the memory again. I would forget as long as I could until I was in a position to handle the emotions and trauma that would come with my first kill.

"I say, you can really do all those things?" Jonathon asked. I opened my mouth to correct his assumptions about my abilities and was interrupted before my tirade could start.

"You should like a general," Rick quipped, causing me to laugh and turn away from Jonathon. Thankfully the turn of conversation would keep the other memories from coming back to me.

"It seems like I have too much of my father in me," I admitted with a chuckle. "He was military. A commander. And you sound like you know the military as well, Rick."

"Takes one to know one," he genially replied. With a snort at his demeanor I realized he must have served in some capacity. It made things easier because I could relate to the military culture. Then again this sarcastic man in front of me was almost the complete opposite of my father in terms of sass and speech. It was almost, well, cute in a way. And highly amusing.

"Do you know how to fight with a sword?" Ardeth asked. I shook my head at him.

"No unfortunately that was left out of the curriculum." At my humor I was granted another smile and my heart beat loudly in my chest. Again. If this man's smile could influence my heartbeat to such a degree he should have been jailed. Or at least forced to cover that smile because honestly the whole deal should have been highly illegal. Perhaps I should write to my lawmakers when I got back to make the laws official. "I can fight with a knife but that is the extent it."

"If there is time, perhaps I will be able to teach you how to fight with a sword." Had his voice always been so low and husky? His gruff voice reverberated inside my head in a way that I had not felt before and I had to fight a shiver.

"I'll look forward to it," I managed to reply. In truth it would be good to have all the training I could in the upcoming days. Yet the real reason was more mundane. A man was offering to teach me combat. He was accepting of the fact that I could defend myself and even praised me for it. This was a novel experience that had never happened to me before and I found myself relishing in the acceptance of the exotic man.

There was that illegal smile again, piercing the darkness and making my heart do odd things in my chest. Damn the man.

With that I looked away from the one who seemed to devour all of my attention span and looked forward. We were close to the airfield and would soon be leaving the only country I had ever known.

"This might be the time to mention I do not have identification papers on me right now." Rick snorted.

"You have your museum identification?" Evie asked.

"Yes, in my purse."

"We can use those papers instead." Which was all great but I was working myself up to the next confession.

"And while we are on the subject of planes, I wanted to let you know this was my first time." And I was nervous.

"Oh, they are quite fun!" Evie replied with a smile. "In the air with nothing more than engines and two wings? They are an amazing achievement of what man is capable of doing." And that explanation did nothing to help ease the anxiousness of my first flight. I made a small noise that fell something in the sense of a sarcastic laugh before looking out the window, causing Rick and Ardeth to chuckle.

"These planes are safe," Ardeth replied. "Even I have flown on such a contraption." I did not like 'safe'. I liked my feet on the ground, in a way that I could have control over myself. Planes took that away from me and I had always avoided them before.

"You gonna chicken out on us?" Rick asked jovially, almost too much so. My eyes narrowed at the back of his head.

"No," I shot back sulkily.

"Good then we'll just get on the plane with minimal fuss and be done with it." If I could slump any lower in the seat I might have ended up on the floorboards. But when the car filled with laughter I reluctantly smiled anyway. They needed a few moments of levity in their time.

Once the engines to the plane were shut off and stopped rotating, I was the first out of the plane and jumping to the ground of Egypt. The plane was a harrowing experience and though I appreciated the rare treat of being in an airplane I did not want a repeat experience for a long while yet.

"You see?" Ardeth asked as he leapt to the ground beside me. "It was not so horrible."

"I live in Egypt now," I shot back dryly. "This is my new home." With an enigmatic smile he turned away from me, leaving me in typical confusion. He was as enigmatic as ever and that smile held so much hidden secrets and knowledge. Even so, the man looked so at home with the sand around him. Remembering how he looked in the bus and in the car, it made me truly realize this man's home was here and he could be in no other place and no other era.

"Amber, help unpack the plane. I'm going to get the car for us." I nodded absently at Rick and went to do what he bade. As the pilot went to hand the luggage down to me he hesitated, but this time I kept myself in check. I was happy to be out of the plane and the heat was distracting me from my usual anger. I merely gestured at the guy again and he began to hand down the load to me.

As I worked up a sweat I realized these clothes were much too think for the arid desert around us. The pants were thicker than I should have worn here and the blouse, though comfortable, was made of satin and sticking to all parts of my skin. It was uncomfortable.

Once we finished the unloading Evie took pity on me and helped me inside the small building of the airfield to help me get changed. Now armed with a much lighter set of long sleeved shirts and pants, the air didn't feel as oppressive anymore. I had always liked the heat and hated the dreary clouds of England that always seemed to be present so I was not dissatisfied with the weather here.

