Izzy lowered the airship to the ground over Karnak. A train sat on the track just in front of the old ruins. Ardeth and Rick dashed off to the train while Evy and I scoured the city for Alex. Evy and I walked carefully through the old city following the many footprints in the sand. The city was too quiet for my liking and my nerves rang.

"Rose," Evy said softly. "I don't think they're here. I think they've already left."

I pulled her close, rubbing her shoulders following Alex's tiny footprints. "We will find him."

"But if they left, how can we track them?" Tears filled her eyes.

I looked up at a statue to see a colorful tie hanging on the old stone. "Evy look."

Her head lifted to the sight and she gasped. "Rick!" Her voice echoed off the bare walls as if her life was in danger. She dashed to the tie pulling it from the statue. Rick and Ardeth were by our sides in no time. "Alex left us his tie." She handed him the colorful fabric kneeling down in the sand. "And he made us a little sandcastle."

I recognized the layout. "It's the island temple of Phillie."

"They've gone to Phillie!" Evy said.

"That a boy Alex," Rick helped her up. "Come on!"

We made a mad dash back to the airship fresh on Alex's trail.

"Once we land I need you all to stay on the ship." I ordered.

"No," Evy growled. "I'm going with you!"

"No you are not." I put my foot down.

"Rose," Rick came up behind his wife to comfort her. "our son is out there."

"I know he is, but you are of no use to him dead."

They all turned to me. "What are you talking about?" Rick moved forward.

I let out a long sigh. "The day I left years ago, Anubis ordered me to go to Phillie. Since then all the tombs and special places pertaining to the bracelet are filled with traps that I placed myself hoping to slow down Imhotep."

Evy covered her mouth in a gasp and Rick grabbed me by my shirt collar. "My son is with the creature!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know your son was to be involved?" I growled back. "It doesn't matter because the traps only pertain to those unassociated with Anubis. The bracelet will guide him where to step, where to move and when to duck. Anubis needs the guide alive to raise the army."

Rick let me go before running his fist into a post.

"Hey! Don't be breaking my ship." Izzy yelled at his old friend.

"Just wait here and I will find him." I tossed a rope over the side of the ship. "Trust me."

"Okay," Evy paced before coming over to me. "He was wearing-"

I held up my hand. "Evy I met the boy, I know what clothes he wore and I am certain there are no other children traveling with them."

I slid down the rope and made a dash through the temple avoiding my hidden traps. There were several bodies laid around the temple and I checked them for any signs of life. Unfortunately, my traps worked too well leaving no one to question. We were about a day behind.

I scoured the temple about to give up before spotting a dark tan lump in the corner of my eye next to a beautifully carved pillar. I lifted the coat to see the next destination. I smiled with pride at my cousin's son. He was clever and bright.

"Keep it up Alex," I prayed before heading back to the dirigible. "We are on our way."

Izzy lowered the dirigible down and I hopped aboard handing Evy her son's jacket. "Where are they going next?" She asked desperately.

"The great Temple of Abu Simbel." I settled down on the ship. "We are about a day behind but I know a shortcut."

"I hope you're right." Rick gave the instruction to Izzy.

"You know you've raised a very talented child. Such details in his sand castles." I smiled proudly.

Ardeth wrote a message for the army before releasing Horus to fly back to the waiting soldiers. Izzy wasted no time taking off into the desert.

We soon found ourselves traveling through a narrow canyon with a running river below.

Rick leaned over the railing of the ship looking down. "That's the blue Nile down there. We must be out of Egypt by now."

I moved along the side of the ship scanning for any signs of the creature and or Alex. "Back in ancient times this all belonged to the upper kingdom." I explained. "Out of all my lives I've never come this far before, the oasis must be around here somewhere."

Evy wiped a tear from her soft cheek and Rick wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Don't worry Evy, we will find him. He's a smart kid, he will leave us a sign."

