Lost Souls 

By Karri

 

Summary: Settled comfortable back in London following TMR, Evy finds a book...and, of course, much trouble ensues.  

 

Disclaimer: This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money is being made.  The Mummy Returns and its characters are the property of Steven Sommers and Universal Studios. The original characters, tribes, situations, legends, and curses are the property of the author.  Please don't borrow them without asking.  Special Thanks to Deana for her encouragement and suggestions

 

Things people seem to like to know ahead of time: it's Ardeth hurt/comfort, which includes all of the O'Connells (and Jonathan.)  It doesn't include Immy or Anck - apologies to their fans.  There are several original characters (BOO HISS!), including one in the very first chapter.  =-O  However, any and all Mary Sues are purely unintentional. Also, I've juggled more characters in this than I usually attempt, so if I lose anyone (usually Jonathan or Alex), apologies. I always find them, eventually.  ;-)  Oh, and, this is my first solo Mummy story - so be warned.  :-J

 

One last note:  Generally speaking, the Arabic is written only when the conversation is switching back and forth between languages, not when the entire conversation is Arabic.  Apologies to any Arabic speakers for my slaughtering of the beautiful language. 

 

Okay, all done.  To any who are still here, happy reading!  :D

 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Ardeth moaned softly in his sleep as the plane descended, hitting bumping air on its way.  Glancing over, Alex watched the Medjai shift uncomfortably in his seat.  Deciding he must be awake, despite his tightly closed eyes, Alex opened his mouth to try to soothe the warrior.  Before he could speak, Najat appeared, shushing him as she knelt in front of Ardeth.

 

"How's he doing?"  Alex asked, anxiously, watching Najat quickly bathe Ardeth with a damp cloth.

 

"It will be good when we are on the ground and his needs can be better tended," the Abadi replied, evasively.  Alex raised an eyebrow as she slipped a hand into one of Ardeth's, apparently intending to stay where she was, instead of returning to her seat.   

 

"The landing will be rough," Najat explained, briefly glancing up at the child. 

 

Alex nodded and, following her lead, took Ardeth's other hand.   He winced slightly at the pressure the warrior exerted as the plane's wheels bumped onto the runaway.  It was almost enough to distract him from the Medjai's pained gasps. 

 

"We'll be stopped soon," Alex soothed, as Ardeth opened his eyes.  It took several seconds for the Medjai to compose himself enough to speak.

 

"Insha'alla," he finally managed to gasp out, an instant before the plane screeched to a final halt.  Abruptly dropping the child's hand, Ardeth dug his finger into the armrest and held his breath through the final forward lurch.  He let it out in a long, slow sigh of relief as the plane sat still, at last.

 

"Rest," Najat instructed, compassionately, rising when the door of the plane opened.

 

As she let go of his hand, Ardeth draped it across the nearly melted ice pack still partially resting against his wound and closed his eyes.  Feeling Alex reclaim his free hand, the warrior cracked his eyes open and gave the child a weak smile.

 

"All will be well soon, young O'Connell.  Do not worry," he whispered, breathlessly.

 

Alex returned a concerned smile as Ardeth's eyes closed again.  Twisting slightly in his seat, he watched Najat and Johari carry a large wrapped bundle from the plane.  It took him several seconds to realize it contained the weapons. 

 

"Feels good to be back on the ground, eh, Alex?"  Jonathan quipped, disrupting his nephew's thoughts. 

 

"Yeah."

 

Jonathan resisted the urge to sigh as his nephew's attention returned to Ardeth.  Despite what they were going to do to him, he wished Rick and Evy were with them.   It seemed less and less likely that Ardeth would recover, and Alex was going to take it hard if he didn't.  Jonathan hoped his sister had caught up to them by then. 

 

"You are ready?"  Najat inquired, startling both Alex and Jonathan.  Focused on Ardeth, they hadn't noticed her come back aboard.  "My apologies...."

 

"Yeah, we're ready, eh, Alex?"  Jonathan glanced down at his nephew and smiled. 

 

"Ardeth...?" the Abadi asked, shifting her gaze.  Both Jonathan and Alex followed and saw that the Medjai's eyes were open again.  Ardeth nodded, and Najat made a gesture with her hand, bringing Johari forward to the Medjai from his seat.  Giving him another quick glance, she sighed, snatched the melted ice pack from beneath his robe, and backed out of the way.  Jonathan hovered over his nephew, ready to help as soon as he could maneuver close enough. 

 

"Alex."

 

Alex glanced over to see Najat wiggling her fingers at him and realized he was in the way.  Reluctantly releasing Ardeth's hand, he scrambled over to her.

 

"You'll be back at his side soon," she assured, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.   

 

 "Yes, ma'am."  Alex smiled, tightly, and gazed back at Ardeth.   He grimaced as the warrior's face contorted with pain when Jonathan and Johari pulled him from his seat.  Biting his lip and clenching his fists, the Medjai didn't make a sound as they trio moved toward the open door, but the pain remained visible in his expression.   Following behind with Najat, Alex held her hand tighter, wishing they were at the hotel all ready, so that Ardeth didn't have to move anymore.  

 

oOoOoOo

 

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as Jonathan and Johari laid Ardeth on the small bed.  Although there was barely enough room, he crawled up and snuggled next to the Medjai, provoking a weak smile from Ardeth. 

 

As Johari moved away from the bed to take up his usual post by the door, Najat took his place.  Glancing over, Jonathan noticed she'd already mixed a fresh dose of herbs for the Medjai.  She bowed, in acknowledgment of the Englishman's stare, before moving toward Ardeth. 

 

"Ardeth," she whispered.  He reluctantly opened his eyes and looked at her.   Seeing the cup in her hand, he started to prop himself up a little, but Najat stopped him with a gently hand on his chest.  "Do not.  You must save your strength."

 

Ardeth nodded, very slightly, and allowed her to lift his head enough to drink. 

 

"Shukran, sadiqi."

 

She bowed and set the cup on the nightstand.  Turning back toward Ardeth, she carefully pulled open his robe, revealing his bandages.  Seeing Najat frowned, Jonathan followed her gaze down to Ardeth's abdominal wound.  Blood trickled from beneath the well-soaked bandage covering it.

 

"Ardeth, old by, you might have mentioned you were bleeding again," Jonathan quipped, trying to mask his concern as Alex worriedly poked his head up. 

 

"There seemed little point," the Medjai responded, matter-of-factly.  Jonathan swallowed hard as he caught the finality in Ardeth's tone.  

 

"Nonsense, old boy," he managed to choke out, offering a reassuring smile as he patted the Medjai's hand.   He nervously watched as Najat removed the bloodied bandage and noticed that the swelling had decreased.  "At least the ice seems to be helping."

 

"Indeed." Jonathan glanced up as Najat spoke and saw her extending an ice bucket his direction.  "If it would not be too much trouble..."

 

"Oh, right, of course, back in a jiff," Jonathan stammered, snatching the ice bucket and rushing away. 

 

"Do not be concerned, Alex," Najat soothed, as the child continued to stared anxiously at the wound.  Grabbing a cloth from the basin next to her, she gently swirled it across the Medjai's flesh.  "It is good that the swelling has decreased enough for the wound to bleed again."

 

Alex nodded, skeptically.

 

"Do not be alarmed, Alex," Ardeth whispered weakly.  "I am fine."

 

Alex nodded again, tearfully, and snuggled back up against the Medjai. 

 

"I must leave you for moment," Najat announced, placing the cloth back into the basin, before laying a fresh one across the wound and another across Ardeth's forehead.  His eyes had begun to close, but snapped back open to look at her.  Giving her a quick nod, he let them close again. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

"Alex," Najat whispered, softly caressing the child's cheek.

 

"Mmmm...huh," he responded, sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his bleary eyes. 

 

"You should eat.  There is food for you in the other room." 

 

Alex glanced at Najat and smiled, realizing she'd removed her burqa, again.  The Abadi returned the smile.

 

"Ah, I thought that might please you.  Now, go eat with your uncle."  

 

Alex glanced down at the Medjai sleeping next to him.

 

"Ardeth Bey will still be here when you have finished."

 

Alex nodded and reluctantly climbed down from the bed.  With several backwards glances, he wandered into the adjoining room.  Seeing Jonathan sitting at a small table, eating a bowl of a soupy something-or-other, Alex sat down across from him.  The aroma from whatever it was wafted up as Jonathan slid a bowl over to him, and Alex abruptly realized he was starving. Wholeheartedly diving into the bowl, he didn't even bother to figure out what he was eating.

 

Pleased, Najat smiled, as she watched.  The child had eaten almost nothing while in her care, causing her concern.  It also pleased her that he was distracted, leaving her to focus fully on Ardeth while she tended the Medjai.   Carefully, Najat removed the cloth covering his wound and dribbled an herbal mixture into it.  Ardeth's eyes flew open.  His hand reflexively moving toward the pain, he clamped onto her wrist and pulled it away. 

 

"Shh," Najat soothed.  "Now that the wound has opened up enough to allow it, it must be cleansed."

 

Not quite awake as he appeared, Ardeth resisted her attempts to free her wrist.  Seeing the fog of sleep still in his eyes, she ceased her struggle and waited for him to gain coherency. 

 

"Najat?" he finally croaked, after nearly a full minute.  Glancing up with still slightly bleary eyes, Ardeth noticed she was again uncovered.  

 

"I am sorry to disturb you, but this must be tended," the Abadi insisted, with maternal patience. 

 

Finally awake enough to comprehend why she was causing him pain, Ardeth simply nodded and released her wrist.  He made no attempt to stifle a hiss as Najat cleansed the injury.  Pausing to wipe away the diluted blood that was running down his side and soaking the mattress, she studied the now open wound, as more blood trickled from it.   

 

"The bleeding grows worse," she announced, and Ardeth tensed, guessing what she was leading up to. "It should be re-stitched."

 

"No!"  Ardeth gasped, unwilling to entertain the thought of enduring the painful procedure yet again.  "It matters little.  I am unlikely to bleed to death before we reach our destination."

 

Seeing the anguish in his eyes, Najat sighed and reluctantly nodded.  "As you wish."

 

Frowning, she laid an herb-soaked cloth across the wound and reach into the basin for a fresh water-soaked cloth.  Laying it across his forehead, she reached for another.  Swirling it around lightly, Najat soothingly bathed Ardeth's feverish skin.  

 

"Thank you," Ardeth whispered, seeing she'd relented, for the moment at least.  She nodded, and he closed his eyes, enjoying her soft touch, but the tension remained in his muscles.  Seeing it, Najat began to hum softly.  Ardeth smiled a little, recognizing the melody.  As a child, his mother had often sung him to sleep with the same tune.   It didn't take long for it to work its magic.  The tension oozing from him, Ardeth slipped into a pleasant dream.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"How's he doing?" 

 

Najat glanced up and smiled, patiently, as Alex crawled back up beside Ardeth.   The Medjai tossed restlessly as the shifting of weight jostled the mattress.   

 

"He is sleeping," she replied, intentionally vague, and returned to humming, hoping to settled the Medjai before he woke. 

 

Hovering in the doorway between the rooms, Jonathan noticed the diluted bloodstain slowly spreading across the bedsheet beneath Ardeth.  It confirmed what he'd already felt certain of - that Ardeth wasn't getting any better.  Sighing mournfully, he glanced up at Najat.  She looked tired - but of course she would be, tending to the lot of them all day.   Watching her replace the damp cloth across Ardeth's forehead, Jonathan realized, with dismay, that she likely had a long night ahead of her still.  He shook his head, wishing he could help, but knowing that was unlikely.

 

"Is his fever any better," Alex inquired, glancing at Najat.  She stopped humming and turned to rewet the cloth in her hand.  Turning back, she met the child's eyes.

 

"It is not," she answered, simply, and glanced back down at Ardeth, again swirling the cool cloth across his heated flesh.   Frowning, Alex sighed and reached for the warrior's hand. 

 

"Do not fret, child.  Now that he is settled more comfortable, he will be able to get proper rest and gather strength."

 

Alex frowned, skeptically.  As the child looked at her as though he were going to ask her something else, Jonathan caught a despairing look flash across Najat's face and realized there was something he could do to help.

 

"Alex."

 

"Yeah, Uncle Jon."  He twisted around to look at his uncle. 

 

"How about another game?"  Jonathan fished the deck of cards from his jacket pocket and held them up.  Alex glanced at them and, then, down at Ardeth.  "Come on now, your not going to make me play with Johari again, are you?  Have a little mercy on your poor old uncle?"

 

Alex smirked, but gave no indication he intended to leave the Medjai's side. 

 

"You will be but a few feet away," Najat added, glancing up at Jonathan and giving him an appreciative smile.  She was weary enough without having to split her attention between Alex and Ardeth. 

 

"All right," Alex finally agreed.  Still slightly reluctant, he studied the Medjai for a few seconds longer before hopping down from the bed to join his uncle in the other room.  Breathing a sigh of relief, Najat carefully changed the herb-soaked cloth covering the wound and returned to bathing the Medjai with cool water.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"Evy, I'm gonna get some air and stretch my legs, 'kay," Rick informed his wife, from the doorway of the hotel.   After nearly seven hours of sleeping on the plane, he wasn't really in the mood to sit around, or worse yet, go to bed. 

