[ @medjaichieftain ] "You are the witch, Wanda, that our chieftain has taken by his side, yes?" asked one of Ardeth's medjai warriors. "He has been gravely wounded and requests your presence. It is not certain he will live." With that, the man gestured for her to follow him to a tent where Ardeth was being treated for two bullet wounds, one in his left thigh, and the the other in the right side of his chest.
@medjaichieftain
Wanda had been on edge when the man had approached. It had been as before, someone from the medjai had approached her, Ardeth nowhere in sight. Though the difference was this time, the bad news wasn't that they were going to kill him. This time, it was that he was already wounded and needed her there. Everything in her ran cold. "Where is he? Who did this?" She asked as she moved to follow him, a mixture of grief and anger bubbling up. "How long ago did it happen?"
"Assistance with in a way, I suppose is the easiest to put it. This dangerous situation can be put a stop to before it even happens, and you are man whom would know better than I do handle this particular case."
Darck had always done her home work, even ifn soemtimes it slipped between the cracks of reality. Between life and death, time of forwards or past, didn't matter to some supernatural situations. And this was one of them... Fortunately, it hadn't had a chance to actually take place, rather it was something of a possibility. Best to nip it in the bud before anything actually happened. And she sure as hell did not want to stay in a region with extreme heat such as this. Sure she could exist here, but be at her top strength and effective? Unlikely. It was part of the reason why she had chosen a cloudy day to take advantage of. "I'm a bit of a jack of many trades, you see. As a result of this, my work has me come across certain types of information, and objects..."
"In this case, an Object of chaos and death, that enhances the power of the undead- which could also be used to cause a chaotic backlash. The type that Set could easily find a party in if you get my meaning."
Your son has made a grave mistake, Evelyn O’Connell, the god of death had told her with a sneer on his great black muzzle. The Book of the Dead is not meant to be used for such purposes. He has disturbed the balance of life and death and must be punished.
No! I’ll come back with you. I’ll do anything, just...spare my son, please.
You will surrender your ka to me willingly?
Yes.
That would have been the end of Evy’s brief second life had Thoth, the ibis-headed scribe of the underworld, not interceded on her behalf. Evy had been killed before her time, Thoth had argued, and Alex was only a child; moreover, the fact that the O’Connells had twice saved mankind from destruction surely deserved consideration. The god of wisdom had then proposed a way for Evy to both save her son and keep her life, to which Anubis had reluctantly agreed.
There is a book that belongs to me. It was stolen from me long ago by Prince Naneferkaptah, son of Merenptah, and now lies in his tomb in Memphis. Retrieve it for me.
I will.
Needless to say, Rick had not been pleased to hear about this vision of hers. The events of Ahm Shere had left her husband shaken and exhausted, and Evy knew he watched her die again every night in his dreams. For once, his adventurer’s heart yearned for nothing more than peace and quiet, which she was happy to grant him. But then she’d informed him that she was heading back to Egypt to search for yet another ancient magic book buried in a tomb as a favor to the gods, and the two of them had argued — perhaps the most heated argument in their ten years of marriage.
I can’t do this again, Evy, Rick had said, and Evy had responded by urging him to stay home with Alex. Rick had then looked at her as if she’d completely lost her mind and insisted, No. If you have to go, I’m going with you. Evy had tried to pacify her husband by saying she would ask the Medjai for protection on her journey, but Rick had reminded her that he was a Medjai and perfectly capable of protecting both her and their son. Eventually, it had devolved into a shouting match, with Evy accusing Rick of being willing to selfishly risk their son’s safety and Rick accusing Evy of not trusting him to protect his family.
Evy had been saved by the most unlikely person imaginable: Rick’s estranged father, who wrote from Chicago that he was terminally ill and had only months to live. Jack O’Connell wished to see his son before he died. Rick had no intention of going until Evy suggested that he take Alex with him, as this would likely be his only opportunity to meet his grandfather. Don’t do it for your father or yourself, she urged him. Do it for Alex. Finally, Rick agreed.
And so Evy found herself riding across the Sahara Desert on camelback in search of Ardeth Bay. There was no telling what might be guarding the Book of Thoth, so she intended to fulfill the promise she’d made to Rick and seek the protection of the Medjai.
The desert is vast place full of sand and hidden treasures. One can find anything from deadly scorpions to ancient temples, while traveling its dunes. But what one usually does not find, or at the very least not very often, is people - especially lonesome women, walking the sands without either any luggage, nor a care for such.
