Sheik (2 page)

Chapter One

Beautiful as the sun and stars, Zara sat slim and tall atop her sleek racing camel, the distinctive blue robes of her people billowing about her supple form. As resilient as the stark brown Rif mountains, Zara was a proud example of the wild desert warriors known as the Blue Men. She possessed the heart of a lion, the soul of a staunch Berber freedom fighter, and the soft, rounded body of a woman.

Flanked by her father, Youssef, the
cadi
of their tribe, and her betrothed, Sayed, the chieftain’s lieutenant, Zara fixed her bright green eyes intently on the caravan’s progress as it slowly snaked through the winding trail below them. Against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, the caravan traveled toward the imperial city of Meknes.

“There it is, Father,” Zara noted excitedly. “It has to be the caravan carrying the pirate’s tribute to the sultan, just as our spy told us.”

Youssef, a darkly handsome man still in his prime at forty, smiled indulgently at his daughter’s impatience. It was ever thus with his impetuous daughter. Zara, his golden-haired beauty, had ridden at his side since attaining the age of thirteen, and now, at twenty, she was as fierce and eager for battle as any of his seasoned warriors.

“Caution, daughter,” Youssef warned. “Our success has always depended upon our being more cunning than our enemy. We must not act rashly.”

“Heed the
cadi
, Zara,” Sayed advised. “If our spy was right about the rich cargo, the rewards will be worth the wait. The pirate’s plunder will provide our people with the means to continue our fight.”

Zara quelled her eagerness with difficulty. Even her camel sensed her enthusiasm as he shifted restlessly beneath her. Zara pulled back on the reins, keeping her rapt gaze upon the caravan’s progress.

“Nothing seems amiss, Father,” Zara said as she glanced behind her at her tribesmen. Garbed in blue robes that had stained their skins the same hue as their robes, the Blue Men were armed to the teeth and eager for battle. “The men but await your signal.”

Youssef and Sayed exchanged silent nods. Then Youssef raised his scimitar and brought it slashing downward. The signal sent the band of
fierce warriors racing down the mountainside toward the hapless caravan, brandishing scimitars and lances, their bloodcurdling cries a frightening forecast of doom.

“They come,” Captain Hasdai said with relish.

“Mount!” Jamal ordered as he leapt upon Kacem’s back. One hundred of the sultan’s fiercest warriors reacted instantly to Jamal’s order, eager to engage the Berber menace in battle.

No stranger to hand-to-hand combat, Jamal waited until the Blue Men were nearly upon the caravan to signal the attack. Had he given the signal a second earlier, the Berbers would have had time to retreat. The sultan’s orders had been specific. He wanted Youssef dead and the Berber forces destroyed.

Kacem charged down the hillside toward the caravan, as eager for battle as his master.

Adrenalin surged through Zara. A heady rush of blood pumped through her veins. The scent of victory filled her nostrils. Actual fighting rarely occurred during an attack. Camel drivers were notorious cowards, unwilling to fight to protect the sultan’s goods. The few soldiers sent along for protection usually broke ranks and ran when they saw the fierce Blue Men, mounted upon their racing camels and wielding their scimitars. Zara noted with satisfaction that this caravan appeared even less protected than most. Only six soldiers trailed behind the camels.

Racing neck and neck with Youssef and Sayed, Zara was confused when suddenly Youssef
brought his animal to a skidding halt.

“Wait, daughter!” Youssef cried, scenting the danger that Zara failed to see. His warning came too late. By the time Youssef issued his warning, Jamal and his army were already upon them. They were vastly outnumbered; there was no escape for Youssef.

Youssef’s first concern was for his beloved child. Though she had ridden with him countless times in the past, Youssef knew this was no simple taking of a caravan. This was an ambush. Deaths would occur, and he feared for Zara’s life. “Ride, Zara, ride quickly!”

The unexpected resistance stunned Zara. Her father, Sayed and the Blue Men were already engaged in fierce battle with the sultan’s soldiers. She heard her father’s warning but did not heed it. How could she when her loved ones were fighting for their lives? Suddenly she saw a white-robed man on a midnight black stallion riding toward her father. Youssef’s back was toward the man; he was unaware of his danger. Zara acted without thinking; her father’s life was in peril and she had to save him.