 

"Sure." Propped against the wall as she relaxed on the bed, Evy glanced at her husband. 

 

"You want to come along," he asked, raising a flirtatious eyebrow.  Evy chuckled.

 

"Tempting, but I'm really much too tired.  I think I'll just stay here and rest."  As Rick's face transformed into a disappointed pout, Evy added,  "you could stay here with me..."

 

"Come on, Evy.  We've been cooped up all day..."

 

"Really, Rick," she chided, teasingly.  "You're as bad as Alex."

 

He chuckled.  "You're sure?"

 

Evy nodded. 

 

"All right, then.  I'll see if I can find us some decent chow while I'm out," Rick quipped, tossing his wife a grin.  Zaynab had rounded up some food for everyone shortly after they'd settled in their rooms.  It had been a pleasant smelly, soupy something-or-other that had tolerably filled his empty belly, but Rick craved something a little more substantial. 

 

Shaking her head, Evy smirked at him.  As he disappeared out the door, she closed her eyes to rest, but after few minutes, it became clear that, although she was travel-weary, she wasn't particularly sleepy.  Opening her eyes and stretching, Evy reached for the journal, flipped it open, and found her spot.

 

“Dabir's absence begins to weigh heavily upon our people.  Not only does he rarely return to camp, he no longer rides with his fellow Medjai.  There is one exception.  Dabir keeps Fathi constantly at his side.  For our people, it is not good that he does so.  It is difficult enough that their king appears ready to abandon them, but it causes much aggravation that he keeps with him the son that appears to have become his chosen successor.  In their uncertainty, the people turn to Ardeth for assurance.  To my amazement, my nephew rises to meet the challenge.”

 

Taken aback, Evy shook her head.  She couldn't imagine a challenge her Ardeth couldn't rise to meet, so it seemed ridiculous that the author would find it amazing.  Then again, the journal Ardeth seemed so very different from her Ardeth that, perhaps, it wasn't so difficult to understand. She knew with certainty, however, she would never fathom a father abandoning his son, as the journal Ardeth's had - and now, it appeared his brother had abandoned him, as well.  Evy continued to shake her head as she tried to imagine the anguish it must have caused him.  Taking a deep breath to quell her rising fury, Evy continued to read. 

 

“It shames me that I am amazed, but I have watched Ardeth's resignation grow until I believed he no longer even sought to return to what he was, but was content to remain forever in the care of Badi'a.  However, I have seen a change in him as it becomes apparent that our people increasingly draw comfort simply from his presence.   It is so much more than Dabir offers, that it seems not to matter that Ardeth does not speak.  Nor are they discouraged that his body is not yet fully recovered.   They see in him the strength to keep our people united.  I believe it is in response to this that there is new a spark in Ardeth's eyes, or I should say, the old spark has at last rekindled.”

 

Evy swelled a little with pride as she kept reading.  That was her Ardeth.    

 

“Ardeth continues to grow stronger and each day the light of his revived spirit glows brighter.  To be certain, he is not yet fully returned to us.  He still does not speak and his vision remains weak, although that is something he is nearly able to hide from us. Despite these things, my heart grows lighter each day I see him again practicing with his weapons. I believe it will be many weeks, perhaps months, before he again wields them with skill, but simply to see them in his hands is a pleasure.”

 

Evy chuckled as the merging Ardeths split apart again in her imagination. She couldn't picture her Ardeth ever wielding a weapon unskillfully.  

 

“I have noticed that Badi'a does not draw pleasure in this as I do, but this is not difficult to understand.  A warrior's life is, by its nature, one of risk.  Badi'a grieves still, as do I, for her mother, brother, and sisters.  Also, I believe she feels deeply the absence of her father and Fathi.  To see the day looming that she must again face the possibility of losing Ardeth, too, pains her greatly.  It also makes her, perhaps, a little over-protective.  Something, which it is apparent, begins to chafe my nephew.  I have noticed that their wills clash much more frequently these days.  It is odd to think, but I find some measure of assurance in this, for it is increasingly Ardeth's will that triumphs.

 

Assurance is much needed for all at this time, for it has been nearly three weeks since Dabir and Fathi last returned to camp.  It is fortunate, that between gesture and pen, Ardeth has been able to step into his father's role.  His guidance holds our people together, despite their king's absence.”

 

As the journal Ardeth merged back into her Ardeth, Evy shook her head, disapprovingly.  A flush of anger lit her cheeks as she thought about Dabir.

 

“Allah be merciful. Late this afternoon, Fathi returned with his father.  Dabir has been gravely injured.  The healers tell us there is little they can do and do not expect he will live through the night.   I do not know how he was injured.  Still clinging to consciousness, Dabir called for Ardeth and Badi'a, before barring from his tent all else but his children.  They have been at their father's side since, so I must wait for an explanation from Fathi.   A heavy cloud hangs over the camp, for despite his recent absences, Dabir served his people well for many years.  He will be mourned by all.”  

 

"Oooh," Evy gasped, feeling remorseful for cursing Dabir.  She realized there was little reason to feel guilty; it just seemed somehow wrong to think badly of someone about to die - no matter how horrible they were.  

 

Dabir has passed, as expected.   Ardeth emerged from his father's tent shortly after sunrise to inform the camp.  The news was received with sadness, but no great turmoil.  I did not expect there would be.  Ardeth was already leading the people in his father's absence, so little will change, except that my nephew now wears the title of king.  None challenged it, not even Fathi.  I had feared that he might.  In all, it has all occurred with much more calm than I would have expected.    I suppose this is explained by Dabir's prolonged absence.  Or perhaps, as it has been with I, the unexpected pleasure of hearing of Ardeth's voice made the gravity of the words he spoke seem less severe.  Whatever the reason, Allah be praised that this transition has passed peacefully.  Our people have had enough turmoil.  Now we will heal. 

 

Evy sighed, believing she'd reached the end of the story.  As much as she'd wanted to know how it all turned out, she felt a little deflated now that it was over.  Not quite ready to let go of the adventure, she glanced down and noticed another paragraph, barely squeezed onto the bottom of the page.  She found herself wary of reading it, not certain she wanted to risk starting a new story; the last one had been emotional draining enough.  Flipping the page, Evy found that it was blank.  She continued to flip and discovered there was no more written in the journal.  Turning back, Evy decided there was little to lose in reading that last entry.

 

“I know hardly what to write. With a contentment that I have not known in many months, I returned to Cairo, only to have my heart burdened with grief once more.  For I have been told that my dear friends, the Carnahans, have died, killed in a car accident on the very same day that Dabir received his mortal wound.  With all that has happened, I am hardly able to grieve properly for them, and for this I am truly sorrowful.”  

 

Evy's jaw dropped.  She hadn't expected to find herself back at the beginning.  Well, not the beginning, exactly, but back to the death of her parents.  A tearful lump rose up in her throat.  The entry said nothing Jonathan hadn't already told her, but it seemed so much more real to read it on paper.  Of course, she'd had to deal with the reality of it years ago, but still...reading it was almost like receiving the bad news all over again.  Setting the journal down, an eerie numbness settled over her as she curled onto her side and fell asleep.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Relieved that her reinforcements had at last arrived, Najat smiled, gratefully, as Zaynab approached Ardeth's bed.  She desperately craved sleep; Zaynab could see it in her features and slid the cloth from Najat's hand. Offering another appreciative smile, Najat wandered into the adjoining room and, after sparing a quick glance at Jonathan and Alex curled up peacefully on the bed, settled herself on the floor.  Quickly asleep, Najat stirred only slightly as Ardeth tossed, restlessly.

 

Instinctively choosing the same soothing method Najat had employed, Zaynab softly hummed, as she snatched the cloth from Ardeth forehead and replaced it with a fresh one.  The Medjai settled for a moment, but stirred again as she lifted the cloth from his wound, re-soaked it, and re-placed it.  Quickly grabbing another wetted cloth, Zaynab softly swirled it across his skin, calming Ardeth back into a more restful sleep.   She glanced up, briefly, as Widad entered.  Nodding her head toward the floor, Zaynab wordlessly instructed her fellow Abadi to rest.  Widad nodded and made herself comfortable, knowing Zaynab would wake her when she grew too sleepy.

 

oOoOoOo

 

The soft click of the closing door as Zaynab and Widad departed woke Alex.  He sleepily rubbed at his eyes for several seconds before sitting up and, carefully, slipping off the bed.  Wandering over to Ardeth's bed, he saw Najat standing where she'd been the night before, still faithfully tending the Medjai.   He briefly wondered how she managed to look rested, then shrugged and glanced down at Ardeth.  Alex couldn't decide if he looked any better or not.

 

"How's he doing?"  He finally asked. 

 

Najat glanced up and smiled.  "His fever has lessened a bit, as has the bleeding."

 

Alex grinned, relieved.  "You were right.   He just needed some proper rest."

 

Najat smiled, tolerantly.  She didn't have the heart to inform him that the improvement was likely only temporary.  They had much traveling still to do, which would quickly drain away the reserve the Medjai had pooled during the night. 

 

"We must depart soon," she announced, abruptly changing the subject.  "Would you do me the favor of waking your uncle?  Breakfast waits for you on the table."

 

Alex spun around and saw that, indeed, there was food on the table.  He shook his head, amazed that he'd strolled right past it without noticing. 

 

"Sure thing!" he replied.  Turning back toward Najat, he grinned, mischievously, before dashing back to the other bed and bounded onto it.  The resulting bounce brought his uncle awake with a startled gasp. 

 

"Alex...,"  Jonathan mumbled, grumpily. 

 

"Sorry, Uncle Jon, but Najat said to wake you up so we can eat breakfast before we leave," Alex replied, innocently.  His expression provoked a smile from his uncle.

 

"Well, if Najat says we must eat, then we must eat.  Let's see what culinary delights await us, shall we?"  Jonathan replied, with feigned cheerfulness, as he pulled himself off the bed and strolled to the table.  Alex laughed and bounced off the bed.  Following his uncle, he grabbed a generous sample of the various breads and fruits sitting on the tray in the center.

 

Najat smiled, pleased to see her guests enthusiastically eating.  Forcing her attention back to more serious matter, she gently skimmed a finger across one of Ardeth's tattoos.  Startling, his eyes slowly flittered open and, eventually, focused on the Abadi.

 

"My apologies, Ardeth, but we must prepare to leave."

 

Sleepily blinking his eyes, Ardeth nodded, not fully grasping the subtle warning until he felt the cloth lifted from his wound.   Closing his eyes tightly against the anticipated pain, the Medjai bit his lip as Najat covered the wound with a salve and secured a fresh bandage over the top.  He noted, with weary delight, that it had not hurt as much as expected, and wondered if it were improving, or if he were just getting used to the pain.  Sighing, Ardeth opened his eyes to see Najat looking down at him with concern.  She didn't bother to ask if he were all right; it would have been a silly question.

 

"It still bleeds, although less.  The salve should slow it further, but it really should be..."

 

"No!" Ardeth exclaimed, with all the force he could muster - which wasn't much.  "It will be fine.  We haven't much further to travel." 

 

Najat bowed, stiffly, to acknowledge his wishes, and reached down to help him sit up.  Ardeth waved her away, pleased that he felt strong enough not to need assistance.  The Abadi simply shrugged and back away. 

 

"I will bring you food.  Will you try to eat?" 

 

Although he had no appetite whatsoever, Ardeth nodded.   He'd eaten nothing since before arriving in England, and knew the lack of nourishment only added to his body's weakness.   With a smile, Najat bowed, respectfully, and quickly dashed to the table to gather a plate for him.  Returning, she laid it on the bed beside him and excused herself.  Glancing at the plate, Ardeth's stomach churned, disapprovingly, but he forced himself to pick up a chunk of bread and half-heartedly bit into it. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Returning to the bed, Najat smiled, approvingly, as she inspected plate.  Ardeth had managed to eat nearly half of the food on it, which was not a lot, but more than she'd really expected.  Studying the warrior as he rested, eyes closed, against the wall, she hoped it would be enough to give him the strength he needed for the day's travel.

 

As though aware he were being watched, Ardeth abruptly opened his eyes.  Seeing Najat was, again, fully covered, the Medjai assumed it was time to leave and heaved his legs over the side of the bed, biting his lip against the pain of the movement. Caught off-guard, Najat had no time to signal Johari, or even Jonathan, for assistance.  Lunging forward as Ardeth rose to his feet, she just managed to tuck a shoulder beneath his arm before his legs went out from under him.  Turning his head slightly as she wavered beneath his weight, Ardeth smiled, sheepishly. 

 

"Johari!"  Wary of attempting to move, Najat waited for the warrior to shuffle over and take her place. 

