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

 

A slight whisper of sound froze Jonathan mid-step, and his ears strained to determine its origin.  Identifying it as shuffled footsteps, he glanced around for somewhere to hide.  He didn't know how the Abadi would react to finding him wandering unescorted.  Nor did he particularly want to find out, since he suspected they would be less than pleased. 

 

On the verge of dashing behind one of the dwellings, Jonathan's curiosity got the better of him.  The footsteps sounded as though they were approaching, but not headed directly toward him.  He figured the odds were reasonable that, if he kept very still, he wouldn't draw particular attention.

 

Jonathan unconsciously held his breath as an enormous, lumbering blob loomed from the shadows.   Too his relief, the oddly shaped creature appeared too preoccupied with the ground to aware of anything else.  Jonathan took advantage of its seeming oblivion to study it and abruptly realized it wasn't a creature at all, but two people - one supporting the other.  

 

"Ardeth?!  Najat?!"  He blurted, in a loud whisper.  Startled, Najat glanced up and nearly stumbled.  Lunging forward to steady the pair, Jonathan cringed as the awkward movement caused Ardeth to softly hiss. 

 

"Sorry about that, old boy," Jonathan offered, frowning sheepishly.  Ardeth didn't bother with a reply.  

 

"I don't suppose you'd care to explain what you're up to?"

 

"It is...time to...finish...it," Ardeth informed the Englishman, in a labored whisper.   

 

Jonathan sighed.  He could see Ardeth trembling from the strain of moving, and Najat struggling beneath the Medjai's weight.

 

"Surely it can wait unti...,"

 

"No!"  Ardeth hissed and abruptly leaned his weight forward in an attempt to prod Najat back into motion, before Jonathan could delay them further.   He could feel her muscles quivering and knew they could not afford to linger there.  Unprepared for the sudden movement, Najat tripped over her feet.  

 

"Whoa there, hold up a sec!"   Jonathan exclaimed, catching the Abadi before she fell.  "Here, now, you'd better let me..."

 

Gently shoving Najat out of the way, Jonathan quickly took her place beneath Ardeth.  He suspected he wasn't going to much care for the process of 'finishing it", but he'd agreed to help do whatever was necessary to save Evy.  And Jonathan had no intention of letting her down.

 

Ardeth briefly considered sending Jonathan away; the Englishman was in enough trouble with his family already.  But knowing he lacked sufficient strength to argue, the Medjai resigned himself to Jonathan's aide and leaned heavily against him. 

 

"So...where're we going?"

 

Still catching her breath, Najat simply gestured for Jonathan to follow and forced her wearing muscles to move in the direction of the Al 'Asima's sarcophagus.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

"Evelyyyyyn." 

 

Her sound of her name whispered softly on the breeze tugged at Evy's consciousness.  She stirred, restlessly, but worn from travel and worry, she didn't wake. 

 

"Yisahhee, bintee..."  ("Wake up, my daughter...")

 

"Ummee...?" Evy moaned, in response, and tossed onto her back. ("Mummy?")

 

"Aiwa, bintee," the breeze replied, "Yisahhee. Intee mihtegh. Yalla!!" ("Yes, my daughter.  Wake up. He needs you. Hurry!!")

 

Evy jolted awake.  Disoriented, she glanced around, searching for her mother.  Beside her, her husband stirred awake and looked up with bleary eyes. 

 

"Evy, som't'in' wrong?" he mumbled, not quite awake. 

 

"'M fine. Go back to sleep," she answered, lingering confusing edging her tone. Closing his eyes, Rick mumbled an incoherent response and promptly returned to his disrupted dream.   Evy considered following his example, but just as the thought entered her mind, a soft breeze brushed past her.

 

"Yalla!" it seemed to whisper.  Evy knew it wasn't possible, but, all the same, she'd swear that it did.  A chill running down her spine, she crawled out of bed. 

 

"I'll just take a quick peek at Ardeth and then come right back to bed," she softly whispered to herself.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Alex hung back a few extra feet as the trio of adults stopped at the guarded entrance of a cave.  From behind, he couldn't see what transpired, but after a moment, the four formidable-looking warriors moved aside, allowing the trio to pass.  Alex watched them go inside and immediately realized he had a problem - getting past the guards in order to follow.

 

'Maybe they'll ignore me 'cause I'm just a kid,' Alex silently considered, seeing no way around the guards.  Taking a deep breath, he mustered a façade of nonchalance, strolled to the entrance, and attempted to simply walk past them.  It didn't work. 

 

"Ya"if!"  ("Stop!")

 

Alex had little choice but to obey the command, as two of the guards sidestepped to block his path.   

 

"'Âyiz ê?"  One of them questioned, harshly. ("What do you want?) 

 

"Um," Alex stalled, uncertain whether responding in Arabic would hinder or help him.  Deciding to improvise, he pointed in the direction the others had gone and answered,  "Najat?"

 

"Imshee, walad! Mâlak shurl hene!" ("Go away, child!  You have no business here!)   

 

"Najat!"  Alex insisted, pointing again in the direction she'd gone. He hoped they would decide he didn't understand and give up trying to order him away. 

 

"Imshee!  Imshee!"  The guard responded, aggressively shooing him away with his hands.

 

Realizing his ploy wasn't going to work, Alex huffed and dejectedly turned around.  He took a couple reluctant steps away from the guards, before deciding on plan and racing away in the direction he'd come. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Tossing restlessly, Rick rolled into his side and reached out for his wife, intending to snuggle with her.  He abruptly jolted awake when his hand found nothing but empty bed. 

 

"Evyyyy!"  He whined, sleepily.  "What are you up to now?!"

 

Upon their arrival, Rick had noted that the general Abadi populace shied away from them.  It told him that they didn't particular care for outsiders, making it probable that they would not take lightly one of them sneaking around their village in the middle of the night.   Hoping Evy'd simply gone to check on Ardeth, Rick climbed from the bed, threw on his pants and hustled out of the dwelling in search of her.   

 

oOoOoOo

 

 Nearly half-way to where she'd left Najat tending Ardeth, Evy heard the patter of swiftly moving little feet.  Recognizing the sound of a running child, she paused, her maternal instincts screaming that it was much too late for a child to be out and about. 

 

"Alex?!"  She shouted, louder than intended, as her son burst into view. 

 

"Mum!  You have to come!"  Alex declared.  Reaching Evy, he snagged her hand and insistently tugged at it.  "They've taken Ardeth and I don't know why and they won't let me in!"

 

"Taken him?!  What do you mean 'taken him'?"  Evy quizzed, steadfastly refusing to be budged until he explained. 

 

"Najat and Uncle John.  They took him into a cave, but there are guards and they won't let me in!  Come on!" 

 

Evy realized Alex could have misinterpreted the situation, making it possible that nothing was amiss, but the foreboding tickle running down her spine prompted her to follow him.  She knew Ardeth was in no condition to be up and around.  If he were being moved, she wanted to know the reason for it. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Rick's pulse quickened as the sound of Evy's agitated voice wafted through the night air.  Picking up his pace, he raced toward it. 

 

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN ORDERING ME AWAY!"  Evy shouted at the guard obstinately refusing to let her pass.    "You can a least tell me if Ardeth's in there and why.  I really don't think that's too unreasonable a demand!" 

 

"IMSHEE!"  was all the response she received from the increasingly aggravated guard. 

 

"Evy!  What's going on?!"  Rick breathlessly demanded, abruptly arriving on the scene. 

 

"They've taken Ardeth in there," Evy huffed, pointing toward the cave, her frustration obvious.  "They won't tell us why, nor will they let us in to see for ourselves. Rick!  We have to do something!"

 

"All right, all right.  Let me try," Rick grumbled.  Stepping in front of Evy, he immediately grasped that his effort would be futile.  The increasingly defensive stance of the three guards made it obvious that his arrival had only increased the tension.

 

"Khabar ê?"  He heard from behind him, as he was about to speak.  Turning quickly, he watched a covered Abadi woman approach, followed closely by a fourth Abadi warrior.  Her attention seemed fixed upon the guards.  ("What's going on?")

 

"Zaynab!  Thank goodness you're here," Evy blurted, before any of the guards could respond.  "Najat's taken Ardeth in there and we just want to know that he's all right, but they won't let us pass!"

 

"That is all?  You are fortunate," the Abadi replied, with an amused chuckle.

 

"What do you mean?"  Rick asked, suspiciously. 

 

"This is the entrance to the tomb of Al 'Asima, to which we have sworn our lives to protect," Zaynab explained.  "As you are outsiders, our laws would have permitted them to kill you simply for approaching."

 

"Terrific!"  Rick exasperatedly muttered under his breath and tossed Evy a 'what have you gotten us in to now' look.

 

"Al 'Asima?!"  Evy questioned, nervously, ignoring her husband.  "Why would Najat take Ardeth into Al 'Asima's tomb?!"

 

Zaynab sighed, reluctant to answer. 

 

"It's the curse, isn't it?!"  Evy wailed.

 

"Curse?!  What curse?!  Somebody want to fill me in here?!"  Rick demanded, glaring at his wife. 

 

"It's the weapons," Evy anxiously informed him.

 

"The weapons? What weapons?"  Frustrated, Rick shifted his glare to Zaynab.

 

"The weapons of the Devourer," the Abadi informed him, with irritating calmness.  "Their use is forbidden, but it was with these weapons that Ardeth Bey sustained his injuries."

 

"Okay," Rick responded.  An anxious knot tying in his stomach, he unconsciously glanced at Evy. "So what happens when they're used?"

 

"The soul of the one that wielded them is destroyed."  Zaynab answered softly, reflexively stepping nearer to the guards in anticipation of Rick's response. 

 

"DESTROYED!  WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN DESTROYED!" 

 

Zaynab flinched, but didn't have a chance to respond.

 

"But Najat said it had been tended to, that I had nothing to worry about!"   Evy insisted, nearing panic. 

 

"And it is so," Zaynab reluctantly responded.  "You need not fear, Evelyn O'Connell.  Your soul is no longer in danger.

 

"And why is that?"  Rick asked, his decreased volume masking the intensity of his agitation. 

 

"Because Ardeth Bey has chosen to stand in her place," the Abadi answered, again ducking nearer her warriors.

 

"HE WHAT?!"  all three O'Connells shouted simultaneously. 

 

"Damn!  I knew he was up to something sneaky!"  Rick added, in an angry mutter. 

 

"But he didn't wield the weapons!"  Evy insisted, pleadingly.

 

"He may, as your victim, choose to stand in your place and receive the judgment of Al 'Asima," Zaynab explained, glancing toward Evy.

 

"Oh..." Feeling a wave of nausea rise up her throat, Evy threw a hand over her mouth, muffling the curse that followed.   Her eyes growing wide, she leaned against Rick as her knees threatened to buckle.   He wrapped a steadying arm around her waist. 

