The heat steadily grew the further south they sailed, but Theo never complained. Ptah spoke to them in a halting Greek, good enough to communicate the essentials. Theo was pleased to discover that they were making good time and were about to stop on the island of Crete.

They sat beside the dock for most of the day and Amir took Theo on short runs into the town of Iraklio, a busy little seaport. But this was still a Greek community under the shadow of the Romans and controlled by Byzantine rule, they did not go far.

Ptah accompanied them to eat, still afraid of them and yet a bit more relaxed when he discovered that they didn't bite. He told them of the changes that had occurred in his home city of Alexandria and the sadness at seeing so much of antiquity disappearing. The Romans it seemed took souvenirs, robbing the city and temples of their wealth.

They slept on board the dhow and left at first light, tonight they would sleep in Alexandria. The lateen sail stayed filled with wind throughout the day and quite soon Ptah pointed at the haze on the horizon.

"Africa," He said. "Storms await us."

And he wasn't kidding. By the time they could make out the land ahead the air was filled with a fine dust that left them gasping for breath. Ptah and the crew showed them how to wrap their faces with a wet cloth and things became easier. Theo and Amir gave in to the moment and dressed in their Arab garments, again they had to be shown how to wrap things properly.

The Arab lands were filled with tribes, and a native could generally tell his people by the clothing and the way they wrapped their head coverings. Ptah said this was very important and they must do it correctly to save face.

The desert had kicked up a lot of sand in the air and until it died down they could not make port. Ptah followed the coast and turned back, seeking the favorable wind that would allow them to sail into the harbor, on the third try they came close enough. The crew dropped the sail and used long poles in the shallow waters until they made the dock.

There was a great noise as Ptah leapt out onto the rickety wooden platform and was swamped by children and his loving wives, both of them. Theo grinned because there must have been a dozen children indicating Ptah to be a wealthy man.

By the time they were ready to unload the sandstorm had abated and the sun appeared through the haze. Theo felt the cloth surrounding him heat up and yet the sweat from his body was absorbed and it cooled him down. Amir seemed perfectly happy in his clothing and he looked much like the native people around them.

Ptah soon dispatched his family and turned back to the ship. He had their baggage taken off and hugged and kissed them as was the fashion here.

"You must go to the Roman officials for guidance," He said. "They are in that large building beyond the docks, you will see their soldiers. May the gods guide your steps, you have been most kind."

Amir hired a porter for the baggage and they made their way off the docks and up towards the building that Ptah had mentioned.

"Do we report to the Romans?" Amir asked.

"I don't see why, we won't be here long enough to need them," Theo replied.

Nikolas had told them they must get transport taking them to the Nile River. Once there they could take passage up river past the ancient pyramids and seek a caravan heading across to the Sinai. That was the only way they could get to the Red Sea and search for a ship heading south.

They stopped at the city walls and the porter set down their bags. Amir looked at the man, a common laborer who did not speak any language they might know, it was worth a try.

Amir pointed at himself and then Theo. "Sinai," he said. The man pointed at himself and shook his head, he wasn't going there. Amir made the motions of riding and said "Sinai" once again. The man smiled and pointed up the street. "Sinai," the man said.

They followed the man up the street and then turned this way and that, working their way through the back streets of the town. Theo kept his eyes open, they were lost if they had to retrace their steps. But they soon came out of the narrow alleys into a broad plaza.

The bazaar was the foremost Arab marketplace, everything could be found here. Their porter led them across to a corral filled with animals of all kinds, including a few camels that fascinated Theo. The man set their baggage down and bowed. "Sinai," he said and pointed at a group of Arab men sitting under an awning.

Amir figured this was the answer and so he paid the porter in small coins. The man grinned and clapped his hands so maybe they had given him too much. He bowed again and called down the blessing of the gods on them, a series of words Amir now understood.

They stood looking at the Arabs gathered under the awning. "Which of us should talk to them?" Theo asked.

"I will," Amir said. "Seems to work so far."

They gathered their baggage and as they approached one of the men stood to greet them. He asked a question in the Egyptian Coptic language which had a similar sound to the Greek Amir knew. The boy responded in Greek and the man's face lit up.

