Dreams Of The Medjai

When the initial gunshots rang out to shatter the stillness of the night, Jessa rolled off her sleeping mat in surprise then quickly changed into her clothes from earlier as sounds of the battle escalated. Grabbing her cloak and checking her pistol to make sure it was loaded, she ducked out of the tent and stumbled into chaos.

The workers were now in hand to hand combat with Medjai, dispersing into small pockets of fighting that ebbed and flowed like a tide over the camp. Camels and pack mules were running through the skirmishes and the diggers were trying to round them up before the animals fled into the night.

Jessa stood rooted to the spot with fear until she heard someone scream her name. It was Adam, and he was gesturing wildly for her to get back inside the tent.

Yeah, like that ever worked.’ She grimly thought to herself.

Suddenly, a warrior on horseback came charging through the camp and headed straight for Adam, a wicked looking sword raised above his head.

Jessa saw the rider coming and screamed in terror. “Run Adam, run!”

Adam needed no further urging and he took off, running away from the camp and towards the base of the cliff. He knew of a small alcove hidden there and felt sure it offered some kind of protection. He still had his pistol but had no idea that all the chambers were empty, the bullets back in his tent.

The warrior followed him, close on his heels as the big Arabian stallion he rode crashed through any resistance.

Suddenly, Jessa saw Brian dart out of the fighting and take off in the same direction the others went, reloading his pistol as he ran and somehow passing the warrior.

A shiver of fear ran through Jessa when she saw Brian go after Adam, and then she too started running in the same direction. Her boots hit the sand hard and her heart hammered in her chest with the same rhythm as what her instincts were telling her: get to Adam and protect him.

She didn’t like Brian since the first day they met and hearing about his fortune hunting aspirations only intensified her feelings. And Jessa had learned long ago to trust her instincts.

The sound of a gun shot could be heard from up ahead and the stallion she had seen a few minutes ago charged out in front of her without its rider, galloping off through the camp.

Instead of taking the trail right into the alcove, Jessa saw another path that led to a slightly higher plateau that overlooked it and she ran up the slight incline. She could hear the sound of fighting below.

When she finally came to an opening, her eyes widened with horror at the scene below and she choked back a strangled cry of shock.

The dead body of her brother lay in a slow ever widening circle of red colored sand, his lifeless eyes staring beyond into nothing. His pistol lay a few inches away from one outstretched hand, almost as if he had thrown it on the ground.

Jessa tore her gaze away from Adam to see Brian and the warrior she had seen earlier locked in fierce combat. The two men circled each other, each seeking any weaknesses in the other’s defense. Brian lunged desperately trying to get his pistol back and the warrior slashed in retaliation, the blade narrowly missing his arm. He feinted to the right, and the warrior brought his scimitar around in an arc to the other side, but somehow Brian ducked beneath the thrust and threw himself at the warrior, hitting him around the middle and the two men fell to the ground. With a cry of rage, Brian sprung at the warrior and the two men grappled for the blade, each straining against the other for the weapon. The gun was temporarily forgotten.

The Medjai fought with experience but Brian fought with the strength of a madman, and slowly the scimitar edged towards the warrior’s throat.

Jessa stood paralyzed, her grief so overwhelming it almost made her sink to her knees. In a daze, she watched the two men struggle, still unable to comprehend Adam’s death. Her tortured gaze swung back to Adam’s body then to the two men and without thinking she slowly raised her pistol, the Medjai’s chest within her sites.

The two men had rolled closer to the gun when Brian suddenly saw Jessa standing above them. Now the warrior was gradually winning, as he was on top and the blade edging closer to Brian.

Sparing a glance up, he screamed, “Shoot him Jessica! Shoot him!”

Jessa stood there, hesitating to pull the trigger.

“He killed Adam, for Christ’s sake, shoot him!” Brian screamed again.

“You bastard!” Jessa cried out in anguish but the pistol still didn’t fire.

Hearing her cry, the warrior looked up and froze, fear and disbelief on his face.

This was the woman from his dreams.

She stood above the two men, the wind wildly whipping her cloak about her body, her face contorted with grief and rage. And the pistol Ardeth had dreamt of so many times was aimed directly at his heart.

