Desert Commander

7

"Quickly," he commanded.

She placed her hands around his neck. With his both hands, Oman spread her legs either side of his waist and pulled her onto his back.

He stood up and adjusted her on his back. He tightened his hold around her. She felt protected.

She weighed nothing. It was so easy to carry her.

Oman knew how weak she was and made a note in his mind to give her more healthy meals to eat. A soft spot was forming in his heart for tara. He was not realising it yet.

Because his pace was fast, she went slipping on his back, and every time he adjusted her.

She placed her face in the crook of his neck, and he could feel her every breath hitting his neck's sensitive skin. Goosebumps appeared on his arms. He moved his head away so that he wouldn't feel her breathing on his neck. After sometime he felt her breathing slowly, he looked back at her and found her asleep.

He was able to get away from the city, and now the sun was setting far away behind yellow dune fields.

Dragging his feet in the sand, he kept walking; he didn't know for how long he was walking. Tara was unconsciously sleeping on his back.

He saw some tents in the distance. He thought of asking them for help. walking closer to the caravan. He put down the tara. Then he saw men and women walking here and there.

His eyes went to the biggest tent in the whole caravan. He walked toward it, with Tara following behind him. A man was sitting outside of it and sipping on a hookah pipe that brings smoke through a container.

He greeted him. The old man looked at him, and then his eyes went to Tara. She hid behind Oman, clutching his shirt in her fist.

"We need a favour. Can you please lend us a tent to spend the night in? We will move out with the first ray of sun," Oman said.

A lady came beside the old man at the exact moment. She looked Tara, who was hiding behind Oman.

"Father, who are they?" She asked, then turned to her father with a frown on her face.

"They need a place to stay," Jahanshah said.

"Oh!" "Is she your daughter?" She asked curiously, pointing toward Tara.

a cold look plastered on his face. Oman couldn't find the words to tell them she was his wife. What if they refuse to give him a tent, and Tara needs a good night's sleep? Moreover, she was injured. He can't let this opportunity slip from his hands.

He gave it some thought before speaking.

"She is my niece," he said with clenched teeth, which wasn't noticed by them.

Tara looked up at his face, trying to ask why he lied. It somehow made her little heart clench.

"She is so pretty." She extended her arms, taking Tara from behind him.

"Father, let them stay," the old man nodded.

"My name is Daria. You must be hungry, come on," she said, looking at Oman, who nodded in agreement with her.

She took Tara along with her. But Tara felt a little gloomy thinking about why Oman said she was his niece.

Oman nodded gratefully, and Jahanshah signalled to a footman to bring a glass of lemonade for him.

He looked around a little and had a small talk with Jahanshah. After a while, the old man ordered a man to show him the empty tent. The man introduced himself as Khalid.