"You speak the classical language, how wonderful. It's so good to hear it once again. I spent some years of study on the island of Crete...my name is Tamir."

"I am Amir, and this one is called Theo...we are students from Roma."

"Ahh, you come seeking knowledge, what a fine thing. I saw you with that slave, what did you need?"

"I didn't know he was a slave," Amir said. "But I asked him how we might travel to the Sinai and he brought us here."

Tamir nodded. "My friend has beasts and will guide you, and what will you find in Sinai?"

"A ship we hope, we are bound for Kolachi."

"Kolachi, so far...it will take you weeks to get there and will be very expensive," Tamir said. "May I ask, why do you travel so far?"

"Our teacher is already there, but my father hesitated to send us last year because of the Roman armies." Amir was repeating the lie Gaius and Nikolas had cooked up.

Tamir shook his head. "Well you have a difficult journey ahead, the cost alone for the ship and the food, I hope you are prepared."

Amir nodded. "I am…can you and your friends deliver us?"

Tamir nodded. "We will take you to the Nile beyond the great pyramids and there you must take the ferry to the other side. I cannot go with you, but I will give you the name of a man you must seek, he will take you to the sea where there are ships."

"Good, what shall we do?" Amir asked.

"We will load your bags, have you ever ridden a camel before?" Tamir asked.

"I have, many years ago, but Theo has not...will you teach him?"

Tamir smiled. "I will teach him to ride, but the gods will punish his backside."

Tamir and his friends seemed good natured, but Amir could tell that Theo was staying alert. Amir paid Tamir half of the asking price, four pieces of Roman coin, and the rest would be paid upon delivery. Theo eyed the nearest camel closely and it stared back at him, Amir tried not to laugh but he knew Theo's history with pack animals.

"That certainly seems like a long way off the ground," Theo said, looking at the standing camel.

Tamir laughed. "It is but we will make it easier for you to mount." He nodded at the handler and the man tapped the camel's knees with his rod. The beast bellowed and then began to lower himself until he was kneeling with his belly in the sand.

"That's much better," Theo said. Tamir showed him how to mount and lock an ankle under the knee of the other leg, gripping the odd looking saddle in between. "This seems awkward, do I ride like this?"

"Yes," Tamir said, "now hold on tight." And Theo did as the camel stood up, nearly throwing him off in the process.

"Very good," Amir applauded, and then mounted his own camel.

Their little caravan had six camels in all, and they walked out of the bazaar through a low gate, forcing them all to duck. The handler led the way with Theo and Amir close behind, while Tamir and his friend brought up the rear with the pack animals.

"Does it feel comfortable?" Amir asked.

"It's not like a horse that's for sure, but I'm getting used to it," Theo said. "I suppose we will end up spending nights out here, are there inns where we might stay?"

"No inns, we sleep under the stars unless they brought a tent along."

"I can handle that for a few nights," Theo said.

They rode for what seemed like hours, following the bank of the river, in and around marshy areas but always following the road. There were other travelers, more camels, and sometimes a herd of goats. There were farm fields and abundant crops close to the river, but away in the distance lay the desert.

As evening approached Tamir chose an area for them to stop, the only sign of comfort was a well. The handler staked out the camels and built a fire as darkness fell. Their meal was bread and porridge made of grains. Tamir handed out dates, a sweet treat Theo enjoyed very much. Then they settled down for the night.

It was late, hours before dawn, when Theo came awake and was instantly on alert. Under the dim starlight he could see the handler was untying the camels and Tamir was moving silently towards them, a long dagger in his hand. The second man drew his dagger and crept towards Amir, it looked a lot like they planned murder.

Theo sprang to his feet and confronted Tamir. "You will not succeed," Theo warned. Rather than listen Tamir lunged and was thrown back as his weapon virtually exploded in his hand. Amir was awake now and as the second man approached him Theo held out his hand.

Again he summoned a ball of fire that swiftly struck the attacker and his screams filled the night air. Tamir was down and the handler managed one look at the scene and took off running into the night.

"I did warn you," Theo said.

The smell of the burned man filled their nostrils but he was dead by now and Tamir was on his knees begging for mercy.

"Heka," He whimpered, "You are a wizard."

"Maybe I am, but you chose to murder us and now I will show you no mercy," Theo said.

