by Clay, Verna
Roth laughed and picked up the bowl of cheese soup, placing it in her hands. "Several means…several." He rose and left the shelter.
Rainey eyed the soup and her stomach growled again. Taking a tentative sip, she was surprised that it actually tasted better than it looked. She swallowed some more.
She soon grew bored of watching the men converse and turned her attention to watching gusts of wind create sand ripples. After getting bored of that, she closed her eyes and imagined herself as an eagle floating on a breeze high above the desert. Then she envisioned herself above the forest near her home.
"What are you thinking, Rainey? You have a smile on your face." Roth had returned.
"I'm not thinking about anything in particular."
"Liar."
"Well, it's none of your business."
"I'm sorry I asked." He reached to give her a hand up. "It's time to dismantle the shelters and move on."
Rather than create more animosity, she allowed him to pull her up. She put the burqa back on. It helped to keep blowing sand out of her mouth.
Roth and the Bedouins quickly dismantled their shelters and then one of the men led their camel to them. She backed away when the huge beast came close. The ungainly animal knelt and waited to be mounted. Again, Roth scooped her into his arms and planted her in the saddle. Effortlessly, he swung onto his side of the split seat. Unable to help herself, she grabbed him when the animal lurched upward. She bit her tongue, however, to keep from squealing and sounding like a wimp. The other men mounted their own camels and they all started forward. As an unwilling participant, Rainey continued her trek across the rippling sands of the Western Desert.
On and on they plodded. Rainey’s eyes drifted shut from the swaying motion. She snuggled close to a muscular back and tightened her grip around a firm waist. Her groggy mind thought, God, he feels good. She saw an eagle in her mind, large and proud. The eagle spoke to her with Roth’s voice.
"Rainey, wake up. We’ve reached the Black Desert."
She felt a gentle pat on her arms circling Roth's waist and looked up.
"We’re in the Black Desert."
Rainey focused on her surroundings. Roth’s description of an area stark and dramatic had been an understatement. The Black Desert looked like something out of a sci-fi movie; a barren plain on a distant planet.
"What do you think?" he asked, after she'd had time to fully awaken and look around.
"It’s certainly dramatic. I half expect to see an alien craft dart from behind one of those black volcano-looking hills. They’re not really volcanoes, are they?"
Roth laughed. "No, not at all. Here, wrap in this blanket; it’s getting cold." He handed a blanket behind him. Rainey accepted it without argument.
For the time-being, she forgot her antagonism toward her bodyguard and gazed in wonder at the unearthly terrain of black rocks scattered across golden sand mixed with magma and interspersed with black hills. Eventually, however, discomfort made her squirm in the saddle.
"We should be stopping soon to make camp," Roth said.
Shortly after he'd said the words, the lead camel halted and knelt; the other camels did likewise. Rainey tried to free herself from the saddle, but her legs wouldn’t move.
Roth lifted her off the ungainly beast and held her steady. Her extremities tingled with the new rush of blood. The inside of her legs felt raw from rubbing against her pant legs. She moaned.
"I've got ointment for you to rub on your legs," he said.
Rainey tried to respond, but she hurt too much.
"Can you stand by yourself?"
She nodded.
Slowly, he released her and she took some tentative steps.
The Bedouins started unloading their camels. Rainey stepped aside and watched them do what they had obviously done thousands of times. In an amazingly short timeframe the tents were up and the sun was down, its death glow the only remembrance of the heat previously baking the desert. A campfire cast shadows across the tents as the Bedouins began preparing a meal.
Roth motioned for Rainey to enter their tent. She was too tired for any verbal sparring and obeyed. He lifted the flap, holding a small lantern, and she ducked inside, pulling off her burqa. Collapsing onto a red and blue woven carpet dancing with shadows from the lantern, she winced at the pain in her legs. Roth set the lantern on the carpet.
"Take your pants off," he said.
"Huh?"
