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Namesake	By : lotusbalm Category: M through R > Mummy, The (All) > Mummy, The (All) Views: 5765 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Mummy series and do not make any profit off of this.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
Namesake

Chapter 13

Tiri's skin was flushed hot from her sprint through the dry heat of the desert weather. Her heart beat wildly and her thoughts were in shambles. By the time she reached the room she wassupposed to have slept in, a fine sheen of perspiration was making her black dress cling to her and the soles of her feet were cut up from running through the mountainous trails barefoot.

But the superficial wounds and her disheveled appearance didn't matter to her. She needed to get out of this place and away from him now.

"Laxmi," she said on a gasp, dragging in air as her momentum slowed. She thrust the black curtain aside and quickly checked over her shoulder before she went into the room. After seeing that secret room – that shrine, more like – Tiri was way beyond freaked out and had that phantom feeling that there was someone sinister just one step behind her. But her look behind her revealed that no one was there.

Feeling a tiny bit of relief, she forcefully slowed her breathing and turned her attention to the guest bedroom. No one was here either.

"Laxmi?" Tiri asked, a renewed edge creeping into her voice. She whirled around. The bed hadn't been slept in. "Laxmi!" she screeched in a higher pitch voice, running to leave the room.

In the doorway she bumped into the girl in question. "Oh Gods, Laxmi," she said while clutching at her chest, as if it would somehow slow her fastly beating heart.

Her best friend took in her wild appearance and the fear in her eyes. Laxmi's dark eyes widened in concern. "Whoa, Tiri, what's the matter? What happened?"

"Where were you?" Tiri asked but then shook her head, deciding that that wasn't the most important matter of concern at the time being. "We have to leave now!"

Laxmi caught Tiri by the arm, hauling her back into the room. "Tiri, talk to me! What the hell is going on? You went with Ardeth Bay last night, right? What happened?"

Tiri flashed to what had happened between her and Ardeth Bay. The hot touches, the sighs and moans of pleasure, the wall of his muscles encapsuling her softer form as he kissed her until everything but him dropped away...

Only to return to stricken reality when she found the mummy of Princess Nefertiri in his secret treasure room.

A forboding twinge filled her veins with icy dread. "He's going to use me to get Princess Nefertiri back. He wants to use my body as a vessel to put her Ka spirit in. I saw her. There were paintings and drawings of her everywhere!"

Laxmi's grip on Tiri went lax and her brows scrunched together in confusion. "Ok – you've lost me. Princess Nefertiri?"

Tiri sighed and tried to sound like a rational person as she explained something that, well, shouldn't be plausible but somehow was. "Remember that story Jahira told us about the twelve sons of the Medjai? You know, the one where the youngest Medjai Chieftain fell in love with Princess Nefertiri?" When Laxmi nodded her head 'yes' Tiri continued. "Ardeth Bay is the youngest of the twelve original Medjai chieftains. That's how far back his origins go. He was – is – the one that loved and still is in love with Princess Nefertiri, and he intends to use me to get her back."

Comprehension quickly dawned in Laxmi's eyes at Tiri's explanation. "Wow. That's...heavy. But it makes sense. I mean, we didn't know how old he was - just that he's immortal." She looked suddenly uncomfortable. "Did you two...?" She trailed off, leaving Tiri to fill in the blank.

"No," she said quickly, suddenly unable to meet Laxmi's gaze. "Well – nearly. We did...things, but he was adamant about not taking my virginity until 'I come back,'" she said with emphasis.

Laxmi swore on a gasp. She looked as if suddenly she understood why Tiri wanted to get out of this place so urgently. "He wants to use you as a virgin sacrafice!" They shared a frantic look before wordlessly heading out of the door together and running to the rooms housing their male companions. They quickly passed each room, telling the men that they needed to leave now. That quickly brought them all to attention and they stopped their leisurely breakfasts and gathered in a group.

"Ardeth Bay wants to use Tiri as a virgin sacrafice!" Laxmi blurted out to the questioning men.

All eyes were suddenly on Tiri. Tiri was accutely aware of the fatherly and grandfatherly eyes. Oh Gods.

He grandfather stepped forward, looking completely baffled. "I'm sorry, but did you just say...?"

"I found this secret room," Tiri cut in. "It's like a shrine dedicated to Princess Nefertiri - and every image of her looks exactly like me! And there was a sarcophagus. Princess Nefertiri's Sarcophagus. Ardeth Bay is in love with her and he's going to use me to get her back."

Her grandfather was shaking his head. "No, Tiri, there's got to be another explanation. Ardeth Bay wouldn't-"

"We don't know that," Tiri's father cut in swiftly. Tiri was taken aback by the expression on his face. There was anger and something else glimmering in his eyes, something that Tiri could only describe as unhealed anguish. "This place – Egypt – things go wrong here. Terribly wrong. If my daughter has a hunch then we will stand by her. Haven't we O'Connell's always needed to rely on instinct to survive this place?" He directed the question to Grandpa Alex. The bitterness in her dad's voice went unchecked. It put Tiri on edge, and made her want to leave this place even more.

Her grandfather stared at her father searchingly and heaved a heavy sigh. Suddenly he looked so very tired and elderly. It made Tiri want to cry. "All right," was all he said and he compliantly urged her father to lead the way.

Brad O'Connell purposefully led them through the corridors. They were making their way back to their starting point. Like when she first got here, she felt the penetrating stares of black robed figures staring at her from high vantage points. Whispers pressed in around her.

They made their way to the personal sized plane that was in its same landing place. However, when they were merely a stones throw away from the gleaming aircraft a storm of black clad figures on horseback galloped in front of them, blocking their passage to the plane. Ardeth Bay was in the very center of the Medjai warriors who were impeding their leave.

His dark eyes were stormy and resolutely on her.

"You cannot leave this place."

"Like hell we can't!" Brad O'Connell grit out in rage. He strode toward the Head Chieftain of the Medjai, his fists balled in a menacing manner.

Ardeth Bay merely let his gaze drift over him with the ease of someone who was not threatened in the least. "Not you. You can leave whenever you wish. Your daughter is the one who must stay. The Medjai will not allow her to leave Egypt."

'Oh Gods, this cannot be happening,' Tiri thought.

Her Uncle Will joined her father and stepped menacingly towards the Head Chieftain. Several of the Medjai went to unsheathe their scimitars but Ardeth Bay signaled them to stop with a sweeping hand gesture.

"I don't care who the hell you are," Brad O'Connell said with venom. "My daughter isn't property and she sure as hell can leave whenever she pleases!"

That grimly serious visage of someone who had seen it all - seen it all and fought and killed and led thousands of men into war - was on Ardeth Bay's face. It was the stony face of a leader. He dismounted his horse in one smooth motion and stood facing off eye to eye with her father. "No," he said, nodding his head in her direction. "She cannot leave. Her destiny lies here."

Tiri felt anger, fear and uncertainty grip her.

Her dad sucker punched him.

Tiri and the others gasped as Ardeth Bay's head jerked to the side. There was a heavily charged beat of silence where no one moved - and then he slowly turned his head forward. Crimson rivulets of blood were gushing from his nose and the corner of his lip. This time his men did pull out their wickedly curved scimitars. Tiri flinched as she heard metallic zings from behind her as well. With an ominous feeling she turned to look over her shoulder. They were surrounded on all sides.

She quickly turned back around to see what would happen to her father. Once again, Ardeth Bay signaled his men to back off. He wiped the blood off of his face with the black sleeve of his robe, and in a distant part of her mind Tiri wondered if the Medjai's affinity for black was because it hid the grizzly stain of blood.

He stared down her father for a long, agonizing moment. And then... Then in a strange turn of events he gave a shallow nod of his head.

"Let them pass," he said in Arabic to his Medjai warriors as he himself stepped aside, leading his horse out of their way.

Everyone in Tiri's group stared at him warily, uncertain of his intentions.

Ardeth Bay only had eyes for Tiri. It was as if he was trying to convey his intentions with just the deep liquid pools of his eyes...but it only left her in confusion. "Go," he said in English, gesturing towards the airplane.

His hackles still raised, her father glared at Ardeth Bay as he gestured for his group to follow him. He put a protective arm around Tiri's shoulders and urged her to walk at his side. "Stay away from her," he said to Ardeth Bay.

The dark warrior's jaw worked. He didn't deign to answer Brad O'Connell. Instead, in Arabic, he said to Tiri, "Do not leave Egypt."

Tiri didn't know what to make of his advice - but she'd find soon enough that she had no choice in the matter.

Tiri had watched from the airplane window as a flurry of black clad warriors rode through the desert at break-neck speed until the landscape brought them out of sight. She had an extremely uneasy feeling that they were heading towards Cairo. Her grandfather informed her, however, that it was a two day journey by horse. They had left the plane with its owner, Dr. Bey III, and had taken a cab to their place where they quickly packed and then headed to the airport.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but all flights have been postponed indefinitely due to inclement weather," the airline ticket agent said feebly as Brad O'Connell glared at her.

"What do you mean, inclement weather? We were just out there and the sky was as clear as can be!"

"Fr- freak sandstorms, Sir. They just started up. However, if you wish to be notified when the flights will be running again, you can leave the airline your phone number or email address and an agent will get back to you as soon as possible," she said more brightly.

Looking totally disgusted with this turn of the events, Tiri's dad turned away from the poor women without so much as a 'Thanks, but no thanks.'

"Come on," he barked to everyone. "We're leaving."

As soon as they stepped out of the secure doors of the airport, a surprisingly strong wind whipped against their clothes and bit at their skin.

Tiri had a sudden feeling of déjà vu as she remembered the freak sandstorms that had saved her, Laxmi and Manuel from their kidnappers. She was willing to bet that these sandstorms were magically occurring rather than naturally occurring as well...

They were back at Grandpa Alex's place in Cairo. Her father was pacing in front of the locked door while brandishing a crude form of an ancient machete that had been on display above Grandpa Alex's living room mantel. He was on alert in case the Medjai decided to pay them a visit. Her grandfather had eyed his son with great displeasure before asking to speak with Tiri in her room in private.

Once settled, sitting on the edge of her bed, Grandpa Alex asked, "Are you sure about all of this Tiri? Did you see the mummy of Princess Nefertiri?"

"Well, no," she said a bit defensively. "But the sarcophagus was right there in front of me!"

"But you didn't check to see if it contained a mummy," he stated pointedly.

Suddenly she felt like a naughty child. "No," she said, dropping her head so her hair blocked her face. "I didn't check."

Her grandfather brushed her hair back behind her ear so he could make eye contact with her. A gentle smile graced his face. "You know, since you are a young woman that's been accepted into the archeology program at Cambridge, I feel it is my duty to tell you that you will do much better in your field if you actually check the sarcophagi to make sure that the deceased in question is, in fact, in there."

Tiri stared in surprise at her grandfather. She hadn't told anyone that she had been accepted to Cambridge. She hadn't even told anyone that she had applied. "How did you-?"

"I have my ways," he interrupted with an impish smile. "Congratulations, by the way. I thoroughly approve of your choice of career. It's about time that we had another explorer in the family."

"I'm not so sure that I'll even be going to Cambridge," she mumbled. 'Especially now,' she thought, looking down to her hands in her lap. "I mean, I've got other options to consider. Modeling... Acting." That is...if she lived long enough to make it out of Egypt.

Her grandfather's silence made her look up to see what he was doing. She found him staring at her pensively. When he had her undivided attention he spoke. "What does your heart tell you?"

Tiri worried at her lip for a long while before she finally answered. "My heart... It's telling me that I didn't check that sarcophagus."

Her grandfather's smile turned into a beatific grin.

Moments earlier in another part of Alex O'Connell's Cairo flat, Raul Casablancas, his son Manuel, and Will O'Connell lounged around in the room Raul was staying in. They were making sure to keep clear of Brad O'Connell because he was in a foul mood because of the Medjai.

Raul Casablancas, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. The myths of Hamunaptra and Ahm Shere were real! The O'Connell's really had battled mummies and Jackals and a Scorpion King! This went way beyond what he needed to know for the mummy film project to the point that he was now just wanting to know more, more, more to feed the inner child in him that was dying to go on that ultimate adventure. He considered himself a dreamer after all. Many Hollywood types were, of course.