"No," Amir said. "No killing."

They bound Tamir hand and foot and left him lying in the sand. Theo led Amir away in the darkness and looked back at their camp.

"I'm sorry, but he doesn't need killing," Amir said.

"You're right I was blinded by anger because we trusted him. I had to kill the other one."

Amir held Theo close and kissed his lips. "Our friends are far behind, from now on we trust no one except one another. I thank you for saving my life."

Theo smiled. "Here we are under a sky filled with the greatest number of stars I have ever seen and we speak of killing instead of love. I need you more than ever to help me control this power."

Amir stroked Theo's face. "I will always be here to advise you."

They kissed long and hard, and then broke away with a gasp. Theo looked off into the darkness. "I don't suppose that camel driver will be back."

"He saw what you did, we won't see him again," Amir said. "Their fear of magic is great, and if the handler speaks of this no one will believe him."

"And when the sun rises?"

"We load Tamir on a camel and ride on down the road. If we follow the river we will come to the ferry and can cross. Then I don't know, what shall we do with our captive?" Amir led their way over to the camels. "Now we have six camels and only three of us, one of us will have to lead the others."

"I have a mind to put Tamir on a camel and send him back," Theo said.

"And what if he comes back with more friends? We might get stuck by the river awaiting the ferry, we could be vulnerable."

"He called me a wizard...Heka, I wonder what he means?" Theo said.

"Superstitions, he is afraid of you now."

"Well I don't want him talking to anyone else about what he saw," Theo said.

"We'll think of something."

Dawn came and Amir found the handler's rod. He made the camels kneel which made Theo grin. "You do that pretty well."

Amir laughed. "I know better than to have you try it, camels can be more stubborn than a mule."

Theo shook his head. "I'm never going loose myself of that reputation, but I shall try."

They tied Tamir in the saddle of his camel and Theo took the leads of the others. They moved along the road until they came to a village at the confluence of the river. Here the water split to form the broad delta between the two branches. The Nile from there on south was a large, broad river and they would certainly need a ferry to cross.

This area was well populated and about as expected Theo saw the Roman symbols begin to appear.

"That sign says 'Cairo,' are we entering a city?" Theo asked. "I didn't see it on the map."

"The pyramids are close by and so is the river, maybe the Romans are building a city?" Amir suggested.

The Roman symbols meant that they might soon run into some Roman troops, and eventually they did. Theo wasn't sure what to say, but Amir felt inspired. There was a small troop of soldiers holding a fortified building surrounded with a wooden stockade, an outpost alongside the road.

They approached and a soldier stepped forth, holding up a hand for them to stop.

"What have we here?" The soldier inquired.

"Good day, Legionnaire," Amir said. "We are traveling to find the army of the First Citizen, Heraclius, Emperor of Roma and the Byzantine."

The man's mouth fell open at the sound of Amir's Greek for they looked like nothing more than two dusty Arabs. Finally the man's wits returned and he laughed.

"And why would you seek the Emperor?" He asked.

"I am sent by Nikolas the Greek, Historian and map maker for the court of the Emperor. My hand is to chronicle the great success of the fine Roman troops such as yourself. I am to map the lands conquered in Persia and the Arabian Peninsula."

The soldier straightened up at the mention of the court, he had no way of knowing if this was for real, but it certainly sounded important.

"Let me fetch the Centurion."

The soldier rushed away and soon returned with another man who was quickly buckling on his breastplate. Amir said the words again and this man stiffened, giving him a salute.

"And how may we assist your travels?" The Centurion asked.

Amir nodded at the camel holding Tamir. "We were being guided by this man who tried to murder us in our sleep last night, he did not succeed. I would leave him in your care if I might. Otherwise, we are headed for the Nile ferry, is it far?"

The Centurion nodded. "Just stay on the road, it's about a four hour journey. Our last word was that the Emperor is on his way to Jerusalem, you would have had a better journey by ship."

"I need to speak with the garrisons on the battlefield and collect their accounts of the war. My master will want to know your name so I will include it in my chronicles. The citizens of Roma will soon know of your bravery."

The Centurion visibly swelled with pride and bowed to Amir who still sat high on his camel. Two soldiers led Tamir away and Theo hoped they could leave now. Amir must have had the same thought.

