CHAPTER 8  

A week after the announcement was made, the O’Connell family arrived at the camp. Ardeth and a few of the warriors had gone to the Valley of Kings to check on an archeological dig there. He had asked Raza and Atiya to meet the family when they arrived. Raza saw them drive up and called to Atiya.  

"Rick, Evelyn. Welcome back. So glad to see all of you again…even you, Jonathon," Raza said, winking.  

"Ah yes. That was Medjai humor, wasn’t it?" Jonathon said, unimpressed.  

"We wouldn’t miss Ardeth’s wedding for anything. Where is he?" Rick asked.  

"He’s at the Valley of Kings. He should be back in a day or two," Raza said.  

"Sure the old chap hasn’t flown the coop, so to speak?" Jonathon asked.  

"I believe that would be English humor, wouldn’t it?" Raza asked, chuckling.  

"Jonathon, be nice," Evie scolded him, giving him a light punch in the arm.  

"Dad, can we drive there and surprise him?" Alex asked.  

"I don’t think so. We can visit with Lillie…"  

"Layla," Evie corrected him.  

"Yeah, Layla. We can meet and visit with her, until Ardeth gets back," Rick said, finishing his thought.  

"Oh, why can’t we go? You know she and Mom will just talk about the wedding." Alex whined, "We’ll be bored out of our bloody minds listening to them."  

"He does have a point," Jonathon said, agreeing.  

"We’re not going," Rick said. "At least not yet," he whispered to Alex.  

"Where is the blushing bride to be?" Evie asked, looking around.  

"She’ll be out soon. She was trying on the ceremonial gown in Zia’s tent," Atiya answered, coming over to greet them. "It is so nice to see you again." She hugged Evie.  

"It’s good to be back. I love coming here and listening to the elder Medjai talk of their many battles," Evie said.  

"Yes, they love to talk about them," Atiya replied, then saw Layla coming from the tent, shading her eyes from the sun. When she saw Atiya, she walked over to her. "Layla, this is the O’Connell family; Evelyn, Rick, their son, Alex, and Evie’s brother, Jonathon."  

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. Ardeth has told be about all of you," Layla said.  

"We should go in out of the sun," Atiya suggested. They all went inside her and Raza’s tent.  

"I hope it was all good," Rick stated going in.  

"Yes. It was mostly good," Layla said with a smile.  

"Mostly? He must have mentioned how we met. One little incantation, I didn’t know it would cause so much trouble," Evie said, giggling while they all sat down.  

"You can laugh about it now. Imhotep just about destroyed the world and us, thanks to you and that one little incantation," Rick said.  

"Yes, Darling, I know," Evie said. "Ardeth didn’t say in his letter. How did you meet him?"  

"He and Raza saved my life," Layla answered.  

"They saved you? I’m most interested in hearing that story," Evie replied.  

"Well, it is rather long and I would love to tell you, but I’d like Ardeth to be here when I do," Layla said.  

"Then we shall wait," Evie told her.  

"Dad, can’t we go see Ardeth? It wouldn’t take long in our car," Alex whined.  

"I said no, Alex. Now mind your manners," Rick told him. Alex lowered his head and pouted.  

"Alex, Ardeth mentioned that you saved your mother’s life once. Could you tell me about it?" Layla asked, trying to lift his spirits.  

"You really want to hear about it?" Alex wondered, perking up.  

"Of course I do. I would not have asked, if I had not," Layla said, moving closer to him to give him her full attention.  

"Well, it all started when Mom found the Bracelet of Anubis. Being the curious type…I opened the chest it was in and I put it on," Alex explained.  

"I bet your mother and Father got angry," Layla commented.  

"Not really. Mom didn’t know about it right off. I told Dad and Ardeth first," Alex said.  

"That’s when your future husband tried to scare the pants off Alex," Rick stated. "All the talk about bringing on the next apocalypse, the boy was only eight, he didn’t need to hear all that."  

"I am sure he did not mean to scare any of you. Ardeth takes his duties quite seriously," Layla said. "Please Alex, continue with your story."  

