The sand was piled up against the side of the old stone fort, and had been blowing through the gaps in the rocks for three days. There was no way to get away from it. The water had run out the second day, and there was no food for the camels. Sonja was screeching again about being tied to the stone wall, and the thief who had stolen her was seriously thinking about just cutting her throat and getting the hell out of there. He was beginning to doubt the wisdom of the plan he had made with the sheik, suspecting that the man would never show up now that the storm was in full blast. He felt the small fortune slipping away, and shook his burnoose-covered head and pulled the scimitar from its scabbard. “May the great god Zun forgive me,” he muttered, and walked toward the princess.

He stood above the exotic beauty and looked sadly at her for a moment, then said, “I’m sorry princess, but you must die. If I leave you to bring witness against me my life is over.” The young girl cringed up against the wall in sudden terror. “You monster! My life has just begun, and you would snuff it out for no more reason than I might identify you? I know you not, and you could just disappear to some other country! Please don’t kill me! I…”

At that moment a filthy dust-blown figure of a man crept through a break in the wall just behind the thief and threw a blade, burying it deep between the shoulders of the would-be assassin. He screamed as he fell, managing to half-turn to see who had killed him, and was dead as he hit the ground.

The starving skeletal figure stepped over to the corpse and jerked the knife from its back, and went to the girl and cut her loose. “Got any food layin’ around, Lady? I ain’t had a bite for weeks, and am just about dead.” He helped her to her feet, and she led him to the thief’s packs and quickly dug out the food the dead man had been saving for himself. He had not fed the young girl either, thinking to parlay her into treasure the day after stealing her, and the pair of them tore into the dried goat as if it were a feast.

They were badly dehydrated from the desert heat, and knowing they would soon perish from lack of water, the man decided to kill one of the camels for its blood. The dried meat had been difficult to swallow, and had taken what moisture remained in them in the eating of it. He picked up the empty water jug and snatched the blade from its sheath. He bade the beast to kneel, and as it settled to the ground, quickly sliced its jugular and jammed the jug to its throat. The smell nearly bowled him over as the hot gush of blood hit the jug and lathered his hands and arms, and he turned his head away to avoid the worst of it. He was terribly weak from his ordeals and the life-saving jug nearly slipped from his grasp as it filled, and he sank to his knees from the weight of it, forcing himself to hold on for life itself.

The poor beast had been dehydrated too, and before long the flow slowed to a trickle and the man got up and took the jug to the girl. “This is horrible, nasty stuff, and smells really bad, but it’ll keep us alive until we can find water. Hold your nose, close your eyes, and drink fast, and whatever you do, don’t think about it! Are you ready?” She swallowed hard a few times, the gorge rising at the thought of what she must do, and finally nodded, and he held the jug to her lips. She siphoned off about a pint as fast as she could, and lurched over to the wall and gagged several times, but held it down. “Good girl! That’ll put some color in your cheeks! Well, damn, I guess it’s my turn.” He lifted the rank liquid to his mouth and choked it down, as much as he could hold, and nearly puked his linings out when it hit bottom. “Oh, gawd, that’s horrible! Let’s get on that other camel and drift on out of here. Two weeks ago we were at an oasis twenty miles south that had some water. If we can get there we’ll be fine, but we’ll have to push the camel hard and ride all night. Here, let me help you up.” He offered his hand and the girl climbed on the camel’s back, then he got up behind her and gee’d the beast into motion. The camel didn’t like the added weight and let it be known, but the man smacked it a few times and the animal settled into a ground-covering lurch that soon had them out of sight of the old stone fort.

The sun sank over the horizon and the plodding gait of the camel soon lulled the girl into a restless sleep, and but for the arms that held her she would have fallen. The man had never been this close to such a beauty, and to have her sleep in his arms was the nearest he’d ever been to heaven. Her head was back on his chest, and as the full moon rose and the pale golden light shone on her, he found himself wishing all kinds of things he’d never wished before. How could anyone harm such a gentle, sweet girl? I will serve and protect her forever, if she will let me. He dozed for short periods himself, and dreamed he was a mighty warrior in the lost ages, and traveled the distant galaxies on the gleaming starships of antiquity.

The blood, although saving her precious life, had made her very ill, and near dawn he had to stop the camel and help her down. He felt damn queasy himself, but much better than he had the day before. After she had retched for a time, holding on to his thin arm, she leaned weakly against him for a moment, then looked up into his eyes and said, “I never thanked you for saving my life. I do, very much. I am only twenty, and the thought of dying was more than I could bear. I suppose the shock of near death is only now beginning to wear off, or I would have said something before. Will you forgive me for my lapse?” He smiled down at her and said, “I would forgive you for anything. Come, we’d best get to the oasis before the sun gets high, or we still could be in for a very bad time.” He helped her to the back of the beast, and led the tired animal off across the sand. The sky was becoming light to the east, and the oasis was still eight miles away.