 

"Ardeth...,"  Alex chided, paternally, having witness the event from the doorway.  The tone provoked a soft chuckle from the Medjai, as the group began to move toward the door.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Waiting for Evy to wake up before scrounging breakfast, Rick stared at the wall.  His well-practiced hands cleaned his pistol as his mind tried to latch onto a thought that had been eluding him all morning.   He was just about to give up when it struck him like a lead ball.  The other plane had gotten a head start, but it still wouldn't have been able to make it all the way to Cairo.  It had to have laid-over, just like they did.

 

Shaking his head as he stood, Rick chuckled at the irony, realizing the odds were they'd spent the night in close proximity to the very people they were chasing.   Stepping toward the bed to let Evy in on the funny joke, another thought struck him and he abruptly froze.  Neither plane was likely to take off before dawn.  If they were waiting on the field before then, they just might catch them. Rick grinned, broadly. 

 

"EVY!  EVY WAKE UP!  WE GOTTA GO!" 

 

Evy bolted out of bed.  "Huh! Rick!? What is it!? What's wrong!?" 

 

"A hunch, Evy.  Just playing a hunch," he answered, vaguely.  "Hurry up!  We gotta go!"

 

"All right!  All right!"  Evy huffed.  Fortunately, she'd showered before dinner the previous night and, then, fallen asleep in her clothes, so it was just a matter of gathering their stuff.  Glancing around, she found, to her surprise, that the packing was already done.

 

"What?  I woke up, couldn't get back to sleep, needed something to do," Rick answered, slightly embarrassed by the bewilderment on his wife's face.   Evy just smiled, appreciatively.

 

"Why don't you take the bags down; I'll be right there."

 

Rick nodded, loaded up the luggage, and dashed out the door.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"I knew it!"  Rick exclaimed, reaching the lobby and catching sight of a small group at the far end of it.

 

"What!?"  Evy questioned, coming up behind her husband.  Following his gaze, she found the answer for herself.  "ALEX!"

 

Hearing his name, Alex turned.  The sight of his parents sent so much relief washing through him that he completely forgot he was angry with them.  Slipping free from Najat, he dashed towards his mum's open arms.

 

"MUM!  DAD!"

 

"Alex!  Mmmmmm."  Evy pulled him into a bear hug. 

 

"You are soooo grounded, buddy," Rick informed his son.  He attempted to sound stern, but was too delighted to have him back, and grinned, ruffling the child's hair.

 

As they observed the happy reunion, Ardeth shot Najat a desperate look.  Realizing he was concerned the O'Connells would interfere, she signaled for Johari to keep moving toward the door. Catching on, Jonathan took the lead, not relishing the idea of facing his sister and brother-in-law quite yet. 

 

"Hold on, there!  Just where do you think your going!"  Rick shouted.  Seeing quartet attempting to sneak away, he rushed forward to stop them.  

 

As it was his first duty to protect Najat, who was nearest to Rick, Johari released his hold on Ardeth, pulled his scimitar and rushed forward to block the large American.  Jonathan and Najat lunged for the Medjai, barely managing to catch him before he crumpled to the ground.  Ardeth bit back a moan as they jostled his broken ribs in the process.

 

"Whoa!  Don't want any trouble, big guy."  Skidding to a quick stop, Rick held his hands in front of him, gesturing for Johari to put the scimitar down.

 

"Ya"if!"  Najat shouted.  Exchanging a quick glance with Jonathan, she shifted all of Ardeth's weight over to him and rushed forward to calm her protector.  Placing her hand on Johari's arm, she gently signaled him to lower his weapon.  ("Stop!")

 

"I apologize, Richard O'Connell.  We, also, do not desire trouble between us," Najat soothed, while Johari warily put away his scimitar - although he kept a firm hold on its hilt. 

 

"Yeah, so you people keep saying...," Rick replied, peevishly.  Najat tilted her head, not understanding to what he referred.   Rick noticed, but didn't bother to explain.  "All right, you obviously know who I am, so how about introducing yourself and your buddy there."

 

"I am Najat; he is Johari," she replied, simply, troubled by the edginess in his tone. 

 

"Assalamu 'alaykum," Evy greeted, respectfully, coming up behind her husband, with Alex in tow. 

 

"Wa 'alaykum assalam," Najat replied, courteously, bowing.

 

"Thank you for taking care of Alex."  Evy smiled, genuinely appreciative. 

 

"Afwan.  He is a delightful child."  Still hidden beneath her burqa, the Abadi smirked as Evy raised a skeptical eyebrow.  "Truly!  He was no trouble."  

 

Evy exchanged a dubious glance with her husband, who simply shrugged.   Despite a desire to be invisible, Jonathan couldn't stop himself from chucking at the exchange, earning irritated glances from both his sister and Rick.  

 

"Yeah, thanks, now...how 'bout you tell your warrior to get out of the way so we can have a look at Ardeth," Rick demanded.   Reacting to the tone of his brother-in-law's voice, Jonathan shifted to carry Ardeth closer, but the Medjai planted his feet, refusing to move. 

 

"Ardeth...,"  he whispered, rolling his eyes at the warrior's sudden show of strength, knowing it wouldn't last long.  Jonathan barely heard Ardeth's gasped reply.

 

"No!  There is not time for this!"

 

"This is not possible," Najat answered Rick, matter-of-factly, hearing the soft exchange behind her.  She understood, even appreciated, the American's concern, but her duty was to Ardeth, not Rick.  "We go, now."

 

"The hell you are!"  Rick bellowed in response. Johari flinched at the tone and tightened his grip around the hilt of his scimitar.  Rick noticed.  "S'all right!  Let's just stay calm, shall we?"

 

"Indeed, that would be helpful."

 

Irritated, Rick frowned at the slightly sarcastic edge to Najat's tone.   "Look, I don't mean to be difficult here, but you can't really expect us to just stand here and watch you drag him away."

 

"It is his wish," the Abadi stated, expecting the American to comply.  "We can delay no longer." 

 

"Ardeth!  What the hell are you up to?"  Rick took a slight step forward as he spoke, prompting the very edging Johari to again draw his scimitar.   Losing patience with it all, Rick pulled his gun and aimed it directly at the warrior.

 

"I've had about enough of you!" 

 

"Rick!  No!"  Evy cried, alarmed.  Behind her, she heard the soft sound of two more scimitars and quickly glanced around to see that Muhannad and Samih had arrived.  Evy swallowed hard, realizing how bad the scene must look to them. 

 

Dismayed by the development, Ardeth stubbornly freed himself from Jonathan.  Swaying dizzily, he forced his reluctant body to move toward Najat.

 

"Ardeth!"  Alex gasped, his voiced tinged with fear and frustration.  Najat spun around and reached for the Medjai, but Ardeth waved her away.  It required all his will to do so, but he was determined to stand on his own. 

 

"Please, my friend," he pleaded.  Determinedly ignoring the encroaching blackness, Ardeth gazed, intently, at Rick.  "Put your weapon away.  We can linger here no longer, but, if it will relieve your concern, you may travel with us."

 

"Please, Rick," Evy whispered, as her husband contemplated the request.  "This isn't helping anyone." 

 

"You better have a great explanation for all this, buddy," Rick muttered, reluctantly stowing his weapon.

 

"All will be made clear in time." 

 

The weakly whispered response earned an irritated glare from Rick, but it melted into concern as Ardeth's meager reserve faded and his legs abruptly crumpled beneath him.  Rick started towards him, but quickly realized Johari had yet to put away his scimitar.  Unable to move, he watched helplessly as Najat and Jonathan lunged for the Medjai.  The Abadi reached him first, but from an awkward angle.  By the time Jonathan got there, Ardeth had taken them both to the ground in a heap.  

 

Tangled up with Najat, Ardeth landed hard on his wounded side, further pulling open his already bleeding wound.  He didn't really notice, however, as his broken ribs crunched against the floor, provoking a cry of pain he couldn't even begin to stifle. 

 

Hearing it, Rick shoved his way past Johari's scimitar and rushed to Ardeth's side.   Kneeling, he pushed Jonathan out of the way, with unintentionally roughness.  Ignoring his brother-in-law, the Englishman quickly scampered back over to Ardeth. Turning, Johari quickly stowed his scimitar and hurried to help, going first to Najat's aid.  Wriggling free from his mother, Alex flew to Ardeth's other side, with Evy close behind him.  Coming out from behind Muhannad and Samih, Zaynab and Widad also raced over to help both Najat and Ardeth.   Putting away their weapons, the two warriors dashed after them.

 

"Ardeth?!"  Rick, Evy, Alex, Jonathan, and Najat exclaimed, nearly simultaneously.  It would have been amusing were it not for the urgency they all felt.  Unable to respond, Ardeth laid still, his eyes closed, gasping in pain. 

 

"'Awiz mayya!"  Najat shouted at Muhannad, hovering at the edge of the frantic group.  Successfully disentangled, she gently helped Ardeth sit up, taking the pressure of his ribs.  ("Bring water!")

 

Rick placed a hand on Ardeth's uninjured shoulder, attempting to offer some sort of support, without moving him and hurting him further.  Alex took one of the Medjai's hands, whispering soothingly, since there seemed little else he could do.  Evy continued to kneel nearby, fidgeting nervously as she helplessly watched.  Catching site of her brother hovering anxiously over the trio, she tossed him a reproachful glare. 

 

Jonathan just caught it out of the corner of his eye, but decided not to acknowledge it.  He knew there'd be plenty of time, later, for his sister to chew him out.  Hearing Najat say something in Arabic, he turned in time to see one of the other Abadi women scurry out the door with Samih.  Jonathan briefly wondered what was going on, before Muhannad's return distracted him. 

 

Taking a bucket of water from the warrior, Najat glanced toward the remaining Abadi woman and lifted the container her direction.  Understanding the unspoken request, the woman dashed off to find a cup or drinking glass of some sort.   Reclaiming the small bundle that had been dropped during the tumble, Najat knelt and quickly unwrapped several of the smaller bundles contained within. 

 

Jonathan watched, curiously, as she quickly blended together several herbs, finishing just as the other Abadi returned with a cup.  He heard her say something else in Arabic as she dumped the mixture into it, filled it with water, and stood.  Stirring the mixture as she went, she carefully made her way back to the Medjai, leaving the other Abadi to gather up the bundles.

 

"Ardeth." 

 

He managed to crack his eyes open enough to see Najat kneeling next with a cup in her hand and weakly waved her away.  Ardeth knew the medicine would ease the intense pain coursing through him, but it would also make him sleep, which he did not wish to do.  Asleep, he would loose what little control he had over the situation - a worrisome prospect now that they'd been joined by Rick and Evy.

 

"Please, Ardeth!"  Alex pleaded.

 

"Yes, please, Ardeth!  Don't be stubborn about this," Evy chimed in.

 

"Come on, buddy.  Help us out here," Rick added, giving the Medjai's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. 

 

"Yeah, go on, old boy.  You'll just make it worse for me if they have to see that look on your face the rest of the way to Cairo," Jonathan quipped, provoking a slight smile from the Medjai.

 

Sighing, Ardeth relented and gave Najat a slight nod.  He knew Jonathan was correct.  Moods were tense enough without forcing everyone to witness his pain over the succeeding hours.  He would have to trust Najat to abide by his wishes and make certain the O'Connells learned nothing of his intentions.

 

Relieved, Najat gently brought the cup to his lips and held it as he drank.  Making sure he'd finished the whole thing, she set the cup aside and reach down to inspect his wound, but Ardeth caught her hand.  As she met his eyes, he shook his head.

 

"It can wait."

 

"It will take but a moment," Najat argued.

 

"It will wait. We have lingered too long, already," Ardeth firmly insisted.

 

From his tone, Najat could guess what he would not allow her to see - the tumble had aggravated his wound.   She knew his friends would balk at traveling on if they knew. With a soft sigh, Najat nodded, reluctantly agreeing to wait. Rising to her feet, she signaled for Johari to help the Medjai off the floor.

 

"I've got it," Rick chimed in, before Johari had a chance to move.  The warrior glanced questioningly at Najat.  Before she could respond, Ardeth waved both men away and gingerly forced himself off the floor.  His wary companions watched him closely, prepared to catch him of necessary.  They all breathed a sigh of relief as he reached his feet without incident. 

 

"All right, buddy, let's go," Rick muttered, as Ardeth nodded at him, indicating he would now accept assistance.  Pulling the Medjai's arm over his shoulder, he shook his head, feeling Ardeth resist leaning on him any more than necessary as they slowly made their way out the door.

 

oOoOoOo

 

The plane hit a nasty stretch of turbulence, provoking a soft moan from the sleeping Medjai.  Watching from her seat, Evy sighed, anxiously.  

 

"He is dear to you?"

 

Startled by Najat's question, Evy looked up to see the Abadi standing in the aisle, supplies for tending Ardeth carefully balanced in her arms. 

 

"Dear?"

 

"Yes," Najat replied, studying the Englishwoman.  Zaynab and Widad had given her their impressions of the O'Connells, but she sought to form her own opinion of them. 

