Rick didn't know they were there. He didn't know anything beyond the need to get away from that tent for a time. When he couldn't run any farther, he fell to the sand on his knees. David. How in God's name had Ardeth known? He thought back as far as he could remember. The orphanage in Cairo had been his home since he was six, but the one old priest who oversaw the place had known him all his life. Father Duncan had known both his parents. He'd been the one who'd told Rick about his family. How his parents had died of fever. How his brother had died at birth and he'd survived. "You're the strong one, Richard," he'd told him again and again. "God has a special purpose for you, it's plain to see." He'd taken Rick to the cemetery where they were buried once. His father, mother and brother, all laid to rest together. Hell, the good father had buried all three of them. If he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could still see the small wooden marker.
O'Connell
Brian, beloved husband and father;
Diedre, beloved wife and mother;
David, beloved infant son.
He shook his head as if to clear it. This was all getting way to weird. There was no way any of this could be. No way.
And your son was never kidnaped by someone who died over three thousand years ago, your wife wasn't killed and the Book of Dead doesn't really raise spirits from the dead. It seemed his mind was in the mood to argue with him.
"No!" he said aloud. "I don't believe it."
What did Safiya say? Your heart knows? Well, your heart knows, O'Connell and you damn well know it.
"It's impossible," he argued, getting angry with himself.
So are mummies, but that didn't stop them from almost killing your best friend, now did it?
"Reincarnation doesn't just happen."
And Meela was just a nice girl with an asp and Evelyn just dreamed up all that stuff about Nefertiri.
"We can't be brothers! We're nothing alike! He's arrogant, reckless, demanding, rude." Rick was shouting now, determined to win this fight with himself. "He looks before he leaps, he gives no consideration to the situation at all! He just barges in, guns blazing, and looks for answers when it's all done. He issues orders like he's some kind of general and expects everyone to just jump and obey!" A sudden, ironic truth dawned on Rick. "Oh my God! He's just like I am."
"Do you still deny what you already know?" A voice behind him said quietly.
Rick jumped and turned abruptly, ready to take on whomever had snuck up on him, but he was still alone.
"You are what you have always been. This makes you nothing less. It only lets you know beyond all else that you are not alone. That you will never be alone." The voice echoed in his mind.
It was not his own inner voice, it was someone else's. He shook his head hard and once again for good measure. Then, an idea began to form. Maybe, if he just listened to the voice, he could figure out what the hell was going on. He closed his eyes and concentrated.
He wasn't kneeling in the sand anymore. He was sitting on horseback atop ridge that looked down into a lush, verdant valley. He could see more shades of green that he could possibly count and flowering trees in every color of the rainbow. High waterfalls splashed into complacent streams and pools of deep, azure water dotted the terrain. He couldn't believe it.
"I am not entirely certain I wish to believe it myself." Rick turned and beside him was Ardeth Bey, looking not at him, but down at the splendid sight below. "After all, you are not only arrogant, rude, and demanding, you are also an American. That alone will be hard to reconcile." Rick wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the Med-jai's lips twitch, a ghost of a smile, fleeting then gone.
"What the hell's going on here, Ardeth?" Rick demanded.
Ardeth's horse stirred uneasily. "I am unsure. Perhaps Safiya knows more than she tells about what happened when our blood met." Ardeth turned and looked at Rick for the first time. "I think we both know what is truth, my friend, whether we like it or not is immaterial."
Rick looked away and studied the sight stretching out before him. Ardeth was right. He did know the truth. But he wasn't ready to accept it. Not yet. So he did what he always did when he needed to stall for time. He changed the subject.
"Where are we?" he asked, unable to keep the wonder from his voice. "It looks kinda that Ahm Shere place but nicer, prettier, more friendly."
Ardeth did smile at that. "This is the Garden City." He couldn't keep the pride and longing from his voice. "My home."
"You actually leave this place? For the desert?!"