"Rainey, you’ve got to put this ointment on your inner thighs. If you'd ridden the camel without your slacks, you'd be in even worse shape. Do you want me to help you?" He tossed an animal-skin bag on the carpet.
"No! I don’t want your help!"
He made an unintelligible sound and lifted the flap to leave. He looked back. "I’ll return in a few minutes with water so you can rinse the dust off."
Turning to face the back of the tent, Rainey pulled her slacks off and tentatively rubbed the salve onto her thighs. It hurt like hell at first, but then the soothing balm helped immensely. Covering herself again with the long black dress, she waited impatiently for Roth's return. The night had turned chilly, but at the moment, that was the least of her worries. She needed to relieve herself. If she didn't take care of the problem soon, she was going to burst.
She heard Roth conversing in Arabic with one of the men outside their tent. After a few minutes, he raised the flap and entered, setting a bowl of water beside her. Rainey looked at the water and almost wet her pants. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked up at him.
He said, "I was wondering when you'd get around to that. Come on, I’ll walk you away from the camp."
"I don’t want you to go with me. Just point me in the right direction."
"You’re not going anywhere alone. Besides, I intend to bring a blanket for privacy. Come on."
Rainey had to go so bad she stopped arguing. Roth reached to help her up and then grabbed the lantern. Between the salve on her thighs, the soreness of her legs, and her full bladder, she didn’t know if she could make it a respectable distance from the camp. Holding up the edge of her dress she waddled after Roth, trying to keep the sand from kicking up and sticking to the salve. Finally, he stopped and held the blanket stretched out, arm-to-arm, behind his back.
"You’re going to stand right there?"
"How else do you suggest I maintain your privacy without standing here and holding the blanket? Rainey, my back is toward you; just take care of business. I assure you I won’t peek. Here, take this." He handed her some tissues; something she had completely forgotten about in her misery.
Only because she was about to wet her pants did she walk behind the blanket, lift her dress, pull down her panties, and squat. Although the act had to be in the top ten of her most humiliating moments, the relief was also in her top ten of most satisfying.
* * *
The night turned frigid. Roth felt movement behind him. Rainey nestled against his back, obviously trying to absorb his warmth. He felt her shiver. She wasn’t used to the cold. He turned to face her and she snuggled against his chest, placing her head under his chin. He moved one of his arms under his head and the other around her, pulling her close. She sighed and mumbled in her sleep. Her blanket became a meager barrier between his muscular chest and her generous one. Roth raised his hand and brushed strands of hair from her temple. He lowered his hand to her cheek. It felt soft and silky. Moving his fingers, he outlined her mouth. She breathed against his fingers and moaned, rubbing her lips against his palm. His groin responded and he lifted her chin. Again, he felt her mouth with his fingertips and then lowered his lips to hers. She felt like heaven. She opened her mouth to his and he touched his tongue to her teeth.
Roth jumped up! Pale light from a cresting sun barely illuminated the interior of the tent. Wrapped like a mummy in her blanket, Rainey lay as far away from him as possible.
The dream had been so real! He quickly donned his robes and darted from the tent. He didn’t want to dream about Rainey, a
nd he especially didn’t want erotic dreams about her.
* * *
Rainey felt warm and comfortable. Someone was calling her name, but she ignored the persistent voice. A gentle shake made her open her eyes.
"Leave me alone."
"It's time to wake up, Rainey. I need to dismantle our tent. We still have a long ways to travel."
"No."
A deep chuckle sounded and she cracked her eyes to see Roth squatting beside her. She gave him a look of disgust even though his smile sent shivers down her body. He lifted her top blanket. Sometime during the night he must have placed the extra covering over her. Slowly, she unwrapped from her other blanket and stretched. Surprisingly, her legs didn’t chaff as bad as the previous night. Roth handed her a bag of toiletries and her water canteen, and then left her in privacy. Doing her best under less than ideal circumstances, she prepared herself for a day of unknown events.
