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The Gold Bracelet
By Tanith

Disclaimers – I own no-one

Rating – PG13/R

Summery – Rick needs money and gets involved with the Germans just before the War.

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Part 1

“He’s done what?” shouted Ardeth, turning around quickly.

“He’s taken the bracelet and gone to Austria” replied Masala, his second in command.

Ardeth Bay, leader of the Med-jai, threw an object across the tent and it smashed against the tent pole. He was fed-up of baling these people out of trouble and it looked like he would have to again.

“How the hell did he get the damn bracelet anyway and why Austria, doesn’t he know there is a war over there”

Ardeth was angry and worried about his friend Rick O’Connell, who for some unknown reason, not only had he found the bracelet of Anubis but had taken it to Austria. Germany had taken over Poland, Austria and threatened other countries. Of all the places he had to go. Now he wanted Ardeths help. He stormed out of the tent and getting on his horse, rode off across the desert. Some of his men came over to see what the fuss was about.

“ARDETH, WAIT” shouted Masala running towards the horses “Abdul get my horse, I think I know where he has gone”

“Where, do you want us to come with you?” asked the other man, bringing the horse over.

“I’d lay money on the fact he has gone to Cairo. No, you stay here and take command while we are gone. We’ll be fine, I hope” replied the man mounting his horse.

Abdul watched as Masala rode off after Ardeth. He caught him up but they rode to Cairo in silence, the leader of the Med-jai more angry than Masala had ever seen him. They went straight to the museum where he jumped off his horse and stormed into the building.

“Where is Evy?” he demanded the curator, who stepped back at the sight of these men.

The curator was visibly scared at these two tattooed men in long black robes running into the museum. He told them what they wanted to know, just in case his life was at stake.

“Ardeth…er, she’s in the office. Are you….?” he stuttered pointing to the door.

Ardeth banged open the door to the museum office and found Evy sitting down, writing some reports. She jumped up as the door flew back and nearly came off its hinges.

“What the bloody hell is Rick up too?” demanded a very angry Ardeth storming into the room.

“What on earth, what are you doing here? Rick, I haven’t seen him for a couple of weeks, he is in Saccara” she said, a little scared of this new side to her friend.

“No, he is not, Evy. He is in Austria” said Masala.

“AUSTRIA, what is he doing there and how do you know this?” she asked standing up.

She made the men sit down and tell her what was going on while she poured them a drink, they looked like they needed it.

“I received a message from him, via Izzy, he has found the bracelet of Anubis and gone to Austria. Now he is in trouble and wants my help” said Ardeth taking the drink.

“Oh God, what is wrong with him, he told me he was going to Saccara for a few weeks then he would be home. I am so sorry Ardeth, I honestly didn’t know about this” she replied sitting back down in the chair, shocked.

Ardeth shrugged his shoulders and put his head in his hands, not knowing what to do. He only knew the desert, he had only ever been out of Egypt once and that was to London, again to help out his friend. He had certainly never been anywhere like Austria. The news reports that he had got from the Cairo newspapers, said that the Germans had invaded Austria and that the world was on the brink of a war.

“How did he get the bracelet again?” asked Masala.

“Well, I’m afraid that was Jonathans fault. When Ahm Shere collapsed, he found it and put it in his pocket” said Evy pacing up and down again. “I didn’t know about it till we got back here”

“Jonathan, I might have known, he never could leave gold alone” replied Ardeth.

“What will you do, are you going to Austria?” she asked

“I have to, I owe Rick and he is my friend, albeit a foolhardy, irresponsible son of a….”

“Ardeth, language” replied Evy “You have certainly been around Rick too long. But listen you can’t go there, the war…it’s too dangerous”

That produced a bit of a smile from Ardeth, he had certainly picked up a few American words that left a lot to be desired. Evy demanded that they stay for dinner, it was the least she could do. Ardeth agreed, reluctantly. She took them back to her house next to the museum. Ardeth was tired and nearly fell asleep during the meal.

“Come on Ardeth, if you are going to Austria to find that husband of mine, you need some sleep, you are out on your feet. Bob will show you to a room upstairs in the living quarters” said Evy putting an arm round his shoulders.

He tried to deny he was that tired but swayed slightly when he stood up, Bob helped him upstairs. Masala stayed with Evy.

“Masala is Ardeth alright, he doesn’t look it” asked Evy.

“I think so, he hasn’t slept since we left our camp two days ago. He is worried about Rick, why did he want the bracelet?” he asked her

“My husband….god when I get my hands on him, if Ardeth doesn’t kill him, I will” she said, realising that she would have to tell him what was going on.

She proceeded to tell him that they were broke, they had had to sell the house in London, the museum was losing money rapidly and Jonathan hadn’t helped with his spending. They had been trying to raise money to just live and keep the museum going.

“I had no idea” replied Masala “You could have come to us, we could have helped in some things”

“Thank you, he must have found a buyer for the bracelet. But he knows the dangers, he could have sold anything rather than that. It should have been left there or at least stayed under lock and key”

“He must have been offered a good price for it” said Masala

“Yes” replied Evy knocking back a large brandy “but by who and what do they want with it. I knew I should have destroyed it or at least given it to you to keep safe”

Herr Flick, Hitlers second in command, had not long been back from Egypt. He had heard the stories first hand about Hamunaptra and Ahm Shere. He knew about the evil in these two places and what it all meant. But the thing that interested him more, was the story that a Rick O’Connell had the Bracelet of Anubis.