"When the Med-jai chose to invoke the Hom-dai, they knew that there was no longer any place for them in the world. Their oath to keep the Creature buried was a sentence of exile. They searched many years until they found this place. The Garden City is hidden from all eyes. It is deep within a mountain crevice and the ways in are known only to us."
"But I thought you guys spent all your time at Hamanaptra."
"There are always Med-jai guarding the forbidden city, but the time spent watching the city takes it's toll. One must be ever vigilant. The many clans each take their turn, then they return here to rest and wait their next turn to watch. And," he looked back out over the valley, a frown creasing his forehead," there are other places where our vigilance is needed. The City of the Dead is not the only place guarded by the Med-jai. There are many others. We are the only ones who stand guard over the evils of the past. The ancient curses are dismissed as legend. Only we have seen that the ancient evils live and must be kept hidden."
Rick fell silent, thinking about all this. He looked out over the beautiful sight before him and suddenly knew, really knew, what kind of people the Med-jai were. Their oath to protect was one that went deep. It had to be to leave this paradise for the dangers and hardships of the desert. He began to see Ardeth in a different light. He looked at the tatoo on his wrist. Ardeth had said he was a protector of man, a Med-jai in spirit if not by birth.
Ardeth must have sensed some kind of acceptance on Rick's part. He leaned closer and lowered his voice, his expression serious. "I will be honest with you, O'Connell. If I had to choose any one on this earth to be my brother, it would be you, my friend."
Rick stared at the tattooed man beside him. Ardeth's eyes reflected his face back to him, and in looking closer, Rick saw his cheeks and forehead branded with the same marks that graced the Med-jai's. In that instant, he knew his heart's truth. He held out his hand. "Brothers."
Ardeth reached for the offered hand but instead of shaking it, he hooked his thumb around Rick's and twisted his wrist upward, turning the handshake into a two-handed fist. "Brothers." He held Rick's hand in his own for a long moment, then released it. "Now I must go. I find that, even here, I am not yet strong."
Rick realized with alarm that Ardeth was indeed tired. His shoulders slumped slightly and he was sweating as if he'd been exerting himself. The spiritual energy needed to maintain this link or whatever it was, was rapidly draining what precious little strength he had.
"Go!" he ordered.
Ardeth smiled. "I thought I was the one who ordered people about like a general. Next you'll be asking me if I think I am some kind of king" He turned to leave but not before his face split with a large, white grin at his his own joke, then he galloped off, laughter echoing behind him as he vanished. Rick made a face at his retreating back then looked back down into the valley below.
"Evy's gonna love this place," he thought suddenly. He stared at the Garden City for a long time, thinking of all he had discovered about himself, about Ardeth, about what his heart's truth was really telling him. When, at last, he'd found some peace within himself, he let go.
Rick opened his eyes, the desert surrounding him once more. He was still alone, and yet, deep down inside himself, he felt the presence of another. "Ardeth," he said to the sand around him, "you'd better wake up soon, buddy, because we have got a lot to talk about."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alex watched his mother pace. Or, her equivalent of it, anyway. What she actually did was walk in circles around the tent, "sprucing up". Finally, after watching her fluff the same pillow for the fourteenth time, he asked her what was going on.
"Hmm? What? Oh, Alex, I'm sorry. Could you repeat that? I'm afraid my mind was elsewhere."
Alex rolled his eyes at the obviousness of her statement. "I asked you what the hell was..."
"Language, Alex."
"Sorry. What the heck was going on. And don't tell me ‘nothing'. Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I'm stupid."
Evy sighed and looked fondly at her son. He was so much like his father. Half the time she didn't know whether to kiss him or strangle him. Instead of doing either of those, she sat down on the pillows and held out her hand. "Come here, Alex. We should talk about this. It does affect you, too, after all." Alex sat down across from her and waited.
"A lot of it has to do with what happened last night. With Ardeth. I don't know how to explain it, exactly, but . . ."
"Oh! You don't have to explain that, Mum. I know what happened."