 

 "You mean he's going to allow his soul to be destroyed in place of mine?"  Evy clarified, after taking enough deep breaths to push the nausea back down into her stomach.

 

Zaynab hesitated with an answer. 

 

"He is, isn't he?  That damn son-of-a..." Rick cursed, furious with the Medjai for leaving them in dark.   

 

"I cannot say," Zaynab finally answered.

 

"What do you mean?"  Alex asked, his eyes wide as he absorbed everything he'd heard.

 

"I mean as I have said," she insisted.  "It has not happened before that a victim stood in place of their attacker.  It is not known, by any amongst us, what the outcome will be."  

 

"What exactly does the Al 'Asima person do?"  Alex warily continued to question the Abadi.  He sounded calmer than his parents, although he didn't feel it. 

 

"She judges the attacker's soul.  If its intentions were pure, it is held until the soul of its victim is no longer in danger, and then it is released.  If the intention were not pure, the soul is destroyed."

 

"What do you mean 'no longer in danger'?"  Evy asked, shakily. 

 

"It is held until it is certain the victim will recover or until the victim's soul has completed its journey into the afterlife." 

 

"But mum didn't mean to do what she did, so why would Ardeth need to take her place?" Alex asked the Abadi, before abruptly turning to face his mum.  "You didn't mean to, right? You said you didn't mean to do it." 

 

Unsure of what to say, Evy squirmed beneath her son's stare. 

 

"Why would Ardeth do this?  Why not just tell us what's going on?  Evy's a good person.  This Al 'Asima would know that, right?  Surely, she'd let Evy go," Rick insisted. 

 

"I do not know the mind of Ardeth Bey," Zaynab responded, softly.

 

"You have to let us in there!  We have to stop him!" Evy wailed, a moment later.  She hardly knew herself what her intentions had been when she stabbed Ardeth, making it impossible for her to be as certain as Rick that Al 'Asima would release her...or Ardeth in her place.  Evy knew she couldn't let someone else be punished for her actions; she couldn't live with herself if she did. 

 

"Rick!  Do something!" 

 

Rick hesitated, Evy's insistence on stopping Ardeth making him nervous.  He realized she'd never really explained what had happened, and, to his dismay, abruptly found himself questioning her actions.  He couldn't risk letting Evy's soul be destroyed, even if that meant Ardeth's would be in its place.

 

"RICK!"  Evy wailed, when her husband failed to act.  "We can't let him do this!  I couldn't live with myself!" 

 

"We are going in there!"  Rick aggressively informed the Abadi, realizing Evy meant it.  Were Ardeth's soul to be destroyed, the guilt would destroy her.   He would have to find a way to save both Evy and Ardeth, or he'd lose both. 

 

Neither Zaynab nor the guards moved. 

 

"Look, we can do this the easy way or we can make you let us pass," Rick informed them.  Still, the Abadi stood firm.  "Surely you know we've defeated the Imhotep and the Scorpion King.  You don't really believe four human warriors are gonna stop us, do you?"

 

"It is possible you would defeat our warriors, but it would not be in time to accomplish what you desire," Zaynab assured him, the challenge obvious in her tone.   The O'Connells glanced anxiously at each other, realizing they were going to have to fight there way inside, but then the Abadi surprised them by waving her warriors aside. 

 

"You may defeat our warriors, but it is also possible that you will not.  And it would hardly do to kill you out here, while in there, Ardeth Bey is sacrificing himself protect you.  I will take you to him," she stated, glumly, before reluctantly gesturing to them to follow. 

 

The O'Connell's breathed a collective sigh of relief, even as they steeled themselves for the fight that loomed ahead of them.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"So what now?"  Jonathan asked, stopping as they reached a sarcophagus.   Easing Ardeth down to sit on it, the Englishman needed only a glance to know the Abadi tended it well.  Made of limestone, it held a high-polish and its beautiful paint - in silver, black, indigo and purple - remained nearly flawless, as did the inlaid onyx and alabaster. 

 

"You must place the keys within the locks and release the Amulet of Souls," Najat explained, fixing her gaze on Ardeth.  Seeing the Medjai's head droop almost as though he'd lost consciousness, she sighed.

 

"The weapons?!" Ardeth gasped in response, managing to lift his head enough to meet Najat's gaze.   His feverish mind had forgotten the weapons were a necessary part of the ritual.   

 

"They were brought here immediately upon our arrival," the Abadi informed him.  Relieved, Ardeth let his head fall again, while Najat turned to fetch the weapons.

 

"So what does that do...the Amulet of Souls," Jonathan nervously inquired.   

 

"You will soon see for yourself," Najat quipped, provoking a frown from the Englishman.   "You are ready?"

 

Ardeth forced his head up, again, and found Najat standing next to him with the weapons in hand.  He nodded and slid from his seat to stand.  As he rose, his knees buckled beneath him, but the warrior managed to throw his hands down onto the sarcophagus quickly enough to keep himself upright. 

 

"You sure you're up to this, old boy?"  Jonathan asked, anxiously.

 

"I...will...manage," Ardeth assured him.  Pausing a few seconds to gather his nearly spent strength, he bit his lip and, painfully, managed a couple deep breaths. 

 

"Once you have claimed the amulet, you must place it on yourself so that it rest over your heart," Najat explained, as she watched the warrior prepare himself.  She knew whatever reserve he was mustering would not last long and didn't want him to have to pause for instruction once he'd begun to move. 

 

Ardeth responded with a clipped nod.  Pushing away from the sarcophagus, he turned his trembling body toward the Abadi and reach out to claim the weapons. 

 

"Maybe I should give you hand with this," Jonathan offered, as the weight of the sword nearly took Ardeth to floor.  Letting the tip slam into the ground, the Medjai rested his weight on it, as though it were a cane, and managed, barely, to stay upright. 

 

"No, that is not possible.  He that desires to stand before Al 'Asima must alone place the keys within the locks," Najat stated, sadly.

 

"But..." Jonathan began to argue, but the Abadi interrupted.

 

"It is the way it must be."

 

Jonathan sighed.  As frustrating as it was, he'd experienced enough during the family's adventures to know that such rules couldn't be argued away.  Everything had to be done right and proper to fix such messes as this one. 

 

Ardeth didn't bother to respond to Jonathan's offer, or Najat's rebuff of it.  He hadn't the strength to spare.  Tempted to close his eyes, the Medjai, instead, abruptly turned back toward the sarcophagus, nearly losing his balance.  He tossed down the hand holding the dagger to catch himself, studying the stone lid as rested for a moment.

 

It had been carved in the image of a woman.  Her arms lay folded over her chest, with the hands placed over her heart.  The finely etched silver and jeweled scabbards of the weapons rested beneath her arms, the dagger's under one and the sword's under the other.  Each pointed outward, forming an invisible triangle.  Ardeth sighed as he realized the angle would not allow both weapons to be placed into their scabbard from a single position.  He would have to move from one side of the sarcophagus to the other.

 

His will forcing his feet into motion, the Medjai slowly inched his way to the first scabbard.  Leaning heavily against the sarcophagus for support, he weakly dragged the sword along.  Its weight seemed to increase with each step, tugging increasingly at his attention and sapping his will.  Longing to be rid of the heavy weapon, Ardeth shook his head in weary resignation as he slid the dagger into its scabbard first.  It seemed somehow fitting to him that his task would be made difficult down to the final details.

 

As if in response to the thought, the dagger stuck an inch before setting properly within it's casing.  Ardeth's worn and fevered brain found it oddly humorous, and he unconsciously smirked, as he leaned his weight into the weapon to jam it in the rest of the way.  Losing his balance in the effort, the Medjai fell forward into the stone cover.  Blackness threatened to consume him as pain flared out from his ribs and abdominal wound, but Ardeth determinedly fought it back. 

 

Jonathan reflexively lunged forward as Ardeth slipped, but Najat caught his arm.  Finding it agonizing to watch helplessly, he glanced, pleadingly, at the Abadi; she simply shook her head.  Jonathan could see pain her in expression and knew she ached to go the Medjai as well, but the understanding didn't make him feel any better. 

 

Pushing himself up, Ardeth fought the temptation to close his eyes for a moment, fearing that he wouldn't manage to open them again.  Forcing his feet to move instead, he struggled not to topple over as maintaining his grip upon the broadsword required increasing amounts of concentration.  Finally reaching the second scabbard, Ardeth sighed with relief, but it lengthened into one of frustration, as he abruptly realized the weapon would have to be lifted.  It had drained nearly everything he had left just to drag it behind him. 

 

Ardeth sucked in a trembling breath, then, exhaled slowly, as he planted his hip against the sarcophagus for support.  As ready as he could make himself, he grabbed the hilt with both hands, focused his remaining strength, and lifted the blade. Too weak to ease it onto the lid gently, the blade clattered loudly against the stone, sending vibrations through the metal sword that antagonized his aching body and forced a moan from the warrior's lips.   Ignoring the pain, Ardeth forced his protesting arms to ease the sword into position and slid it into the second lock.

 

Resting limply against the sarcophagus, he registered a soft click and glanced over to discover that stone hands had lifted slightly.  It took several seconds for his feverish brain to register that they were hinged where the carved sleeves ended at the wrists.  More falling in the appropriate direction, than reaching, Ardeth slid a hand beneath the narrow opening.  His weary fingers clumsily searched for the amulet and weakly pulled it out into the dim light. 

 

Feeling Najat grow increasingly tense beside him, Jonathan fidgeted, nervously.  She seemed to be expecting something unpleasant, but, with the exception of Ardeth needing to perform it, the ritual seemed pretty benign to him.  His anxiety increased as it occurred to him that it had, thus far, been, perhaps, too benign.  It made him worry about the magnitude of whatever came next.

 

"Everything's going to be fine now, right?"  Jonathan abruptly asked, as he watched Ardeth push himself onto his feet and awkwardly pull the amulet's chain over his head. "I mean nobody's dead, he's returned the bloody weapons and retrieved the amulet; so now he just needs to give a quick 'how do you do' to this Al 'Asima person and we can hustle him back to bed, eh?"

 

Out of the corner of his eye, Jonathan saw Najat look at him with an expression he couldn't quite read.  However, it still managed to make his stomach clench, fearfully.  Catching the slight movement as Ardeth shifted the amulet to lie directly over his heart, Jonathan nearly bolted to stop him, but approaching voices distracted him at the last second. 

 

"ARDETH, STOP!!"  Evy shouted, entering the main cavern a half-step behind Zaynab and ahead of Rick.  

 

Ardeth reflexively glanced up, but it was too late to stop.  The amulet already in place, his eyes rolled back in his head at almost the same instant he met Evy's panicked gaze.   His legs crumbling beneath him, Ardeth crashed onto the ground.  His head missed the sarcophagus by millimeters, but only the two Abadi noticed.  Jonathan and the O'Connells' gazes were fixed upon the shimmering image of Ardeth's soul, still standing where its body had left it.  Its 'eyes' were still fixed on Evy's, their depths pleading for her to understand. 

