Series/Universe: The Mummy
Disclaimers: M7 characters belong to Trilogy, et al. Mummy characters (particularly Ardeth Bey, Lock-Nah, the Carnahan-O'Connell family and Imotep) all belong to Stephen Sommers. Original characters are all mine ... don't mind if you borrow them, just ask first, give them back intact and give credit where credit is due.
Warnings: The usual ... violence, language, and references to ugliness. Oh yeah, and the original characters. Can't forget them.
Spoilers: All twenty-one episodes, both Mummy movies, though more of an emphasis on the second (and my favorite, since it has more Ardeth)
Authors Notes: Get comfy, this is gonna take a few minutes. First and foremost, please be patient ... the prologue is Ardeth-heavy, as I'm laying the groundwork for the rest of the story. Chris and the boys make their appearance in the fourth section, which I'm now writing. There are mentions of them, but Josiah is the only one to actually appear.
This is a one shot deal ... I'm not planning on writing any more stories in this AU (at least, not at the moment). However, if you wanna play in this sandbox, go right ahead. I have no problem with that.
I've changed a few things. First, this is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Mary is Orrin's daughter in this story, not his daughter-in-law, and Stephen's sister.
You'll note, too, that I make reference in later chapters (set in 1933) to the events of the first film being seven years in the past. That's actually canonically correct. While Ardeth and the Med-jai first knew of Rick in 1923, when he was part of the Legion, the two didn't actually meet until 1926. I've also worked around the problem of Alex, since he's eight years old in the second film. Bear with me, I do know what I'm doing.
There's probably a lot more I'm forgetting, but I'll post those author's notes as I post the stories. If you've got the TMR soundtrack, I listened to this often while writing (okay, all the time); especially the pieces 'Evy Kidnapped,' and 'My First Bus Ride.' (the source of one of the best lines in the movie).
With that in mind, enjoy the fic!
Things were moving rather rapidly in the Med-jai camp. With the information their chieftain had received from Cairo, patrols were immediately sent out with the information that more were seeking Hamunaptra, to raise the Creature. No one needed to know why this would be a very bad thing. However, what no one knew was how the chieftain knew about this ... and why he had told them that there would be four women in this expedition. At least, not at first.
Under no circumstances were these women to be harmed ... they were not the enemy. In fact, they were allies to the Med-jai. One woman would be wearing the black and silver cloak, marking her as kin to their chieftain. It was highly likely that the other three women would be around her. If one of the patrols came across this expedition, they were to notify the chieftain immediately. Well, that explained a little, the young warriors decided. If a sister or a cousin to their chieftain was traveling in that caravan, then they would not attack. It was very simple.
At the same time, the Med-jai were preparing for possible problems. While Ardeth Bey was willing to trust his sister or cousin, and the women with her, he was not so willing to trust the men who accompanied them ... one man in particular. He was likely dangerous, and Ardeth wasn't about to take a chance with the lives of his men when dealing with such an obsessed man.
Two days after receiving that missive, one of the other Med-jai patrols near the Nile reported seeing a caravan disembarking from one of the barges. Among the number was a young woman, perhaps twenty-five years of age, wearing a familiar black cloak, a cloak which identified her as kin to the Med-jai chieftain. As they had further been informed, there were three other women with her, and the warriors knew they had found their expedition.
This information was sent to all the patrols, but first it was sent to the patrol led by Ardeth Bey. He sent back the following information. In two days time, before they reached Hamunaptra, the Med-jai would converge on the caravan. Do not let the caravan see you. And it was then that all patrols learned the rest of the story. Many knew that three years earlier, their chieftain had protected a young American woman after her companion was killed in Cairo by Lock-nah.
A few even knew of the year which 'Ameerah' spent among their people, and the reason for her departure. Now, they learned that Ameerah had returned to warn them of the expedition. The Med-jai could figure out what had happened. She had been asked to join the expedition, because she knew a great deal about Egypt after living there for a year ... only to find out that the destination was Hamunaptra. And so she had warned Ardeth.
The Med-jai did not waste time on the banalities of 'would have, could have, should have.' They were a devastatingly practical people ... they had to be. Living in the desert did not lend itself well to second-guessing and sentimentality. Thus, there were no protests of 'she left us.' If there were, these warriors were quietly reminded that Ameerah had come back, she had returned to warn them of another danger. Further, Ameerah originally left the Med-jai in order to protect their chieftain, a man whom they needed.
Nor did the Med-jai have much use for the overprotectiveness demonstrated by Evelyn Carnahan ... in all honesty, many of the Med-jai considered the Englishwoman's overprotectiveness to be nothing short of hypocrisy. At a time when their chieftain had needed her, she had failed him. She had failed him, her brother had failed him, her husband had failed him. Not that this last surprised any of the Med-jai.
