New Storm Rising

34. To go through the Eye of a Needle

"Stinking pile of camel shit!"

"While I would have expressed my opinion on the matter differently, in general, I must agree."

In silence, we watched the barricade set up around the oasis.

"Mr Ambrose?"

"Yes, Mrs Ambrose?"

"Do you have a telescope?"

Wordlessly, Mr Ambrose reached into his saddle bag and held up a collapsible telescope. Extending it, I lifted it to my eye, readjusted, and...

"Merde!"

"Language, Mrs Ambrose!"

"The French one, I believe. But that's not the bloody point right now! Don't you see these?" Lowering the telescope, I pointed at the small, elongated shapes sticking out above the barrier. From this distance, they could have been mistaken for sticks—if not for the fact that every now and again, the sunlight fell on them with a metallic glint.

"Rifles," Mr Ambrose stated coolly. "They've barricaded themselves at the canyon entrance."

"How the heck did they manage to overtake us?"

"It is not that surprising, actually." His eyes, which somehow even in the arid desert still managed to be ice-cold, bored into the distant rock wall. "The horses those desperados ride are definitely faster than a heavy, metal-reinforced carriage. Add to that the fact that they probably had additional horses to switch..."

He let his words trail off. I didn't really need him to finish to get his meaning.

"Bloody hell! What are we going to do now?" I slapped my saddle, eliciting an annoyed bleat from Ambrose Junior. "Isn't there any path to get around that canyon? Any other way through the desert?"

"Certainly, Mrs Ambrose."

"Ah, well, then—"

"If you do not mind dying from thirst in the desert."

"Ugh."

What a loving, caring husband I had.

He pulled out a map and, unfolding it, pointed to several marked spots. I couldn't help but notice a geographical formation that looked very much like a long gorge.

"In the shadow of the canyon, several ponds and small oases have formed at regular intervals. The canyon is the only place where we can restock our water supplies between here and the town of Scorpion's Trail on the other side."

"Hm..." Thoughtfully, I stroked my chin. "Aren't there other entrances into the canyon?"

"There are. But if we use them, the outlaws could simply retreat to the next oasis and set up another ambush. And another. And another."

"So...what you are saying is, we would have to find some way to convince them to kindly stay put while we find a more palatable pathway?"

"Indeed, Mrs Ambrose."

"Hm..." Thoughtfully, I stroked his chin.

Hey, don't look at me like that! Why would I still be fiddling around with my own chin when I could be fondling my handsome hubby instead?

"Mrs Ambrose?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Cease tickling my jaw!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Regretfully, I retracted my hand from his face. I did not, however, retract my gaze from the distant canyon entrance. I stared at the entrenched outlaws and cocked my head, deep in thought.