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The Race


An Adventure with Ardeth & Emma
By Ladybug





 Disclaimer: This story is fictional. The characters of Ardeth Bay, Rick, Evelyn and Alex O'Connell belong to Stephen Sommers and Universal Studios. No infringement intended. All other characters are the property of the author.

This story is rated PG-13

Author’s note: The idea of this story was inspired by the book, The Black Stallion Returns by Walter Farley. I have no idea if there is an actual race that takes place every five years or if there ever was. I have taken some liberties, changing the location of the race from Arabia to Egypt and adding my own ideas. I hope you enjoy this little adventure. Also, the arabic used in this story is what I picked up in an Arabic/English dictionary. I apologize if any of it is wrong or used incorrectly.

This story picks up approximately six months after Second Chances.

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




Ardeth leaned down and lovingly patted the graceful neck of his horse. He was a sleek, beautiful black Arabian that had been a gift from Emma after they had returned from their trip to Greece. Ardeth had named the horse “Lailhawa” which meant “Nightwind”. The stallion was black as night and faster than the wind. He found himself spending a lot of time just riding Lailhawa, racing him through the desert enjoying the freedom in his speed and power. And it seemed that Ardeth and his horse had bonded well, for the stallion would only allow the Med-jai Chieftain and Emma to ride him and only Ardeth could control the wildness in him.

Ardeth took one last look over the edge of the cliff where Emma had almost died six months ago. He often came here to remind himself of what he had almost lost and many times he spent time in prayer here, thanking Allah for granting him mercy and for giving him his wife back. A playful smile curved his full lips. Emma was expecting again. Another blessing from Allah. She was five months pregnant now and nearly as big as a house already.

Ardeth’s smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Come, Lailhawa. Let us go home, I find that I am in need to see my beautiful wife.” The stallion tossed his head and snorted as if in agreement. With the merest touch of the reins, the stallion turned towards home. Ardeth leaned forward as the horse leapt immediately into a full-blown run, and rider and horse became one.

A short time later, Ardeth rode into the village where he lived. As Chieftain of the twelve tribes of the Med-jai, he lived in the Wahed (One or First) tribe. His people greeted him as he passed, some calling out, “Mabruk!” (Congratulations)

“Shukran,” he responded, slightly confused. He had no idea why his people would be congratulating him as everyone had known for months that Emma was expecting and he knew of no other event that would warrant such a greeting.

Ardeth dismounted in front of the small stable he had built behind his home. Lailhawa was just wild enough that he could not be stabled with the other horses, so he had built this smaller corral behind his home. He stood there a moment stroking the stallion’s small head and then laughed softly when the horse nudged him in the chest indicating he wanted a treat.

“You are spoiled,” he told the horse fondly as he pulled a sugar cube from a pocket within his robes and offered it. Lailhawa neighed softly and accepted the treat from Ardeth’s hand. He was just beginning to wonder where Yusuf was when he heard the back door bang open.

“Assalaamo Aleykum, Abu!” (Peace be upon you, Father)

“Assalaamo Aleykum, Yusuf!” (Peace be upon you, Joseph) Ardeth answered, turning towards his son just in time to catch him in a hug.

“Ume has news for you, Abu,” Yusuf informed his father. Ardeth looked down at his son and smiled. Yusuf was a combination of both Ardeth and Emma. His thick dark curly hair and his features were that of his father, but he had his mother’s blue eyes and dimples.

“Well, then. We had best take care of Lailhawa quickly so that Ume may share her news with me, eh?” Ardeth ruffled his son’s hair playfully and released him.

“Aiwa, Abu,” Yusuf answered and followed his father into the stable where Ardeth instructed his son on how to properly take care of a horse.

Half an hour later, Ardeth and Yusuf left the stable and were met by Abdul just as they were approaching the house. “Assalaamo Aleykum, Sayadi,” Abdul greeted. “Mabruk!”

“Assalaamo Aleykum, Abdul,” Ardeth answered. “Shukran, though I am still a bit confused as to why.” Abdul only smiled.

“This message was just delivered, Sayadi. It is addressed to you.”

“Shukran, Abdul.” Ardeth accepted the piece of paper from Abdul and opened it. He glanced over it and nodded. “It is an invitation to The Race.”

“Why do they continue to send us an invitation when the Med-jai have never accepted in the 100 years they have been holding this race?” Ardeth smiled at his friend and second-in-command.

“It is out of respect, al sadiq,” (my friend) Ardeth answered. “They would not dare insult us by not inviting us, regardless that we will not accept.”

“Why, Abu?” Yusuf asked. “Why do we not accept?”

“Because al ibney, (my son) the Med-jai have much responsibility that does not allow them to participate in events such as horse racing.” Yusuf wanted to question his father further about the race, but knew he should wait until they were in private. “Besides, we could not afford to lose any horses,” he added, turning back to Abdul.

“Is there anything else, Abdul?”

“La, Sayadi. Masa masal khair.” (No, Sir. Good evening.)

“Masa masal khair, Abdul.” Ardeth turned and followed Yusuf into the house. “Where is Ume, Yusuf?”

“In the kitchen, Abu.” Ardeth could smell the wonderful aroma of dinner cooking and directed his son towards his room. “Give Ume and I a few minutes, okay?”

“Aiwa, Abu,” Yusuf answered and headed off to his room to wait until he was called for dinner.

Ardeth entered the kitchen area to find Emma standing at the counter carefully chopping vegetables. He tossed the message Abdul had given him on the table as he approached her from behind and slid his hands around her waist over her swelling stomach. Emma stopped chopping, put the knife down and leaned back into the warmth of her husband’s arms.

“Assalaamo Aleykum, kalila,” he greeted softly as he placed a kiss on her neck.

Emma smiled as the deep sound of her husband’s voice sent a shiver down her spine. “Assalaamo Aleykum, ya habibi.”

“I keep getting congratulated by our people for reasons I do not know. I understand that you have news that might explain this?” he asked, placing another kiss just below her ear, the hairs that framed his mouth tickling her neck.

Emma chuckled softly. “Yes, I received some news today that you will find quite interesting.” She turned within the circle of his arms to face him. Ardeth stepped back slightly to make room for her bulging belly, but kept his arms around her.