 

"Nooooooooo!  Ardeth!  What have you done?!"  She cried.  Her grief sounding like anger, the eyes looked away, and Evy immediately regretted the rebuke.  She opened her mouth to apologize, but before she could form a word, the shimmering form faded away.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Seeking to escape Evy's anguished expression, Ardeth let his gaze drop away.  Wearily closing his eyes, he didn't notice as the tomb surrounding him faded away.  When he felt a presence approach from behind, he opened his eyes again and found himself staring out into the empty desert.  The change of scenery threw him off balance for a moment, but the Medjai quickly regained his composure.  His expression giving no indication of the nervous tickle he felt, he slowly turned to face Al 'Asima.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

"Nooooooooooooooo!"  Alex wailed, darting towards the Medjai's crumpled body.  "Ardeth, come back!" 

 

Watching her son, Evy abruptly wavered, overwhelmed by the intensity of the emotions filling the small tomb.  Rick lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around her.   Closing his eyes in an effort to rein in his emotions, he snuggled his head into her hair.

 

"Its gonna be all right, Evy," he whispered, more calmly than he felt.  "We're gonna fix it.  We're gonna get him back."  

 

"How, Rick?!  How do we fix this?!  His soul is GONE!" 

 

Tearing herself from her husband's arms, she chased after Alex.  Evy found him sitting behind the sarcophagus, clinging desperately to one of the Medjai's limp hands.  She tried to touch him, wanting to soothe away some of the grief etched into his young face, but Alex squirmed away, refusing to even look at her.  Drowning in her own grief and guilt, Evy didn't try again.  Instead, she sunk onto the ground near Ardeth's lifeless head and gently lifted it into her lap. 

 

By the time Rick reached the trio, she'd begun to rock back and forth, mumbling, pleadingly, to the motionless warrior.   Rick hovered over them, helplessly absorbing the scene, until his gaze landed on the amulet.  A fit a grief-spawn rage overwhelming him, he reached for it, intending to fling the accursed object away. 

 

"NOOO!"  Najat shouted.  Rushing to the fallen Medjai, she snagged Rick's attention just as his hand wrapped around the amulet.  "It is the link between his body and his soul!"

 

Not quite understanding, Rick continued to grasp the amulet and simply stared at her.   

 

"So he just looks dead, but really he's all right?"  Jonathan anxiously quizzed, peering at the group from a distance safely outside his brother-in-law's reach.  He expected that eventually his family's grief and guilt would seek an outlet, and, as he'd helped Ardeth behind their backs, he knew he'd set himself up to receive the brunt of it.

 

Najat sighed and tossed the Englishmen a look that reminded him Ardeth had been far from all right before entering the tomb.  "He stands now before Al 'Asima.  How she will judge him, I cannot know.  But if she finds in his favor, his soul will be released and may return to his body.  It cannot if the link is broken."  

 

Rick dropped the amulet as if it were a hot coal. Regaining his composure a moment later, he carefully settled it over Ardeth's heart. 

 

"What do you mean it 'may return'?  It doesn't have to?"  Alex asked, suspiciously. 

 

Najat sighed, again, before responding, simply.  "No, it does not have to." 

 

"Don't you worry, Alex; he is going to come back.  He is!"  Evy attempted to soothe, but the slightly hysterical edge to her tone only added to everyone's agitation.  She didn't notice.  Her gaze fixed on Ardeth's motionless chest, she silently pleaded for it to rise.

 

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

 

Ardeth'd had no idea what to expect; what he found was the last thing he'd imagined.  A rather innocuous looking young woman stood before him.  Her high cheekbones and full lips an obvious indication of Abadi heritage, a delicately crocheted shawl of Abadi design covered her.  The familiarity of her appearance threw Ardeth off kilter, and he found himself wondering if that were intended. 

 

"A Medjai?!  This is most unexpected," she declared, raising a curious eyebrow, as she studied the warrior.  Uncertain of how to respond, Ardeth remained silent.

 

"What is your name, Medjai?"

 

"I am Ardeth Bey ibn Dabir ibn..." She held up a silencing hand, and he stopped.

 

"I do not seek to know your line; it is you alone that stands before me." 

 

For several seconds, she said nothing more.  Ardeth found himself dearly wishing that she would, as her scrutinizing eyes ran over him.  It felt to him as though she could see every inch of him - body, mind and soul - and it took every ounce of his will not to squirm beneath the gaze.

 

"What is it you seek, Ardeth Bey?"

 

Ardeth's brow furrowed, and he frowned slightly.  He had expected that she would know what he sought.   

 

Smiling patiently at the expression, Al 'Asima spoke again.  "It was not your hand that wielded the weapons of the Devourer.  This, I clearly see."

 

His brow furrowed again, as he wondered how she could know whose hand had wielded the weapons.  Deciding she must be able to see his thoughts, Ardeth wondered why she bothered with questions at all.  Surely, she has already seen the answers she seeks.

 

"I see from your expression that you wonder how I could know this?" 

 

Ardeth nodded.  A look of bewilderment replacing the wonderment, he considered that, perhaps, he'd decided incorrectly, and she wasn't reading his thoughts. 

 

"The weapons carry with them the lingering fragrance of every soul that wields them," Al 'Asima explained.  "But I do not sense your soul among them."

 

Ardeth's expression shifted again, this time to surprise, followed, shortly thereafter, by concern.   He hadn't considered that the weapons would carry an imprint of the souls that wielded them.  The Medjai unhappily realized that meant that the weapons, and their guardian, would forever know of Evelyn.

 

"Ah," Al 'Asima abruptly exclaimed.  Startling him from his reverie, her face lit up with dawning awareness.  "It is your blood that the weapons have tasted."

 

Ardeth didn't bother to respond.  There had been no question in her voice as she spoke.  Falling silent, a troubled expression donned her face.  It surprised Ardeth, and he wondered if it were a portent of his fate. 

 

"This person...?"

 

"Evelyn O'Connell," he offered, despairingly.  There seemed little purpose in hiding Evy's name when Al 'Asima already held an imprint of her soul.  His brow furrowed with worry when the guardian frowned. 

 

"You would sacrifice for soul for this Evelyn O'Connell?  She is this dear to you?" Al 'Asima quizzed.  Ardeth heard a hint of something in her tone.  He couldn't tell what, but it tied an anxious knot it his stomach and left him wondering how to answer.

 

"She is a friend," he stated, after a moment, as though those words explained everything.

 

The guardian studied him, contemplatively, then, raised a perplexed eyebrow.  "A friend that appears to have earnestly tried to kill you."

 

Ardeth sighed.  Evy's admission to him made it impossible to counter the statement.

 

"The blame is not yours; you did nothing to provoke the attack upon you," Al 'Asima stated, when he didn't respond.  The Medjai didn't bother wondering how she could know what had occurred. 

 

"It is true, I committed no offense," he admitted.  Once again, Evy's words made it impossible to deny.   However, whether or not he'd provoked her, Ardeth's heart could not shake off its guilt.  He had failed his task and, in doing so, failed to protect his friends. "But the responsibility is mine, none the less."

 

Al 'Asima did not bother to quiz him further.  She knew she could ask any question, or simply wander the depths of his mind and soul for eternity, freely seeking whatever secrets lay buried.   He would not resist.  The Medjai sought to hide nothing of himself from her.  His motives were pure.  Evelyn was his friend, and to Ardeth Bey, it was that simple.

 

"You present me with a challenge, Ardeth Bey," the guardian announced, her tone deceptively sheepish.  "Never before has a victim stood before me in place of their attacker."

 

Ardeth wasn't sure how to respond to the admission, so he said nothing.

 

"Perhaps, while I contemplate the situation, you would consent to assisting me with another dilemma?"

 

Taken by surprise, Ardeth simply nodded, but after a moment, found his voice.  "It would be a honor to be of assistance."

 

Al 'Asima smiled.  "You do me a great service."

 

Ardeth bowed slightly, then followed, as she turned and walked away.

 

"Many years ago, a soul came before me under circumstances that, like yours, I had not yet encountered," the guardian informed him, seeming to know, without looking, that he had followed.  "I have been unable to find a resolution.  Perhaps, you could offer your opinion on the matter?"

 

Ardeth raised an eyebrow, but nodded his consent.  Al 'Asima returned the nod and gestured.  As the Medjai's gaze followed her hand to the image of woman, a cold shiver ran down his spine.  He knew her instantly.

 

"Ah," the guardian commented, seeing his expression.  "You are familiar with my guest."

 

Memories and emotion choking his voice, Ardeth could only nod.

 

"Then, perhaps, you are already familiar with the circumstances that brought Zarina Carnahan's soul before me?"  

 

Ardeth nodded, although he hadn't fully understood the circumstances until that moment. 

 

"But you were not aware that it was with the Devourer's dagger that she mortally wounded Dabir Bey?"  Al 'Asima quizzed, catching a slight hesitation in his nod.

 

"I was not," the Medjai answered simply, still struggling to speak thru pain of the re-opened emotional wound.   The guardian nodded and continued.

 

"As I am certain you _are_ aware, she preceded Dabir Bey in death." 

 

Ardeth nodded.  His uncle had informed him that the Carnahans had died in a car accident the same afternoon that his father'd received his mortal wound. 

 

"Then you see my dilemma," she commented, sighing.  Perplexed, the Medjai wrinkled his brow. 

 

"Perhaps I should clarify it for you," Al 'Asima offered.  "You see, although Zarina's soul departed her body before it could devour the soul of Dabir Bey, she did wield the weapons.  However, her death deprived her of the opportunity to redeem herself.   I cannot judge her as though she willingly submitted herself to me, and yet I cannot be certain that she would not have."

 

She paused to glance at Ardeth.  Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, the Medjai gave a clipped nod to indicate he was listening. 

 

"Ah!"  the guardian abruptly exclaimed, pulling Ardeth's fixed gaze temporarily off Zarina to Al 'Asima.  "I have made my decision."

 

Ardeth raised, yet another, shocked eyebrow.

 

"As you are the son and heir of Dabir Bey, I shall have you decide whether her soul is to be destroyed, or released to travel onto Paradise?"

 

Ardeth frowned, his brow furrowing with the weight of the decision.  He had not realized the anger he harbored toward Zarina.   Feeling it surging thru him as he returned his gaze to her, the Medjai found it tempting to condemn her.  But then he thought of Evy.  Someday his friend would make the journey to Paradise herself, and her soul would grieve when it did not find her mother's soul waiting to welcome her.   His thoughts turning toward his own mother, the warrior realized he couldn't inflict upon his friend for eternity the pain of a loss he himself had only to endure for the remainder of a lifetime.