Not long after I had gotten changed Rick came around with an open top car. As I started to pack up the car, Ardeth came around on the back of a horse, flanked by another dressed in the same style of black garmet.

"I will meet up with you later, my friends. For now I must set in motion things on my end."

There was a ridiculous urge to stop him from leaving that sprang deep from inside me. It was almost instinctive to demand him to stay by my side and quite frankly that was ridiculous. I didn't need a man to protect me and I certainly did not want to depend on one, but this man was invoking such strange reactions out of me. I did not know what to do.

"We will meet you later, then." Rick did not say where he was going nor did Ardeth ask. Instead we all filed into the car and again I was in the backseat. This time I was alone with Evie and as we pulled away I could not help myself from looking back behind me once more. Ardeth was watching us leave and I turned away with a blush on my face from being caught. Drat the man for making me think of him. Beside me Evie smiled and looked forward, wisely saying nothing of what she had witnessed.

As we finally dove through the "street" of sand we arrived at a broken down gate of something called Magic Carpet Airways. The words of needing a magic carpet echoed through my mind as Rick stopped the car, causing me to laugh and shake my head as we exited the vehicle.

"This is the magic carpet?" Evie asked and I chuckled at how alike we thought.

"It's fine. He's a professional," Rick soothed as we collectively started walking to the door. Coincidentally as we began walking toward the door and it opened to…quite a character.

He was a black man dressed in what seemed to be a rag tag bunch of styles of clothes all bundled together, with an aviator hood and googles that were entirely too dirty to be seen out of. He had a small beard on his sandy face and an eyepatch covered his left eye. He stopped point blank as he saw us in front of him.

"Izzy!" Rick cried out happily, holding out his hands as if to hug him. The man jumped as if visibly spooked and made a terrified noise. Confused I looked towards Rick as the man ran back to the door and with one final look he slammed it behind him and locked the key. Rick now stared at the door dumbfounded at the reaction with an indignant, "Hey!" at the display. I snorted at that reaction from him.

"He definitely remembers you," Evie quipped at her husband, who looked back and gave her an unimpressed look. Honestly I was envious of the byplay between the two; it spoke of their love for one another and I wished I could have a relationship like theirs one day.

"He's a little shy," Rick replied dryly.

"Jonathon, get our bags," Rick commanded. The man walked up to Rick with a golden rod and waved it around in front of him.

"Oh, my hands are full."

"Now," Rick commanded as he yanked the golden rod away from Jonathon.

"Right, I'll just go get the bags." And indeed he did, turning around to start unloading the vehicle.

"I'll deal with the flight details," Rick stated as he reached for his gun.

"Um, wait, Rick," I spoke up, not wanting violence in any situation. Evie simply laid a hand on my arm and I quieted down to watch instead. Rick shot at the lock and it fell down and hung by a small strip of metal.

"Honey, you're not a subtle man," Evie informed him with a sigh of acceptance.

"We don't have time for subtle," he replied easily with a shrug. He then proceeded to kick the door open and the frantic, horrified man inside made to run away again.

"Izzy, come here." The man waddled away to his…office space, that consisted of only a desk with no walls or ceiling, and basically was just a few pieces of furniture set up in the ruins of once used to be a building.

"He doesn't look happy to see you," Evie informed him as the man made those scared noises in his haste to get away from us.

"Never turned me down yet," Rick told her as we made our way to Izzy's side.

"Whatever it is, whatever you need, I don't care," Izzy stated as he went do his desk with a sleeping man on it. "Forget it O'Connell." He began to grab rolls of paper and stuff them into his hands. "Every time I hook up with you, I get shot." My eyebrows rose at the insinuation and I looked back to the not so impressed Rick. "Last time I got shot in the ass." My eyebrows rose higher as I made a mental note to ask Rick the details of this story later. "I'm in mourning for my ass!" Izzy moaned out and I had to swallow a smile. This man was a character all right and I could feel that he would be amusing in the future, if Rick could convince him to get past his…fear of being shot. "Remember that bank job in Marrakesh?"

"Bank job?" I could hear the suspicion in Evie's voice as she looked at her husband.

"It's not like it sounds."

Izzy grabbed another paper and looked back up at Rick. "Uh, it's exactly how it sounds. I'm flying high, hiding in the sun," he glared at Rick again as he stressed hiding. "This white boy here flags me down, so I fly in low for the pickup. 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 tried to stop Izzy before the damning evidence was spoken but by that time it was too late.

"Belly dancer girl?" Rick turned back to his wife, all smiles, trying to distract her from the bellydancing girl comment. "Izzy, I think you and I should talk."

