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Chapter Seven
Bree took a pawn in each hand and put her arms behind her back, transferring them back and forth between her hands. Then she held out both arms, fists closed.
“Normally in this game, one set of characters is white and the other black. But I had no white powder with which to color the pieces. So, if it pleases the suiltaan, in our contest, red will have the opening move. Choose a hand.”
Tahraz nodded and tapped Bree’s left hand. She opened it to reveal a black pawn, placed it on the board and gave the board a half-turn so the suiltaan sat behind his pieces. “Red will begin,” she announced, advancing the red queen’s pawn two squares.
Bree played cautiously, keeping her face as expressionless as if they were in a high stakes game of Texas Hold-em. Tahraz studied the board before each move, keeping hold of his pieces as he shifted them around the board before settling on the final placement and leaning back. He raised one eyebrow when Bree captured the first pawn.
“We failed to name a wager for this game,” he remarked offhandedly, as if the thought had just occurred to him. “What will you offer as a prize?”
Bree smiled. “I have seen that you are a wise ruler, one who prizes knowledge. I offer you a priceless gift,” she replied. “If you are the victor, I will perform for you one of the most sacred rituals in my land. As Queen of Sheba, I am high priestess of the Great Temple in Mahrib. I preside over the ancient ceremony that beseeches the gods to grant us fertile fields for our crops, fertile wombs for our women – and rigid shafts for our men. I will share with you our secret rite, standing before you dressed as I do to please the gods, and sing the songs from our temple.”
Tahraz’s interest was aroused, as she knew it would be. “That is a worthy prize indeed. I look forward to seeing it. As for me,” he went on, “I, too, will offer a gift of knowledge. If you are the victor in this first contest, I will take you on a very special journey…to a hidden place. I will reveal to you what remains of the great city that was once home to all the desert tribes, before our world became a barren wasteland.”
Bree was astonished. A great city lying in ruins? Ancient texts she had studied made reference to a powerful kingdom that existed long ago deep in what was now the middle of the desert. It was rumored to be older than Sabataea, even older than Plato’s lost continent of Atlantis. Most scholars believed it was a myth. Tahraz was offering to take her there.
With every day that goes by, this bizarre experience of living as Queen of Sheba becomes more real to me. I don’t know if I’ll ever get back to being Doctor Sabrina Dennison. But the chance to explore the most ancient city on earth is one I’d trade my modern life for in a heartbeat.
“Your wager is a prize I would be honored to earn,” she replied.
They both played with renewed vigor, attacking and defending as the game progressed. Bree couldn’t resist giving him a triumphant smile when she finally trapped Tahraz’s king. “By the way,” she remarked, “my people have given names to various opening moves and the strategies that accompany each one. The tactic I used is known as ‘The Queen’s Gambit.’”
Tahraz laid his king on its side, conceding defeat. “Well played, Queen Bilquis. Tomorrow, at daybreak, we leave on our journey.” He rose, indicating the evening was over.
Bree was so excited she couldn’t sleep. Back in the women’s tent, she repacked her saddlebags, taking several changes of clothing. Tahraz had never said how long the journey would last. She’d managed to drift off for what seemed like only a few minutes when Dasheena shook her awake.
“The suiltaan is preparing to leave. He has sent me to bring you to him.”
Rubbing her eyes, Bree sat up. She’d never seen Dasheena so excited.
“It is a great honor the suiltaan has bestowed upon you,” Dasheena proclaimed. “You are to ride beside him on this journey, on his favorite mare, Ashana. The two of you. Alone. No servants, no guards. The place he takes you to is sacred to our people. Only our ruler is allowed to set foot there. You must have pleased him very much with your game.”
“I beat him fair and square, Dasheena. This trip is my prize for winning.”
Dasheena looked worried. “Be careful, Queen Bilquis. Like all men, Tahraz does not like to lose. He will eventually extract a price for your victory – one you may not want to pay.”
It was still dark when she followed Dasheena to the corral. Tahraz was tying a bulging saddlebag to the camel she’d ridden into the desert. Another camel stood nearby, loaded with supplies. He took Bree’s saddlebags, tossing them over the back of a beautiful white Arabian horse. The coal-black stallion he’d been riding when he rescued her snorted and tossed its head impatiently.
Nervously, Bree allowed him to help her onto Ashana’s back. She tucked her robes around her legs, squeezing her thighs together against the mare’s flanks. She’d only been on a horse a handful of times, never riding bareback. Tahraz adjusted the reins around Ashana’s head, then handed over control to Bree. He vaulted onto the back of his prancing stallion, gave the horse a slight nudge, and headed toward the western mountains, with Bree and the two camels trailing along behind.
Once they were out of sight of the compound, Tahraz reined in his horse and waited for Bree to come up beside him. Then he picked up the pace. They reached the foothills as dawn broke, following a rough path that wound steadily upward.
When they came to a sharp bend in the trail, Tahraz stopped. He whistled, mimicking the song of a bird Bree couldn’t identify. There was an answering whistle from somewhere in the distance. He nodded and led her around the corner.
They’d arrived at the mouth of a narrow pass between the rocky western peaks of the mountain range surrounding the oasis. Two men rode toward them on camels, swathed in the long white robes worn by all the desert dwellers. When they got close, the men slid off their camels, bowing from the waist.
“All is well, Suiltaan,” one of the men intoned.
“May the gods shower you with blessings in thanks for your service to our people,” Tahraz replied.
“It is our pleasure to do the bidding of the suiltaan,” the man answered.
Tahraz took Ashana’s reins from Bree and led the horses in single file along the narrow trail, followed by the camels. To their left, a barren cliff rose high above them. On the right, the ground fell sharply, ending in a dry riverbed far below.
“Those men are part of the army that surrounds and protects our al ain,” he explained as they picked their way along the trail. “They keep vigil here in the mountains and see to it that no enemy, be it beast or human, can get through to bring danger to our people.”
“They live out here?” Bree was incredulous.
