Thank you all for your kind words and everybody who is still with this story :)

I won't dawdle here for too long.

Enjoy this next chapter!

How to go from here?

A question which repeated itself over and over again in his mind. Leaning back in his seat, he let his eyes roam over the book he was currently holding within his hands. The Medjai chieftain wasn't exactly proud of his behaviour. It was anything but honourable. The reason was the leather bound object in front of him. It wasn't his and yet he had still taken the liberty of reading it in its entirety.

He had been planning on asking Elisabeth about the American earlier and he would have gotten the chance, if his mother hadn't interrupted and taken the woman with her. Of course he let her have her way, knowing it would be more problematic to pull Elisabeth away from his mother than to let them be alone for a few hours.

So instead he had gone back into his tent, back to Samir. In there he spent a few minutes sorting out the contents of Samir's saddlebags as his brother was in no way able to take care of it himself. To Ardeth's surprise the bags had been fairly empty, aside from a little bit of food that had been left untouched. But there was one other thing which had caught his eye almost immediately.

A small package tied together with a string, containing two books and some documents. After hearing Elisabeth's story about what happened at the camp, it didn't surprise Ardeth they'd taken only a few things with them. Obviously these objects did not belong to Samir, he was no reader let alone a writer. Which left Elisabeth as the owner of the bundle of papers.

Clearly it was something she used on a daily basis as the dates in the upper right corners indicated. This was a journal. But the information inside was more than just some random thoughts jotted down.

Once more, Ardeth read the passage Elisabeth had written most recently. He couldn't understand everything though. It was mostly written in what he assumed was German. Thankfully some parts were Arabic, others in English and yet another language which he presumed was French. It felt rather messy even though her handwriting was neat and he wondered why she felt the need to write in various languages instead of sticking to one.

There were names he recognized, such as Samir's and even his own. Unfortunately he couldn't understand any of the parts which contained his name. They weren't written in English nor his own language, unlike the passages that included Samir. The other name he noticed more than once was a typical English name. Richard.

At first he wasn't sure who this person was. Part of him assumed it was somebody Elisabeth knew from Cairo or perhaps back in Germany. Luckily, it didn't take too long for him to discover that the name often occurred in combination with another word. Amerikanisch. But it wasn't until he came across a part in English that the pieces of the puzzle finally fell together.

"I told Samir about Richard today. He wasn't angry or upset for not telling him sooner...but I could tell he was disappointed with me. I can only hope the information we received from the Frenchmen is true and that we'll be able to locate Richard quickly once we arrive back in Cairo. I still can't believe we were this close to him finding him in Minya... If only I had paid more attention,-"

Ardeth rubbed his chin and set the journal in his lap. The mystery of why his little brother and Elisabeth had been on their way to Cairo was now solved. As well as the name of the American thief.

Elisabeth had discovered a lot more in Minya than he initially thought and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't happy with the progress she had apparently made. But what he didn't like was that she had kept things from him and Samir and it wasn't the first time she'd done that.

Strangely enough the thing that bothered him the most, aside from not being able to understand everything she had written, was seeing his name in there. Only because it seemed that every part that mentioned him was solely written in German. Yes, it annoyed him greatly and he wanted to know what she could possibly have to say about him.

He picked up the journal again and leafed through it until he came across his name once more.

Ardeth. Er ist selbstgefällig, eingebildet, launisch.
Aber...wenn er in meiner nähe ist...

The upper right corner of his mouth twitched. He very much doubted he was ever going to find out what she wrote about him, unless he would ask someone to translate it which he knew was never going to happen as Elisabeth was the only German person he knew. Ardeth flipped the page and continued looking through the journal. There were small drawings on some of the pages, flowers, birds and even fruit.

He paused when he reached another page about Minya, where she'd written more about the American. At the bottom right corner he spotted a drawing of something that resembled a box of a most unusual shape. If it even was a box at all, he couldn't really tell. Underneath it was but one word written. Hamunaptra.

Reading it caused Ardeth to arch an eyebrow. He scanned the page for some information but couldn't find anything. He let out a deep sigh of frustration but there was also some form of relief in there. Relief, because Elisabeth had been smart enough to make sure this journal had not been left behind in the desert and at the same time frustration because she had actually written about that cursed place.

Yes, he could not read and understand all of it, but it was clear that this journal had to do with everything for which he had hired her. One thing was for sure, he had to confront her about it. But for now he decided on keeping the journal with him to make sure nobody else could find it. Who knew what other secrets she might have written down? It was reckless and foolish to keep a journal like this in the first place.

Ardeth stood up and walked to a chest standing a couple of feet away from where he slept. He opened it and moved a few items aside, making room to hide Elisabeth's journal far away from the surface. He stepped back and closed it. That would have to do for now.

A dry cough sounded from across the room and Ardeth turned his head to look towards the location of his brother. He walked over to Samir and crouched down next to him. His eyes were closed, beads of sweat still adorned his forehead and dripped down his temples. Ardeth pressed his index and middle finger against the side of Samir's neck, checking his pulse.