Now if all these stories were true, this bracelet could raise an army, the Army of Anumis, an unstoppable force that could destroy the world. He was in bad favor at the moment with Hitler, over personal issues and he knew this information would get him back on the right track.

Getting back to Berlin, he went straight to the Reichstag and asked to see the Fuhrer. He was told to wait, that Hitler would see him soon. It was about 2 hours later that he was summoned into Hitlers office.

“Well, what do you want to see me about, it had better be good” demanded Hitler.

“It is mein Fuhrer, I have found a way for you to destroy the world” Hitler laughed, “I have ways already to do this”

“Yes, but this one is infallible, unstoppable, a force more evil than you could imagine” replied the man waiting till his Furher sat down.

Hitler did and listened to Flick, he owed him a hearing. Then he could send him somewhere else, where he didn’t have to see him. He had had an affair with Eva after all. Flick told him about the bracelet, Egypt, Imhotep, the lot.

“I know where the bracelet is. If we can get it, you could have the army of all armies, nothing could stop them” he told him

Hitler got up and went to the window and thought about what he had been told. He was well into the occult and anything like this interested him greatly.

“How do we get this bracelet?” he asked turning back to Flick.

“This O’Connell is broke, he needs money, the right price and it is ours”

“Okay, make him an offer and arrange to pick it up. But not in Egypt, if he wants the money, make him come to us. Austria, arrange to meet him in Austria. If he’s that desperate, he’ll come” said Hitler.

“One more thing, mein Fuhrer, we also need the Book of the Dead. That will not cost us anything but it has to be found in the ruins of Ahm Shere”

“Why do we need that?” asked Hitler studying the mans face.

“To raise the army, the bracelet is only part of it”

“Okay, send some men to this place and get it. Let me know about O’Connell”

“Yes mein Furher, zig heil” he said clicking his heels.

With that, Flick left and ordered some men to travel to Ahm Shere to get the book. He would see to O’Connell. He arrived in Cairo a few days later and went to the hotel and asked if he was there.

“He’s in the bar, Sir” said the waiter.

“Mr O’Connell?” he asked.

“Yes, who wants to know?” asked Rick turning round.

“My name is Herr Flick, I have an interesting proposition for you. Are you interested?”

Rick looked at the man, who was dressed in a black suit with a leather coat. He looked a bit sinister but Rick was always up for an adventure, as long as it didn’t involve mummies again.

“Maybe, what’s the deal?” Rick asked warily.

“You have in your possession, something I want and I also know Mr O’Connell that you need money urgently. With your need and my money, I am sure we can come to some arrangement” replied Flick

Rick stood and motioned him to sit at a table in the corner. The less people who knew what they were talking about, the better. If this was worth talking about. They sat down and Flick told him what he had in mind.

“I am willing or have been instructed to offer you $1 million American dollars for the bracelet, that is a lot of money Mr O’Connell”

Rick was shocked, how had found out that he had the bracelet. A million dollars, he had never seen that sort of money. But he wasn’t going to rush into anything.

“What bracelet?” asked Rick not sure of what to say.

“Come now Mr O’Connell, we know all about the Bracelet of Anubis and that you have it. Don’t take me for a fool, you could live to regret it” said Flick.

“Can I think about it?” he asked.

“Yes, you have till tonight Mr O’Connell, 8pm in the hotel”

He left and Rick sat there, thoughts whizzing around in his head. With that money, he and Evy would be set up for life. Evy, he couldn’t tell her, she’d never agree, no matter how much money was involved. He wondered, briefly about why they wanted the bracelet but he dismissed it. It was safe now, the Scorpion King was destroyed, Ahm Shere was gone and so were the books. He decided it would be safe to sell it, the person buying it, obviously wanting it for a collection. Later that eveninig, he met Flick in the hotel lounge.

“Have you come to a decision Mr O’Connell?” asked Flick

“Yes, when do you want it and what about the money” replied Rick

“A very commendable decision Mr O’Connell” said Flick shaking his hand. “Come, we will make the arrangements”

They went into the dining room where they could be undisturbed. Rick didn’t want Evy or anyone else finding out about this until it was over.

“Right, I am instructed to give you a third of the money now. You will then get the bracelet and take it to Innsbruck in Austria. Where you will be met and given the rest of the money” he said

“Austria, I’m not going there, why can’t it be done here. Austria is in German hands”

“That is correct” said Flick sipping some wine. “The person who wants to buy it, is German and will arrange for you to be met there. He cannot leave the occupied country”

Rick was getting annoyed now, he gets offered money for the damn trinket then is expected to go to Austria to get it. How was he going to get away with this as far as Evy was concerned.

“Your flights will be paid for, I have all the documentation to allow you into Austria. But let me assure you, if you do not do this, our way. Well, how can I put it, your wife is very beautiful Mr O’Connell.” smiled Flick

“You bastard, you hurt her and I’ll kill you” said Rick in mans face.

“You understand then, how important it is for you to do as we ask. Don’t you agree”

Rick found that he would have no choice if he didn’t want anything to happen to Evy. Anyway, what did he care what they wanted the bracelet for, he was thinking of the money.

“Austria seems okay Herr Flick. When do I go?” he said after a while.

Herr Flick gave him a bag with the money in it and all the paperwork that he needed. He would be met by a man in Muhlau, on the outskirts of Innsbruck and then taken up to the mountains, to a remote spot and there he will hand over the bracelet and will receive the money. The transaction will be over and he could return to Egypt.