 

"Well, yes...er...I mean...no...um, well," Evy stammered, unsure how exactly to explain Ardeth's place in their lives.   "He's done a lot for us...as a friend, a good friend."

 

Najat nodded, but said nothing.  Kneeling in front of Ardeth, she sat down her supplies and glanced back at Evy. 

 

"He will likely sleep most of the way."

 

Evy nodded and returned to watching him.

 

"Your family is playing cards," Najat informed her, and Evy smiled, absently.  Noticing the Englishwoman hadn't taken the hint, the Abadi barely refrained from sighing and tried again.  "Cards are not seen amongst our people, but I believe many of the games are better played with four, than three."

 

Evy nodded, again.  Not really listening, it took several seconds for it to finally dawn on her that Najat wanted to tend Ardeth without an audience. 

 

"Oh, yes...yes, of course," she stammered.  Rising from her seat, she clumsily made her way to the back of the plane.

 

Relieved, Najat watched her depart, then gingerly reached up and opened Ardeth's robe.   As expected, she found the bandage covering his wound sopping with blood.  She sighed in exasperation, knowing it should be stitched - but even if Ardeth agreed to it, it would be impossible to do on the bumpy plane.  As if on cue, the craft bounced several times, bringing Ardeth's eyes fluttering open.  She bowed as they fixed on her.   

 

"Yo...u...ha...ve...not," Ardeth attempted, but his throat was too dry to cooperate. Najat reached for a cup from amongst her supplies and pour a little water into it.  Rising up, she held it gently to his lips.

 

"Thank you," the Medjai successfully managed, but, then, drowsy from fever, blood loss and the effects of the medicine, found it necessarily to pause.  Briefly closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, wincing slightly, and tried to gather his strength.

 

"They have been told nothing of your intentions," Najat informed him, as he opened eyes.  It wasn't difficult to guess what he'd been attempting to ask.  Ardeth exhaled a relieved sigh and closed his eyes. 

 

Najat watched as he drifted back to sleep, then turned her attention back to his wound.  Spreading out her supplies, she thickly smeared more salve onto a bandage, deciding that would be the simplest way of handling it with Ardeth seated. 

 

The Medjai roused as she carefully removed the old bandage.  Keeping his eyes shut tightly, he held his breath while she wiped away the excess blood and secured the new bandage.   Feeling Najat close his robe, he exhaled slowly and drifted back to sleep.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy glanced up as Najat approached.

 

"How is he?"

 

"He sleeps," the Abadi replied.  Evy frowned at the vague answer, prompting Najat to continue.  "His fever has risen."

 

Evy nodded, appreciating the Abadi's honesty.

 

"It will be good when we are on the ground, again, and he can rest more comfortably."

 

Evy nodded in agreement, but then frowned.  "How much farther is your village, once we've reached Cairo."

 

"It is only a half day's journey."

 

Evy sighed, glancing down the aisle, toward Ardeth.  Her expression made it clear that she'd hoped the village would be closer than it was.

 

"Do not despair.  The journey will not be difficult," Najat comforted.  Evy tossed her a dubious glance, prompting Abadi to elaborate.  "We will travel by river most of the way, and then by car the remainder of the distance.  That portion will be uncomfortable for him, I grant you, but it will be brief."

 

"By car?"  Evy questioned, surprised. 

 

"Yes," the Abadi answered, amused. 

 

"I wouldn't have expected..."

 

Najat interrupted with a chuckle, before explaining.   "No, we do not often use such means of transportation, but it can be arranged when necessary."

 

Evy nodded, and Najat politely bowed to excuse herself.   Watching her stow her supplies, then head back down the aisle toward Ardeth, a sudden thought struck Evy and she abruptly rose to follow.  Watching Najat sit in the aisle seat across from Ardeth, she was tempted to sit in the empty aisle seat next to him, but decided she might disturb him and sat next to the Abadi instead.  Sensing the Englishwoman sought conversation, Najat turned, slightly, toward her. 

 

"Najat...what exactly is this urgent business of Ardeth's?" 

 

Najat studied her for a moment, before replying,  "that is not for me to say."

 

Evy expelled a low, exasperated breath.  "Yes, so all of you keep saying.  Why is it 'not for you to say'?  Is it that you don't know?"

 

"I am aware of what he seeks to accomplish, yes, but I am honored bound not to speak of it."

 

Evy sighed.  She was familiar enough with Egyptian honor to know Najat would not easily give her the information she wanted.  Resigned, Evy turned toward the window and watch the clouds float past.  Only a few had passed before new questions tickled her curiosity, and she glanced, again, at the Abadi.

 

"Najat...Zaynab was kind enough to tell me the legend of the Devourer," Evy commented, nonchalantly.  The Abadi simply cocked her head.  Having already been informed of the conversation, she'd been waiting for the Englishwoman's questions. 

 

"And...um...she mentioned the fellow possessed two cursed weapons: a dagger and a sword."

 

"Yes, that is correct," Najat confirmed.

 

"Yes, well...um...let's see, how to put this."  Evy smiled, self-consciously, as the Abadi waited, patiently.  "I'll just get straight to it...the dagger I...I mean....well..."

 

Mercifully, Najat cut her off.  "You mean to say that Ardeth Bey's injuries were inflicted with a dagger, and you are concerned that, perhaps, it is the Devourer's dagger?"

 

Evy nodded.

 

"It is," the Abadi stated, matter-of-factly.  Stunned, Evy just stared at her for a few seconds, then swallowed hard as it all suddenly fell into place.

 

"That's why he was in England, wasn't it?  To claim the weapons, before they could be used?"

 

"That was his purpose, yes."

 

"But why Ardeth?  What do the Medjai have to do with all this?  Shouldn't that have been the Abadi's responsibility?"  Evy questioned, frowning.

 

"Indeed, the weapons are the responsibility of the Abadi.  However, for tens of centuries, the Medjai and the Abadi have been...I believe you would say  'allied'," Najat explained.

 

"Allied?  I don't understand." 

 

"The territory the Medjai guard is vast - too vast for one tribe, even one as large as the Medjai, to guard alone.  Over the centuries they have allied with other tribes, such as the Abadi, for assistance in fulfilling their duties.  Of course, the alliances do not serve only the interest of the Medjai; they are mutual beneficial," the Abadi elaborated. 

 

"All right, but that still doesn't explain why Ardeth came for the weapons," Evy pointed out.

 

"When the location of the weapons was discovered, it seemed prudent to send Ardeth, as he is more familiar with your ways than are the Abadi.   We made the request; he consented."

 

"All right, I suppose that it explains why he was the one...but, once the weapons were used, why wasn't..."

 

"His soul devoured?"  Najat finished for her, glancing briefly at Ardeth.

 

Evy nodded, feeling slightly nauseous as the image of her friend's soul being eaten by her own flashed through her mind.

 

"Because he still lives," the Abadi explained, patiently. 

 

Evy swallowed hard.  "So if he dies from his injuries, his soul will be sucked into the person that stabbed him."

 

"Correct." 

 

"But if he doesn't die, everything will be all right?"  Evy questioned, nervously.  Again, Najat cocked her head. 

 

"I do not understand what you ask," she stated, innocently.

 

"Well...um...Zaynab mentioned something about a guardian...and, well, um..."

 

"You wonder if she will rise to destroy the soul of the offender?"

 

Evy nodded, nervously.

 

"That is being tended to; you need not concern yourself," Najat answered, evasively.

 

"But...?!"  Evy began to argue, her brow furrowing with concern.

 

"I assure you, you need not fear for your soul," Najat stated, emphatically. Whatever the final outcome, the Abadi felt reasonably certain Ardeth's will was strong enough to cling to his soul until he'd faced Al 'Asima.   Evy's eyes welled with guilty tears as she realized the Abadi knew full well who bore the responsiblilty for Ardeth's injuries.

 

"Yes, it is true Ardeth Bey revealed that his wounds were inflicted by your hand," Najat added, noticing Evy's surging emotion.

 

"It was...I mean, I never intended...I mean, Ardeth's our friend....I would never..."

 

Najat held up a hand to still the overwrought Englishwoman.  "He has explained that it was not intended."

 

Evy nodded.   Closing her eyes for a moment, she took several deeps breaths to regain her composure and focused again on the Najat.  There was little else to do on the plane but sit and think, which Evy's had grown weary of doing.  She'd rather see how much more information she could pry out of the Abadi.

 

"Have they been used often?" 

 

"The weapons?"  Najat clarified, and Evy nodded.  "Since the time of the Devourer... no.  They have not."

 

"Have they been used at all?"

 

Najat nodded.  "Only once within the memory of those who now live."

 

"And what happened?  Was a soul devoured?  Did the guardian rise?"

 

"No.  Al 'Asima did not rise," Najat answered, shaking her head.  Evy opened her mouth to quiz the Abadi, but Najat held up a hand to stop her.   "The circumstances were...unusual."

 

"Unusual?  Like now?"  Evy asked, curiously.  Najat glanced down, pondering for a moment, then peered at the Englishwoman.

 

"It was similar...the injured, then as now, was a leader of the Medjai, and his death was not intended by she who wounded him."

 

"His death!?   So he died....and his soul was devoured?"   Evy asked.

 

"It was not."  Najat answered, earning a puzzled frown from the Englishwoman. 

 

"Why...?"

 

"The circumstances were such that had never occurred during the time the Abadi have guarded the weapons."  Evy's eyes grew wide with curiosity as she waited for Najat to explain the statement.  "You see his soul could not be devoured by his attacker, for her soul had already departed her body before his death."

 

"What happened!?  How'd she die!?"

 

"She was killed traveling toward our village, perhaps intending to return the weapons and stand before Al 'Asima.  It is not known for certain," Najat answered, noncommittally.  Evy shook her head, mesmerized by the tale.  She was about to ask more questions when the plane bounced violently, nearly tossing her out of her seat.  Across the aisle, Ardeth gasped. Najat rushed over and knelt in front of him, taking his hand.

 

"What can I do?"  Evy asked, anxiously, crawling into the seat next to the Medjai.  Najat glanced up and studied the Englishwoman.

 

"You may take his hand, if you would like," she finally replied, after several seconds.  "It is unlikely he will awaken for long, if at all; the medicine he was given is strong.  Still, even in his sleep, I believe it provides comfort."

 

Evy nodded and took Ardeth's free hand.   Feeling him squeeze it as the plane hit another bounce, she closed her eyes against the tears threatening to well up.  It was her fault he was suffering. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy nearly bolted from her seat as a gentle hand lightly brushed her cheek.  Catching her breath, she peered up into her husband's bright green eyes.

 

"We'll be landing in a few minutes," he informed her, smiling affectionately.  Evy nodded and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  Rick sat down across the aisle, and Alex took his place in front of her.  

 

"You'll need to hold his hand, mum," he stated, matter-of-factly, nodding his head toward Ardeth.  Evy glanced at him, puzzled. 

 

"The landings are really hard on him," the child elaborated, knowingly.  "I can do it, if you'd rather sit with dad.   I did it last time, so..."

 

Evy smiled sweetly at her son.  She felt reluctant to leave Ardeth, but it was obviously important to Alex that he be the one to hold the Medjai's hand. 

 

"Perhaps I will sit with your dad," she replied, after a few seconds of hesitation.  "If you're certain you'll be all right..."

 

"Thanks, mum."  Alex responded, grinning broadly, pleased she'd taken the hint. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Impatiently waiting as the plane lurched to halt and, finally, stood still, Evy jumped to her feet to check on Ardeth.

 

"Pardon."  

 

The soft whisper stopped her mid-step.  Looking up, Evy saw one of the Abadi - she assumed Widad, since she didn't recognize the voice - carrying a large bundle and politely shuffled back out of the aisle to let her pass.  Distracted, it didn't occur to Evy to wonder what was in the bundle.  She fidgeted as she waited for Samih to follow his charge toward the door, then, rushed across the aisle.  Kneeling in front of him, Ardeth startled her by opening his eyes a crack and focusing on her.  Evy smiled, anxiously.

 

"How are you doing?" 

 

Ardeth closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but winced as it pushed against his aching ribs and tugged on the wound.  Exhaling slowly, he cracked his eyes open again.

 

"I am fine," he croaked, in a soft whisper barely loud enough to hear, and let his eyes close again. 

 

Evy smiled, as did Alex.   The absurdity of the answer was so obvious that it would have been laughable had they not been so worried.   Ardeth's skin nearly glowed with renewed fever, yet still managed to seem deathly pale, sending a chill down Evy's spine as she studied him.  Clearly, despite sleeping nearly the entire distance, the bumpy plane ride had taken its toll on him. 

 

"The river will be less taxing," Najat soothed, seeing the Englishwoman's anxious expression as she approached.   "It will also be possible to better tend to his needs."

 

Evy nodded, hopefully, and moved out of the way as Muhannad and Rick moved in to help the Medjai from his seat.

 

"Ardeth...,"  Rick warned, before reaching for the warrior.  Ardeth cracked his eyes, again, and studied his friend, before nodding consent.