Seeing the warrior distracted gave Brian added leverage and he swung his fist, knocking the other man back. Then he lunged for the gun, brought it up close and fired.

The Medjai chief spun away from the impact of the bullet ripping into his side and he staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground. Pain unlike he had ever experienced seared through his body yet he fought to stand. He staggered a few more feet before the impact of a second bullet hit him in the shoulder and knocked the young chief down again. Yet he still struggled to move, mindless of his wounds, intent on trying to escape with his life.

Brian lowered his still smoking gun and glared at the injured warrior. He stood with his hands on his knees for a few moments, trying to catch his breath.

“Will you look at that? Shot ‘em twice and he’s still trying to run.” He called out to Jessa, with a grudging respect. He walked over to the warrior, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him over to a large boulder, pinning the chief against its side.

Feeling confident and cocky, Brian raised his pistol to the chief’s head with malicious glee and pressed it against his temple.

“Where you going son?” he taunted. “You’re a murderer. And I acting as judge and jury say you should die.”

There was no response from the warrior; instead his dark eyes glittered with hate and a promise of retribution.

His unblinking stare unnerved his captor.

“What do you think, Jessica? Shall I kill him now or take him back to Cairo so he can be hanged?” Brian called out.

Meanwhile, Jessa had recovered from her initial shock and ran over to Adam’s body. With infinite tenderness, she turned him over onto his back, took off his glasses and gently closed his sightless eyes. It was when she was lovingly brushing the sand from his face that she dared to look at his wound and what she saw caused her to frown in confusion. While not a medical expert by any means, Adam didn’t look like he had been stabbed with a scimitar. Instead, it looked like a bullet wound. Jessa frowned in confusion; the warrior Brian had been fighting hadn’t used a gun or rifle.

But what did it matter now, Adam was dead and nothing was going to bring him back. She felt alone, angry and so sad.

“Bring him back to Cairo. I want him to hang for the murder of my brother,” she said dispassionately and walked over for a moment to where Brian held the chief prisoner. Jessa stared at the warrior and was actually surprised at how attractive this murderer looked. He was tall, lean, and broad shouldered. Eyes as black and deep as night stared back at her. He wore a turban, half covering his dark shiny hair that hung in heavy waves around his shoulders. A neatly trimmed beard framed his chiseled face and his cheeks were tattooed with strange hieroglyphic symbols. Those dark eyes were half closed from pain and for a moment, Jessa felt a stab of pity. She had to remind herself this man was a killer.

Brian snickered. If anything could be judged by the pale face and haggard breathing, already the warrior was losing a lot of blood

“Sure, let’s take him back. We’ll return to camp, and set out tomorrow.” Brian released the warrior and watched coldly as the man fell to the ground. “Sounds like the fighting has stopped. I’ll go see if I can’t round up some men.”

“Brian wait,” Jessa stopped him before he left. “What happened here?”

Brian ran a hand through his hair nervously. He had to think of something quick and believable.

“What do you mean? All I know is I came running up here to help Adam, and then this guy came in and shot him.” Brian explained. “It all happened too fast for me to do anything, then next thing I know he turns on me. That’s when you came in.”

Jessa said nothing, but instead went back to Adam’s body, her head hung down as she tried to contain her sadness.

“You should come back with me now...” And he motioned for Jessa to follow him but she declined, wanting to stay by Adam’s side until the men arrived.

“Suit yourself,” Brian said as he left, feeling oh so arrogant.

Jessa sat down in the sand, and gently she cradled Adam’s head, stroking his hair back in a comforting gesture. Across the way, she could feel the stare of the warrior but refused to meet his disturbing gaze.

Unexpectedly, Ardeth said something but it was too low for her to hear.

“What?”

With great effort, the warrior repeated himself.

Jessa still couldn’t hear him. With a heavy sigh, and feeling guilty for watching him suffer, Jessa came over and knelt down by his side, her hands clenched together in front of her to stop their shaking.

“What did you say? I can’t hear you,” she asked, averting her gaze from the bloody sand near his side.