He didn’t know where the sweat came from, but it was running freely and soaking his ragged shirt, and his parched throat was so dry he couldn’t spit by the time they saw the palms in the distance. It was a small grove with several huts erected by the nomads over the years, and the spring, though tiny, always flowed. Two permanent residents raised a few sheep and goats in the area, keeping them to a subsistence level as to not overgraze the sparse grasses, which must also feed their camels and horses, and the nomad’s creatures when they stopped for water and rest. They were a friendly couple, the old man and woman, and took them in readily, pampering them with a good meal and plenty of cold clean water.

Sonja was nearly as filthy as her savior, and the old woman took her off to bathe in a private spot where a pool had formed from the spring’s runoff. Travelers had dumped off chests filled with clothing and other accessories when their weak animals could no longer carry them, so the young girl had her choice of some fine silk tops and pantellas to wear when she had freshened herself. Dorian found a fresh set of clothes in the chests too, and after cleaning the filth of weeks from him looked like a desert prince, complete with turbin and scimitar.

He knew the old couple from his previous visit, and had been dickering with the old fellow for a couple of horses and supplies. “What has become of your three companions? Do they no longer travel with you?” Dorian looked at the ground for a moment, then into the old man’s eyes. “The desert has claimed them. We found the ancient ruins we were seeking, but there was no water there, and after two days we were returning here for more when a terrible storm arose and we got separated and lost. I never saw them again.” Scratching his long beard, the old boy said, “Yes. Zun help those who brave the sands. Some never return. Now, if I were to sell you those horses and water jugs and food, just how were you planning to pay for them? I have no use for your money out here in the wastes, and seldom travel to any other place. What may entice me to part with something that may not be replaceable?” Dorian reached into an inner pocket and took out a handkerchief that was tied around a lot of small items. He undid the knot and exposed the enticements, showing the old man what he had found in the ruined city deep in the dead lands to the north. Diamonds and emeralds and some few rubies glittered in the wavering light coming though the palm fronds. “Ooooh,” the old fellow purred, and Dorian offered the handkerchief-wrapped stones to him and said, “Take what you want for your priceless animals, for without them we cannot go home.”

He set the wrapped package on his lap, and one by one inspected the treasures “I want ALL of them,” he finally laughed, and then said, “Young man, you are doing a fine thing, taking the girl to her home, and saving her life in the most desperate of situations, and I cannot take advantage or Zun may smite me. Give me what you decide, and I will be satisfied.” Dorian had watched him as he inspected the jewels and noticed a particular interest in several of them, and he took those stones and placed them in the old man’s hand. With a big grin the man said, “Zun bless you, son! You have made me a very rich man!” He ran off to show the stones to his mate, and when he left Sonja came around the corner of the hut.

She was awe-inspiring. Gauzy pale blue pantellas adorned her perfect legs that he could nearly, but not quite, see through. She had chosen a silk top that was sleeveless, a deeper shade of blue, and exposed her delicious tummy. Over that she wore a short vest that was the same shade as the pantellas, trimmed in gold thread with little stars and crescent moons, and she had placed a dark blue scarf on her head to tie her wavy black hair up, the sleek outfit complimenting her golden skin and dark brown eyes. “Wow! You are fabulously beautiful!” Dorian said, and took one of the ancient jewels from his stash. It was a blue diamond the size of a pigeon egg, cut in the shape of a heart and attached to a golden chain that he had kept hidden from the old man, not wanting to part with it in any way. “Here. Wear this for me. It wouldn’t look right adorning someone else.” She bit her bottom lip, and looked from the jewel to the man, and back. Then she smiled and said, “I will, if it makes you happy. That stone is worth a fortune. Are you sure you want me to have it?” He said softly, “I’m sure,” and she turned and let him clasp it around her neck, liking the feel of his gentle fingers on her soft skin.

“Where did you get such a fantastic diamond? It must have cost you dearly! Did you steal it? Oh mygosh! If you did they will come looking for it and…” He held a finger to her lips and smiled at her. “I guess it’s time to tell you my story. My name is Joseph Dorian Cennedeigh. You may call me Dorian. I am not a thief, but a seeker of treasure and lost cities, and that stone I found with many other strange and unusual things, in an old ruin to the north of where I found you. More than anything I would like for you to return there with me and help carry off the riches that are buried there in the sands. Together we could do it. Alone, I may not survive. You saw the condition I was in. My friends died out there somewhere in the storm. I looked for them for days and never found a trace. If we go, we’ll need help, and a string of animals to pack supplies in and out of the desert. I don’t want to do it alone, but for you I would tackle anything. I already have enough to keep me in fine form for the rest of my life. Look.” He took the wrapped jewels from the pocket and handed them to her.

 She got tremendously excited after undoing the knots and said, “You are a rich man, Dorian!” He nodded and said, “But I have no one to share it with, and to go back, alone, seems pointless.” She looked at the stones for a long moment, and said, “My father is a rich man too, and has always been very good to me, giving me everything I ever wanted. Well, up to a point! Anyway, that man you killed was trying to sell me to a sheik that was going to ransom me back to my father for a lot less than what you have here! When he discovers that you saved my life and are being so sweet to me, he will help us in your expedition!” Then she looked up at him shyly and said, “I like you Dorian. I’ll come with you and share in your great adventure.” He took her hand and kissed it tenderly. “What a fine partner you will make,” he told her, as the old woman called to them that it was time to eat.

