Thief

Chapter 17

---Nadir's POV---

The heat was blistering, cracking my lips as the dry air sucked any semblance of moisture from my body. I could feel the sweat trickling down the back of my head, low on my back and drenching my clothes.

Even the wind was hot, pelting me with additional waves of heat to the point where I just wanted to find some shade and hide the rest of the day.

But there wasn't a hint of shade to be found. The only shade was directly underneath Tahir and I. Even my trusted horse was starting to foam around the mouth, letting his head droop.

Which was why I was heading to the nearest town. I didn't want to risk pushing Tahir too much and possibly losing him to a heatstroke.

I knew that horses needed a lot to drink, which was one of the reasons why they were such a rarity among the desert. Camels were more sought after, not because they didn't drink a lot, but because they stored their liquid intake.

During my recovery among the Bedouin tribes, I had come to learn a great deal of the local wildlife. Especially the nomads loved their camels, because those animals were made for their lifestyle.

One of the camel breeders had actually done some tests, to prove the superiority of a camel compared to the horse. While it was true that the camel drank more than the average horse during one sitting, they could last a ridiculous amount of time on that drink.

Ajmal had calculated from filling his water trough and letting the camel have its fill, that the critter could easily pack away 53 gallons of water and, when brought along on their long travels, could last without another drink for up to seven months.

Compare that to the horse, which drank a daily average of a mere 10 gallons, it seemed expensive to get a camel. But, horses only lasted a week without water before they perished.

With his small test, Ajmal had realized that his herd of camels would save him the horses yearly quota of 480 gallons of water, compared to the camels 91 gallons.

I smiled at the memory, as my injuries had prevented me from leaving whenever Ajmal went of on one of his explanations. And over time, I had grown to look forwards to another of his harebrained experiments.

Because overall, even though he was just a man trying to save some money, his focus was on the animal's safety and health. He didn't want to accidentally kill off his herd simply through neglect.

And that was more than some other owners out there could say about themselves. I patted Tahir on the neck, eyes trailing over the horizon before spotting the wavering shadows of buildings in the distance.

Hopefully this wasn't another mirage conjured up by the heat. I clicked my tongue at Tahir, picking up his pace. He eagerly rushed forwards, head nodding as if he too realized that a cool drink was waiting for him.

I was grateful for the multiple layers that protected my skin from the sun but Tahir didn't have that luxury. And while a dark horse didn't run any risk of catching a quick sunburn, I knew that his white nose would be a sore point.

Tahir nickered softly, flanks heaving as he rushed ahead, nearly barreling over the guards at the waypoint. His nostrils widened seconds before I laughed as he nearly buried his entire head into the water trough.

"Good boy." I murmured, jumping down and taking the, undoubtedly itchy saddle from his back. Tahir barely acknowledged me with a flick of his ear, tail swishing to get rid of the flies that instantly flocked to him.

One of the stable boys already approached, eager to care for Tahir. Horses were a rarity, especially this far in the desert so it wasn't surprising that I'd have more than one set of eager hands to help me out.