“Oh, yes,” Amina said, her body swaying to and fro. “Those sounds are normal. The smells, too.”
“Unfortunately,” Leila muttered and they laughed, helping to ease the tension ever so slightly. She glanced over her shoulder, still expecting Abdullah to be racing after them. The empty dunes stared back.
The sky gradually turned into a brilliant light blue, cloudless, the temperature already uncomfortably hot. The horizon was blurred by a watery haze, which only reminded her to take a sip of water. A spasm of panic pricked in her chest. She dreaded to see the bottom of the bottle. Amina had assured her they could refill what they drank today at the oasis and be able to save their reserves, but Leila hesitated, took a sip, then recapped the bottle. She shifted in the saddle to ease the ache in her backside. How long had they been riding? The only way to tell time was by watching the position of the sun. It inched across the sky and Amina continued to lead the way, humming a happy tune softly to herself.
Leila tugged her headscarf lower over her forehead, the fabric clinging to her damp skin. Maybe it was time to climb down and use her feet for a bit.
“When do you think we’ll reach the oasis?”
“It shouldn’t be much farther,” Amina said, relaxed. “Another half-hour ride.”
Thirty minutes. Leila glanced down at the sweaty camel neck in front of her. Thirty minutes until shade and rest. She would survive—it could be worse.
The sun slid farther across the sky. Definitely more than thirty minutes had passed. And yet the only thing in sight was sand. Sand and rocks and more sand.
Amina brought her camel to a stop.
“Leila,” she started, her eyebrows knitted together. “I—I don’t recognize any of this. Maybe… maybe we should find somewhere to take a break.”
Leila swallowed against her parched throat, her pulse picking up speed. They couldn’t be lost. It was supposed to be a quick and easy journey to the oasis. How could they have gone so far off track?
“Let’s try going over the dune first,” she suggested with a shaky voice. “We’ll get a better view from up there.”
The earth inclined, slightly at first, then it became steeper. Leila could feel Fatma straining. Amina reached the top and came to a halt. Leila joined her moments later, then brought Fatma to a stop. Her stomach dropped. The endless desert stretched on. Sharp rocks protruded dangerously from dry, cracked ground, and in the distance the terrain gradually became more mountainous.
There was no oasis in sight.
Leila glanced over at Amina, not trusting herself to speak. Her entire body felt weak, as if she had once again spent days on end in this desolate place. It couldn’t be possible. She was lost again.
Amina’s eyes were wide and full of worry. “I could have sworn we were going the right direction. The oasis must be near. I—I don’t know where I went wrong.”
Leila fought the urge to regurgitate the day’s ration of flatbread. She couldn’t flip out. That wouldn’t help either of them. “Maybe we could retrace our steps?”
“That could take hours,” Amina groaned, her shoulders slumping. “I’m sorry, I thought I knew the way. We should go back to the camp.”
Leila took in the vast plain before them. As much as she wanted to go to the monastery, she should have listened to Abdullah after all.
With her heart still racing, she swallowed. Her mouth begged for water, but a nagging thought at the back of her mind refused to let her hand reach for the bottle. Not until she was sure they were back on track. She might be needing that water even more later.
As they rode down the dune, Amina’s head hung and her shoulders drooped. Leila couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. The poor thing didn’t lead them off course on purpose. She wanted to go to the monastery as much as she did.
Leila’s gaze wandered past Amina, to the horizon. She blinked. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Two lights twinkled in the silky haze, moving in their direction. A cloud of dust billowed behind them.
They both stopped their camels and shielded their eyes with a palm. The lights drew nearer. Who would be out driving this far into the desert? They were a long way from any road.
“Abdullah doesn’t happen to have a car he hasn’t told you about, does he?”
“No.” Amina shook her head, squinting as she watched the vehicle inch closer, the dust cloud growing as it neared. “He would have stuffed you in it as soon as you woke up and driven you to Cairo.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“You saw the jeep yesterday, though.” Amina twisted in her saddle to look at Leila.
“Yeah.” Leila sucked in her breath, her throat dry and scratchy. Her nervousness growing as the vehicle neared, she fumbled under her robes for the small knife at her waist, thankful Amina had found one for her to carry. A beaten-up white jeep sped into sight. And it was heading straight for them.
Leila gripped the reins, ready to urge Fatma into a run. But, of course—Fatma was a slow camel, Amina had told her. Perfect, just perfect.
“I don’t like this,” Amina groaned.
“What do we do?” Leila glanced around the wasteland, a ginormous, open death trap. “We can’t outrun them. There’s nowhere to hide.”
Together they watched the jeep slow, then come to a stop a few yards away. A window rolled down. A man wearing a black and white checkered headscarf stuck his shoulder out the passenger side window. Leila narrowed her eyes as Tahir grinned broadly at them.
“You look a bit lost,” he called, his voice overly sweet. Through the darkened windows, Leila could make out at least two other men sitting in the back.
Rocks formed in her stomach. She had categorized him as sleazy, and hadn’t given him another thought since their encounter the day before.
What were the odds he would be heading the same direction as them? Had he figured out she’d left him with a fake address and wanted his payment… or something else?
Amina cleared her throat. “We’re fine.”
“Are you now?” Tahir climbed out of the jeep and sauntered across the sandy earth toward them, clutching a rifle above the trigger. “Your brother seemed worried. He sent out search parties to find you.” The man held the barrel low, pointing at the sand. But why carry it at all?
Leila glared down at the man. What was this all about? His story was a steaming pile of camel dung. She didn’t know Abdullah that well, but he would have come for them himself rather than send this toad.
Tahir wrapped his empty fingers around the reins of Amina’s camel. “Come along now. It’s a long drive back to the camp. My men can take care of the camels for you.”
“We’re fine,” Amina said again, though her voice had lost its conviction.