On the other hand, Ameerah was there to pick up the pieces. Not all of them were there when Ameerah pulled their badly injured, nearly unconscious chieftain to safety after a cave-in which had been accidentally instigated by the O'Connells. Evelyn O'Connell had once more awakened something else which should have remained sleeping. However, those who weren't present heard what happened from people who were. In the view of the Med-jai, Ameerah had never betrayed them, or their chieftain. Therefore, they would not betray her.
And so, they waited. Waited for the other patrols to close in from all sides, waited for their chieftain to arrive. None questioned this. A few suspected that Ardeth Bey had quietly fallen in love with Ameerah while she was here, and never acted on that love, knowing that her destiny lay back in her home country. If it were true, their chieftain was a better man than even they had realized. And if not ... If not, it still did not matter. No harm was to come to Ameerah, or to her friends.
On the morning of the second day, the second day after the expedition left the barge, the end was in sight. The Med-jai circled around the Westerners, with Ardeth Bey leading the patrol which would actually intercept the expedition. The plan was very simple, but the Med-jai knew something would go wrong. Something always had to go wrong. The Westerners called it 'Murphy's Law.' The Med-jai called it the way things were.
The Med-jai at the docks had received information from one of the men who was working on this expedition. He told them what he, in turn, had learned from Ameerah. In addition to Ameerah herself, there were Eve and Mary Travis, the mother and sister of Stephen Travis, who had died at the hands of Lock-nah. Mary Travis was also Ameerah's best friend, a blonde woman who was rabidly protective of Ameerah.
According to the story told by this expedition worker, she practically shoved her rifle up the nose of the expedition leader, and threatened to blow out his brains the next time he attempted to separate her from Ameerah. When this was circulated, more than one young warrior wondered aloud if this fiery young woman would be worth the trouble of keeping her in Egypt. Those of fierce spirit were admired by the Med-jai, even if they were occasionally enemies.
Then again, that might have also been due to the fact that he had called her and Ameerah, 'Eve and Lilith.' The Med-jai didn't know. Then again, they didn't care, either. They only cared that their friend had an ally who would help her until they could find her. And what they did know were important things indeed. Most important of all was why this was now happening, only scant weeks after Ahm Shere.
The expedition leader was a man named 'Will Richmond,' and he sought to raise the Creature (again), for the sake of resurrecting his daughter. They knew that Richmond had lost his daughter two years earlier. With Richmond was his wife, Charlotte, who had chosen to ally herself with Ameerah and Mary Travis, as well as the blonde girl's mother, Evie Travis (another one?), which made the third ally.
This, then, they knew. The identities of the four women. Ameerah, her best friend, the mother of her best friend (also the mother of the foolish American killed by Lock-nah), who was also called 'Evie,' and the mother of the dead child. They also knew the names of the women. Where possible, the Med-jai learned the names of those traveling. It made it much harder to kill someone whose name you knew.
This was a practice started shortly after the Creature's first rising. Ardeth Bey had strange dreams while he was recovering for the injuries he suffered inside the City of the Dead. They were fever dreams, but he grew convinced that knowing the names of those who sought Hamunaptra would help the Med-jai. It acted as an excellent deterrent in these situations. Especially for those young warriors, who didn't appreciate the difference between one Westerner and another. And then there was Will Richmond himself.
There wasn't a Med-jai who didn't sympathize with a man who had lost his child. Many Med-jai had lost children, to illness and to accidents, and occasionally in raids. They never stopped mourning those children. And if not for the consequences of such an action, they might have been tempted to do the exact same thing. However, this man would raise his child and destroy the world. Their world. Their people would die, their children would die. That could not be permitted. If need be, they would kill this man, and all who stood with him. They were Med-jai, and they would do what must be done.
As for the women, they were another matter entirely. It had happened in the past, that innocents were killed accidentally. The Med-jai tried to avoid this, of course. They had no wish to kill those who did not seek to raise the Creature, but such things happened anyway. Those Commanders and those warriors who knew Ameerah knew that she would keep the other three women close to her.
This was then passed to the others. They only prayed that she would remember enough of her time with them to keep those women in the middle of the caravan. They waited for the signal from their chieftain, that it was time to attack. Time to close the noose around the expedition and let Will Richmond know that his plan to resurrect his daughter had failed. Until then, they would hang back ... but slowly close the circle.
The air was thick with tension as the expedition reached dry land and started forth once more. The tension was thickest when Will Richmond and Adriana Wilmington were in the same general area, and it was decided by all that keeping those two apart was a very good thing. Well, almost all. It had also been decided that Mary Travis was a very strange woman, since she seemed to enjoy watching her best friend spar with Richmond.