They rested the next day in preparation for the trek to her father’s kingdom, Dorian nearly fainting at the news she was a real princess, and the following morning mounted the fine desert horses the old man had sold them, well supplied for the long journey ahead of them. He had given them a detailed map of the oasis’ they would find along the way, and a list of friends who would take them in should they need assistance. When they were ready to ride the old couple wished them a safe and prosperous life, and were very happy to learn they would soon be returning to this lonely outpost, and that they would meet again. After fond farewells they rode off.

They had a small tent they stayed in and under during the terrible heat of the day, and rode only in the evening, through the cool of the night and into the early morning. To attempt the summer desert through the day would be foolhardy, and they spent many happy hours getting to know one another in the cool shade of the tent. There was enough shade cast that the horses were well protected too, and as they progressed across the dunes they regained their health and strength, and Sonja was amazed at the rapid change in her savior Dorian. He had fleshed out quickly, his fine form well-muscled and strong, and she found herself thinking he was the most handsome young man she had had the pleasure of knowing, and was glad they were to be partners in his quest. Perhaps I will come to love this man and stay with him always, she thought, as she watched him dismantle the tent. She blushed at the thought, and he saw the coloring of her face and wondered at it as he packed their belongings on the extra horses.

The weather stayed clear for them, and the journey went well, and by the end of the week they were approaching the outskirts of the walled city she called home. “My father will be so excited to see me. I’m sure he is mourning me as lost forever to him. He really has a soft heart for being the ruler of so many. You will like each other Dorian, for you share some of the same traits, and have things in common.” They had pulled off to the side of the road to admire the panorama of the city and he had been discreetly admiring her too. “Yes,” he said, “like loving you.” She looked quickly at the suddenly embarrassed man, who was looking into her eyes with the emotions he was feeling, and saw the depth of what he had just said. After a moment she replied, “Why, Dorian! How very sweet of you! You love me?” He slowly smiled and said, “I surely do. Do you mind terribly? I can’t help myself. I’ve loved you since the first time we were together, on that long ride that night I found you and killed that man.” She thought about it and smiled and said, “No, I don’t mind,” and kicked her horse and rode down the hill to her father.

The afternoon sun was hot as they neared the palace, and were spotted by the guards at the gate. One of them went running to tell the king that his daughter had come home, and the other five quickly fell into step alongside her, excitedly running to keep up with her horse, and she laughed gaily at their shouts of welcome and sincere caring they had for her. She was home! When she dismounted, with Dorian there to help her to the ground, her father was standing at the top of the steps with a stern look on his regal face, but inside he wanted to jump and shout just as the guards were doing. A tear rolled un-noticed down his craggy face, and he allowed a small smile to divert its path, when she climbed the stair with her hand on Dorian’s arm.

 “Father, this is Dorian. At the moment of my impending death he appeared from nowhere and slew the cur that had stolen me from you. Dorian, dear friend and savior, this is my father, King Amil.” The two men shook hands, and then the king embraced the young hero, and could no longer control himself and began to sob. “Thank you! Thank you! I can never repay you for what you have done! Come! My kingdom is yours! Thank you!” He continued to cry as he enfolded Sonja into his arms and heart. “I have grieved for you as dead! How happy I now am! Come, we shall have a feast, and there is nothing your young man shall not have as reward!” She smiled and said through her own tears, “What if he wants me?”

The king stopped dead in his tracks. He looked closely at Dorian. “Do you?” The young man was tall and handsome and held himself like a prince, and the king liked what he saw. Dorian said, “I can’t help loving her, but I know she is beyond my reach, your Highness.” The king said, “Hmph. What about you, Sonja? Do you want him?” Sonja, suddenly aware that her teasing had just got her in another jam, got serious. She looked at Dorian and saw what her father had seen, and felt something stir in her heart. A tear slid slowly from an eye, and right then she knew she would never meet another man like this again. “Yes, father. I want him.” The young hero became instantly giddy at her quiet statement, and her father, soft hearted when it came to his only daughter, threw his hands in the air and said, “Enough of this! If you truly love one another, the world is not big enough to keep you apart. We’ll discuss the subject later as we dine. Your mother will want to see you now. Go to her, and, uh, take your prince along.”

Sonja threw him a smile and took Dorian’s arm. “Will you come with me, my prince?” “Always, if you want me to.” “Always?” “Yes. Always.” “I want you to.”

Her mother was instantly fond of the young man, whose hand was clenched so firmly in that of her daughter’s, and when she heard the tale of the miraculous rescue she cried and hugged him so hard he thought his ribs would crack. They walked to the banquet hall together, Dorian in the center held firmly on each side by a princess and a queen, and felt as though he had been transported to another world, which indeed he had.

Once seated the king informed the queen that there was a strong possibility that not only had the daughter come home, but a son as well. This caused a burst of happy tears and a round of applause and congratulations from the visiting dignitaries. Sonja had been seated across the long table from her prince but rose and went around to sit closely by his side, and this caused another round of approval. She had the ancient blue diamond heart pendant that he had given her held tightly in her hand, and she showed it to him and smiled, then folded it back to her bosom with both hands and held it there.