It was unsteady and too fast paced. His village elder said an infection would most likely occur seeing as Samir had been exposed to the heat of the desert for too long whilst being wounded. There wasn't much they could do except to treat the wound every few hours and change his wrappings.

Ardeth furrowed his brow and removed his turban from his head. Getting Elisabeth away from his mother would have to wait once again. His brother was more important now.

Later that night

Nighttime had fallen and most of the tribe was sitting outside around a large campfire. Music was playing, food was being served and some of the smaller children were dancing around the bright fire lighting the circular area. Everybody was seated on equal ground, including Ardeth. Despite being a chieftain it didn't come across as if he expected to be treated differently.

Elisabeth observed him quietly from the corner of her eye as he sat there chatting with Dalila, his mother. She couldn't understand or hear everything they were saying to each other, but having heard Samir's name more than once, it was clear the conversation was about their family.

Earlier today she learned that most of the Medjai tribe members did in fact know the Arabic language spoken in Cairo, but they hardly used it here. From what she managed to understand was that they spoke a language known as Sudanese. Unfortunately, Elisabeth hardly knew anything about it. She was however thankful for the fact that she could speak Arabic freely, knowing most of the people would be able to understand her.

She conjured up a small smile as Dalila and Ardeth suddenly paused and turned their gazes in her direction. Had she been staring at them without realizing? Elisabeth straightened herself and took a bite from a piece of bread and averted her eyes away from them.

As she chewed her food, her mind wandered to Samir. She hadn't seen him since earlier today. Was he doing okay? Perhaps she should sneak into his tent once again. It didn't feel right to sit here with everyone else, eating good food and listening to lovely music being played. How could she sit here while he was hurt.

How long had she been with the Medjai? Over a day and a half, give or take more than thirty-six hours? Apart from the actual Medjai guards, everyone else had treated her with kindness. Sure, some gave her funny looks and whispered amongst one another in passing, but nobody had been cruel or rude to her.

Something cold yet soft touched her cheek and she looked to her right to see it was Dalila tracing the cut on her skin with the back of her hand.

"Do not worry." She said followed by something else which Elisabeth didn't fully understand. She replied with a short and swift nod at the older woman.

The music suddenly changed and instead of children surrounding the fire, space was created for more people to join in. Elisabeth watched as a couple of young men and women stood up and started to dance along the uplifting beat coming from the drums, lute and tambourines.

She recognised one of the girls as Yara, the woman who had bathed her, cleaned her wounds and massaged her aching body. Elisabeth had no idea how old she was, but she couldn't be much older than herself.

Yara was a great dancer, her movement in prefect sync with the steady beat of the drum. She rounded the fire twice before stopping a few feet in front of Ardeth. There she twirled in her spot a couple of times, never taking her eyes of him. It seemed Ardeth didn't mind it at all as he watched her with a broad smile and attentiveness.

A weird feeling hit Elisabeth as she looked upon the small interaction between those two. Her stomach felt full, yet she hadn't eaten a lot. Abruptly she stood up from her seat and walked away from the fire, with its elaborate music and dancing.

She soon found herself on the edge of camp. Still able to hear the music softly in the background, but the quietness of the desert was thankfully more present. She took a deep breath in through her nose. If you were to ask her what the desert smelled like, she wouldn't be able to give a proper answer. It felt more like an emotion than having an actual smell.

Standing there all alone wasn't doing her any good. Her mind kept wandering back to Samir accompanied by an immense feeling of guilt. What was going to happen once he was feeling better. Would he still be able to travel with her? But what if this was the calm before the storm. What if things were going to go the other way? What if he wasn't going to survive this?

No matter what happened, eventually the time would also come for her to go back to Cairo. Tomorrow would mark the fifth day of her leaving Minya. Yet she had no idea how long it would take to reach Cairo. Where was the location of the Medjai tribe? Was it further away from Cairo than Minya or was it in a completely different direction?

It wasn't important. There was no way she could leave now. She didn't want to either. For as long as Samir was still in a state of danger, she wanted to remain with the Medjai. That was if Ardeth would allow it. She knew very well of the obligation she had towards him.

But he didn't know about Richard, which was something that could work to her advantage. As long as he didn't know about the American and how close she was to finding him, there was no legitimate reason for Ardeth to sent her back to Cairo as soon as possible. But Samir did know about Richard. What if he'd already told his brother about what they'd discovered?

Perhaps it was best if she went back to her tent and sleep on it. But first she wanted to quickly check on her friend. Everyone else was so caught up with their evening ritual of eating and dancing, who was there to make sure Samir was okay?

Elisabeth rubbed her upper arms. The light evening breeze giving her skin goosebumps. She turned around, ready to head for Samir's tent, when her path was suddenly obscured. She collided against something hard and firm. A gasp of shock escaped her. Looking up she stared right into Ardeth's face. When had he managed to sneak up on her?

"Are you alright, miss Borchardt?" He asked calmly.

Why was he here? Shouldn't he be with his people at this moment, enjoying the food as well as all those women dancing for him?