Although, if those men ever bothered to actually ask the blonde American, she would have happily told them that she did, indeed, enjoy watching Adriana spar with Will Richmond. Not as much as she enjoyed watching Adriana debate with Josiah, or banter with Chris, of course. It was always more fun to watch a debate when both participants were intelligent, and Mary had decided during the last few weeks that calling Will Richmond even a half-wit was an insult to half-wits.
In the two days since they disembarked from the barge and started across the burning sands of the Sahara Desert, that tension had grown thicker. Mary was reminded of a storm ... gathering clouds, greater tension in the air. And all it would take for everything to explode was one lightning strike. That was coming. Mary knew it was. It was just a question of when and where. It was unnecessary to be a spiritualist to know that.
There had been two arguments between Will and Adriana in the last two days. Each time, she had tried to persuade him to turn back before it was too late. Each time, he had raised his hand to her, demanding that she remember her place. And each time, Mary and her mother stepped in closer, carefully keeping Charlotte out of the line of fire, even as Mary grasped Will's hand before he could strike Adriana. Her friend had merely looked at him coldly, as if she wasn't even afraid of him. But Mary saw behind that cold mask, and saw her friend's fear.
When they left the barge, Adriana quietly told Mary, Charlotte, and Mary's mother to stay close. They would remain in the center of the caravan at all times, so that the men surrounded them on all sides. She didn't share her reasoning with them, but Mary's instincts told her that it was to make sure the Med-jai didn't kill them by accident. From what Adriana had told her in Cairo, such things were known to happen, and this was a way to prevent that. It made sense to Mary, at least, and since she had never been here, she was willing to take Adriana's word.
Surprising everyone, they rode through the night and slept on the camels. Adriana had laughingly shared some stories about Jonathan Carnahan with Mary, telling her how much her old friend hated camels. Mary found she couldn't argue too much, though her practical side demanded that she acknowledge they were doing what they were supposed to be doing ... namely, getting them across the desert. Still, Mary missed her own horse back in Arizona.
Mary smiled wistfully, allowing herself to indulge in homesickness for the first time since they had started out. She missed her horse. She missed her father, she missed her nephew. She missed Chris, though she would never admit that to anyone except perhaps Adriana. Mary still couldn't figure out what her relationship with Chris was like. He was still grieving for the loss of his wife and child, and from all accounts, there was no way Mary could ever measure up to Sarah Connelly Larabee. And yet ... there was a part of her which wanted to try.
Mary knew for a fact that Adriana thought she should try. As her sister was so fond of saying, you just never knew until you tried. Yes, if there was anyone whom Mary would tell about missing Chris, it would be Adriana. Her relationship with Vin was almost as confused as Mary's own friendship with Chris. Further, the blonde had noticed a certain sadness in her eyes as of late, when she mentioned Vin's name. It made Mary wonder.
Now, as her friend told Charlotte stories about her previous time in Egypt, Mary's attention was caught by something strange. Once Adriana paused for breath, Mary asked softly, "Adriana? What is that?" She nodded toward the strange shadow she was seeing. Adriana looked up, and froze. Without really thinking about it, Mary nudged her camel a little closer to her friend's and looked at her mother. The circle of women closed a little more, and the native workers looked at each other uneasily. The storm was just about to break.
"Stay in formation. Alif," Adriana called softly. The young man who had watched out for them the last few days looked over at her. He saw the same shadow which Mary did, and his body stiffened. Adriana said something in Egyptian, which Mary didn't understand, and Alif nodded grimly. He turned to a few of his friends, and Adriana continued, "Remember, stay in the middle. All hell is about to break loose, and I'd just as soon none of us get caught in the middle of that particular hell."
Mary saw her mother give Adriana a reproving look for her language, but the brunette didn't seem to care. Charlotte looked up at the shadow, and Mary finally understood. She whispered, so Will couldn't hear her, "It's the Med-jai, isn't it? They've come. That's why you want us in the middle." Adriana nodded. But before she had a chance to say more, a savage cry split the air, and Mary caught her breath.
In the space of just a few seconds, the expedition found themselves facing an attack on all fronts. Mary held onto her mother's bridle, and from the corner of her eye, saw Adriana reach out for Charlotte. The workers who were with Alif then surrounded the women ... an honor guard, Mary found herself thinking. Adriana whispered, "It's best if you don't watch, Mary ... Charlotte. You, too, Aunt Evie."
Mary's mother had already turned away, though her expression was one of resignation, rather than horror. As if she knew what was coming, and preferred not to witness the inevitable. She and Mary had both seen terrible sights, living for their entire lives in the American West. Evie Travis didn't need any more sights to haunt her dreams. Charlotte closed her eyes, ducking her head at the same time.