“First things first,” Ardeth said as he dipped his head to kiss her mouth. Emma’s arms snaked up around his neck as her fingers tangled in the thickness of his long dark hair. His tongue swept through her mouth, tasting the sweet carrots that she had been munching on as she cooked. “There,” he said as he ended the kiss. “Now tell me of your news.”

Emma’s knees felt weak and she had to clear her thought process as she usually did after one of his kisses. “Well, it seems, habibi, that I am going to have twins.”

It took a moment for the news to sink in. He was stunned. “Really? Twins?” Ardeth stepped back a few steps and frowned.

“Ardeth? Are you okay?” Emma touched his arm in concern. “I thought you would be happy about this news.”

Ardeth saw the slight hurt in her eyes and smiled reassuringly. “SamaH ana, kalila. (Forgive me, beloved) Of course I am happy about the news.” He raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. “Did I ever tell you that I was a twin?”

Emma’s jaw nearly hit the floor. “What?” she gasped loudly. “No, I don’t think you have ever shared this little bit of unimportant information!” Ardeth gave her a sheepish look.

“SamaH ana, kalila, but he was taken from us when we were children and the subject has just never come up. I did not mean to keep it from you.”

“So what was his name and what happened to him?”

“His name was Asim. We were five years old when he was taken with several other children on a raid of our village. The other children were later found slain, but Asim’s body was never found and he was assumed dead.”

“Oh Ardeth,” Emma said softly as she stepped forward to wrap her arms around her husband’s waist. “I’m so sorry.”

“It was long ago, habibti. He is but a vague memory.” Ardeth wrapped his arms around her and held her close, then he released her and knelt down before her stomach. Pushing her robes aside, he placed his hands gently on her swelling flesh. “InshaAllah, we will have daughters,” he said softly. “What little I do remember of my brother, I do know that we were little hellions and drove our mother crazy.”

Emma laughed. “What makes you think daughters are any easier, al ahibuk? (my love) They could both be just like me and then what kind of trouble would you be in?”

Ardeth placed a kiss on her stomach and let her robes fall back into place. He grinned up at her and replied, “As your brother puts it, ‘we are in very big trouble!’”

Emma laughed again as Ardeth stood up, laughing with her. She noticed the paper that Ardeth had tossed on the table when he’d entered the kitchen and asked, “What is that?” She pointed towards the table.

“It is nothing important.” He turned and picked up the message. “The Med-jai have been invited to enter The Race. We receive an invitation every five years, though we do not participate.”

“The Race? What is that?” Emma took the message from him and looked at it.

“It is a horse race. More than a hundred years ago a tribe worked at breeding a horse, which they thought the finest in all Egypt and they made their claim known far and wide. Many chieftains accepted their challenge and a race was run.”

“Did the tribe win?” Emma asked fascinated by this bit of history.

Ardeth nodded. “Aiwa. They won, and the prize was fifteen of the finest horses from each losing tribe. Since that day similar races have taken place every five years with each tribe spending much time breeding and preparing for it.”

“And why do the Med-jai never participate?”

“Our duty is set before us, kalila. We cannot waste time breeding horses when our duty is to protect mankind.”

“Ah!” Emma nodded. “I see your point. But still, Imhotep has been defeated and things are quiet, why don’t you accept this time. Enter Lailhawa. I bet he would run them all into the ground.”

Ardeth smiled. “You are probably right. Lailhawa has a heart to run, but I cannot risk loosing fifteen of our horses if he does not win.”

“And you could stand to win many horses if you did win! Ardeth, you need to learn to take risks for pleasure.”

“Habibti, I have been taking risks for pleasure since the day I met you,” he replied, then winced when Emma slugged him.

“Behave or I will send you to bed without dinner!” Emma teased.

“I’ll make you my dinner!” He grabbed at her playfully and kissed her.

“Seriously, Ardeth. When is this race?” Ardeth sighed.

“In a month’s time, but I am not going to accept, Emma, so get it out of your mind.”

Emma nodded. “Alright, alright. Now go get cleaned up, dinner will be ready shortly.”

Ardeth nodded and left the kitchen to do as Emma asked. Emma looked down at the message that she still held in her hands. Already an idea was forming in her mind and though she knew that Ardeth was going to kill her when he found out what she had done, she knew that she had to enter Lailhawa in that race.

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


Over the next few weeks, guilt coursed through Emma as she kept her secret from her husband. The very next day after Ardeth had received the invitation, she had sent out a message in Ardeth’s name accepting and naming his entry. Since then she lived in fear that at any time it would get back to Ardeth what she had done. She needed to tell him. Sitting down at the table, Emma buried her face in her hands and wondered just what the hell had possessed her to do something so foolish. She had promised Ardeth that she would never go behind his back again and that was exactly what she had done. She had disobeyed him . . . again.

There was no way to back out now. To do so would look bad on him and the Med-jai. He would be forced to participate in the race against his will and he would not be happy about it. But if she told him now, he could at least prepare for it. The race was still two weeks away and he would have time. She took a deep breath and released it, making her decision. She would tell him tonight.

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


“I thought you were going to decline entering The Race, Sayadi.” Abdul rode next to his leader as they headed home from their patrols. Ardeth glanced over at his second-in-command and friend and frowned.

“I did.” He thought he did anyways. But now that he thought about it, maybe he hadn’t. As hard as he tried, he couldn’t remember having seen the invitation since he and Emma had discussed it. “Why do you ask?”

Abdul froze a second having quick flashbacks to the last time he had inadvertently gotten Emma in trouble without meaning to. Allah, he thought silently. Please do not let it be that she has entered Ardeth in this race without telling him! “Oh nothing really,” he stalled. “Just the usual rumors that you decided to enter it this time.” Truth was Abdul was aware that Emma had sent Rashad on an errand a few weeks ago to deliver a message to Da’ud al Hilali who had issued the invitation. At first he hadn’t thought anything of it. He just assumed that it was to decline the invitation, but then the rumors started and Abdul began to wonder.

“Well, to answer any rumors, no, I did not enter The Race. It’s foolishness.” They rode in silence for a few minutes, then Ardeth asked, “What are the people’s reaction to this rumor?”

Abdul smiled to himself. He knew that as much as Ardeth talked against The Race, that secretly he would love the chance to test Lailhawa against other horses. “The talk is excited. Most of the people would love for us to participate in it. They feel that it is time that we begin to become more involved with the other tribes of the Sahara and not stay so buried in secrecy and traditions.”