She groaned when she felt nature's call. Might as well get it over with. When she exited her tent, she saw Roth helping the Bedouins. He pointed, and she looked in the direction he indicated. She saw a makeshift blanket barrier.
"For your privacy," he said, and returned to loading the camels. Rainey felt a lump lodge in her throat because he'd cared enough to save her further embarrassment.
After she'd relieved herself and returned to camp, she watched the Bedouins and Roth dismantle the tents. His words from the day before echoed. "Look on this as an adventure." She glanced at the surrounding terrain.
The morning sun reflecting off black sand created sparkling diamonds of light and lumps of basalt punctuated the landscape like shiny monsters. Chaotically placed black volcano-looking hills increased the mystique of a land few people would have the opportunity to experience.
Rainey shook her head and returned her attention to camp life. Roth approached and handed her a bag of dried fruit and another of jerky. He held out a steaming cup of black brew that smelled suspiciously like coffee.
"Is that coffee?"
"Sure is."
"Thank God. I don't think I could face this day without it."
He laughed. "Be sure and put your burqa back on when we leave to protect your complexion."
She picked it up and fingered the red cross-stitches.
"The burqas with red stitches are only worn by married women."
She gave him a startled look.
"It wouldn't have been appropriate for us to travel together without that belief. Tahnoon is the only one who knows we're not married."
Roth returned to the men. In short order, the camp was packed and ready. He held the reins of their camel and guided it toward Rainey. Rather than shy away, she stood firm while the animal knelt. Of her own volition, she grabbed the pummel and started to mount the beast. Roth assisted.
"How do your legs feel," he asked.
"They're better."
"Good."
"Where did you get that salve? It works extremely well."
"You being a scientist, I thought you'd be curious. It's a Bedouin remedy; used for all kinds of abrasions. It's even used on the animals."
The caravan of camels started forward and Roth urged theirs onward. By noon, the terrain of the Black Desert lay behind them.
"There's Crystal Mountain." Roth pointed and twisted in the saddled to look at her.
She followed the direction of his finger with her eyes. At first, the outcroppings looked quite normal; however, a sudden flash of sunlight shot rainbows into the air. Rainey caught her breath at the spectacular prismatic display. Again, Roth's words raced through her mind, Look on this as an adventure. Although she would never admit it to him, maybe he was right. She had longed for the freedom to explore a world unfettered by guards, and although she was still stuck with him, it certainly was an adventure.
When they reached the rocks called Crystal Mountain, their caravan stopped and everyone dismounted. Rainey walked around the base of the rocks, amazed by their covering of clustered crystals. Broken shards lay scattered across the sand. A particularly beautiful one caught her attention and she bent to retrieve it. Still intact, except where it had broken off, she slipped it into the pocket of her long dress. A souvenir from my adventure, she thought, and almost laughed aloud.
The group mounted their camels again and traveled a couple hours before stopping to erect their small shelters and eat. Again, Roth handed Rainey a bowl of cheese soup and flat bread. Having only picked at the strange food the night before of dried fish, goat cheese, rice, and dates, hunger gnawed at her, and she didn't even balk at drinking the soup and stuffing the bread in her mouth.
Eating under her shelter, she watched Roth chat with Tahnoon and the others. The elderly leader slapped him on the back and all the men laughed. Rainey envied the ease with which he conversed and made friends. He looked up and met her eyes. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. There was something familiar in their azure depths. He said a word to the men and then stood and walked towards her. She glanced away and her heart fluttered.
He squatted in front of her. "You should try to nap."
"Okay."
"What were you thinking, Rainey?"
"I don't know what you mean?"
"Yes, you do? What was the look you just gave me?"
Rainey drew a doodle in the sand. "Honestly, I don't know what you're talking about."
"Have it your way."
About two hours later, Rainey gazed at her surroundings in wonderment. The White Desert truly was white. Incredible shapes burst forth from the sand, some amazingly large and others incredibly small. Her imagination soared. One shape reminded her of a rabbit, another of a dolphin. Others looked like aliens from distant planets, or fairies from a wonderland.