But Mary Travis had never learned anything by turning away. And she couldn't watch her best friend's back if she closed her eyes. So she watched as the expedition was overwhelmed by fierce looking men clad entirely in black. Just one in the Cairo Museum was intimidating enough. But now there were dozens, perhaps even hundreds, and Mary shivered. Not one of them came near them, however. Not one tried to even attack the workers who surrounded the four women.
For the others, there was no such mercy. The lucky ones ran away ... lucky and smart. The Med-jai didn't even try to stop them. They were headed back toward Cairo. But the others, the ones who stayed and fought ... their ends, in many cases, were not pleasant. Mary forced herself to watch, nonetheless. Their deaths were unpleasant, but the American woman saw only grim determination on the faces of the Med-jai, no pleasure.
Before long, there were only the women's defenders remaining ... and Will. All others were either dead, or had run away. Will had been pulled from his horse by the Med-jai, and kept in a circle of the black-robed men. Mary's attention was drawn to a movement in the ranks ... men moving to one side, to allow another to pass. At her side, she heard Adriana release a sigh of what sounded like relief. Her friend whispered, "Ardeth," and Mary knew it was almost over.
Mary studied the man who had prevented the death of her best friend, her green eyes missing absolutely nothing. Her own tumultuous feelings for Chris aside, Mary admitted honestly that Ardeth Bey, Med-jai chieftain, was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. She knew some women who would have even described him as beautiful. He was about as tall as Chris, swathed in black robes and black trousers.
His hair was black, just starting to gray, and his face marked by the same extraordinary tattoos she had seen in the museum. They made him look both beautiful and deadly. Right now, his expression was grim as he approached Will Richmond. The American archaeologist struggled to his feet, cursing the man who was a combination of king, general, and visionary for his people. The warriors prevented him from getting too close, however, and pushed him back down.
Dark eyes swept over Will, before dismissing him as being below his notice. Probably the first time someone had ever done that to the self-centered archaeologist, and Mary couldn't decide if that made Ardeth Bey proud or arrogant.
Half a second later, she decided that it didn't matter, as he turned his attention to the four women, and the men from Cairo who had protected them. Mary had often been told that she was either brave or foolish, during her twenty-six years of life. Right now, however, as Ardeth Bey's deep brown eyes swept over her, she felt neither brave nor foolish. Merely exposed. She was used to commanding, and even menacing, men. But this man was different. He reminded her of Chris in some way, though he looked nothing like the blond leader of the Seven.
After a moment, his eyes turned next to Charlotte, who couldn't decide where to look. At the dead bodies littering the ground, the man in front of her, or her husband, glowering at her from his position on the sand. Ardeth Bey took that choice away from her, and Mary silently blessed him for it. He gently placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him. He said in a voice that made Mary's legs weak, "You will never avert your eyes from me. Do you understand? I have no intention to give you reason to fear me."
At that, Charlotte's eyes locked on Ardeth Bey's. Mary heard the quick intake of breath, then the redhead nodded slowly. The young king smiled at her, then he nodded to Mary's mother solemnly. And then his eyes settled on Adriana last of all. Mary watched in silence as her friend straightened in her saddle. The smile left Ardeth's face as he inclined his head to Adriana, saying in a low voice, "Adriana Wilmington." Mary looked at him in confusion. Wasn't he Adriana's friend? Was this a greeting among his people that Adriana hadn't told her of?
"Ardeth Bey. I had thought I would never see you again," Adriana replied, responding with a faint nod of her own head. The pair stared at each other for a long moment. Tension bloomed once more, and Mary looked from one to the other, sensing Charlotte's own fear. Then a familiar, impish smile bloomed on Adriana's face, as she added, "Bet you could have waited another few years before seeing me, huh?" To Mary's surprise, Ardeth Bey threw back his head and laughed, transforming his face.
In some ways, it was like seeing Vin Tanner's smile. When Vin smiled, it took ten years off his age and showed to the world a very different person. The same was true of Ardeth Bey. He retorted, "I am very glad to see you, Ameerah, but I question how it is that you always appear when something is wrong!" Adriana laughed, her dark eyes twinkling as she flung herself from the camel's back, and right into the chieftain's arms.
Ardeth caught her easily, spinning her around. At last, he set her on the ground and asked something in a language which Mary didn't understand. Alif, one of their protectors, said softly, "He is making sure that she is all right. It is his wish to learn as much as he can from Ameerah, without the crazy man finding out." Mary looked at the young man, who added, "Ardeth Bey is the leader of the Med-jai. He did not keep his position by being a fool."
"Obviously," Mary said dryly, and Alif merely laughed. Mary continued, looking at him curiously, "Why did you help us, Mr. Alif? I know that you have little reason to love any of us, especially with the way that Mr. Richmond treated you and your sister. So why?" Alif turned his attention back to Adriana and the Med-jai leader, his dark eyes noting something having to do with Will Richmond.