With the speed of a striking cobra, Ardeth’s hand shot up and grabbed Jessa by the collar of her cloak and slowly, he dragged the struggling woman close to his face.

Her eyes widened in fear and she had placed both hands over his in an attempt to free herself.

Ardeth painfully repeated what he had said. “I didn’t kill....him.”

Instantly, Jessa stopped struggling.

It was getting harder to stay conscious but Ardeth continued with the last of his strength. “Look to the one that was here.... Gunshot wound not scimitar.”

With a groan, Ardeth released Jessa finally giving into the blackness that had been pulling at him and he lost consciousness.

~*~

The battle was over just as abruptly as it had started. The Medjai fled back into the night, taking with them those still able to ride. The warriors didn’t regroup until they were a safe distance away and Rasheed checked to see how many men they had lost, ignoring his own injured arm. As the men slowly came riding back in pairs or one at a time, a sickening realization came over the second in command when his chief still wasn’t accounted for.

The young warrior that Ardeth had been reprimanding earlier that night suddenly came riding up, his face grim as he pulled along a riderless horse.

And Rasheed knew, even without checking the horse’s markings, that this was the one Ardeth had been riding.

“Merciful Allah....” he hoarsely whispered.

His chief was gone.

And all of his books too.

Brian made a mental note to go through those books later on, and since Adam had been so religious in copying down everything, Brian felt certain that he could find Hamunaptra on his own.

Killing Adam had been a stroke of inspiration, Brian thought. One less to share the wealth with and now, all he had to do was convince the sister that the warrior was responsible. Sheer genius. And if he stalled long enough tonight, the one witness to the murder would be dead by morning, thus eliminating the need to return to Cairo.

“Mr. Gaines, I speak to you, no?” Amal asked, interrupting Brian’s planning.

“What?” he snapped and glared at Amal.

“Where is Missy Travers?”

“Oh crap.” Brian had actually forgotten she was still with her brother.

Quickly, Brian instructed Amal to gather what men they could find, and soon they were back in the alcove where Jessa had been waiting. A few of the men picked up Adam’s body and Jessa stayed with him, tears silently running down her face. Amal and his men picked up the now limp body of the Medjai and the silent party slowly made their way back to camp.

Jessa walked a few feet behind the men, grieving and trying not to think about what the warrior had said. She glanced at Amal and was surprised to see he was agitated, and he kept stealing glances at her, as if he needed to speak to her about something. On what, she had no idea.

She was more distracted by Brian, who attached himself to her elbow, walking with her and playing the part of the consoling friend almost too well.

Brian ordered Adam’s body to be taken to one tent, and the Medjai to another, then he turned to Jessa, having no idea that she already had doubts and suspicions of what really took place in the alcove tonight. His behavior was certainly odd and she knew there was more to this than meets the eye. She knew he was lying about something and that made her reckless in her anger.

They reached her tent, and wordlessly, he ushered her inside.

“You should rest, it’s been one hell of a night. I’ll take care of everything,” he instructed, touching her on the sleeve.

Jessa batted his hand away. “I can take care of everything myself, thank you.” She missed the narrowing of Brian’s eyes in irritation. He tried another tactic.

“Adam was a good man, Jessa. He didn’t deserve to die like that, killed by that desert scum.”

“Yes, Adam was but I don’t think that warrior killed him.” Jessa started to pace, testing to see how much of a reaction she could get from Brian or how much he would admit too. “I believe someone else killed him. That warrior didn’t use a rifle or gun, he used a scimitar.” She stopped and pivoted back to glare at Brian, all caution thrown to the wind in her fury. Suddenly, it all made sense. It was Brian who had shot Adam and somehow, the warrior had gotten involved. She just didn’t know why.

Unexpectedly, Brian backhanded Jessa across the mouth and the blow sent her to her knees. Stunned, she was still down when her head was swiftly wrenched back by her hair and she came face to face with Brian.

He was livid, eyes flat and cold, his face mottled with rage.

“As always, you think too much and presume too much. I told you what happened. End of story. We take the warrior back to Cairo tomorrow morning and starting right now, you will listen to me.” He jerked on her hair and tears from the pain sprang into Jessa’s eyes but she didn’t cry out.

