*
Morning was a few hours away and the sky was a shroud of uncountable stars. Pale moonlight caressed the sands of Egypt like a mother's hand tending a sick child. It was a vision of beauty and yet there seemed to be a dark taint upon the land. Or so it seemed to Ardeth as he traveled the night alone. Everything right now seemed cruel and lonely to him. Perhaps that was because he had just killed his friend.
The moment kept playing around in his mind seemed like something from a nightmare. It was horrible and surreal, something that could never have happened in reality. But it had and what stuck with him the most were her dark eyes, lit up in shock and begging him for an answer. Why? Why had he done this to her?
He couldn't have even answered her had he been able to go to her. Meela's spell kept the words behind his lips, unable to be uttered even under the direst of circumstances. Meela's spell had driven him to a horse and now kept him firmly on course. Meela's spell had begun the undoing of what he was. His chest hurt and his stomach felt sick as he again thought of it. It wasn't something that was going to just leave his mind. Evy, she was so kind and gentle, so innocent, now dead by his hand.
Ardeth wasn't a killer at heart. He would fight like any warrior would if the situation called for it, but to slay an innocent was against everything he was, everything he stood for. She had done only what she thought she must to protect herself from the creature and had paid with her blood. Ardeth felt sick. The gold book and key lay clenched in his hands. The spell wouldn't even allow him to put them away. He couldn't even rest, no matter how exhausted he felt.
Not that he particularly cared at the moment. He was numb right now, except for the ache inside. Aside from the fact that his friends would never forgive him, he would never forgive himself.
He could see the rock ahead and his body shuddered with anticipation of completing the task set before him. He yearned to see Meela again, not only because of the spell that drove him, but because of the strength he had been given back. As soon as the book was in her hands he would rip her to shreds for this thing she had done to him. He dismounted the horse he had ridden and drew his shredded shirt around him. The path seemed long. "Ancksunamun," he called out once he was within the threshold. He wanted to wait there, but the spell made him go deeper even though he couldn't see.
His weary legs carried him through the darkness and took him back to the room he had been held in. The room he had been violated by her evil spell in. The torch that had been hung on the wall was still lit. The compulsion didn't push him any further, and he felt peace enough to stay in here and wait for her to return--if she ever did. The reality occurred to him that if she didn't, he could never leave. He would die right here, waiting for his master like a dog.
But she didn't leave him waiting. She must have been watching the temple, for minutes later she entered and smiled. "Hello, Ardeth. Do you have my book?"
Ardeth glared at her and tossed the book into her arms. The task was done and the compulsion to see it through was gone. "You know I have the book, witch!" he hissed.
She waved a finger at him, and then caressed the book's surface. "My poor Med-Jai. You've served me well." Her hand wrapped around the key and turned it, opening the Book of Ra.
Watching her intently, Ardeth entertained a few thoughts. If he could overpower her, cover her lips before she spoke, he might be able to kill her. Her eyes were turned onto the book, happily reading that which cost Ardeth a great price to obtain. He moved closer very slowly. She seemed too wrapped up in what she was doing to notice.
And at the right moment he pounced on her, covering her lips with his hand and falling to the floor with her. The Book of Amun Ra crashed down with them. Meela lay beneath him, struggling under his restored strength. Ardeth wasn't gentle with her as he covered her mouth and used his other hand to hold her down. "I don't care what your motives were," he growled, allowing his fury to surface fully. "I don't care what you want or what you could have offered me. You are going to pay for what you've done!" He paused, not quite sure what to do.
Ancksunamun took his pause as an opportunity. She bent her leg, kneeing him and in surprise and pain he lifted his hand. "Get off me," she told him, shoving him to the side. "Don't ever attack me again." She watched him for a few moments, then stood up and examined her injured arm.
Ardeth pushed himself up and sat against the wall, knowing that escape was impossible now. The pain of the past few hours was too much to bear. He felt more helpless than he had ever felt in his life. "Kill me," he pleaded quietly, knowing his friends would never be safe until he died. If he could save them from himself this way, he would.
But Meela only laughed at that, her hands on her hips as she looked at him. "I'm not going to kill you, my Ardeth. Not when you're so close to becoming what I want you to be." She sat down beside him and moved to touch his face. He pulled away and she laughed. "Don't resist me."
He couldn't move this time as she began running her fingers down his cheek. Her eyes gazed into his, searching his soul. "What have you done that has made you so upset? I see something in those dark eyes of yours, something that's broken your heart. Answer me."
