"Shiek" - читать интересную книгу автора (Connie Mason)

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?"