Ardeth frowned again. “I thought I had done much to do away with traditions.”

“Oh you have, Sayadi, do not get me wrong. The people are not unhappy with the changes you have made in the last six months, but well, they would still like to take it further.”

“I see,” Ardeth answered thoughtfully. “Well, it is too late to do anything about this race, but there are other events that we can consider as they come up.” Up ahead the Med-jai village came into view. Ardeth’s heartbeat sped up slightly as it always did when he knew he was going to see Emma soon. Lailhawa pranced impatiently beneath him, as if he could sense his master’s eagerness to be home. “Be sure the people are aware that the rumor is false, but that I will allow future events if nothing is preventing us from participating. And make sure they understand that duty is first.”

“Aiwa, Sayadi,” Abdul answered as he watched his chieftain urge his horse forward into a gallop to hurry home.

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


“How are you feeling tonight?” Emma knew what he was asking. He wanted to make love to her, but wanted to make sure she was feeling up to it.

“I feel fine.” She still hadn’t told him and it was late now. Joseph was in bed asleep and Emma sat in a comfortable chair reading. Ardeth approached her and knelt down before her. He placed his hand gently on her stomach and tenderly rubbed back and forth until one of the babies kicked.

He smiled in wonder.

“Ardeth?”

“Yes, kalila?” He looked up at her questioningly, his hand still resting on her stomach.

“I have something I need to tell you and you are going to be very unhappy with me.”

Ardeth studied her face carefully. He could see guilt along with fear mixed in her gaze. His eyebrows furrowed as he frowned, removing his hand. “You are afraid.” It was a statement not a question.

Emma took a deep breath. “I broke a promise to you and yes I am afraid.”

Ardeth’s eyebrows went from furrowed in a frown to raised high in surprise. “And what is this promise that you broke that has you so fearful?”

“I went behind your back and did something I shouldn’t have.”

Ardeth was quiet a moment as different scenarios raced through his mind of things Emma could have done that would have upset him. Then suddenly he knew and he groaned loudly as his forehead dropped into her lap.

“You entered me in that race, didn’t you?”

Emma jerked slightly in surprise. “How did you guess?”

Ardeth looked up at her, his expression blank. “There were rumors that I had entered The Race.” They stared at each other for a long moment as tears gathered in Emma’s eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ardeth.” He sighed as he tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose.

“Emma, what am I going to do with you?” he asked, his tone clearly frustrated.

Emma remained quiet, as she knew that sometimes it was best not to answer those kinds of questions. Ardeth continued to stare at her when she did not answer. He knew that she feared his anger would reach the level it had when she had sent Yusuf to London without his permission, but after the events of what happened afterwards and he thought she was dead, he swore to himself that he would never let his anger rule him like that again. Emma had been given back to him like a gift and he would not abuse that gift. Even if it meant that she drove him insane, which she did, constantly.

“Well, I guess I should begin preparing tomorrow,” he said as if she had just informed him that they were going to Cairo the next day. Emma’s head shot up as her gaze met his.

“You’re going to race?”

“You entered me in the race, Emma, I cannot back out now.” His voice was calm and as far as Emma could tell he did not look angry, maybe a little disappointed in her, but not angry.

“You are not angry with me?”

Ardeth closed his eyes and sighed. He opened them again to meet her gaze. “I am not happy with you, Emma. You broke your word to me and that disappoints me. But as it turns out, Abdul informed me today that the people want to be more involved with the activities of other tribes and are excited about this race. So in this case, your deception has met with the tribe’s approval. But I will not tolerate you going behind my back, Emma. I cannot have you undermining my authority like that, is that understood?”

Emma’s head bobbed up and down in agreement. “Loud and clear.”

Ardeth stood up and turned to leave. Emma felt her heart constrict, as she knew he would most likely not be in the mood to make love to her now. But as he reached the hall that lead to their bedroom, he turned back and gave her a wicked smile. “You coming, kalila?”

Emma smiled in relief. She was forgiven and he still wanted her. As fast as her load in front would allow her to move, she pushed up from the chair and followed her husband to bed.

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


Over the next two weeks, Ardeth spent hours preparing for this race. He would take Lailhawa out and run him several times a day, conditioning him. The last few days before they were to leave to make the trip to the Faiyum Oasis where the race would be run, Ardeth had Lailhawa race against several other horses within the tribe to get him used to racing against others.

Ardeth found himself enjoying this time. Though he still thought that horse racing was a waste of time, he found that he enjoyed the hard work, which was so different from what a warrior’s training consisted of. Yusuf assisted him, bringing him water throughout the day and Emma would come and bring him lunch then sit and watch for a while.

The whole village was excited about their chieftain representing their tribe in this race. They had complete faith in him as they did in all things.

The night before he was to leave, Ardeth met with Abdul to give him instructions on what to do while he was gone. The race was three days away and it would take a good day and a half to get there. When Ardeth got home, he found Emma packing in their bedroom.

“What are you doing?” Emma looked up from placing some of her clothes in a suitcase.

“I’m packing.”

“I can see that, but why are you packing your clothes?”

“I’m going with you,” Emma answered.

“No, you are not.”

“Ardeth-”

He put his hand up to silence her. “No. You are six months pregnant with twins, Emma. I will not allow you to risk your health and the health of our unborn children for a race. You will remain here.”

“No, I will not. I would never do anything to risk the lives of our unborn children, but I am coming with you.”

Ardeth let out a string of curses in Arabic. “Emma! Tawa ana, jauzi!” (Obey me, wife!) He practically shouted at her. Fear coursed through him at the thought of going through another miscarriage with her. He would lock her up before he would let that happen again.

Emma hardened her expression trying to fight back the tears. She had so looked forward to this time with him. She had written Rick and Evy and told them of the race. Rick had sent back a reply that had arrived just yesterday that they were going to try and make it, but would probably arrive the day of the event and would meet her there. It was to be a surprise for Ardeth. And now he was forbidding her to go. She brushed past him and left him to gather the tattered remains of his control. Leaving the house, she headed for her favorite dune where she liked to sit and stare up at the stars. By the time she reached there, tears were streaming down her face as the disappointment of not being allowed to go hit her. She sobbed as she lowered herself to a sitting position on the sand. It was cool out and she shivered, having forgotten to grab a wrap on her way out.