"Good day to you Centurion, and before we go...your name?"

"Markus Avitus, with the Second Traiana Legion ...are you really going to put my name in your report?"

"Absolutely, it's my job," Amir said.

"Have a safe journey," the Centurion called out as Amir started his camel moving. Theo quickly followed, still leading the string of camels. They trotted down the road a good two or three miles before Amir reined in and started laughing.

"What a brilliant performance," Theo said.

"I did that quite well, don't you think?"

"It took courage, but how did you know what to say?"

Amir smiled. "Remember what Septimus said, you can always count on a Roman soldier to respect rank. He had a choice to make and he chose to believe that which seemed impossible. I stroked his ego, he swelled with pride...and here we are. I do feel sorry for Tamir since they will certainly sell him into slavery."

"He deserves no better," Theo replied. "Come on, we have hours to travel and I'm becoming hungry."

The road was hot and dusty, but there were places to stop along the way. Amir bought more dates and Theo was pleased until the boy started feeding them to the camels. Of course the animals needed food, Theo felt stupid for not realizing that.

Away in the distance Amir pointed out the strange looking ancient constructions known as the pyramids. They looked like small stone hills at this distance, a curiosity to Theo's mind but little more. And eventually they came to a wide path leading down to the river and discovered they had reached the crossing point.

There were several groups of people squatting on the banks awaiting the return of the ferry, but none of them had animals. They climbed down off the beasts and led them to the water.

"What can we do when we reach the other side?" Theo asked.

"There must be someone who can guide us or at least tell us what to do," Amir replied. "If we keep traveling south-east we'll hit the Red Sea."

Theo pulled out their map. "The Sinai is very narrow there, but I don't see any port marked on the map."

"Nikolas said they were building a channel from the sea to the Nile and abandoned it when they figured out it might drain the river. There has to be at least a village, someplace ships can unload, we'll find it."

The ferry returned and for three coins they managed to take five camels and themselves across. They unloaded and walked the camels up the bank. Theo stopped and stared, the moment sinking in, they were facing the desert. Low hills of sand stretched away as far as he could see, yet out there somewhere was a vast stretch of water, it didn't seem possible.

A man and his family of three stood off to one side going through their baggage. One by one the man strapped a small load on each of his kids and checked their head wrapping.

"Amir, they're planning to walk out there. If they're going our way we should offer them a ride."

"I agree, we'll see how far my language skills go," Amir grinned. He hefted a small water skin and walked towards the family.

"Greetings," Amir said, and then he squatted down and waited for a response.

"Greetings as well. May the gods bless you, master," the man replied, squatting down and accepting the offer of water.

Amir said something in Greek and the man shook his head. This would be difficult as they only had a few words they could share. Amir took his camel prod and pointed to Theo and then himself. Then Amir drew a line to signify the Nile and then a large elongated shape to indicate the sea. He made the riding gesture and moved the prod from the Nile to the sea and the man nodded.

Small progress. Amir handed the man the prod and then pointed at the woman and three children. He looked back at the man and indicated the rough map drawn on the ground. The man smiled and drew a line towards the sea and then along further down the near side where he stopped.

Amir nodded, the man was taking his family to a village by the sea. Now the big question. Amir drew a picture of a ship and then pointed at the sea. The man nodded and pointed at the sea, spreading his arms to indicate a large ship.

Amir smiled and stood up, offering the man his hand. This man was instantly on his feet and ready to return to his family, but Amir stopped him. He pointed at the wife and children and then the camels, the man looked astonished. Amir repeated the gesture and placed his hands together. The man looked overwhelmed at Amir's generosity and grabbed the boy's hands, kissing them.

"Oh, we'll have none of that," Amir said, withdrawing his hands.

The two older children rode together, the wife and the smallest child on the baggage camel. The man, his name Badru, rode with a constant smile. The track across the sand, rock and scrubby growth was fairly well marked so there was little chance of becoming lost, but the journey took them all day.

Badru and his family would have taken three days to accomplish what they did in one long day by camel. Now Theo understood why the man was so grateful. And just as the sun was nearing the horizon they reached the sea. It looked huge, stretching away to the horizon between low cliffs on either side. But there were no great ships in sight.

