| THE ADVENTURES OF THE O'CONNELL FAMILY Page 45 |
| Deana Lisi ([email protected]) May 16, 2002 Ardeth checked the grounds, hoping to dispose of any foes that were working with Seth and Bonnie. What Ardeth didn�t know, was that someone had spotted him. Imhotep watched the man sneak around, suspiciously. He must be looking for me, having witnessed the crime! his mind told him. I must kill him before he makes known what I have done. Ardeth never saw Imhotep coming behind him, but at the last second he sensed danger, turning around in time to deflect the priest�s sword from nearly decapitating him. He succeeded, but the force of Imhotep�s attack threw him off balance, and they both fell hard to the ground, his scimitar and Imhotep�s still-bloody sword both clattering away. Ardeth was stunned for a minute, his already injured head throbbing painfully. Imhotep crawled off him and frantically made his way to where the swords had landed. Ardeth realized his intentions, and grabbed Imhotep�s leg, attempting to stop him. As fast as lightning, Imhotep turned around, and threw a punch at him. Ardeth had to let go with one arm to block it, and Imhotep now had his chance to stand, and he jumped to his feet quickly, kicking Ardeth in the chest. Ardeth gasped when the breath shot out of him. He watched dully as Imhotep ran towards the swords, and he knew that if he didn�t get up he would be dead in less then a minute. Ignoring his pain, he got to his feet and ran at Imhotep, who was starting to pick up his sword. Ardeth dove into him, making the priest lose his grip on the weapon. What Ardeth didn�t realize was that they would then both roll down a steep embankment that had been conveniently hidden by bushes. After coming to a painful stop at the bottom, neither of them moved for a minute. When Ardeth opened his eyes, his one relief was that Imhotep was now away from the swords. But now, so was he. Ardeth got to his feet, the priest doing the same. With a deep breath, Ardeth realized that one of two things would now happen: he would either give the beating of his life, or receive the beating of his life. With a wild yell, Imhotep charged at him, and Ardeth aimed to throw a punch at his face. The priest was expecting that, however, and blocked it, punching Ardeth hard in the stomach. Ardeth gasped, the breath knocked out of him a second time. His body automatically doubled over, though he tried not to. Surprisingly, Imhotep didn�t keep hitting him, obviously waiting for Ardeth to recover so they could go at it again. It looks as though I will receive the beating of my life, Ardeth thought, trying to get his breath back. Hunched over, he hung his head, his hands on his knees, hoping that Imhotep would let his guard down somewhat, thinking he'd really hurt him. It seemed to work, for when Ardeth suddenly sprang at him, Imhotep looked slightly surprised. Ardeth got in three good, solid punches before Imhotep punched him back, and, taking advantage of Ardeth�s unbalanced position, kicked his legs out from under him. As Ardeth went down, he did the same thing to Imhotep, who hadn�t expected it. Landing hard on his rear, he muttered something that Ardeth didn�t quite catch, and grabbed a huge rock, intending to smash it on Ardeth�s head. Ardeth rolled to the side, out of the way. He was frustrated that he hadn�t already won the fight�his earlier injuries disadvantaging him greatly. He and Imhotep were pretty much evenly matched on a good day. This was not a good day. Imhotep came at him again, and, still on the ground, he kicked the priest�s leg hard, before he came close enough. Imhotep caught himself before he fell, and punched Ardeth on the side of his head. Ardeth saw stars, but he grabbed Imhotep�s arm and punched him in the stomach. The priest fell on top of him, and used the advantage to get a few more punches in. They rolled around for a minute, each of them trying to get the upper hand. �STOP!� Both of them obeyed, surprised at the voice. Looking up the embankment, they saw Olympus standing there, holding Ardeth�s scimitar and Imhotep�s sword. He started to come down the embankment, and Imhotep�knowing he could never fight two people armed with swords while he had nothing�scrambled up and ran. Olympus ran over to Ardeth, who was still lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Olympus knelt next to him, wincing at the bruises that he could see already forming, and the blood coming from the corner of the Med-jai�s mouth and left eye. He put a hand on Ardeth�s arm. �Are you all right?� Ardeth was so relieved that the fight was over, that he nearly laughed at Olympus� question. �Yes,� he lied. Olympus looked like he didn�t believe him. �Nefret and Jonathan have taken Gabrielle to Jonathan�s time, for medical help,� he explained, as he helped the Med-jai up. Ardeth held out his hand to stop him when he reached a sitting position, not ready to stand just yet. �The woman still lives?� he asked, surprised. Olympus nodded. |