Ardeth sighed heavily and allowed his head to drop forward a bit. He had not meant to yell at her, but Allah, sometimes she drove him insane! He knew without being told where she had gone as he turned and followed her out the door. He approached her quietly from behind and lowered himself down behind her. Stretching his legs apart, he placed them on either side of her as he scooted up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Emma leaned back against him and continued to cry softly as he rocked her gently.

“SamaH ana, kalila,” he whispered ever so softly in her ear. “I did not mean to yell at you.” When her tears finally subsided, he pulled her closer against him, into the warmth of his robes. “Is it so important to you to come?”

Emma pulled away from Ardeth slightly and twisted around until she was sidewise so that she could look at him. The moonlight fell across his face, softening his dark, intense features. “How can you ask me that, Ardeth? This race involves you; of course it is important to me to come. I want to see you race. I want to be able to cheer you on and see you win. I am so proud of you, I feel like I will burst and I want to be there to share all of this with you and it hurts me that you would deny me this.”

Ardeth felt ashamed. He knew he had responded to her going out of fear for her safety. He did not want to lose her or the babies she carried, but he also knew as well as anyone that if something was going to happen to her, it was just as likely to happen here at home than at the Faiyum Oasis.

“If it is my safety you are concerned about, you know Rashad will be with me and . . .” she paused. She had wanted Rick and Evy’s presence to be a surprise for him, but if it would help settle his worry about her safety, she would tell him. “And Rick and Evy will be there.” She felt Ardeth stiffen in startled surprise.

“You told them of the race?”

“Yes. I knew Rick would want to see you race, he thinks of you as a brother, Ardeth, you know that. I sent them a telegram right after I sent the acceptance and Rick answered, saying they would meet us there. He is all excited about it. I had wanted it to be a surprise for you, but if knowing that Rick will also be there to watch over me will help settle your fear of mine and the babies’ safety . . .”

Emma saw a small smile play around his full lips and knew the prospect of seeing Rick again made him happy. For all the guff the two gave each other, she knew that Ardeth had great respect for Rick and though he would probably never admit it, she knew that Ardeth practically worshipped the ground Rick walked on and she also knew that Rick felt the same way about Ardeth. They were the best of friends and as close as brothers; they would do anything for the other without question.

“All right, habibti, you may go, but you will promise me now that you will do exactly as I say. Is that understood?” Emma’s smile was brighter than the stars above as she bobbed her head quickly up and down. Ardeth chuckled softly at her enthusiasm and kissed her. Seeing her happy like she was now was like an aphrodisiac to him and he deepened the kiss, while pulling her closer. “We leave before dawn,” he said softly after he broke the kiss. “I suggest you go get some rest.” Ardeth stood and helped Emma up to stand next to him.

“You coming?”

“I’ll be along in a few minutes. I need to talk to Rashad first.” He kissed her again and then gave her a little push towards the village.

“Ajal, almuhib!” (hurry, lover!) she called out over her shoulder with a giggle and Ardeth felt his body respond to her silent offer as he watched her walk back towards the village. Even with her tummy protruding, filled with his babes, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and he found that his desire for her grew more and more as time passed.

“I won’t be long, al habeeba!” (my ladylove) Ardeth smiled at her playfulness then turned to go find Rashad to give him instructions concerning Emma while they were attending the race.

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


“Do you think they are here yet?” Evy asked, excited, as she and Alex followed after Rick through the streets of Cairo.

“I don’t know, Evelyn. The race isn’t until tomorrow, but I imagine that Ardeth would want to be here at least a day ahead of time to rest and prepare.”

“Rest and prepare? You make it sound like he is going into battle, not a horse race.”

Rick glanced down at Evelyn. “Well hon, this is the desert. Some of these tribes participating are natural enemies. I’m sure there will be some battles.”

Evelyn glanced up at Rick with a worried expression. “You don’t expect trouble for Ardeth do you? After all, this is the first time the Med-jai have participated in this race and because of who they are, they have many enemies.”

“I know, Evelyn. We will just have to keep our eyes and ears open, okay? I don’t know if there will be any trouble, but it does have a tendency to follow Ardeth and Emma around like a love sick camel.” Rick glanced up and down the street they were walking down, then led Evelyn and Alex across the street to a small restaurant that they enjoyed eating at whenever they were in Cairo.

“What a terrible thing to say, Richard!” Evy swatted his arm. “They don’t get into any more trouble than we do.”

Rick gave Evelyn an incredulous look and laughed. “Exactly!”

Evelyn looked insulted. “Now what is that suppose to mean?”

“It means, Mum, that trouble follows us around like a love sick camel, too,” Alex piped up. “Isn’t that right, Dad?”

“Right son!” Rick grinned and ruffled his son’s hair.

“Well!” Evelyn huffed and marched into the restaurant, leaving Rick and Alex to follow.

“Uh-oh.” Rick gave his son a mock frown. “Your mother is huffing again.”

“That is not a good sign, Dad.”

“No, a huffing Evelyn is never a good sign. Perhaps we should go change that love sick camel in for a love sick puppy dog. You think that will cheer her up?”

“Could be, Dad. You know how Mum is when it comes to puppy dogs.”

Rick and Alex laughed and followed Evelyn inside to find a seat. They ate and laughed and talked about seeing Ardeth, Emma and Joseph again, when suddenly, Evelyn became very quiet.

“Evelyn? Something wrong, honey?” Rick watched her curiously as she put up her hand to indicate that they should be quiet and she cocked her head slightly as if she was listening for something. After several minutes, Evelyn jumped up and quickly turned to the table on the other side of the partition from them, but the table was now empty. Rick jumped up immediately to follow her.

“Evy? You want to tell me what’s going on?” Rick asked, clearly not very happy with his wife’s actions. It usually meant trouble.

“I just overheard several men talking at this table, Rick. They were speaking Arabic and what little bit I caught, they were talking about Ardeth and Lailhawa.”

“What did they say, Evelyn?” Rick asked suddenly worried.

“One of them said, ‘The Med-jai Chieftain must not be allowed to race’ and another one said that he would take care of it. I didn’t quite catch the rest of it.”

“Ah hell!” Rick groaned in frustration. “Now you see? We have been in Cairo for three hours and already there is trouble. Love sick camels, I tell you!”

