Thank you all so much for the kind words regarding the story!

It's been a while, I'm so sorry...

Hope this chapter makes up for it.

Enjoy!


Somewhere in the desert

Two days had passed since Samir and Elisabeth left Minya to get back to Cairo. It had taken the German woman some time to get adjusted to riding a horse and she was still terrible at it. Luckily for her, the horse didn't seem to care much about it.

Hiba, which was the name of the animal, was quite an easy travel companion. Unfortunately, Elisabeth was not. A steady walking pace was easy enough for her to handle, but the moment Samir told her to switch to a steady trot, the woman had no idea how to keep herself seated.

Her body moved up and down in an uneven and wobbly manner. Not only did it seem incredibly clumsy, there was a sense of danger to it as well. If she wasn't careful, she could very well fall off the creature.

However, the Medjai didn't bat an eyelash at her discomfort. No, Samir was enjoying the view next to him way too much and Elisabeth was well aware of it. Whenever she sensed him looking her way, she'd give him the evil eye.

"How is it that you managed to obtain so many artefacts from dig sites without the help of a trusty animal to take you there?" Samir questioned as she hobbled alongside of him.

"You're forgetting I usually ste,- obtain them from archaeologists or tourists in a town. Should I happen to find myself at a tomb, I probably got there by camel or in the back on one of those auto mobiles."

The man arched an eyebrow. "Was there not a race with one of those in Chawarbi street last April?"

"Yes. They say it is the transport of the future." Elisabeth replied with a smile. "They're a lot faster than a paddle steamer. Perhaps faster than a horse even."

Samir could not believe such a thing to ever come true. A mode of transportation for the future? Did those foreigners not understand Egypt was mainly made out of sand? He found the whole idea ridiculous.

"I'm certain if you spend more time with the horse I bought for you, you will get fond of it eventually." He said instead of abolishing her ridiculous prediction regarding four wheeled vehicles.

"Fond is a very big word, Samir. I think you mean tolerate. Just like how I tolerate you."

Her comment caused him to smirk. She was teasing him. Or perhaps she was actually being serious. He didn't really care, as long as she was talking to him and it wasn't about the mission or finding the American.

"I say we ride for another hour and then set up camp for the night." He suggested manoeuvring his horse closer to her.

Elisabeth was still bouncing up and down in her saddle. She didn't look too pleased with his suggestion. He could tell from the way she was clenching her jaw, but kept herself from complaining.

Admittedly, Samir was rather proud of her. She hadn't really whined or protested once over the past two days. At least not with words. She had rolled her eyes a couple of times and even sighed here and there. But never out loud.

In fact, she was a much better travel companion through the desert than Ardeth. Alright, in all fairness, they were brothers and they were more than comfortable enough to be themselves around each other.

This included being grumpy in the morning and having little arguments left and right. Such as whose turn it was to make shai. Ardeth somehow won most of those battles.

With Elisabeth there were plenty of arguments and discussions as well. But there was a different feeling to it. Both her and him were both stubborn and headstrong. Only none of that was visible during the evenings once they'd set up camp. She'd do things without him having to ask for it.

During the evenings, Samir told her stories about what it was like living out in the open with his tribe. Though he didn't reveal too much. Perhaps he even romanticized it a little.

In turn, she told him about Germany and things she remembered from there before her family moved to Cairo. She talked about where her and her mother and run to during the Great War, as Cairo didn't feel safe without her father being there.

Shai brewed over the fire, a small tent pitched and two bedrolls spread next to each other. This was how they had spent the last two nights together. Though Samir hardly got any sleep as he kept watch throughout those dark hours where the moon and stars lit the sky.

Despite the desert being quiet and most of the time peaceful, it wasn't completely deserted especially since they had been travelling near the Nile. But not today. Today Samir had altered their course away from the fresh water and guided the horses into the direction of the vast sand dunes.

Elisabeth might not be unfamiliar dealing with the darkness and cold of night or the bright and warmth of day. But she was unaware of the possible dangers the sands brought with them. Creatures, but worst of all, people.