Then he answered, "Because only a fool would have left a Med-jai princess among oafs such as these, without any aid. I remember the first time the Creature awoke, Miss Mary. I was there when he caused fire balls to fall from the sky. Many died when he came to Cairo, seeking Evelyn Carnahan and the canopic jars. I will not see a repeat of such an event. And while Richmond treated us poorly, you and the other ladies treated us as human beings. I will not repay that with treachery."
It was just too bad that other people didn't appreciate that sentiment. From stray comments made during the last few days, Mary had come to realize that Adriana's warning to Ardeth Bey had two purposes. First, of course, was to warn him of the coming expedition. But he would have known about that, nonetheless ... which led into the second. She had told him as a way of protecting Mary and the others.
Ardeth Bey had turned away to confer with one of his men, when a savage scream split the air. Mary gasped as Will Richmond exploded through the ranks of the men who had been guarding him, and backhanded Adriana across the face. She hit the ground with a thud, and Will advanced on her, screaming, "You bitch! You traitorous little bitch, you betrayed me!" Before he could strike her again, he was swarmed by several Med-jai.
Too little, too late. Mary removed her rifle from its scabbard and lifted it to her shoulder, aiming the weapon at the man who had just made the mistake of striking her best friend. Ardeth Bey was helping Adriana to sit up, a large bruise already appearing on her face, and Mary called to the men, "If you would please, gentlemen, step aside so I have a clear shot at that miserable cur who just saved the lives of most of this expedition."
Ardeth Bey called out, "Do as she says. Ameerah, are you all right?" Mary spared her best friend a worried glance as Adriana bobbed her head a bit dazedly. The Med-jai had parted, allowing Mary her clear shot. One man even grinned at her cheekily and made a sweeping gesture with his hand, as if to say, 'he's all yours.' Mary inclined her head, just as she had seen Ardeth do only a few moments earlier, and that man asked, "Can you stand?"
"Give me a moment," came the breathless answer, "I'm still seeing two Ardeth Beys, when one is scary enough." The young king responded with a mock-glare, one which Mary would have sworn had been learned from Chris Larabee. And it fooled her not one bit. On the other hand, the Look he gave Will Richmond did frighten her. Mary quickly realized that the only thing which kept him from thoroughly trouncing the other archaeologist was keeping Adriana somewhat stable.
After a moment, the brunette said, "Better. Dr. Richmond just accused me of betrayal. Perhaps he should remember what I said to him in Cairo. In order for there to be betrayal, there must first be trust. And even if I did betray him, it was worth it to save Charlotte's life, Mary's life, and the life of my surrogate mother." Well said, sister mine, Mary thought, beaming proudly at her best friend, well said! The Med-jai all nodded approvingly, and Will just looked lost. Like that was really a surprise. Mary's own mother was just staring at Adriana with a strange expression on her face.
"He will receive no more opportunities to harm you," Ardeth vowed, his dark eyes flashing with anger even now. He wanted to pound Will into the ground. Mary could see it. But he had as much self-control as Vin or Nathan, and self-control was hard-won to both of those men. The chieftain continued after a moment, "And you will ride with me." Something was said in Arabic, and Alif nodded, grasping the reins of Adriana's camel.
Mary's mother started to protest, no doubt fearing for Adriana's virtue, but Mary said softly as the expedition was surrounded by the Med-jai, "No, Mother. Don't argue with him. Charlotte, are you all right?" The redhead was nodding, her face almost ashen as she rode alongside Mary. She kept looking from Will to Adriana, and back again. Mary wasn't quite sure, but she thought she saw fury igniting in the other woman's eyes. The only question which remained ... was she angry with Adriana, or with Will?
He struck her. For warning Ardeth Bey, and telling him that there were four women in the expedition, he struck her. The words kept circling in Charlotte Richmond's mind as the expedition once more moved out. She barely registered the motion of the camel under her. The words just kept repeating in her head. He struck her. He, who would bring the world to an end so he could resurrect their lost daughter, dared to accuse Adriana of betrayal! It made her sick. Sick with rage, sick with grief, sick with guilt.
She hadn't understood at first, why Adriana had warned the Med-jai that they were coming. But Charlotte had always learned better by listening and watching, and she learned from their protectors that the Med-jai would have known that someone was seeking Hamunaptra. By warning the desert tribe of their arrival, Adriana had protected the innocent members of the expedition with the only means available to her.
As they rode along, Charlotte's guilt rose up to haunt her once more. From the beginning of this journey, it had always been Mary and Adriana who took the risks. Adriana took the risk of warning the Med-jai, and Mary took the risk to stand up to Will for them all. When had Charlotte ever taken a risk? Sure, there was the moment when she had decided to move into the stateroom shared by the two friends. But she had taken no risks since then. It had always been about
But there was more to Charlotte's guilt than her own action. There was her own lingering guilt over Allison's death. Had she allowed her daughter to die? Was there something more she could have done to save her little girl? Was she ultimately at fault for what Will had become? Maybe if she had been a better wife, this would have never happened. A better wife, a better mother. Just ... better.