Rick went back to his room, packed his stuff and put the money in the bag as well, then he went to see Evy. He would tell her that he was going to Saccara for a few weeks because of a tomb. He knew she couldn’t go because of Alex.

“Do you have to Rick, I would rather you wait till I can come with you”

“I know honey, but this won’t wait, it’s now or never. Just think, I’ll have some more things or some money for the museum. I will leave in the morning.”

She agreed but insisted that she come on the next one, Alex or not. Rick couldn’t say no. Going up the stairs, she told him not to be long, that she would wait for him in bed. He blew her a kiss and pretended to finish his drink.

When he knew she was gone, he went to the safe in the wall, behind the picture and opening it, took out the bracelet. He made sure he never put it on though, just in case. He wrapped it in some cloth and put it in a bag. Then taking it upstairs, he managed to get it in his bag before Evy came out of the bathroom.

The next morning, he said goodbye to her and headed out in the direction of Saccara then doubled back to the small airport, where the plane was waiting to take him to Austria.  That was a few days ago.

It would be quite a long journey, about 3 days. From Cairo, they would fly to Crete, then on to Greece, through Yugoslavia and then into Austria. From Innsbruck, he would travel with a man to Gumpenwand, in the Alps.

Back in Cairo, Ardeth and Masala were making arrangements to go to Austria to Rick. They had decided to take two men with them, the more the better. As they sat in the study going over some maps, there was a knock on the door. Evy went to answer it and two men stood there in black trench coats.

“Can I help you?” she asked stepping back slightly.

“We are here about O’Connell” said one of them.

“Rick…is he okay, where is he?” she asked excitedly.

The men pushed their way in and Evy suddenly became scared.

He pointed it at Evy and she realised that she was also in danger. What had Rick got himself into. He motioned her to move. Masala heard strange voices and walked over to the door and opening it carefully, looked out into the hall. He saw the two men, one with the gun, he signalled Ardeth.

“We have problems” he said “How do we deal with this without Evy getting hurt?” he asked.

Ardeth came and looked over Masalas shoulder and saw what was happening in the hallway. He motioned Masala back in and they quietly closed the door.

Evy turned towards the lounge and spotted Masala peering out of the study door, then she saw it shut.. She walked towards the room, hoping that as she went in, the two men would do something. She was followed by the two Germans who looked around to make sure there was no-one else there.

Opening the door they went in. Ardeth and Masala had hid behind the door and waited till Evy was inside the room and then jumped the two men. One of them fired his gun but missed just as he was hit over the head with the handle of Ardeths sword. They both fell to the floor. Evy ran to Ardeth.

“Are they dead?” she asked.

Masala felt the pulses and shook his head. They were carried to chairs and tied up. When they came round the Med-jai would question them.

“What the hell is Rick involved in, they are here to make sure he doesn’t go back on his word. Obviously if he does, they were supposed to kill me” said Evy leaning on the desk.

“Don’t worry, we will find him. You take care and we will let you know what is happening as soon as we can” said Ardeth.

“Please be careful and you had better tell my husband that I am going to kill him when he gets home. I wish you didn’t have to go after him” she told him.

Hugging both of them, she said goodbye and wished that they didn’t have to go chasing after Rick, especially in Germany with a war going on. Masala and Ardeth didn’t that much out of the men, they didn’t seem to know what was going on and were only following orders. Evy got the local police to pick them up and they would spend the rest of their time in the local prison until they could be shipped out.

The next day, Ardeth and Masala rode out to Izzys place, where he had said he would take them to Austria. It was the balloon again and it would take them about a week, plus he had to be a bit careful as he got nearer the country because of the occupation.

“Have you any idea what Rick has got himself into this time?” asked Izzy loading some stuff onto the balloon.

“I have no idea, what did the letter say?” asked Ardeth getting on board.

“Well, the letter was sent from Innsbruck about 3 days ago. A good friend of mine brought it. Apparently he was supposed to meet someone who was buying something off him. He has found out who the buyer was and had gone into the Alps to try and hide until he could get out of the country.”

“I can understand that with what is going on over there” said Masala “But why did he want the Med-jai to get involved”

Izzy gave him a letter that had come with the other one and one that was only to be given to Ardeth when he was on the balloon. Rick thought he might not come otherwise. Ardeth read it and then, turning pale, walked to the end of the balloon.

“What was in that letter?” asked Masala.

“I have no idea, but whatever it was, Ardeth wasn’t expecting it” replied Izzy.

Masala went over to where Ardeth was leaning on the side of the balloon, his head resting on his arms.

“Ardeth, are you alright, what did Rick say?” he asked putting a hand on the mans shoulder.

“Allah save us, Masala, he has found out that the buyer of the bracelet is none other than Hitler himself. He wants it to raise the Army of Anubis and use it to take over Europe and any other country, the world in fact. When the letter was written, he was hiding in a hut, half way up a mountain. Damn that man, why can’t he live like normal people and leave these things alone” said Ardeth

“Come Ardeth, get some rest, we can do nothing till we get there. It will do no good worrying about it yet”

Ardeth put his hand on his shoulder and told him to leave him, he wanted to think, he would be alright. He would sleep later. Masala sighed and left him alone, going to where beds had been made at the other end of the balloon. A while later, Izzy called Ardeth over and handed him a coffee. He sat down beside Izzy and gazed into the mug.

“You’re worried aren’t you?” he said.