“I am in charge here, not you. I think it’s time you learn to listen when a man tells you something.” He sneered. “Too damn wild for your own good, that’s your problem. Well my dear, you are one wild little filly that I shall enjoy breaking in.” He abruptly let her go and Jessa fell forward on her hands.

He walked to the tent flap and looked back at her, a triumphant look on his face.

“Tomorrow, you will start wearing what I say you should wear....no more pants and no more guns. You’re a lady and it’s time you start acting like one.” Then he left, leaving Jessa wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

She was breathing hard, and for the first time in her life, she felt helpless. And trapped with a madman. Her mind scrambled for a way to get out of this but her heart was reluctant to leave Adam. The hopelessness of her situation hit her hard, making her stomach roll and Jessa gave into something she hadn’t done since her parents died.

She silently cried out all her grief and agony, hugging herself as she sat alone in the tent.

Quickly, he and a few men went to the tent where the Medjai had been taken.

Making sure no one else saw them, they ducked inside and found the warrior slumped against the main tent pole, his hands tied behind him. He must have been in excruciating pain but the warrior remained silent, his stoic expression altering in surprise when he saw Amal. All of the Medjai knew of the little man and had always appreciated his help in the past.

Quickly and wordlessly, the men untied Ardeth’s hands while Amal personally tended to the chief’s wound as best he could. In a hushed voice, Amal asked what happened in the alcove, then quickly explained his plan to Ardeth as he continued binding the warrior’s shoulder then his side, for there was no time to extract the bullets.

Feeling lightheaded, Ardeth wasn’t sure if he heard Amal correctly and asked again what he meant.

A few minutes later, and after getting the chief’s reluctant agreement, Amal and the others helped Ardeth to stand and quickly, they brought the warrior around to the back of the tent and to a waiting horse.

While the others helped the Medjai mount the stallion, Amal ran over to another tent, actually believing his plan would work.

~*~

“Missy Travers? I must speak to you, yes?” Amal’s harsh whisper interrupted Jesse’s thoughts and quickly, she pulled the tent flap up as he came in.

“Amal, what’s wrong?” She quickly wiped her face, hoping he didn’t see the tears.

If he did, he said nothing. The little guide took a deep breath, hoping to Allah that he could trust this woman. He needed her help.

Amal was going to rescue the Medjai chief.

Now he needed to convince the Missy on his plan, for he felt sure it would save her life as well.

“By Mr. Gaines’ orders, the warrior was taken to another tent but they have not treated his wounds. They mean for him to bleed to death so no back to Cairo,” Amal spat out.

“What?” Jesse was stunned. “But Brian told me.....”

“Were all lies. He has no intention of returning. He said he has enough men to continue towards Hamunaptra. All he wants now is the gold.” Amal was furious. “He does not care if this man lives or dies.”

“But what about reporting Adam’s murder to the authorities?” Jessa asked.

“There will be no report. Why would a murderer report his own crime?”

Jessa gasped. “You suspect Brian too?”

“I believe what the warrior told me that happened. A Medjai does not lie, Missy. Now you are in danger as well.”

“What do you mean?” Jesse had a horrible feeling she already knew but had to ask anyway.

“Mr. Gaines will find out you doubt his story. It will only be a matter of time before he decides what to do with you.”

Jessa’s face paled and for a moment, she needed to sit down. She had suspected this all along and Jessa now could no longer ignore the truth.....Brian Gaines was a cold-blooded killer. The warrior had tried to tell her but she had been too distraught to listen to him. And now because of her, another innocent man could die.

“I have to get to Cairo.”

Amal had been waiting for that comment, and he quickly replied, “You must leave this place, tonight. You must take the Medjai Ardeth Bay with you, back to his tribe for only they can help him and you.”

“I what?” she exclaimed. “What are you talking about? What’s a Medjai?”

“I wish I could explain more, in time you will learn. But by him being with you, safe passage will be guaranteed and the Medjai will not attack you. All of the tribes know of your journey to Thebes and Hamunaptra. You are a trespasser on their land but in helping one of their chiefs, you will gain their gratitude and they will help you reach Cairo.”