"You must not blame yourself," a soft voice to her right side. Charlotte jumped, and looked at whoever had addressed her. It was Ardeth Bey, who said softly, "You are not responsible for the misdeeds of your husband. He made his choices." Charlotte bowed her head, trying to find the words to tell this man of her failures as a wife, as a mother, as a friend. How could she make him understand?
"I took no risks," she told him after a moment, "I did nothing to help Adriana when my husband struck her. She risked her life to save us, and he hit her for it. He would have hit her again, if you hadn't stepped in." Actually, it had been the other Med-jai, but that was beside the point. Charlotte had been unable to look at her friend as Ardeth steadied her, and instead, watched the Med-jai subdue her husband with a few well-placed punches.
"You did something to help Ameerah," Ardeth answered quietly, "you remained out of our way. Sometimes, that is the greatest help you can give. It is a lesson that is very difficult to learn. Ameerah learned it three years ago, in Cairo, when I fought the man who killed her companion." Her companion? Oh yes ... Mary's brother Stephen, who had died in Cairo. The reason for the lingering tension between Mrs. Travis and Adriana.
"There was nothing you could do to save him?" Charlotte inquired and Ardeth shook his head. She paused, not sure if she should ask him the next question, but the words were out before she had time to think about it, "Would you have tried to save him?" Ardeth looked at her questioningly, and Charlotte flushed, realizing she had just insulted the man who spared her life when he could have easily killed her. She tried to explain what she was thinking, asking, "I mean, you have to kill to protect Hamunaptra, after all."
"Ah. That is but a last resort, if we have no other choice. My first task was to find out what this man wanted to know about Hamunaptra. I was in the process of learning what Stephen Travis was doing in my country, after overhearing a conversation between him and Ameerah. After determining that, we had a number of options open to us. Yes, I would have tried to save him. Unfortunately, I arrived there too late. By the time I had reached them, Stephen Travis had pushed Ameerah to safety. He was able to buy me a few extra moments," Ardeth explained.
He fell silent, his dark eyes growing distant. Charlotte glanced at Adriana, surprised that she had been silent for so long. Then she saw the bruise darkening her face, and realized Adriana probably didn't feel up to talking. Not that Charlotte blamed her, of course. After a moment, Ardeth continued, "When I arrived there, Lock-nah was on the verge of doing terrible harm to Ameerah. I could not save Stephen Travis, but I could save her. After the fight was over, she apologized to me, for not helping me."
Ardeth Bey flashed her that devastating smile, adding, "I told her what I told you. There are times when the greatest help a warrior can receive is another staying out of his way. That is what you did. Had you tried to aid Ameerah, you might have ended up endangering her further." That wasn't something Charlotte had thought about. Ardeth looked down at the woman in his arms, saying softly, "She has slept little during the last few days. It took her very little time indeed before she fell asleep."
The change in subject startled the American woman, and Charlotte leaned over to see Adriana fast asleep against the warrior's chest. Ardeth murmured something in Arabic, and Charlotte looked away. There were some things a person wasn't meant to see. There was nothing improper in the way the chieftain touched Adriana's face, but Charlotte had the overwhelming sense that this was none of her business. And so she looked away.
Right back into the glaring eyes of her husband. Charlotte almost turned away. Almost. But then an image flashed through her mind ... Adriana hitting the ground when Will backhanded her. She closed her eyes, allowing that rage to surge through her soul once more. She still wasn't convinced that this wasn't her fault. But she was willing to acknowledge that Will had made his own choices. Charlotte opened her eyes and glared right back at Will.
Only days earlier, she had vowed to herself that she would stop being a victim, and start taking back control of her life. For her daughter's sake. Except, it was only good if you did it for your own sake. She couldn't do it for Allison. She had to do it for herself. For two years, she had endured his insults, his coldness, his ... his abuse. Charlotte had taken it, because she thought she deserved it. Until he had struck out at someone else, and she had seen that it wasn't her at all. It was him. Enough.
That knowledge gave her strength, more strength she had found when she chose to ally herself with Mary and Adriana. Charlotte returned her husband's glare, calling upon two years worth of grief and loneliness. And had the grim satisfaction of seeing her husband wilt under her scorn. Charlotte took the next step, saying softly, "You should count yourself lucky, Will, that you're still alive. Because once the Seven get here, and Vin Tanner sees what you did to Adriana, he'll kill you." Charlotte sensed Mary looking at her with interest.
