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Tahraz told the story in the cadence of rhyme, an ancient Odyssey committed to memory. As she listened, Bree looked up to the heavens, at the dazzling array of stars, and marveled at the resilience of the human spirit. She gained a new respect for Tahraz as he recounted the tale, realizing that, for him, it was not just a story, but a constant reminder of the responsibility he bore to care for the descendants of the people who had put their faith, their trust, even their very lives in the hands of his forefather.
“Your ancestor was indeed a good and wise suiltaan,” she said when he fell silent at last. She repeated a traditional refrain. “May the gods bless you as they blessed your baba and his baba before him.”
Tahraz bowed his head and then took a long pull from the flask of fruit-and-honey liqueur at his feet. He offered it to Bree. Remembering the potent effects of the drink, she took a cautious sip.
“I thank you for this precious gift, for sharing your most holy city with me,” she said solemnly. “It is truly a prize beyond price.”
“I am happy it pleases you. You value knowledge more than any female I have ever known,” he added, sounding surprised.
“Knowledge is a tool that can be used to help us survive, as it did the first suiltaan,” she replied. “He trusted his life and the lives of his people to his knowledge of the ways of the herd. In other circumstances, knowledge can be a weapon. Knowing the skills and weaknesses of an enemy helps a warrior bring him down as surely as does a spear.”
“You, too, are a wise ruler, Queen Bilquis,” Tahraz responded. “I look forward with pleasure to our next match in your game of chess.”
To her surprise, Tahraz had treated her with the utmost respect, making neither demands nor even suggestions of any behavior that would affect her position as a woman betrothed to another. He suggested she retire for the night, telling her he would sleep outside, near the fire, to keep watch over the horses and camels. Although they’d seen no signs of life since they entered the complex, Bree knew he was concerned as much for her safety as for the animals.
“We will walk again through the city when dawn breaks,” he announced. “Then, after resting during the heat of the day, we will travel back to the al ain by the stars, making our way in the light of the moon.”
Bree slept, dreaming of crowds going about their daily lives in the streets. She heard their laughter and snippets of their songs, watched eager young men pursue innocent maidens, wooing them with flowers and wine. She dreamed of one handsome young man taking his beloved into the desert night and awakening her desire there under the stars. He undressed her slowly, tongue following hands as he explored her body. The young woman closed her eyes, overcome with passion.
The dream changed, and Bree became the woman. She opened her eyes – and the face she saw was that of Tahraz as he drove himself deep inside her. She came with a wild cry that echoed in the cavernous room even as she woke.
Before she could draw another breath, Bree found herself once again with the suiltaan’s hands roaming over her body.
“Are you hurt? Were you stung by a scorpion or an adder?”
Bree struggled to a sitting position. “No, no, I am well,” she protested. “It was only a dream.”
By the faint glow of the fire outside, she caught a gleam in his eyes. “What sort of dream would cause you to cry out in that manner?”
Bree was grateful for the darkness, hoping it would hide her embarrassment. “I…I dreamt of the lion attacking my caravan.”
“All is well, Queen Bilquis,” he said, his voice low. “There is nothing to fear here – unless you fear being alone with me?”
She lowered her eyes, afraid he would see the answer in them. “The suiltaan is a kind and generous host. My people will burn many offerings to the gods in thanks for your goodness to me when I return home.”
* * *
Tahraz had been dozing fitfully, one part of him always aware of the movement and sounds of the animals nearby. When he slept, he, too, had dreamed of love and lust. Of a passionate, pliant Bilquis writhing beneath him.
When he heard the scream, he lay motionless for a moment, thinking it was part of his dream. Then reason took over, and he dashed into the room.
Awake or asleep, Tahraz knew a cry of passion from one of distress. But, rather than express his doubt about her explanation, he merely nodded to acknowledge her thanks. “Come, I will brew us some tea. Soon it will be dawn, and we can stroll once again through the streets.”
* * *
Grateful for the distraction, Bree rose and followed him outside to sit by the dying embers of the fire. Still deep in the dream, her body had responded instantly to the suiltaan’s roving hands. She watched those hands as he crushed mint leaves into a pot, adding water and placing it on the hot coals. Her mind replayed the final moments just before she woke – his naked body gleaming in the moonlight as he bent his head to kiss his way down her body, then his tongue, relentlessly driving her higher before he rose over her…
She shook her head. Better to think of something else.
It was Dr. Sabrina Dennison, the scholar, who accompanied Tahraz when they once again explored the deserted streets. She wished for a camera, or even a notebook and pencil to record the incredible images all around her. She did her best to commit everything she saw to memory. The discovery of this site would shatter conventional beliefs about when and where the rise of civilization occurred.
Once again, Tahraz served as her guide, patiently waiting when she fell to her knees to brush the sand from a statue for a better look or muttering to herself as she traced an inscription. “That looks similar to the earliest Egyptian hieroglyph for water, and surely this must mean king or ruler…”
Too soon, the vicious heat drove them back to the building where they’d set up camp. As he did the day before, Tahraz brought the horses in to shield them as well. Even the camels got a reprieve from the intense rays of the sun.
“Let me keep watch,” Bree urged. “You’ve had little rest, and our journey will be long.”
Tahraz lay down, but Bree could tell he barely slept. Though his breathing was slow and regular, he never stirred, and she could tell that at some level he was aware of everything around him.