“Yes, the man is a pain sometimes, always getting himself into trouble and then expecting others to bail him out. No, that is not all true, he is a brave man albeit reckless. I owe him many things, if it wasn’t for him, we would have lost many hundreds of men at Ahm Shere.” said Ardeth

“Well, if I get shot, because of Rick O’Connell, I will personally kill him myself. Who was the buyer anyway?” said Izzy smacking his fist into the other hand.

Ardeth got up and walked over to where his bed was, then turning he looked at Izzy.

“Hitler, Izzy, Hitler is the buyer” he replied

Izzy watched Ardeth settle down on the bed, just laying on the top of it and he walked back to the wheel of the balloon.

“Hitler……maybe this time, we’re all going to get shot” he whined loudly.

When Rick arrived in Innsbruck, he was quite shocked by what he saw. Everywhere were flags with the Swastika on them. He had heard about Germany invading this country but he didn’t realise the extent till he got there.

He left the airport and got a taxi to the hotel, there he was supposed to be met by someone. Checking into his room, he washed up and then went to the dining room to get something to eat. He decided not to drink while he was there, he needed his head clear. Surprisingly he found he could understand the language quite well, he spoke German anyway and mostly the people he dealt with so far were German speaking.

Two days later, he was getting worried, there had been no sign of anyone meeting him. He made up his mind that if no-one had turned up by the next day, he was going back to Egypt. He didn’t like it there, the whole place gave him the jitters, even more than Hamunaptra. At least there, he knew what he was facing, here, he had no idea.

That evening, a man came into the hotel, dressed in a military uniform and looked very important. The staff couldn’t do enough for him. Rick saw him but then carried on reading the paper. A few minutes later.

“Mr O’Connell?” asked the man, clicking his heel together.

“I’m O’Connell and you are?”

The man stood in front of Rick and looked very imposing, he thought and very sinister. Rick wasn’t used to the German thing yet.

“My name is Kettall, Yohan Kettal, I have come to take you to the rendezvous point, where you will receive the rest of the money in exchange for the item we are purchasing”

“When do we leave, I want to get back to Egypt?” asked Rick

“I understand Mr O’Connell. We leave in the morning. By the end of the week, you should be on your way back” said the man

The man sat down and ordered a drink, Rick didn’t like him, something about him wasn’t right.

“Can I ask you a question Mr Kettal?”

“Yes Mr O’Connell, you may” replied the man.

“Who is the buyer of this bracelet and please call me Rick” he said trying to make the situation a bit more pleasant.

The man shifted in his seat, it wasn’t the question he had expected and looked around before he answered.

“Well, I thought you knew, I thought someone had told you” he said

“No, no-one has told me anything except how much I get and where to go”

Kettal looked around again, nervously and then leaned forward so no-one could hear him speak.

“Hitler, Adolf Hitler is the buyer. The Fuhrer himself wants it” said Kettal proudly.

“Hitler, what the hell does he want it….Oh my God, he knows all about it, what it is and what it does, doesn’t he?” stormed Rick

“Yes Rick, he wants to rule the world, the bracelet will secure that”

“No, no way” said Rick getting up “There is no way he is getting it, not for that purpose. I’ve seen what this thing can do, we lost a lot of friends destroying this thing and no-one, not even Hitler is going to get it”

“Mr O’Connell, I don’t think you have any choice” the man replied pulling out a gun and pointing it at Rick.

Rick looked down at the gun and then at the man, he sat down. He was in the shit, well and truly. How the hell was he going to get out of this and why didn’t he think before he agreed. He should have at least asked first who wanted it. The fact that they wanted the bracelet would have told him something, but he was more interested in the money. He was becoming like Jonathan, greed, gold and money.

“You need the black book as well, the bracelet is useless without it now” he said suddenly remembering something.

“No problem, by now, we will have the book, men are getting it even as we speak. So you see Rick, everything is going to plan. You have a wife, I understand, she will be seeing some of our men, if you don’t co-operate” he said.

Rick knew, at least for the moment he would have to go along with Kettal, he didn’t want anything to happen to Evy, because of his stupidity. What he needed was the Med-jai, but this was Austria, not the desert.

A group of about 10 men had left for Ahm Shere. They had paid one of the Med-jai, a man who was easily led when it came to money, to take them to the place. When they arrived, all they found was mounds of sand where the place was but after digging for a day or so, they found the top of the pyramid. It had not been destroyed, only sunk into the desert.

Using dynamite, they blew the top of the thing and it revealed an opening, big enough for a man to climb down. With ropes, 6 of them went into the pyramid and left the other 4 outside, just in case they had company.

As they made their way through the pyramid, they found some parts were blocked with rubble which had come down at the time. They soon arrived at the bottom, where they found some of the gold relics, broken but none the less, there.

“Look at this” said one of the men “It’s solid gold”

He held up a golden goblet laying next to other things on the floor.

“I think we will take some of this, we can sell it” replied the leader of the expedition.

They put some of the stuff in their bags, remembering the men outside. There was plenty for all. They spent several hours in the pyramid and then Claus, the leader shouted to the others.

“I’ve found it, it’s over here” said the other man digging under a pile of sand.

Brushing the sand off the book, they wrapped it up with the key, what was laying beside it and put it in a bag, especially brought for it.

“Right, let’s get out of here” he said.

As they were leaving, the whole place started to shake and they had to run. Large pieces of rock fell down and one of the men was killed as he ran along the tunnel. By the time they got to the entrance at the top of the pyramid, only 3 of them were left.

“Pull us up, now” shouted Claus.