After the sumptuous meal, which was served by ten equally delicious young ladies, the king called for quiet. “I have sent for the priests! Son, you shall have your reward!” All those at the table rose and cheered, and Sonja and Dorian got to their feet and embraced, both with happy tears. “Damn! I love you, woman!” the hero said, and she kissed him for the first time. A long, long kiss.

When their union had been blessed by the priests of Zun the assemblage regained their seats at the table, and after toasting the new couple for a time, the king dismissed the visitors, saying apologetically, “We wish to be alone as a family now. Thank you all so much for your participation in this happy hour, and please, feel free to enjoy your stay in our city.” When they had all departed the small family sat close together at the head of the table, and the king asked Dorian what plans he had for the future, and how he intended to provide for his new bride.

He took the wrapped package from his shirt and placed it in front of Amil, and the king opened it flat on the table top and began to smile.

 “I see. You have already provided quite nicely for her! Tell me now, how did a young man such as yourself come into possession of this incredible wealth?” Dorian told him about the expedition, and the death of his friends in the storm, and all the events leading up to when he threw the knife into the thief’s back, and then Sonja took over the narrative and told of the camel’s blood and the long night ride through the desert. Her mother nearly lost her lunch,

“We agreed to be partners in Dorian’s return for the treasures in the old ruins, and I told him that you might help us in that pursuit, once you knew he had saved me from death. Will you help us father?” The king did not hesitate. “Yes, I will help. And, with your permission, I would like to accompany you on this great adventure. The priests knew of the existence of the ruined city, through ancient legends, but it has been lost for thousands of years. No one knew the location, and people have searched for it throughout time. Son, it has been your great fortune to find what nobody else has found. That city is the resting place of the first people on this world, and is said to be where the starships of old are buried beneath the sands. Treasure beyond imagination is stored there, waiting for us! It will take a week to prepare for the trek, and in the meantime, you youngsters will have that time for yourselves, in the country palace at Lake Fella.” He raised his goblet in salute. “To the past! To the future! To the Bride! Son, to you!” They drank the final toast, and Sonja went off with her mother to pack for her honeymoon. Amil called for the captain of the guard and began issuing orders for the outfitting of the campaign, and Dorian sat back in his chair, a very happy young man.

A procession of soldiers and friends of the king and queen, and nearly half of the residents of the city, escorted the newlyweds to the country palace in a happy parade, and the throng was reluctant to leave them when they had moved their belongings in, shouting teasing remarks about their ‘first time’ and such things, until finally the king commanded them to leave the pair in peace and they left the scene. Dorian carried her inside.

The week went by faster than they thought possible, so lost were they in one another, and then it was time to launch the expedition. The morning was cool, the stars and full moon lighting their path as they set out, and they would ride until the heat of mid-day and set up the tents. Two hundred were in the party on horseback, and four hundred camels were herded along, carrying their supplies and water and, with fervent hope, the treasure of the lost city back to Amil’s kingdom. Sonja had never been happier in her life, having discovered what it means to be a woman, loved by her man, and the pleasures of their coupling. Dreams she had had could not compare, and she virtually glowed, giving happiness to all those around her.

The mighty caravan came to the oasis where the old couple lived but only stopped briefly to replenish their water supply, not wanting to destroy the old one’s source of livelihood, and when told of the marriage of the young friends, were very happy for them, and excited about the caravan. They had never seen such numbers of people and animals at one time, and watched in awe as they continued on their journey.

The last twenty miles were covered in two nights, the excitement rising to a fever pitch as dawn arrived on the final day, and the huge mounds of sand came into sight. Here and there among the dunes they could see the ancient turrets and spires of the lost civilization from which they had sprung, and the priests of Zun were highly agitated. They had kept the legends alive, but none had thought to ever see their source. Their chanting became ever louder as the city neared, and several of them had begun to bleed from their constant tapping of the forehead in reverence. Amil, growing weary of the chants, commanded them into silence. “I’ve never heard such wailing from grown men! Control yourselves, or go home! There will be time for your prayers after the work is done. First, we dig!”

Twenty of the soldiers were issued commands to carry on a constant two-way caravan from the lost city to the old folks’ oasis to keep the water at a safe level, using ten men on horse with twenty camels each. Later, after digging for nearly two weeks, a spring was found, but was unknown when they arrived at the dig.

A tent city was erected that first day, and rope corrals for the stock, also with tarps spread overhead to protect the animals from the roasting summer sun. Amil was very excited to be here, in a place he had heard of all his life, but thought to be mere myth, stories he'd been told of fabulous wealth buried beneath these sands, and exotic futuristic machines and starships, and every kind of thing dreams are made of. The legends told of an incredible ancient war among the stars and other planets of the solar system, and the devastation visited on the people by the warring factions. That’s where all the sand came from, it was said. The horrific weapons burned the very earth, creating pools and rivers of glass, and the tremendous storms caused by the blasts of the fusion bombs shattered and disintegrated the glass and carried it, in miniscule particles, and slammed them at the remaining cliffs until even those had turned to sand, and the mixture was them formed and eddied by the winds, creating the endless dunes.