“Oh hush, Richard.” Evelyn gave him a dirty look as she and Alex followed Rick out of the restaurant after paying their bill.

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


“Where are you going, kalila?”

“I just thought I would take Lailhawa for a walk. I need some exercise myself after sitting in a saddle for the past two days.”

“All right, just don’t go far.” Ardeth watched as Emma walked over to where Lailhawa was tied up and stroked his nose lovingly. The stallion nudged her gently while neighing softly in response.

Out of respect for Ardeth, Emma was clad in full Med-jai robes, with a veil covering her face. She untied the lead rope to Lailhawa’s halter and led him off a little distance away. She thought she would walk the perimeter of the Med-jai camp, which was a pretty good size, then return. She had barely made it half way around the outside of the camp when four Arabic men appeared before her.

“Assalaamo Aleykum,” the man in the lead said in greeting.

“Assalaamo Aleykum,” Emma answered. She knew that though the men greeted her in peace that something was wrong. Arabic men did not speak to the women from other tribes.

“Akhad il faras,” (Take the horse) the leader commanded and the other three men moved in quickly and grabbed Emma, covering her mouth before she could scream. One of the men yanked the lead rope from her hand, while one of the two that held her pulled a knife and threatened her with it to make her stop struggling.

Suddenly a shrill whistle like none they’d ever heard pierced the air as Lailhawa reared up high on his hind legs and pawed the air. The Arab that held the rope nearly had it yanked from his hands, but the leader jumped in to help him and they struggled to control the wild stallion who was fighting to protect his mistress.

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


Rick, Evelyn and Alex hurried towards the Med-jai camp. It had taken them longer than Rick thought it would to reach the Faiyum Oasis and even longer to locate where the Med-jai where set up.

“Leave it to Ardeth to set up camp on the frickin other side of the Oasis!” Rick grumbled as he finally saw a familiar face.

“Rashad!”

Rashad turned towards the approaching trio and smiled. “Assalaamo Aleykum, Rick O’Connell!”

“Yeah, um, same to you,” Rick stammered, having no clue what Rashad had just said, but guessed it had to be some kind of greeting. “Listen, Rashad, I don’t mean to be rude, but I need to find Ardeth quick.”

The smile left Rashad’s face as he realized the urgency in Rick’s voice. “This way, al sadeeq.” Rashad led the trio quickly through the camp to where Ardeth was speaking to another Med-jai warrior. “Sayadi!”

Ardeth turned and then smiled when he saw Rick coming up with Rashad. “Zameel!” (Brother) His smile faded at the seriousness of Rick’s face. He saw the same look on Eveyln’s face and knew something was wrong. “Assalaamo Aleykum, al iSHab,” he greeted them first, shaking Rick’s hand, kissing Evelyn’s cheek and ruffling Alex’s hair. “I believe Yusuf is over there on the other side of that tent, Alex.” Alex’s face lit up as he looked for permission to go find his cousin from his mum and dad.

“Yes, you can go, but stay close by. Do not wander off, is that clear, son?”

“Yes, Dad!” Alex ran off in the direction Ardeth had indicated.

“Tell me!” Ardeth commanded once Alex was gone.

“There may be trouble,” Rick began. “We were having lunch and Evy overheard some Arab men talking about how you must not be allowed to race.”

“Yes,” Evelyn interrupted. “He specifically said, ‘The Med-jai Chieftain must not be allowed to race” and other man answered him, ‘I will take care of it.’”

Ardeth turned immediately to Rashad. “Find Emma now. She is walking the perimeter of the camp with Lailhawa. Bring her back.”

“Aiwa, Sayadi!” Rashad had just turned to do as his chieftain commanded when they heard a shrill whistle.

“What the hell was that?” Rick exclaimed.

Ardeth had his scimitar out and was hurrying away. “That was Lailhawa!” he yelled. “Emma is in trouble.”

“Stay here,” Rick commanded Evy as he drew his pistols out and rushed off after Ardeth and Rashad.

“Yallah, imshi!” Ardeth yelled out to his men as he ran in the direction of Lailhawa’s shrill whistles.

They reached the site of the commotion to find three Arab men struggling to control the wild stallion, and a fourth man held Emma at knifepoint.

“ShiTan faras!” (Devil horse) the leader exclaimed and drew out his scimitar to end their troubles when out of the corner of his eye he saw a sea of black robes coming towards them. “Yallah!” he yelled suddenly releasing the horse. The other two men also released the lead rope and followed after their leader, leaving only the man holding Emma.

His eyes widened in fear as he saw the now freed stallion charge towards them. “Allah najja ana!” (God save me) he screamed as he released Emma and ran.

Emma stumbled forward as the man had shoved her away from him and fell to her hands and knees. She felt the pounding of Lailhawa’s hooves as he thundered past her towards the fleeing man. Tears filled her eyes and then suddenly Ardeth was there.

“Emma!” He fell to his knees before her and lifted her face gently. “Are you all right, kalila?” She saw the fear and concern in those dark intense eyes that she loved so much and nodded.

“I’m fine, habibi. Just a little scared.”

“Ardeth!” He turned to find Rick standing nearby. “You wanna call your horse off before there is nothing left of that guy?”

Ardeth looked towards where Rick indicated and saw that Lailhawa had caught up with the kidnapper and had trampled him to death and was still trampling him. None of the Med-jai warriors dared try to approach the stallion. They all knew that only Ardeth could control him. Ardeth stood and helped Emma up too. Passing her off to Rick, he hurried off to stop Lailhawa.

“Hey sis,” Rick kissed her cheek.

“Hey big brother!” Emma smiled shakily as she turned to watch the scene before them.

“Well, I see some things have not changed,” Rick chuckled. “You still can’t seem to stay out of trouble, even walking a horse.” Emma gave him a dirty look and said something very unladylike in Arabic. They heard a very undignified snort from behind them and they turned to see Evelyn trying to cover her mouth, laughter dancing in her eyes.

“That wasn’t very nice, Emma,” Evy giggled.

“Well, he deserved it.” Emma smiled, hugging her sister-in-law.

“No argument from me there.” Evy’s smile faded as she got a view of what was left of one of the kidnappers. “Oh yuck.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Rick answered with a grimace.