 

"Release her," he whispered, a hint of reluctance barely evident in his voice.  Closing his eyes, Ardeth turned away from the image of Zarina.   Having also turned away from Al 'Asima, he didn't see her smile, approvingly. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy's brain automatically counted each passing second, as she waited for the slightest indication that Ardeth's soul had returned to revive his lifeless body.   As those seconds passed into one minute and then another, the little hope to which she'd clung slowly ebbed. Unconsciously, Evy began to rock, her body unable to contain her surging emotions. She stilled suddenly, as the air above the amulet seemed to shimmer slightly. 

 

Seeing his wife's hysterical motion come to an abrupt halt, Rick followed her gaze.  It seemed fixed a few inches above the Medjai, making him frown.   He saw nothing.  Concerned, Rick started to shift his glance back to Evy, but stopped as, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a slight shimmering.   Quickly moving his eyes back to the spot at which Evy still stared, he unconsciously held his breath and waited, praying that it wasn't just wishful thinking.

 

Noticing his parents staring into the thin air above Ardeth's chest, Alex reflexively shifted his gaze to follow.  He instantly spotted the form slowly shimmering into sight.  Unconsciously tightening his grip on the Medjai's hand, Alex held his breath and waited for what he prayed was Ardeth's soul returning. 

 

Sensing a change in focus, Jonathan glanced at his family and noticed that they were all staring at the empty space above Ardeth.  His eyes reflexively followed, but saw nothing.  The intensity of the others' stares convinced there must be something there, however, so he stared harder.  Still, Jonathan saw nothing.  Sighing, he shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch, even though he had no idea what he was looking for.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Ardeth stared out in the empty desert, wearily waiting for Al 'Asima to join him.  Abstractly wondering how he could feel weary without his body, he closed eyes to rest.  His heavy eyelids had barely slipped down when he felt the guardian approach. A tickle in his stomach warned him that she'd decided his fate.  Opening his eyes, Ardeth soaked in the beauty of the pale blue sky, as it met the golden dessert sands in the horizon, then, took a deep breath and turned to face her. 

 

"Your soul weighs heavy," she announced, and Ardeth nodded, sadly accepting the verdict, his eyes dropping slightly.  They abruptly rose when she startled him by continuing.  "But with a burden that is not yours to carry."

 

Ardeth frowned.  His brow furrowing with concern, he worried that Al 'Asima would somehow claim Evy's soul, after all.  

 

"You are a valiant warrior, Ardeth Bey, and a noble king, but you are still a man - one man.  The guilt from the actions of others is not your burden to bear; every individual must accept responsibility for their own deeds."

 

Ardeth sighed, frustrated that she did not seem to understand that the responsibility was his to bear.  HE had failed - Najat, the O'Connells, himself, and his people.  

 

Seeing his thoughts, Al 'Asima sighed.  She understood that the guilt he accepted for Evy's actions was but a miniscule portion of the burden weighing down his exhausted soul.

 

"You alone could not have stood against the Army of Anubis, or have stopped the fever that swept through your village, any more than the weight of the world could be borne upon your shoulders alone.  For many, it their days to die, and so death arrived to claim them.   You could not have saved them; you did not fail them.   All that you could do was all that you did."

 

"What I did was fail!"  Ardeth retorted, sullenly, adamantly rejecting her assertion.  HE had not reached the bracelet in time to prevent the Scorpion King's rise, failing his friends and his people.  HE allowed himself to become ill with fever, failing his father and his people.

 

"You did not fail.  You did all that is demanded of anyone - even you, Ardeth Bey.   You did your duty to the best of your ability."

 

Ardeth's gaze dropped, as he whispered his response.  "My best was not enough." 

 

"Not enough?  You gave strength to the weak, hope to hopeless, courage to those whose own had left them.   You stood before your people, as only the man that you are could have, and a people that would have fallen stood with you.   How can that be 'not enough'?"

 

Too weary to accept the truth of her words, Ardeth didn't reply.

 

"You alone must carry the burden of who you are - your strength, your weakness, your accomplishment, and your failure.   It is a heavier weight than most men could bear, do not add to it that which does not belong to you."

 

Still, Ardeth made no response.  Al 'Asima sighed, recognizing that the warrior was not ready to acknowledge the truth of her words. 

 

"I release your soul, Ardeth Bey," she stated, with a respectful bow.  She saw little purpose in continuing to argue her point.  He had heard, and, eventually, his heart would accept the truth of it.   

 

Ardeth numbly registered her decree and responded with a polite nod, before turning to look out again at the empty desert.  To his dismay, he found, instead, the scene within the guardian's tomb.  Returned to where he'd last stood, the Medjai glanced down upon his battered, motionless body.  The reluctance he felt to return to it surprised him, even as he saw Alex and Evelyn clinging to it desperately.  They behaved as though it were important that he returned. Ardeth doubted that it really was, but he didn't doubt the agony that awaited him if he did.   He clearly remembered the pain and weakness, although it seemed like a distant memory - one he was not anxious to relive.  

 

"Your soul is free," the guardian reminded him, sadness coating her tone.  "Whether it returns to your body, or takes it place in Paradise, is for you to decide."

 

"My body will recover should I choose to return to it?" he asked, wearily. Ardeth felt Al 'Asima move to stand just behind him, but didn't turn to look at her. 

 

"This I cannot say.  But I will tell you that strength surrounds you; you need but allow yourself to draw upon it.  "

 

Ardeth closed his eyes, pondering her words and weighing the decision to return.  He thought of his father and mother, angelic Bashiyra, irrepressible Nameer, and, now, loyal Fathi.  They waited for him in Paradise, and he longed to be with them once more, as he longed to be free of pain and weariness consuming his body and soul.  

 

oOoOoOo

 

The shimmering air above Ardeth gradually increased in density until Jonathan, too, saw something slowly materializing.  Like his family, he found himself holding his breath in anticipation of Ardeth's soul's return.   He let it out in a loud gush, as the image that finally formed socked him in the gut.

 

"Umm?"  Evy's gasped, staring, disbelievingly, at shimmering image before her.   Feeling her husband gently place a supportive hand on her shoulder, she reached up and clung to it.  ("Mum?") 

 

"Yes, my daughter," Zarina replied, gazing down, lovingly, at Evy and, then, over to Jonathan.  He tried to say something, but the lump in his throat prevented it.  She had only been his stepmother, but Zarina'd never treated him as though she'd loved him any less than Evy, no matter how badly he mucked up.   She'd been the one person, until Alex, in who's eyes he'd never felt lacking, and he missed her dreadfully.

 

Torn between wonder and dread, Alex stared at the grandmother he'd never known, praying her appearance wasn't an indication that Ardeth wouldn't be returning. 

 

"What...how...why..?"  Evy stammered, her shocked mind struggling to organize its thoughts.   Zarina's eyes returned to Evelyn, and she smiled patiently at her daughter.

 

"Ardeth Bey has freed my soul."

 

"Freed your soul?  Why...wha?"  Evy abruptly fell silent, as she grasped the meaning of her mother's presence there.  "It was you?!"

 

"Aiwa, bintee," Zarina sadly answered.  "It was I who wielded the cursed weapon that claimed the life of Dabir Bey."

 

"But why?" 

 

"There is not time for explanations, bintee."  Evy opened her mouth to argue, but Zarina held up a silencing hand.

 

"Then why are you here?"  Alex asked, with a hint of bitterness, still fearing she'd somehow stolen Ardeth's chance to return. 

 

"I am here because you," she fixed her gaze on Evy, "must do what I would but cannot."

 

"Wha...?"  Evy started to ask, but Zarina wasn't finished and continued as though her daughter hadn't spoken. 

 

"You must redeem my offense, bintee."

 

"But, how..?"  Again, Zarina seemed not to notice Evy's attempt to interrupt.

 

"Although he is weary, it is not his time to journey from this life."  She didn't need to specify of whom she spoke; it was abundantly clear to all.  "You must call him back!"

 

Evy's brow furrowing, she frowned.  She done little else in the past few minutes but entreat Ardeth's soul to return, seemingly to no avail.  Before she could point that out to her mother, Zarina faded away.  

 

"Call him back, bintee.  He will listen," the breeze whispered in her mother's voice, as Evy numbly stared into the empty air. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

"Ardeth!" 

 

The sound of Evy shouting his name brought the Medjai's eyes open, and he peered down at her forlorn figure. 

 

"Please!  Come back!!" 

 

Ardeth sighed.  The desperation in her tone tugged at his heart, but it also reminded him of his wounds and the pain that would greet him upon his return.

 

"Please, Ardeth!  Don't make me live with the guilt of this!  I don't think I can bear it!"  Evy continued to plead, her tone creeping from desperation towards hysteria. 

 

Ardeth frowned, hearing the subtle shift.  He'd been so focused on reaching Al 'Asima in time to save Evy's soul, that he hadn't considered the impact his sacrifice would have on her, and the rest of the O'Connells. 

 

"MINFADLAK, IR-GA', ARDETH!!" ("Please, come back, Ardeth")

 

Evy began to shake with the intensity of her emotional plea, forcing Ardeth to consider the possibility that it was important that he return.  Still, he so desperately wanted to let go of his body forever...

 

"ARDETH! LEHZIM TIR-GA'!  MA-YIMSHEE BIWASITAT! MINFADLAK, ARDETH!!"  (Ardeth!  You must come back!  You can't leave us this way!  Please, Ardeth!) 

 

Sighing in resignation, Ardeth realized that Evy was right.  He couldn't knowingly choose to depart in way that brought such great anguish to his friends' hearts.  Nor, he knew, could he choose to abandon Badi'a and his people.  It was his duty to return, and he would fulfill it, as he always strived to fulfill his duty, regardless of the amount of pain in body or the weariness of his soul. The decision made, Ardeth closed his tired eyes. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

"MA-YISH-TAGHAL!  MA-BI-YISMA'!" Evy cried out, desperately, her last lingering bit of hope threatening to slip away.   "SA'ID-NEE, UMMEE!  'EHY YI'MIL?!" (It didn't work!  He's not listening!  Help me, mummy!  What do I do?!)

 

"Yee-gee.  Yimsik-oo!" (He comes. Hold him!)

 

The soft whisper on the wind nearly spoke it's warning too late.  Before she could even glance back down at Ardeth, Evy felt his head throw itself back as his muscles abruptly contracted and painfully contorted the warrior's body in violent spasms.

 

"RICK!! Help me hold him!"  Evy shouted, belatedly.  Her husband had already pushed Alex away and grabbed the Medjai by the arms.  He didn't bother to respond, focused in the struggle to keep Ardeth pinned. 

 

"Roll him onto his side!" 

 

Her hand gently, but firmly, holding Ardeth's head, Evy glanced up at Najat as though she were insane. 

