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Date Posted: 15:27:56 01/19/02 Sat
Author: Marz and crew
Subject: It's 2AM and we must be leaving.....

Since Saras seemed to like the potato chips, Jeremy handed him the entire bag then retrieved a box of jawbreakers for himself. He popped a few into his mouth while quietly listening to what the genie had to say about love. "Wow, not being able to fall in love must suck!" Jeremy said a few minutes later. "Where I come from they say that love makes the world go 'round, so it's pretty important. Rowan keeps telling me that what I feel for Marz is infatuation and not real love, but I disagree with that!"

He rolled the jawbreaker around in his mouth and thought about the other things that Saras had said. "So, you really grant wishes, huh? That is so cool! When Ravin finishes his wishes, I can become your new master if you want. Then you won't have to turn back into sand and go to sleep." Once again he glanced at Marz and smiled. "I already know what one of MY wishes would be."

*******


When Corum mounted a camel with Tia, Marz approached Tristan. "You and I are riding together," he said, his tone filled with the possessiveness he felt. Without waiting for a reply, he coaxed one of the camels down, nodding for Tristan to mount. Once the dragon was situated, Marz climbed up to sit behind him and commanded the camel to rise. He had to stop himself from wrapping his arms around his lover since such an action in public would only tick him off.

"So, why did Tia drag you off earlier?" he asked, resting his hands on his thighs. "Since when did the two of you start getting so chummy?"

Before Tristan could reply, Ardesmar called for everyone's attention. "Sheik Daraba will be accompanied by myself, and three other strong men of the Jann tribe." He went on to introduce the men as Benis, Waleed, and Ukim. They bowed to the foreigners then mounted their camels as the Sheik came out from his tent. The tall leader of the Jann was still poorly disguised as an ogre. He grunted out a loud "UGGRH!" that gained him applause from his men.

Once the Sheik and Ardesmar were situation upon their camels the Jann led the group forward. Since the half moon provided only enough light to illumination the road for a few yards, the Jann insisted they travel at an easy pace for the sake of the camels, who were not used to traveling in such darkness. After two hours of passing through fertile land they came upon a barren plain, which seemed to be void of any life. Outcroppings of rock could be seen in the distance as well as a number of dead trees and vegetation that might have once flourished in the area.

"The sun will be rising soon," Ardesmar said, loudly enough for all to hear. "But hopefully we will reach our destination before it has a chance to heat up the Sea of Salt we must pass over before reaching the ruins of Twilight!"

The first lieutenant stopped speaking abruptly when a rapidly approaching thunder of hooves was heard. As everyone squinted against the darkness, a rain of long, black- shafted arrows pelted the ground before the small caravan, bringing the camels to an immediate halt. A loud feminine voice rang out from several yards away, drawing everyone's attention. "In the name of the Awati Clan, I command you to dismount and raise your hands in the air, far away from your weapons."

"URGH!" the Sheik shouted, hoping to frighten away the speaker.

"You have sixty arrows pointed at you," the female called out. "Now, do as I say! Dismount and raise your hands in the air."

After a brief consultation with his first lieutenant, Sheik Daraba decided that the wisest course of action at the moment would be to follow the orders of the voice. Somewhat reluctantly, the Jann got down from their camels and lifted their arms into the air, before biding their foreign companions to do the same.

"Guess we ain't got much choice, with sixty arrows pointed at us," Justin muttered, as he slid down from his mount, followed by Alakbar.

Ravin wasn't overly concerned about their safety since his empathy picked up a sense of honor coming from the speaker. "I think everything will be fine as long as we do what we're told right now," he remarked to his friends before letting Val help him down from the camel.

Once everyone had their hands raised in the air, a female centaur stepped out from behind a tall boulder. A tight fitting turban was wrapped around her head, and her breasts covered only by a tan colored vest. The arrow she had notched in her bow was pointed at the ground as her hooves brought her closer to the group. "What is your reason for crossing my clan's domain? Are any of you transporting supplies to the Sharm?"

With his hands raised high in the air, Ardesmar took a bold step toward the centaur. No longer was he fearful, for desert centaurs were thought of as noble and quite honorable. "We travel to the ruins of Twilight in search of branches of Midnight Hue and the Peacock Throne. We know nothing of this Sharm that you speak of."

"I can see that you all have hair, and a few of you beards," the centaur said. "Prove to me they are real by tugging at them. I want to make certain they don't come off."

Ardesmar was surprised by such a strange request but did what the centaur had bidden him to do. The Sheik removed the ugly ogre wig he wore then pulled at his hair to show the woman it was real, before haphazardly plopping the wig back on his head. After the others complied with the centaur's orders, she smiled. "I apologize for my rudeness, but I had to make certain you are not in league with the Sharm. I am, Ebessa, leader of clan Awati. You all may lower your hands now"

After putting away her bow, Ebessa was joined by more than a dozen centaurs that consisted mostly of females. Unlike Ebessa, the other women had long flowing hair that hung down to conceal their breasts. Each extended a hand with the palm facing out, which was the typical way of welcoming guests into their clan. "We were out here hunting for moon snakes when we saw your group and thought you members of the Sharm," Ebessa told them. She grinned at Barry, who hovered near Corum, obviously not at all disturbed by the sight of the skull. "It will do you no good to approach the ruins of Twilight now for the sun will rise soon, making you easy targets for the Sharm, who have taken up residence in one of the towers there. Come join us at our camp and we will tell you all about them while we share lean, tasty moon snakes with you. You may lead your camels rather than ride since we do not have far to go."

The centaurs led them to an area a mile away where more of the Awati clan gathered around a lush oasis. Many stood before campfires, frying five-foot long snakes in huge pans held over the flames. "Please find comfort in our camp," Ebessa told her guests. "My sister Narur will come to share water with your group soon and after I've spoken to the elders of the clan I will return to tell you about the Sharm."

Ebessa bowed to her guests then trotted off to the far end of the oasis where a number of her brethren awaited her. Although many of centaurs eyed the strangers warily, they seemed friendly enough. One of the males came forward and deposited a large bowl of fried snakes on the ground before the group before hurrying back to one of the cook fires.

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