Season of the Sandstorms - Mary Pope Osborne [7]
“Jack,” Annie said softly. “Guess what—we just solved the first mystery in Merlin’s letter: Ride a ship of the desert on a cold starry night.”
“Yeah,” said Jack happily. “And it’s really fun.”
Suddenly a fierce shout came from the distance. Jack sat up straighter. His heart thumped.
“Bandits!” one of the camel drivers shouted.
Jack looked around wildly. Dark figures on horses were galloping across the sand toward them. They were yelling and shouting.
“Oh, no!” cried Jack. “What should we do?”
“We will fight them off!” said Mamoon. “You and Annie take this box and ride to the dunes!” Mamoon pulled a flat wooden box out of one of his saddlebags. He thrust the box into Jack’s hands. “Hurry! Ride as fast as you can! Protect it with your lives!”
Jack frantically tried to stuff the box into his shoulder bag. But Mamoon slapped the back of Jack’s camel, and she bolted forward. The reins slipped from Jack’s hands. He grabbed the saddle horn with one hand and clutched the wooden box to his chest with the other. He held on for his life as Beauty galloped across the dark desert.
Annie’s camel ran beside Jack’s. Like two racehorses, Beauty and Cutie thundered across the sand toward the distant dunes. Rocking crazily from side to side, Jack clung to the box. “Slow down!” he yelled. “Please!”
It was no use. Beauty ran like the wind. She and her sister practically flew over the desert under the starry sky. Jack wanted the camels to stop. But at the same time, he wanted to get far away from the bandits.
Finally the camels began to slow their pace. Jack looked back. He couldn’t see the caravan at all, and no one seemed to be following them.
When the two camels reached the dunes, they began plodding around the steep hills. Once they were nestled safely between tall sand drifts, they stopped to rest. Beauty grunted. Cutie snorted.
“Thanks … thanks, girls,” said Annie, panting.
“I hope Mamoon and the others are safe from the bandits,” said Jack.
“Me too,” said Annie. “What’s in the box he gave us?”
Jack held up the flat wooden box. “I don’t know,” he said. “But Mamoon said we should protect it with our lives.”
“Maybe it’s a precious spice,” said Annie.
“I hope it’s more than that,” said Jack. “I’d hate to risk my life for cinnamon or pepper.”
“Should we look?” said Annie.
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Mamoon might not want us to.”
“But don’t you think we could protect it better if we knew what it was?” said Annie.
“Maybe …,” said Jack. He could see Annie’s point. “Okay.”
Jack tried to open the lid of the box, but he couldn’t. In the dark, his finger pressed against a keyhole. “Forget it,” he said. “It’s locked.”
“Shh! Listen!” said Annie.
Jack listened. He heard a high-pitched moaning sound. It sounded like music from a violin. Wafting through the dry sand dunes, the haunting music grew louder.
“What is that?” said Jack.
“Uh-oh,” said Annie. “Now I hear something else.”
Jack held his breath. He heard hooves galloping over the desert. “The bandits!” he said.
“We have to hide the box!” said Annie.
“Where?” said Jack.
“In the sand!” said Annie. She clucked her tongue, and Cutie knelt down to the ground. Beauty knelt, too. Jack and Annie jumped off their saddle cushions and started digging in the sand.
The sound of hoofbeats grew louder and louder. Jack and Annie dug frantically. They threw sand behind them like puppies digging in the dirt.
“That’s deep enough!” said Jack. He placed the box in the hole they had dug. Then he and Annie pushed piles of sand back on top of it.
When they stood up, Annie gasped. “Look!”
A dark figure on a camel was silhouetted against the starlit sky. The rider was winding his way through the dunes toward them. Jack’s heart nearly pounded out of his chest.
“Should we use a magic rhyme?” Annie asked.
“We don’t have time!” said Jack.
The rider drew closer, until he stopped in front of Jack and Annie. “You are safe, no?” he said.
“Mamoon!” said Annie.
Relief flooded through Jack. He laughed. “Yes, we’re safe!” he said. “And