A chill ran up my spine. The walls seemed to stop echoing sound and the world went quiet. We all moved forward sensing the same thing. Gathered at the bow of the ship we looked out expecting an attack or a sign of Alex.

A roaring sound of air pushed through the canyon. I turned to see a face emerging from a wall of water behind us that smiled down on the ship. "Oh my god!" I shrieked.

Izzy looked at the wall of water before yelling at us. "We're in trouble!"

I gripped Ardeth's hand as he sent Horus off to safety. "Horus fly!" He ordered before wrapping me up into his arms. I clung to the Medjai warrior for dear life.

"Izzy! Cut hard right!" Rick ordered from the front of the ship. "Starboard! Starboard!"

The mouth of the water creature opened up casting a shadow over the ship threatening to swallow us. I buried my head into Ardeth's shoulder with my heart pounding against my chest. I felt his lips on the top of my head.

We slammed back as Izzy hit the throttle, sending the ship at full speed around the canyon. Ardeth slid us to the ground trying to keep our place on the ship at each terrifying turn. Ardeth rolled me over during a partially sharp turn tucking me between him and the side of the ship as water rained down on us. Silence filled the area as droplets of cool water dripped from Ardeth hair onto me as the ship leveled out. My heart pounded against my chest as I looked up to see clear skies behind the shaken Medjai.

Ardeth glanced around for any threat before easing his grip on me. "Are you alright?"

I pushed myself up feeling the soreness from my newly bruised back. "I'll be fine."

Izzy crawled out from behind his podium glaring right at Rick. "Was there a little something you forgot to mention? Hmm?"

"Uh people." Jonathan said looking towards the horizon.

Before us was a great oasis with multiple waterfalls and towering trees covering several peaks and small plateaus. In the center of the oasis was a gleaming golden pyramid that seemed so far away. It was like a dream come true to find the place I was demanded to protect was real and my lives were not wasted.

"Ahm Shere." Ardeth said smiling at the distance. I wrapped my arm around his waist leaning into him. He held me against his muscular side before placing a kiss on my temple.

The roaring returned as the water raced towards us again. "He's back!" Izzy grabbed the throttle. "Hold on!" He warned as Ardeth grabbed a hold of me. The ship launched forward again coming out of the canyon over a huge tropical area before coming to a sputtering stop. "Well that's not good." Izzy said before slowly dipping under his podium.

Ardeth grabbed a hold of me pinning me between him and the side of the ship with an arm wrapped by a rope for a hold. The water slammed into the ship without warning, sending us spiraling down into the tropical forest. Ardeth cried out before we slammed hard into the ground and I hit my head on something hard. The world went dark.

I woke up to a white smoke filled ship across from me as the others rummaged through the broken airship for supplies. I sat up holding my head with a sharp pounding pain at the nape of my neck. Under me, someone had made a makeshift bed with huge palm leaves and wrapped my left hand with a bandage where I must have been cut from the crash.

I stumbled over to the others and Ardeth quickly swooped his arms under me to support my body. "Easy Rose."

"Thank you." I mumbled, still struggling with my aching head.

Izzy worked to put the fire out with a small extinguisher.

"We're going to go get my son and then we are going to want to get out of here fast." Rick said, gathering his things. "So make this work Izzy."

"No, no. You don't understand god damn it." Izzy started ranting. "This thing is filled with gas! Not hot air, gas! I need gas to get this thing off the ground! Where am I supposed to get gas around here? Bananas? Mangos? Tarzan's ass? Maybe I could finagle it to take hot air, but do you know how many cubic meters I'd need? It's too big!"

"If anyone can fill this thing with hot air," Rick slapped Izzy on the shoulder. "It's you Izzy."

With me tucked to his side, Ardeth held out his arm and called Horus to him. Miraculously the beautiful grey falcon landed on his forearm unharmed. Ardeth tucked a note into the carrier before setting Horus on his next mission. Ardeth watched his best friend fly worried of what was to come. I felt the same not knowing anything about this forest and with its density I worried Alex would be hard to find. I squeezed Ardeth's hand before pulling him along to follow Rick and the others.