The men outside pulled their comrades up as quickly as they could. They had felt the quake and when everyone was out, they mounted their horses and galloped off, not stopping till they were a good distance away.

“That place is cursed” said Claus “Let’s leave here as quickly as we can and get rid of the book back in Germany”

Rick and Yohan Kettal drove for about three miles and then they would have to travel on foot. It would take about 2 days to get to Gumpenwand with the Germans soldiers about and the snow. Kettal did not want anyone to know what they were doing there, even though they had orders from Hitler.

Just before they left, Rick managed to get a letter sent to Izzy who would try and get word to Ardeth about where he was or at least where he would be in a few days. He knew what Ardeth was going to say but he hoped that he would come and help him regardless. They could argue when they got back at how stupid Rick was being. And he thought only Evy did really stupid things, boy this beat them all.

It was about 12 miles on foot to Gumpenwand and by the time they got there, they were both frozen with cold. Kettal had made sure that the gun he held was always in view just in case Rick decided to try anything. But after what the man had said about Evy, he thought it would be better if he went along with the man for now. They reached a disused barn and Rick was told to make something to eat and drink.

“Won’t we be seen if a fire is lit?” asked Rick.

“Not at this time of day and it can be put out as soon as we have finished. Now get on with it. I have to use the radio up in the hay loft to contact the other man who will bring your money. Once that is done, you are free to go” said Kettal.

The man went up the ladder and Rick could hear him speaking on the radio but couldn’t quite make out what was being said. He understood a bit of German but not that much. He lit a small fire near the door and put some water in a pot to boil.

“You know what to do” said the voice on the other end of the radio “Once the deal has been done, you will kill him. No-one must know about this”

“Ya voll commander” said Kettal “When will I be picked up with the bracelet?”

He turned and looked down at Rick.

“Tomorrow morning, you and Von Brown will be picked up by a patrol car at the pass. Then you will be taken to Hitler” he said

They signed off and Kettal put the radio back in its box and hid it under the straw. It would go with them tomorrow. He went down to where Rick had finished making the coffee.

“A man called Von Brown will be here in a couple of hours. Then it is over for you and we can get on with our job. I suggest you get some sleep, I will wake you when he arrives”

Rick nodded and went to lay down in the straw at the back of the barn. He couldn’t get the words ‘then it is over for you’ out of his mind. It seemed a strange thing to say when he was going back to Egypt. Suddenly it dawned on him that he was not going to get out of this alive. They were going to kill him once they had the bracelet. He had to try and get out of there as soon as he could. There was no way he could take on two of them, so he would have to deal with Kettal before the other man arrived.

Going back to where the coffee was, he told Kettal that he needed another drink then he would sleep. The man nodded and let him carry on. Looking round as he drank it, he saw a spade standing against the back of the door. If he could get that, then deal with him.

Casually walking over till it was behind him, he kept his eyes on Kettal. The man was looking out of the door and wasn’t really watching what Rick was doing. He didn’t see him pick up the spade from behind and then slowly walking behind the man, he brought the spade round. Kettal turned round just as the spade came down, hitting him on the temple. He fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound.

Rick knelt down and felt his pulse, he was dead. Dragging him across the barn, he hoisted him over his shoulder and carried him up the ladder to the hay loft. He buried him under the straw, making sure there was no tell tale signs of blood leading to his body.

He took the radio from its hiding place, just in case he could use it. Also he took the mans gun, ammunition and any paperwork that he had. He might be able to use that too. There was a map in the mans pocket and looking at it, he worked out a route away from the barn. Von Brown would be there in about 30 minutes, so he had to get away before he arrived.

Somehow he had to leave a message in case Ardeth did manage to find him or even come out there. If he left the door open, he thought, he could leave a note on the back of the door in Egyptian. He knew enough to write a brief message in a sort of cryptic way that he hoped Ardeth would understand. He wrote the name of the place he was going to, Hirschkopf and prayed that no-one would decipher it.

Making sure he had the bracelet securely done up in his bag, he left the barn and walked towards the trees on the left of the place. He used a stick to brush any footprints away from the direction he had gone.

Luckily for Izzy, his balloon didn’t make any noise when he didn’t want it too and they managed to get to Insbruck or at least just outside quite easily. They landed in the woods just outside Muhlau and made their way to the hotel that Rick had told them about in the letter.

Ardeth had put on some European clothes while he was in the town and left his robes on the balloon. He hoped that no-one would see the tattoos and start asking questions. They found the hotel and Izzy asked if there were any messages from Rick. The manager looked behind him and took out a letter and handed it to the man. Izzy thanked him and they left. The manager was a bit suspicious but then he was called to the counter and forgot about it.

Going round the corner where they couldn’t be seen, Ardeth opened the letter and read it. Rick had told them where he was heading and about the men going to see Evy, which they already knew about.

“Right, let’s get back to the balloon and then try and find this Guppenwand and hope that Rick is still there” said Ardeth.

“Do we go in the balloon?” asked Izzy

“No, we will cover it up and hope no-one finds it. We will go on foot, there are too many soldiers around so we will have to be vigilant” said Ardeth.

Getting back to the balloon, they changed into their own clothes and collecting wood and leaves, covered the balloon as best they could. Ardeth told the two men who were with them to guard it well. Once that was done, they started on the journey to Guppenwand. All of them were armed and Izzy continued the same thing about getting shot. Ardeth and Masala laughed as they walked off.