 

Biting his lip against the pain, the Medjai almost managed to stifle his pained gasps as he was gently pulled to his feet.  The fuzziness in his brain had increased again, but he could still think clearly enough to be astonished by how much weaker he'd grown during the relatively short flight.  Unable to really sustain any of his own weight, he hung limply between Rick and Muhannad, helpless to do much beyond keeping his feet beneath him as the trio awkwardly maneuvered out of the plane.

 

To weak to help, getting into the car became more of an ordeal than Ardeth would have thought possible.  Finally situated, the Medjai panted, exhaustedly, as he leaned heavily against the metal frame.  Waiting for the vehicle to lurch into motion, Ardeth wearily closed his eyes.  It seemed like they hardly been closed a second when a lurching stop brought him awake with a hiss.

 

"Sorry, buddy," Rick offered, sympathetically, glancing over his shoulder at the Medjai.  

 

Ardeth didn't bother to respond, preoccupied with a slight tickle of dread dancing across his stomach as he waited for hands to pull him painfully from the vehicle.  He didn't have to wait long.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy stood in the doorway of the cabin, listening to Zaynab hum softly as she bathed Ardeth with cool water.   The scene seemed very peaceful.   Closing her eyes, Evy rested against the doorframe to let the serenity calm her nerves, still jangled by the ordeal of getting the Medjai from the car onto the boat.   It had been almost physically painful for her to watch the effort drain away what few reserves Ardeth had managed to hold onto during the flight.  Finally, he appeared to be resting comfortably - something for which she was profoundly grateful.   Abruptly realizing that the Abadi had stopped humming, Evy opened her eyes and found herself under scrutiny.   Seeing her eyes open, Zaynab glanced back down at Ardeth. 

 

"You wish to tend him?"  she asked, politely, although it was more of a statement.

 

"If you wouldn't mind terribly," Evy replied, nodding as she spoke.  Zaynab glanced up, again, and studied her for several seconds.  She could plainly see the stress of watching Ardeth's continued deterioration on the Englishwoman's face, making her hesitate. 

 

"Please, Zaynab.  I simply can't stand doing nothing."

 

Still reluctant, the Abadi nodded.

 

"'Alfi shukr," Evy replied, smiling appreciatively.  ("Many thanks")

 

Placing the cloth in her hand back into the basin on the nightstand, Zaynab rose, bowed slightly, and shuffled from the room.  Ardeth immediately began to stir, restlessly, provoking a frown from Evy as she sat in the vacated spot.  Snatching up the cloth laying across his forehead, she re-soaked it and replaced it.  Grabbing another cloth from the basin and lightly caressing Ardeth's feverish flesh, Evy tried to remember the tune Zaynab had hummed.  It seemed to have a great calming effect on the Medjai.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy glanced up as Najat tapped lightly on the door.

 

"Yes?" she asked.

 

"Your husband wishes you to join him for a meal," Najat replied, bowing politely.   Evy frowned, wondering why Rick hadn't come to fetch her himself.  "I have brought food for Ardeth Bey."

 

Chagrined, Evy noticed that the Abadi was, indeed, carrying a small tray.  She glanced down at Ardeth.  He still slept, although restlessly.  To her great frustration, Evy knew she hadn't managed to get the tune right. 

 

"Also, his bandages must be tended."

 

Sighing, reluctantly, Evy nodded.  She didn't really want to leave Ardeth, but it seemed unfair to completely abandon her family, and, since she could hardly mix the necessary herbs for Ardeth, there seemed little value in finding an excuse to stay.  Dropping the cloth in her hand back into the basin, Evy hesitantly backed away, making room for the Najat. 

 

"If you like, when you return, I will teach you the tune you have been attempting," Najat offered, glancing up at the Englishwoman as she paused in the doorway.  Evy frowned, sheepishly.   She hadn't intended for the Abadi to hear her humming. 

 

"I have offended...,"  Najat began, seeing the embarrassment on Evy's face.

 

"No, no, of course you haven't," Evy hurriedly stated, realizing her expression had given the wrong impression.  "I hope that you are not offended that I massacred the lovely tune so badly."

 

"I take no offense," Najat assured.  "It was a valiant attempt." 

 

Evy smiled, genuinely.  "I would very much like to have you teach it to me!  Thank you!"

 

Najat bowed and watched the Englishwoman disappear out the door, then turned her attention to Ardeth.  

 

"Ardeth," she prodded.  He continued to stir, restlessly, but that was all.  Najat sighed.  Although, for the moment, his fever seemed to have leveled out, it was still high.  Between it, the medicines, exhaustion, and blood loss, she had not expected he would easily awaken, but had hoped.   Trying again, she brushed her fingers lightly across his cheek.  He still didn't respond. 

 

"Ardeth Bey, you must wake!"  Najat attempted, again tickling his cheek with the tips of her fingers.  She winced as he startled awake with a flinch that provoked a soft hiss. 

 

Scrunching his eyes tightly, Ardeth waited a few seconds for the fresh wave of pain to ebb away.  He indulged in a few extra seconds to compose himself, before allowing his eyes to flitter open and fix on the Abadi. 

 

"I have brought nourishment," she informed him, maternally.   Ardeth's stomach churned at the mere thought to food, and he scrunched his eyes shut, weakly waving her away.  "You must try to eat a little; your body cannot recover its strength without nourishment."

 

Ardeth simply scrunched his eyes even tighter, fighting back the nausea rising up his throat.  Seeing the struggle on his face, Najat sighed and set the tray down on the chair Evy'd left sitting by the bed.   When she didn't speak again, Ardeth relaxed his expression and peeked his eyes open.  His brow furrowed as he discovered she was no longer there, but he hadn't the energy to ponder her disappearance.    Deciding, after a moment, he'd simply dreamed her, Ardeth mentally shrugged and closed his eyes.

 

"Ardeth."

 

He frowned as Najat's soft whisper pulled back from the brink of sleep.  Reluctantly cracking his eyes to look at her, Ardeth noticed she held a cup in her hands.

 

"Will you drink?"  She asked, patiently.  "It will settle your stomach so that you may eat."

 

Realizing it had not been a dream, Ardeth sighed, flinching as it provoked fresh stabs of pain.  It was apparent that she wasn't going to let him rest again until he ate, so with a reluctant frown, he nodded, slightly.   His eyes closed sleepily as Najat's hand slid beneath his head and tilted it up.   Feeling the cup press against his lips, Ardeth obediently downed the liquid. 

 

"Can you sit?"  He heard her ask and opened his eyes.  

 

It took a moment to focus on her, and when he did, Ardeth found himself distracted by the sudden realization that she hadn't uncovered to tend him, as she had previously.   He frowned, disapprovingly, finding it oddly disconcerting, but then furrowed his brow, wondering why it would bother him.   Since reaching adulthood, he saw her covered as often as not; it had never previously bothered him.  In fact, it should have disconcerted him that she had disrobed outside of her village.   But his feverish mind....

 

"Ardeth?"  Najat inquired, disrupting his thoughts.  It concerned her when he neither answered nor attempted to sit.  Noticing that, although his eyes remained fixed upon her, they seemed not to see her, a slight chill wafted down her spine. Shivering, Najat made another attempt to get his attention. 

 

"Ardeth?!"

 

He flinched, sending a stab of pain shooting through him that forced his eyes to close tightly.  Opening them again, Ardeth frowned, wondering why she'd called his name.

 

"Can you sit?"  Najat repeated, relieved to see a degree of coherency return to his expression.   Ardeth nodded, weakly, and attempted to push himself up.  To his dismay, his beleaguered body refused to cooperate, and he collapsed back onto the bed, grimacing in pain. 

 

"I cannot," he admitted, once he'd caught his breath. Having observed that for herself, Najat smiled at the unnecessary admission.

 

"May I assist you," she asked, respectfully.  Ardeth reluctantly nodded, growing frustrated by his increasing helplessness.

 

Najat abruptly reached across to grab the extra pillow lying next to him, causing Ardeth to flinch, but he managed to hide the resulting hiss.  Biting his lip, he determinedly stifled a groan as she gingerly wrapped her arms around him and lifted him enough to slide the pillow beneath him, propping him up just enough to eat.  Closing his eyes as she settled him, Ardeth smiled, slightly, realizing the arrangement would allow him to go back to sleep once he finished, without enduring the effort of lying back down. 

 

"Will you try to eat, now?"  He heard her ask, softly, and opened his eyes.  Noticing she'd picked up the tray, Ardeth found that his stomach didn't churn as it had the last time she'd asked. 

 

"I will try," he answered, wearily.

 

"That is all I ask," Najat replied, carefully balancing the tray across his lap.  "We will start with the broth?"

 

Ardeth nodded.  Completely lacking an appetite, it didn't really matter to him what he ate.  It pleased Najat, however.   She knew the broth would provide his body with the most nourishment.  As he would likely be unable to stay awake long, the Abadi had hoped he would not argue with consuming it first. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Ardeth twisted his head to the side as Najat broke off a piece of bread and offered it to him.  It didn't matter to him whether his body needed it or not, he couldn't stay awake any longer.

 

"I can eat no more; please, let me sleep," he weakly whispered, closing his eyes. 

 

Najat frowned, but didn't press the issue.  He'd downed all of the broth; that would have to be sufficient.  Tossing the bread back onto the tray, she carefully lifted it off his lap and placed on the floor, out of the way.  

 

"Ardeth."  

 

The Medjai opened his eyes to see Najat holding a cup in her hand. He frowned, certain there'd been no cup on the tray.  Glancing down, Ardeth saw that the tray had been removed and realized he must have drifted off.

 

"Will you drink?"  Najat asked, frowning as she noticed him become distracted.  Ardeth's attention snapping back to her, he nodded and waited for her to press the cup to his lips.  Najat smiled as he carefully drank the entirety of the contents.  "I must change your bandages, then you may sleep."

 

Ardeth nodded, smiling contentedly as she began to hum a familiar tune.  It changed into a frown as his disorganized mind latched onto a thought. 

 

"They are still unaware..." he began to asked.  His brow furrowed with concern, but the question faded sleepily away.   Najat studied him for a moment, wondering how he'd remembered to ask, and if he'd remember the answer. 

 

"Evelyn O'Connell knows of the legend, but believes the matter already settled; she does not know of your intentions," she answered, after a few seconds.  Believing he'd already drifted back to sleep, it surprised her to see him frown.  She paused for a moment, waiting for him to speak.  When he did not, Najat renewed her soft humming and turned her attention to his injuries.

 

Drifting hazily, Ardeth barely felt her touch as she pulled his robe open.  Najat rolled him over a little, which roused him slightly, but once she'd rolled him back down, he quickly faded away again.  His subconscious latching onto the soothing sound of the melody she hummed, Ardeth wandered toward a dream, blissfully unaware of her fingers brushing against his shoulder wound.  He was deeply submerged in the happy memory by the time her hands reached the abdominal wound, sending fresh waves of pain screaming though his body.  Ardeth tossed fitfully as it attempted to drag him from his dream, but Najat's soft hum wove through the pain.  He focused on it, and the melody carried him deeper into his dream.  There, gentle, welcoming, long-grieved-for hands soothed him.

 

oOoOoOo

 

An interruption in the soft melody scoring his dream distracted Ardeth and pulled him from the peaceful scene.   Unable to find his way back to it, he wandered slowly towards consciousness.  Ardeth was nearly there when the humming began again; the familiar tune soft and steady, but, strangely, no longer soothing.  A different voice now hummed it.  Teetering on the edge of sleep, Ardeth couldn't quite place the reason, but something about the voice made him wary.  Hesitant, he kept his eyes closed and continued to listen, remembering the song from long ago...long before he knew the voice.  The sudden realization prodded him into opening his eyes, barely a crack - not enough to notice, but enough for Ardeth to identify the face that hovered over him.  

 

"Evelyn?"  He questioned, in an incoherent mumble.  Ardeth frowned, perplexed, as he felt a flinch on the bed next to him, but forgot about it when the humming stopped.

 

"Ardeth?! You're awake!  What's wrong?  Do you need something...are you in pain... should I fetch Najat...is it Alex...is he disturbing you...would you like me to wake him and have him get down?"

 

Ardeth's eyes had closed again by the time Evy paused for breath, but he gradually registered the extra weight of a child on the bed.  In a distant part of his foggy mind, it bothered him that he hadn't realized sooner Alex was there, but Ardeth was too tired to worry about it for long.  Instead, he gathered enough strength to speak again, answering "no" in barely audible whisper.

 

Concerned tempted Evy to toss out more questions, but she bit her tongue, hoping that, perhaps, Ardeth had only roused for a moment and would drift back to sleep if she didn't pester him.  Frozen in place, she counted the seconds until a full minute of silence had passed, then decided he had, indeed, fallen back to sleep.   Silently releasing the breath she'd been holding, Evy began to hum again.  When the tune reached his ears, Ardeth forced his eyes to open to a slit, reminded of the question he'd meant to ask. 

 

"Evelyn?"  He repeated, this time managing an understandable croak - although barely.  Again, the humming stopped, but there was no response from the child lying next to him.