"I killed her," he replied immediately, unable to help himself. "Evy tried to stop me from taking the book and I killed her."
"Ooooh," she soothed, rubbing her hand through his hair. "You took an innocent life. Now I understand why you felt it necessary to do what you did. But my love, you will do more than even that." She inhaled at his sigh. "I cannot let you go unpunished for what you did to me, however. Take your shirt off."
Ardeth didn't feel like fighting this time. He deserved whatever she was going to do for his failure to Evy and to himself. In only a moment his shirt hit the floor and she got up to retrieve the metal rod she had used on him earlier.
*
Jonathan paced back and forth, his hand nervously rubbing the back of his neck and his eyes darting to where Evy lay. His sister was unconscious and her pretty clothing splattered with blood. His stomach ached in fear and confusion. Imhotep hadn't told them anything, merely woke them up and commanded him to make Rick search for Ardeth. Now O'Connell was gone, riding around the desert in search of their friend.
he priest stood above Evy, his eyes unreadable. He didn't move to help her, merely watched her die.
Who could have done this to her? Perhaps Ardeth was chasing down whoever had done her harm. Whatever the case, Jonathan couldn't concentrate on those questions right now. All he could do was think of Evy.
He could remember her as a child. Bright eyed and curious, Evy had dared to wander away from their uncle at the zoo. One moment she was there, the next moment gone. Uncle Rob and a twelve-year-old Jonathan had spent the better part of an hour scouring the entire zoo in search of the little girl. The first thing she did when they found her near the tiger cages was throw her arms up and come running, tears in her eyes and his name on her lips.
Jonathan shook his head and fought to form the ancient words that were so hazy in his memory. "Can you heal her?"
The answer was plain in Imhotep's eyes. He couldn't hide the knowledge that he had, but his lips denied what was written in his expression. "I cannot."
"You're lying," Jonathan accused, his eyes hard. He took a step towards the dread priest, wringing his hands. "You can't let this happen! Not when you know you can do something to save her!"
Imhotep crossed his arms and again looked down on Evy. "Why should I care that this woman dies?" He nudged her limp arm with his foot.
Evy's brother could feel time slipping away as each second passed. He didn't know what could ever convince this man with him to heal her now that the gold book was gone. "What can I offer you?" he asked in a hushed voice, not really expecting an answer. He looked up and saw Imhotep watching him curiously. "I have nothing, but I'm asking you to give me my sister back anyway."
Those cool dark eyes held Jonathan's and for a moment he despaired, having his words fall on a closed heart. But then Imhotep looked back down at the dying woman below him and exhaled. Dropping to his knees, he gathered Evy in his arms and closed his eyes, his lips moving now to speak words of healing. Imhotep placed his hand inside Evelyn's shirt and caressed his fingers over the bloody wound on her stomach.
The waiting was tense. Each moment that went by made Jonathan worry that it was too late for her. Had her spirit traveled too far away to return to them? Imhotep's eyes opened and he looked down upon Evy. Jonathan came closer and got to his knees, hovering over his sister. Relief spread through him when her dark eyes flutter open. "What...what happened?" she whispered groggily, looking at the two men around her.
Jonathan laughed, happy to see his sister alive and well. He slapped Imhotep on the shoulder, exclaiming, "Immy, old girl, you did it!"
Imhotep's eyes grew irritated and he smacked Jonathan back, winning a yelp. Evy smiled wanly and shook her head when Jonathan questioned the priest as to why he felt it necessary to hit so hard. "You might want to brush up on your Egyptian," she suggested, her voice soft and strained.
He thought for a moment, then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, old boy. Didn't mean it. Got the words mixed up." He touched Evy's pale face and smiled. "Thank you."
"What did he do?" Evy asked, trying to sit up. Imhotep stopped her. "What happened? Where's Rick?"
The priest of Osiris didn't give Jonathan time to respond. He apparently decided it was his place to tell her and right now Carnahan didn't mind at all. "The Med-Jai disappeared when you left us. I thought nothing of it, but not long after he got on a horse and left quickly. I found you on the sand, dying. The wound you had was not aimed properly or I might have found you too late." Jonathan watched Imhotep absently rub his fingers against her now whole belly, his hand still inside her lower shirt.
"He healed you," Jon said to his sister, petting her hair softly as if were he to let go, the nightmare would return. "Who tried to kill you?"