It was getting dark and they knew they would have to rest for a while and keep out of sight. They could easily lose their way. Finding a clearing in the woods, they settled down just under the trees so that they could see or hear if anyone came past.

“Look, you two lay together and cover yourselves with the coats while I keep watch, then we will swap” said Masala.

The two other men agreed and tried to get warm under the coats. It was hard but they soon fell asleep. In the end Masala fell asleep as well but luckily no-one came anywhere near the woods that night.

The next morning, they carried on towards Guppenwand. It was bitterly cold, the frost lay top of the snow and made the trees look even whiter. The sun was beginning to rise but it wasn’t warm like they remembered it in Egypt and would have done anything to be there at the moment.

As they reached the barn, they made sure their guns were ready just in case there was anyone there. Creeping up round the back of the barn, they heard a man talking in German on a radio. He seemed to be alone so they would creep round to the door, Izzy was told to stay behind the barn till they called him.

“I wonder what he is saying” said Masala trying to hear.

“He is telling whoever that Kettal has been killed and O’Connell has gone. He is saying that Rick still has the bracelet and that he is going to try and find him, get it and kill him as Kettal was supposed to” replied Izzy.

“How do you know German” whispered Ardeth looking surprised.

“I spent three years in Germany when I was younger” whispered Izzy back.

“Stay here” said Masala.

They got to the door and looking through a crack, could see the man at the side of the barn, sitting on a stool with the radio on a small table. He didn’t hear them come in and they waited till he turned the radio off before ambushing him. Surprise was etched on his face as Masalas’ knife went in. he was dead before he hit the ground.

“Now we have to try and find out where Rick has gone. This man didn’t know where he was but you can guarantee that others will be here to help find him. We have to get to him first” said Masala.

Ardeth called Izzy and they looked around the barn but couldn’t find anything except the body of the other man in the hayloft. Izzy went to have a look at the radio on the table. Maybe he could use that back in Egypt, at least some of the parts, they would repair the one he had. As he looked up at Ardeth coming back down the ladder, he saw the piece of paper on the back of the door.

“I’ve found something” he said “look”

Ardeth took the paper and read it.

“What does it say?” asked Izzy looking at the ancient writing.

“Evy is going to have to teach him to write Egyptian properly. I can only make out some of this. It seems he has gone to a place called Hirschkopf about five miles from here. Lets go” said Ardeth.

So far they had seen no-one else about, whether they had been seen was a different matter. They had walked about two miles when they heard engines. Crawling to the top of the hill, they saw tanks, six of them going along the old road in the same direction as them. Suddenly they stopped and turned on their tracks and fired into the distance. Ardeth couldn’t see anything but obviously they could. This went on for about twenty minutes before they moved off down the road.

“Come on, we will have to keep to the trees. Let’s hope they just carry on” said Masala.

As they walked they could hear gun fire in the distance. But it wasn’t just tank guns but rifles as well. Getting nearer they could see the village of Hirschkopf but there was smoke and flames rising above it. Watching from a safe distance they saw the tanks eventually rumble off down the road and away from the place.

“They have certainly made a mess of that. Let’s hope they didn’t find Rick” said Izzy.

Rick had made his way to the small village and found an empty house just as you went in. There didn’t seem to be many people about and he hid in the attic and waited till it was safe to venture out. God he thought, he was in a mess and he hoped that he was going to be able to get out of it.

It turned out that he couldn’t go anywhere for ages and then only downstairs, where he found some old food and cold coffee. It was disgusting but it was all he had now, everything else was gone. He took what he had found and went back upstairs. He had to stay really just in case Ardeth did turn up. He would give him a couple of days and then he would make his own way out of there, if he could.

He was woken up by tanks rumbling into the village and them firing their guns. People were shouting and screaming as they were gunned down in the streets. He watched from the crack under the rafters and was terrified that they would serch all the houses and find him. He heard soldiers downstairs and he kept as quiet as he could. They must have realised that no-one lived there and left. But a tank put a shell into the house just in case.

Rick found himself buried under roof tiles and rafters but he wasn’t hurt. He stayed there until he heard the tanks move out. Then all was silent except for crackling of flames and the smell of smoke. Digging himself out and making sure that he was okay, he ventured out. He was appalled at what he saw. Bodies were everywhere, the Germans had shot them all, men, women and children. He felt sick, how could they do this just for the sake of it. He went into one of the houses that wasn’t burning to see if there was anything to eat. Even he had to survive.

As the others carefully walked past the first house, they wondered why they saw no-one but this was explained as they turned the corner. There were bodies all over the place.

“My God why did they do all this?” said Ardeth.

“I don’t know” replied Masala “I suggest we look for Rick and get out of here ”

Ardeth walked past the houses, followed by his two friends. Masala went over to one of the houses and went in to see if there was anyone left. Meeting up with the other two further down, they decided that they were the only ones alive in the whole village.

Suddenly they heard a noise in one of the houses and cocking their rifles they made their way over, ready to fire at whoever it was. They heard the person coming out of the door and they were just about to fire when they saw it was their friend.

“RICK…thank God” said Ardeth “Are you alright?”

They greeted each other quite warmly.

“Ardeth, Masala, Izzy…oh it’s great to see you. Look I’m sorry about all this, I don’t know what else to say” said Rick.

“Save it till we get home” said Masala “We have to get back to the balloon and get out of here”

“Save it…save it” said Izzy “He comes out here to sell the bracelet, we nearly get shot AGAIN trying to save your stupid arse and you two say ‘save it’ I’m going to kill him”

He went to jump on Rick but Ardeth held him back.

