Omar told Bethany he had a surprise for her. It was a trip to the Al Maliq Oasis that he had planned to distract her from the departure of her mom.“An oasis? It sounds so romantic.”“I am glad that you think so, my love. It would take us two days to get there by horse. But the helicopter will take us there in just a few hours. What do you say we leave tomorrow and stay the rest of the week.”“I think it is wonderful. This way I will have time to pack. What do we take to an oasis?”He laughs heartedly and she finds herself in his arms all of a sudden. “Whatever you want, I guess.”“Omar, be serious. I have no idea what to expect.”“That is one reason for me to take you there. You will meet people who never lived in the city. They have a simple life but you will find them sincere and loyal. That land where the oasis is located belongs to my family for centuries. My mother loved

Bethany was happy to have her brother often at the palace. Not only he was keeping one eye on her, but also he enjoyed discussing the progress of the wells projects. He had already installed five of them in different regions and people there were happy to have better access to water. The first one was launched with the presence of Sheik Mohamed himself.Unfortunately, Khaleb was also a constant presence in the palace. He was with them during meals or entertaining important guests. He followed the royal family to inaugurations and functions. He had opinions about everything and they were not always smart ones. His attitude didn´t seem to bother Sheik Mohammed or Omar but it was starting to give on Bethany´s nerves. When Malouf also joined them, it was common for Bethany to have migraines after she received so many looks of pure hate.Khaleb had told some sad stories to the sheik and asked to have a place as one of his counselors. His uncle couldn´t say

As the days went by a distance took place between Omar and Bethany. It was as if they couldn´t communicate with each other openly. Omar had a vast land of sorrow inside him caused by his mourning. He thought it best to spare his wife from the dark that called to him. And he closed up, even more, when he listened to his uncle telling him that he would never be a great leader like Mohamed if he let a woman interfere with the country´s affairs.It was shocking for Bethany to recognize how much Omar had changed in such a short time. One day, Malouf suggested the purchase of farms in New Zealand during lunch.“Please, I have asked you not to discuss business during meals.”“So, as a counselor, I can only talk to the sheik if you give permission, Bethany?”“That is not what I am saying.”“Time is pressing. I need to have Omar´s signature in order to beat the competitor who wants to buy the farms

After a week had passed on their trip through the scorching desert, Bethany got used to the slow rhythm of the caravan. It was a relief to realize that Ben was not suffering the effects of the trip so much because he was always protected by the shadows and well-fed. Adjia had proved to be of great help since she loved to play with Ben and his laughter could be heard by his mom while she had her meals or talked to her brother.Then one day, there was a change in the scene. They were near some rock formations and a dozen men dressed in dark robes climbed down and approached them. It was clear that their intention was to plunder.Immediately Habibdul and his men reached inside the coffee grains´ bags and took out the most impressive machine guns that Bethany had ever seen.The outlaws seemed to be impressed too because they took some steps back and stayed quiet, just watching the caravan pass.Scott rode beside Bethany´s wagon and shouted to her,

Some weeks had passed since the rescue and Bethany still didn´t feel like going back to the palace. There were functions there to attend and other royal compromises but she just didn´t feel up to it. One day, Omar suggested that they could go for the celebration of Ben´s birthday which was near.“Omar, I am so sorry. I just can´t.”“Why, Bethany? It is our home. Ben will be the sheik one day. We have postponed our return long enough.”“I know. You are right but even so, I feel sick when I think of going there. I was threatened beyond my forces there.”“It is all over now.”“We don´t know that. There were some maids and other staff who received money to act against us.”“I see.”“And your uncle was making a lot of money from illicit deals. Maybe he still wants revenge.”“Nobody has access to him in jail.”