Raiders and other tribes. Even tourists sometimes dared to cross the desert, it wasn't uncommon. And thus they had to be careful and alert at all times. But Samir didn't want to worry the woman with him about these things.

After all, he was there to take care of her. Make sure she got to Cairo safely and keep an eye out to also make sure she was doing her job, which his brother hired her for.

A loud yelp sounded and the Medjai tugged on the reigns of his horse to stop. Confused, he turned his head towards his left and stared at the creature next to him.

Leaning forward, he looked past the horse's legs and found a pile of white linen clothes, a pair of brown sandals at the bottom and tussled golden brown hair on top. Elisabeth had managed to finally fall off Hiba.

With a frustrated growl she swept her hair out of her eyes. Her face was red, not only due to the sun but also because of a great deal of embarrassment from what had just happened.

"Don't you dare laugh!" She snapped at Samir as she crawled back up on her feet.

Of course the man couldn't do as he was told. The entire situation deserved more than a good chuckle. He barked out a laugh which was so loud, you might have thought it would have the power to travel through the entire desert by itself.

::::::...::::::

Night had fallen and the air had turned cold. A small area was lit by a crackling fire. Samir poked the coals at the bottom with a stick for a bit, before tossing it onto the fire. Even he found the air frigid.

Raising his eyes, he stared to the person sitting across from him. Elisabeth had her arms wrapped around her, a dark burgundy blanket covering her upper body.

Samir offered it to her earlier, after noticing she was shivering a lot. It had been a long day for both of them, with only a few stops. Tonight they would remain here, at least until dawn when the weather would be mild enough to travel for another hour or two.

It would still take a day or three to get to Cairo. A part of him wanted to head west a bit more, where he knew they'd be welcomed and have food and more comfortable sleeping arrangements at their disposal.

Unfortunately, Samir knew that wasn't an option. He doubted his brother would allow him to take Elisabeth with him to the location of their tribe. Unless there was a very good reason, which this would not be.

He got up from his spot and headed over Elisabeth, who looked up and watched him quietly the moment he moved. The Medjai halted a few steps from her and motioned at the ground next to her.

"May I?" He asked.

Elisabeth, a bit surprised that he asked her permission, nodded and shifted as Samir sat down next to her. A quiet spell fell over them once more. She watched the fire in front of her. Tiny embers flicking left and right, sometimes accompanied by a little crackle.

However Samir's attention wasn't focused on the fire or their surroundings. His eyes was focused on the woman next to him and again his thoughts went back to a few weeks ago when he was at her house.

They'd been sitting next to each other, almost as close as they were now. The way she'd held his face, as she cleaned the cut above his eye, was one he longed to feel again.

But he had made a promise that night. A promise he felt the need to break more as the days went by. Especially since they met up again in Minya. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to hold her.

It was becoming a burden to be this close and not being able to do anything. Even if it was something as simple as holding her hands and warming them during this cold night.

He could not risk dishonouring himself by breaking his promise. Therefore sitting this close would have to suffice, even though it really didn't. Samir cleared his throat and Elisabeth turned her head towards him.

"Do you think we'll be able to find the American easier, now that we know he is back in Cairo?" Despite not being in the mood to talk about the mission, it was the easiest topic to divert his thoughts away from her.

Elisabeth shrugged, but only to pull the blanket closer around her. "I can only hope. At least we know where he is and luckily I'm more familiar with the city than any other place. I'm sure the chances of finding him are much easier now than they've ever been."

"As soon as you do our journey and mission will be over." Samir added quietly.

"Well, for me it will be. Your brother probably still needs your help retrieving the artefact from him. It is rather clear he does not want my help with that part."

The Medjai shook his head. "It is not because he doesn't think you're capable. But because it's not safe."

She scoffed. "Compared to other men I've dealt with, I don't think Richard will be too difficult for me to handle."