Amir looked at Badru and pointed, the question written all over his face. Badru nodded and pointed away in the distance. "Tomorrow," he said, then "Tomorrow," again, the word repeated three times. He gestured towards the water and down the coast where they could see a small village. "Please...please," Badru said.

"I gather the ships will come in three days time, seems he is inviting us to his village," Amir said.

"Then let's go, I cannot abide sitting on this camel for one more mile," Theo said.

Badru led them down the track which followed the shoreline, and by the time the sun was setting they arrived in the tiny village. A dozen or so people came rushing from their homes which appeared to be little more than tented spaces covered in animal hides.

"Badru...Badru," the gathering chanted and he sat tall and proud on the camel. Amir looked around and noticed that there were no other camels in the village, these were a poor people. They dismounted and the villagers stood back respectfully.

"We have no way to communicate except by sign, so I guess we better keep our needs very simple," Amir said.

Badru spoke to these people and must have told them of their journey from the Nile, but then the men stepped forward and began to unload the camels. Badru took first Amir's and then Theo's hand and led them to a fire in front of one of the dwellings, gesturing for them to sit.

The camels were staked out in a line, and brought small mounds of grasses to eat. Amir watched as Badru gave orders and they were brought food and drink. These people were so poor and yet they gave willingly.

"You know we are going to leave our camels to these people, it will change their lives," Amir said.

"I was thinking the same thing, their kindness is astounding," Theo replied.

They both smiled as out of the darkness, beyond the fire light, the children of the village began to gather. Theo unwrapped his headdress and allowed his hair to hang down. Amir did the same and then gestured to the children. Within minutes they had eight little ones gathered around.

"I don't think they've seen a white face before," Amir said. "Such smiling dirty faces, they're adorable."

"We're not so clean ourselves, I wonder how they bathe?" Theo asked.

"The sea is right there, maybe in the morning," Amir said, and then he took a small girl into his lap.

Badru offered them a place in his tent, but Amir refused. The man would have put his family out to accomidate them, that would never do. So they slept on a pile of grasses, lying on their cloaks with the beauty of the heavens above them.

The next few days were idyllic, they were treated like kings. Amir was given to understand that the men of the village were employed in loading and unloading the ships that came this far north. And on the second day a caravan arrived, camping out near the water and awaiting the arrival of a ship.

Two dhows sailed into the waters nearby, not large craft but capable of carrying a good amount of cargo. The sailors beached the craft and planks were laid out to the shore so that unloading could proceed. The products would be moved further inland by caravan to other communities.

Badru went aboard one of the dhows and spoke to a man who looked ashore and shook his head. They continued to talk until Badru suddenly came ashore and walked over to Amir. He bowed slightly and hesitated before gesturing to the dhow and then rubbed his fingers together. The captain wanted payment, Badru seemed embarrassed.

Amir smiled and reached in his pouch for some coins. Badru then smiled and took four of the coins back to the man on board who nodded and gestured them onto the ship. Theo and Amir gathered up their bags and then smiled. Amir pointed at the camels and then at Badru who didn't seem to understand.

Amir led Badru over to the camels and placed the reins of one of them in the man's hand. He pointed at all the camels and then tapped Badru's chest. "Badru's camels now," Amir said.

The look of wonder on the man's face was something to see, no one had ever given him such wealth. Theo stepped forward and handed Badru the camel prod as a final gesture of the gift. The poor man was so overwhelmed he didn't know what to do. But Theo shook his hand, hugged him and kissed his cheeks in the Arab fashion, Amir did the same.

Badru yelled to his family and they came running, taking the boy's baggage and carrying it to the shore near the ship. Amir got down on one knee and looked at each of the children he had come to know so well.

"May the blessing of the gods be upon each of you," He said in Greek. And he handed each of them a small Roman coin, more wealth than they could comprehend. To Badru's wife Amir gave a small red cloth tied in a knot, which contained coins. "Be blessed," Amir said, and then they boarded the ship.

The crew settled their bags in the bow and the boys sat down with their possessions. The villagers and the crew pushed the ship out of the sand until it floated once again. Then push poles were used to turn the vessels around. The sails were raised and the two vessels slowly moved away, leaving Badru and his family at the shore waving in farewell.