"I,- I was just..." She paused, cleared her throat and straightened herself a bit more. "I was simply taking an after dinner stroll." She explained.

"I see." Ardeth replied. "Anywhere specific you were going? I'd be happy to escort you."

Escort her? Well, that was it then. There was no way she would be able to visit Samir in secret now. Something told her that Ardeth was not planning on letting her out of his sight. She averted her gaze and glanced over her shoulder into the dark yet starry night sky.

"Miss Borchardt?"

She might as well tell him what was on her mind. It was simply too tiring to keep up this facade of pretending to feel okay. She let out a deep sigh, but kept her eyes focused on the desert.

"It felt wrong sitting there...Tasting your delicious foods, listening to the beautiful music,- seeing people dance and having a good time."

Ardeth frowned at her, not really understanding what she was talking about. Her words described the evening as something pleasant, but there was sadness within in her voice.

"Why is it wrong?" He asked.

"Because your brother might be dying." Elisabeth said quietly without looking at him. "It feels wrong to smile while he's in pain."

Her words surprised him. Ardeth wasn't sure what it was he had expected her to say, but it wasn't this. He cleared his throat and carefully placed his hand upon one of her shoulders.

"Elisabeth..."

A shiver went through her body as he said her name, making it even more difficult than it already was for her to raise her eyes at him. He gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"I share your feeling. It may not seem like it from the outside, but believe me when I say it is there." Ardeth told her. Elisabeth finally dared to turn her head back and look at him.

"Do you think he'll be alright, Ardeth?" She then asked, her blue-green eyes searching his.

Ardeth felt rather strange all of a sudden. To hear her speak with such passion and tenderness for his younger brother. He wasn't sure what this feeling was. Jealousy? It would be wrong to feel it, especially in this situation. There was no reason to have any form of envy regarding the way she spoke of Samir.

Still, Ardeth wondered for a split second if she had written in her journal about him with the same type of devotion she seemed to have for his brother. He observed her face quietly.

For now he couldn't provide her with the answer he knew she wanted to hear. As he himself didn't know either. He wanted his brother to be alright, but a stabbing wound was dangerous, especially in that close proximity of ones heart.

"Only Allah will know." Was all Ardeth could say as Elisabeth's shoulders dropped slightly.

"I guess I have to be content with that." She let out a sigh but her breath shuddered.

Silence fell over them. Ardeth's hand still resting on her. It was like last night, when he asked her to tell him everything that had happened. How Samir got hurt. How long they'd been travelling across the desert. How Elisabeth got that cut on her cheek as well as her bruises.

Ardeth remembered getting an intense feeling of anger as she told him everything. And it wasn't until he'd accidentally dug his nails into her sunburnt arm, causing her to wince slightly, that he realized he'd been touching her throughout the entirety of her story.

He cleared his throat. "My brother would feel honoured to know he is on your mind."

Immediately Elisabeth shook her head. "Please don't say that. I feel guilty enough as it is. I got him in this mess. Taking him with me on this forsaken mission is the reason he got hurt."

"He wanted to go with you." Ardeth raised his other hand and grabbed hold of her upper right arm. "To protect you and thus he did."

He wasn't sure what was going through Elisabeth's mind as he spoke to her. Her eyes drifted away for a moment, then she blinked and before he registered what was happening her hands were against his chest, her fingers grasping the front of his cloak.

"If Samir survives this, then that is it for him and this mission. I know he will hate me for asking this, but his presence will be too much of a distraction. He can't come with me anymore. Otherwise my focus will mostly be on him and on making sure no harm befalls him."

It was a good thing they were standing on the edge of his camp, otherwise this entire situation would surely raise a lot of questions with his people. Ardeth removed his hands from the woman's shoulders and lowered them to wrap his fingers around her wrists.

"Promise me, Ardeth." She was practically begging him.

Seeing her like this was something he'd never expected to experience. This wasn't the same person he'd met a few months ago. That rude, obnoxious, nosy and flamboyant woman. He felt a lump forming in his throat.

"I can't promise you that he will listen to me. Samir has a mind of his own..." Ardeth began and already he could see her heart sink as he spoke. "But I will try." He quickly added.

A look of relief crossed her face and he could feel the tension slowly falter beneath his touch. Elisabeth let out a deep breath and licked her lips. "Thank you."

Ardeth was a little unsure of what to do now. There was a lot going on in his mind and it was hard to focus on the things that were more important. There was an urge forming itself inside his body, as well as a question. Actually, he had many questions to ask her. But the one burning on the tip of his tongue was but one. Staring into her eyes, his heart pounded heavily in his chest.

This wasn't the time, it was best they'd head back to the fire now. But what he really wanted to do at the moment was pull her closer and just hold her for a while. To give comfort. It was clear she needed it and perhaps a part of him needed it to. However the image of Samir entered his mind and he quickly cleared his throat and lowered his hands.

Stepping back he turned sideways and motioned towards the tents and the red glow shining within a short distance. "Let us return. I'm sure my mother will be wondering where you are."

I hope you all enjoyed. Let me know what you think.

Time to head back to Cairo in the next chapter.

Until then!