The hot desert sun blazed down in an unending wave of fire, Duke walked with his sweat

Soaked brow hanging on his chest.

For ten days he had trudged his way through the burning hell, ever alone and always looking

Behind

The last or at least he hoped they were the last Nomads had fallen upon him as he had been

. Laying in his sleeping blankets almost asleep, asleep that almost cost him his life.

Seven lay dead back at the blood soaked campsite, three had ran off into the night cursing him

And all that belong to him now he travelled the desert in an attempt to escape with the only thing

Of value or so he thought the chalice of Emir khan kabue, a great leader and prophet of the nomadic

Tribe's men of Mucmor a din.

Duke steel was a man of some virtue, just what that virtue was even he didn't know but it was there

Somewhere, a man of medium height heavy set build with short fair hair that had seen better days

A growth of tawny coloured beard grew over his jaw and lower face area, his once clear blue grey eyes

Were now red rimmed and out of focus, the sand coloured rags that had once passed for a suit of

Clothes hung on him in a sweat stained and torn bundle clothes that any half decent rotting mummy

Won't be seen alive in.

Unseen and of to his left upon a swift strong desert strider sat a lone watcher, a man of the desert

Wrapped in a dune coloured cloak, a cloth of the same colour and material covered his head held in place

By a light blue band.

The light grey beast that he sat upon shuffled slightly to the right inpatient to get moving again, but it's

Rider was having none of it tugging hard on the reins to steady the animal it worked the strider stood

Still and bowed It's Head in surrender.

Duke stumbling along his feet dragging over the sand suddenly fell to his knee's his hands thrust forward

To stop his face from hitting the hot sand, the prised chalice tumbled out of his shirt to lie in front of him

A gleam of bright white light bounced off its surface to blind and tease him, his left hand burnt raw red

And blistered reached out to grasp the gleaming metal, a sound then a shadow falling over him and the

Chalice told Duke that he was no longer alone…