Evy's eyes widened. "You do?"
"Sure!" Alex proclaimed, obviously excited. "Ardeth died and Zahrah caught his soul in her hands. Then Safiya used Dad's blood to bring him back and now they're blood brothers. It was really fantastic to watch!"
Evelyn O'Connell stared at her son. It was certainly an accurate, and concise, version of the events. She realized that her mouth was hanging open but she couldn't quite bring herself to close it. "And you're fine with all this?" she managed after a moment. "I mean, it is rather odd, to say the least."
Alex made a face. "Mum, I was kidnaped by a three thousand year old mummy, saw visions of ancient places spouting from my wrist, was chased by pygmy skeletons and brought you back from the dead. How much ‘odder' could this possibly be?"
"You do have a point there," Evy agreed. "But there's more. It seems that Ardeth is the reincarnation of your father's twin brother." She waited for him to digest this. It didn't take long.
"Is that supposed to surprise me?"Alex asked. "I mean, it's not like he and Dad are at all alike or anything." His gentle sarcasm was well put.
Evy laughed and pulled her son to her. "You are amazing, Alex O'Connell. Do you know that? And I'm very proud of you. You have proven beyond a doubt that you aren't a child anymore. You're truly a young man."
Alex brightened and pulled away from her. "Does that mean I don't have to go to bed early anymore?"
"No. But it does mean that you are capable of adding some real input into the decisions we make. So, I'll let you make your first one now. We've been invited to the Garden City, it's the secret home of the Med-jai. Do you want to come? Or do you want to go home with Uncle Jonathan?"
Her son put a hand on his chin, as if he was considering very carefully. "Well. If I come with you, I can learn more about the Med-jai. They are very interesting. On the other hand, if I go with Uncle John, he can take me to those places he's always hinting about when you're not around. That could be fun, too." Evy drew an indignant breath, about to say something, when she realized that her son was toying with her.
She scowled. "You are just like your father, you know that?"
Alex laughed. "Dad says the same thing, only he says I'm just like you."
Evy hugged him again, tickling his ribs. "Well, what's it going to be? Garden City or Uncle John's forbidden dens of sin?"
Alex squirmed and giggled, trying to get away. "Uncle John's . ." He couldn't finish, Evy was tickling him harder.
"I'm sorry, you were about to say?"
He squealed and laughed until tears ran down his face. "Uncle John's . . ."
She tickled him even harder, reaching into the delicate spots under his arms. "You were saying?"
"Garden City! Garden City!" Alex cried, giving in under the pressure of her assault. Evy stopped and grinned down at where he lay, gasping helplessly. "I knew you'd make the right choice."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rick sat quietly beside the oasis' pool, staring at his own reflection. Since he returned, no one had bothered him, his need to be alone radiating out of him like a silent wall. So it was with no small amount of surprise that Rick realized his reflection had grown another head. He raised his eyes and looked at the one who had intruded upon his thoughts.
Azizah stared back at him. Her coffee colored eyes, so much like Ardeth's, regarded him closely. She didn't seem to mind that he was practically glaring at her, willing her to go away. She simply stood there and watched him watching her. Then, unexpectedly, as if she found something in him he hadn't seen, she smiled. A bright grin that was missing the top two teeth.
Rick fell like a ton of bricks. He grinned back. Without hesitation, Azizah planted herself on his lap. "Are you my father's brother now?" she asked.
Rick sighed. "Yes, I guess I am."
"I am glad," she said simply. "Father needs someone he can talk to."
Rick looked down at this child who was wiser than her years. "How old are you?"
"I am four. I will be five in two months. Babu says I may have my own horse!" Azizah's obvious joy made Rick smile even more.
"Aren't you a little young for your own horse?" he asked playfully.
"Oh, no," she answered seriously. "I can ride very well. I would have had my own horse sooner but Babu was waiting for Sirocco to sire one off of Ameerah. He said that a princess should have a princess's horse." She beamed at him, oblivious to the fact that Rick had no idea what she was talking about.