“No Izzy, you can kill him when we get back to Egypt but not before I do. But until then we have to survive ourselves and get out of here” said Ardeth letting him go.

“Look it’s getting dark, I suggest that we stay here tonight” said Masala. “I can’t see anyone coming back here now that everyone is dead. We should be safe”

“Maybe” replied Ardeth “But I think we should leave by dawn”

Izzy wasn’t very happy about staying there but he was cold and tired and just needed to sleep. They walked to the house right at the far side of the village, that would seem safer than being in the middle. Rick was on one side of the street and the other two on the other side. They reached the house and carefully went in. Ardeth a little further back than the others. Suddenly a shot rang out and the two men hit the floor, Rick firing his gun at the same time. A man fell from the corner of the room, he was already bleeding from previous wounds but was now dead.

“How many more of them are there?” asked Izzy getting up. “I knew I’d get shot one day with you”

“You’re not shot okay” he said.

Ardeth was just walking in the house when the shot rang out, he felt a burning pain and looking down, saw that the bullet had hit him in the left side. Blood was pouring from the wound and he put a hand over it as he staggered to the door. He saw Rick and Izzy putting something in the other room as he leant on the door frame. But they were blurred and he vaguely heard someone call his name before he collapsed to the floor.

“ARDETH!” shouted Rick running over to his friend.

He knew something was wrong as he came out of the room and saw the man leaning on the door, then he passed out. As he reached his side, he saw the wound in his side and between them, the two men lifted him up and laid him on the bed in the corner of the room.

“That bullet must have hit him as he was coming in. We have to stop the bleeding, cover those windows and light that lamp and then get that old tablecloth and rip it into strips” Masala said pointing to the cloth in the corner.

Izzy did what he was told as Masala undid Ardeths clothes and took them off. Then he got the light and stood it close by so Masala could see what he was doing. The bullet was still there and had to be got out.

“Hold this cloth on that wound while I heat up this knife” he said.

“What are you going to do?” asked Izzy.

“I have to get that bullet out, it can’t be left there if he is going to live”

“Have you ever done this before?” asked Rick

“Only once a long time ago…okay move the cloth and come and hold this lamp as close as you can” he said taking a deep breath.

Masala didn’t want to do this but he had no choice. The knife was hot and he wiped the blood away so he could see what he was doing. The bullet wasn’t that far in and it came out quite easily but although it seemed superficial, he was losing a lot of blood. Izzy had found an old sheet and ripping that as well made some pads of folded material and Masala laid them over the wound and then wrapped the strips around him to hold it in place.

“We have to get out of here, if those shots were heard, we could have soldiers here in no time. Look outside and see if there are any poles or something we can make a stretcher out of. We will have to carry him” said Rick looking out of the door.

“Look we can’t carry him for miles in the snow, the balloon is twelve miles south of here, that is if it hasn’t been found and destroyed by now. It is madness, he could die” replied Izzy

“Izzy we have no choice. He could die anyway, he is losing a lot of blood. Come on Izzy, the quicker we leave the quicker we get there” said Rick angrily.

“Our other men are there, they will make sure it is safe” said Masala.

“And what if they haven’t managed that and the balloon is not there, what then?”

“Then we start to worry” replied Rick looking at Masala as he said it.

An hour later they had seen no-one come anywhere near the village. But they were still going to leave. They had found an old stretcher in what was the doctor surgery across the road and laying Ardeth on it, covered him in some old blankets and started off on their journey.

They would have to keep to the trees as much as they could, he was heavy and they could not run if anyone came. They would travel by night and rest some of the day, that way they wouldn’t be seen so much against the snow. By 8am the next morning, they had only gone five miles and it was hard going.

Finding a place in the woods that would give them cover and meant that they could have a fire without anyone seeing the smoke because of the thickness of the trees, they put the stretcher down and while Izzy lit a small fire, Rick checked the wound in Ardeths side.

“We have to cover the rest of the distance by nightfall” said Masala “Ardeth needs warmth and those dressings need changing”

“He isn’t too good” said Rick “He is running a fever and the wound is inflamed. I’m really worried about him….damn this is all my fault, if he dies, I’ll never forgive myself”

Masala grabbed Rick and almost shook him.

“He isn’t going to die” replied Masala “Not if we can get him on that balloon and get out of here, now let’s go”

About three hours later, they only had about two miles to go. They had done really well and had the fact it was all downhill on their side. But they had to stop as Ardeth was really getting delirious with the fever. They tried to keep him quiet but it wasn’t working. He was shivering and his temperature was way up.

“If he keeps this up, someone is going to hear him” said Izzy his eyes darting around.

“I know, but he can’t help it. He is getting worse, that temperature is so high, you could fry an egg on his skin” said Rick touching the mans skin.

Masala untied the sash that was round his robes and walking over to Ardeth, tied it quite tightly round his mouth.

“I don’t want to do this but I have to. He can still breathe through his nose but this stops anyone hearing him. Get some of that snow Rick and lay it on his forehead. Keep doing that till we get to the balloon” said Masala.

They started off again and were just about at the balloon, which seemed fine from what they could see, when four soldiers stepped out of the woods, their rifles raised.

“Where are you going?” shouted one of them.

“We are taking this man to the nearest village, he is sick” said Masala.

“No-one walks round here unless they are up to something and you are not German. Hands in the air…now” the soldier shouted.