For once, she appreciated the burqa. The brilliant sun reflecting off the white sand would be murder on an unguarded complexion, especially one as fair as hers.
Shortly after entering the White Desert, their caravan of camels stopped and three of the Bedouins dismounted.
"Why aren't they coming with us?" she asked, when they started forward without the men.
"They're staying to watch for Nomads traveling this route. Our destination is sacred and known only to Tahnoon and those accompanying him.
"You never explained exactly why we're traveling to this god-forsaken-place."
"And I'm not going to until later."
Rainey wanted to lash a retort, but decided to keep a calm exterior. She would not allow Roth to see how easily he got under her skin. She'd made that mistake before.
After traveling for an extended period, she again felt herself drifting and lay her head against his wide back. She dreamed of her eagle. In her dream, it transformed into a man. Although she couldn't see his features, he excited her senses. The mysterious man lifted her into his arms and morphed into a hybrid of man and eagle. He flew above the earth still carrying her, but she couldn't discern his face because of the black night. Suddenly, a breeze shifted the clouds and freed the moon. Just when a moonbeam shifted to the creature's face, she jerked awake. Damn!
Their camel swayed precariously while kneeling and Rainey clung to Roth's robe. The White Desert, cast into myriad shades of pink by a dying sun, captured Rainey's newly awakened sense of adventure with its mystical chalk figures dotting the landscape.
"Oh, it's beautiful," she breathed.
Roth helped her off their beast of burden.
"Are we stopping to rest?" she asked.
"No, there's someone behind us."
Tahnoon called Roth's name and pointed into the distance.
"Really? You can actually see someone?"
"Yes, and I can hear him too; and so can they." Roth nodded toward Tahnoon and his two men.
Everything became deathly quiet and she strained to listen. Although she couldn't hear what the others heard, she eventually saw dust in the distance. Tahnoon spoke to one of his men and the man mounted his camel, traveling toward whoever was approaching.
Roth said, "Th
e rider coming toward us is one of the three left behind to watch for nomads."
"How do you know?"
"We heard his bird call."
"Huh?"
"He made a bird call letting us know of his approach."
"Is something wrong?"
"We'll have to wait and see."
Roth led Rainey and their camel to the backside of a chalk sculpture resembling a giant egg. Tahnoon and his man also drew their camels there. Rainey's heart thumped wildly, and her mind envisioned all kinds of scenarios: being taken captive by a sultan and forced into his harem, being killed by marauders, being left in the desert to die without beast or water. Stop it!
The men stood in front of the giant egg waiting for the riders while Rainey peeked around it. The approaching Bedouin and the one sent to meet him, arrived on running camels and spoke to their leader, gesturing with their hands. Rainey shivered. The temperature had dropped dramatically. Tahnoon issued an order and the men nodded. They turned their camels and returned in the direction they had come. Rainey's group was now left with Roth, Tahnoon, and the Bedouin named Zayed. Her shivers increased.
Roth communed with Tahnoon and then walked back toward Rainey. Only a shimmer of daylight remained. He veered toward their camel and opened a saddle pouch. Withdrawing a blanket, he brought it to her and wrapped her quaking body, pulling her into the circle of his arms.
"I'm sorry, Rainey. I should have given you the blanket sooner."
"Wh-what's happening?" She asked through chattering teeth.
Roth chaffed her arms to warm her. "Some nomads were spotted. Our plans have changed. Tahnoon's men are returning to the others to waylay the nomads until after we've left our destination. Instead of going there in the morning, we're going tonight. Afterward, we'll return to Bawiti by a different route. Tahnoon and Zayed will accompany us."
"What's our destination?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
Rainey was too cold to argue. "Th-then will we return to the U.S?"
"No."
Tahnoon and Zayed interrupted them. Tahnoon put a hand on Roth's shoulder and said something. Roth nodded and looked at Rainey. "We'll leave at dark." He pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders.