Chapter Fourteen

The blackness around her buffeted her body as she rocketed down the chute, her cries stopping her throwing up from the rush in her stomach.   It wouldn't have been so bad, but she was falling and sliding - backwards, head-first.   As she shot downwards, she fought to turn over onto her stomach so at least her arms could protect her.  She struggled, her shoulder thumping on the side of the chute as she went.   She whimpered, tears streaming down her face as the pain of her shoulder and her hand wracked from their points and then through her body.

Suddenly, after a moment of ceaseless falling and sliding that felt like it went on forever, a light began to grow ahead.   The light grew, and the incline she slid down began to flatten out.  Her cries fell to frightened sobs, and then all at once there was nothing around her.  No stone, no dust.  Just light and air.

She screamed.

She felt herself soar for a moment, till she crashed into a heavy dusty fresh dune of sand, the front of her face and shoulders burying themselves into the sand, her body tumbling after her and driving her in further.   Stillness.  All was still, and very dark.  Her arms were mostly free, however, so she grabbed onto the earth around her, and with a deep growl, pushed her way out of the dune.   She fell backwards onto her back, coughing and spluttering, spitting sand and grit from her teeth, sunlight blinding her and rebounding off the sand around her.   Her hair was almost grey from the dust she'd practically been bathing in, and her face was similarly caked.    She'd had barely a moment to collect herself when a large heavy body shot out of the chute and slammed into her, sending her reeling in a tangle of limbs and dark robes.

She lay there, stunned, throbbing with pain all over.   She opened an eye, looking to the man on top of her.

A similarly stunned Ardeth gazed back at her, as dusty as she was.  "Connie!"

"Mr. Bay," she croaked, drawing a lock of hair from her face.  "I would be endlessly grateful to you if you'd kindly get off me."

He looked about himself, then behind him.  He nodded, rolling off her and dragging her aside.  "I am sorry, I..."  He stopped, watching her neaten herself gingerly.

She glanced up to him, a little crease in her grey-streaked brow. "Yes?"

He opened his mouth, but the distant sound of whooping filled the silence.  For the first time, Constance had a good look at what she'd come flying out of.  It was similar to other end, with a lintel over the top of the chute bearing the Sun crest of Aten.   Barely a second later, Rick O'Connell came shooting out of the end of the chute with a tremendous cry, a burst of dust accompanying him.

He landed without any grace, right into the dune where Ardeth and Connie had just been sitting.   Rick, too, had entered head first, so that was how he landed.   He groaned, pulling his head out of the sand.   He looked very strange, coated in greyish dust and his usually neat hair sticking out at all angles.  He frowned at both Connie and Ardeth.

"You guys okay?" he called out, a weary frown on his dusty features.

Connie nodded, a wince on her face.  "Yes but I'd-"

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH-OOPH!"

A shot of long dark curly hair and leisure-suited limbs ploughed into Rick, sand sliding down onto the bodies as it was displaced by them.

Connie frowned, moving to get to her feet.  "Oh dear..."

Ardeth placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ow!"  She hissed, jerking her shoulder away.  "I'm sorry, I - I hurt it."

"Do not be sorry.  Sit."  He took his hand away.  "I will help them."

Ardeth moved over to the knot of bodies, pulling the struggling trio out of the offending dune one a time.  Evelyn was the first to emerge, her steps uneasy as she tottered over to join Constance.  Jonathan then staggered to his feet, shaking the dust from his curly and now very messy hair.  He pointed at Evelyn shakily.

"You!"

She lifted her brows innocently.

"You tell your bloody husband to let you read the instructions before activating any,"  He paused, gathering both his balance and breath, "--secret bloody passageways!"

Rick, sitting at the bite in the dune where the three of them had been, even more caked with dust than before, groaned deeply. "That's gratitude."

Ardeth offered his hand to Rick, helping the man to his feet.  He looked to the others.

"Come," he said, "We must keep moving, lest we be discovered."

Evelyn nodded, Rick plodding over to her side as she made it to her feet.

Connie looked ghostly as she stood, blonde hair lit by the sun, her face drawn in worry, arms wrapped about herself.  "Where are we to go?"

Ardeth looked to her, moving her on with hurried steps.  "First, away from here."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There was no fire, just darkness and sand.  They walked for a clear mile away from Amarna, Ardeth keeping his eyes on the stars as they went.   Silence surrounded them, for the deep desert they were in harboured mostly insects and reptiles - quiet rustling creatures.  Their steps were long and tired, and every now and again a stomach would rumble, reminding everyone of the dire circumstances they were in.   They were in the middle of the desert, five of them, with one day's rations of bread and water for one man between them.   Not just any man, either.  It was the rations of a man that had been born and bred to go on as little as possible if the situation required it.   Ardeth's food was all contained in a small leather pouch that fit on his hip.  Despite all this, the food was indeed a blessing, and they all thanked their respective Gods that Ardeth was so constantly well equipped for these desert adventures.

Ardeth could not thank Allah too ardently, however.  His heart was heavy at what would lie ahead for them all.   He knew the deserts of Egypt intimately - within new borders and old.   The area they were currently stuck in was infrequently travelled, and for good reason.  It lay far away from the trade routes followed from time immemorial by the Arab tribes of the area and beyond.  The train line that hugged the Nile and dipped deep into the desert to run along few of Egypt's more stunning monuments and ruins was also many days ride from their current location.   Amarna's supplies had long rotted away, and they were truly isolated from any help.   The only hope they had was Izzy's return, however long that would take.   Ardeth estimated it would take two days at best speed to reach the southern-most settlement of the First Tribe - his tribe.   He hoped Izzy left the message with them, rather than trying to reach the main encampment closer to Hamunaptra.  That way, it would be only three days for them to wait.   With supplements from their surroundings, Ardeth could conceivably sustain them.

Rick would be fine.  He could help Ardeth hunt for insects and snakes, and Jonathan... as long as he sat still and kept quiet, he would also be fine.  The hot weather didn't seem to bother him or his sister too much, thanks to their Egyptian blood.

Constance however... Ardeth closed his eyes briefly, a heavy sigh dragged his heart deep in his chest.  Dear Allah... how would she survive this?   The desert she travelled through on their way to Hamunaptra almost killed her, and it was nothing compared to this deep and fierce wilderness.  He could hear her panting in the darkness, her teeth chattering in the cold.   For a moment, the softness of her hair against his fingertips and the smell of roses haunted his mind.  He reached for the ties of his outer robe, pulling them loose and freeing the heavy garment from his body.   With long, anxious steps, he made his way over to where Connie trudged ahead, her head hanging, her hair shining ever so slightly in the moonless night.  Without word he threw the robe over her shoulders, wrapping her tight in it.

"Aah!"  She jumped, whirling about inside the swaths of material and ultimately tangling herself in them.  "Oh Mr. Bay what - now you really don't-"

"You are cold," he said, eyeing the direction of her voice firmly.  "I shall not have you needlessly uncomfortable."

She gave a quick sigh.  "But what about you?"

"I have told you before, I am used to these conditions."  He tutted to himself then, tugging at the robe whilst Constance wriggled.  "You must stand still if I am to fix this properly on you."

"Ohhh," She sighed.  "I feel terrible.  Look at that flimsy robe - you'll freeze!"

"I have two layers on now," he said. "You were freezing already.  I shall not argue this further with you, Connie."

His voice had become soft, somehow tender.   In the adjusting of the robes, he found her hands.   She stilled, her breaths becoming shallow.  Her voice was almost a whisper.

"I thought I told you to call me-"

"We escaped," he said.  "It was a deal."

She glanced down to where she knew her hands were, giving a long thoughtful sigh.  "Yes, I suppose it was..."  She paused, but her hands still spoke, tightening around his ever so slightly.  "...Ardeth."

He knew she couldn't see it, but he smiled anyway.  He squeezed her hands briefly in return, relief falling through him.  She accepted his help, and hopefully she would continue to do so.   He dreaded the thought of her stubbornness causing her damage in any way.   He looked to the others that stood ahead further up the dune, waiting patiently.

"Hey Ardeth, old mate," called Jonathan.  "Shouldn't we make camp or something?"

"Not yet," he said, raising his voice to reach Jonathan.  "We shall keep walking until the sun rises.  When it begins to climb higher in the sky - we shall rest through the hottest hours."

"Why must we do that?" asked Connie.

"If we walk during the day, we will lose more water from sweating than at night," he said.  "This, and the heat would not harm you so if you are still and cool during the worst hours."

"Sounds good to me," Rick called back, and turned ahead to keep on walking.

As they kept on through the night, Ardeth kept Constance close by, not only to ease his mind, but to have her as safe as possible.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Hello From Sunny Hamunaptra – Chapter 15