Amil walked to a protruding rock wall near his tent, and saw what appeared to be some sort of writing carved in the stone. “Dorian!” The young man took his attention from his new bride, and went to the king’s side. “What do you make of this?” Dorian squatted next to the rock and looked closely at the symbols. “Well, sir, I came from a country that doesn’t have this kind of thing. I don’t know what it is. Perhaps the priests of Zun can tell us.” Just then one of them walked up and asked, respectfully, “Find something, King Amil?” The king pointed to the glyphs. The man went down on one knee and felt of the highly eroded sand-etched rock, and traced the symbols with a finger, then took a writing tablet from his tunic and laboriously copied the nearly invisible message. “What does it say? Can you read it? It doesn’t look like the writing we possess,” the anxious king said, and the priest said, “I will have to consult the elders, for it is foreign to me, but one of them may be able to translate it.”

He walked off rapidly in search of them, and Dorian asked Amil, “Would you like to explore the place where we found the stones? Come on, it’s over in this direction.” He called for Sonja to join them, and the three of them climbed the dunes. At the top, Dorian led them down the slope at an angle to where they could see an ancient pillar protruding from the sand and several others lying exposed on their sides, among heaps of wind-blown sand-covered ruins.

“I hid the entrance, in case someone beat me back here,” he told them, and began to drag sand from what looked like nothing more than a dimple in the side of the slope. The heat soon overcame him, but by then he had nearly cleared the hole, and finished it drenched in sweat. “Here it is. This was the first place we found when we got here last time. It was open then, the sand blowing deep into the passage and nearly plugging it. It took the whole day to clear it out, but was well worth the effort, as you both have seen. Come, let’s journey back in time.” He took Sonja’s arm and led her down the passage, Amil right on their heels. He felt like a young boy again, exploring the old ruins near his father’s castle, as he had done every chance he got. It was exhilarating, especially since he knew Dorian’s jewels had come from this very place, and he couldn’t wait to get to the end of the ancient entryway.

Dorian found the lanterns he and his late companions had left there, and lit them and gave one to each of them. As their eyes adjusted to the light from near-darkness Sonja gasped and the king exclaimed, “DAMN!”

Dorian stood back and let them have their look, knowing what a shock to the system they were experiencing, and had another look himself. Yes. It was just as he remembered. The beautiful murals on the gold trimmed walls showed a vibrant lush tropical paradise, full of exotic creatures and so much water it was unbelievable and fabulous cities beyond belief, with flying machines in the skies and wonderfully happy smiling people everywhere. “Ohhhh. This makes the whole journey worthwhile,” Sonja whispered, and Amil quietly agreed with her. “I had no idea our ancestors were such as this, so gifted and civilized.” Dorian said, “Well, they certainly were, but war-like too. They destroyed themselves, from all indications. Here is the chamber where we found the treasure, down this ramp.”

They entered the room. A shocked silence was all the king could offer when he saw the mounds of golden objects and sparkles of brilliant many-colored beams reflected from the jewels in the lantern light. Sonja caught her breath and said, “There can be nothing like this in the entire world!” Amil, when he was finally able to speak, said, “Son, you are the richest man on this planet! I may have to give my kingship over to you!” The wealthy young man told him, “No, that will never happen. Half of this belongs to you and your people for your assistance in the expedition. There is a lot of very hard labor ahead of us, and by the time we return to your city you will feel as though you have earned it! I know where the starships are buried!”

When they exited the long-lost passage into the light of day the priest, accompanied by four of his sect, rushed up to the king. “Your Highness! We have thought deeply of the meaning of the text on the stone! It may read; ‘Evil Deeds Punished With Death’ or something. One of the elders disagrees, and thinks it says ‘All Rooms Cleaned Daily’. In truth, we don’t know. It is so old that none of the symbols are remotely like the ones we use.” Amil looked at the bunch of them and said, “That’s about what I expected. Go get a shovel, every one of you!”

Through the heat of the afternoon, Dorian sat with the king and his council and drew maps for the next stage of the excavation. He had only had one full day to explore the ruins on that last fateful trip, so he was not sure of the extent of the ancient metropolis, but knew the approximate location of the starships. Sand had reburied nearly everything since he had been here, and moving it away was the only option. The king, too, wanted to lay hands on the starships, for they had traveled among the stars, and ferried his people to this world. It mattered not whether they would ever fly again. Just to touch them and see their glory was enough. Imagine! Life on other worlds!

The crews were ready as dusk arrived, and went immediately to their assigned locations and began to excavate the baked sand, a task that would not lessen in toil until the top several feet were removed. Even then, they would encounter areas that were hard as the rock they had once been. The loose dunes sands were the hardest to move, for it must be carried in baskets and piled where the wind would not catch it and return it to where it had come from. By dawn of the second day they had made progress of a sort, but when one stood back and looked, as Sonja and her man were now doing, it was barely noticeable.