"What did you give his wife?" Theo asked.

Amir smiled. "Five gold coins, one for each of them. I thought Badru was a nice man, he deserved to be rewarded."

"So we have no idea how far this boat will take us, do we?"

"We should relax, anywhere south is a good destination," Amir replied. "Later on I'll show the captain our map and see what he says."

Hurghada would be their first stop by the end of the day, and after two more stops they would reach Jeddah on the far side of the Red Sea, their first contact with the Arab States. The area had all been conquered by the Romans, but here on the fringe there would be little if any Roman control.

Jeddah was a small Arab city on the edge of a vast desert, but here they found other ships, larger ships sitting by the docks. A small coin bought them the services of a man to carry their baggage and they went in search of refreshment and information. It was Amir who spotted the sign.

"Oh, a Greek scribe, do you see that?"

"Scribe, for what?" Theo asked.

"He probably writes correspondence, not all of these people are literate. I imagine the new Roman rulers require something like this," Amir replied. "At least he'll understand us."

But the man behind the table wasn't Greek, he was Turkish. "Greetings," Amir said in Greek and the man looked up from his papers.

"Goodness...where did you come from?" The man asked.

"Roma, we're headed for Kolachi," Amir said, and then introduced himself and Theo.

"I am Osman. You have a long voyage ahead, my friends. Not many would attempt such a trip."

"I'm going home, Theo is my friend. Can you assist us in finding passage?"

"Today is impossible, tomorrow yes because I'm going to Adan myself."

Amir dismissed their porter and Osman led them to his rooms where he bid them store their baggage. To Theo's delight he then took them to a cool dark tavern where they sat and were introduced to tea.

"The drink comes from the Indian states, not too far from Amir's homeland," Osman said. "The leaf is picked, dried and then boiled in water to extract the flavor. It is delightful with goat's milk and honey."

They ate a meal of goat stew with bread and cheese and then Osman led them to the docks in the early evening and sought out the captain of a ship. It was only a matter of exchanging coin for two more passages. They would go aboard in the early morning as the ship was loaded.

Osman spread carpets for them on his side porch and they bedded down for the night. Amir lay in the darkness and listened to the sounds of a strange culture around them. They were one step closer to Kolachi. It had been six years since he had been taken away, it seemed like a lifetime.

He remembered the garden behind the house where he used to play with his young sisters, gone...all gone. The garden wall of huge stones covered with plants, surrounded by bushes. And there in the wall, the symbol of the Pinatu, an ancient mythological flying serpent of Harappa origin. It was behind that stone where Amir's mother had hidden the crown which was to have come to him.

The knowledge had been kept alive in his mind by her final words to him. "The blood is in you, my son. Never run away from your heritage, you must come back to claim the crown. Without you the Pinatu will devour our people..." And then she had died from the arrow embedded in her chest.

Amir had wept over her body until the general found him. He had allowed the boy to stand and watch as she was buried in front of the wall behind which lay his future. And then the endless journey had begun, five months on the road surrounded by armies. Amir had turned ten but it was just another day, and another night with the general.

He wondered now, if he had been older, would they would have killed him? But he was too young for the general to rut like a common whore. Instead he became the man's sex slave, even performing the duty as an entertainment for some of the man's cronies. It kept him alive, and Amir wanted to survive, to go back and wear that crown.

Osman awoke them just after dawn and allowed them to wash up in a bucket of water. Wrapped in their desert clothing they all walked to the docks, carrying baggage and the coins to pay for their passage. They brought their baggage on board and paid their fare.

Vendors hawked food on the docks and many of the crew stopped their work to eat. Amir bought them some more dates, bread and cheese otherwise the ship would feed them once a day. It was late morning before they were ready to leave port.

The voyage to Adan, and then on to Salalah at the tip of the Arabian Peninsula was unremarkable except for its sameness. Osman departed their company and Amir bid him farewell. Once again they were stuck without a means to communicate to their hosts, but the sailors stayed busy with the needs of the ship. The port of Salalah was tiny and they despaired of finding a craft large enough to traverse the great ocean that stood between them and Kolachi, but find it they did.


On to Chapter Nine

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