"I ain't afraid of Tanner," Will spat, and it was all Charlotte could do to keep from laughing. Mary was having an even harder time of it. She had also seen the way Will glared at Vin Tanner, every time the sharpshooter treated Charlotte with some kindness. Was that where her transformation began? Just with that attractive, kind young man treating her like a human being? Maybe. Maybe it was.
"You should be," Mary replied coldly, "that man lived with the Indians for a number of years. Kiowa and Comanche. If he knows more than one way to get the truth out of a man, then he's definitely not someone you want as an enemy. And know this, Mr. Richmond. The Seven are coming. By now, my father is suspicious about our silence. He'll send the Seven after us. And then you'll wonder, Mr. Richmond, who is the lesser evil. The men whom our town call 'the magnificent Seven,' or the Med-jai. That is a promise."
"This man sounds interesting, this Vin Tanner. I have heard of him, from Ameerah. He sounds like he is Med-jai. Like my friend, Rick O'Connell," Ardeth Bey said. There was a snort from Adriana, and Ardeth scolded, "Ameerah! I know you do not like him, but he is my friend! He was your friend, as well, once upon a time." Mary tensed, as if she knew that name, but said nothing. There was something unintelligible from Adriana, and Ardeth sighed, "He did not leave me to die, Adriana, you know that. You were there."
Charlotte didn't know who Rick O'Connell was. She wasn't sure if it was that important. But she had realized one thing. For all his fearsome appearance, she didn't fear Ardeth Bey. Not because he had told her not to fear him, but because he had proven himself to be a man capable of gentleness and compassion. She hadn't decided yet if she had given up on her marriage. She just knew that she was no longer willing to live like this.
As the Med-jai rode for their main encampment, the Seven were preparing to leave New York City for England. It wouldn't be soon enough for Vin, who hated the city. It wasn't anythin' personal against New York itself. He just hated being around cities. Hated the feelin' of bein' closed in, unable to see the sky. And New York City in 1933 had plenty of buildings to block out the sky.
Besides, during the last few days, ever since Josiah shared what he knew with Chris and Vin, the younger brother had found his unease growing. He wasn't sure if that was because Josiah feared that Richmond was tryin' to find that place, or somethin' else. He just knew that he couldn't shake the feeling that time was running out ... all too quickly. During their stops, Chris had collected wires from the judge.
Orrin Travis hadn't wasted any time in the last few days, gathering all the information at his disposal about Anton van Gesen. According to what Chris had told them, he was Dutch (which they already knew), and in his late forties. He was the illegitimate son of Jan van Gesen, half-brother to Katrien van Gesen Wilmington. There were rumors that he was being paid by Hitler to find something in Hamunaptra, but Orrin discounted those theories.
Van Gesen loathed Hitler, for reasons that were unavailable. Or, Vin thought, Orrin knows, but he ain't sharin' that with us, for whatever reasons of his own. In addition, he was independently wealthy, as a result of several successful digs during the last ten years, plus wise investments which had paid off before the Stock Market Crash of '29. In any event, what Orrin hadn't been able to tell them, and what made Vin real suspicious, was van Gesen's silence over the last few years.
That wasn't just suspicious ... it made Vin downright uneasy. Too many questions. Why look up his niece now? Richmond had said that Adriana was chosen because her uncle knew she was an archaeologist herself. Which meant that van Gesen had been keeping an eye on her over the years. Presumably, he knew about the clash with her father the previous year, and that Avery Wilmington was now dead. In a way, Vin wished he wasn't ... so the sharpshooter could have the pleasure of killing him again.
Vin shifted his weight uneasily. That had been an ugly scene. Avery Wilmington had joined forces with an old enemy of the Seven, one Rupert Browner, in an attempt to destroy all of the Seven. But especially, he wanted to wipe out his three children before JD could find out that he was really the kid's father. Mary later learned that Wilmington Senior was getting ready to start campaigning for senator, and he feared the repercussions of having two illegitimate sons.
Personally, Vin thought he should have been more worried about people findin' out that he was as crooked as a boxer's nose, than those people findin' out about them two ... Buck and JD, that is. It had been his experience that people were a lot more forgivin' of men fatherin' children out of wedlock than they were of the mothers of those babies. Ezra explained that some men just didn't like taking chances of any sort ... but acknowledged that Wilmington Senior's priorities were hard to follow.
Whatever the reason, Avery Wilmington had tried to kill his two sons, which prompted the revelation that JD was his son. He made a mistake, however, in forgetting about the one child born in wedlock ... Adriana. She had followed her father and the Seven to the warehouse outside of town where he was holding Buck and JD ... Mary at her side. Where else would she be? During the confrontation which followed, the two women had found a nice perch to see and hear everything.
