Dalila POV
We'd managed to get the warden's body out of the chambers and up to the surface, covering him to be ready to take back when we were finished here.
We still couldn't figure out what had happened to him, but then again none of us are medical doctors so we had to agree to let the professionals deal with him when we take him back. I just hope they don't think we did anything to him, or it will be back to jail for Rick and me.
After making a meal we're mostly sat in silence around our campfire, Rick having gone to inform the other Americans of what happened. I keep myself busy by sharpening my daggers and finally having cleaned and sharpened my sais after finding them in my bag. I had thought that I'd lost them but I'd forgotten they were in their special bag. These are special to me as the lady at the orphanage whom looked after Rick and I gave me after having trained me herself in how to use them in combat and defence. They're plain steel, nothing over the top but that's all you need and I've looked after them for years.
"What do you suppose killed him?" Evie asks, I look up at her for this, knowing she's talking about the Warden,
"Did you ever see him eat?" Johnathan asks, I frown at this, I can't see that being a factor, he ran full pelt head first against a wall, nothing to do with what he ate.
"Perhaps he had something wrong internally?" I suggest lightly, not liking to talk of such things, he could have had problems but kept it to himself. I hate to think what it could have been.
"Seems the Americans had a little misadventure of their own today" Ricks says, sitting down with us, I frown at him for this, what happened with them?
"Three of their diggers were…melted" he says, my eyes widen at this. How the heck did that happen? Evie and Johnathan just as surprised and horrified to hear,
"Salt acid. Pressurised salt acid. Some kind of ancient booby-trap" he says, I look down at this, that's a horrible way to die.
"Maybe this place really is cursed" Johnathan says, I look up at him for this before a gust of wind flickers the fire, ok that wasn't creepy at all.
"Oh, for goodness sake, you two, at least Dalila isn't trying to come up with silly scary stories for this place" Evie says, I avoid eye contact with that, let her believe that I'm sensible for a bit longer,
"You don't believe in curses huh?" Rick asks her, I carry on sharpening at this,
"No I don't, I believe if I can see it and I can touch it then its real. That's what I believe" she says,
"Very scientific way of thinking" I mumble, she mock glares at me which I smirk at,
"I believe in being prepared" Rick says, I point my dagger at him, nodding in agreement.
"Well, lets see what our friend the warden believed in" Johnathan says, I look over at him seeing him rummaging in the warden's bag, I frown wondering and also worrying about what the guy had in there.
Suddenly he cries out making me jump back aiming a blade at the bag wondering what was inside,
"Oh my god what is it?!" Evie asks having also jumped back, Rick aiming his gun at the bag too, Johnathan looks at his hand that I see has a speck of blood on it,
"Broken bottle" he says after licking the wound, putting his hand back in carefully before pulling out a bottle with the visible broken spout,
"Glenlivet, twelve years old! Well he may have been a stinky fellow but he had good taste" he says taking a swig, I smirk at him for that before I look to Rick seeing him look behind him out to the area around us, I listen out hearing…gunfire? I look out as well standing up with my sais in hand, my daggers already in their slots on my belt, I quickly get a gun and follow after Rick as he sets off with his gun, telling the other two to stay behind.
The noise getting louder before I finally see a group of riders on horseback with guns, beginning their attack on the Americans camp that were closest to the entrance.
I run at a fallen pillar getting some height before leaping off and throwing a rider off their horse, I jump to my feet ready to fight, he gets his gun out but I kick it out of his hands before spinning and kicking him the face, throwing him against a pillar. Just in time before another rider comes at me but I duck in time to avoid his scimitar, I side step another horse before hurrying onto of a giant rock and knocking a rider off and taking over the horse. I kick the sides to ride back around to face some more, my eyes catching one rider, his head turned away from me, another rider comes coming at me from another side, I glare at him and halt the horse in time to catch the riders scimitar between my sais, hooking it away seeing that he was ready to strike at not just me but would have harmed the horse too.
I stand up in the stirrups leaning over one side to put more weight against the blade to then throw us off the horses.
I roll away from him, watching him get up quickly and then running at me, I ready my sais again and with one I catch his blade again and with the other one I flip it in my hand to have the blunt end facing up to hit him over the head with it and sweeping my foot under him making him fall to the floor.
I hear another horse coming towards me but after I turn to face them with my sais ready again, they stop their horse before reaching me, I frown at this, seeing him lower his scimitar. All I can just about make out are his eyes, looking at me in what I can only guess is shock, perhaps at finding me to be a woman? Although that didn't stop the others, why has he stopped his attack?
I take a step back looking around seeing I've somehow gone behind some fallen pillars hiding us from view before quickly looking back at him, he only looks at me but I don't lower my sais. I look around again at him before running away, hurrying over one of the smaller fallen pillars and back into the main camp where the fight is, spotting Rick shooting at a rider,
"You doing alright?!" he asks, I nod in answer, blocking an attack from another rider preventing him from hitting us, I twist my sais as to take the blade with me and pulling the rider off his horse.
Suddenly we hear a shout and look to see a rider coming at us, Johnathon running for his life with that damn bottle in his hand and a gun in the other,
"O'Connell!" he shouts, he sees me first and runs towards me, I run towards him leading him away letting the attention on us while Rick hides behind a wall, I look behind me in time to see Rick throwing the rider off his horse.
Hurriedly I get Johnathon behind a rock in a good position where he can't be sneaked up on before running back to Rick seeing the rider having his scimitar shot out of hands by Rick, another rider about to hit Rick before I shoot at him surprising Rick but he looks back to see the man have another scimitar out and use it to disarm Rick, swinging at him, but I hurriedly get to Rick's side, swinging him away as I use my sais against the warrior, keeping him away from my brother.
He is very skilled and for some reason he won't attack, only defend himself, I kick him away to give me time to run back to Rick to see him igniting a stick of dynamite, holding it in front of him in warning at the warrior whom now pauses at seeing it.
I see his eyes now, the same as the warrior before whom froze at me, he stares at Rick looking like he is watching to see if Rick is bluffing, but Rick wont, he's crazy but won't go gown without a fight.
His eyes go back to me then, his scimitar lowering slowly.
"Enough! We shall shed no more blood. But you must leave! Leave this place or die" he says, I frown at him for this, why would he give up the fight now, I look around seeing all the other warriors have stopped their attacks upon his word, is he their leader?
One of his men brings him a horse that he quickly mounts,
"You have one day!" he shouts, commanding his other men before turning his horse.
His eyes meet my own, as if feeling me watch him, my sais having lowered now, I swear I see his eyes quickly look over to my left, I look over to see the ruined walls and pillars where we first faced, I look back seeing him still looking before turning his horse and leading them all away. what was that all about?
Rick pinches the fuse to stop the dynamite going off before going off to where I now see Evie has fallen. I look over to where I see Johnathon, seeing him now stepping out of his spot I left him in,
"You alright?" I ask, he nods in answer which I'm glad.
"See that proves it! Old Seti's fortunes gotta be under that sand" Daniel says, I frown at this, why would desert people guard Seti's old kingdom?
"For them to protect it like this, you just know there's got to be treasure down there" Henderson says, clearly they have no knowledge of the people here.
"No, these men are desert people. They value water, not gold" he says, I nod in agreement, but that still begs the question of why they are protecting this place so fiercely.
"You know maybe just at night, we could combine forces" suggests Burns, I look to him at that,
"Probably a good idea" I say, Rick looks to me at this but I nod my head at him seriously, he thankfully nods in agreement, we both know numbers aren't everything but after tonight its better then being on our own.
However, something tells me that it won't be the last time we see those men. Or the man that warned us to leave.