Evy's eyes grew distinctly pained and her brow furrowed. She looked away, her hand moving to her stomach as she obviously recalled the attack. Before she could answer the sound of a horse approaching made them look up. Rick had come back alone. He dismounted and ran to Evy. "Hey, you okay?" he asked, kneeling beside Jonathan and touching her arm.
She nodded, her eyes still distant. "I had a little help," she told him, her eyes looking up to Imhotep.
Rick gazed up as well, unbelief in his own eyes as he regarded the priest of Osiris. "Ah...thanks," he mumbled, then again looked to Evy. Jonathan translated for Imhotep at his puzzled expression. Rick shook his head. "I couldn't find Ardeth anywhere. Did he go after the ones who did this to you?"
"No," Evy half whimpered, her eyes wetting with tears. She squeezed Rick's hand as he took hers. "He took the Book of Ra. I tried to stop him. He..."
Jonathan and Rick quickly looked at each other at her pause, then back to her. Of course Jonathan thought that inherently Med-Jai generally carried trouble around with them wherever they went, but he couldn't believe Ardeth would do anything like that. "He did what?" he gently urged.
Evy wiped away a few stray tears from her cheeks and swallowed back her disbelief of whatever it was she had locked in her heart. She didn't want to tell them whatever it was, or more accurately didn't seem to want it to be true. But it was and she couldn't escape it. "He did this to me," she finally answered.
Due to language barriers, the shock of what was said was lost upon Imhotep. Jonathan widened his eyes and inhaled sharply. Ardeth had done this? He had been the one that almost cost him his sister? Jonathan couldn't quite decide between disbelief and rage. "What did you say?" he heard Imhotep ask his sister, having seen their reactions.
Evy told him what had happened to her and even he seemed surprised. His eyes seemed to scan the desert around them as he said grimly, "He will die for this."
*
There were shadows all around him. They seemed to suffocate the very purity of the air. The sand on his bare feet was like little shards of glass as he walked through the coolness of the night. He could feel the softness of a breeze brush through his black hair like a woman's fingers might.
There was a purpose to his steps--that he knew. A dark purpose lay before him and yet he couldn't stop his intent path. The night found him wandering through the darkness with a dagger in his hand. There was a fire and a horse before his vision and he headed towards that.
In the firelight he saw her upon the sand. Evelyn was shrouded in black and her eyes sad as she looked at him. "Please," was all that issued from her pink lips, and a hopeless doom was written within the expression she wore. She got to her knees and dropped her hands to her sides in obedience. That bothered him.
Ardeth Bay sank to his knees and touched her chin, bringing her lowered face to look at him. There were tears in her dark eyes and she stayed perfectly still, the sadness on her face unbearable. "I'm sorry," Ardeth whispered, then drew her into his arms. He soothed her as best he could, trying to lessen her pain, but in the end he couldn't stop himself. The knife of Ancksunamun found it's way to Evelyn's body and she whimpered as he pushed it further.
There beneath the stars he killed her, an innocent woman who had done nothing wrong. She fell back from him and down, the life gone from her. Evy looked like she was merely asleep, but the terrible reality remained. She was forever gone.
And there in the sand Ardeth Bay wept for her, and wept for himself. For the person he was was saddened by such an act of brutality against her. It grieved him that by his own hand her life had been ended.
Behind him was the sound of footsteps, calling out to him gently. A hand touched his shoulder and a person knelt behind him. His back was being rubbed in a comforting manner. Arms drew him around and shielded him from the thing he'd just done. He wept again, lost in being held. Lost in guilt and seeking a way to forget.
Ancksunamun touched his chin and brought his face up to look at hers. Her eyes were smiling and her lips sought his. "You are mine," she whispered, pulling his head to her shoulder. "You belong to me." Somewhere inside he was afraid, something inside was appalled. Yet he couldn't leave her arms.
Meela watched Ardeth toss and turn in his sleep. The Med-Jai lay on the hard floor and she sat across from him, her back against the wall. He had obeyed her every command, removed his shirt for her, and leaned against the wall to take his punishment. The spell made him very easy to control. Of course she wanted more, though. It was the nature of a follower of Set.
She wanted him broken, wanted to take what was good and pure in him and use it for evil. Such delighted her. It was what she had sought to do to Imhotep. She hadn't counted on seeing him again, that was certain. But it didn't matter. She had already destroyed what he was so long ago. Now he was no more than an inconvenience. The Book of Amun Ra would stop him and he would continue to suffer as time passed, all for her love.