Jonathan called Rick from the back of the group. "So Rick, what's the plan?"

Rick pushed his way through the vegetation. "Let's find some higher ground."

The crack of a rifle echoed through the valley and we all froze. I felt the bones in my feet flex as I stood on my toes. Ardeth pushed back a few feet calling out.

"Horus!" Ardeth's eyes scanned the sky waiting but no sign or call came from the beautiful falcon. I covered my mouth in shock as my heart broke over Ardeth's loss. Ardeth turned to us. I could see the anguish in his eyes but he shoved it down. "I must go."

"Where?" Rick shuffled past Evy and Jonathan.

"I must let the commanders know where we are." Ardeth said, his voice cracking.

"No," I placed my hand on his forearm. "I'll go."

"You can't go." Rick nearly begged.

"If the army of Anubis rises..." Ardeth tried to explain.

Rick adjusted his bag on his back. "I need both of you to help me find my son. Please."

Ardeth and I shared a look before coming to a silent agreement. "Then first, we shall help you find him." Ardeth said.

"Thank you." Rick backed up giving us the lead heading deeper into the forest.

Night enveloped the forest cloaking the land in darkness only the moon provided slivers of light in the eerie jungle. Ardeth and I had found the creature's trail leading the way to the pyramid. We found an overlook that gazed over the path the creature and his minions took. Rick and I prepared the rifles for Evy and Jonathan to provide us with cover as we moved in to take Alex.

I handed my cousin his rifle and moved over to the edge watching the torches move further away.

"Do you hear that?" Rick asked.

Ardeth turned to my cousin-in-law. "What?"

Rick holstered his pistol. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

I felt the forest's power and it put me on edge. There was something lurking out there and it sent a chill through my armor.

"I say, chaps, look at this." Jonathan said inspecting the hollowed out space behind some old dead vines filled with tiny shrunken heads. "Shrunken heads. I'd love to know how they do that." We all gave him a strange look. "Just curious."

I rolled my eyes with a small smirk.

Ardeth came over to Jonathan who polished the side of the rifle. "Are you any good with that?"

Jonathan puffed out his chest a bit. "Three times fox and hound's grand champion, I'll have you know." His eyes dropped to Ardeth's tattooed hands which rested on his scimitar. "Are you any good with that?"

"You'll know soon enough." Without warning Ardeth drew his sword and held it to Jonathan's neck so quickly I nearly missed it if I had not heard the sound of the blade. "Because the only way to kill an Anubis warrior is by taking off its head."

Jonathan swallowed nervously. "I'll remember that."

Ardeth gave Jonathan a smile and nod before removing his blade. I pulled Ardeth by one of his belts and he followed sheathing his sword. Away from the others I pulled Ardeth closer wrapping my arms around his waist.

"Is there any particular reason you frightened my cousin?"

Ardeth's eyes met the sky as he flashed me a crooked smile that made my heart stop. "Only giving him some advice should the army arise. The other part was for my enjoyment."

"You don't believe him about his shooting skills?"

Ardeth's hands traced up my back as his eyes finally met mine. "No. There is not much I trust his word on."

I started chuckling. "Very wise man you are Ardeth Bay."

His rough thumb brushed over my cheek bone. "Wise enough to trust my heart that you were alive all this time."

"Alive, but enslaved."

"Not for long my desert flower." He pulled me flush against him. His strength startled me for a moment. "I swear." My fingers gripped the collar of his robe pulling his lips to mine in a fearful and passionate kiss. Ardeth didn't hesitate to steal my breath away leaving my head spinning and my knees weak. His warm lips left butterfly kisses up my cheek and over the crest of my ear. "And when I free you from Anubis I intend on making you my wife."

I gasped at his hot words over my ear completely speechless as butterflies danced in my stomach.

"Rose! Ardeth!" Rick called. "We need to move!"

Ardeth separated us only to pull me by my hand through the moonlit forest after Rick's voice.