Emma pulled away from the two as she headed over to where Ardeth had taken Lailhawa and was talking to him in a soothing tone in Arabic. The stallion finally settled as Emma approached and he gently shoved his small head into her arms. Emma smiled as she stroked his nose and patted his neck. Not caring if anyone watched, Ardeth leaned forward, yanking the veil away from her face and kissed her soundly. She could still see the fear in his eyes when he pulled away and she reached out to touch his cheek.

“I’m okay, Ardeth. Really! Lailhawa was protecting me.”

“It was Lailhawa that they were after in the first place.”

Emma sighed. “I know. I gathered as much.”

“You will not leave the protection of the camp again. If you do, you will take Rashad with you if I cannot go myself.” Emma nodded as she continued to stroke Lailhawa’s nose. “I mean it, Emma.” She glanced up at him and met his intense gaze.

“I know you do, Ardeth and I will not disobey you in this.” He nodded, visibly relaxing a little.

“I must go and speak with Da’ud al Hilali about this incident. Go back to the camp with Rick and Evelyn and I will return as soon as I can. Take Lailhawa with you,” he said, handing her the lead rope then he reached out and caressed her cheek. “Ana Ahibuk Emma.” (I love you)

Emma smiled up at him and received his kiss. “Ana Ahibuk, Ardeth.” Fixing the veil back over her face, she turned and led Lailhawa off towards Rick and Evelyn and back to the camp.

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


“Twins?!” Rick nearly shouted.

“Twins.” Evy grinned happily at Emma. “Oh Em, this is great news! How did you find out?”

“There is a wise old woman in our village named, Alima. She has been predicting things like this all her life. It is a gift she has. She has never been wrong. She can usually tell the sex of the babies too, but I asked her not to tell me as I want it to be a surprise.”

“Ardeth must be very happy.”

“Oh he is. He has been like a mother hen around me since we discovered I had conceived, but it has gotten worse since I told him I was carrying twins.”

“That ought to be an interesting sight to see.” Rick smiled at the image he formed in his head of Ardeth clucking around Emma, making sure she didn’t strain herself.

“I think it is sweet,” Evy replied still smiling.

“It’s humiliating,” Ardeth retorted, approaching the three as they sat before the campfire.

“Well gee, buddy, what do you expect?” Rick laughed out loud, then grunted when Ardeth squatted next to him and shoved him playfully.

“All right, children, behave. I tell ya, Evy, those two are worse than Alex and Joseph sometimes.” Evy giggled.

“Don’t I know it.”

“We are not!” Ardeth and Rick chimed together.

“Are too!” Emma and Evy answered.

“See? They even got us doing it!” Emma defended her position.

“Did you find out anything?” Rick asked Ardeth.

“A little. According to Da’ud al Hilali he is only aware of two tribes that are against the Med-jai being here. The Khaldun tribe and the Rahman tribe, which both have been enemies of the Med-jai for thousands of years,” he sighed.

“Nothing like holding a little grudge, huh buddy?” Rick asked. Ardeth gave Rick one of his intense looks and continued.

“Hilali informed me that it is the Rahman tribe that has won the last several races and is favored to win this one too. That is until I entered the race with Lailhawa.”

“I’m sorry, Ardeth.” Ardeth turned his gaze on Emma.

“For what, kalila?”

“For the mess I have gotten you into. If I had left well enough alone, you wouldn’t be dealing with threats against your life or against Lailhawa.” Ardeth reached out and caressed her cheek lovingly.

“It is not my life or Lailhawa’s that I am concerned about, habibti,” he said softly.

“I know,” Emma smiled sadly. “And for that I am sorry too.”

“Listen you two lovebirds, can we get back to the subject at hand?” Rick teased.

“I have alerted all my men to be on the lookout for an attack,” Ardeth continued. “I have already set up several watches around the camp. Tomorrow, al zameel, I ask that you and Rashad keep watch over Emma while I am involved with the race.”

Rick nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

“I know that you could handle this by yourself, but I do not trust the Rahman and would not be surprised if they attacked me through Emma. I want her safe.” Their gazes met.

“You know I’ll keep Emma safe. What about the boys?” Rick asked.

“They will remain with you, which is also why I want Rashad with you. Children can be distracting,” Ardeth answered from experience. Rick smiled at his brother-in-law.

“It’s alright, Ardeth. Really! You aren’t insulting my manhood by having Rashad help me.” Ardeth flushed a little at having Rick see through him.

“I would never wish to insult you, al zameel.”

“You worry too much, my brother!” Ardeth smiled at Rick’s emphasis on ‘my brother’ and nodded.

“Perhaps I do,” he answered. Rick was the closest thing to a real brother that Ardeth had. Having lost his twin brother at such a young age, he had always felt a gap inside him as if a piece of him was missing. Though Rick did not completely fill that void, he definitely helped.

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


The race was to begin early, before the sun was high and the heat of the day would kill both horse and rider. It was a two-mile trek into the desert and back. It was a race for endurance and speed.

Having already kissed Ardeth and wishing him luck, Emma stood in the crowd of onlookers with Rick, Evelyn, Rashad and the boys. The other Med-jai warriors were spread out through the area, keeping watch for anything that might happen. Ardeth sat high on top of Lailhawa, keeping away from the other horses as they made their way to the starting line.

“Look, Ume! There is Abu!” Joseph yelled out excitedly. Emma smiled down at her son who looked so much like his father.

“You just watch, Uncle Ardeth is going to kick all their asses!”

“Alexander Richard O’Connell!” Evelyn snapped.

“Uh oh.” Alex hung his head. “Yeah, Mum?”

“I hope he kicks all their asses too!” she grinned suddenly, leaning down to hug her son. Alex laughed at his Mum’s playfulness. Most of the time his Mum didn’t approve of his cursing, but every once in a while, she would surprise him, like now.

Da’ud al Hilali stood and gave a small speech. When he was through a cheer went up through the crowd as he picked up a pistol and pointed it straight up in the air. “Alami . . . waDa . . . rah!” (Mark, set, go) Hilaili fired the pistol and the horses leapt forward.

There were half a dozen horses, including Ardeth and Lailhawa. He kept to the rear of the others for now, not wanting to chance a sneak attack from behind by the Rahman’s rider. But the attack, when it came, didn’t come from the Rahman’s rider on the way out. It came in the form of an ambush on the return back to the Oasis, and it struck out at his family.

