Facing the sun

Banou wakes up with the cloth above the blot, removed. The air is cooling. The sky is dark and the stars are out dancing in the dark. She hear her surrounding, everything is silence and the air doesn't have the smell of food. Only the wind howling softy in her ears. Her hands and feet are still tied. Banou feels the crack on her face, they are getting dry and painful. Her hungry stomach is growling. There doesn't seems to be anyone nearby. She try to move but invalid. After along time, the cart move and some blot of fabric is remove slowly. Banou from her angle couldn't see who it is. Finally she is drag out of the cart, her body is stiff from laying too long in the same position. The men put her down on the sand. Banou try to open her eyes to see where she is, they are behind a huge rock shading from the sun. 

"How is it? Did you enjoy the ride?"

It's a familiar voice that she nearly forgotten. It seems like she never learn her lessons. The daughter of Mehmet stare at Banou with satisfaction. 

Banou refuse to answer her and look away. Banou feels the heat from the hot sand but she did not say anything and continue to lay there. The daughter of Mehmet continue to stare at Banou while sitting down on a chair. With her arm cross, she feels superior than anyone at present. 

"Do you want to know why you are here? How i found you? How i take you out from the royal gala?"

Banou continue to remain silence. She did not want to interact with her in any case. She decide to remain in silence. Knowing her character, she probably will tell her everything she needs to know. True enough after ten minutes, she bubbler out what Banou wants to hear.

"Your brother is seeking for you. I am helping him to return you to him. After that, i will have the exclusive trade rights in Egypt! My father will be so proud of me! I will be make known in Egypt and probably marrying into a royal family!" 

She laugh with delight while Banou listens and want to snort. However she sits there silently refusing to interact. In the end, Banou is drag back into the cart. While travelling, Banou is having many thoughts in her mind. Her depress soul feels that she should give up and follow the sands wherever she should go. She think of her son and Li Cheng. They are belonging of a far place where she cannot reach now. She will have to give up and surrender. Everything is temporally nothing for her is permanent. 

Many days pass, she is given water and bread. Also they release the ropes around her. She is given the freedom to sit anywhere she wants. Her skin is more peeled than before. Blood is dozing down some of it. Banou doesn't care. She don't have the mood or energy. She decided if she dies in the desert, then that is her destiny. She won't fight against it. She watch the Sun and moon with her lifeless eyes everyday. The daughter of Mehmet can't get a reaction out of Banou. She continue to taunt Banou whenever she can however eventually she stops when she realise that she is wasting her energy on a person who is lifeless. In the end of 24 days, she realised that Banou is losing a lot of weight. Her big eyes are bigger and her chin is sharper then she remember. She scream at her men who fail to take care of her prize to Prince Bardiya. She hurry to force Banou to eat. However she is not chewing thus she is force to drink porridge.

After 33 days of travelling, the driver spots in a distance a group of riders. They are heading towards their direction. They are not sure who they are as they aren't carrying any flags. Everyone staring to have fears in their hearts only Banou is not having any reaction to what is happening. Eventually the driver stops the cart which is at the front. He runs off with one of the horse. The rest who see what he have done follow him closely. Leaving behind is the goods, the food and the ladies. Mehmet's daughter panic and try to unleash a horse from one of the many carts unfortunately, the riders come faster than expected. While approaching, they split into two groups. One chasing the ones that leave the carts and the other group surround the carts and the ladies. They speak in a language that Mehmet's daughter don't understand. Banou who is just sitting still in the cart is not interested to know what is happening. 

Another hour, under the hot sun, those men check the goods in the cart. They laugh and sit around. The other group of men return with those who run away. In the end, they are tied up. Only Mehmet's daughter and Banou is on the cart. It started to travel. Some of the tied up men try to run, in the end, they are killed by the raiders. Mehmet's daughter cry uncontrollably while Banou remain calm and not concerned about it. The leader of the raiders come up to Banou, he hold her chin up and she stare at him. His small bead blue eyes are staring at her saying something they laugh. He carry her up and bring her to the last cart. He defile her without remorse. 

The group move in the desert to a green pastures. The vast greenery is before their eyes. The leader of the group take care of Banou personally. While Mehmet's daughter is shared by the rest of the men. Every night, Banou hears her cries and scream. Banou feels numb there is nothing she should do now. Banou knows that she is now this man's muse. It's better to be with one man instead of the whole group. She quietly pray and ask for deliverance from this nightmare. 

After a day or two, another group of riders come to welcome the group back. They escort the raiders back to their camp. Along the way, Banou see a lot of sheep and horses. What these men are wearing comes from the sheep. The land is windy and mostly there is no trees. She think of the geography location that she learn in the library so long ago. This land probably is XiongNu where there are plenty of sheep and horses.