 

"Yes, it's Evy," she replied, trying to respond more calmly that she had the last time.  The Medjai nodded weakly, in a motion so slight she would have missed it had she not been watching closely.  After a moment, his brow furrowed, and Evy frowned, anxiously wondering why.  "Please, Ardeth, if there's something I can do..."

 

"You were humming," the Medjai stated, sounding confused and troubled.  Seeing it in his expression, Evy grew more concerned.  There seemed little reason for her humming to agitate him so, and she wondered if, perhaps, he were growing delirious. 

 

"Yes, I was humming," she replied to the seemingly random comment, forcing her voice to remain calm and soothing.  

 

"The tune..." The furrowing of Ardeth's brows deepened, as he grew increasingly agitated by his inability to think clearly.   Closing his eyes again, he attempted to gather his thoughts.   Evy's heart wrenched, as she watched him struggling to form a coherent sentence, and tears welled in her eyes.   It reminded her of watching him struggle to speak while she'd tended him in their guest room... and the nightmare she'd had...of Ardeth gasping out his last breath.

 

"Najat taught it to me."  Evy's voice trembled slightly as she explained, trying to distract herself more than anything. 

 

"Najat...," the Medjai parroted, faintly. 

 

"Yes. It's what she and Zaynab have been humming while they tended you.  It seemed to soothe you, so Najat taught it to me to hum while I tended you.  She says it's very old..." Evy knew she was babbling, but didn't care.  It was better than watching Ardeth try to speak.

 

"'Ummee..." he weakly whispered, nearly unheard beneath Evy's words. 

 

"What was that?  I'm sorry, did you say something?" 

 

"My mother...,"  Ardeth repeated in English.   Evy's brow furrowed, her concerns about his state of mind increasing.  She wondered if were asking for her...which reminded her that his mother was dead...from the fever her parents had brought to the Medjai. 

 

"Your mother," she repeated back to him, tearfully, unable to think of anything else to say. 

 

"My mother," Ardeth restated, paused for breath, and, then, added, "often hummed...that same tune...when I was young."  

 

The lingering pain of loss edging his weak voice sent waves of guilt and remorse surging through her, leaving Evy speechless.   A single thought ran continuously through her mind as she stared at Ardeth - her parents were responsible for taking his mother from him.  Fresh tears welled in her eyes, spilling as she attempted to blink them away.  Her body trembling from the rising swell of emotion, Evy leaned against the bed for support while she attempted to compose herself.  Realizing, a few seconds later, that it was a hopeless cause, she dropped into the chair and hid her tear-streaked face in her hands.   

 

Ardeth cracked his eyes opened as her shifting weight jostled the mattress.  Still expecting to see her hovering over him, it took a moment to find her.

 

"Evelyn?!"  he gasped when he found her crying. 

 

Hearing the concern in his voice, Alex gave up his pretense of sleep and poked his head up.  His eyes teared as he witnessed his mum's obvious distress.

 

"Mum?!"  He cried.  Quickly scooting off the bed and rushing to her, Alex threw his arms around her.  Ardeth gasped as the jostling aggravated his injuries; the soft sound reminded Evy of how badly she'd hurt him.

 

"Ooooh!  Ardeth!  I'm sooo sorry!"  She nearly wailed.  "I hurt you so badly, but I didn't mean to...I mean I did...I blamed the Medjai ...but they didn't do anything except try to help my parents...and they cost you...your family sooo much... I can't...I don't..."

 

"Evelyn?"  Ardeth interrupted, concern providing enough adrenaline to enable him to muster a small degree of alertness.  The nearly hysterical flurry of words had rushed past too quickly for his fuzzy brain to grasp hold of more than a few words - some sort of reference to parents.  "What...?"

 

Evy peered up, her vision blurred by tears.  Noting, almost abstractly, that Ardeth's eyes were all the way open, she blinked until her vision was clear and saw the bewildered concern on his face.  It made her heart ache even more.  Closing her eyes, Evy took several deep breaths, determined to compose herself enough to explain properly.  She owed Ardeth that much, at the very least.  Opening her eyes again, she pulled Alex onto her lap, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

 

"Mum?"  Alex questioned, tearfully, finding his mother's sudden shift from near hysterics to eerie calmness a tad unnerving. 

 

"Where to start...,"  Evy abruptly began, seeming not to have heard her son.  Frustrated, she loosed a hand long enough to distractedly rub her forehead, while she attempted to organize her thoughts. 

 

"Perhaps at the beginning," Ardeth suggested in a whisper, earning a smile from Evy, despite the seriousness of the moment.  

 

"Yes, of course, at the beginning," she replied, still smiling, but it dropped into a frown as a thought struck her.  "Ardeth, why haven't you ever mentioned that knew my parents?"

 

"It was ...a brief acquaintance...seemed little value... in mentioning it," the Medjai responded, closing his eyes.  The anguish on his face made Evy hesitant to continue. 

 

"You knew mum's parents?  Really?!"  Alex exclaimed, oblivious to the warrior's distress.  "How did you meet them?  Did they get into trouble like mum and dad?    What happened?"

 

"Hush, Alex."

 

"But, mum....,"  the child whined.  "You never talk about them."

 

"Shhh," Evy insisted, giving her son a look that quelled any temptation to argue with her.   "Don't bother Ardeth with this right now..."

 

"Yes...young O'Connell...I met your grandparents," Ardeth weakly interrupted, without opening his eyes.  "Evelyn...perhaps...you should...continue."

 

"Ooh, Ardeth!" Evy choked out, feeling horrid for reopening emotional wounds, on top of everything else. 

 

"Please...Evelyn," he responded, weakly, doubting he could remain awake much longer. Evy nodded, grimly.

 

"Yes, all right, from the beginning."  She closed her eyes as she took a deep breath, before speaking again.    "A few days ago - the day that... - well, I'd begun to sort through a crate - the one that you landed... - well, anyway, buried in it was a journal."

 

Despite his drowsiness, Ardeth raised a curious eyebrow.

 

"Yes, I know, a journal...someone's private thoughts that I had no business reading, but I thought, maybe, it had belonged to one of my parents.  And I was longing for them just at that moment, so...well, obviously, I read it ...well, only a few lines, actually."

 

"And it was not...as you hoped," the Medjai presumed.  He still didn't bother to open his eyes, but his pulse quickened.

 

"It didn't belong to your parents?"  Alex asked, glancing from his mum to the Medjai, and back to his mum. 

 

"No," Evy answered, simply.

 

"Then, who's...?"

 

"I don't know, Alex," his mum replied, cutting him off.  "A Medjai...Dr. Bey, perhaps."

 

"What does it have to do with what happened to Ardeth?  What did you mean you meant to do it?  What did it say?" Alex nervously quizzed.    Evy sighed, dejectedly, and briefly closed her eyes. 

 

"Those few lines said, well, I thought they said that the Medjai had killed my parents."  Evy paused for a remorseful sigh.   From the bed, Ardeth echoed the sound.

 

"The Medjai killed your mum and dad?!"  Alex gasped, provoking a flinch from Ardeth.  The warrior didn't need to open his eyes to see the look of horror and disbelief on the child's face.

 

"No, no, no," Evy responded, shaking her head.  "They didn't, I read it wrong... well, I read what it said and grew so angry that I didn't keep reading...didn't read far enough." 

 

"That's why you...did what you did?"  Alex questioned, rhetorically, not quite able to voice it, even if he could almost grasp the reason it had happened.  Evy nodded, glumly.

 

"You arrived just then, Ardeth, and I was so furious, I...I didn't even realize what I was doing until...," Evy paused to choke down fresh tears. 

 

"You have...read more since," Ardeth prompted, in a calm whisper that masked his rising desperation.  He did NOT want to relive the memories of which she spoke!

 

Evy nodded, forgetting his eyes were closed. 

 

"What did it say!" Alex prodded.   His mum sighed. 

 

"The Medjai didn't kill my parents," she dejectedly admitted, glancing toward the door, as she found herself unable to face either Ardeth or Alex.  "They saved them."

 

"Saved them?"  Alex parroted.  She nodded in reply.  "How? What happened to them?"

 

"They'd become ill...with fever," Ardeth informed him, before Evy had the chance.   Alex glanced from Ardeth to his mum and saw unexpected anguish on her face. 

 

"So then what happened," Alex continued to prod. 

 

"The Medjai found them abandoned in the desert and took them to their camp to be tended," Evy hesitantly continued, when Ardeth remained silent.    As the weight of the anguish emanating from both adults grew almost palpable, Alex realized he was missing something important.

 

"What?!"  he questioned, fearfully.  He kept his eyes on his mother, even when Ardeth answered. 

 

"The fever spread...throughout my people...many died," the Medjai explained, long-aged grief coating his words.   Alex knew from the look on his mum's face what Ardeth was leaving out. 

 

"Nameer?"  The child's gaze remaining pinned on his mother, he saw her flinch at the name. 

 

"Yes, my brother...was among...the dead," Ardeth confirmed, in a whisper. 

 

"And?"  Alex prompted.

 

"My mother...and sisters," the Medjai answered, weakly.

 

"Oh," was all Alex could manage in response.  He could tell from his mum's face that there was more, but he didn't want to know.  Squirming free from her, he climbed back onto the bed and curled up next to Ardeth. 

 

"And you..." Evy choked out, once it had become clear Ardeth didn't intend to say more.  "What you endured...Ardeth!   The fever...your father...!"

 

Ardeth brow furrowed at the mention of his father.  She could not know about his father; that could not have been in the journal - only he, Fathi, and Badi'a knew of it.

 

"My father?"  He questioned, finally forcing his eyes open.   Evy shook her head, despairingly. 

 

"How he treated you...oh, Ardeth!"  She wailed.  "He turned his back on you; I don't understand how anyone could be so cruel!" 

 

Ardeth studied her for a moment, then, closed his eyes again.  "I do not know...what was said...in this journal of yours...but you misunderstood."

 

"Misunderstood?"  Evy echoed, stunned that he would defend his father's treatment of him.  "Ardeth, he abandoned you!" 

 

The Medjai sighed, but said nothing.   Lacking the strength to continue, he lay still, hoping that, after a bit, she'd assume he'd fallen asleep - not that he would have to feign for long before it became truth. 

 

"Ardeth?"  Evy asked, concerned by the silence as a minute ticked past.  She sighed when he didn't respond, assuming he'd dozed off.  Glancing at her son, Evy found that he also appeared to have fallen asleep.  Rising from the chair, she turned toward the door. Evy paused when she realized she still held a damp cloth in her hand.  Dropping it into the basin, she rushed out to fetch Najat.  It suddenly seemed cruel to continue tending Ardeth herself; hers was not the first face he needed to see when he next awoke.  

 

Evy didn't have to go far, colliding with the Abadi just outside the door.  All but Najat's eyes were still hidden beneath the burqa, but Evy didn't need to see more.  The emotion emanating from them screamed that the Abadi had overheard...enough, anyway.

 

"He is correct; you misunderstand," Najat stated, chidingly, after studying Evy for a moment.  Beckoning the Englishwomen to follow, she wandered toward the deck, stopping long enough to whisper something to one of the other Abadi women. 

 

Watching the other Abadi rise, Evy's gaze followed her until she disappeared into Ardeth's room, presumably to tend him.  She assumed it must be Zaynab, since she and Najat seemed to take turns tending the Medjai - when Evy wasn't insisting upon doing so, anyway.  Turning back, she realized Najat had continued onto the deck and scrambled to catch-up.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Seeing his sister follow Najat onto the deck, Jonathan nonchalantly shuffled toward Ardeth's room.  Evy'd kept such a close eye on the Medjai since joining their entourage, he hadn't dared look in on him.  Zaynab glanced up as he entered, causing Jonathan to hesitate.  He hadn't considered someone besides Evy or Najat might be tending Ardeth.

 

"Oh...um...hello there," he stammered, nervously.  Shoving his hands in his pockets, Jonathan suddenly found the floor _extremely_ interesting. 

 

"Do you require something?"  Zaynab patiently inquired, studying the Englishman.

 

"Um, could I...would you mind...uh..."

 

"You wish to speak privately with Ardeth Bey?"  The Abadi guessed, sparing Jonathan the necessity of forming a complete sentence. 

 

"If it wouldn't be a bother," he muttered in reply.  Zaynab nodded, politely, quickly rewetted the cloth across Ardeth's forehead, and excused herself. 

 

Moving to the bed, Jonathan silently studied the sleeping Medjai.   It was obvious from the ghostly pallor hidden beneath the feverish glow of Ardeth's skin that he continued to worsen.  Jonathan wondered how much of the deterioration could be blamed on the arduous journey.   Sighing glumly, he plopped into the bedside chair.  Regretting for the umpteenth time helping Ardeth leave the house, he softly chastised himself for going along with it...and with leaving Rick and his sister in the dark.  The later was something he knew he'd hear about once everyone was less distracted, but that didn't concern him as much as the possibility that Ardeth wouldn't recover.   Even after ten years of acquaintance, the warrior remained more mysterious stranger, than friend, but Jonathan didn't doubt Ardeth was a good man.  Sighing again, he snatched the cloth from Ardeth's forehead, rewetted it and replaced it.  

