Eventually he arrived back at their tent with a significantly better understanding of the strange city. He found Dol still sleeping after his long night of watch with the Hammer of Fire safely ensconced at his side. Brogus looked all around the tent carefully, attempting to spot any hidden compartments where a spy might lurk and then lifted the outside flap and noted that the nomad who escorted him around the lake was gone. He then turned back to the interior of the tent and began a much more thorough inventory of its contents and layout. It only took him about twenty minutes to do so and just as he finished a little tinkling sound from outside alerted him to the presence of someone at the flap. He walked over to the entrance, stuck his head outside, and spotted Manetho standing there with a large grin on his face. “You’ve been exploring?”
Brogus nodded his head which seemed much clearer after his brisk walk. “Yes, it is an interesting type of city. I’ve never seen anything like it in the north.”
“We move the entire city at least four times a year, more in cases of emergency,” replied the nomad with a shrug of his shoulders. “I hope you don’t mind that we’ve provided you with an escort. It’s easy to get lost and if you walked into the tent of women you might have aroused a great deal of anger.”
Brogus nodded his head and smiled at the pleasant thought, “That makes sense.”
“We have some customs here in the Sands that you might not fully understand and I would not want an unfortunate incident marring your stay with us. Sheikh Ming agrees. I do hope you enjoyed your little trip around the lake?”
“I did,” said Brogus with a smile and a glance back towards the shoreline although the tent’s exterior walls blocked the view. “I also found a few of your delicacies for sale when I explored the camp. It is strange but not that different than my own home.”
“Where did you say you were from again?” asked Manetho with a smile as his eyes darted back and forth from Brogus to the city that surrounded them.
“A boring little city of dwarves in the north,” said Brogus with a glance back inside the tent where he knew Dol slept. “You said something about a dwarf citadel nearby. Have you ever visited it?”
Manetho shook his head, “The desert between the Black Horsemen and the dwarf city of Temin has a number of tribes hostile to us. We raid upon Temin now and again and steal fine iron weapons crafted by the dwarves but I have never visited the nation itself. It is said to be entirely underground, in the mountain. I cannot imagine such a life away from sun, sand, and wind. It is not in the nature of a nomad to sleep without stars overhead.”
“So you’ve never seen a dwarf before us?”
“No, not at all,” said Manetho with a shake of his head and a broad smile. “Dwarf caravans are allowed passage through the desert if they pay part of their goods to the various tribal boundaries they cross. We are on relatively good terms with the dwarves of Temin and they provide us with many of our weapons and horseshoes. They are wizards with iron and steel. The desert provides sustenance for many of the needs of a warrior nomad but iron is in short supply.”
“Are there no hills in all the sands? No rocky outcroppings?”
“Such places are not uncommon,” said Manetho as he ran his fingers along his bald head. “Even here in the territories of the Black Horsemen, but we nomads do not like to linger long in one place. It is in our nature to roam, to ride, and to slay our enemies. No foreign army has ever conquered the nomads.”
“I believe you,” said Brogus and nodded his own head with his lips pressed tightly together. “I can’t imagine the difficulty of an invasion of this desert. But surely with constant war between you and the other nomads there must be changes in territory?”
“Oh yes,” said Manetho and smiled broadly. “It must be the same with you in your underground warrens as well. The darklings I think you called them. Your armies must take land from them and they fight to take it back. It is an endless dance. A way to train warriors.”
“I’m a metal smith apprentice,” said Brogus with a shrug of his shoulders. “I know little of the way of war although there are warriors among my people. The darklings attack often. They need prisoners for sacrifice to their evil gods.”
“What are you two talking about,” said Dol as he suddenly appeared at the tent flap, his eyes still slightly groggy from his sleep.
“I’m glad you are up,” said Manetho with a look at the tall dwarf, his raised eyes spotting a fresh apple blossoming bright green and no bigger than a marble used by the children to play their gambling games. “I see that you did not lie about your heritage,” went on the nomad wizard and pointed towards Dol’s hair.
Dol’s hand went to the apple immediately; he took it between his finger and thumb, gave a swift yank, grimaced, and then examined it closely. It was typical of the little sour apples that had plagued his life since adolescence. “I had hoped that the desert climate would kill the things once and for all,” he said with a frown on his face as he examined it.
“Might I see it?” said Manetho his eyes gazing towards the little fruit with a look of eagerness. “I’ve never heard of a cross between a tree shepherd and a dwarf. I wonder if it has any magical properties. There is certainly enchantment about it.”
Dol shrugged and handed over the apple, “Why are you glad to see me awake?”
Manetho turned the thing over in his hand a few times with his eyes locked on it. After a few seconds of silence he looked up at Dol who had the look of someone waiting for an answer on his face, “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“Why did you come to visit us this morning?” said Dol quietly but somehow with menace.
“Ah, yes,” said the wizard, oblivious to the bubbling anger, and again looked down at the little apple in his hand. “This is fascinating, most interesting indeed. Can I keep it? Perform a few experiments?”
Dol nodded his head but said nothing.
“That is most generous of you,” said Manetho gazing at the little apple. “Most generous indeed.”
“Your visit?” said Dol with a slight hint of impatient in his voice.
“Oh, yes, I’m here to invite you to ride with the Black Rider. He is leaving the city for a meeting with one of the other tribes. He wishes to speak with you and your friends further about this northern general and his plans of conquest. I tried to explain that you were merely visitors to our region but the Black Rider has the fate of our people in his hands and you must understand his desire for further information. Perhaps you learned something that might be useful to my people and you don’t even realize it.”
“I don’t like riding,” said Brogus, eyes wide with fear and mouth agape. “Those horses are dangerous.”
“You will accompany the Black Rider,” said Manetho with a shake of his head. “It is considered quite an honor. He is very busy man these days with our many alliances. I’d guess he wants the chance to talk with you as soon as possible. This meeting with the Jagged Edge nomads was scheduled many months ago and cannot be delayed.”
“How does he ride during the day?” said Dol his eyes carefully looking to judge the bald nomad’s reaction. “He is a darkling and they have a notorious weakness to direct sunlight.”
“He has special gear that covers him from head to toe to keep off the sunlight,” said Manetho, still swirling the apple in his hand. “But there is no time for me to explain. We must gather the women and get you mounted on your horses for the journey.” With that statement the nomad put the little apple in one of his many pockets and immediately walked off at a brisk pace. Dol and Brogus were left to follow behind.
It took them merely five minutes to get to the tent where the girls awaited them. Milli’s face broke into a huge smile as she saw their approach, and she rushed over to give Dol a big hug. “Have you heard? We get to ride again. Isn’t that grand?”
“No,” said Brogus with a frown as he watched Milli’s obvious delight with incomprehension. “I’d rather stay here.”
“I think that might be possible,” said the quiet voice of Tahnoon as the massively fat nomad appeared from around the corner of the tent with a broad smile. “I enjoyed our conversation greatly yesterday evening and I’d like to renew it today while the others are away. The meeting with the Jagged Edge nomad shouldn’t take more than a day or two, and I don’t think your companions would suffer too great a hurt if you were to stay here in the encampment.”
“That sounds great…,” started Brogus but Milli immediately interposed her little body between the two.
“No,” she said and shook her head vigorously. “We stay together. Besides, Sheikh Ming might have some questions only Brogus can answer. He knows the most about the army.”