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


The riders had not been gone more than a few moments when Emma looked around to find that Joseph was no longer beside her. The crowd was still cheering and chanting and she figured he had pushed to the front to get a better view. But when she got there, he was not there either. Pushing back through the crowd, she found Rashad first.

“Sayada, you should not go off like that without telling me or your brother,” he chided her gently.

“Rashad, have you seen Joseph?” she asked frantically. She grabbed his arm as an anchor as the crowds pushed and pulled. “I can’t find him anywhere.”

“I am sure he is with zRir (young) Alex, Sayada. Come.” He took her hand and bulldozed his way back through the crowd where Rick and Evy were.

Rick looked up at the hulking Rashad and frowned. “Whatsup, big guy?”

“Is Yusuf with you?”

“Joseph?” Rick looked around him. Alex was standing a few feet away with Evy, watching for the riders to return, but Joseph was not with them.

“Rick, I can’t find, Joseph!” Emma appeared from behind Rashad.

“Ah shit!”

“You must find him. I cannot leave Sayada alone,” Rashad informed him.

“Yeah, fine,” Rick answered. “You stay here with the women and I’ll find my nephew. Ardeth said the other Med-jai warriors are spread out, right?”

“Aiwa.”

“Good, I’ll find some of them and they can help me look.”

“Rick,” Emma grabbed his arm as he turned to go. “Please find my son.”

“Don’t worry, Em. I’ll find him and I’m sure he is fine. He most likely just got separated in this crowd. It’s easy enough to have happen.” Emma nodded and watched as Rick disappeared into the crowd.

“Where is he going?” Evy asked coming up to Emma and Rashad.

“Joseph is missing.” Emma turned to her sister-in-law and burst into tears.

“Oh no!” Evy wrapped her arms around Emma and held her while she cried. “Alex, you stay right here next to me, you hear?”

“Yes, Mum.”

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


Ardeth hit the ground with a hard thud. It was a moment before he was able to breathe again and he winced in pain as he looked at the dark stain forming quickly on his left shoulder. He’d been shot. A flash of shadow warned him that someone approached from behind and he rolled just as a scimitar smacked into the sand where he just was. Coming to his feet, he drew out his scimitar and faced his enemy. There were five of them. Not great odds, he thought to himself. But I’ve had worse.

“Yallah!” he taunted them. He needed to get this over with and get back in the race. And where the hell is Lailhawa? Some horse he is, protects Emma, but leaves me to rot in the desert.

The first man attacked and with the speed of a true warrior, Ardeth cut him down quickly and efficiently. Then the other four came at him at once. Ardeth raised his scimitar to take them on, when a shrill whistle pierced the air from behind him. By the looks of terror on the men’s faces, Ardeth knew what they saw. He ducked and rolled just as the killing hooves of a wild Arabian stallion struck out at the men who dared attack his master. When the dust cleared, one man was dead and the other three had run.

“Shukran, Lailhawa,” he said soothingly to the horse as the stallion continued to paw the ground. Ardeth was feeling weaker from the loss of blood, but he knew he had to continue. He swung up in the saddle and turned Lailhawa towards the Oasis. “InshaAllah, we can still win.” Lailhawa leapt forward as horse and rider became one with the wind. “Tar Lailhawa! Tar!” (Fly Nightwind! Fly)

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


Rick quickly found a Med-jai warrior named Tarif. He told Tarif that Joseph was missing and to grab a couple of the other Med-jai warriors and spread out to look for him. They had been searching for about five minutes when Rick noticed a couple of questionable looking Arab men with a rolled piece of carpet up on their shoulders. They seemed to be struggling with it and suddenly Rick knew.

He reached them in a few quick strides and had both pistols drawn. “Put my nephew down, now!”

“SamaH ana, Saiyid,” (forgive me, Mister) the one in front said. “I know not of what you seek.”

“Bullshit. You have my nephew wrapped up in that carpet there, now release him.” Rick pulled the triggers back on both guns for emphasis. Then from out of nowhere, a scimitar ripped his pistols from his hands. “Whoa!” Rick backed up quickly as a man in white robes with a red belt and red turban stepped in front of him.

The man barked out some orders in Arabic to the men with the rolled carpet and they quickly moved to continue on their course. “NO!” Rick shouted and started to move forward, but the Arab’s scimitar swung up, just barely missing his nose. Rick stumbled back and fell into someone. Strong arms lifted him to his feet and he turned to see Tarif with a dozen Med-jai warriors standing with him. “They have Joseph wrapped in that carpet,” Rick informed Tarif. Tarif nodded.

“Get our chieftain’s son and we will take care of this.” Rick bent and picked up his pistols and holstered them. He walked over to the carpet that had been dumped by the two men that had taken off after seeing all the Med-jai warriors. He unrolled it and found his nephew unconscious inside. “Is he alright, Saiyid O’Connell?”

Rick checked Joseph over carefully before answering, “Yeah, he’s just unconscious. Thanks guys.” Rick scooped up Joseph in his arms and carried him off to find Emma and the others.

Tarif turned back towards the Arab that stood before him and the other Med-jai warriors. “Zahid,” he acknowledged the long time enemy.

Zahid raised his scimitar. “Tarif,” he answered as a loud **schwing** echoed about them as a dozen Med-jai warriors drew their scimitars, ready to do battle.

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


Ardeth clung to Lailhawa’s mane as they covered the remaining ground that was left between him and the Rahman’s rider. Lailhawa had quickly caught up with the others, passing them, leaving them behind. Fleetingly, Ardeth wondered if he would be able to remain conscious enough to make it over the finish line. He was weak from loss of blood and his fingers felt numb as they had a death grip on the thick black mane.

“Kammal hada, Lailhawa,” (Finish this, Nightwind) Ardeth whispered to the stallion. He felt the muscles of the horse beneath him bunch up as a new burst of speed sent them sailing forward towards their goal.

Ardeth could just make out the Oasis before him as they covered the ground quickly. They were now neck and neck with the Rahman’s horse and rider and Ardeth caught a look of surprise on the Arab’s face. Ardeth smiled, his long hair streaming out behind him. Somewhere along the way, he’d lost his turban. And then Lailhawa pulled ahead.

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


Emma nearly fainted when she saw Rick carrying her unconscious son towards her. “He’s alive, Emma, don’t have a heart attack,” he informed her quickly. “He is just unconscious.”