“But I don’t know which way to go....” Jesse abruptly got up and started pacing again, nervously chewing on her thumbnail.

“The Medjai have tribes and villages all around the desert. The chief knows of a nearby tribe to the north of here where you can find sanctuary. Allah will guide him and you must trust. We have two horses waiting outside, packed with as much supplies as we could find.”

Amal came over to Jesse and gave her a small blue sash.

“Tie this around your neck, it is the color of this chief’s tribe. Make sure all can see it and when the Medjai find you, they will know you are an ally. We must hurry, for soon it will be morning.”

“You’re so sure I’m going to do this?” Jessa asked, still a little uncertain about traveling in the desert with a wounded man.

“Yes, it is the only way.” Amal firmly stated. “Once you reach Cairo, you can alert the authorities to what happened here tonight and you will finally have justice, no?”

“Justice,” Jessa repeated, then sighed with acceptance. “You’re right, I’ll go. I have no other choice.”

Amal bowed his head in thanks and waited for Jessa to gather what little belongings she could take on the journey.

Suddenly, she told Amal to wait and darted out of her tent and ran over to Adam’s. Minutes later, she came running back, carrying Adam’s knapsack that contained all his books and maps. As she finished securing the pack, she asked Amal about the injured warrior.

“We have done the best we could, without a healer. It is too dangerous to remove the bullets, so we wrapped the wounds.”

“How will he ride?” Jessa was ready to go so they both walked outside. Amal took her behind the tent and they ran towards the horses. The warrior was already on one, slumped over but alert. Hearing their approach, he raised his head and looked at Jesse with eyes cloudy with pain.

Jessa was momentarily taken back, having forgotten how handsome the young chief was.

Ardeth stared at the woman who he had once thought would be his killer, now turning out to be his savior.

She was as beautiful as in his dreams.

“He is a Medjai, trained almost from birth to ride a horse. You need not worry about him,” Amal proudly stated the simple explanation.

Jessa mounted her own horse but had one more question.

“What about my brother.....his body?” she asked, her throat tight with unshed tears.

“I will take care of him here. That is all I can do for now....” Amal said kindly.

“It’s enough. Thank you.”

“May Allah will watch over you both and protect you.”

“But what of you? When Brian finds us gone.....”

“...Then I will be gone too, like the wind.” Amal smiled at her concern. “Now go.” With that, he swatted Jessa’s horse on the backside and the startled animal took off in a run.

Amal ran over to Ardeth’s horse and checked the chief’s bandages one more time.

“Amal,” he questioned softly. “You trust this woman....?”

“Aiwa, my chief. Jessa Travers will help in return for yours,” Amal stated.

“Then you have my gratitude....” Ardeth nodded his thanks and kicked his heels into his own horse. “May Allah protect and watch over you.”

Amal watched the chief ride away, noting with concern the young warrior favoring his left side. He had said many prayers that night, especially when they had worked on cleaning Ardeth’s wounds. There had been so much blood, yet the Medjai made not a sound when the men were awkwardly wrapping him with bandages. And when Amal had told the chief of his plan of rescue, the warrior found some remaining strength and pulled himself onto a horse. Amal felt honored that Ardeth would trust his judgment in placing his care into the hands of Jessa Travers.

He said another prayer of petition to Allah in the hopes that the two of them would find help soon, before his rescue of the Medjai would be in vain.

Intrigued, Rasheed walked his horse over and moments later, received news that shocked him so much, he almost fell off his horse.

Ardeth was alive and heading north, towards their friend Amin’s village. It made no sense he was traveling with the American woman, for now all that mattered was that his chief lived. Quickly, he gave the messenger a fresh spare horse, and instructed him to take a message to Amin.

Then, he rallied his warriors together with the good news and they kicked their horses into a full gallop, heading back towards their village. With any amount of luck, Rasheed could tend to his arm, and ride out early tomorrow morning, and head north in the hopes of meeting up with his chief. He had a feeling there would be much to tell and Masha Allah, he would gladly listen.