And yet, the sight that greeted Ardeth Bay this very morning was indeed a woman, walking towards him in a stride, as if the desert was her kingdom and every dune she passed destined to bow to her grace. The rising sun in her back, rendered her features invisible, and in the flimmering, slowly heating air, it sometimes seemed as if leave-like ears were sprouting from the massive crown of her curls, maybe of a rabbit? No, more like a cows!
But as she had finally reached him, she was - after all - just a simple, young woman, in a simple dress walking barefoot through the sands. The only outstanding feature about her, where the long golden creoles hanging from her ears and - well, her absolute lack of any luggage whatsoever. She raised her hands in a gesture of greeting, a harmless, warm smile on her lips.
"Iiti[1], Rider!", she said with a voice more befitted for an elderly lady, "Would you mind taking me along for a while? Walking on my own has become somewhat tiresome."
|[1] “Iiti” - common greeting in Ancient Egyptian, “Hello”
“Uskut!” Audrey’s gaze traveled from warrior to warrior that sat in the circle until they landed on the chieftain who spoke, telling his men to be quiet. Harif, her dearest friend and translator, placed an encouraging hand on her back and gestured for her to move forward, which she obliged a little hesitantly as the chatter of worried chiefs ceased.
“Audrey Tale, meet the chieftains of the Medjai. My friends...this is the woman I spoke of. Audrey is the one woman in this world who knows more about Egyptian deities than perhaps even the most learned scholars of the world.” Several heads turned towards her, and she kept her eyes trained forward, trying not to groan at the sudden laughter coming from the goddess within her. Of course she knew about the deities...she was currently housing one inside of her body.
“Harif...” Her tone was gentle, not unkind, yet there also held a small warning underneath his name to which he nodded a bit sheepishly. Turning her attention to the men sitting there, she cleared her throat and pressed her fingers together in front of her, her mouth formed into a concerned frown. “I’ve done extensive research my entire life on the gods and goddesses of Egypt. Something is happening out there...something that only a god or goddess would have the power to unleash. I know this sounds crazy...believe me, if I had not witnessed the things I have, I would think I’ve lost my mind...but Harif told me that if anyone could understand and could help me, it would be you.”
Not to mention...I helped to form the Medjai...if anyone can help us fight...it is the same men who have helped me protect my pharaohs for centuries...Sekhmet spoke inside of the archaeologist’s mind, and Audrey smiled slightly. I trust these men with this mission.
Summer had come with a ferocity that Fenris hadn't quite expired. Or at least the dryness hadn't been expected. It'd taken nothing more than a few embers hidden at the bottom of a campsite at the edge of the forest to send it all up in flames. Saving some of the other wildlife had been more important than saving things from his house. Other than the braid of black and brown hair and the pocketwatch he'd kept safe for decades now.
Finding himself homeless, only a simple leather pouch hanging around his neck holding his two valuables, Fenris had found himself traveling once more. He'd never really fit in around humans, so he had skirted around the cities, just padding along. As for where exactly he was, he couldn't say that either. Humans made such strange lines and boundaries that held no real markings to tell them apart.
Though perhaps he should have paid a little more attention as to where he was wandering as he found himself wandering through hot sand. It was nearly too hot for him to handle, but he didn't care. He had to keep moving, had to find water. At one point he saw horses with riders and had tried to follow them, but that didn't work quite so well as he'd slipped on a dune and slid quite some ways. By the time he'd reclaimed the lost ground, he'd lost the riders completely.
So he'd continued wandering. Or had attempted to. Another day and a half found the massive wolf slumped on the hot sand, panting heavily, doubting that his healing rune could fix the dehydration he was currently suffering.
[medjaichieftain] (Horus) The falcon came down from the sky to land on the tall woman's shoulder. He was curious about her, to say the least. *You frustrate my human, you know. I wonder why...* he said in his own way, chirping as he canted his head this way and that to look at her. Not that this particular person could understand him anyway. *Perhaps it is your size, or how loud you can get.*
Eva was not used to birds, nor was she used to birds landing on her. She went still and looked at the falcon from the corner of her eye. “Well, hello birdie. Uhm...”
Kettu had said he was a polite bird, and very nice, and Eva trusted her judgement. She reached up and stroked his breast feathers as she had seen Ardeth and Kettu do before. “You’re a pretty bird, aren’t you? Sorry I don’t have anything for you to eat.”
“That is intensely fascinating.” Freya replied with genuine sentiment. Without a thought to normal human personal space issues or the fact that she didn’t even know this man’s name, she stepped uncomfortably close. Freya gently grabbed the end of his sleeve and rubbed it between her fingers. “The fabric is quite thin, isn’t it? And light. I could never wear something like this where I’m from, but of course the climate is completely opposite of yours.”
