The Parched Sea by Troy Denning Page B

realized that if Kadumi had not come as her friend, he would not have told her about the warrior watching her tent. “The Mtair have no right to ask anything of me:”
    “If it comes to you escaping this night, I will go with you:’
    “No. You should stay with my father’s tribe:’ Ruha put a hand on the boy’s arm. “We are a long way from your home sands, and it will be hard to find another of the Qahtan’s allies for you to join:’
    Kadumi shrugged. “That doesn’t matter. If you go, I must go as well. Yet that may not be necessary. Al’Aif thinks your father will change his mind:’
    Ruha frowned skeptically. “Al’Aif should know my father better than that:’
    “He seemed very sure of himself, and he thought you should know:’
    why.
    The boy shook his head. “He didn’t say, but he is a man who can be trusted. Just wait until tomorrow. If your father has not changed his mind, then I will get you before you reach the Zhentarim:’
    The youth returned to his feet, saying, “I should leave before the guard thinks I am taking liberties with my brother’s wife:”
    Beneath her veil, Ruha smiled at the boy’s swagger. “We wouldn’t want that:’
    “Until tomorrow, then;’ he said as he left.
    Without unpacking her kuerabiche, Ruha returned to studying her spells. Whatever Al’Aif was doing, she didn’t see how it affected her decision. Since her return, the warrior had treated her with a certain amount of respect, but she doubted that he or anyone else had changed their views on having a witch in the tribe.
    Ruha continued studying her spells until an uncanny quiet crept over the camp and the night chill wafted into her tent on silent puffs of wind. Judging the time to be prune for sneaking away, Ruha went to the door of her khreima and peered outside. The moon cast a weak silvery light over the camp, but there were plenty of murky shadows to hide in beneath the ghaf trees and behind the tents. The sentry Kadumi had mentioned was nowhere in sight, but Ruha did not doubt that he was wrapped in a dark cloak and lying beneath one of the bushes or trees she watched.
    Ruha backed away from the exit, then took her kuerabiche and went to the back side of the tent. She lifted a wall and pushed the bag outside, then started to squirm out her
    self.
    A pair of dogs started barking on the far side of camp. Cursing the beasts, Ruha left the bag outside and crawled back into the tent. The dogs would awaken every other animal in camp, which would make it much more difficult for her to take a camel without causing a general tumult. Even with the animals alert, the widow could use her magic to move about undetected. Unfortunately, any camel she tried to take would be startled by her silent appearance from the shadows and bellow an alarm. It would be better to wait for the dogs to quiet down, then try again.
    The dogs did not quiet. More joined the chorus, and then the camels began to bray. Soon the voices of sleepy men joined the uproar. Vexed by her bad luck, Ruha wrapped her cloak around her shoulders and waited for the men to put to rest whatever problem it was that had awakened the whole camp. When the tumult only grew worse, Ruha went outside to see the cause.
    The first thing she saw was a stern-faced Nata striding purposefully toward her khreima. Behind him, in the center of the camp, her father and two dozen warriors stood gathered in a circle. They were all shouting at each other in puzzled, shocked voices.
    As Nata approached, he said, “You’d better come with me, witch:’
    Ruha frowned in concern. “What’s wrong? Is Kadumi hurt?”
    The burly warrior shook his head, but before he could answer, a youthful warrior appeared from the other side of her tent. He was carrying the kuerabiche Ruha had packed earlier that night. “I found this behind the witch’s tent, Father.”
    Nata took the shoulder bag from his son, then threw it back inside her khreima. “You won’t be going anywhere tonight,