“Oh thank God!” Emma breathed as she moved to her son’s still form lying in her brother’s arms. “Joseph,” she called softly, while lightly stroking his face. “Come on, baby, wake up.”

Joseph stirred and moaned as his eyes fluttered open. He was confused and disoriented at first, but then his blue eyes met those of his mother and he smiled. “Ume!”

“Hi, sweetie,” she crooned to her boy. “Are you all right?” Joseph nodded and looked up at his uncle.

“I knew you would come for me, Khal Rick!” (Uncle Rick) There was nothing but hero worship in Joseph’s eyes and Rick had to blink back tears. He had to clear his throat several times before he could answer.

“I would always come for you, Joseph.” He set the boy down on his feet just as a cheer rose up in the crowd.

They all turned to see what was happening. Rick and Rashad fought their way through to the front to make room for Emma, Evy and the boys. Thundering down the homestretch were two horses.

“Oh look, Ume! It’s Abu! It’s Abu!” Joseph was grinning from ear to ear.

“Yes, Joseph. I see him,” she answered happily, then her smile began to fade as the two horses thundered passed them and across the finish line.

The cheers rose loudly almost deafening them. “Ardeth is hurt!” Emma frantically tried to work her way towards where he was.

“What do you mean, he’s hurt?” Rick asked as he appeared beside her. Emma looked up at her brother with fear in her eyes.

“I know how he rides, Rick. He was barely clinging to Lailhawa. He’s hurt, I know he’s hurt.”

“All right, come on!” Rashad appeared next to them and once again, the two men bulldozed their way through the crowd, making an opening for Emma, Evy and the boys to follow.

By the time they reached Ardeth’s side, he had been declared the winner, but he clearly had no knowledge of it. He was unconscious.

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


“He’s been shot,” Rick said as he examined Ardeth’s shoulder. “It passed all the way through. He’s lost a lot of blood, Em.”

Emma knelt down next to her husband and began to clean his wound. Rick and Rashad had carried Ardeth back to the Med-jai camp, while Emma followed with Lailhawa. Da’ud al Hilali promised Emma that an investigation would be conducted into who shot Ardeth and the kidnapping attempt on their son. He also told her that when Ardeth was able, that he could collect his winnings. Fifteen horses, of Ardeth’s choice, from the six tribes who had entered the race. All she cared about right now, though, was making sure her husband lived. After cleaning the wound, she sewed it up, having Rick hold Ardeth so that she could sew the exit wound on his back. Once she was done and the wound was properly bandaged with some healing herbs, she was exhausted.

“Emma, you need to get some sleep,” Evy informed her quietly.

“I will not leave him, Evy, so don’t even ask.”

“I didn’t mean for you to leave him, honey. Just lie down next to him and go to sleep. I’ll check in on you in a bit.” Emma smiled over at her sister-in-law and nodded. Evelyn understood what Emma was going through.

Curling up next to his right side, away from his wound, Emma got comfortable and draping her arm across his chest, she placed the palm of her hand over his heart and fell asleep to the solid beat of it beneath her hand.

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


It was several days later before Ardeth finally woke up. He found Emma curled up next to him asleep and he couldn’t help but smile and sigh in contentment, despite the pain he was in. He lifted his right hand and stroked her cheek with his thumb. Emma stirred, then came awake quickly when she realized who was touching her. She smiled happily.

“You know, I’m having a sense of déjà vu!” Emma teased, remembering the last time Ardeth had been seriously wounded and he had almost died. Ardeth smiled.

“I need a vacation!” Emma laughed softly and got up to get Ardeth some water. Rick poked his head in just as Emma was easing him back down.

“Hey there, buddy. Welcome back!”

“Shukran, al zameel.”

“Did Emma tell you that you won the race?”

“No, she did not.”

“Well, you know how it is, being pregnant and all, she probably forgot,” Rick teased, stepping inside the tent and squatting down next to Ardeth.

“I did not forget, Richard O’Connell! He had barely woken up when you came barging in and I did not have the time to tell him,” Emma huffed.

“She’s also extremely moody, so I’d watch what I say if I was you!” Ardeth was trying hard not to laugh.

“Why you no good, rotten son of a-”

“Kaaf!” (enough) Ardeth laughed and then winced in pain. Rick just grinned mischievously as Emma turned her attention back to her husband. “Is everyone safe?” he finally asked when the pain in his shoulder became bearable again.

Rick’s eyes met Emma’s as he answered, “Yeah, everyone is safe.”

Ardeth saw the look pass between brother and sister. “What? What happened?”

Rick glanced down at his brother-in-law, “Weeell, we had a little incident where Joseph was kidnapped.”

“What?!” Ardeth nearly came up off the matt, but then fell back in pain.

“Ardeth, Joseph is fine.” Emma leaned over him to keep him from trying to rise up again.

Rick placed a placating hand on Ardeth’s arm. “It’s all right, brother. I got him back and he’s none the worse for wear. I corralled a couple of your warriors and we tracked down the guys and while I got Joseph out of there, your boys kicked butt. Rashad remained with the ladies and all is well.” Their eyes met and Emma knew that something deep passed between the two men.

“I owe you more than I can ever repay, Rick,” Ardeth whispered softly.

“You owe me nothing, Ardeth. You always call me ‘al zameel’ my brother. You are the only brother and the best friend I have ever had. Nothing is owed between family.” Emma sat off to the side with tears streaming down her face. Though she knew how each of them felt about the other, she also knew that men were men, and they had never expressed their feelings before to each other.

Ardeth nodded and without breaking his gaze from Rick’s, he called to Emma.

“Yes, habibi?”

“Give me my knife.” Emma frowned, but obeyed and retrieved his knife.

“Ardeth, what are you doing?” she asked as she handed the knife to him.

“Something that should have been done long ago.” He drew the sharp blade of the knife across the palm of his hand, then handed the knife to Rick. Without hesitation, Rick took the knife and ran the blade over his own palm, drawing blood. Putting the knife down, Rick reached his bleeding hand over and grasped Ardeth’s in a tight grip, their blood mingling together in an act as old as time itself.

“Damm min al damm, nafs min al nafs, niHna hal-waqt mitl zai waHid,” Ardeth spoke softly, his expression intense. He repeated in English, “Blood of my blood, soul of my soul, we are now as one . . . al zameel.”

“My brother,” Rick whispered.




The End (for now).