14

The midday sun beat down upon the four travelers.

Lara could almost feel the oppressive heat rising from the ground. She had donned her robes a few minutes after the sun came up, but they didn’t make her feel any cooler.

Her camel was drenched with sweat, and was using so much energy just to walk that he had none left to bleat or fight her commands. The only positive thing was that as long as they walked near the Nile they didn’t have to conserve their water, and she’d already emptied her canteen twice since sunrise.

“Shouldn’t we be traveling by night and sleeping during the heat of the day?” she asked Omar.

“From this point on, we will travel by day and night,” he responded. “The sooner we get to Khartoum, the better able we will be to protect you from the Mahdists and the Silent Ones.” He paused, then asked solicitously, “I keep forgetting that you are not used to the heat. Will you be all right?”

“If you can make it, I can make it.”

“But we have lived in the desert all our lives,” Hassam pointed out.

“Let’s see who quits first,” said Lara. She turned back to Omar. “How safe will we be when we approach the next few villages?”

“Most have no electricity, and cell phones have not yet made their appearance in the desert. They will not know that we had to escape from the last village.”

“Someone might have ridden ahead to tell them,” suggested Lara. “A horse can make better time than a camel, at least for a few hours.”

“I did not see any horses in the village,” answered Omar. “Besides, the land is absolutely flat and covered by sand. If a rider tried to pass us and alert the villages up ahead, he’d have to be many miles inland so we wouldn’t see all the sand he raises, and even a horse can’t spot us that much distance, nor can he stay that far from water.” He shook his head. “No, the main danger we will face from the upcoming villages is that they will come to the same conclusion as the last one: that they don’t want anyone to find the Amulet.”

“Or perhaps they’ll be Mahdists,” added Gaafar.

“Well, at least they won’t spot me as an Englishwoman right away,” said Lara, indicating her robes. “I’m back to being a teenaged boy again.”

“From a distance, the disguise is good,” said Omar. “But up close, it will not work so well.”

“I have an idea,” said Lara.

“Most of your ideas have been just fine,” said Omar. “Let us hear this one.”

“I suggest that when the people of the next village come out to greet us, the three of you explain to them that I’m slow-witted, that I don’t speak and barely understand. Say that it’s my job to tend to the camels. I’ll water them and walk them to the far end of the village, where I’ll wait for you. If any children wander up, I’ll just smile rather stupidly and not react to anything they say.”

“I knew you were exceptional from the first moment I saw you!” said Omar enthusiastically. “It will work!”

Lara’s camel bleated as if in agreement. Everyone laughed, and Lara said, “I’m glad Secretariat here approves.”

“Secretariat?” asked Gaafar. “Another American racehorse?”

“One of the greatest,” said Omar. “But we must give your camel a good Arabian name.”

“I can’t call him El Khobar,” she said. “We’ve used that one already.”

“Let me think,” mused Omar, idly stroking his chin as he contemplated. Then suddenly his face lit up. “I have it!” he said. “We passed one of the Aga Khan’s palaces just before reaching Aswan. We will name this one Nasrullah, after the Aga Khan’s greatest horse.”

“I know that name,” said Lara. “Wasn’t he imported to America?”

“Yes,” said Hassam. “He sired many champions, including Bold Ruler and Nashua. He was even in the pedigrees of your beloved Seattle Slew and Secretariat.”

“Bold Ruler and Nashua,” she repeated. “I’ve read about them. You certainly know your racehorses.”

“All Arabs know horseflesh,” answered Omar. “There can be no more valuable possession than a fine horse—except for the Amulet of Mareish.”