Ancksunamun frowned with contempt and shoved the priest from her mind. Now she had another focus for her delights. He lay on his stomach, his head pillowed on his arms. Meela liked the look of him while he slept. He was beautiful and despite what he had done to Nefertiri, he still held that innocence that tempted her so. His guilt was beautiful to her.
Unable to resist the temptation to touch him, Meela got onto her hands and knees and crawled to where he lay. She smoothed a lock of dark hair from his face and watched the burdened expression there. He was dreaming. "You belong to me," she whispered, her hand almost loving as she ran it down his bare back. The bruises and cuts there were dark and numerous.
"Evy," he whispered in his sleep, his fists clenching. He shook his head and stirred, then opened his eyes from the haunting nightmare. Seeing her above, he startled and moved away from her. "What will you make me suffer this time?" he asked, his tone tired and hard.
Ancksunamun came close again and touched his face. "Nothing," she answered softly, looking him over. It was important to let him rest from pain. Too much at one time would ruin her efforts and a good balance between hurt and pleasure would bend him to her will more quickly than simply one or the other because of his nature. Imhotep had been easily turned by pleasure alone, so willing to abandon himself to how good if felt and what he thought was love. Ardeth wouldn't be so easily swayed. "Would you let me kiss you?" she asked.
Ardeth laid back down and closed his eyes. "I would rather you didn't."
Of course she wouldn't take no for an answer. Not this time. She'd waited long enough. "Ardeth," she began, rubbing his muscled shoulder and watching him wince at the pain. "The hurt can go away. The aching you feel can be stilled. I can do that for you." She inhaled deeply and drove her nails into his back, making him groan. "Or it can be a rough relationship we have, one where you defy me and I punish you and then you obey anyway."
Ardeth turned on his side, facing her. He gripped her wrist tightly and tossed her arm away. "I am not your priest, Ancksunamun. I am nothing like him and I will not be some game you play at taking away what I stand for."
At that Meela only laughed, again reaching for him. She liked to touch his hair, enjoyed touching his face. "Tell me, Ardeth, did Evy suffer when you killed her? Was it painful for her?" she asked in an offhand manner.
Ardeth glared, his temper rising within him at her daring to ask such things. He looked like a deadly panther, caged and ready to kill for escape. An idea came to her, a way to draw him into her darkness even further. She sighed when he smacked her hand away from him. "Fine. You want payment for the things I've done and made you do." Her eyes took in his coldly. "Aside from killing me I give you permission to do whatever it is you think I deserve."
The Med-Jai looked down at the floor. She could see in his eyes that he was thinking his way through it, questioning himself as to just how far revenge could go before it started being wrong. His eyes went to the dagger on her hip and she took it out and offered it. "You want to cut me, killer of innocent Evelyn?"
The spell wouldn't allow him to kill her and she could stop his attack any time, so she was unafraid when he raised his hand, his eyes flashing angrily at her harsh words. She hit the floor when Ardeth's hand met her face and she waited for him to continue. "Never speak her name again," he warned, sitting back against the wall.
Meela pushed herself up and wiped the blood from her lip. She smiled and spat, "Why? Do you feel guilty for what you did? How did you kill her?"
The pain in Ardeth's eyes wasn't lost upon her. He closed his eyes, obviously reliving whatever it was he had done. So close, he was so close. She wanted him to explore his rage completely. So, she pressed again. "Was it your scimitar that took her life? Where did you stab her?"
At that he couldn't contain himself. Even the strongest warrior has a breaking point, a place that if touched releases uncontrollable anger. Ardeth moved quicker than she could prepare for and shoved her down to the floor, holding her arms with rough hands. He yanked her up and pushed her back down with hurt and infuriated eyes. "I didn't kill her, witch of Set, you did!" He reached for her dagger on the floor and held it to her throat.
"Did she have time to wonder why you were murdering her?" Ancksunamun replied, knowing it was the last bit that would push him over the threshold.
Her heartless words did their job. His hand came down on her face again and she cried out at the sting. Then he did something she hadn't counted on. She had not thought that he, in his rage, would remember to cover her lips, but before she could stop him he did.
He was too strong for her to fight off, so she could only lay there and wait for him to do whatever it was he had in mind. She commanded that he not kill her--that much was on her side, but she couldn't stop from whimpering each time he hit her. It reminded her of a distant time long ago when she had displeased Seti, but his anger had been much easier to obtain than this Med-Jai's.