Jessa had covered herself with a light veil, protecting her from the sun’s harsh rays and from sand being blown into her face. She peeked a glance over at her silent companion and marveled at how he had managed to stay in the saddle for so long.

Unbeknownst to her, Ardeth was actually losing the battle to ride, and he felt the sharp claws of unconsciousness pulling at him again. He had been feeling the warm trickle of blood run down his arm and knew without looking, he was bleeding again.

“Are you ok?” Jessa asked, a feeling of unease washing over her as she stared at the warrior’s pale face. She had brought her horse close to his and reached out with the water pouch.

Ardeth frowned, her voice sounded distant. He shook his head but black spots danced before his eyes and before he could reply, he fell from the saddle, landing onto the sand with a heavy thud.

“Oh God!” Jessa cried out, leaping down from her horse and running over to the fallen chief. She knelt down by his side and quickly checked the temporary bandage on his shoulder.

It was soaked with blood.

How could she have been so stupid, she should’ve checked the bandages sooner. For the next several minutes, Jessa worked like a madwoman, rifling through the saddlebags Amal had packed and found more bandages. She ran back to the fallen warrior, ripped open his tunic and applied them to the wound. She checked his other wound and immediately changed that blood soaked bandage as well. As she worked, she kept wondering why he never said a word, never told her about his shoulder.

Feeling the heat of the sun bear down on her, Jessa once again raided the saddlebags and within the next few minutes, had constructed a makeshift tent to offer them some protection from the harsh rays. It took her several long backbreaking minutes but she managed to drag Ardeth’s body inside the shelter. She hobbled the horses and sparingly gave some water from an extra canteen she had found while hunting around. She hoped the animals would be able to last until night, when the air turned cooler.

At last, close to exhaustion from the heat, she went back to the tent and crawled inside.

She found Ardeth awake but shaking with pain, his handsome face bathed in sweat. His breath came in short shallow gasps and when he saw Jessa, it almost looked like he was afraid of her.

He hoarsely whispered something in Arabic but Jessa couldn’t quite understand it. She thought he had said “no” but wasn’t sure.

Removing his turban, she touched his forehead with one hand, confirming her worse fear that he had a fever. She ripped off a section of another bandage, dipped it in some water, and then slowly bathed his brow and cheeks.

At the first contact, Ardeth flinched but slowly he relaxed, as if realizing Jessa meant no harm.

She dipped the rag again and bathed the sides of his face.

“Why.... do you do this?” he whispered, confused. He was staring at her, his dark obsidian eyes glassy from pain.

When Jessa didn’t answer him right away, Ardeth spoke again.

“Leave me......Let me die...it is Allah’s will....” His voice trailed off as a spasm of pain shook his body.

“No, I can’t.....I need for you to live.” She smoothed away a stray lock of hair from his face. “I need you to help me get to Cairo. You know what happened last night with my brother and together, we’re going to report it to the authorities.”

“...May not make it to Cairo,” he whispered and shifted uncomfortably on the sand. “Can’t fight any more.....”

Jesse shook her head in denial, tears gathering in her eyes at the warrior’s words. This was too much death for her to bear, losing her brother and now maybe losing him. She felt guilty since she couldn’t save Adam, now she had to save the warrior, she had promised Amal. And she would do anything, fight anything to keep this man alive.

She gently cupped the sides of Ardeth’s face, staring deeply into his eyes.

“Ardeth, listen to me, you must live. Amal told me who you are, your people need you. I can’t let you die.”

Ardeth stared back at the woman before him, her face showing her determination. He was surprised Amal had informed her about the Medjai, not many outsiders knew of the secret society. Perhaps by Amal trusting Jessa, Ardeth felt he could as well. Gently he took one of her hands into his own and held onto it, as another spasm of pain wracked his body.

He was so tired.

But maybe, just maybe he could believe this unusual woman, believe that she had a strong enough will for him to live. He could feel the dark forces of unconsciousness pull at him again but he held onto her hand, as if it were a lifeline.

“Ardeth, you will live. Do you hear me? You will live,” she called to him but her voice sounding so far away.

He held onto her hand, like a drowning man, and finally he whispered something so low, Jessa had to bend down close to hear.

“Yes......”

