not go a long way towards endearing a practitioner to her best customers. Amongst the nomads there were many who believed in the superstitious nonsense of the witches and there seemed to be no end to their gullibility. “It would prove an interesting experiment,” he shouted over the thundering of the hooves and the howling of the wind.
Petra looked at him with a small smile on her face but did not reply, and so they rode on into the day. It took them another two hours, as Manetho had suggested earlier, to arrive near the outskirts of the nomadic camp, but they spotted the smoke from its many campfires long before that. The horses seemed to sense the proximity to the tents and keeping them limited to the pace of a canter proved too much for all of the inexperienced riders. The horses leaned into their reins and first Milli’s, then Brogus’s, and finally Petra’s broke into a heart-pounding gallop that numbed the senses. Only Dol, his thick muscles straining, managed to keep his horse under control. The fierce nomad who came back with the extra horses sent his horse into a gallop after the other three while Manetho kept pace with the sturdy dwarf.
“You are a powerful rider,” he shouted at Dol.
Dol took a second to glance over at the nomad and nod his head before he returned his attention to the powerful beast. Manetho watched the struggle closely. The horse knew the rider was inexperienced and tried its best to take control of the situation but Dol kept a firm hand on the reins and refused to give the steed its head. After another mile of struggle the horse shook its mane with a loud whinny and resumed the canter without protest. Within another minute the multi-colored tents became visible and the wizard took them towards the densest cluster.
When they arrived a few minutes later they found the other three companions and their nomadic escort standing near a group of tall tents which had various horse symbols painted on them. One was a horseshoe, another the anvil and tongs of a blacksmith, and there were other symbols that Dol did not recognize. Petra and Brogus stood on the ground with their hands on visibly quaking knees while Milli waited for them literally bouncing up and down in excitement, “Wasn’t that great!” Then she ran over to her horse and gave it a hug, her little body not even coming up to the chest of the creature. “I love you!”
“Horses often have a profound effect on young women,” said Manetho to no one in particular as he smiled indulgently at Milli. She did not notice.
“Wasn’t that incredible!” asked Milli again. Brogus, still bent over, waved his hand at her but Petra managed a weak smile and a nod of her head. “Dol, wasn’t that fun?” asked the girl as she came over and grabbed him by the hand. “Did you ever dream of anything like that?”
Dol raised his eyebrow at the girl but could not help the small smile that came across his face. “It was exhilarating,” he finally admitted.
Brogus, slightly recovered, looked at the beasts and shook his head, “I wonder what it would be like to take a few back… home. I’m not sure they would thrive underground but the speed at which an army could attack…”
“Come now,” said Manetho. “The Black Rider awaits us in his tent.” He made a motion with his hand to the other nomad and the man began to gather the horses.
“Where are you taking him?” said Milli her eyes wide and she went back over to her horse and began to stroke its flank.
“He will be well taken care of,” said Manetho as he nodded his head and smiled broadly. “There is little in the world a Black Horseman values more than his horse.”
“Can I visit him?” said Milli continuing to stroke the animal.
“Of course,” said the nomadic wizard, “I must warn you that he is not yours. He merely served as your steed for a short time. His real owner will want a fair price for him.”
Milli looked down at the rings on her finger and smiled, “I think I can afford him.”
“Of that I have no doubt,” said the nomad with a smile. “Do not embark upon a negotiation without consulting me first. You are my guest and I would not want you to be taken advantage of.”
“I usually get a good deal,” said Milli with a smile as she flipped her hair back. “I know the art of negotiation.”
Manetho laughed, “Indeed, and Black Horsemen are as susceptible to the wiles of a pretty woman as anyone else in the world I would imagine. Still, consult with me first. And now, we must head to the Black Rider’s tent. He awaits us and he is not a patient man.”
The four visitors followed Manetho through the maze of tents that made up the encampment. At every turn strangely dressed nomadic men, women, and children, turned to stare at the group as they passed. A dark skinned woman in a shimmering gold and green gown that exposed her midsection flashed past and Brogus was so enthralled he completely lost track of the others. If Milli hadn’t noticed, gone back, and grabbed him by the hand, he might never have found his way to the leader’s tent.
“Did you see her?” said Brogus with a lopsided grin on his wide jawed face.
“Yes, I saw her,” said Milli rolling her eyes and shaking her head. She noticed that the normally implacable Dol also watched as the woman walked away, her hips moving enticingly.
“Va va voom!” said Brogus with a curvy motion of his hands. “They don’t make them like that in Cr… back home.”
Milli put her hands on her hips, raised her eyebrows and said, “They don’t?”
“I didn’t mean you,” said Brogus as his eyes went wide. “What I was saying is that dwarf girls…”
“Go on,” said Milli her hands still on her hips.
“Shouldn’t we catch up with everyone else,” said Brogus as inspiration suddenly came to him. “We don’t want to get lost. There they go!” he concluded and pointed to Dol who was just disappearing behind an orange tent with half a dozen blue and gold ribbons hanging from the front. A small group of nomads, drinking something from tiny little cups and jabbering in their strange language watched as they rushed past to catch up. “Hello, hello,” said Brogus. “Nice to meet you, must be going.”
“You’re an idiot,” said Milli as they caught up to Dol and the others.
“Now,” said Manetho as they came to a large, black tent. It was easily twice the size of those around it and made up of a heavy cloth material that completely blocked the brilliant sunlight. “This is the tent of the Black Rider. You are my guests so your behavior reflects upon me.”
“It must be hot in there,” said Brogus and fingered the heavy material that made up the outside of the structure.
A tall nomad stood at the entrance to the tent and looked down at the dwarf with a sneer on his face. His hand went to the hilt of his curved sword and rested there gently although he said nothing.
“We are here to see the Sheikh,” said Manetho to the man and stared him directly in the eye. The warrior bowed his head slightly and motioned to the interior of the tent with gesture of his left hand. The right remained on the hilt of his sword.
“The Sheikh?” said Petra.
“That is the title he prefers. Sheikh Ming the First,” said Manthos cooly. “Now come, he is not a patient man as I have said.”
“I thought he was the Black Rider,” whispered Brogus to Milli. The girl shrugged her shoulder, “Shut up, and don’t say anything when we’re inside. Let me and Dol do the talking.”
“That’s not fair,” said Brogus, “besides, I’m the only true blood dwarf in the group. I speak for my people more than you or Dol.”
“Shut up,” hissed Milli as they made their way through the folds in the fabric and suddenly emerged into a spacious chamber where food and drink were laid out on a number of tables that sat flat on the ground. “This isn’t a trade negotiation; this is us trying to get to the five volcanoes so that Dol can complete his mission.”
“You shut up,” said Brogus in an attempt at a whisper that carried across the tent to where a darkling sat in a chair behind a wooden desk. He looked up with strange purple eyes and Brogus’s hand immediately went to the axe at his side while Dol grabbed the handle of the Hammer of Fire.
“Your people and mine have had their differences in the past,” said the darkling behind the desk with a quiet voice. His face was calm and he glanced back down at the papers in front of him before he continued. “I’m told you’ve journeyed far.”
“Hello, Black Rider,” said Brogus.
Milli elbowed him in the side, “Greetings, Sheikh Ming, we are travelers from afar but we ended up here
