A/N Sorry to all of my followers that ittook me so long to get this posted but I got a new computer and had to take the time to learn to use the new software and transfer my files from my old one that was having issues with the keyboard sticking. Without further adue, I present you with chapter 4, I hope that you like it.

Chapter 4 Stolen

Later that night as everyone slept peacefully, four sinister shadows crept through the royal stable yard. The guards, and the stable hands that usually watched over the horses were all passed out, when they were normally so attentive. A traitor in their ranks had slipped some very strong sleeping pills into the drinks of everyone who could have put a stop to his plans. Not even the Prince's faithful dog Amira was anywhere to be seen this night as she had chosen to sleep with her young master.

During the ride earlier that morning he had watched as the Black Arabian mare from the states had out ran the powerful grey stallion which his young master the Prince owned, as if he were standing still. She would fetch a price that would get him out of the debt that he had gotten himself in for sure. He had to have her, so he left the group on the pretense of checking to make sure that they were safe to speak with a man whom he had stolen other valuable horses for in the past.

The man had agreed to his price sight unseen, and ordered for three of his most trusted men to meet with the palace guard later that night after all had gone to sleep. "Are you certain that the mare is faster than the Prince's horse," asked the sheik as he pulled out his coin bag?

"Oh yes My Lord, I've seen her beet the Prince's horse with my own two eyes," said the guard as he bowed before the man.

"Well then, you know my terms. Half to be paid now and I shall pay you the other half when you bring me the mare. How many men do you need," asked the Sheik?

"Three will do, my master. The horse is quite spirited and she may put up a fight," said the guard.

"Do as you must to procure the mare, but don't mark her hide up too badly. Fine black Arabian mares like that are rare and hard to find, she will make a fine addition to my breeding stock. Are you sure that you don't need more men to help you with the other guards, and stable hands? You know how well the Sultan protects the horses in his private stables," said the sheik.

"Don't worry about the guards, and the stable hands. Being the head of security has its advantages," said the guard as he smiled and turned back to return to the prince. If he could catch the mare and her rider he would bring them both, but it didn't quite work out to his plans. The mare was faster than he had expected and Prince Abdulla despite his age was a force to be reckoned with if he were pushed.

So now here he was creeping through the stable yard peering into each stall until he found his target. The mare was sleeping with her elegant head hanging and thankfully her halter had been left on, which made it easier to simply clip a lead rope to her halter and lead her right of her stall and the palace. "This is too easy. These Americans are fools to make it this easy for me," he thought as he slowly crept closer to the mare and clipped the lead rope to her halter. The mare awoke and snorted with fear as the snap of the clip closed right under her chin.

Scarlet was awakened by strange hands clipping a lead rope to her halter and dragging her out of her comfy stall. She reared and neighed shrilly for help but the other horses were unable to free themselves from the stalls. "Help me, someone please ," she screamed as the strange people led her passed a stall at the far end of the stables where the Grey stallion poked his head out and snorted loudly.

"Are you mad? Have the human's broken your proud Arabian spirit? Fight them, Damn it, fight back as if your life depends on it," shouted the stallion in his masculine Arab accented voice. On hearing his words Scarlet planted her feet firmly and pulled back with all of her might against the rope that held her. One of the human's hit her sharply with a long leather whip and she reared and leapt forward screaming in pain and terror. "Don't worry, I'll find you," called the grey stallion as he started kicking his door wildly.

The stables where in chaos as all of the horses were neighing and screaming loudly as they attempted to free themselves and get the attention of the humans that they knew were present. Inside of the palace Amira's sharp ears perked and she leapt from her young master's bed and ran out of his room and outside to see what was going on.

She ran past humans whom should have been awake and on guard protecting the palace and the stables, making note that they all had drinks in their hands. She sniffed at the liquid that had spilled out of one cup onto the floor and detected something strange that shouldn't have been there. As she reached the stables the horses were going crazy. Sultan was backed up to his door kicking it with all that he had attempting to break it down.

"Sultan, what's going on out here," she barked loudly to make herself heard over the angry and panicked voices of the other horses? Sultan spun around in his stall and ran at it hoping that the door would give way with the force of his weight against it.

"Amira, Scarlet has been stolen. Why do the human's not come out to help us? Can they not hear us," he asked as he reared and pounded the door angrily with his front hooves?

"They've been drugged, Sultan. Everyone who should have been on guard is unconscious," said Amira.

"There's no time to waist, Amira. Go and wake the master and anyone else that can help before the thieves get too far," snorted Sultan as he turned and commenced to kicking his door again.

"I'm on it," said Amira as she sprinted back into the palace barking madly.

As she ran barking none of the guards or stable hands roused from their drug induced slumbers. She ran to the wing where the Royal family slept and roused her young master by barking and pouncing on him wildly. "Amira, what are you doing? I don't want to play right now, I'm sleeping," said Prince Abdulla groggily as he pushed the dog off of him and attempted to roll back over and cover his head with his pillow to drown out her barking.