“Sayadi (sir)?”

“Yes what is it!” he snapped at the intrusion and flung some useless books aside.

Another worker shifted uncomfortably. Telling the American the news would not go well.

“The Medjai is gone as well....”

Brian’s head snapped up and he stormed over to the worker, lifting the man by his collar until his feet dangled off the ground.

“What did you say?” he snarled through gritted teeth.

The worker repeated himself and without warning, Brian threw him to the side and stormed out of the tent.

Sure enough, both tents were empty. He ran his hand through his hair in a gesture of frustration, even as his mind thought of the possibilities. He knew she suspected the truth about what happened last night and was going to deal with her accordingly today. But was Jessica that stupid to take the Medjai and flee into the desert? Or that desperate.

Even she should’ve known the odds of her and the injured warrior surviving in the harsh desert were stacked against her.

A sudden thought occurred and Brian ordered the worker to search for the guide, Amal.

Minutes later, when the search came up empty again, Brian had already reached his own conclusions.

Amal had helped Jessica escape but he felt certain that the guide had made a grave error on his part and unwittingly sent both Jessica and the Medjai to their deaths.

Brian couldn’t suppress an evil laugh. Things were working out better than anticipated. Leaving the bewildered worker, Brian walked back to Adam’s tent and resumed his search. An hour later, he found nothing and screamed in frustration as he realized Jessa had taken what he had been looking for and immediately ordered for the workers to pack up the animals.

In his demented mind, he still lusted after the gold and arrogantly thought that he could still find Hamunaptra. But before he resumed his journey, he needed to return to Cairo, get some fresh supplies and a new guide. And he needed to take care of Jessa and that warrior once and for all, if they made it through the desert.

Nothing like a little added insurance against any surprises.

His greed gave him false confidence and he thought once he started out towards the city of the dead again, how hard could it be to find? He looked up and judging by the sun, he estimated that with any amount of luck, he would reach Cairo by tomorrow morning, then be able to leave again by the following morning.

And then, he would be on his way to becoming a rich man.

Now Rasheed and his men raced towards Cairo, after receiving word from Amin that patrols were already on the lookout for Ardeth and the American woman. But the other American was on his way to Cairo in hopes of starting another caravan and although Rasheed wanted to join Amin’s warrior’s search for Ardeth, their duty was first to defend Hamunaptra. And hopefully intercept the American before he had another chance to resume his search for the lost city.

Ardeth stood alone on the high crest of a sand dune, naked and defenseless against the elements and his enemies. The sun burned so hotly on his skin and his shoulder and side ached with pain that gnawed at him with sharp teeth. He could sense danger and wildly looked around him, seeking out his opponents.

Instead, a mirage shimmered before him and he tensed, expecting to meet his death once again.

It solidified into the woman, Jessa, but this time there was something different.

She wore a long, thin gossamer robe that gently swirled around her body and when it parted open, she too was naked beneath the fabric. Her arms reached out into an embrace and before Ardeth could stop himself, he was pulled into her softness.

He shuddered at the contact.

Hands that he once thought were meant to kill him now caressed him, running themselves over his chest, torso and flat stomach. They roamed back up to his shoulder, then drifted down to his side, and Ardeth could feel the anguish Jessa felt when she touched the wounds.

Her sadness struck a chord somewhere within Ardeth’s heart and gently he lifted her face up to his, taking in the blueness of her eyes, drowning in their depths.

She breathed one word and it whispered in his mind and heart.

“Live.”

Slowly he bent his head, intent on kissing her pink full lips but something was happening.

Jessa stepped back breaking the contact and leaving Ardeth feeling so suddenly alone and cold. He cried out, missing the touch of her body against his and she looked at him, with infinite sadness in her eyes.

“Live for me.”

Before Ardeth could grab her hand, to keep her with him always, Jessa started to dissolve into a fine mist, shimmering until at last nothing existed of the mirage.

The acute absence of her presence struck Ardeth like a blow, and he fell to knees, shaken to the very core of his soul.

The wind blew in gently from the west, and as it flowed over Ardeth’s upturned face, he heard one final whisper.

“Wait for me.....”