"As long as I don't get shot," he replied snarkily, looking Rick up and down. I couldn't hold back a snort of laughter and I attempted to look as innocent as possible. Instead it earned me a glare from Izzy himself.

"Quit your whining. You're gonna get paid this time." Rick threw a stack of money at Izzy, probably more than I'd seen in one roll of bills in my life, and the eccentric man caught it. Izzy glanced at the money as if it tempted him for a moment then rolled his eyes.

"O'Connell, you looked around here any? Eh? What do I need money for? What the hell am I gonna spend it on?"

Patience finally done with the entire situation, Rick took a step forward to Izzy as he conspicuously pocketed the money. "I'm gonna keep this short," Rick started, his voice low and dangerous. He lifted the golden rod and began to use it as a prop to accentuate what he was saying. "My little boy is out there. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get him back." As he pointed Izzy followed the golden rod like a man starved. Finally catching on Rick looked to the rod then back at Izzy. He moved the rod and Izzy made greedy noises in the back of his throat.

"O'Connell, you give me that gold stick there and you can shave my head, wax my legs and use me as a surfboard." Immediately Rick handed Izzy the golden rod and Izzy dropped his papers to greedily grasp the treasure in his hands.

"Didn't we do that in Tripoli?" Izzy smiled shyly and looked back to the gold stick.

"Now this is a story I need to hear," I spoke up. This was too much information for me not to be curious and if the bellydancer girl was any indication the story must have been another wild ride.

"Maybe later," I heard from Rick. I chuckled and left well enough alone. "By the way, when did you, lose your eye?"

"Oh," Izzy began with a laugh. "I didn't. I just thought it made me more dashing." With a laugh he showed Rick his eye and I was struck by the similarities of Jonathon and this man. Perhaps that was why Rick was dealing with them the same way. Rick ripped the eyepatch off of Izzy and threw it onto the ground.

"Come on. Get to work."

As Izzy gave the orders to prepare Rick began to walk back to his car and Izzy followed, walking between Evie and I.

"You're not exactly catching me at my best."

"Oh, I sure I am," Evie replied. Seriously Izzy and Jonathon should have been brothers, since they flirted the same way anyway. Both crashed and burn before the race even began.

As we rounded the corner a horse whinny filled the air and I spotted 13 men on horseback. All wore the same black robes as Ardeth so they must have been affiliated with the man in the middle of them. Ardeth hopped off of his horse with a familiarity that made me jealous. I had ridden before and this man looked as if he was born on the back of one. Did he have to be good at everything he did?

"I knew it," I heard from behind me. "I'm gonna get shot." I rolled my eyes at the one track mind of Izzy but followed the group to where they stood in front of the men in black.

"These are the commanders of the twelve tribes of the Medjai." The Medjai, I hadn't heard of this group before. I would have to ask Ardeth later what they were. "Horus!" He lifted his hand and a bird flew from the hand of one of the commanders and landed on Ardeth's hand instead.

"Ah, a pet bird."

"My best and most clever friend," Ardeth admonished. Dually noted, do not call the bird a pet. "He will let the commanders know of our progress so that they may follow." He turned back to the commanders and lifted his hand into the air. "Allahu Ma'ana." I didn't recognize the phrase, only that it was Arabic. He then touched his chest as the commanders mirrored his actions. Then they turned and rode off, most likely to gather their forces for the journey ahead. "If the army of Anubis arises they will do all they can to stop it."

Rick nodded and inclined his head back to the Magic Carpet Airways building. So again we turned and went back as Jonathon left to go to the car for the rest of the suitcases. I felt bad for him so I went to follow. This time Rick and Evie joined us and began to help Jonathon carry the bags. Ardeth stood by with his bird as we got our items together. Finally as we cleared the car and headed back inside, Evie finally voiced her concerns.

"Are you sure he's reliable?"

"Yeah, yeah he's reliable. Ish."

"That last part doesn't inspire my confidence," I primly informed Rick. He shrugged.

"Eh." I snorted again at the man but decided to follow regardless. Rick would find the best way to chase down his son, and if it was through Izzy, I would trust his judgement as well. Even if he did not make me feel as confident as I wished.

We rounded the next corner and I stopped dead in my tracks at the sight before me. A balloon floated in front of me and seemed to be big enough to carry people on. A small boat hung underneath the what seemed to be hand stitched balloon and was held together with ropes. The wood seemed to be old and rotting at first glance and I almost turned to walk away right there.

"Come," Ardeth pulled me along and galvanized me into action. I did not want to think of why my skin was tingling from where he had grasped my shirt. His fingers hadn't even touched my skin and it was reacting already. With a huff I followed the crew instead.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Izzy asked as we finally made our way the balloon contraption.