"Sirocco? Who's that?" Rick asked, trying to sort out the names she just rattled off.
"Sirocco is Babu's horse. He has a curly black mane, just like Babu, and he is very strong. I think he is stronger than Babu though," she whispered, as if this were a great secret. "Babu says he is the best horse he has ever had."
Rick was beginning to get the picture. "And Ameerah? That's another horse? A girl horse?"
Azizah nodded. "Oh yes. Ameerah is beautiful. She is all black, too, but her mane is straight. Her name means princess."
"And what does your name mean?"
"Grandmother says it means ‘cherished' but Babu says it means ‘trouble'." Rick laughed. He couldn't help it.
Azizah laughed with him, not sure why, but she liked his laugh. "You are funny," she announced. "You laugh like Babu."
Rick's eyebrows raised. "Your father laughs?"
"Oh, yes," she assured him. "He laughs often when he is at home. But many times he is not home. He guards the City of the Dead."
The little girl in his arms saddened and it almost broke Rick's heart. "I'm sure your daddy, your Babu, would be with you more if he could. He loves you very much."
Azizah sighed. "Yes, I know." She looked around as if making sure they were alone. She beckoned Rick closer. "Can I tell you secret?" she asked very seriously. Rick assured her she could. "I am a little bit glad that my Babu got hurt because now he can come home for a long time. I do not want him to be hurt but when he is, he comes home. Is that very wicked of me?"
Rick studied the earnest little face, noticed the tears forming in her eyes. He hugged her close and shook his head. "No. It's not wicked of you."
That was all the encouragement she needed. With a sob she clutched at him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "I miss him when he is away," she wailed. "I want to go with him but he says it is not safe, I must stay home." Rick rubbed his hands along Azizah's back, comforting her as best he could, murmuring soothing words. Finally, she calmed and relaxed against his chest. "Do you know what?" she yawned. "When I am older I will be a warrior, too, and then I will go with him into the desert. Then, my Babu will never be hurt. I will keep him safe. Will you help me?" she asked, gazing up at Rick with her innocent eyes.
"I'll try," he promised. "I'll try."
With Bashaar's help, Evy found Rick some time later sitting in the shade, leaning back in against a rock, Azizah in his arms. Both of them were sound asleep. Evy sighed, contented. Everything was going to work out. She could feel it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next three days went by at a slow, relaxing pace. Jonathan had ventured off with Izzy for Cairo and he promised to go straight home and set things to rights. Bashaar was teaching Alex to ride better and he was a quick student. Rick and Evy spent a lot of time with Alex, exploring the desert around them, letting their son set the direction they ventured in. Often, Bashaar would go with them, guiding them to hidden caves and secret caverns. Azizah went with them, too. Showing that she was indeed an accomplished rider, she rode a small horse, not much smaller than Alex's mount, with the skill of one who was practically born to the saddle.
The only dark spot of these days was that Ardeth had yet to awaken. Evy and Rick were getting worried, despite Safiya's claims that this was to be expected. Each day they waited for news that he'd finally opened his eyes but nothing had happened yet. Rick couldn't help but wonder if Ardeth's subconscious visit took too much out of him. He suspected Safiya knew what had happened, he'd caught her looking his way once or twice with questions in her eyes. He buried the knowledge of what had passed between Ardeth and him deep, lest the confession of what they'd done should burst out of him like it did Alex when he'd done something wrong and couldn't hide it any longer. He avoided Safiya's gaze and avoided her personally whenever possible. For some reason, though, every time he skirted her she laughed.
It was only in the deep hours of the night, when Evelyn and Alex slept soundly, that he allowed the guilt that threatened to overwhelm him come to the surface. Had he somehow forced Ardeth to endure contacting him because of his reluctance to accept what had transpired between them? Finally, by the third day, he couldn't stand it any longer. He quietly left his sleeping wife and son and sought out the man who was his brother.