Reacting instinctively, she rode her camel directly in the path of her father’s enemy, thwarting the attack and allowing Youssef precious time to escape. Youssef’s face convulsed in horror when he saw Zara riding into the middle of the fray. Fearing for his daughter’s life, Youssef gave the signal for retreat. Though a call for retreat was rare, the Blue Men broke ranks, melting away into the surrounding mountains.

Jamal realized what was happening and spit
out an oath. “By Allah’s beard, don’t let them get away!”

Sheltered between Youssef and Sayed, Zara raced toward the protection of the mountains and their walled fortress. She heard the clamor of their pursuers and dared a glance over her shoulder. What she saw froze the blood in her veins.

A Negro soldier had managed to disable Sayed’s camel by slashing the tendons in his hind leg. Sayed was tossed to the ground and the soldier leaped upon him before he gained his wits. The fight was ferocious but short. Through a red haze Zara saw the upward swing of the soldier’s scimitar and its downward slash toward Sayed. Sayed was cut down unmercifully.

Zara let out a keening wail and her mind went blank, too filled with rage to think clearly. Sayed was dying! She couldn’t let him die alone. Swinging her camel around, she raced back to her betrothed and leaped off the animal’s back before he came to a full stop, landing hard. Gaining her feet, she gripped her scimitar and rushed at the soldier who had cut down Sayed.

Youssef, thinking both his daughter and Sayed were behind him, had no idea what was happening. With an army hard on his heels, he rode into the mountains with every expectation that Zara and Sayed would join him at their secret meeting place. Horses were no match for their superior racing camels, and he soon outdistanced the soldiers.

Jamal saw the Blue Man fall beneath Hasdai’s scimitar, saw his companion ride to his defense,
and couldn’t help admiring the heroic act, rash though it might be. Jamal recognized the slim Berber as the same one who had ridden to the defense of the
cadi
. The courageous Blue Man had deprived Jamal of presenting the sultan with the head of his enemy.

Zara saw at a glance that Sayed was very close to death. Agilely ducking the soldier’s blade, she threw herself upon Sayed, pleading with him not to die, willing her own life into him. The soldier snarled out a curse and raised his scimitar high above Zara’s head. But Zara was beyond caring. Her childhood friend lay dying and she wouldn’t leave him now, even if it meant her own life.

Something about that selfless act deeply touched Jamal. Racing toward the hapless Berber, Jamal ordered Hasdai to hold. Hasdai reacted seconds too late; his scimitar had already begun its downward swing. At the last moment he managed to pull back, but still dealt Zara a stunning blow to the back of her head with the flat of his blade.

Zara saw the blade swing toward her and placed her soul in Allah’s hands. The blow she received, though not mortal, sent her spinning into oblivion.

Jamal dismounted and stared down at the stricken Berber. A strange feeling of destiny sent a shiver sliding down his spine. Yet he saw nothing unusual about the man. Slimmer than normal, perhaps, not quite as brawny as his comrades, he seemed much too fragile for the type of uncommon courage he’d displayed in defense of his comrades. Curiosity brought him to
his knees beside the unconscious Blue Man, who sprawled across the body of his dead comrade. None too gently, Jamal flipped Zara over onto her back.

“He’s naught but a bare-faced youth!” Jamal exclaimed upon close examination of the Berber’s beardless countenance. His skin was fair and as flawless as that of a newborn babe. His eyebrows were the color of honey and finely arched; his lips were too full and lush to be considered masculine. His chin came to a delicate point below high, sculpted cheekbones. Jamal spied a strand of honey blond hair escaping from his headdress and had a strong suspicion that the Berber wasn’t what he seemed. If Jamal wasn’t mistaken, a woman’s body was hidden beneath the blue robes.

Like many Berbers, who had emigrated to Africa from northern climes, Zara’s Germanic heritage was evident in her fair skin, blond hair and finely chiseled features. Still unable to believe that a woman of such rare beauty rode with the fierce Berbers, Jamal needed to convince himself that his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Reaching beneath her robes, he clasped a hand around a soft, unfettered breast, his fingers exploring its size and shape. He smiled and squeezed gently, noting that the firm mound was exactly the right size to fill his hand. He ventured further and found the hard, jutting nipple, sweetly erect and very much to his liking. He closed his eyes, imagining how perfectly it would fill his mouth. How delicious it would taste.