Hearing the voices, the two men on the balloon, grabbed their rifles and climbing down out of the balloon and through the camouflage, looked to see what was going on. They saw the soldiers aiming their guns at their friends. They also saw Ardeth laying on the makeshift stretcher.

“You go that way, I’ll go this. Then on the count of three once we are in position, fire” said Abdul whispering to the other man.

The man nodded and crept around the trees. Once he saw the other man crouch down by one of the trees, he raised his hand and waved it three times. At that they both fired. Rick and the others fell to the ground, dropping the stretcher, wondering what the hell was going on. When Masala looked up, he saw his two men coming out into the open and the soldiers were laying dead on the ground in front of him.

“Thank you” said Masala “Quick, help us get Ardeth into the balloon. Rick, Izzy, you get rid of that camouflage and lets get out of here before someone comes to investigate the shots”

Abdul and the other man helped Masala get Ardeth onto the balloon. They took him to the far end and laid him down on the small bed. Rick and Izzy boarded the thing and Izzy got it started. As they rose up over the trees, they saw several soldiers coming towards the clearing. They started to fire up at the balloon and Rick and the others fired back as Izzy got up speed with the engines. Once they were on their way, he slowed the engines down.

Rick helped Masala undress Ardeth and dress the wound. His was still very hot. They made sure he was comfortable and Abdul kept bathing his head. Masala took Rick over to the other side of the balloon and pinned him up against the mast.

“Now we are back on here, I can say what I wanted to back at the village” said Masala “You are without doubt, the most selfish, self-centred person I have ever met. You claim to be our friend and yet at the first sign of getting money you take the bracelet, forget about what trouble it would cause if Hitler had got his hands on it”

“But I…” started Rick trying to pull away from him.

“Shutup” said Masala pushing him against the rail. “Because of you, we have had to risk our lives to help you. You have put your wife in danger, we had to stop two men from killing her before we left Egypt. Now you are responsible for what has happened to Ardeth. I hope you are satisfied”

“It wasn’t my fault Ardeth got shot” pleaded Rick.

“Then whose was it? He wouldn’t have got shot if he hadn’t been in Austria looking for you. If I had my way, I would knock the shit out of you. But I won’t, I am more worried about Ardeth than to bother with you. Stay here and stay out of my way” he replied pushing the man away.

Rick sat down, shocked at what Masala had said. He had been right though, it WAS his fault. He felt ashamed and looked over at where Masala was kneeling beside Ardeth. He looked up at Izzy who was glaring at him.

“Don’t look at me…every time someone is with you, they get shot. This time it was your best friend. I hope you are happy” said Izzy “Get up here and keep this steady, while I go and see how Ardeth is. That is if you can do that without getting into trouble”

Rick took over the controls and glared after Izzy as he walked down to the others.

“How is he?” Izzy asked kneeling down beside him.

“I don’t know. He shouldn’t be this hot, not after all this time” said Masala “And that wound is still not healing, it is all inflamed and infected. How long before we reach Egypt?”

“If I can keep up this speed, it’s 8pm, I would think barring any trouble, we could be in Egypt by tomorrow night” said Izzy confidently.

By the dawn, Rick was laying on his bed, watching the stars. A voice made him jump, it was Masala.

“I thought you might like a coffee” he said holding out a mug of steaming liquid.

“Thanks…how is he?” asked Rick.

“Not good. That wound is infected, he needs something to help the infection and I haven’t got anything here” replied Masala, fear in his voice.

“If we fly this crate as close to my place as possible, we can take him there. Evy will know what to do, she always does” said Rick.

“Okay, thank you, that would be great…look I’m sorry about earlier, I was angry and worried” said Masala.

“Don’t be, everything you said was right. I am selfish. I should have known better than to try and sell that bracelet. But I was doing it for Evy, you know we are broke. We are only just keeping our heads above water. Still I should have found another way” replied Rick looking down.

“Look, go and sit with Ardeth, keep the cloth wet though. He needs a friend” said Masala putting a hand on the mans shoulder and patting it.

Rick thanked him and walked over and sat down beside his friend. He did look very ill and Rick hoped they would be in Egypt soon. Izzy managed to keep them away from any anti-aircraft fire and away from anywhere that meant they could be seen. Soon they were flying over the water and Egypt could be seen in the distance.

“Come on Ardeth, hang in there pal” said Rick wiping is face with the cloth.

He didn’t seem to be as hot as he had been but Rick wasn’t sure. Maybe he was getting over the worst. Izzy shouted that they were almost at Cairo. They flew over the pyramids and out towards the house that Rick owned on the outskirts of the city. Izzy was good at flying this thing and they actually landed in the grounds behind the house.

Evy was looking out of the window and saw this balloon flying towards the place. Suddenly she realised it was Izzy and getting up, ran downstairs and out of the door to meet it. As it landed, she ran to it and saw Rick climbing down the ladder.

“You bastard…how dare you put me and everyone else at risk for that damn bracelet” she screamed at him. “Where is Ardeth and Masala?”

“EVY…you can kill me later, Ardeth has been hurt, badly, we need to get him in the house. I said you would look after him. He needs help” said Rick turning to help the others.

“Ardeth…hurt….oh damn you Rick. Bring him inside” she told the men.

They carried the man into the house and upstairs where she pulled back the covers on one of the beds and got them to leave him there.

“Right, Rick take everyone downstairs, then you can go and get doctor Mender as fast as you can. Masala can make some coffee and food” she said “Go on hurry”

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The Gold Bracelet – Part 2