 

"He may choke if we do not!"  Her gaze fixed on Ardeth, Najat hadn't seen the Englishwoman's expression, but was acutely aware that neither O'Connell had moved to comply with the instruction.  More in response to the tone of the command, than anything, Rick scrambled to force Ardeth's uncooperative body onto its side and keep it there.  

 

"Wh...wh...what happened?!"  Alex quizzed, shakily, as Ardeth's convulsions gradually ceased. 

 

Letting the Medjai roll onto his back, Rick found himself unable to respond and sat back on his heels, trying to catch his breath.  The seizure had only lasted minute or two, but the effort of restraining the warrior had exhausted Rick.  Evy also failed to respond.  Sitting in a daze, she unconsciously petted Ardeth's hair, as she watched his chest rise and fall, heavily.

 

"He had a seizure, Alex," Jonathan offered, seeing neither O'Connell able to answer. 

 

"That's bad, isn't it?  She's going to destroy his soul, isn't she?!"  He asked, tearfully looking toward Najat.

 

"No," the Abadi answered, calmly.  "She has released his soul, and it has returned to his body." 

 

Although still slightly skeptical, Alex let out a long, shaky, relieved breath.   Reclaiming the Medjai's hand, he fixed his gaze on Ardeth's face, hoping the warrior's eyes would open. 

 

"You know, you might have warned us that was going to happen," Jonathan stated, peevishly.  Najat patiently glanced his direction.

 

"I did not know.  I have never witnessed the return of a soul, but none of the tale mention such an occurrence."

 

Dissatisfied by the answer, Jonathon shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to grumble under his breath. 

 

Kneeling next to Rick, beside Ardeth, Najat ignored the Englishman and focused on the Medjai.  Gingerly pushing aside his robe, she frowned at the fresh spots of blood seeping through the bandage covering his shoulder wound and the thin, but steadily flowing, trail of blood trickling from his abdominal wound.   Her displeasure grew as she noted the alarming rise of the Ardeth's temperature.  

 

"I suspect the seizure is not the usual way of things," she commented, distractedly, as she glanced, meaningfully, at Zaynab.  No one but Najat really noticed the other Abadi quickly slip out of the tomb.  

 

"What happen then?"  Alex asked, anxiously.  Najat sighed and shifted her gaze to the child. 

 

"The fever currently taxing his body left it ill-equipped to tolerate the shock of his soul's return," Najat answered, a hint apprehension creeping into her tone. Catching it, Alex and Evy both opened their mouth to quiz the Abadi further, but she raised a silencing hand and gestured toward the approaching guards. 

 

"We must return him to his bed where he can be properly tended.  All else will wait," she commanded, her tone brooking no argument, or even hesitation, on the part of her guests. 

 

Quickly rising to their feet, the O'Connells protectively supervised the two Abadi warriors that carefully picked up the Medjai and followed as they carried him from the tomb. 

 

Jonathan trailed far in the rear.   His relative composure slipping away once he was out of view, he sunk to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.  His brain reeling, Jonathan hardly felt Zaynab's touch, as she wrapped an arm around him and helped him back to his feet.   The Abadi continued to offer support, as she gently guided back to his bed. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

As the two Abadi warriors placed the Medjai onto his bed, Najat and another Abadi quickly stripped off Ardeth's clothing and discreetly covered him with a thin sheet. 

 

"What can I do?"  Evy inquired of Najat, as the Abadi turned to prepare more medicines. 

 

"You may take Widad's place," Najat hastily replied, glancing up, very briefly, then returning to work.  She'd been inclined to send the Englishwoman away, but didn't want to waste time with the argument she knew Evy's would give her. 

 

"Sa'id Zaynab," she instructed the other Abadi.  Widad nodded and handed Evy the cloth she'd been using to bath Ardeth.   Evy nodded, appreciatively, and picked up where the Abadi'd left off, anxiously noting the increasingly labored appearance of Ardeth's breathing.   ("Assist Zaynab")

 

"Can I help?"  Alex asked, plaintively. 

 

"Not this time, buddy.  Too many cooks in too small a kitchen already," Rick responded, earning himself an appreciative glance from Najat.  Keeping his hand firmly, but gently, planted on his son's shoulder, Rick tilted his head to meet his son's gaze, as Alex glanced up, pleadingly.  "Don't worry, I'm not gonna make you leave; we're just gonna stay over here, nice and out of the way." 

 

Alex reluctantly nodded and plopped down on one of the many rugs covering the ground.  Glancing again at Ardeth's fever-ravaged form, Rick sighed, frustrated by his seemingly perpetually helplessness, and sat down next to his son. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Rick startled awake as thin blanket was placed over the top of him.  Glancing up, blearily, he saw an unfamiliar female face and started to ask who she was, but she put a silencing finger to her lip. 

 

"Naiyam," she whispered, softly.  Shrugging inwardly, Rick glanced over to see his son sound asleep a few feet away, then complied with the request. ("Go to sleep")  

 

oOoOoOo

 

"It is unlikely he will wake soon; you should rest," Najat gently instructed, seeing Evy sleepily rubbing at her eyes. 

 

"I'm all right," Evy lied.  Although still deeply concerned, the intense emotions of earlier had faded, taking with them the adrenaline that had kept her awake.

 

"He will still need tending tomorrow;" Najat responded, patiently.  "But you will be of no use to him if you are too exhausted to stand." 

 

"And what of you?"  Evy argued.  "You've been awake even longer than I.  Shouldn't you rest as well?"

 

Najat smirked, doubting the sincerity of the Englishwoman's concern for her state of being.   "I will be relieved soon enough."

 

Evy sighed, realizing that the Abadi had no intention of relenting.  Looking down at Ardeth, she frowned, reluctant to leave his side.  He had yet to stir, even slightly; his exhausted body lacking the strength.  But that wouldn't have worried her as much had his temperature not continued to rise, despite their continuous efforts to cool him, and had his breathing not continued to grow increasingly labored.  However, rubbing her eyes again, Evy realized the wisdom of Najat's words.  Letting her gaze drift toward her sleeping husband and son, decided that, perhaps, it might be good to rest...for just a few minutes. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Evy abruptly awoke to the sounds of a struggle.  Glancing around, frightfully, her eyes landed Alex, hovering a few feet in front of her.   Adrenaline pumped into her system as she registered, even with his back to her, the frightened stance of his body.  Climbing stiffly to her feet, Evy glanced past her son to see Rick, Najat and two other Abadi wrestling with Ardeth.  Alarmed, she rushed to the bed to help. 

 

"What's happened?!  Another seizure?!"  Evy shouted, searching for a handhold.  Ardeth eyes were closed tightly and his face contorted in an agonized grimace.

 

"No! He is panicking!"  Najat distractedly responded, narrowly missing Rick as Ardeth's thrashing tossed her the American's direction.

 

"Panicking?!  Why!?"  Evy returned.

 

"He believes he is suffocating!"

 

Evy stared, aghast, at the Abadi.  It was then that she registered the strangled wheezing sound emanating from Ardeth.  Her eyes growing wide, she opened her mouth to ask about it, but found herself too stunned to speak. 

 

"His lungs are inflamed...he is still getting air...but he is not aware...enough to realize it!"  Najat replied, breathlessly, finally managing to pin one arm.

 

Evy nodded, numbly, and stared a moment longer at Najat, as the news sunk into her shocked brain. Shaking herself free from her paralysis, she registered the worsening of Ardeth's wheezing, and dove back into the struggle to pin the Medjai to the bed. 

 

"At least we know he still has enough strength to put up a good fight," Evy shouted, as Ardeth continued to buck in resistance to the many hands holding him.

 

"He may have the strength, but he does not have it to spare," Najat retorted, catching her breath as Zaynab and Widad managed to pin Ardeth's opposite leg, decreasing the Medjai's ability to struggle.  Instinctively, the Medjai's panic increased, and he managed to land a solid kick into Rick's stomach, flooring the American. 

 

"Rick!"  Evy shouted, worriedly.  Catching it out of the corner of her eye, she glanced up from the arm she'd just managed to pin.  

 

Pulling himself back onto his feet, Rick waved away her concerned.  After pausing for a moment to catch the breath Ardeth had managed to knock out of him, he rushed back into the fray, but a fit of breathless coughing abruptly seized the Medjai just as Rick grasped hold of his leg.  A moment later, Ardeth fell limp.

 

"Wh...wha...is...h...he...?"  Alex stammered, too frightened to form the question.

 

"He has lost consciousness," Najat replied, wearily.  Tentatively releasing the Medjai's arm, she turned at snatch up drenched cloth and bathed Ardeth's chest.  "As I said, he had not the strength to spare for such a struggle.   He will not awaken again soon."

 

Evy glanced at her husband, then at Alex, and saw by their expressions that they'd found the announcement no more comforting than she.  Preparing to make note of it to Najat, she caught a whiff of a pungent aroma wafting up from the Medjai. 

 

"The cloth has been soaked in medicine that has, in the past, eased the inflammation.  Inshallah, it will do so again," Najat commented, noticing the wrinkling of the Englishwoman's nose.   Dribbling more of the medicines onto Ardeth's chest, she bathed it one more time, then, dropped the cloth into a basin.

 

Evy nodded, then, frowned as the words of the journal flashed into her mind.  'I see each breath catch in his throat as though he has not the power to force it out, but then, somehow, he does.' She'd assumed the fever to be the cause, but abruptly realized the author hadn't referred to it with any of the other afflicted. 

 

"This has happened to him before," Evy, unintentionally, commented aloud.

 

"Unfortunately, yes, many times as a child, but as he grew, the affliction diminished.  Now it is almost naught," Najat explained, assuming the statement to be a question.  

 

"Except for when he's ill?"  Evy guessed.  Najat shook her head.

 

"Even then, it rarely troubles him," she replied, while attempting to ease Ardeth into a sitting position. Evy nodded, distractedly, her face wrinkling in concern as the Medjai coughed several times without rousing.

 

"Here, let me...,"  Rick offered, rushing forward to help.  Pulling Ardeth up, he supported him while Najat slid several well-stuffed pillows beneath him.  When she nodded, he gently rested Ardeth against them and discovered that they propped the warrior up enough to nearly be sitting.

 

"His lungs are not terribly inflamed," Najat informed her guests, attempting to preempt any other questions they might ask. "But the fever has left him weak enough that the extra effort required to breath seems very great..."

 

Evy and Rick simultaneously raised an eyebrow, making Najat smile, wearily.

 

"Yes, I realize that is difficult to understand after the struggle you have just witnessed, but it is true.  Lying flat on his back made his breaths require constant effort, exacting more from him than the brief burst of strength required to battle us.  Between the medicine and the change of position, he will rest easier."

 

"A minute ago, you didn't seem so sure the medicine would work," Rick commented.   Najat sighed, imperceptibly.