They slept through the morning, waking and loving one another several times before rising in the afternoon. That evening, as the moon was peeking over the horizon, the king asked the young man, “Do you think we will find the entrance tonight? I couldn’t sleep all day thinking about the starships! I MUST see them soon!” Dorian said thoughtfully, “Well, if my calculations are correct, we started digging in the right place, and should reach that level by mid-night. There was a hole in the wall that we crawled through to gain entry, but once inside we saw a large door that was used to allow the ships to exit, and that will require much exertion if we wish to drag one of them out.” Sonja said, “Will you? Drag one out?” Her man grinned, “Well, yeah, probably. If they’re not all smashed or destroyed. Wouldn’t you?” She grinned back at him. “Probably.”

As the moon was sinking on the other side of the sky one of the diggers yelled, “We got it, Dorian! Here’s the hole! Weezel Krotchner’s already gone in! You see anything in there, Weez?” A muffled yell answered, but was unintelligible, and Dorian and his bride ran to the opened hole. On his previous visit, the sand had excavated itself and left the entire wall exposed, but the storm that had nearly killed him had reburied it. It was eighty feet from the level of the tent city down to where they must crawl through, and the huge stones of the wall were overwhelming in size. “How on earth did they ever manage to set these stones? And look, the joinings are so tight a hair could not pass! What amazing machine could have done this?” Her man answered, “You are about to see some of those amazing machines, sweetheart. This building is immense, and full of all sorts of fantastical things that I know nothing of. And starships. Lots of them.” He took her hand and led her through the hole.

When they stopped on the other side of the wall the king nearly knocked them down. “Oops! Sorry! Here, I brought some lanterns to set around and light the place up, and there’s a lot more of them coming. I want to see everything in here, and not have to grope around in the dark.” He had eight lanterns in his arms, and several soldiers were crowding through the hole, each with an armload of lights. As they were lit, the soldiers placed them at strategic locations and soon the metal of the starships and strange machinery was reflected from them. “Wow! There are hundreds of machines in here! Dozens and dozens of starships! LOOK at them! They are BEAUTIFUL!” The king was touching the skin of the nearest starship like it was a woman, and receiving just as much pleasure from the touch.

 It sat on four splayed legs that tapered nearly to points, where a flexible pad was adjoined, and these feet allowed it to be parked on nearly any surface. The canopy was twelve feet from the floor, of a clear glass-like material and there were rungs attached to the sleek shiny metallic side where the ancient pilots would climb to their controls. Before anyone could think to stop him the king had run up the rungs and was leaning over the cockpit, trying to find a way to get in. He stood on the downswept wing and said, “Dorian, I’ve got to have one of these! They are stupendous! How do I get in?” His new son climbed up beside him and stepped onto the wing, and the perfectly balanced craft moved with his weight on the cushioned legs. “Those legs must have some sort of spring in them to absorb shock,” the king said, and Dorian, immersed in the problem of how to gain access to the starship, merely nodded and continued looking for the key. He saw some of the strange glyphs near the back edge of the canopy, and directly under them a small knob, which he turned experimentally.

The canopy rose of it’s own accord, with a sound of escaping air, and both Dorian and the king nearly lost their footing on the wing. “Yes!” said the king, and when the canopy stood wide, he threw his leg over the side and climbed in. Dorian waited until he had gotten across the small cabin to the far seat, and climbed right in behind him, and found himself in the ancient pilot’s chair, with his hands reaching for the controls with a mind of their own.

“Boys!” They both looked to see Sonja leaning into the starship on her elbows with an impish grin, and she said, “Is there room for me?” It was a four-seater, and Dorian helped her scramble into the back, and then said, “Well, where do you all want to go? To the moon?” They all laughed, amazed to actually be inside a piece of myth and legend, that no one before today knew was real except Dorian, who had seen them before. But to SIT in one!

“Do you think we could ever get one of these to fly? Without killing ourselves, I mean?” the king asked, and the brave young man said, “I’m sure gonna try! Though it probably won’t. Zun only knows how old it is, or if  it is capable of functioning. Somewhere in this building there must be some indication of how it works. I’ll find it!”

They sat in the ancient starship for a time dreaming of long-forgotten people and what must have occurred in their lifetimes, and what had brought an end to them. Sonja cried for them. Amil nearly did. Dorian remembered his dream, the one he had that first night after rescuing the terrified girl from the thief, as the camel plodded through the night. He was a warrior of an ancient time, in a starship that traveled the planets, and a cold chill went through him like the knife he had buried in the would-assassin’s back. He was THERE! It felt so real that it thoroughly frightened him for a moment, then he shook it off, and Amil said, “What’s wrong, boy? You looked like death there for a second.” He felt foolish telling them what had just happened to him, and about the dream, but neither one of them laughed or ridiculed him. The king merely looked soberly at him, and said, “Trust your instincts, son. If it seemed that it was real, it may be so. Many people have sworn they have lived in other times. Such may be the case with you. I too have had unsettling dreams, though not for many years now, of things that have no place in this world of ours. You could discuss it with the priests of Zun, but as you may have noticed, I think them fools.”