"Do not be so ignorant, Zahrah. You do not know anything about this man, nor do I." Samir countered as he turned his body towards her. "I agree with akhi. Once we find the American, you will get your reward and us Medjai will finish the job."

His voice was deep and firm. Not leaving her with the possibility to come up with an argument to change his opinion. She stared at him long and hard but when he didn't budge, she gave up. She was too tired to argue with him tonight anyway.

"You know where to find me, in case you do need my help." She replied softly, diverting her eyes back to the fire.

Her response surprised Samir. She hardly ever gave in this easily. Perhaps the cold as well as the long hours of travel was all it took to tire her out from arguing with him.

But he didn't want their talk to stop just yet. Over the last two days they'd talked more than ever before and he had hoped tonight would not be any different. Without contemplating he shifted in his spot and moved closer to her.

Raising his right arm, he gently placed it around her shoulder and pulled her closer. She didn't resist him and let out a deep exhausted sigh. Samir's heart pounded rapidly in his chest and his mouth felt as dry as the desert sands.

"You will be the first person I'll go to, should we need help." He told her.

A light chuckle came from her and Elisabeth closed her eyes. "You better."

::::::...::::::

At first she thought she was just hearing things. Noises, muffled voices in the distance. A dream. Drinking too much shai was never a good idea if one wished a good night's rest.

Elisabeth opened her eyes and listened. The voices were still there, meaning it had not been a dream at all. She propped up on her elbows and stared at closed entrance of the tent.

The voices were strange and unfamiliar. She couldn't tell exactly how many there were. Two at the very least, perhaps even three? Elisabeth crawled out of her bedroll and made her way to the front.

Whoever these people were, they were talking to Samir, but her gut feeling told her that this wasn't right. For one they weren't talking Arabic, it was English. British English from the sound of it.

It was hard to understand what they were saying. Until Samir suddenly spoke up in a loud and clear voice. His English heavily accented, but at least she could hear him.

"Sirs, it is only I who is here. Please, there is no need to search for anything. Tea, food and clothes is all I have." He said loudly.

Elisabeth's eyes widened and she quickly turned around to search for her weapon. Even though she was an incredible poor shot, one could always pretend to know what they were doing. As long as she would be able to fool whoever was out there, she wasn't afraid to fire a gun.

"If that is so, then explain to me why one man would have two horses?" One of the unfamiliar voices replied. "Check the tent!"

As quick as she could, Elisabeth held the gun aloft and aimed it at the entrance before her. If anyone were to come inside, they would be greeted by a bullet. But unexpectedly, Samir began to shout frantically in Arabic, telling her to crawl out through the back of the tent.

His sudden change in behaviour caused a shift to occur with everything else as well. Elisabeth quickly did as she was told and made her way to the back of the tent. Hoping there'd be nobody to greet her on the other side.

"Wait!" A voice shouted. "I have a better idea."

With a rapid pounding heart and beads of sweat dripping down her back, Elisabeth listened closely. What were they on about and who were these men? It would seem though that they didn't understand Arabic at all, otherwise Samir would have never called out to her.

A loud and deep cry sounded from outside. A scream that frightened her to her very core, for it was emitted by Samir. Another howl followed and Elisabeth began to shake. They were hurting him. Trying to lure her outside with his cries.

"Whoever you are in there, if you don't want us to kill your friend here, I highly advise you to show yourself. Arms raised!" The Englishman shouted.

Elisabeth licked her lips, but continued what she was doing in the first place, which was getting out through the back end of the tent. There was a slight breeze, blowing her hair across her eyes as she crawled out from underneath the cloth.

"Do not listen, Zahrah! Run, head west until you,-" Samir yelled in Arabic, but his words were cut short by another cry.

One thing was certain, she wasn't going to leave Samir all alone. That was something she couldn't do. No time for hesitation. Elisabeth made her way around the tent and double checked her gun to make sure the safety was off, before appearing out in the open with her weapon raised.

There were three men standing near the small fire. One of them was holding Samir and another was standing right next to him, a knife clutched in his hand. A streak of blood was visible on the Medjai's face.