 

"It is not always been ef...,"

 

"It will work.  I'm certain of it," Alex interrupted, his tone revealing his desperate need to believe it would.   The strained expression on Ardeth's unconscious face clearly indicated the continued toll the effort of breathing demanded from him.   It frightened Alex to see it.  He didn't need to be told by an adult to know that Ardeth's body didn't have much fight left in it. 

 

"Of course it's going to work," Evy assured, with more confidence than she felt, seeing the fear that her son attempted to mask. 

 

"Mid-day swiftly approaches..."

 

Evy jumped at the sound of Zaynab's voice next to her.  She'd forgotten there'd been two other Abadi, besides Najat, helping restrain Ardeth. 

 

"You should refresh yourselves and have nourishment," Zaynab announced, her tone motherly.  When none of the O'Connells moved, she continued.  "I assure you Ardeth Bey will wait right here for your return."

 

Evy and Rick both smiled slightly at the remark and glanced other.  Simultaneously realizing that each of them was a mess, they shook their heads, sheepishly, at each other. 

 

"Come," Zaynab requested, guessing by their expressions that they didn't intend to argue.   Evy followed Zaynab around the bed, joining her husband on the other side, and waited for her son to move.   He didn't.  His gaze remaining fixed on Ardeth, Alex folded his arms in a clear gesture that he had no intention of leaving he Medjai's side.

 

"Alex!"  Najat hissed, wearily, before either Evy or Rick could say anything.  "You will do as Zaynab requests."

 

Recognizing something beyond maternal authority in the tone of her voice, Alex sighed, huffily, and turned to join his parents.  Seeming to know the child would follow, Zaynab had not stopped to wait for him, and the O'Connells had to scramble to catch up to her.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"You may quit lurking and enter now, Jonathan," Najat called out, her back to the door as she mixed herbs into a cup.   His hands self-consciously shoved into his pockets, Jonathan sheepishly slid through the doorway and wandered over to the bed. 

 

"How's he doing?"  He asked, with genuine concern.  Studying Ardeth's unconscious form, Jonathan noticed labored breathing and heard wheezing.  "He doesn't sound good at all." 

 

"You heard what was said?"  Najat quizzed, turning toward Ardeth and bringing the cup to his lips.  She'd been too distracted by events to be certain of exactly when Jonathan's shadow had first appeared.  The Englishman shook his head, with a slight frown, then watch, slightly astonished, as the unconscious warrior reflexively downed each swallow of liquid that Najat patiently dribbled into his mouth.  Not wanting to disrupt the painstaking process, Jonathan waited silently through the several minutes in took for Ardeth to down enough medicine to satisfy Najat. 

 

"What was that?" he asked, as she returned the cup to the table.

 

"That was a mixture of many things," the Abadi answered, vaguely, provoking a glare from the Jonathan.  With a weary, but amused smile, she added, "it is medicine to ease his pain, combined with herbs to battle the infection and lower his fever; all of which you have seen me mix for him many times."

 

Jonathan nodded, reflexively wincing as Ardeth coughed, again. 

 

"But now, added to those, are herbs to dissolve the mucus that accompanies the inflammation in his lungs, so that he need not waste the little strength that he has removing it forcibly." 

 

Jonathan nodded, distractedly.  It took him a minute to realize she meant the medicine would ease Ardeth's cough. 

 

"Inflammation?"  he questioned, his brain snagging on word as he mulled over her explanation. 

 

"Yes.  You did not hear what was said earlier?"  she asked, rephrasing her previous, unanswered question.

 

"I heard something about something happening many times when he was a child and the medicine not always working," Jonathan hesitantly replied, frowning, as a long series of coughs brought a grimace to the Medjai's unconscious features. 

 

"It is the medicine beginning to do its work," Najat assured, wearily.

 

"But, you said..." The Abadi raised a hand to cut him off.

 

"The medicine, at first, only breaks up the mucus, temporarily worsening his cough..." she paused in her explanation as another long series of pained, breathless coughs roused the Medjai enough to toss restlessly.  Shushing him, Najat snatched up a damp cloth and softly caressed his face.

 

Jonathan sighed, nearly inaudibly, as Ardeth settled again without really waking.  Although he understood that the exhausted Medjai needed sleep, as much as anything, a small part of the Englishman had hoped the warrior would wake enough to open his eyes, even if it were just a flicker.  Ardeth hadn't done so since his soul had ripped free from his body back at the tomb.  Jonathan still felt lingering doubt that the warrior's soul had truly returned.   He knew he wouldn't feel certain until he could look into Ardeth's eyes and see the Medjai's soul reflected in them.

 

"Inflamed?"  he repeated, as Najat placed the cloth back in the basin and fetch a fresh one to lay across the Medjai's forehead. 

 

"Yes.  His lungs have become inflamed," she informed the Englishman, as though she'd expected him to have moved past the topic.  Jonathan sighed, grimly.  "It sounds alarming, but do not be.  The medicine already begins to ease it."

 

Jonathan nodded, skeptically, but then realized that Ardeth's wheezing did sound a little better than when the conversation began.  Studying the Medjai, Jonathan distractedly listened to Najat hum.  After several minutes, he registered that the soft melody continued uninterrupted by coughing.

 

"So he's going to be all right?"  Jonathan asked, with a shaky, lopsided smile, as it sank in that the medicine really was helping the Medjai, and not making him worse as it had first appeared.   

 

"You still worry about what your sister and her husband are going do to you for not sending him straight back to bed?" Najat teased, aware that his concern for the Medjai was not as self-centered as the Englishmen pretended.  Jonathan shrugged, noncommittally, provoking a slightly amused smile from the Abadi.  It faded after a moment, and she sighed, softly.

 

"His abdomen has been debrided and stitched, but his fever remains high.  He simply pushed his body beyond reason," Najat stated, wearily.  Jonathan nodded, glumly.

 

"Do not fear for him.  Ardeth Bey is stronger than even he realizes.  I do not doubt that he will recover," she assured.  "Now that he has finished his task and allows himself rest, his body can focus on healing."

 

Jonathan nodded, again, a fidgeted uncomfortably.  Seeing it, Najat fought back the urge to smile.  It was obvious that the Englishman wanted to stay, but could think of no reason to do so - at least no reason that didn't involve admitting he cared for the Medjai.   

 

"Perhaps you could spare the time to assist as I check his wounds and place a fresh poultice upon the infection?"  She asked.  As she really did need to check for torn stitches after the struggle, Najat decided, mercifully, to provide the Englishman a reason to remain at Ardeth's side.    Jonathan grinned, sheepishly, and nodded.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Finishing the last bit of her late brunch, Evy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  She felt so much better than she had just an hour before that is amazed her.  Funny how much a bath and a nice change of clothes can make one feel so much more human, she thought to herself. 

 

"I've finished.  Can I go back now?"

 

Her son's request brought Evy's eyes open, and she nodded.  "But try not to make a pest of yourself, all right."

 

Alex smiled and nodded, then glanced toward Zaynab.

 

"You may, Alex," Zaynab answered, patiently.  She chuckled when he abruptly bolted up and vanished without another word.

 

"He really does know how to be polite, he just doesn't remember to it very often," Evy sighed.  Zaynab chuckled, again.

 

"Will you be returning, as well, or will you join your husband on his walk?"

 

Evy hesitated and glanced in the direction Rick had gone, still surprised that the Abadi had granted him permission to roam freely.  She really wanted to rush back to Ardeth's bedside, but knew the Medjai was well tended.  Rick, on the other hand, hadn't received much of her attention over the past few days, and she knew he had to be feeling a little neglected. 

 

"You might find the exercise pleasant after yesterday's travels," Zaynab commented, seeing her guest's indecision written on her face.  Evy nodded and smiled, appreciatively.

 

"Yes, I think you're right.  A little exercise is exactly what I need." 

 

Rising stiffly, Evy smirked as she realized that her legs really were in need of a good stretch.  Still smiling, she politely nodded to Zaynab and strolled off in search of her husband. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Jonathan watched in silence, as Najat bathed Ardeth's chest with a pungent medicine from one of the nearby basin.  She continued to hum as she worked, and the soft melody drained the tension from his muscles, leaving him reluctant to get up and leave.   Deciding it would be all right to close his eyes just for a minute, Jonathan nodded off and didn't notice as his nephew raced into the dwelling.

 

Noticing his uncle, Alex abruptly halted. Najat put a finger to her lip and waved him over, without interrupting her tune.  Nodding, Alex continued, slowly and quietly.  Smiling, Najat patted the bed by Ardeth's head, brining a grin to the child's face.  Nodding enthusiastically, he shuffled around to the other side and crawled up.  His grin grew broader as she handed him a water-soaked cloth.  Dutifully taking it, he grew serious and concentrated on gently bathing Ardeth's face without waking him.

 

Smiling at the child's intensity, Najat turned to mix more medicine for the warrior.  Turning back with a cup in her hand, she found Alex watching her curiously and smiled, again.  Nodding her head toward Ardeth, she lifted the cup, slightly. 

 

Alex nodded.  Setting the wet cloth on the bed beside him, he watched Najat bring the cup to Ardeth's lips.  He smiled, amazed, when the Medjai reflexively drank, without ever really waking up.

 

Najat smiled at the child's astonishment, then wiggled her fingers, requesting his cloth.  Alex dutifully handed it over and watched her rewet it and place it across the Medjai's forehead.  Grabbing up more cloths, she handed one to Alex and kept the other.  Alex wrinkled his brow, unsure of what do with it.  The expression nearly made Najat chuckle, but she managed to stifle it, with only the slightest interruption in the melody she hummed.  Taking her own cloth, she began to swirl over Ardeth's arm, gently bathing away the feverish sweat.  Catching on, Alex smiled and mimicked the action on the warrior's other arm.  

 

oOoOoOo

 

Jonathan abruptly jerked awake as Najat's humming ceased.  Glancing around, disoriented, he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and moved his head in the direction of it.  He reflexively jumped to his feet as an Abadi float gracefully through the doorway.

 

"It is only Zaynab, Jonathan," Najat soothed, chuckling softly and attracting the Englishman's attention.  "You need not be alarmed."

 

Beside her, Alex snickered, amused by his uncle's reaction and ruffled appearance.  Jonathan raised an eyebrow at the site of his nephew, to which Alex replied with an innocent shrug. 

 

"Zaynab," Jonathan greeted, sleepily.  Turning back toward the new arrival, he sheepishly crammed his hands into his pockets.

 

"Jonathan," she returned, sounding amused, but nodding politely.  Watching her continue toward the bed, his brow wrinkled.

 

"How did you know it was Zaynab?" He asked Najat, perplexed; Zaynab was fully covered.  

 

"She looks like Zaynab," Najat stated, matter-of-factly, as though it should've been obvious.  Alex snickered again, seeming to agree with her. 

 

Jonathan nodded as if to say 'aha', then rolled his eyes when the two Abadi looked away.  Alex grinned, lopsidedly, at his uncle, and Jonathan winked at him, before turning his attention to the Abadi.  Watching the two women discuss Ardeth's care, Jonathan began to feel like a bit of an odd wheel.  Fidgeting, he glanced toward the door, wondering whether or not he should stay.

 

"Zaynab will be tending Ardeth Bey for a time," Najat announced, abruptly pulling Jonathan's attention back to the bed.  "You are welcome to stay.  I do not believe she would mind the company."

 

"You would be very welcome," Zaynab confirmed, with a slight bow.  Jonathan hesitated.  He'd just settled on leaving, but decided it might appear rude to decline.  Besides, he thought, somebody better be here to keep an eye on Alex. 

 

"Thank you, I think I will stay," he finally answered, with a nervous grin. Najat smiled in return, before bowing to excuse herself.  Jonathan watched her leave, longingly.  Perhaps because she'd uncovered or just because he's spent more time with her, he felt more comfortable with Najat than Zaynab.

 

"Do not fear, Jonathan Carnahan.  I do not bit...very often," Zaynab teased, provoking a snicker from Alex.  Caught off-guard, Jonathan could only grin, sheepishly.     

 

"It is not necessary that you remain standing in my presence," she quipped, as he continued to fidget.   "Come, sit." 

 

As she waved him closer, Jonathan opened his mouth to decline, but, again, decided it might be rude.  Nervously approaching, he sat down next to the bed, almost managing not to look in Zaynab's direction as he moved. 

 

"May I ask you a question?" 

 

Jonathan nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on Ardeth.

 

"What is it that I do that discomfits you so?"  She asked, curiously.  When Jonathan simply shrugged, she chuckled, softly.  "You do not seem bothered by Najat, and yet she is of greater status than I?"

 

Jonathan and Alex glanced at each other, wondering just what Najat's status was.  It didn't seem like something they should ask about, however, so Jonathan resisted the temptation and shook his head at Alex, telling him not to ask, either.

 

"Ah, perhaps it is the burqa that bothers you?"  Zaynab considered aloud. 

 

"Yeah, I guess maybe it is," Jonathan replied.  He didn't really know if that were the problem, but it seemed better than continuing to say nothing.   Zaynab nodded, slightly, in response, as though greatly relieved to have an answer. 

 

Turning away, she snatched the cloth cooling Ardeth's forehead, dipped it into the water basin and replaced it.  She hummed as she moved, the same song that Najat had hummed earlier. 

 

"It that a common tune?"  He asked.  Closing his eyes, Jonathan let the soothing melody melt away his jitters. 

 

"It is," Zaynab replied, distractedly, as she reached for a cloth from the medicine-filled basin and began to bath Ardeth's chest.  "It is an ancient Medjai lullaby."

 

"Ah," Jonathan replied.  "It's lovely...and very effective." 

 

"Yes," the Abadi answered, chuckling.

 

"It's Medjai, you say?"  Jonathan quizzed, curiosity making him forget his nervousness. 

 

"It is," Zaynab answered.

 

"So how is it that all of you know it?" Alex blurted, just as Jonathan prepared to ask the question for himself.  

 

"Ah, well, that is a long story," the Abadi replied, patiently.

 

"Oh," Jonathan replied.  "Well, I'm rather in the mood for a story, if you don't mind, that is..."

 

"I do not mind," Zaynab responded.

 

"Hey, while your telling stories, I really like to know the story behind that blasted curse.  I mean, if it's not a secret or anything," Jonathan added, excitedly.  Zaynab chuckled.

 

"You have already seen all that is secret," she quipped, pleased to see the Englishman's posture relax a bit.  Flicking her eyes Alex's direction, Zaynab saw that he, too, seemed very interesting in hearing tales. 

 

"Oh, jolly good.  Let's get on with it then," Jonathan replied.  Making himself more comfortable, he winked at Alex, before settling his gaze on the Abadi.  Watching Zaynab's tender ministrations, he waited in eager anticipation for the storytelling to begin. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Having found the time alone with Rick to be very pleasant, indeed, a smile continued to grace Evy's features as she made her way toward Ardeth's dwelling. The expression shifted into surprise as she entered and found Jonathan sitting next to Ardeth's bed, speaking rather animatedly to a burqa-covered Abadi.

 

"You don't say!" 

 

"And it's just sitting out there?  Nobody's bothered it?"  Alex chimed in.  Evy could tell by his voice that the topic of the conversation had him completely enthralled. 

 

"Evelyn," the Abadi greeted without answering Alex, catching sight of Evy hovering in the doorway.

 

"Zaynab," Evy replied, cordially, recognizing the voice.   Strolling to the bed, she smiled at her brother and son, before glancing, anxiously, at Ardeth.  "How's he doing?"

 

"His fever is still high, but lower than it was, and his breathing has improved," the Abadi informed her.  "He has not awoken again..."

 

She paused when both Evy and Alex sighed mournfully. 

 

"It is good that he has not awoken," Zaynab reassured.  "It allows his body to concentrate on healing itself." 

 

Although unconvinced, Evy nodded.  She didn't want Zaynab to worry about anyone but Ardeth. 

 

"So what was all the excitement about when I came in?" she asked, changing the subject to keep from fretting more than she already was.

 

"Oh!  Mum, did you know that there are all sort of tombs and thing around here that nobody's excavated or anything?!"  Alex announced, excitedly.  Chuckling at his enthusiasm, Evy didn't reply. She didn't want to interrupt the flow of his thoughts, especially since he was finally behaving more like himself.  Only half listening, she dutifully bobbed her head as her son rushed through a review of the many stories Zaynab had shared.

 

oOoOoOo

 

The sound of excited, familiar voices wove through the heavy fabric of Ardeth's dream and, for a fleeting second, distracted him.  He glanced back to find the pleasant scene he'd been enjoying gone.  Shrugging inwardly, Ardeth stepped deeper into the haze that had replaced it.  He wasn't particularly concerned.  He'd accidentally slipped from several dreams already, but always managed to wander into another.  

 

A dozen steps later, he frowned.  The distracting voices were growing louder, not dimmer, as they had previously.  Ardeth hesitated, remembering the pain and weakness that awaited him in the realm of the real voices.  He didn't want to go back there yet.  Changing direction, Ardeth hummed the tune softly whispered by the haze and wandered in search of another dream.

 

Half-dozen steps later, he stopped.  The voices were still growing louder.  Spinning around, a slow quarter turn at a time, Ardeth despairing realized he could not escape them.  Reconciling himself, the warrior took a deep breath and launched himself headlong toward the battlefield.

 

oOoOoOo

 

 "...and, anyway, I was thinking maybe Uncle Jon and I could go exploring tomorrow, if its all right, that is?"  Unsure from whom he needed permission, Alex's gaze flickered between Zaynab and his mother.  Evy glanced at the Abadi, as well.  Receiving a slight nod from Zaynab, she nodded at her son. 

 

Nearly springing into the air with excitement, Alex grinned and turned toward his uncle. His expression fell as he realized Jonathan had become distracted.  Following his uncle's gaze, he glanced down into the open eyes of Ardeth Bey.

 

"Ardeth!  You're awake!" 

 

The Medjai responded with a sleepy blink. 

 

"How are you feeling?"  Evy asked, softly.  Her first urge had been to chastise him for what he'd done, but realizing he might mistake it for real anger, she resisted the temptation.  Evy reminded herself that there would be plenty of time to 'discuss' it with him later - when he was more coherent.

 

Again, Ardeth blinked sleepily, but managed a reassuring smile. 

 

"Oh, don't bother asking him that, mum.  You know he'll just say he's fine," Alex quipped, earning an amused smile from the Medjai.    Evy and Jonathan grinned, as well. 

 

"Najat will be pleased; I must inform her," Zaynab announced, before anyone could ask him anything else.  Bowing toward the bed, she backed away and quickly departed.  Evy, Jonathan and Alex remained focused on Ardeth. 

 

Jonathan simply grinned, giddily; seeing Ardeth's eyes open brought an intense wave of relief washing through the Englishman.  He wasn't going to be responsible for helping the warrior kill himself, after all. 

 

Also relieved, Evy smiled, but kept the giddiness out of her expression.  She didn't want to alarm Ardeth by appearing too surprised to see him awake.  Nonchalantly taking Zaynab's vacated position, she snatched the damp towel from his forehead, rewetted it with cool water, and gently bathed his face and arms.  The soft caress lulled Ardeth's eyes closed again, and he flinched when Evy abruptly spoke.  

 

"You gave us a bit of a scare, there," she stated, softly.  Biting back an apology for startling him, Evy continued in a soothing tone.  "But you're doing fine, so don't you worry.  Your fever's still a little high, but you're breathing much better."

 

Ardeth smiled, patiently.  His thoughts focused on escaping back into sleep, the warrior hadn't really been wondering, but was able to appreciate that she thought he might. 

 

"We saw your soul! It was neat, well, really scary, but really neat, too!"  Alex babbled, excitedly.  Ardeth sleepily shifted his gaze to the child and smiled. "Did you know we saw your soul?! Could you see us, too?!"

 

Ardeth nodded, weakly, and let his heavy eyelids close.  It pleased him that they were all so excited to see him awake, but he still didn't want to be there.  He wanted to be in Paradise with his family.  He'd sacrificed that for them, but Ardeth would settle for the realm of dreams, if they would just let him fall back into it.  The feel of a soft hand pressing gently against his cheek brought Ardeth's eyes open again.  Glancing up, he found Najat gazing down with a patient smile upon her face. 

 

"You're fever has diminished somewhat," she commented.  The expression on her face as she spoke made Ardeth suspect it was more for the benefit of the small group hovering around him, than because she expected that he cared to know. 

 

"Drink."

 

Glancing down, Ardeth discovered a cup in her hand.  As she brought it to his lips, he obediently drank.   The medicine tasted different, and he wrinkled his face at it. 

 

"It is better than coughing, is it not?"  Najat quipped, chuckling at the face.  Ardeth tossed her a half-smile. 

 

"Will you try to eat a little?"  She asked, maternally. 

 

Instead of answering, Ardeth blinked, sleepily, and nearly forgot to open his eyes again.  When he did, he saw a slight frown on the Abadi's face and nodded, in hopes of banishing it.  Najat smiled and turned to fetch the tray of food she'd brought with her. 

 

"Food has been prepared for you, as well," Zaynab announced, glancing from Jonathan to Evy to Alex.

 

"Tsk, do not argue, young one," she added, when Alex appeared about to protest.  "The sun is setting and you have eaten nothing since mid-morning."

 

Evy raised a startled eyebrow, then, blushed.  She hadn't realized she'd dallied so long with Rick. Unseen beneath her burqa, Zaynab smirked, knowingly, and continued.

 

"Joining your family for the meal will provide you an opportunity to tell your father all the tales you have heard."

 

The comment reminded Alex that he had adventures to plan for the next day.  Grinning, he hopped from the bed and started toward the door.  He froze mid-step, as it occurred to him that he'd likely be sent off to bed after dinner.  Pivoting around, Alex smiled at Ardeth.

 

"I'm glad you feeling a little better. I'll see you tomorrow and tell all about the stuff we find, okay?"

 

Ardeth nodded, slightly, and returned the smile. 

 

"Sleep well, child," Najat offered, as she set the food tray on the bed beside Ardeth.   "Good evening, Jonathan, Evelyn." 

 

The tone of Najat's voice indicated that they weren't to return after eating. Evy glanced over, prepared to protest; she'd barely spent any time with Ardeth.  However, Najat returned a glance that stopped the words in Evy's throat. 

 

"Good evening," was all she managed to get out, before obediently following Zaynab out the door. 

 

"Shall we start with the broth first?" Najat asked, not bothering to watch her guests depart.   Ardeth glanced down at the tray of assorted fruits and breads surrounding a large bowl of broth.  None of it looked particularly appealing, so he simply nodded.  Pleased, Najat grinned and took a seat facing him. 

 

"Badi'a will be here in the morning," she informed the Medjai, as she brought the spoon to his lips.  Ardeth wrinkled his face disapprovingly, before dutifully accepting the broth.  As the spoon returned with more broth, Ardeth rolled his eyes toward the door. 

 

"There is nothing to be done," Najat replied, briefly following his gaze.  "Badi'a would not be refused, and I cannot see the O'Connells agreeing to depart while your fever continues."

 

Ardeth sighed and closed his eyes, wishing, even more fervently, to escape back into sleep.   The meeting of Badi'a and the O'Connells would be an ugly affair, one that he had no desire to witness. 

 

"Tsk, do not let it concern you," Najat soothed, bringing his eyes open.  He found a waiting spoon and accepted it, less than half-heartedly.  "Badi'a will be here as my guest, as are the outsiders.  She will behave accordingly, this I can assure you."

 

Ardeth replied with a lopsided grin.  He had never witnessed a clash of wills between Najat and his sister.  That, he decided, might indeed be a sight worth seeing.

 

oOoOoOo

 

"...and it just sitting out there!  Nobody's bothered to excavate it or anything!  Can we check it out, Dad, please?!" 

 

Rick chuckled at his son and quickly shoved another bite of food into his mouth to stall for time.  Chewing slowly, he glanced at Evy, who shrugged.

 

"Can we, Dad?!  Please!  Can we?!"  Alex pleaded, sitting on the proverbial edge of his seat.

 

"Well, I'm not sure about that particular site; I think we'd better find out more about it first.  How about we explore the caves around here tomorrow?"  Rick offered.  Alex frowned, disappointedly, but then, decided that he'd better take what he could get before they decided not to let him explore anything. 

 

"Thanks, Dad," he replied, with a broad grin.  Shoveling the rest of his dinner, Alex daydreamed about what they might find.  

 

Rick nearly laughed at the look on his son's face.  It reminded him so much of Evy, it almost made his heart burst with happiness.  He couldn't remember how he'd survived without Evy and Alex in his life.  Yet, if Ardeth hadn't taken her place, he might have lost her.

 

Rick abruptly realized that he still didn't know why.  Evy'd never gotten around to explaining what had happened.  All he knew was that she'd tried to kill Ardeth, and Ardeth blamed himself for provoking her.   That had been enough for him to nearly kill the Medjai back in their guest room, but it was such a little bit of information...too little.  Sooner or later, Rick knew he'd have to face Ardeth again and convince the warrior that he hadn't dishonored himself; how could he do that with so little knowledge of what had really happened?  The need for the truth gnawing at his Rick's gut, his appetite suddenly vanished.  Pushing his plate aside, he sat back and impatiently waited for Evy to finish eating.

 

oOoOoOo

 

Ardeth twisted his head to the side as the spoon returned, yet again; he'd remained in the realm of real voices long enough.   Vaguely catching the movement of Najat's hand pulling away, the warrior glanced toward her.  He found a frown on her face and, for a moment, considered trying to eat more, but couldn't quite force his mouth to cooperate.

 

Najat placed the spoon back into the half-empty bowl and glanced up to find Ardeth's eyes fixed upon her.  His apologetic gaze told her that he wasn't intending to be difficult, but simply hadn't any more energy to spare for the effort.  Managing a tolerant smile, she lightly caressed his cheek.

 

"It is all right.  We will try again after you have rested," she whispered, soothingly.  Ardeth almost managed to return the smile, but his heavy eyelids slid down too quickly. 

 

Sighing glumly, Najat moved the tray from the bed and sat it in the floor.   Turning back, she snatched up a wet cloth and placed it across his forehead, then, paused to watch him sleep.   His expression, although still strained, seemed almost content, in contrast to the desolation she'd seen in his eyes while he ate.  A shiver of worry tickled down her spine, as she found herself wondering if Ardeth had returned to them out of desire or, merely, duty.  Shaking the thought away, Najat began to hum and distractedly reached for another cloth to swirl across his feverish skin. 

 

oOoOoOo

 

Standing in the doorway, staring out into the darkness, Rick took a deep breath. Alex had opted to sleep in Jonathan quarters, leaving him alone with Evy.  He knew he couldn't waste the opportunity.  The longer he avoided Ardeth, the harder it would be to finally face him.  Still, Rick found himself reluctant to broach the subject.  The small part of his brain that kept searching for an innocent explanation for what had happened, and kept failing to find it, warned him that he didn't really want to know.  But the rest of his brain reminded him that he had to know.   Taking one more deep breath, Rick turned to face his wife.

 

"Evy, we need to talk."

 

Evy winched at the seriousness of Rick's tone.   The abrupt shift in his mood during dinner had warned her something was coming, but she found herself unprepared, all the same.  

 

"I need to know what happened, Evy, all of it," Rick pressed, when Evy continued to silently study the ground. 

 

"Rick, I...I...don't really know h...how...wh...where..." she stammered, but the gave up and fell silent.

 

"Shh," he soothed, taking a seat next her.  "We have all night, so you can just start at the beginning and take it as slow as you need to, okay."

 

Evy found herself smiling, despite the seriousness of the moment, as she remembered Ardeth saying similar words to her regarding the same topic.   For two men that were so different, her husband and the Medjai were occasionally very alike.  The thought reminded her that she had faced Ardeth, and Evy realized it certainly couldn't be any worse telling Rick. 

 

"Yes, all right, the beginning..." she began, then, paused for a deep breath before continuing.   "Well, you see, you, Alex, and Jonathan were out, so it seemed like a good opportunity to sort through that crate, you know, the one of my parents...."

 

She glanced up, and Rick nodded, supportively.

 

"Well, I saw the sword and pulled it out to have a better look.  Of course, that jostled everything about, and that's when I saw the dagger.  I was going to have a closer look at it, I guess that was why it was still in my hand when I went upstairs to have a peek at the journal...."

 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Rick interrupted.  "What journal?"

 

"The journal I found in the crate, of course," Evy replied, distractedly, not registering that she'd skipped over that detail.  Realizing he'd better just let her talk and clarify later, Rick didn't comment further. 

 

"Of course, I know I shouldn't have just opened up someone's journal and started reading, but I thought, perhaps, it belonged to one of my parents...and I'd been missing them terribly since that crate arrived.  So, well, obviously, I did read it...well, part of it...a few sentences...." Evy hesitated, signaling Rick that whatever she'd read was the key to the whole mess.  

 

"A those sentences said?" he gently prodded. 

 

"Th....they said, well, I thought they said that the Medjai had killed my parents," she admitted, with only the slightest hint of a quiver in her voice.  Rick raised an eyebrow.  He knew from asking Jonathan that the Carnahans had died in car accident and wondered what the Medjai had to do with that. 

 

"You thought it said?"  Rick quizzed. 

 

"Oh, Rick!  I didn't read far enough!"

 

'Well, there's a first!'  Rick thought, sarcastically, but remained silent. 

 

"And Ardeth arrived just then and I stabbed him...I mean I didn't intend to stab him, or maybe I did.  I don't know, I was just so angry," Evy finished, with a calmness that warned Rick she was teetering on the edge of control. 

 

Rick simply nodded in response.  That was where he'd come in, so he knew what happened next...with Ardeth, anyway.  Thinking back, Rick remembered when Evy'd peeked in to check on them while the Doc was there; she'd seemed no less upset, but it had been different. The reason suddenly dawned on him.

 

"You read more, while the Doc was stitching Ardeth up?"  He asked, already knowing the answer.   Evy nodded, tears tickling at the corners of her eyes.    "And it said...?"

 

"Oh, Rick!  It said that they saved them...found them abandoned in the desert dying of fever and took them back to their camp," she blurted in a single breath.  

 

Rick shook his head, disbelievingly, at the simplicity of the explanation.   Evy'd gone off half-cocked - never a good thing, but hardly astonishing - and had unleashed a curse. Ardeth blamed himself because he'd been there to retrieve the weapons before they were used, and had failed.  It was all the same old, same old...yet Rick had the feeling it was more complicated than it sounded. 

 

"Is that all?"  he asked, hesitantly.  The tears that immediately welled in Evy's eyes confirmed his suspicion. 

 

"The f...fever spread, Rick, throughout the Medjai camp.  A..Ardeth's family became ill," she explained, too calmly.  He nodded, finally understanding why she'd grown so upset when Ardeth's temperature had first risen.   Rick almost stopped her from saying more; he could guess what was coming next.  "They died, Rick....his mother and brother and two of his sisters...and Ardeth...he nearly died and his father treated him so horribly because he blamed himself for allowing my parents to be brought into the camp..." 

 

Evy's words fell away, and she gazed, unseeingly, at the wall.  Rick didn't push.  He knew she'd stopped because any more would send her over the edge.  Besides, she'd said enough for him to fill in the blanks.   The only thing he still didn't understand was why Ardeth had done what he did.  After all that had happened to his family and his people, either directly or indirectly, because Evy and/or various members of her family, it didn't make sense to Rick that Ardeth would risk his life to save her. 

 

"You can't blame yourself for what happened to Ardeth's family, Evy.  I wasn't your fault; it wasn't even really your parents' fault," he distractedly soothed, realizing that blaming herself was what she'd been doing for the past few days.  Evy nodded. 

 

"I know, but, Rick...!" she couldn't finish.  Reason told her he was right, but her heart couldn't get past all the Medjai had suffered.  Turning toward her husband, Evy snuggled into his chest.  As his strong wrapped around her, she closed her eyes and cried softly.