Sonja had been leaning close as they talked, and she whispered in his ear, “My warrior. I love you.” He smiled, and then he looked over at Amil. “You know, in my dream I really flew that starship. Perhaps I will remember how, in my next dream!” They all laughed and started climbing out of the cruiser, and when they were back on the ground the canopy shut itself, surprising the lot of them. “Hey! I somehow get the feeling that old machine is not quite dead.” The king glanced nervously up at the canopy, and then said, “Well, we’ll go see how the men propose to get a few of these drug home! I don’t know about you, but I’m having one!”

They had been working outside on the old hangar door, getting it cleared and ready to open, if open it would, but the job was bigger than could be accomplished in one night. It was possible it may take a week before one of the cruisers could be pulled out and moved up the slope of the excavation. Two hundred horses and four hundred camels could certainly supply all the power necessary, and there was no shortage of rope. Weez had been walking from one huge machine to the next, and was just now scratching his balding scalp with a perplexed look on his face. Amil came up behind him and said, “You got them figured out yet?” Krotchner laughed, “Just about! They appear to be in excellent condition, if you discount the dust and bird residue. I was just trying to work out how the damn birds got in here in the first place. This place must unbury itself every few years or so, or they could never have gotten in.” “You’ve been standing here thinking about birdshit for twenty minutes?” “Well, I was just wondering…” The king went to find someone who could tell him something, and left Weez scratching his head and looking at the ceiling.

Sonja and Dorian found a seat near the starship, and were holding hands and smiling at each other, but the starship kept drawing their eyes back to it. “Let’s go back up there and sit in the ship,” she said, and they almost ran to the rungs. He let her go up first, watching the wondrous play of her rump muscles as she climbed, and grinned at his lascivious thoughts. She had the canopy rising when he reached the top, and they hopped in when it was fully extended, Sonja sitting up front this time, in the co-pilot’s chair. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to fly this ship around the world, or go to some other planet? There’s so much we could see and do! I would fly anywhere with you, my husband.” Dorian placed his hands back on the controls, and looked over at the beautiful creature he had paired with. “Watch this,” he said, and depressed a small button under his thumb.

 Instantly lights of blue and green and red appeared and flashed across the board in front of them, and when the system had run it’s check, a barely audible hum could be heard, a constant low pitch that was soothing to hear, and Sonja, scared nearly as bad as when the thief was about to cut her throat, was crouched back in her seat like a scared little girl. “How did you do that?” she demanded, and he told her, “I was remembering my dream as we sat out there admiring the starship, and that’s how it started then. I just thought I would try it and see what happened.” Her fear was gone but she was a little nervous yet, and told him, “It happened! Good Zun! I’ll bet this thing WILL fly! Umm… why don’t you try? What else did you do in your dream?” The grinning man said, “Well, when I pulled back on this the ship rose and…” the ship rose, and hovered, and the legs retracted into the belly of the ship. The king was running to them, yelling and waving his arms, but they couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Finally he stopped and motioned for them to come to him. Dorian handled the controls and nosed the ship in his direction, and the king jumped back against the wall, ready to run for it.

He set the ship down and the legs shot out and placed the feet on the floor of the old hangar, and when he thumbed the button the old machine shut itself off. The knob that opened the canopy from inside was to his left under a protective cover so that it could not be accidentally tripped, and he opened the lid and turned the knob and the hatch rose. Then they could hear the king! “Show me how! I want to do that! Let’s see if some of the rest of them come to life! Where did you learn that so fast? Come on, TELL me!”

By this time the sun had come up and it was getting very warm outside, and some of the workers, discovering that it stayed just over fifty degrees in the buried building, were carrying their sleeping gear through the hole in the wall. The excavation was now so large there was no danger of it’s collapse, trapping them, so they had no fear of spending the entire day in the coolness, soaking it up like sponges and thoroughly enjoying their sleep for the first time since before the expedition began. Sonja discovered that the starships had sleeping accommodations and she and her man spent much of the day snoozing and loving in their new machine, breaking it in. They made all kinds of plans as to where they would travel and what they would do, when and if the cruiser would actually fly. So far, all they knew was that it would come instantly to life and hover, move forward slowly, and park itself once again. So much to learn!

The king spent the day napping in the starship he had claimed for himself. All of the starships had a small cabin with berths and small lavatories, and a cargo pod in the underbelly. If one had to, he, she, or they, could live quite well in them, cramped but cozy. The king had decided that ALL of the starships were going home with him, and he would have Dorian train his captains in their piloting, if the young hero was capable of the task. Those other strange machines would be closely inspected, and any that would come back to life would be taken back to his homeland. They were rightfully Dorian's but he was part of the family, and Amil knew the young man had no use for them, where Amil could utilize them to rebuild his ancient city and bring it back to the glory of his grandfather’s kingdom. Tomorrow is another day, he thought, and went back to sleep.

When Sonja woke her man and her father as dusk drew near, they went outside of the structure and climbed to the surface, hungry, and ready for whatever would come their way. The lanterns were lit and the men had already gone back to their labors, digging and hoisting the sand to the top of the incline and carrying it away. “Now,” said the king, “would be a perfect time to see if those huge machines will work! Where’s that skinny little Krotchner at? If anyone can get them going, the Weez can! Captain! Find Weez and tell him his master is waiting!” The captain of the guard took off at a trot, and within minutes was back with the camelmaster, Weez.