 

Ardeth stirred as water dripped onto his eyelids.  Jonathan flinched as they abruptly flittered open.  Disoriented, his eyes wondered aimlessly, until finally landing on the Englishman. 

 

Jonathan smiled, nervously, as the Medjai stared at him.

 

"Hello there," he mumbled, unable to think of anything better to say.  Ardeth tried a weak smile and closed his eyes again. 

 

The attempted smile sent a fresh wave of remorse washing over Jonathan, and he sighed, again feeling the need to apologize for this part in the whole mess.   Unfortunately, he couldn't think of what to say.  Silently wracking his brain for another minute, Jonathan decided it didn't matter if he found the perfect words; Ardeth appeared to have fallen back to sleep, anyway, so he might as well just babble for a while and hope that what he meant to express came out somewhere along the way.  

 

"Well, wouldn't you know it, I finally get a moment alone with you and I can't think of a bloody thing to say..."

 

oOoOoOo

 

"What do you mean I misunderstand," Evy asked, breathlessly, as she caught up to Najat and dropped into a seat next to her.   Najat glanced up, again scrutinizing the Englishwoman.  Evy huffed, impatiently.

 

Hidden beneath her burqa, Najat smiled, amused by Evy's impatience, but quickly grew serious again.

 

"It is true, Dabir Bey abandoned his family and his people," Najat admitted. "However, cruelty was not his intend."

 

Evy gapped at her.   "What possible reason....justification is there for something so horrid?" 

 

Najat softly sighed.  "Guilt.  Remorse.  Grief."

 

Evy shook her head, not understanding.

 

"Your parents would not have been brought to the camp without his consent.  And so, he blamed himself for all that followed."

 

"But, still...,"  Evy muttered, unable to reconcile his abandonment of Ardeth. 

 

"He could not face him," Najat stated, bluntly.

 

"Ardeth?"  

 

"Yes."

 

"Why?  I don't understand..." Evy prodded, frowning.

 

"As I said, he blamed himself for all that had occurred - the deaths of his wife and children, and so many others - but more grievous than these losses, Dabir Bey believed his actions had cost the Medjai their future."

 

Evy's brow wrinkled.  "Why would he believe he had cost the Medjai their future?  And how does that explain abandoning his son?"

 

Najat sighed. 

 

"You see, Dabir Bey was not young when he married, and, then, it was many more years before the union produced children.  And so, by the time Ardeth reached manhood, age had begun to weigh heavily enough upon Dabir's shoulders that, not unlike his people, he’d already grown to rely on Ardeth's strength.   In it, he saw the future of the Medjai - a leader that could guide his people through the trials of a swiftly changing world.  A world in which Dabir Bey felt himself ill-equipped to survive.   When that strength was stripped away by the fever, he blamed himself.  He could not bear to witness his son's misery, believing that he had inflicted it upon him, but more so, Dabir Bey could not face his son believing himself responsible for destroying Ardeth's future."

 

"And, therefore, his people's future."

 

"Indeed," Najat confirmed.

 

 "But, Fathi..." Evy began to ask, remembering that Dabir had spent his last weeks with his younger son. 

 

Najat shook her head. 

 

"Dabir Bey loved his younger son dearly, but he did not see in him the same strength that he saw in Ardeth.  He hoped for no more than to prepare Fathi to assist what was left of Ardeth, for he clung to the hope his heir would yet recover... sufficiently, at least, to accept the mantle of leadership when the time came."

 

Evy gaped at the Abadi.  Nothing in the journal had indicated that Dabir had continued to believe in Ardeth; in fact, it had seemed to say quite the opposite.   She found herself unsure of what to think. 

 

"How could you know all this?"  She finally asked, skeptically.  Najat peered at her with a resigned look in her eyes, as though she'd known from the start that Evy would doubt her. 

 

"In his self-imposed exile, Dabir Bey had to seek refuge somewhere; he sought it amongst the Abadi," Najat patiently explained.

 

"Why the Abadi?"

 

"Why not the Abadi?" Najat asked, chuckling softly, and Evy shrugged.  "He had long-trusted friends amongst my people; it was with them, in particular, that he sought refuge and a compassionate ear." 

 

Mulling over all she'd been told, Evy said nothing for several seconds, then, something occurred to her and flew out her mouth of its own volition.

 

"So you already knew Ardeth...before this, I mean?  Old family friends, or something?"

 

"Indeed, we have been acquainted since childhood," Najat confirmed.

 

Evy nodded, distractedly, as she silently pondered.  Thinking aloud, she unintentionally asked, "what happened to him?" 

 

When Najat cocked her head, as though puzzled, Evy realized she'd spoken aloud and clarified the question.  "Dabir. He was mortally injured...the journal didn't say how.  Do you know what happened to him?"

 

Evy was surprised when Najat glanced toward the deck, seemingly reluctant to answer.

 

"Najat?"

 

The Abadi sighed, before reluctantly speaking.  "You asked, earlier, if the Devourer's weapons had been used often."

 

"Yes."

 

"Do you recall my answer?"  Najat quizzed, shifting her gaze to the passing scenery.

 

"Of course I do.  You said that, in recent times, they'd been used only once...on a leader of Medjai...oooooh!"  Evy's eyes grew wide with dawning realization.  "You mean to say that it was Dabir?!"

 

Najat nodded, mournfully.

 

"How?  Who?"  Evy quizzed, but the Abadi didn't seem inclined to reveal any more.  "You can't tell me that much and then just leave me hanging!"

 

After a deep breath, Najat reluctantly spoke.  "Many years ago, strangers arrived at our camp. They claimed to be lost and sought shelter through the night, and it was granted to them.  Our queen did not trust these strangers, however, and posted guards around the sarcophagus, but to no avail.  During the night, the strangers stormed their way to the weapons and stole away with them.  Dabir Bey arrived in our camp as we were preparing our dead for burial and resolved to retrieve the weapons. Though it was not his responsibility to do so, he was adamant; I do not know why.  It was in his effort to do this that he was mortally wounded."

 

Evy said nothing, finally understanding why Najat had been reluctant.   The Abadi had failed in their duty to protect the weapons, and, in the end, it had cost an honored guest his life.  She imagined that, collectively, the Abadi honor still stung from the blow. 

 

"Now, if you will excuse me, I should tend to Ardeth Bey," Najat requested, not quite managing to face the Englishwoman.  

 

"Of course," Evy responded, politely, and watched the Abadi walk away, until she turned a corner, vanishing from view.  Shifting her gaze to the passing scenery, Evy mulled over all the she'd been told.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Glancing up as she walked through the door, Najat was startled to find Jonathan, instead of Zaynab, tending a sleeping Ardeth.  Hearing soft words spoken, Najat hesitated.  She didn't want to invade Jonathan's privacy, but was already close enough to overhear him.  It made her even more uncomfortably as she realized he was apologizing for agreeing to go along with Ardeth's plan.  Hearing the grief and remorse in his voice, Najat felt for the Englishman, who abruptly fell silent, as he caught her out of the corner of his eye.

 

"Jonathan," Najat greeted, awkwardly, as he glanced at her.  "I was not expecting..."

 

"I asked Zaynab to give me a moment...wasn't sure if I'd get another opportunity," the Englishman interrupted, shrugging apologetically.   Najat nodded.

 

"I will leave," she offered, compassionately.

 

"Not necessary," Jonathan replied, with forced nonchalance.   Self-consciously dropping the cloth in his hand back into the basin, he shuffled past her and out the door.

 

Sighing wearily, Najat considered following, but decided against it.   Clearly, the Englishman wasn't comfortable admitting to emotion, especially to a woman.   Attempting to shrug off his visit, she took his place next to the bed and grabbed the cloth from the basin.  As she turned toward Ardeth, Najat glanced at Alex and paused, frowning.  It was apparent that, although his eyes were closed, the child was no longer asleep.   Praying silently that Jonathan had not revealed too much, Najat opted to play along with the ruse and began to hum softly as she swirled the wetted cloth across Ardeth's feverish flesh.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Helping support Ardeth, Evy grimaced, as their auto hit yet another bump.  She almost felt pain herself as it provoked a weak, breathless moan from the Medjai.  Frustrated, she glared at the back of Johari's head, but managed, barely, to stop herself from chastising him. She knew he was driving as carefully as he could, but that didn't make Ardeth's discomfort any easier to bear.

 

"We are nearly there," Najat whispered, catching the glare out of the corner of her eye.  From the other side of Ardeth, she glanced up and offered the Englishwoman a supportive, although shaky, smile. 

 

Evy responded with a clipped nod.  Sighing softly, she glanced at Najat and saw her own frustration and concern mirrored in the Abadi's face.  Oddly, it brought a small measure of comfort, allowed her by Najat's removal of her burqa.   Evy's realized, at the time that, that the simply act had significance - look on Johari's face had made that clear enough for anyone to grasp.  However, she hadn't fully appreciated the gesture until that moment and offered Najat an appreciative smile.  

 

"This is the place?"  Rick twisted around to ask, diverting Evy's attention just as she was about to shift her glance back to Ardeth. 

 

"It is," Najat answered, simply. 

 

Evy scooted forward to watch the approaching oasis grow larger.  Studying the village as it crept into view, the auto's abrupt halt caught her off balance, sending her tumbling into the back of Johari's seat.  Chagrined, Evy glanced up to find both Najat and Ardeth staring at her. 

 

"Oops," she muttered, earning a little smile from Najat.  Ardeth just closed his eyes.

 

Beside her, the door opened, and Evy glanced up to find her husband's hand offering assistance.  Taking it, she awkwardly, but quickly, climbed from the vehicle, making room for Johari to reach in for Ardeth.

 

The Abadi warrior moved slowly and carefully, but the unavoidable twisting and bending involved sent waves of pain screaming through Ardeth's body.   Determined not to make a sound, the Medjai held his breath.  Sapped by the bumpy drive, Ardeth found himself helpless to do more than concentrate on remaining silent and keeping his eyes cracked open enough anticipate the next twist or bend.  With each wrenching movement, the black spots dancing in front of him grew larger. 

 

As the Medjai emerged from the vehicle, Rick shuffled around his wife to lend a hand. Pulling Ardeth's free arm over his shoulder in the knick of time, Rick staggered a bit as the Medjai abruptly lost consciousness and crumpled. 

 

"Ardeth!"  Alex cried in alarm, emerging from the second car just in time to see the Medjai collapse.  He ran over, but Evy caught him.   Wrapping her arms around him, she held him out of the way while Rick and Johari followed Najat, carrying Ardeth between them.

 

"Shhh.  It's all right," Evy soothed, managing to conceal her own panic.  "He's worn out.  We just need to get him settled so he can get some proper rest."

 

Alex squirmed from his mother's grasp and retreated back to Jonathan, still hovering next to the second car. He found himself too angry and confused to deal with his mum. Evy's tearful admission to Ardeth remained too fresh in his memory, continually repeating that she was responsible for everything....and she'd MEANT to do it!  

 

Evy fought back frustrated tears as Alex fled from her.  Uncertain whether she should try to make him to talk to her, she stood frozen in place. 

 

"Come.  The hour is late.  You should eat and, then, rest," Zaynab instructed, her voice yanking Evy from her quandary.

 

"I should check on Ardeth...." Evy distractedly muttered.

 

"Tsk," the Abadi responded, maternally.  "He is well tended.  Now come.  Jonathan, Alex, you must eat, also."

 

The tone of Zaynab's voice left no room for argument, and the trio reluctantly followed.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Alex finished eating first, practically inhaling his food in his desire to escape back to Ardeth's side.  Zaynab didn't argue, knowing Najat would make certain the child rested.  Jonathan finished next, eager to escape Rick and Evy before they could remember to yell at him.  By the time Zaynab returned from finding him a bed, Rick had finished. Actually there was still quite a lot of food left on his plate, but Zaynab saw him nodding off between bites.  Deciding it was time for him to go to bed, she'd excused herself to escort him there.

 

The last to finish eating, Evy lingered over her food while she waited for Zaynab to return.  Growing impatient, she glanced around, desperately wanting to check on Ardeth.  She saw no sign of anyone.  It almost seemed as though the rest of the Abadi were hiding from her and her family.  Frustrated, Evy sighed and briefly considering wandering off on her own, but quickly nipped the idea in the bud.  Not only would it have been rude to disappear on Zaynab, Evy had no clue where Ardeth was...and no idea how the Abadi would react to her wandering aimlessly through their village.   Based on their current vanishing act, she suspected they would be less than delighted.   Resigned, Evy sighed, again, and glanced back down at the remnants of food on her plate. 

 

"You are finished?" 

 

Evy nearly jumped out of her skin. 

 

"Forgive me, I did not intent to startle you," Zaynab graciously apologized. 