He supposed if he really tried hard he could also work the angle of his 'inner child' as being the cause for him to go snooping around and getting a bad case of sticky fingers.

He had found the black Book of the Dead in Alex O'Connell's suitcase and had taken it out to look at.

But he wasn't content with just looking he quickly found out. He wanted to witness a bit of magic.

That's where William O'Connell came in.

He knew for a fact that Will could read and write in ancient Egyptian because he had bragged about it a fair few times while in a drunk and disorderly stupor while around beautiful women who could care less. At those specific times, Raul Casablancas could have cared less as well, but after the things he had seen in the past few days - suddenly he was very interested in Will O'Connell's ability.

And he told him so.

Will O'Connell stared at the acclaimed director as if he was nuts. "You want me to read from that book?" he asked incredulously.

The sharp eyed director and his less-than-intelligent-but-decent-with-line-memorization son stared at Will O'Connell expectantly. "Why not?" the director asked. "What's the harm? Come on, just something small."

"Something small from the Book of the Dead?" he asked in a disbelieving voice. But it was said on a breath because his nose was already buried in the ancient text. No one could ever accuse him of being the rational twin - that was Brad's thing. Will had a knack for mischief and could never say no to a challenge.

"I know!" Will said triumphantly, spotting a spell that seemed harmless enough and went with one of his dad's pieces that was in the room. He faced the ornate miniature sarcophagus that contained a mummified Cleo, which had been his grandmother Evie's cat, and enunciated the spell. The ancient words spoke of bringing the feline back to life. He was sure of it. Well, pretty sure of it.

When it worked he barely let out a relieved sigh and put on a grin like he knew it would have worked all along.

A stream of opalescent light shimmered from the seal of the miniature sarcophagus and a surged of magic blasted through the air. The sweet sound of a kitten's meow sounded from inside the small jewel-toned coffin.

The three men exchanged glances before Raul took the courage and opened the lid...

A ball of tattered fluff pounced out and instantly started purring and rubbing against their pant legs.

Raul laughed in delight.

Magic.

"What was that?" Tiri asked in alarm moments after a powerful current surged through the air. It felt like...magic.

Her bewildered gaze met her grandfather's. He, however, looked like he knew all too well what must have happened. "Someone read from the book."

He quickly stood up and strode out of the room. Tiri got up and followed behind him. The scene they stumbled upon was so surreal. Raul had put down a saucer of milk for a creature wrapped in tattered linen. As it lapped at the sustenance it seemed to be...regenerating.

"Oh no," her grandfather said, eye-ing the cat that was turning into a majestic fluffy white ball of fur.

Her Uncle Will turned to look at Grandpa Alex, a prideful grin plastered on his face. "Oh don't worry, Pops, I only did small magic. Look at that! I brought back Cleo!"

"There is no such thing as small magic, idiot boy," Grandpa Alex said as he strode out of the room to where his other son, Brad, was pacing. He turned on the television.

"In breaking news, a vast army of feline creatures that seem to resemble jaguars have suddenly burst as if out of thin air in Egypt. Reports coming in are informing us that the creatures are not allowing people to come in or out of the borders of Egypt..."

Alex O'Connell slowly turned away from the television and asked Brad in a wavering voice, "Son, open the door for me please."

Brad gave him an uncertain nod and then guardedly opened the door.

A tall, black creature with lethal-looking muscles stood upright filling the doorway. It had razor sharp claws and the predator face of a jaguar. Upon seeing them, its red eyes narrowed and it bared its fangs. They were as long and as sharp as a sabertooth tiger's. It held a spear in front of it menacingly and started a low, reverberating hiss that turned into an all powerful roar. Brad O'Connell yelled in surprise and closed the door in its face.

To his son Will Alex O'Connell breathed out, "You've risen the cat guardians of the underworld."

Will looked decidedly less prideful now.

"Cat guardians?" Brad O'Connell asked worriedly while quickly backing away from the door. "If the cats guarding hell are up here...then whose down there guarding hell?"

As if on cue a mummified arm burst through the floor.

Alex backed away towards his weapons chest. "That would be no one, Brad," he answered quickly, while loading up on ammunition. "With the cat guardians up here, I'm hazarding a guess that Egypt is the new Hell."
- 12
- 13
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Namesake