AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I was actually glad when the scent of animal manure reached my nostrils and in a few minutes we reached the edge of the capital. Large and small corrals lined the high wall that surrounded Thania, and a steady flow of animals and vehicles moved through a wide archway. The vehicles were not your typical carts and carriages, however, as their wheels had been replaced with ski sleds. Donkeys, horses, and even creatures that resembled camels, but without the extreme humpage, chewed their cud inside the wooden paddocks.
“Ben!” a voice shouted, and a rotund man of forty strolled over to us with his arms held out in a hug.
Ben grasped his arms and smiled down at the slightly shorter man. “I hoped you’d be here, Faris.”
“Where else would I be?” Faris countered as he stepped back and spread out his arms on either side of him. “If I do not work then the mouths under my roof do not eat.”
Ben grinned. “And how many mouths is that now?”
“Papa! Papa!”
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
A gaggleof some eight children scurried over to Faris. It was a mixture of boys and girls ages five to fifteen, and the smaller ones latched on to Faris’ legs, nearly toppling him.
“Gently, my spring flowers, gently!” Faris scolded them as he swayed back and forth. “What is the matter?”
“Could I mind the corral for you, Father?” the oldest boy pleaded with him. “Or perhaps just for an hour?”
Faris gestured to Ben. “Not today, my boy. An important customer has come to bless us with his coin.”
The children stared at Ben as if he was made of gold. The oldest boy stepped forward and bowed his head to Ben. “We thank you for your patronage, sir. How might we serve you this fine day?”
Ben smiled at the eager young man. “Your finest wagon and qasi. And see if your fine mother won’t pack us a delicious snack for a trip to the ghasl.”
“Right away, sir!” the boy replied. He gestured to two of his younger brothers and the trio leapt into the nearest corral to wrangle up the request.
Faris beamed at his young sons as they gathered one of the camel-like creatures and led them to the far side of the corral where wagons stood near the wood fence. “Fine lads. They will be running the business better than me before long.”
The younger children tugged on their father’s sleeves. “Can we help?”
Faris grinned down at them. “Of course. You must tell your mother to prepare a basket of her best treats.”
“I’ll go tell her!” one of the girls shouted as she darted down the street. The others were of the same opinion and rushed after her.
Some of them crashed into my legs as they scurried past, and I was nearly spun in a circle by their tailwind. I ended up falling against Ben who looped an arm around my waist to steady me.
Faris’ eyebrows shot up as he looked between the two of us. “And who is this fine woman you have brought with you, my friend? With such beauty, one cannot help but wonder if an angel has joined us.”
I snorted. “I would classify myself more as a nymph than an angel.”
Ben grinned down at me. “This is my fiancé Millie Lucas.”
I cast a side glare at him. “You’re going to keep that story up the entire time we’re here, aren’t you?”
“As long as I can,” he confirmed before he turned his attention to Faris. “Have the sands been kind of late to travelers to the mouth of the river?”
Faris’ good humor fell away and he knitted his eyebrows together. “Why do you wish to go there?”
“A sightseeing tour, mostly,” Ben told him as he folded his arms over his chest. “But if we need more, would that be a problem?”
The local pursed his lips. “There is much trouble in these lands, my friend. You should not go looking for it, especially there. The ladies will not be pleased to see any visitors, but men especially are rarely welcome.”
Ben nodded at me. “That’s why I’m bringing my fiancé with me, but should we have other things to fear?”
Faris half-turned to the gateway where so many wagons drifted in and out. “I have not seen them myself, but others speak of strange shadows in the sands. They crawl out of the dunes and have scared many horses and upset many wagons.”
I lifted an eyebrow. “Is it some sort of animal?”