Bashaar gave no indication that Rick's midnight visit was anything but normal. He nodded and held the tent flap aside, allowing Rick entry. The tent was dark, only a small lantern burned on the center table. Safiya and Azizah were sleeping close together in the corner. Rick walked carefully toward the tapestry and reached to open it.
"One moment, my friend," Bashaar stopped him then went into the sleeping area. He emerged a moment later with Zahrah, speaking quietly to her in Arabic. She nodded and left the tent. Bashaar smiled at Rick and held open the curtain.
A small lamp burned in here as well, making this room somewhat brighter. Ardeth lay quietly, his deep even breathing the only indication that he was, indeed, still alive. Rick sat next to the cot and ran a hand through his hair.
"Ardeth, buddy - brother - you've gotta wake up. You're worrying Evy no end and you know what a mother hen she is. And Alex has been on my case for days about learning how to use a scimitar. He said you told him you'd show him how. Azizah's been shadowing me all over the place and, not that she's not a sweet kid and all, but she's always falling asleep in my lap and she drools when she sleeps and Alex is way past that stage so I'd appreciate it if you'd wake up and let her drool on you for a while."
Rick sighed deeply and rested his head on his knees. After a long time, he spoke again. "Actually, I want you to wake up, too. I feel like it's my fault you're still out of it. I mean, if you hadn't done that - whatever it was you did - in the desert, you might have been up and around by now. I hate to think that I'm responsible for this after all you've done for me. For my family. You know, I don't know what I'd have done without you. I never could've pulled off that stunt in the oasis if you weren't there. I'm not very good at saying ‘thanks', you know that, but - thank you. For helping Evy and me."
"You do not need to thank me." The voice was hoarse, disused, and definitely Ardeth's. Rick looked up and saw his friend's eyes reflecting the lantern light. Rick grinned. "Hey, there, buddy. How ya feeling?"
"I am feeling disturbed that the first person I see when I awake lately is you."
Rick grinned at him. "And you think you're a prize to see first thing in the morning? I'd much rather see Evy. She's a hell of a lot prettier, that's for sure."
Ardeth laughed. It was rusty and dry but a laugh nonetheless. He clasped his left arm against his side. "Do not make me laugh," he begged breathlessly, "it hurts."
Rick continued to grin. "Seriously, how do you feel? You gonna be okay?"
Ardeth nodded. "I will be fine. I am sore. My chest hurts. I feel about as strong as a day old kitten. Other than that. . ."
"Well, that's not bad considering the alternative." Rick pointed out.
The Med-jai laughed again and winced. "You are right, O'Connell." He ran his tongue over dry lips. "Could I have some water?"
Rick looked around and saw a water pitcher and several cups on a nearby table. He put an arm under Ardeth's head and lifted him enough so he could drink. "Easy," he warned. "Small sips. There ya go." When Ardeth had drunk his fill, Rick lowered him back down.
"Azizah is a remarkable child," Rick remarked. "She has a lot of you in her."
Ardeth smiled, a full genuine smile. "She is my heart and soul. But she is well endowed with her mother's traits as well, Allah be praised."
Rick couldn't agree more. "Alex is the same way. A little of me, a little of Evy. It's a scary combination sometimes."
"It is that, my friend."
"Ardeth," Rick was finally able to phrase the question he wanted answered. "What happened when I was in the desert. How did you do that thing you did? How did you contact me?"
The Med-jai frowned. "I am not entirely sure. I think it is the bond we have forged. I do not know how I found you, I just did. Perhaps it is not unlike when Azizah hurts herself and I know that she is hurt before anyone can tell me. Or when I knew that Iman was in danger. Has that happened with you?"
"Yeah, it has. With both Evy and Alex." Rick chewed his lower lip, unsure whether he should ask his next question. "Ardeth, will you tell me about your wife? I would like to know."
