In the Eye of the Storm (Storm and Silence 2)

Camping here?

It wasn’t just the order he gave - it was the fact that he dared to give it without my permission that made me turn and urge my camel back towards him, my eyes hard and flinty. Was there a reason for stopping, or did Youssef have a death wish?

By the time I reached the main body of men on top of the dune, most had already dismounted. It was the middle of the day, with dozens of miles still before us till dusk, and they were settling down their camels, putting up tents and chattering like old women! Some of them, I noticed, had even taken off their headscarves and started pouring water all over them. Had they lost their wits?

‘What is this? What is going on?’ Bringing my camel to an abrupt halt, I slid down from the saddle and shot Youssef a look that, under the circumstances, was quite benign and understanding. It didn’t promise to kill him on the spot, at least. ‘Explain yourself, Youssef.’

In answer, he simply pointed off into the distance, in the direction where we had been heading. Following his outstretched arm with my gaze, I spotted a sickly-yellow cloud, slowly approaching.

‘Yes?’ I demanded. ‘What is it about that thing?’

‘It’s a sandstorm, Effendi.’

‘And?’

‘We have to stop, Effendi. To seek shelter until it has passed.’

‘Seek shelter?’ I felt my eyes narrow. So that was his excuse for dallying, was it? ‘You do not honestly think that I will let this delay me, do you? That I will let a tiny bit of sand stop me from going on?’

The Arab looked at me, appearing offended. As if I cared! ‘A tiny bit of sand? Effendi, I…’

‘We are going on, Youssef! Not another word.’

‘But Effendi…’

I raised a finger. That was usually all it took, and in this case, too, the method did not disappoint. Youssef fell silent immediately. Taking a deep breath, he bowed his head. ‘Yes, Effendi. As you wish, Effendi.’

‘Are you sure that going on is wise?’

Oh no. I knew that voice. Glancing sideways, I glimpsed her out of the corner of my eye. She was looking back and forth between Youssef and the sandstorm. ‘If he really thinks it’s dangerous, shouldn’t we listen to him?’

I gave her a look. Usually, that was enough to make people back down. Actually, it was usually enough to make people beg and whimper in fear. Not with her, of course. ‘Do you know the size of an average grain of sand?’

‘No,’ she admitted, rather grudgingly, obviously not knowing where I was heading with this.

‘It is between 0.0024803 and 0.08 inches. Now, think carefully for a moment.’ Leaning forward, I gazed into her eyes, letting her see all my iron determination. ‘Do you think I am going to let myself be stopped by something smaller than a tenth of an inch?’

‘Um… no.’

‘Indeed, no.’

Ha! If I had not been opposed on principle to the activity of laughing, the idea would almost have made me laugh out loud. Stopping for a few tiny bits of sand? Ridiculous! Disdainfully, I glanced down at the approaching cloud of dust in the valley. Granted, it looked somewhat bigger than before and was moving rather fast, but still…

Shaking off the strange feeling, I gave my camel a whack with my cane, wishing I could do the same with lazy employees. ‘Forwards!’

We had just reached the bottom of the hill when the rumbling started.

‘What’s that?’ I heard her voice from behind. Not talking to me, I surmised. She knew I wasn’t likely to answer. ‘Thunder?’

Youssef’s reply was lost in the growing rumble.

Even I began to be curious. What in Mammon’s name was that? Surely, it couldn’t be…

I glanced at the distant cloud of sand again, feeling a little uneasy for the first time since spotting it. It wasn’t a feeling to which I was accustomed. Gritting my teeth, I shoved it aside and continued on. Around me, the rumbling grew into a continuous roar, like the sound coming from a mob of discontented factory workers. Wind began to slap and batter against my face, and I had to grip my top hat to keep it from flying off. The hot wind bit into my face with glowing fangs, but I ignored the pain, like I had always ignored anything that didn’t suit me, and whacked my camel’s arse with the stick again.

‘Move!’

But although I continued on without letting up, I couldn’t help my eyes straying to the approaching storm now and again.