She did so herself.
I’ll come back for you, her heart said, forever and always.
The mindless refrains of holding on, forever and always, helped to detach herself from the exhaustion enveloping her. She was no longer in control. The sheer mechanics of riding kept her in the saddle. She was oblivious to where she was, how far she had come.
The light was fading. She didn’t know what she would do once night fell. Would the horses keep going? Was it wise to risk it? She had to!
Had to...had to...
She was numb, numb all over when she heard the helicopter. She had to concentrate hard on focusing her eyes, turning her gaze to the sky. It was too high, too far away for any occupant to spot her. She doubted she could find the energy to lift her arms to wave anyway. Futile effort. The helicopter went out of her line of vision without deviating from its course.
Despair dragged at her heart. She tried to pick out the landmarks she had taken note of earlier in the day. She thought she recognised a couple but had no real idea what they meant in relation to how far she had travelled from the Gemini Peak. The light was going fast now. She had no choice but to trust the horses to take her where she needed to go.
She remembered that in the days of Genghis Khan messengers had been tied to the saddle. She wished she had taken the same precautions. If she stopped, dismounted, she suspected the black mare would take off with the white stallion and leave her alone.
Impossible to contemplate such an outcome.
She caught herself reeling and forced herself to sit upright again. Darkness nearly on her. Have to stay awake, she told herself. She twisted the reins around her wrists, a warning tug if she should start to fall off. Sound of the helicopter again. No use to her. She didn’t bother looking for it this time. No energy for that. It couldn’t land here.
Darkness. At least she had the stars as her companions. She had to ensure he would see them again. The link between them couldn’t be broken. Their togetherness was written in the stars. He had told her so. She believed him.
Body sagging. Rolling in the saddle. If she could rest for a moment. Close her eyes. So hard to keep them open. Just for one moment. Mustn’t fall off...
A shout snapped her awake. She had slumped across the horse’s mane. She dragged herself up. The mare slowed to a tired walk. Amanda couldn’t see the white stallion. There was the drumming sound of hooves clattering towards her. Someone coming. Voices. She had found help. At last!
That thought was enough to sustain her wretched body, stirring it to an awareness of pain. None of it mattered. Only the message she had to deliver mattered.
Other horses steamed and stamped around her. Berbers talking across her in Arabic, taking the reins from her hands. She didn’t have the strength to resist. She grabbed the pommel of the saddle to steady herself.
‘Stop! Listen!’ she cried. ‘Does anyone speak English?’
‘You will come with us,’ one of them replied.
‘No.’ Amanda shook her head dizzily. ‘I need help. We have to go back. To the Gemini Peak. Up there a man is trapped in one of the caves.’
‘There is no order but the order of Xa Shiraq. You will come with us,’ came the inflexible reply.
‘But the man will die.’
‘Undoubtedly. In the meantime, you will come with us.’
‘No, I won’t,’ Amanda yelled hysterically.
Her plea fell on deaf ears. ‘It is not a matter of choice,’ she was told. ‘You will go to the helicopter.’
Through the dizzying waves of fatigue, Amanda grasped one thing clearly. Using a helicopter to transport her bespoke power. ‘By whose order?’ she asked.
‘It is the order of Jebel Haffa, who fulfils the will of Xa Shiraq.’
‘These are the men I must see,’ Amanda said, trying to drive conviction into her voice. ‘I will use their power to have my way. Take me to the helicopter.’ She hoped the words sounded as brave as the ideas behind them were.
Her horse was urged forward. The Berber riders were beside her, behind her, in front of her. She no longer had the reins. There was no room to dismount even if she mustered the strength to do so. She was comprehensively trapped by the escort.
‘How long will this take?’ she begged in utter desperation.
‘Our orders are that we are not to be swayed by anything you say,’ came the flat, relentless reply. ‘We must not listen to any words you speak.’
‘Oh, that’s really great,’ Amanda grumbled, frustration eating into her courageous facade.