Ardeth smiled slightly. "I would be honored to tell you."
The two men spent the next hour telling each other about their lives. Each finding similarities they hadn't know existed. That progressed to stories of their equally wild and reckless youths. In the middle of telling Ardeth a about the bank job he and Izzy had tried to pull off, Rick realized that Ardeth had fallen asleep. Rick covered him up with a light blanket and stared down at the man who was his brother. He eventually left the tent and returned to his wife, satisfied that tomorrow would be a better day.
Two days after he'd been up and around, he sent word to the O'Connell's that he wanted to see them when they came back from one of their desert excursions. They found him standing on the edge of the oasis, his eyes to the west as darkness fell.
"It is time we returned to my home," he said before they could speak. "I have been away far too long as it is." He turned to them then and they could see the longing in his dark eyes.
"Is it far?" asked Alex. He'd been hearing about the Garden City from Azizah and Bashaar and he couldn't wait to see it.
Ardeth smiled. "Not so far. Several days journey at most."
"I can't wait. Is it as beautiful a place as the name suggests?" Evy wondered.
"Yes." Rick and Ardeth assured her at the same time. Then they both chuckled. Evy looked at Alex and he just shrugged. He had no idea what the joke was either. "What's so funny?" she asked. Rick just put an arm around her shoulders. "I'll tell you later."
"Now, my friends, I want to show you something," Ardeth looked once again to the horizon. He pointed to a bright star, gleaming where the sky was just beginning to darken from violet to azure. "Do you see this star?" he asked. The O'Connell's nodded.
"This star will guide you to the Garden City from wherever you are in Egypt. Watch." Ardeth held up his right arm and pulled the robes back, exposing his wrist. He made a fist, palm down, and held it up. "Alex, come here." He placed the boy in front of him and moved his head slightly so that his eyes sighted down his hand. "Follow the center mark on my wrist. Do you see the star?"
Alex nodded. "Yes. It's pointing right toward it."
"Now, follow the mark directly to it's left. Do you see that other star? Not so bright?" Alex nodded again, squinting to see the pale glow Ardeth was talking about. "At this time in the year, these two stars will always be at this point on the horizon at sunset. Follow the star to the left and you will find the Med-jai city."
Alex stared at the star then at Ardeth's wrist. A light dawned in his eyes. "Your tatoos! They're a compass!"
Ardeth smiled. "They are, Alex. And with these marks I can always find my way home."
Evy was impressed. "That's amazing! I would have never thought of that."
Rick was nodding in agreement. "Very nice. Better than a compass. Harder to lose."
"Indeed. Now, once we begin our journey, I will show you how to use the marks to locate other places it will important for you to find."
"Like Hamunaptra?" Evy asked.
Ardeth nodded and indicated his wrist. "With these marks to guide me, I will always be able to find my way." He turned away again, looking back at the stars, and was quiet for a moment. When he spoke again, it was in a hushed voice the three of them had to strain to hear. "When we return to the Garden City, it would honor me if you would consent to bear these marks upon your wrists. I do not ask this of you lightly. To be marked so is a sign to all that you are of the Med-jai. It is an honor rarely bestowed upon any who were not born of our clan. It is a sign to any that know it's meaning that you are protectors of mankind. It also means that wherever you go you will find those who will offer you sanctuary in times of need. Throughout the world there are those who respect our calling. They are found everywhere if you know where to look." Ardeth shifted restlessly where he stood and looked northwest as if staring at something only he could see. "There is something coming. The scale of which no one will be able to comprehend. It is not an ancient evil. It is new, powerful. We have felt it stirring for some time now. I cannot help but feel that we will all be drawn into it's web." He looked at the them, his face masked in shadow. "Think on this, my friends." Then he left them, returning to the brightness of the camp.
"Wow!" Alex breathed after a moment. "That is so. . . so . . ."
"Necessary." Rick's tone made both and Evy and Alex look at him in surprise. "I know what it means now," he said as he stared into the same horizon that drew Ardeth's eyes but moments before, "what Ardeth's been trying to tell me. He was right when he said it was my destiny. Those marks will ensure that no matter where we are, we will always find haven. And something is happening somewhere. I can feel it, too."
Evy and her son stared at Rick for a few moments. Evy couldn't digest it all. Her doubting Thomas was becoming a believer before her eyes. "Are you saying that Ardeth was right all along?"
Rick nodded. "There's something I haven't told you. It didn't seem important at the time. We were intent - I was intent - on rescuing you then Alex." Rick grasped her gently by the shoulders and looked into her eyes, willing her to understand. "When Ardeth and I were coming to rescue you, he noticed the tatoo on my wrist. He said that it meant that I was a protector of man, a warrior of God. I didn't want to believe it. Then with what happened with you and the visions and all I began to wonder. In Ahm Shere, in the pyramid, I saw the tatoo on a cartouche showing how to defeat the Scorpion King. It's what told me that scepter thing of Jonathan's was a spear." He dropped his arms and looked away again. "I can't deny this anymore, Evy. Coincidence can only explain so much."
To his great surprise and relief, Rick was suddenly encompassed in two pairs of arms, Evy's around his neck, Alex's around his waist. "It's about time you figured it out! Honestly, Alex and I didn't think you've ever realize what was going on."
Rick was, to say the least, rather astonished at this. "What do mean you and Alex? Is there something going on that I should know about?"
Evy smiled. "Well, we've been talking. . ."
"Yeah, Dad. We thought for sure you'd deny it all your life."
"Deny what?"
"That you are Med-jai!" they exclaimed at the same time.
Rick was aghast. "How did you know?
"How could we not, Dad? It's obvious to everyone but you. Even Uncle John mentioned it before he left for Cairo. He said Ardeth had spoken to him on the trip to Ahm Shere, told him that you were headed for your destiny but didn't see it."
"And, Rick, if Jonathan can notice it . . ." Evy left the sentence unfinished.
"I'm an idiot." Rick announced casually.
His wife and son smiled. "Sometimes," she agreed.
"But you're still a terrific Dad," Alex volunteered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day they moved out of the oasis that had been their home for over a week and set out for the Garden City. Every night at dusk, Ardeth would show them a different star to use as reference for different places they would need to find. From Hamanaptra to Cairo, they could find anything using the stars and the wrist compass. "Every Med-jai child is taught to find these stars. Even Azizah knows her way. When she is of age, she will receive the tatoos that will find her home from anywhere she may travel."
Alex was very curious. Since Ardeth had mentioned the tatoos, he'd wanted one in the worst way. He felt that the way of the Med-jai was calling him as well and he wanted to prove himself worthy of Ardeth's respect. "How old is ‘of age'?" he asked.
"When a child reaches the age of thirteen they receive their first tatoo in a ceremony marking their passage from childhood into maturity, those on the wrist. As each year passes, they will receive others. When a boy reaches his sixteenth year, he will wear the marks on his face as a sign of his manhood. As a sign that he is a Med-jai warrior."
Alex's face fell. "Oh," he said softly, unable to hide his disappointment.
"However," Ardeth said solemnly as he placed a hand on Alex's head, "if a child should prove worthy of this honor before they are of age, the ritual may be performed early. Now if you will excuse me, Azizah is waiting."
"Bedtime stories, Ardeth?" Rick asked teasingly.
Ardeth smiled. "Some things are the same even here," he answered.
"Curses and evil legends tonight?" Evy teased.
"Oh, no," Ardeth replied with all seriousness, "I have told Azizah none of that until she is five."
Evy took a deep breath as if to say something, then realized that Ardeth was teasing her.
"Babu! Babu!" Azizah called in warning just before launching herself into her father's arms. Ardeth caught her and lifted her high above his head. She squealed in delight and indignation. "Babu! You will hurt yourself! I am too heavy for you to lift until you are healed. Grandmother said so. You must put me down!"