The three English men stared at her with surprise. Not because they hadn't expected someone to show up. But because the person who did show up, was a woman.

"Let him go!" She said out loud as she stepped into the open.

"A woman?!" The one closest to the tent she'd just been sleeping in exclaimed. Automatically she pointed the barrel of her pistol in his direction.

"What's your name, puppet?" The guy with the knife asked.

"Lillian Beaufort." She replied shortly with a heavy French accent, her eyes shifting in the direction of Samir. Trying to see how seriously he was injured. But his dark robes obscured too much for her to properly see.

"Such a lovely name. Mind if we keep you and your slave here company for the night? We are rather tired and I'm afraid our camels are no longer fit to travel across the desert, for the time being."

"Maybe you didn't hear me, English. I told you to let my friend go." Elisabeth repeated, her arm trembling slightly from keeping it up too long.

The man holding Samir arched an eyebrow. "Now, now, love. Why the hostility? French and English are allies, are we not?"

He motioned his head sideways, eyes locked with the guy standing only a few feet away from her. She turned her head and held the gun with both hands now.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's a lass such as yourself doing out here? In the desert of all places?" Knife guy spoke up.

Elisabeth clenched her jaw. "My business is my own. I'm giving you one last chance to do as I say, before someone gets hurt!"

A loud laughter hollered through the area as the man holding Samir took a step forward with him. "You sure you want to do that? Honestly, you are in no position to bargain, pet."

She should have expected as much that these so-called British gentlemen wouldn't take her serious, despite having a gun pointed at one of them. It was now or never. Her index finger twitched and she squeezed the trigger gently.

A loud crack sounded, followed by a ear-piercing scream. She hadn't even been aiming properly, but as luck would have it, she'd managed to shoot the man near her in his abdomen.

He fell to the ground and immediately the man with the knife made a run for her. Elisabeth didn't have time to turn and shoot him. He knocked her over and she landed in the sand on her stomach.

Cold hands grabbed hold of her feet and pulled her backwards, she felt her gun slip from her fingers as she was dragged away. Even though she managed to seriously injure one of them, she'd made the miscalculating that there were two more to deal with and they were obviously stronger than her.

"Nein!" Elisabeth shouted out loud as she was turned around onto her back.

Somehow her yelling caused the British man to stop. But she knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. In fact, her shouting in her mother tongue was probably one of the dumbest mistakes she could have made that night.

"Did you hear that, Pauly?" He arched an eyebrow as he pinned her legs beneath his weight. "Where have I heard that language before?"

It was clear they knew what language she was speaking. It had such a distinctive sound, it could only be confused with the Dutch language, but if you listened closely you would know it wasn't.

"Sounds like this French gal isn't French. Seems like we've found ourselves a German frulein. That's what it is, innit?" He chuckled. "Fruhlein?"

"Let her go!" Samir shouted in Arabic. Pauly threw him to the ground and kicked him in the stomach.

"Quiet!"

The guy who was sitting on top of Elisabeth, pulled his knife and place the cold steel against her cheek. His breath smelled of alcohol, which was no excuse for his behaviour. It just made it easier for the man to access that which was already inside of him.

Samir was lying on the ground, coughing loudly and shaking as he tried to get up from his position. The man named Pauly stepped away for a second to check on his friend whom Elisabeth had shot.

Pauly crouched down and glanced the guy's lower body. But he wasn't moving at all. "Bloody hell. I think he's dead, Greg."

"What you mean dead? He can't be dead,- check again!" Greg raised his head.

"I'm telling you, bruv. He's as dead as a doornail." Pauly shook his head. "I don't understa,- Look out!"

The heavy weight pinning Elisabeth down suddenly disappeared as Greg got punch in the back of his head by Samir who had managed to get up before anybody noticed.

Immediately Elisabeth crawled back. Something warm trickled down her cheek and she lifted her hand to touch it. She hissed loudly. The knife Greg had held against her skin apparently cut her as he fell off her.

