Berkeley, I'm afraid."
He chuckled. The sound was surprisingly pleasant.
"Allan's a film geek from NYU." She didn't want Allan to think she'd forgotten all about him. "And we both live in New York."
The flickering lights in the distance grew brighter until she could see they were flaming torches mounted on a high stone wall with an arched opening. They drove through the arch into a well-lit oasis where palm trees lined the road.
"Welcome to my home."
Wow. The stone ramparts seemed even taller from the inside, illuminated by more blazing torches. To complete the medieval setting, long-robed men darted out of the shadows and opened his door, then their doors as well. Mosaics of colored marble decorated the walls, and brass incense burners added luxurious fragrance to the air. Their host spoke rapidly, and his men's impassive expressions gave no hint of what they thought about having visitors.
Her heart leaped when she saw them pulling her and Allan's bags from the trunk, but a brief protest was ignored and their bags were carted off through a tall pair of wood doors.
"Uh, that's my equipment." On instinct she followed her bags. The camera alone was worth nearly thirty thousand dollars. Leaving her host, she followed the traditionally garbed men down a stone-floored hallway. Round arches leading into other rooms lined the space. She glanced back to make sure Allan was following.
"Sweetie, we need to keep an eye on our bags," she hissed.
"I know." His face looked grim. He realized they were way out of their depth.
"Don't worry. We won't steal your treasures." Osman Al Kilanjar's voice boomed out behind Allan. This was the first English he'd spoken since they arrived.
He'd addressed the men in a confusing local dialect that she couldn't follow.
"I didn't mean to imply that you would." She swallowed.
"Your caution is well placed." He strode toward her, coming up behind Allan. He was a good head taller than Allan, who seemed to shrink in his presence. "You are among strangers. Perhaps our customs include extracting payment for our hospitality from our guests' possessions."
"I did a lot of reading about Ubar in preparation for my trip, and several texts mentioned the legendary hospitality of the region." She attempted a smile.
A wolfish grin spread across their host's wide mouth. "All your needs will be
taken care of. Perhaps even those you did not yet anticipate."
She frowned and looked ahead. They'd reached the end of the hallway and another high arched doorway. One of the men in the striped robes rapped on it with his knuckles, and a small, high grating opened. This must be some kind of inner sanctum.