"You are not heavy," Ardeth assured her, then he groaned dramatically and fell on his back in the sand. "You weigh no more than Sirocco." Azizah punched him in the arm, saying something to him in their native language which made him chuckle and her giggle. "Now why are you not in bed?" he asked when she'd stopped giggling.
"I was waiting for you to come and you did not," she said as if this fact was as plain as day.
"I see. Well, I am coming now." Ardeth lifted her off of him and stood up, shaking the sand off his robes. When he'd finished, he lifted his daughter and perched her on his hip.
"I want to hear the story of the brave prince and the beautiful princess," she commanded.
"Ah. That bedtime story," sighed Evy, remember herself at that age.
"Oh, yes!" the child replied joyously. "It is my favorite. But it is very sad. The princess dies and leaves her prince alone with their child."
Evy glanced at Ardeth and saw a shadow of old sorrow play, for an instant, over his features. "Is this prince very brave and handsome?" she kidded.
Azizah frowned and thought this over for a moment. "He is as brave and handsome as my Babu."
Evy smiled at her. "And that's as it should be."
"Hey! What about me?" Rick interjected, tugging on one of Azizah's long curls.
Azizah studied him very closely. "You are very brave, but not as handsome as my Babu, Uncle O'Connell," she announced firmly. "But Aunt Evy says that you are . . . are . . ." Her tiny brow furrowed as she thought. Suddenly, she brightened, not realizing that Evy was trying to wave her off from behind Rick. "Adequate!" She pronounced the word very carefully. "Aunt Evy says you are adequate and that is almost as good as handsome!"
To the shock and delight of all the O'Connell's, Ardeth threw back his head and laughed. A hearty, rolling laugh that came from deep within and they couldn't believe their ears. This is something they never would have expected from Ardeth Bey, despite Azizah's assurances that he did, indeed, laugh.
"Babu, what is so funny?" the child demanded.
"Someday, my sweet, I will tell you," he answered when he could catch his breath. "But for now you must say goodnight. It is time for bed."
"Goodnight, Alex and Aunt Evy and Uncle O'Connell," she replied dutifully as Ardeth carried her back to the camp, his laughter continuing as he walked away.
Alex surveyed his parents and decided, based upon the way his father was looking at his mother, that he'd better make his exit now. "I'm ... a .... going to go listen to Ardeth's story," he said hurriedly and ran toward the tents.
Rick approached Evelyn slowly, a gleam in his eye. "Adequate?" he asked quietly. "I'm adequate?"
Evy put her hands in front of her as she backed away, trying to ward him off. "Now, Rick, I couldn't very well tell that child that you were more handsome than her father. It's just not done."
Her husband wasn't so easily placated. "Adequate?" he asked again.
Evy tripped over something and stumbled, falling on her backside into the sand. She looked up at her menacing husband and her lips quirked into a sly smile. "Perhaps ‘adequate' isn't quite what I should have said. Maybe average would have been better?" Rick began to crouch down toward her. "Slightly above average?" Evy tried to slither backward without much success.
"I'll show you slightly above average," Rick warned just before he pounced. He tickled her, enjoying the feel of her squirming beneath him. Then he bent down and kissed her and Evy's laughter faded into the desert night.
"Rick!" she breathed. "Not here! Someone will see us."
Her husband grinned at her, his smile white in the burgeoning moonlight. "No one will see us. We will be left completely and utterly alone. I guarantee it."
"How can you be sure?"
Rick pressed her down onto her back. He guided her hand to the cloth that lay beneath her. "Because," he explained quietly, "my brother left this. And he will make sure that no one disturbs us."
Evy stared at him. She couldn't believe her husband had actually conspired with Ardeth to arrange this tryst. She wanted to be horrified, but she couldn't. It had been too long. She simply smiled her acceptance and, as Rick's mouth descended on hers once again, reminded herself to thank her brother-in-law.