It would be good to see the O'Connell's again, Ardeth mused as he walked along the crowded Cairo streets. Evelyn (she had absolutely forbid him to call her Mrs. O'Connell) was just beginning to show the child she carried when he had last seen them, and for the last year, he had continued guarding the City of the Dead. But now, he was back in Cairo and was about to see his friends.

A reluctant smile tugged at the edges of his mouth. When he first met the American adventurer and the gentle English librarian, he would have never guessed that they could become such good friends. *Great-Grandmother would have,* he thought to himself, shaking his head. His father had not been able to sire any more sons after Ardeth, perhaps because his brother's spirit was already in another form.

As he went around to the side entrance, he was suddenly stopped by a soft female form running into him. He was instantly on his guard, since no sane woman in Cairo would walk into an alleyway alone. As his eyes adjusted to the shade, he saw that the mysterious woman was gravely injured, and she was carrying a bundle.

The woman knew that her death was coming. Her vision was starting to gray around the edges, but she clung to life in a desperate attempt to deliver the girl-child she held in her arms from the evil that she herself had been subjected to. The dark warrior she ran into regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension. She drew on the courage that had gotten her this far and looked the warrior straight in the eyes. He seemed momentarily taken aback that she would do that, but in that one unguarded instant, she had seen what she needed to. She thrust the child at him, making sure that he supported the girl's head. Only when the child was out of her arms did she allow herself to sink against the wall of the alleyway.

"Protect her. Do not take her back to the orphanage," she pleaded.

Ardeth knelt down. "Does the girl not have parents?"

She shook her head. "No. That is why she was sold. This girl deserves a better life than what I have. She does not deserve to be sold and taken into a harem." With a surprising burst of strength, she grabbed Ardeth's arm. "Promise that you will protect her."

Ardeth nodded. "I will. Does she have a name?" She shook her head again, not having the energy to speak. She knew that her life was slipping away. "Since this child has no name, will you tell me yours, so that I may name her after the brave woman that gave her life to protect her?"

She smiled slightly, then struggled to catch her breath. Her eyes started sliding shut of their own will, and she mentally repeated a brief prayer. "Aisha," she whispered just as her eyes closed for the final time and she breathed her last.

Ardeth said a prayer for her soul, then spoke to the woman's lifeless body. "Then Aisha she will be."

He carefully unwrapped Aisha, taking care to support her head. He never thought that having to hold his nieces and nephews would be a useful skill, but now, he was eminently grateful to his sisters. She was a bit older than what he had at first thought, probably due to the poor conditions at the Cairo Orphanage, and not getting enough food to eat. Her eyes were a very light brown, almost amber. He guessed her to be no more than six months old.

"What am I going to do with you, little Aisha?" he whispered. His head shot up as he heard angry shouts coming from the far end of the alleyway. He covered the late Aisha with the blanket that the baby had been smuggled into, then wrapped the baby into his black and blue kuffiyeh. He thanked whichever gods were watching as he managed to slip into the doorway and watch the men who were trying to sell the girl in his arms. She whimpered softly, prompting him to gently sway back and forth to calm her before she alerted the two men still searching the alleyway to their presence. As they left, searching the main streets once again, he opened the door to the Museum and walked in, already mentally composing a letter to Hakim, who lived in Cairo, telling the other Med-Jai to keep observant about other girl children being sold to those two men.

Rick pulled up short as he was coming down the steps from Evelyn's office. "Ardeth. What curse brings you by?"

Ardeth thought that his friend's humor hadn't improved any. "No curses today, my friend. But once we are in your wife's office, I will tell you more about the interesting events that have happened today."

Rick lazily waved an arm back up the steps. "Is that bundle what I think it is?"

"A child, yes. Not mine, though. She is from the Orphanage, and just narrowly avoided being sold."

Rick snorted. "Doesn't surprise me much. The prettiest girls would usually disappear after a few months at the orphanage, and sometimes the boys too. The headmaster usually told us that they were adopted and that if we didn't stop asking questions, that no one would ever want to adopt us."

Ardeth stopped suddenly on the stairs. The fates obviously had a sense of humor. His brother in spirit was raised in Cairo, no more than a week's ride from the Med-Jai city, and no more than three day's ride from Hamunaptra. It was a wonder that he and Rick hadn't seen each other before they were adults. He shook his head, then resumed climbing up the stairs. Evelyn's office door was closed, so Rick knocked a couple of times before turning the knob. His eyebrows nearly left his face when he saw the black-garbed man seated sedately across from Evelyn.

