فصل 39

CHAPTER 39

AN UGLY SMILE

PETER, FLYING WELL ABOVE THE DUNES, saw a line of dark dots crawling across the endless sand. The caravan! He angled his body downward. Two minutes later he was alighting next to the cage that held his friends.

Zarboff occupied the throne set atop the carpet in his carriage. A guard stood next to him, holding an umbrella to protect the king from the sun. Aside from the throne, there was nowhere to sit in the carriage, so Viktor Glotz lay sprawled on the carpet. He leapt up when Peter landed.

“Did you find it?” he asked eagerly.

“It’s that way,” Peter said, pointing.

“How far?” said Zarboff.

Peter thought about it. “Eight miles,” he said. “Or nine. You’ll follow this valley between the dunes.”

“Good,” said Zarboff. He clapped his hands and barked an order in the Rundoon language. Peter felt strong hands grab both of his arms. Two soldiers dragged him roughly toward the wagon carrying the cage that contained James and the others.

“You don’t need to do this,” Peter shouted to Zarboff. “I made a promise, and I’ll keep it! I won’t try to escape.”

“No,” said Zarboff. “You won’t.”

The guards opened the cage door and shoved Peter inside. The door clanged shut. James, Thomas, Prentiss, and Tubby Ted barely acknowledged Peter; they looked hot, tired, listless.

“They’ve given us no water,” said James. “None at all.”

Sitting in the back of the wagon, next to the pile of golden suits, were Slightly and the other slave boys, looking not much better than the boys in the cage. Peter and Slightly exchanged a look; Peter thought he detected pity in the other boy’s face. Peter started to say something, but Slightly, nodding toward the guards, shook his head.

Orders were shouted, and the caravan started up again, moving slowly across the desert, toward the starstuff. From his shaded throne in the front, Zarboff turned around and looked back. His eyes found Peter’s. Then he reached out his hand and, smiling an ugly smile, patted the basket containing his snake.