"When I put the bracelet on, it started showing me the way to Ahm Shere. Starting with the pyramids of Giza and places leading to Karnak. I had told Dad and Ardeth this, but then I was kidnapped by Imhotep and I had to leave clues for Mom and Dad to find me after we left Karnak."  

"You are one brave little man," Layla said. "Do not keep me in suspense, tell me more."

"Imhotep tried everything to stop them. He created this wall of water and sent it after them," Alex told her.  

"Really?" Layla said, astonished.  

"Believe me, it got pretty hairy there for a while, but we made it through," Jonathon said.

"I cannot imagine what that would have been like, to see all of that water coming at you," Layla said.  

"Terribly frightening, to say the least," Evie said.  

"At first…I thought I had lost them, but I felt something inside me that told me they were still alive," Alex said.  

"You never told us that before," Rick said.  

"I didn’t think you’d believe me," Alex admitted.  

"I believe you." Evie hugged him.  

"I believe you, too. Love builds a bond whether it is between a parent and a child or husband and wife. That bond told you they were okay," Layla explained. "So what happened next?"  

"We had to walk through a jungle to get to the pyramid. Did I mention the big Diamond on top of it? Uncle Jon took it," Alex said.  

"Never mind that, Alex. Get to the good part," Jonathon said to him.  

"Okay, we were in the jungle and Lock-Nah was coming after the bracelet…they didn’t need me…just it. So I ran away from him, but he caught up to me. Right as he was about to kill me, Dad came running in to save me," Alex was so animated while he explained the events.  

"Ardeth took care of the bugger for you, Alex. Then I had to save his life," Jonathon added.  

"Well, I should thank you then, Jonathon. If you had not saved him, I would not be here," Layla told him.  

"You’re welcome," Jonathon said, smiling proud that he did something right. "Go on, Alex, your getting to the good part."  

"Yeah, when we got to the pyramid the bracelet popped off. Mom was just getting there with Uncle Jon, when Imhotep showed up with Anck Su Namun and she stabbed Mom," Alex said sadly. "We saw her die and after a while, we thought of the getting the Book of the Living, so we could bring her back. Uncle Jon had to create a diversion with Anck-su-amun by fighting with her, so I could steal the book and help Mom."  

"You both are truly brave," Layla said.  

"If Uncle Jon hadn’t known the last symbol it wouldn’t have worked," Alex said, patting his uncle on the back.  

"The symbols can be difficult at times," Layla said. "When I was a young girl, I had a lot of difficulty keeping them straight."  

"When Mom came back to life she fought with Anck Su Namun, while Uncle Jon and I went to help Dad," Alex said. 

"I must say you tell a story well, Alex. I felt as if I were there," Layla said, smiling. "Ardeth told me how Rick killed the Scorpion King and Ahm Shere was then swallowed up by the desert."  

"It almost took us with it," Rick said. "You know if you’d like to, we could go see Ardeth at the Valley of Kings."  

"I would like to go, but it is too late to start out now," Layla said.  

"Not with my car," Rick said.  

"Really? I’ve never ridden in one before," Layla said.  

"It’s about time you did," Jonathon said, helping her to her feet.  

"Oh my! Ardeth will be so surprised to see us," Layla said, walking out to the car.  

"Where are you going, young lady?" Mahir asked, coming out of his tent with Zia.  

"We are going to the Valley of Kings to see Ardeth," Layla answered.  

"I think I shall go too. If that machine is safe enough for you, it will be for me, also," Mahir said.  

"Father, you should not go out in this heat. You should stay in the shade of a tent," Zia said, concerned for her father’s health.

"I will be fine, daughter. I would like to see the Valley again," Mahir told her.  

"You make it sound like a last request," Zia said.  

"I am 91, it could be the last time I see it," he said to her.  

"Please, do not say such things. You have many years left in you yet," Zia said.  

"So you say, I am still going to ride with them," Mahir told her. Jonathon helped the elderly Medjai into the car, where he sat next to Alex.  

"Layla, you can ride shotgun," Rick told her.  

"Shotgun?" Layla asked, puzzled.  

"He means you can ride up front with him. It’s a saying from the old west times in the United States, when stagecoach drivers had someone with a shotgun sit with them," Alex explained.  

"Very well, I will ride shotgun, without the gun though." Layla giggled.