The Medjai reached for her and pulled her to her feet. He winched from the swift display of strength and reached for his stomach. Franticly, Elisabeth looked around the area for their horses. But aside from Samir's horse, there was nothing else to see.

It didn't take long for Greg to stand up, despite getting knocked down. He pulled his arm back and threw the knife straight at them. Without warning Samir jumped in front of Elisabeth.

Her eyes widened, as her friend reached for the hilt. The blade had struck the area between his shoulder and chest. He moved so quickly, Elisabeth could hardly grasp what was happening. Samir threw the weapon back and it hit Greg right in his neck.

The large man fell to his knees, unable to shout or scream from the object obstructing his throat. Pauly let out a loud howl. But instead of trying to attack Elisabeth and Samir, he stepped back and ran away from their camp knowing this was a fight he could no longer win.

A few seconds went by before either of the two left behind made a sound. Samir collapsed against Elisabeth who tried her very best to stay on her own two feet while his body leaned against her.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Her white blouse was already getting redder by the minute, covered with his blood. Elisabeth had no idea how she could fix this. She was no doctor.

Sure, she knew how to fix little cuts, like the one she'd inflicted on Samir's head. But not this. The woman knew very well the dangers of being stabbed. After all, it was something she had done so herself to others in the past.

She had to get him to safety. To a hospital. A medic or a nurse, someone who could help him. Minya was a two day ride away with a horse. Cairo was even further away. How long would Samir be able to stay awake? Would his horse be able to carry the two of them?

Samir hissed between his teeth, he tried his best not to scream but he wasn't sure how long he would be able to keep quiet. The pain was excruciating, unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

"Zahrah." He gasped.

"Sh, shush, Samir. Don't talk. You need to keep your strength." Elisabeth cooed him. He reached for her face but his arm was weak and flopped back down next to his side.

"My tribe." He uttered. "They're close. Take me to them."

His family was nearby? Immediately she tilted her head back and looked around the area. There was not a light in sight, except for the stars and the moon. A missing horse and two dead Englishmen. The Medjai were probably not near enough to have heard the gun go off, let alone any of their screams in the darkness of the night.

"How close?" She asked Samir.

He didn't reply immediately. A short wail escaped his lips and Elisabeth pressed her hand against the wound. Samir licked his chapped lips and finally spoke. "Half,-"

"Half a day?"

"Yes."

Half a day. It was closer than any other place, but did his tribe have the option to treat him? She had no idea how deep the cut was and blood was still coming out. Who knew what else they did to him before Elisabeth got out of the tent.

what if he needed surgery or medicine? She remembered the time she helped Samir to get medicine for his mother who had a fever. His own tribe didn't even had that lying around at the time.

Of course that was a few years ago, perhaps they had made sure by now to have a proper supply of medication at their disposal. But was she willing to take that risk? Wouldn't it be safer to ride out to Minya and get him to a hospital instead?

"Samir,-" She began. "Minya has a hospita,-"

"No." He interrupted her and started to cough.

"Okay, okay." Elisabeth shushed him.

She'd have to wrap something tightly around his chest in order to stop the bleeding. She helped him to sit down before reaching for her top and began to take it off. Folding it quickly, she pressed it against his wound, reached for his hands and placed them on top of it.

"Try to press against this, alright? I'm going to find something to make a bandage."

Samir didn't reply, but Elisabeth was certain he understood her as he kept his hands in the same location where hers had been. She stood up from the ground and walked over to her bag. The entire place was a mess, their makeshift tent was still in one piece.

She crouched down and reached for her bag, searching inside for something sturdy, yet soft enough for her to cut or tear apart if needed. Eventually she pulled out her white cotton nightgown. It was long enough and if she tore it in a certain way, she would be able to create one long piece of fabric.

She searched the area for something to cut it with and paused when she spotted the knife Samir had thrown at Greg. Elisabeth shuddered but reached for the weapon and made after a few yanks managed to pull it out. Blood hit her in the face and for a second she gagged loudly.