Heat. Zara awoke to a burning sensation that
had nothing to do with her aching head. It took a few seconds to realize she was being groped. Her eyes flew open, and she gasped when she saw a white-robed devil bending over her, his dark, sultry eyes smoldering with blatant sensuality.

The breath hissed through her teeth. “Take your hands off me, murderer!”

Jamal’s searching hand stilled. “Ah, beauty awakens.” His hand withdrew reluctantly as he stared into a pair of angry green eyes. “Who are you? How is it that a woman is riding with the Blue Men?”

Zara touched her head and groaned. She was surprised to find herself alive. She tried to rise and with difficulty managed to push herself to her elbows. Her gaze fell upon her fallen betrothed, sprawled beside her in the dirt, his life’s blood draining upon the arid brown earth. She tried to crawl to him but Jamal held her back.

“He’s dead.”

“Fiend! Son of an ass! Camel dung! Sayed was too good a man to die like this.”

Jamal frowned. He had no idea why this woman’s friendship with the dead man should bother him. “What was he to you?”

“My betrothed. You’ve killed him!” She tried to grasp her blade, which lay just beyond her reach, but Jamal’s booted foot clamped her wrist to the ground.

“I’ve killed many men, but not this one. Your betrothed knew the consequences when he attacked the sultan’s caravan. Who are you? Your man was remiss in his duty toward you. Women don’t ride with warriors.”

Zara bristled with indignation. “Perhaps Arab women don’t, but I am a Berber. Sayed couldn’t stop me. Only the
cadi
has that kind of power, and my father was tolerant of my wish to accompany him.”

Jamal went still, digesting Zara’s words. Then he smiled. It wasn’t a pretty smile. “Praise Allah for my good fortune. It appears I have captured Youssef’s daughter.”

Zara realized her mistake too late. By revealing her identity she had placed both herself and her father in grave danger. Her capture would likely bring Youssef running to her defense, and that could prove fatal. Her captor seemed too intelligent to accept a lie, so she didn’t insult him by denying her identity.

“I am Princess Zara, daughter of the
cadi
, Youssef. Who are you?”

Stunned by her boldness, Jamal stared at her. Arab women never went out in public unveiled, or spoke to a man with such daring. But then, Berber women followed none of the rules that Arab men demanded that their wives, daughters and concubines obey. Finding his tongue, he said, “I am Sheik Jamal, loyal subject of Allah and the sultan. And you, Princess, are my captive.”

Grasping her hand, he hauled her to her feet, surprised to find her so tall and lissome. Though he was much taller, she reached his chin. By contrast, Arab women were small and inclined to plumpness. Arab men liked their women round, curvaceous and submissive. This feisty barb-tongued Berber princess possessed none of those qualities; she probably didn’t know how to be
submissive. Nevertheless, there was no mistaking her femininity. His questing hand had discovered a soft woman beneath her concealing blue robes.

Once on her feet, Zara swayed dizzily. Her head felt like a large melon about to explode. Recognizing her distress, Jamal swung her up into his arms.

Despite her injury, Zara resisted wildly. “No! You can’t leave Sayed for the wild animals to devour! I won’t let you.”

Zara hated to display weakness before the arrogant sheik but she couldn’t help herself. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. She felt the wetness upon her face and blinked in dismay.

Handsome and brave, Sayed had been her best friend and protector for as long as she could remember. They would have already been married had she not delayed the wedding so that she might ride with her father a while longer. She had known that once she married, Sayed would have insisted that she remain in the village with the other women. And once she conceived his child, there would be no more riding with the men.

Tears were the last thing Jamal expected from this haughty princess. Then he recalled that the dead man was her betrothed and surprised himself by relenting.

“I will see that the dead are buried in a common grave.”

Zara wanted time to grieve for Sayed, time to sit beside him and whisper her good-byes, but she would not beg favors from this arrogant Arab sheik. Once her people were in power again, she
would make sure that Sheik Jamal received just punishment.

Zara’s thoughts were interrupted when Captain Hasdai appeared to report on the fleeing Berbers. Since Zara saw no prisoners, she assumed her father had escaped. Hasdai’s report confirmed her belief.

Hasdai spoke to Jamal but his gaze was on Zara, who still rested in Jamal’s arms. “They all escaped, my lord, including Youssef.”