Wilmington Senior wasn't alone, of course, and while his cronies engaged the five remaining members of the Seven, the old man prepared to kill his two sons. But a bullet from the rafters stopped him ... stopped the fighting as well. Wilmington collapsed to the ground, and Vin had looked up to see Adriana with a smoking pistol in her hand. That was right before someone clobbered him in the back of his head, before taking off for the door.
He didn't get far. Rupert Browner, who had attacked him from behind, was shot in the back by Mary, who had been carrying her beloved rifle. Once Vin's head stopped spinning, it began aching all over again when he heard his older brother and Buck haranguing the two women. By this time, the pair had climbed down from the rafters, and Nathan had started checking over first JD, then Vin.
It was Nathan who ended up rescuing the defiant friends, when he ordered Buck to shut up and sit down, so Nathan could make sure he hadn't gotten his fool self hurt. Then he ordered Chris to shut up and leave the ladies alone. No, he wasn't real happy that they had followed them into danger, but the rescue would have ended a helluva lot worse it them two hadn't ignored Chris when he ordered them to remain behind.
It was true, and Chris knew it. He had grumbled, but left the pair alone after that. JD had been in shock over the revelation that Avery Wilmington was his pa, and once Nathan was satisfied that Buck was alright, the big man offered his own strength to the boy. In the meantime, Mary took Adriana to one side to comfort her. Vin and the others later learned that Mary offered to take the shot which would end Avery Wilmington's life, but Adriana refused, saying that it was her fight. Her responsibility. Vin shook his head, remembering. That damn girl and her sense of responsibility, he thought, conveniently ignoring that he was just as bad.
That night ended the physical threat, but long after Avery Wilmington was dead, he continued to cause trouble for his three children. Buck found himself in the middle of a war between his two younger siblings not long after that night. JD found it very hard to adjust to this news, and began baiting Adriana. In the beginning, she had tried to take the high moral ground by ignoring him. Key words being, 'tried.' Then something was said during another baiting session, and Adriana had had enough. She pushed right back.
What followed were several months of hell. Vin found it hard to stay out of the ongoing feud between the newly discovered siblings, and Mary found it downright difficult. She was, for better or worse, a woman who wanted to make things better. Now she was confronted with a situation she couldn't make better, in any way, shape or form, and she didn't like that one bit. Ezra was a big help here, reminding her that there were some things she couldn't get involved in. It didn't concern her, and this was one of those things.
All of the Seven were hard-pressed not to take sides. They wanted to. Oh, how they wanted to. But things would either work out, or they wouldn't. Nathan pointed out, when he himself was having a hard time staying out of it, that it weren't no different from Chris staying out of the clashes between Ezra and Nathan. They was both adults, it was up to them to settle things. Chris could only interfere if it affected the rest of 'em.
Vin didn't know if he liked that comparison, but it was better than nothing. Or, then there was the gal in town who was sweet on Ezra, and got nasty to Mary and Adriana 'cause they didn't shun Maude, Ezra's mother. Seems she thought since she didn't like Maude, nobody else should be nice to her. Vin snorted. Wasn't none of her business, how other people got along with Maude. Vin knew that Adriana weren't comfortable with Maude, but she was raised by her mama to be polite, and that was exactly what she was.
In any event, things eventually started evening out between JD and Adriana. Vin wasn't entirely sure what the story was. Josiah's theory was, JD was lashin' out at Adriana, 'cause they had the same daddy. That didn't make a damn bit of sense to Vin. Whatever Avery Wilmington done wrong, it was what he done, not what Adriana done, and it made no sense to make her pay for something that wasn't none of her fault.
"Ready to go, kid?" Chris asked softly. Vin wasn't really surprised by his brother's appearance at his side. The younger brother looked at the other, and Chris continued, "We leave in two hours. Gotta round up the others. Josiah's sending wires to the house in Cairo. According to the timeline which Mary left for Orrin, they should be heading out, if they haven't already, and we might be able to catch a break."
"Figure if Richmond ain't there, we'll find somethin' out," Vin observed and Chris nodded. The younger brother paused, then asked, "What do ya think, Chris? 'Bout what Josiah told us a few days back." Chris sighed as Vin pushed off the wall, and the two brothers began walking side by side. That was the other thing that Vin had been thinkin' a lot about lately. Josiah's friends, the Med-jai. Of course, Vin already knew a lot about the Med-jai, and he knew that Adriana had been under their protection. It was what he didn't know that worried him.
"I think it's a no-win situation, Vin. No matter what's going on, those girls are in way over their heads. You know how mad I was at them last year, when they showed up at the warehouse? But the truth was, I was damn glad to see them. They saved our asses last year, Vin, and it's our turn to return the favor. I just hope that we don't all wind up in over our heads," Chris replied. Vin nodded with a sigh. Yeah. That made two of them.
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