Page 1 of The Sheikh's Desert Princess

CHAPTER ONE

The woman was in danger.

Sheikh Riaz Al Shirah stood in front of his tent and gazed across the crowded central courtyard of this ruined desert castle. Beyond the partially broken down walls he could see the desert beyond. This ruined castle which had also been a fort in centuries past, was many miles away from civilization. Right now, it was a hive of activity with dozens of tribesmen milling around, preparing for the important business to come.

He peered at the woman. A hundred meters away, she was busy settling the horse she'd arrived on a short time ago into a shaded corner.Newcomers, from other tribes, were arriving through the broken down entrance to what had once been a fortified castle, but was now a ramshackle collection of collapsed walls and ruined internal buildings.

Riaz sighed and shook his head. He was amazed that the lone woman had made it all the way out here. One of his men had explained to Riaz that she was an American journalist. He wondered how she had made it out to this place.

He narrowed his eyes against the bright sunshine, savoring the site of the elegant woman's tall figure. She was dressed in jeans and white shirt and wore a dark head covering, a protection against the hot sun beating down on this ancient site. She was a fine looking figure, he had to admit. He pushed that thought firmly away as he continued to watch her.

Her features wore an open expression filled with curiosity. Riaz could see could see loose locks of blonde hair curling from beneath the woman's head covering.

He saw her smile from time to time, as if she was trying to engage with the tribesmen who passed by her. But all of the men seemed determined to ignore the outsider. Heads were turned away and eyes averted.

This didn't seem to deter the woman as she insistently tried to talk with the men. She looked eager for information.

Of course, Riaz told himself, she was a journalist. What did he expect? That was her job. He'd been told about her when she had arrived earlier, emerging on horseback out of the desert.

He was sure she could probably hardly believe what she was witnessing. And what exactly was that?

Nothing less than a tribal gathering in an ancient ruined fortress here in the Qazhar wilderness, many days travel from the nearest city.

That was exactly the way he preferred it. Riaz had no time for modern ways.

Riaz drew in a deep breath inhaling the scent of the gathering. His men had erected his own tent amongst the dozen others which had been erected in a line against what was left of the fort's internal walls. External walls were still mostly intact, rising up to almost to fifty meters in parts. But the adobe constructions, ancient living quarters and utility buildings inside the fort had been almost destroyed long ago.

This place had once been the scene of great battles and used as a refuge from the harsh desert. His family had once owned this place but now it was derelict. Abandoned. No-one had lived here for centuries.

But as far as Riaz was concerned, this was a place that represented so much that was important to him. At least now it could be put to use, even if it was temporary. Once a year, tribes who still lived the desert life gathered here as they had once done for centuries before this modern age. Riaz felt the stirrings of his usual reaction to thinking about modern Qazhar.

So much had changed and not for the better, as far as he was concerned.

He sighed heavily and felt a hand on the shoulder.

Riaz turned to see one of the desert sheikhs, a man called Ahmed who Riaz knew well. "She's a fine looking woman, don't you think?" Ahmed asked gazing across at the American.

Riaz peered at Ahmed and smiled. "She shouldn't be here," he said.

"It shows quite a spirit that she is the only Westerner to come to this place," Ahmed said.

Riaz nodded reluctantly. "I suppose so. But still, she does not belong here."

"This isn't the first time we've had intruders," Ahmed remarked.

"Intruder?" Riaz asked. He supposed she was. "But she is the first woman to have done this."

The tribal gathering was held on different days each year and Riaz wondered how she had found out when it was to take place. Maybe he should ask her, he told himself.

Immediately, he rejected that idea. He wanted no contact with the outside world. Or at least he needed to keep that contact to the bare minimum.

He watched the woman. She walked slowly amongst the tribal members examining them as if they were from another world. Riaz smiled wryly. Of course, they must seem alien to her, he told himself. Compared to the world she had come from, all of this must seem utterly unreal.

Ahmed tapped Riaz on the shoulder. "Maybe I should go and talk to her," he said starting to move.

Riaz grasped Ahmed's arm. The man turned to Riaz, brows furrowing. "Leave her alone," Riaz ordered quietly. Riaz saw a flash of annoyance in Ahmed's gaze. It was a familiar look, challenge mixed with indignation. Ahmed moved slightly. "She's already claimed then?" Ahmed asked grinning.

Riaz shook his head. "You forget, Ahmed. Tribal gatherings have rules. And one of those rules is no involvement with women."

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