There's A Fine Line Between Coincidence & Fate ✓

Chapter 17

I saw a sword amidst the gold necklaces, headpieces and other treasures and was drawn to it. On the hilt was a lioness' head, the goddess Sekhmet. Cautiously, I picked it up. I had never used a sword, but it felt right in my hand, like it was made for me. I felt someone come up behind me and I turned too quickly and with skill I didn't know I possessed, brought the sword up in an attack. Thankfully Ardeth had fast reflexes and had drawn his sword to block me. I backed up and quickly dropped the sword to my side, eyes wide in fear. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do that," my words meshing together as I blurted out an apology.

He nodded in understanding, before putting his sword back in the holder at his side. We both jerked around at the sounds of grunting and groaning coming from the ground in the middle of the room. We had closed ranks before hands started shooting out from the ground, mummified bodies clawing their way to the surface. "What the hell are those things?" I asked.

"Priests. Imhotep's priests." Ardeth said, realization dawning on him, and then me. So, these were what became of the gold painted men I saw in my dream.

"All right, then." Rick said before we open fired, attempting to at least keep them from getting any closer. Jonathan surprised us all by taking two of Rick's pistols and actually joining the fight, unloading them both into the oncoming horde. When they were finally both empty, he chucked them at the mummies. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped my lips at this. We took off, further into the treasure room before finding a corridor to go down. We all filed in one by one and entered into a big chamber, much like the one where the base of the statue of Anubis was. Except this one held the statue of the falcon head god. "Thank goodness." I said, almost in tears as I was the first one to enter the room.

"Hello Horus, ol' boy," Jonathan said as he came in behind me. Rick and Ardeth arrived last, taking the time to slow the advancing mummies. They paused for a moment with Rick handing him the shotgun before grabbing a stick of dynamite out of his pack and lighting it against Ardeth's cheek.

"Time to close the door." He quipped before tossing the dynamite into the hallway. We raced to get behind the statue, away from the blast. Ardeth pulled me under him, shielding me from any debris that might make its way to us. Finally, a moment of peace. Rick and Jonathan started digging out the compartment that held the book of Amun Ra while Ardeth and I reloaded our weapons. The mummified priests were slowly advancing again, having found another entrance into the statue room.

"These guys just don't quit, do they?" Rick asked, voice tight with exertion while he tried to pry out the chest. Ardeth had finished loading the shotgun by this point.

"Keep digging." He ordered Rick and Jonathan.

"Don't do anything stupid." I tell him, as I put the last remaining bullets into my rifle. I go over to join him, watching his back as he guards the door. Jonathan and Rick had gotten the book out by this point and Ardeth was doing his best to keep the priests at bay. But there were too many of them and he was out of bullets. He turned and looked at me, and I could see in his eyes just what he was planning on doing. "Please don't." I begged him, hoping he could see that I wasn't strong enough to lose him too.

"Be strong, ya amar," he whispered to me, placing a kiss on my forehead, before turning to speak to Rick, "Save the girl. Kill the creature," before yelling out a war cry and running headfirst into the throng of mummies trying to get through the door. Through the smoke from the previous gunshots, we could see that he was doing his best to beat them off, a battle that he was surely going to lose as he was outnumbered. All I could do was stand in silent horror and watch as he got lost in the crowd. Rick then lit yet another stick of dynamite to make another way out. "What are you waiting for? Get out! Get out!" Ardeth yelled back to us, but you couldn't even make him out at this point. I didn't have much time to search though as Rick threw the dynamite into an alcove in the side of the room, blowing out a portion of the wall.