Therefore it was a relief when they saw beside the Wahi inhabitants’ small huts and houses the tents of the Tarmans on the other side of the oasis. As was the custom, the banner of Zarifa was flying visibly above them, so misidentification was not possible.
Hatem was growing more and more nervous because he had no real idea how to explain this whole story. He had personally never met His Excellency before but had heard rumours of men the Sheikh had killed for less.
Also, the leader of the Tarmans was known for his severe punishments: more than one man had had to suffer the whip on his orders. So it was not only because of the barely tolerable heat that there was sweat on Hatem’s brows.
They said farewell to the leader of the caravan, thanked him and, as promised, sold him their camels. Then they went on foot to the camp on the other side of a small waterhole, beside some palm trees. As they came nearer they observed that the tents were different in their shapes and sizes.
In the middle were a few bigger ones, in which a man could easily stand up and walk around. Further to the edges were really small ones, for one or two persons only.
As they approached, a man with a rifle over his shoulder stood into their way.
Carina could not follow the exchange in Arabic, but the guard did not seem to be very friendly and for sure was not happy at all to see them. She was glad that she was still dressed like a man, as Hatem had advised her, because she felt that a reaction like his would have been even less favourable as a woman.
What would they do if the men refused to take them along? And left them here in the oasis? She had been bluffing when she assured Hatem that she was absolutely sure that the Sheikh kept strictly to the rules of the desert, which demand that you have to show hospitality to strangers in need of help. And even more important: who said they really needed help? At least they were here in an oasis where they could get food and water and a place to stay.
Right now Carina wasn’t so sure anymore and she asked herself for the 100th time whether it would turn out to be one of her "short-circuit-ideas“ that had caused her to get into trouble in the past.
Finally the guard called out to another man, talked in a low voice to him and sent him … where? She did not dare to think about it.
They were standing around for a while, the guard did not say anything but made it clear only with this body language that he had no interest in talking and definitely would not let them take even one step further. The minutes felt like an eternity, when finally the second man came back. He signalled to them to follow him.
Carina could not understand his words, but she derived from his gestures that he would lead them somewhere. Her mind was working overtime. To whom would they be guided? She found it frightening not being able to understand anything, and Hatem could hardly talk to her in English now, after all she was officially his nephew Hassan.
The man brought them to one of the bigger tents and as they already guessed from the outside, it was big enough for a tall man to stand easily upright.
Carina could hear the sound of her heart beating when she slipped inside through the drapes. Who or what would wait for her there?
She felt full of excitement about the discussion she had had with the Sheikh in the plane on their flight here, even without recognising him. He seemed to have a sense of humour after all.
That was how she tried to calm herself down. Yet out of the deepest part of her mind crept the grisly picture of the tortured man beside the road and she asked herself again: "What kind of man does something like that?!“
As soon as her eyes had adjusted to the darkness inside, she realised that the tent was empty. Their guard told them to stay there and wait and then left them alone. Hatem took advantage of the situation and updated her in a low voice: "I told them that I have an important message for His Excellency – the guard will now get the second man in command, the Sheikh’s “right hand” if you like. He is the leader of the warriors whenever the Sheikh is not there. They would not tell me if His Excellency himself is actually here. They were not talking a lot anyway and, honestly, I have no idea what they will do to me as soon as they realise that I have lied …” The worried look on his face made Carina’s heart pound. She had not thought about it that she might put Hatem in danger. Her new friend wanted to say something else, but at that moment the curtain was pulled to the side and their guard held it respectfully open for another man.
She could understand his greeting and introduction, that much Arabic she had learned. “My name is Hanif al Hamid – I am the leader of these warriors and I am speaking in the name of the honourable Sheikh, His Excellency Rayan Suekran al Medina y Nayran.“
Hatem bowed very low and spoke the common words of greeting with special reverence. His voice was shaking. Carina also bowed but did not say anything. When she stood back upright, Hanif looked her directly in the eye for a moment and she knew instinctively that he had seen through her masquerade. He directed his question to Hatem and asked with a suddenly icy voice: "What is going on here?!“
1990 - Rabea Akbar – All dams burst
The threat was a great limitation for Rayan in the following days. No matter if it was inbound or outbound, there were strict controls when entering or leaving the premises. This went for people as well as for vehicles.
For example, controls for the Humvees, with which they normally did their excursions, were installed using mirrors to see the vehicles from underneath.
Additionally there were sniffer dogs that were sniffing for explosives.
Furthermore, the general controls were intensified within the city and also into the surrounding desert, so he was on duty almost every day.
About three weeks after his visit to Clara’s parents the first car bomb exploded, right in front of the General’s house. It was obvious that he had been the target and it was only thanks to the extra guards that were put in front of his house that no one was hurt.
From this day on Clara was only allowed to go out accompanied by two personal security officers, which reduced their time together even more.
Therefore it was a great relief and Rayan was happy when Clara sent him a message some days later. She informed him that she was planning to leave the base right after mass on Sunday to visit the bazaar and she would be pleased if he could join her.
As he was a Muslim and he did not attend the service inside the base, they agreed that he would go ahead and meet her later at the fountain on the eastern edge of the market.
The bazaar of Rabea Akbar was one of the highlights in this otherwise very quiet town and took place every Sunday morning. The date was a result of the American soldiers who usually all went to church and had some free time afterwards. This was a good opportunity to spend part of their pay in the bazaar. Normally the holy day of the week for the local people was Fridays, but they had adapted to holding the market according to their customers. The square was rectangular and one stand was right next to the other. The smell of spices, herbs and all different kinds of food were mixed with the odour of animals and a lot of people.
Carpets, lamps and garments were offered, as well as chickens, camels and jewels.
Those who did not haggle over the price had themselves to blame if they were cheated.
Also the sounds were typical for a bazaar: there was total chaos in the cheering of the merchants who tried to compete with their neighbours, mixed with animal sounds and car horns. It seemed that someone was always trying to drive right through the market in spite of the prohibition of vehicles.
Visitors were either on foot or came with rusty old cars from far away; some even came with donkeys like in