The Reward of Love

Chapter 6

Kneeling down in the dirt path I examined the footprints left by Imhotep and his men. Adeth and Rick stood by protectively guarding my back. Counting the footprints left in their wake, Imhotep had about thirty men still with him.

"Perhaps we should use the jungle as cover to sneak in and pull Alex away." I suggested getting to my feet. "I can slip in undetected if you two watch my ba-"

Gunfire erupted from the dark depths of the jungle.

"Let's go!" Rick bolted towards the gunfire through the overgrown shrubbery. We followed suit right on his heels.

The lights of the fire torches gleamed in the darkness, being waved frantically in panic. The group of men in red had no idea we were in the center of their circle as they focused on the moving shadows in the trees firing bullets at nothing. Ardeth opened fire eliminating the future threats to us as Rick kept running searching for his son. I cut down men in his path clearing the way keeping my eyes open for any flash of white from Alex's shirt. Bushes shook violently as men were taken off their feet and dragged into the darkness screaming for their lives.

"Dad!" A little boy called.

My ears burned at the glorious sound of my cousin's son.

"Alex!" Rick spun in a circle trying to locate his son. Two men rushed us before being shot in the back by Evy and Johnathan from above.

"Dad!" Alex cried frantically from behind us.

I snarled and rushed after the sound letting the vegetation cut along my cheeks. Rick's panted breath stayed with me right on my heels as he called his son again. "Alex!"

Evy and Johnathan cleared our pathway shooting any man in red before we could come close to a fight. With the wind behind me and the men falling in front, I snarled like a beast frantic on the hunt for my cousin's son.

I saw the flash of white as Alex pushed up against a tree with Lock-nah about to kill him. "Dad!"

I snarled darkly tackling Lock-nah to the ground like an Anubis warrior before Alex could be killed. Rick picked up Alex and vanished into the forest leaving me to deal with the kidnapper myself. The thought of this blood on my blade gave me great satisfaction. Rolling from Lock-nah's incoming blade I bounded to my feet at the ready for a delicious battle. Ardeth let out a war cry locking blades with Lock-nah before he could chase after Rick.

The sound of our ringing blades deafened my ears and the power behind Loch-nah's blows fed my hunger for his blood more. I ran my tongue over my slick teeth snarling darkly at the man pushing him towards Ardeth's incoming blow. Loch-nah shifted his blade from his defense of me to catch Ardeth's curved sword before it killed him. With an evil hiss I slashed my sword upward cutting into Lock-nah's side from hip to arm. Lock-nah's sword arm went limp and Ardeth's blade slid over the defending steel into Lock-nah's throat spraying his blood over the steel. Loch-nah's body slumped to the ground with a satisfying thud.

"Come on," Ardeth grabbed me by the arm. "We must warn the commanders." He pulled me along into the forest heading back into the evening desert.

The desert sun rested at its peak in the sky as we moved through the sand with Ardeth leading the way. The Medjai commanders sent out riders looking for us when Horus never returned. Thankfully they brought extra horses otherwise my jelly like legs would have collapsed by now. The smell of sweat and leather filled the cramped air space between me and the hundreds of soldiers riding towards Ahm Shere. My loose grip on the old reins held my mind in place as my will and spirit drifted from hope. So many men would lose their lives today as would I.