"Uh, hello..."

The Med-Jai man stood and bowed slightly to Rick and Ardeth, then produced a rolled piece of paper and handed it to Ardeth. He clumsily unrolled it, trying not to tip over Aisha, who was making soft cooing sounds. Evelyn came around her desk to get a better look at the child.

"May I hold her?"

Ardeth nodded and handed Aisha off to Evelyn, who cooed at her back. Ardeth unrolled the paper, read it through, frowned, and then read it through a second time. After reading it a second time, he sat down heavily in a chair and cursed quietly. Rick was wondering what had gotten the normally unflappable Ardeth Bay upset enough that he started cursing with an inventiveness that Rick admired. The paper was on the floor, still opened, but curling around the edges. He snatched it up and read it, and then looked at his friend in wonder.

Ardeth looked back at Rick with some amusement. "Sometimes, I wish that Kadira would keep her predictions to herself."

"So... this Kadira is saying that you have to take the kid as your own?"

"Aisha. And yes, that is what she is saying."

**Seven Years Later**

Ardeth rode his horse at the front of the victorious Med-Jai as they rode into their city. A great cheer went up from those that stayed behind, greeting the warriors home. Ardeth was quite tired, since they had ridden well into the night. He just wanted to be home as soon as possible to see his daughter. It didn't take much to imagine the anguish the O'Connell's went through when Alex was kidnapped.

He dismounted his horse and smiled through all of the congratulations being heaped upon him, although all he wanted to do was see his daughter, then sleep.

"Father!" Ardeth turned towards the shout just in time to catch Aisha as she flung herself at him. Ardeth held onto her tightly, and then pressed a kiss into her soft black hair. "I missed you, Father."

"I missed you too, my little Aisha," he murmured. He shifted her weight to his hip, then held up a hand for silence. The city once again grew quiet as all of the Med-Jai waited for their leader to speak. "My people! Once again, we owe our thanks to the O'Connell's, for without them, victory would have been impossible. They have performed with the greatest bravery any warrior could ask for." Ardeth smiled a little. "I also have news that will make you sleep easier at night. Lock-Nah, the follower of the blasphemous Creature and killer of our people is no more."

The cheers that greeted that announcement were louder than the welcoming shouts. Ardeth walked back towards his house, acknowledging people along the way. His mother fell into step beside him about halfway through the city.

"What happened out there, my son?"

Ardeth looked at his mother, then down at Aisha, who was drifting back off to sleep on his shoulder. "The O'Connell's son was taken by the Creature and his followers." Lila Bay sucked in a sharp breath. "Alex risked his safety by leaving us a trail to follow. That is how we knew how to get to Ahm Shere."

Lila was more than just the mother of the leader of the Med-Jai. She was also one of the revered Elders of the tribes. "Then we must thank this young Alex and his family properly."

"Mother, there is much more that you need to know. Do you remember when I was young and had those dreams?"

"Yes. A week after you visited the Old One, they stopped."

"Great-grandmother was right. O'Connell and Evelyn are the other two ancient souls with us." Ardeth sighed with relief as he leaned against the wall of his house. "Evelyn told me that she had been having visions and dreams ever since the Egyptian New Year. One night on our journey, she had another vision. She was Anck-su-namun's most ancient rival, the competition for Pharaoh Seti's affections, and his only daughter."

Lila's mouth hung open. "Nefertiri?"

Ardeth nodded. "I believe that you know who O'Connell must be."

"Nefertiri, Djarnan, and Sajarn. Evelyn, O'Connell, and you, my son." Ardeth wearily nodded. Lila continued on. "The O'Connell's will be most welcomed into our city. Ardeth..."

Ardeth smiled and held up his hand. "I will ride to Cairo in the morning, Mother."

Lila smiled and kissed her son on his cheek. "I am proud of you, Ardeth Bay. And I know that your father would be very proud of you as well."

Ardeth kissed his mother back. "Thank you Mother. And thank you for looking after Aisha."

"She is a good child, Ardeth. You have raised her well." Lila raised a hand in farewell, then moved off to her own house. Ardeth walked into his house, not needing to light any candles, and gently laid Aisha down in her bed. He spent a moment or two just marveling at the beauty his daughter was growing up to be.

He leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I love you, my little Aisha. Sweet dreams."

At the doorway to her room, he stopped and turned back, looking at her again, her innocent face looking even more angel-like in sleep. He sighed, happy to be home, then went to his own room to get some sleep.

-The End.