"It's a balloon!" was Rick's incredulous reply.

"Ugh, it's a dirigible."

"Where's your airplane?"

"Hah! Airplanes are a thing of the past."

"Izzy, you were right," Rick agreed and he came to a stop in front of the man.

"I was?"

"Yeah, you're gonna get shot." With a quick, fluid motion Rick grabbed the gun and cocked it, then swung the gun up to point at Izzy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, she's faster than she looks." At this point I did not know who to fear more, the fact that Rick pulled a gun on Izzy or the fact that Izzy didn't seem to care or sense the danger he was in. "And she's quiet. Real quiet. Perfect for sneaking up on people which is a very good thing." Izzy walked up to Rick as he was speaking and his voice dropped to an almost whisper. "Unless, of course, we go with your approach. Barging in face first, guns blazing, and getting your friend shot in the ass!"

"Funny, I think I might have heard that story before," I said out loud as Rick shrugged his agreement and put away his weapon.

"And if you think that is the only thing that he's responsible for, then you'd be wrong!" He turned back to the ship, leaving me with no doubt he'd hidden a scroll somewhere with every instance of Rick wronging him. Most likely as a ledger, or perhaps a hate list contrived after being shot in the ass.

"Why can't you people ever keep your feet on the ground?" Ardeth asked. I smiled.

"Says the man who said airplanes were safe," I shot back at him. He turned towards me with an amused smile.

"Just because they are safe does not mean I wish to ride in one unless the need is dire." I grinned at him, relaxing my guards for the first time around him.

"And yet here you are with so much flying you might forget what it is like being on the ground."

"But I am not the only one about to fly in that balloon." I groaned.

"Don't remind me." His laugh was infectious, I found out. He laughed loudly with no care to anyone who heard his amusement. Even Evie had turned in surprise at the sound and glanced at me, then back to him. With a smile she turned back to her husband and left us to her own devices. "If I fall out of it, at least I tried to warn us beforehand."

"If you fall, I will catch you." It had to have been the heat of the desert that pressed upon me with those words. I could feel the blush darkening my cheeks to a rosy hue and my usually witty brain had nothing it could say in return. Ardeth smiled at my silence and walked away toward the balloon, leaving me behind with a rapidly beating pulse and a brain that could not even function.

Maybe I should petition for him as a whole to be declared illegal.

Finally as my feet managed to work before my brain, I managed to make it to the balloon and throw all of the luggage I was carrying into the "dirigible". I vaulted myself into the ship and was surprised to not hear the groaning of wood with the new weight. Even if it did not look new, it seemed to be holding up fairly well. After finishing the preparations I came to the side of the ship and could not help but to hold on to the railings until my knuckles turned white. I was scared with an airplane but at least I knew those were proven to be safe enough. A balloon with hot air holding a ship with ropes? Not so much.

"It will be all right." I heard Ardeth come beside me, his arm devoid of the bird.

"Everything's just fine," I managed to say between clenched teeth. If I wasn't so terrified perhaps I could have marveled over the fact that I was going on an air balloon and maybe in the retelling of the story would I be able to remember this fondly. For now my nerves of not being on the ground were in full swing.

To my ultimate surprise Ardeth placed a hand on one of my own and stood beside me. My hand tingled from the first touch of his skin to my own. I could do nothing but stare at the contact and felt my heart beat faster in my chest, the reaction that always seemed to happen when Ardeth was concerned.

"Relax."

"If I remember you weren't happy about this either."

"Of course not. But I told you I would catch if you fell." I let out a short, nervous laugh but he did not move and I felt my grip start to loosen under the weight of his hand. Instinctively I was reacting to his protection, knowing that he was capable of the promises he gave. He was of a different material than the men in the city and somehow I knew that from the first moment I met him.

"Cut the ropes!" I heard Izzy command, and Rick took a quick moment to do as he bade. The ship shook and again my grip tightened to an almost painful extent. The balloon turned and my balanced was disrupted over the angle of the turn, causing me to step instinctively to correct myself.

Immediately Ardeth took a step forward and caught me before I could fall over or worse. His hand held my waist as he pulled me to his side to steady me. "I can handle it," I told him immediately, feeling as if I had to defend myself.

"I know," was his reply. Perhaps he did know. "I merely wanted to assist you, even if you did not truly need it from me." Placation was something else he was good at, apparently, because I did not have another answer to that.

For the first time in my life, I found myself relaxing into the touch of a man. What was it about this man that he could go past my guards and burrow straight into my being? I looked up Ardeth to see him looking down at me. Whatever this man was, he was my weakness. I was attracted to him, and that scared me most of all.