 

"Ma'alish," Evy responded, glancing up at the Abadi.  Smiling distractedly, she puzzled over how Zaynab had managed to materialize out of thin air.   Sheepishly shaking her head, Evy decided she was more tired that she thought.  ("Don't worry about it.")

 

Zaynab nodded, politely.  "You will want to see Ardeth Bey, now?"

 

"Yes, if it wouldn't be a bother," Evy answered, relieved that the Abadi hadn't insisted she go straight to bed.   Zaynab gestured in the appropriate direction, then waited for Evy to rise. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy paused a few feet inside the entrance.  An anxious tickle forming in her stomach, she studied Ardeth's sleeping form.  He lay so still that, even only a few feet away, she couldn't tell if he were breathing.'Of course he is,' Evy whispered to herself, fighting the temptation to check. 'Don't pester him; he just needs rest.' Seeking a distraction, Evy's gaze wandered toward Najat, tenderly ministering to the injured Medjai. Studying the Abadi, she sensed something she'd apparently been too occupied to notice earlier.

 

"You're close...?"  She blurted, without thinking.

 

"Myself and Ardeth Bey?"  Najat quizzed.  Evy nodded, her curiosity intensifying as the Abadi hesitated.  Seeing it in the Englishwoman's eyes, Najat sighed and responded.  "As I already stated, we have been acquainted since we were very young."

 

"You're...," she started, then paused, searching for the appropriate way to ask if the two were 'involved'.   It had become abundantly clear that Najat's status among her people was high, and Evy didn't want to offend her hosts by inferring anything improper.

 

"We are old friends, nothing more," Najat stated, guessing what the Englishwoman was fishing for.   Evy nodded, seeming to accept the answer.  But when she continued to study the Abadi, Najat decided to change the subject.   

 

"He is resting much more comfortably," she announced.  "I would not expect him to awake before morning."

 

Evy nodded.  Returning her attention to Ardeth, she was again struck by need to touch him and feel that he really was alive.  Evy's internal struggle emanated from her eyes.   Seeing it, the Abadi decided to give her an excuse to tend Ardeth.   

 

"I must speak with Zaynab before she retires for the evening," Najat informed her. Offering the cloth in her hand, she asked,  "if I may inconvenience you...?"

 

Evy nearly lunged at the cloth, thankful to have an excuse to touch the Medjai. Focused on Ardeth, she didn't hear the soft "alfi shukr" Najat spoke before departing.   Her hand gently pressed the cloth to Ardeth's chest.  Feeling it rise and fall, Evy's knees nearly buckled with relief.  Ardeth's deep sleep made the relaxed movement slight, but it was enough to confirm that he was, indeed, alive, and Evy grinned.  It quickly dropped into a frown as she noted the increased heat radiating from the injured warrior.  Realizing that his fever had risen dramatically since she'd last tended him, Evy's knees nearly buckled again, but this time with fear, as thoughts of the journal Ardeth flashed through her mind. 

 

'He barely survived that fever,' she thought.  'What if he can't do it again?' 

 

Evy forced the thought away.   This was her Ardeth, not the journal Ardeth.  He'd survived Imhotep - twice, mummy guards, Lock-nah, nasty little pigmies, and the Army of Anubis; he wasn't going to die from a silly little infection. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

"Yaaaaawnmmmflm," Rick responded, as Evy wearily climbed into the small bed.  Wrapping his arms around her, he sleepily buried his face into hair.  It muffled his voice as he groggily asked, "how is he?"

 

Snuggling deeper into her husband, Evy quickly closed her tearing eyes and just sighed.   Understanding what that meant, Rick tried to think of something comforting to say, but, only half awake, the words eluded him.  He settled, instead, for tightening his arms around her.  Holding her till she drifted off, Rick sighed, mournfully, and allowed himself to fall the remainder of the way back to sleep, as well.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

"Mawwmmph."

 

Najat glanced past Ardeth to where Alex lay, as the child stirred slightly.

 

"Mum?!  No!  Don't!"  He called out, but his eyes remained closed. 

 

Hearing alarm in his small voice, Najat realized he was dreaming and frowned.  Considering the emotional intensity of the past few days, it didn't surprise her, but she would have preferred he postpone his nightmares until he not lay curled up very near Ardeth's injured side.  Alex wouldn't have to shift much to cause the Medjai great pain.  

 

Hoping to settle the child before his stirring increased, Najat reached toward him, but even as she moved, he rolled onto his back, freeing the arm that had acted as a pillow.  Shifting to catch it as he aimlessly flung it, Najat cursed, knowing she would not be in time.   Her fingers were within a hairs-breath of it when it slammed into Ardeth's broken ribs almost at the exact instant the child's knee rammed into the Medjai's tender side. 

 

Ardeth reacted instantaneously.  His eyes flew open, but only briefly, before scrunching tightly closed in a vain attempt block out the agony flaring through his body.  The large gulp of air he sucked in seemed to catch in his throat, as his back arched against the pain and his hand desperately twisted the bed sheets in a death grip.

 

Whispering calm words to Ardeth, Najat quickly, but gently, rolled the still sleeping Alex away from him, before wrapping a hand around Ardeth's forearm.   It wasn't much, but there was little else she could do for him beyond offer support. 

 

Ardeth barely felt her touch through waves of pain engulfing him, but, instinctively, he twisted his hand around to grab hers, clutching it as though it could somehow pull him free was the agony.   After what seemed like hours - although only a few minutes - the pain ebbed.  Slowly releasing his long-held breath, Ardeth crumpled weakly onto the mattress. 

 

Another minute or two passed before he managed to force his eyes to open a crack and focus on Najat's worried smile.  Returning a weak, lopsided smile, Ardeth let his eyes close and searched his fuzzy memory for what had brought him to the Abadi village.  He didn't remember traveling there, but obviously must have.  Najat wasn't covered - were they anywhere but in her village, she would have been.  Then again, he felt a strange sense of urgency, which didn't fit at all.   The Abadi village was a sanctuary - a place of peace, not of urgency.  Growing increasingly confused, Ardeth's brow furrowed.

 

"I cannot think...,"  he croaked, without opening his eyes. 

 

"You do not need to think," Najat replied, striving for calm.  "You need to rest." 

 

Ignoring her, Ardeth struggled to force his eyes to open again, but they would not, and he growled, frustrated with both his uncooperative brain and body.   

 

"Shhh. Do not struggle so; your body has not the energy to spare," she soothed, caressing his skin with the damp cloth. "You must relax and let it do what you will as it may."

 

Ardeth didn't want to relax.  The sense of urgency he felt intensified with each passing second, telling him he MUST remember what had brought him there.  Time was running out - he was certain of it!  However, the harder he struggled to grasp the memory, the fuzzier his weary brain grew, and Ardeth realized she was right.  Shifting his focus, he concentrated on breathing slowly...and deeply.  The jolt of pain that flared from his broken ribs carried with it the elusive memory, and Ardeth's eyes flew open.  

 

"Al 'Asima!" 

 

Najat bit back a sigh.  A part of her had hoped he would fall back to sleep without remembering, but the rest of her had known it would not be.  Redeeming his perceived failure and saving Evelyn were too important to the Medjai.  No matter how weak and disoriented he was, his soul not let him miss his opportunity. 

 

"She has not yet awoken," the Abadi informed him, mournfully.  Knowing what would come next, she dropped her cloth back into the basin and prepared to help the Medjai rise. 

 

"I must stand before her," Ardeth insisted in a weak whisper, as his eyes drifted closed.  Najat remained silent and still, hoping they would not open again until morning.  She couldn't contain a dejected sigh when they flickered open again after only a minute. 

 

"You have not the strength for this, now," she argued, as his groggy gaze settled upon her.  "Sleep tonight, stand before her tomorrow."

 

Ardeth weakly shook his head, provoking a wave a nausea that forced his eyes closed yet again.  Sighing softly, he kept them closed and waited for it to pass. 

 

"Neither of us can know that I will be stronger tomorrow.  I may well be weaker," he whispered.  "Then what would you have me do?"

 

"What I would have you do, Ardeth Bey, is survive, which you will not if you do not rest," Najat insisted, reaching out to caress his cheek.  Ardeth's hand stopped hers a hairs-breath from his flesh.

 

"You are not certain that I will survive Al 'Asima's judgment whether weak or strong."

 

Najat sighed, despairingly, unable to deny the accusation.

 

"Nor are you certain that I will survive this fever even if I rest, as you say I must," Ardeth continued, in a sleepy mumble.

 

Again, Najat found herself without words.  Although she had stronger medicines available to her now that they had returned to her village, medicines could only do so much.  It was still Ardeth's battle to win or lose, and her eyes had not missed that the Medjai grew weary of the fight.

 

"Two days have already passed, there is but one left.  I can wait no longer," he stated, as firmly as he could muster, but desperation tinged his tone.

 

"Najat, my old friend, this is what I must do," Ardeth whispered, when she failed to respond.  Opening his eyes, he slid the hand still clamped around her wrist down to her fingers.  Folding them within his, he whispered, almost too softly to hear.  "Please."

 

Najat studied him, tearfully.  She knew he would try to finish his task whether she aided him or not, but he would fail if she did not, and would carry the burden of that failure with him on his journey into the afterlife.   She could not allow that, and so had no choice but to do as he asked of her, despite the difficulty of it.

 

Watching her silently rise to her feet, relief washed through Ardeth, and he let his eyes close.  Regardless of his determination, he doubted he could finish his task without help, but could ask no one else had she refused.   He'd demanded far too much of Jonathan already.   The O'Connells could not know of what was to transpire.  And none of the Abadi, not even Zaynab, would defy Najat. 

 

"Thank you," he whispered. 

 

Najat remained silent, so silent that he wondered for a moment if he'd been wrong - if she'd risen to leave instead of to help him.  Then, he heard a sad sigh and felt her hands gently slide beneath his shoulders.  Opening his eyes, Ardeth briefly met her gaze.   His mind mired in the fog of illness, it took him a moment to realize she waited for permission.  He closed his eyes and weakly nodded.  Holding his breath, Ardeth managed not to groan as she help him sit up, but the effort left him breathless and lightheaded.  Focused on pushing back the encroaching blackness, Ardeth didn't notice as Najat's hands slid away. 

 

"I should call for Johari."

 

Ardeth forced his eyes open as Najat speculated - the words seemingly directed more at herself than he.  Clenching the bed sheet, he forced enough air into his lungs to comment.  

 

"No, do not," he whispered.  Ardeth knew it was selfish to ask his friend to carry the burden alone, but his pride couldn't bear the idea of any more witnesses than necessary should Al 'Asima find him lacking.

 

Najat simply nodded.  She'd known the Medjai long enough to understand that it was with great reluctance that he forbore her assistance, to ask for anymore would be unthinkable for the normally strong and fiercely independent warrior. 

 

"We should not dawdle," Ardeth added after a moment, when she'd made no move towards him.

 

Najat didn't bother to reply.  Instead, she sat beside him and gingerly pulled his injured arm over her shoulders.  She winced as Ardeth gasped lightly at the pull on the stitches, but it was the lesser of two evils.  Had she chosen the other arm, the inflamed abdominal wound and broken ribs would have rested heavily against her, causing him significantly more pain.  

 

"You are ready?"  She asked, softly. 

 

Ardeth nodded, weakly.  Holding his meager breath, he forced himself not to groan as she shakily pushed him onto his feet.  Feeling her quiver beneath his weight, Ardeth wondered, with delirious amusement, which of them would collapse first.  The feeling abruptly shifted to concern, as it occurred to him that he might have asked more of his friend than she was physically capable of providing.

 

"Will you be....?"  He started to ask, trying, unsuccessfully, to bear more of his own weight. 

 

"Do not worry, we will reach our destination," she assured the warrior, her tone certain, but strained and lacking in enthusiasm.   Letting his head fall weakly and rest against hers, Ardeth nodded very slightly.   Najat didn't bother to say more; focusing on her feet, she concentrated on maintaining their balance as they lumbered toward the exit. 

 

Ardeth's eyes slipped closed after a few steps.  He didn't have strength left to force them open again, with what little he did have focused on keeping his feet under him. 

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

Aimlessly drifting between consciousness and sleep, Alex gradually grew aware of the absolute stillness surrounding him.  His subconscious found it incongruous and drew him near enough to wakefulness to consciously register that he no longer lay curled up next to Ardeth.  Dreamily rolling over, Alex stretched out a searching hand.  When he found nothing but emptiness next to him, an anxious surge of adrenaline pumped into his system, and Alex sprang up from the bed. His eyes darted around, disoriented and near panic, searching of Ardeth and Najat.  He found neither and his pulse quickened as he bolted out into the dark night. 

 

He'd only traveled a few yards when a distant lumbering form brought him skidding to a halt. It was moving away from him and seemed oblivious to his presence, so Alex silently crept closer.   He'd gotten to within a dozen feet of it when it abruptly struck him that he was looking at Ardeth and Najat.  Alex almost cried out to get their attention, but then it occurred to him that he'd been purposely left behind.  Wondering what they were up, he stealthily continued to follow.