The next thing that he knew his covers were ripped off of him and he felt the annoying mongrel of a dog pulling insistently on the leg of his pajamas. He tried to kick her off until she ripped half of the leg off of his Sleeping pants. "AMIRA, WHAT'S GOTTEN INTO YOU? YOU KNOW BETTER THAN THIS," screamed Abdulla angrily as he finally jumped out of his bed? Amira barked and jumped and ran over to the window. Jumping up and attempting to open the window.

"Master, don't be a fool, just come to the window," she said wishing that humans could understand her. Getting more annoyed Abdulla walked over to the window and wrenched it open.

"OUT," he spat, and then faltered as he heard the sounds of horses screaming and kicking from the stables. He stepped out onto his balcony and peered into the darkness. Something was definitely wrong here. There should have been torches lit to illuminate the stable yard during all times of the night, and the guard towers were dark as well. "GUARDS," he screamed as he turned and ran with the dog through the palace. "Mother, Father, guards GUARDS," he screamed as he ran.

Everyone who hadn't been drugged awoke and popped their heads out of their rooms. "What's going on out here," demanded his father with his sward in his hand?

"Father, there's no light in the stable yard or in the guard towers. The horses are going mad. Something is wrong out there," said Abdulla as he ran alongside his father. On hearing the commotion the horseland team and all of the other guests, awoke and ventured out into the corridor and followed curiously.

Amira led them through the palace past the unconscious guards and stable hands that should have been on duty. The Sultan knelt down and examined the men. They were breathing but wouldn't wake when he shook them. He even slapped one of them, but it had no effect. "Master, I think that they've been drugged," said one of the servants as he held up a glass with a strange residue lingering within.

Just as the humans made it out into the stable yard Sultan gave his door one final kick splintering the door into smithereens. As his young master ran outside he ran around the group of stunned and panicked humans. He stopped and reared pawing the air. Then spun and ran through the open gates out into the desert. "SULTAN, COME BACK," screamed Abdulla as he ran toward his horse attempting to catch him.

The horseland team ran to their stalls to calm and sooth their horses then they all turned as they heard Sarah scream out her horses name franticly. "SCARLET, SCARLET, WHERE ARE YOU," she screamed as she ran around the stable yard looking into every place she could think for her horse?

"Scarlet wouldn't just leave the other horses, said will as he noticed the tracks leading out of the stable yard. "Look at this he called out as he pointed at the tracks.

"The Sultan rushed over with a lit flashlight in his hand and knelt down to examine the boy's findings. "I am afraid that your horse has been stolen," he said pointing down at the foot prints in the soft sand.

"By the looks of things there were four of them," said Mr. Handler with a grim expression on his face. Sarah sank to her knees and sobbed hard as her friends attempted to calm her down.

"No, no, not my lovely horse, why her? What did I ever do for my horse to get stolen," she sobbed.

"Don't worry, Sarah, Sultan will find her, and my father will send a detachment of men to track down the thieves. Won't you father," asked Abdulla as he looked over at his father hopefully?

"There's not much that we can do in the dark of night. All we can do for now is pray that the tracks are still there in the morning and work on waking the guards," said Abdulla's father as he looked up at the dark sky. "There's at least four hours until the sun rises. Let's get to work on waking the guards," he said as he ushered the people back into the palace.

Abdulla led the other teens back inside and joined them in attempting to calm Sarah down. It didn't work. She sat out on the balcony of her quarters and prayed as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Please, god keep Scarlet safe and bring her back to me," she sobbed as she laid her head on the rail of the balcony letting the sobs take over.

~(_)~Meanwhile out in the desert~(_)~

After being dragged and whipped by the strange men Scarlet was tied to three large strange looking beast unlike anything that she had ever seen before, and was being led deep into the desert night. She caught the sound of Sultan's shrill neighs on the wind and whinnied back. "Sultan, help me," she neighed hopping that he would hear her.

"I'm coming," was his reply that came to her on the wind.

"By the time that your mate finds you, you shall belong to our great and powerful master," said one of the strange beasts in a gruff voice.

"I don't want to belong to your master. I already have a fine and wonderful mistress," snorted Scarlet as she attempted to pull away from the strange smelling and looking beasts and the ropes that held her. "You are a horse, it matters not what you wish. Here in this land it is the master that calls the shots.," said the lead camel that pulled her forward with a sharp jerk of the rope, causing her to squeal in pain. She kicked out at the camel that was blocking her from behind, and earned a curse, and a sharp blow and the whip of its rider.

A/N I do hope that you've enjoyed this chapter. Now that I've got a better computer I shall attempt to update more often. Please leave a review if you'd like to let me know what you think. Chapter 5 Bedouin's Challenge will be next.