The Parched Sea by Troy Denning Read Free Book Online

man, but now he’s a god-the god of death, murder, and tyranny;” Lander answered.
    “In the desert, he is called N’asr;” Bhadla explained. Musalim nodded thoughtfully, as if the god’s involvement explained everything.
    “The Bedine claim N’asr is the sun’s lover;” Bhadla continued. “The sun, At’ar, forsakes her lawful husband every night to sleep in N’asr’s tent:”
    Lander ran his fingers over the blisters on his sunburned face. “I don’t doubt it;’ he said, squinting up at the sky: “She certainly seems brutal enough to be Cyric’s lover:”
    “Perhaps N’asr, er, Cyric has sent the Zhentarim into the desert to kill At’ar’s husband;’ Musalim suggested. “Jealously has caused many murders:’
    Lander chuckled. “I don’t think so, Musalim. In this case, I think they’re after gold:’
    “Gold?” Bhadla queried, perking up. “There’s none of
    that in Anauroch, is there?”
    “They’re not looking for gold in the desert,” Lander explained. “They’re going to carry it across the desert:” He pointed westward: “Over there, two thousand miles beyond the horizon, lies Waterdeep, one of many cities of great riches:” Next, he pointed eastward. “Over there, five hundred miles from the edge of the desert, are Zhentil Keep, Mulmaster, and the other ports of the Moonsea. They serve as the gateways to the ancient nations of the Heartlands and to the slave-hungry lands of the South:”
    The two D’tarig frowned skeptically, and Lander guessed that the desert-walkers were having trouble imagining a world of such scope. “In the center of all these cities are six-hundred miles of parched, burning sands that fewer than a dozen civilized men have ever crossed:’
    Musalim picked up a handful of sand and let it slip through his fingers. “You mean these sands?”
    “Yes,” Lander confirmed. “And whoever forges a trail through this desert controls the trade routes linking the eastern and western sides of Faerun:’
    “There you are mistaken;’ Bhadla said, his eyes sparkling with faintly kindled avarice. “The land surrounding the desert belongs to the D’tarig, so we will control this trade:’
    “If you think the Zhentarim will honor your territorial rights, you are the one who is mistaken;’ Lander said. “When the time comes, they will find a way to steal your land:’
    “You underestimate us, Lord,” Bhadla said. “The Zhentarim may have cheated many in your land, but they cannot beguile the D’tarig:’ As if he had said all that needed to be said on the matter, the guide turned to Musalim. In D’tarig, he asked, “Have you returned all you took from the Bedme?”
    “Yes,” Musalim answered, a note of melancholy in his voice.
    Bhadla turned back to Lander, then took the Sembian’s arm and tugged him toward their camels: “Come, it is time for us to ride:’
    Lander refused to budge. “I’m waiting for the Bedine:’ “If they have not come by now, they are not going to;” Musalim said. “They are a shy people, and the survivors of what happened here are certain to be more so:’
    “There are two more oases within two days’ ride;’ Bhadla added. “Perhaps another tribe will be camped at one of them:’
    Lander’s stomach tightened in alarm. “Where are these oases?”
    Bhadla pointed in the direction the Zhentarim had taken after destroying the camp last night.
    Without speaking a word, Lander started toward the oasis pond, where the camels were tethered. Previously he had been puzzled by the Zhentarim’s quick departure last night. Now he realized they were trying to reach the next tribe before it learned of the slaughter at this oasis.
    When Bhadla and Musalim caught up to him, Lander glared at the guides. “Why didn’t you tell me about the other oases earlier?”
    Bhadla shrugged. “1 would have, if you had told me we were being watched:’
    Irritated by the D’tarig’s reply, Lander quickened his pace. “Don’t fill more than