Making her way back to Samir, Elisabeth sat down next to him and began to cut the fabric. After a minute she'd managed to create a rather sloppy, but long cloth in one piece. Next, she tore a part off her skirt to replace her, now red, blouse.

Samir winched and cried out as Elisabeth wiped some of the blood away with the last remaining canteen of water, which she had taken from the tent. The man whispered something along the lines of 'save it', but Elisabeth did not want to wrap him up if the wound was covered with blood and desert sand.

With effort, and lots of groaning from Samir, she succeeded in wrapping her ruined nightgown around his upper body. He slumped against her once again, his breathing raspy and she could feel his heartbeat against her own body. She had to get him on his horse.

That was probably going to be the more tricky part. Not to mention she'd have to keep him from falling off. Her eyes scanned the area and she cursed the darkness once again that night.

She needed something to tie him against her. Perhaps even tie him to the saddle so he wouldn't topple over. She gently pulled him back and moved his long hair out of his face. "Can you stand?"

Samir blinked multiple times, as if for a second he'd lost consciousness. "Stand?" He repeated.

"We need to get you on your horse." She explained to him.

"Sawsan." Samir said softly.

"Sorry?" Elisabeth frowned at him.

"Her name is Sawsan."

"I know that." She replied at his unnecessary comment.

Elisabeth don't know how they had done it, but somehow Samir managed to get up on his feet, he whistled and the white horse came to his side. Now all they had to do was for the two of them to get on the back of her. But Samir's horse wasn't a dumb creature and it was almost as if it knew what they were asking.

She leaned back in order to lower the front part of her body. Samir didn't have the strength at the moment to climb on her, but this made everything a whole lot easier.

After a little bit of a struggle, Samir was finally sitting on top of Sawsan's back and the horse stood tall once again. That was one hurdle they'd overcome, now Elisabeth had to find something to tie Samir around her body.

He was already slouching on the horse's back and Elisabeth was convinced he would probably fall off at some point if she didn't get on there with him.

"Wait here." She told him as she walked back to the firepit which by now had almost gone out.

The only thing she could find was a half burnt up piece of rope they'd used to bind some bags together. However, it would be her best option. Better to have something long enough to keep them tied together than nothing at all.

She untangled the rope and took it with her, but before she went back to Samir, she double checked every pocket she could find on the two Englishmen. Samir said it would take about half a day to reach his family.

But how long would it really be? Elisabeth had no idea for how long Sawsan would be able to carry the two of them. Not to mention they had barely any water left.

She tucked everything away in Sawsan's saddlebags before awkward and clumsily climbing onto the saddle. The moment she was finally sat in a comfortable manner, Samir slumped against her back. It was a rather awkward position, but she wouldn't be able to reach the reigns if she was to sit behind Samir instead of in front of him.

"Don't you dare pass out on me, Samir." She hissed at him.

A faint chuckle escaped his lips. "You sound just like akhi."

Elisabeth ignored that comment. She knew Ardeth well enough to know she was nothing like the man. Without saying another word, she wiggled the rope around the two of them and tied it in a tight knot in front of her stomach. There was not much she could do for now except hope that they would make it to the Medjai quickly.

"Which way do I go to, Samir?"

Samir raised his arm in a trembling motion and pointed to the right. "Sawsan knows the way. Do not worry, Zahrah." His arm dropped and she felt his weight press on her even more. Elisabeth reached back and forced Samir to place his arms around her waist.

"You just hold onto me, okay? No falling and most definitely no dying." She could only feel his arms around her body, but there was no reassuring squeeze or any form of strength detectable.

"At least I finally managed to hold you in my arms." He whispered against her neck.

Of all the time to make jokes about how he felt about her, this was the worst moment of all. "That is not funny."

Samir groaned but despite the pain he was in, he huffed at her. "I know. Guess it runs in the family. Neither me nor akhi are good with words when it comes to women."


Dundundun... There you have it.

I know I promised Ardeth in this one but...next one he will be!

Let me know what you think!