Suddenly Ardeth stopped his hands from their attack. His head dropped to her chest and he still held to her tightly, but now it was out of pain instead of vengeance. He knew what she had brought him to she realized when he whispered painfully, "Why are you doing this to me?" Seeing the worst part of oneself wasn't an easy thing.
Despite the pain she was in, the aching in her jaw, Ancksunamun drew her arms around him and soothed him. He was much more agreeable now, she noticed, now that the will he had left had been wrestled from him. "Ardeth, rest," she said gently, offering neither a word of rebuke nor praise.
Taking comfort from the enemy, Ardeth did rest, lying with Ancksunamun as she pet him and whispered honey coated things. The journey she would force him to take would be a long one, but if he survived she would have a subject more loyal than Imhotep had ever been. She would have everything she had always wanted. She would be the master.
*
"Why do you think he healed you?" Rick asked Evy, who sat in front of him on the horse they shared. Rick didn't like Imhotep, never had and never would. A healthy suspicion remained despite the fact that the priest, for whatever reason, had given Evy back her life.
They rode on towards Cairo, no one sure of what path they should take. Ardeth's people knew where the other seals were, but would they be so willing to surrender that knowledge to the mummy? "I'm not sure," Evy answered, squinting in the morning sunlight.
They both glanced at the dread priest of Osiris, who rode silently beside Jonathan, his robe wrapped around him and covering his head from the sun. O'Connell idly wondered if sunburn was something that the ancient undead mummy really and truly had to worry about. Imhotep's dark eyes met Rick's bright blue ones and he looked uncomfortable with having to remain civil. "You and me both, Imhotep," Rick muttered as he again looked out at the desert before them.
"Mmm, what was that?" Evelyn mumbled absently, leaning against him and inhaling deeply.
"Nothing," was the ex-Legionarre's reply. Besides carting around what Rick privately termed 'the freak', something else weighed heavily on his mind. Ardeth. What, out of every evil thing imaginable, could have driven Ardeth to try and kill Evy? There was an uncomfortable feeling in Rick's chest as he thought about it. He half listened to the alien words Imhotep said. "What's he talking about?" he asked when the priest finally quieted.
Evy sighed and scratched her arm. "He's concerned that we aren't going to find the seals."
"Ah," Rick replied, nodding his head. "Normally I'd tell him to go find the nearest flagpole and screw himself on up, but I guess that wouldn't be wise in this situation, huh?"
A light hand batted at Rick's shoulder as Evelyn chuckled. "Be nice, Rick. He did heal me."
Rick shrugged and grinned. "Yeah, okay. So, what are these seals anyway? What do they look like?"
Evy's tone went into scholar mode as she began to describe what she had seen. She also used her hands to talk, Rick noted. "It's a kind of gold painted wooden box. It's about five square inches wide and a few inches thick, I think. It's got an Eye of Horus painted on it."
"Hmm," Jonathan murmured, his eyes thoughtful. "Didn't old Drake have something like that in his office?" He looked to Rick.
O'Connell thought back to the lavish office, trying to remember everything he had seen. Oversized paperweight. "Yeah. Come to think of it, he did have one. You don't think that something that important would be in a den of thieves?"
"Thieves?" Evy questioned, her eyebrow raised.
Jonathan laughed at that. "Rick's unsavory friends. Do you think maybe Drake stole it?"
Rick shook his head at that and frowned in thought. "Nah," he replied. "That little thing didn't look important or worth anything. He wouldn't have troubled himself."
"Maybe the Med-Jai gave it to him," Evy suggested, shifting on the uncomfortable saddle. "You know the old saying about hiding things out in plain sight. Who would think of it being in a thieves den, as you said?"
"Nefertiri," Imhotep questioned sharply, visibly annoyed that he couldn't understand the chatter going on outside of his understanding. "What are you speaking of?"
Evelyn sighed at his calling her by that name. That was something she was going to have to ask him about one of these days. "We think we might know where one of the seals are. When Rick and Jonathan were in Thebes they saw something like what Asenath had," she told him, careful to avoid mentioning Ancksunamun.
Imhotep's expression grew distant as he no doubt thought back to the Thebes he knew and lived in, then had terrorized a year ago. "Then we are on the right path."
*
Thanks
again and again. I'm happy I didn't get shot this week. :D
Hehe. Thank you muchly to Deana for giving me the idea to write that
dream up there...if you hadn't I would have been lost as to what to write.
And I also wouldn't have written what followed, which you might have been
happier with methinks.;) Anyhow, glad you all are enjoying. -Angel