“Well, Weez, have you got the birdshit out of your head today? Are you ready to get to work on that heavy equipment, and see if you can salvage some of them? You know that they would save us a lot of time and hard labor if even one of them came back to life.” Again, Weez scratched his balding head, and Amil suddenly realized that the poor man couldn’t think any other way, and every time he ever talked to him after that the man did the same thing, no matter what the question. “Yes sir! I got one all picked out this morning before I went to bed, and she’s a brute! I’m heading down there right now with my boys, and if it will do anything at all, why, I’ll trot right back up here and let you know!” Amil said, “Excellent. When we’ve dined we will come down and set about getting the starships moving, and ready to drag up the slope. If they won’t fly, we will have to construct sleds for them. They are coming home with us. All of them. I will not leave even one behind, for someone else to find at a later date.” Dorian was standing beside him, and nodded his agreement to the statement.

Sonja came from her tent dressed in tight fitting black leather pantellas and a red silk top, with a short black leather vest. She surely liked exposing her sweet tummy, and so did everyone else! The pantellas rode low on her hips and every step she took was erotic to anyone who happened to glance her way, which, being the only woman with over two hundred men, many of them often did. She was their princess and like a goddess to them, but they all admired the woman she had become. Amil said, “Must you dress like that? You are likely to cause a war! The poor men are only human, you know, and can’t take a whole lot of what you’re showing them! At least cover your belly with something!” She looked down at herself and saw what he was talking about. “Oh, all right! I’ll go cover myself then. I surely don’t want to start a battle!” Dorian couldn’t help smiling. She stuck her pink tongue out at the both of them and went back to her tent to change.

The huge hangar door was nearly exposed. Still, there were tons of sand to move out of the depression, and it was several days before the last of it was far enough removed to allow the big door to open. It had moved on tracks at one time, but they were in a sad state and the door must be moved by force. Many long stout ropes were brought down, and several dozen horses, and just before morning of that fourth night the mighty door rose, squealing in agony. Daylight entered the chamber, and for the first time in untold thousands of years Human eyes looked on the majestic past of their ancient ancestors without the aid of candles and lanterns. The starships had reflected light from the lanterns to be sure, but now they could see the mirror-like finish of the metal skin of the ships, and the fine craftsmanship that had gone into their construction. Not a single seam could be seen, or rivet, or flaw of any kind. They were nearly forty feet long, and discounting the four foot legs, stood more than a dozen feet high, with a wingspan of thirty, and behind the canopy on top was a tall tailfin from which antennae sprouted, for reasons unknown. The downswept wings nearly touched the floor, with just over a foot of clearance. The front nosecone gave the starship the appearance of a huge bird of prey, and every man of them stood looking at the starships in awe.

“We will fly them out of here, and we will fly them home,” Dorian announced. Amil glanced his way, to see if what he had said was in jest, and saw instead a dead serious expression on the face of a warrior. “Are you certain this can be done?” Dorian took his arm and led him out of earshot of the others. “I had another dream. I know these ships. I flew them in another life, many thousand years ago, and can show all of your men the operation of them. Something else came to me in that dream. There is a storage unit buried behind this edifice that contains many of the weapons used by our forebears, and a fleet of these starships! Every man here can fly one home, and your army will be invincible! I remembered, in this dream, the operation of the huge machines, and if you will come with me, I’ll show you how to start one of them up!”

Amil rubbed his hands together in glee. “I want to drive that big one over there with the huge blade in front! Can you show me how to get it going and take it outside?” His new son grinned, and stepped up on the tracks of the machine, climbing from there to the high seat under the roll cage. “Well, come on up and watch, Amil, and we’ll see what she will do.” When the king had securely anchored himself to the roll cage, Dorian said, “Pay attention now! This is how you must start it. I think! Depress this pedal, and push this knob, like so.” The ancient machine came smoothly to life, a low pitched hum all that could be heard, and a barely noticeable vibration all that indicated it was ready for service. The king was grinning from ear to ear by this time, and said, “Well, take it out! I want it up on top where I can move some sand! If it works, we’ll get more of them going, and have this whole city dug up before the end of the week!” Dorian tugged on one of four levers next to his right hand, and at the same time let up the pedal he had been depressing, and the great machine moved for the door, the tracks clanking on the hard stone floor.

Two of the four levers, when tugged one way or the other, turned the machine, one of them, depending where it was placed, controlled the forward and reverse motion, and the last raised, lowered, and turned the huge blade. Amil watched hungrily as Dorian moved the levers and the beast lumbered outside and up the slope. Once up top, Amil had him drive the thing around for a time so he could watch, and, when he thought he had grasped the idea of it’s operation, had the young man stop the thing and shut it down. “I am going to best this beast, and want everyone to get clear so that I don’t kill anyone. Tell them all to stay out of my way!” With that, he sat in the seat and started the huge machine and put it in gear, raised the blade, released the pedal, and went to work. It took nearly a half hour of labor and the destruction of everything in his path to gain control, but after that he was as good an operator as had ever sat on the seat. He waved to Dorian that all was well and indicated that he should get more of them running and some of the men up on them, and began moving the sand piles to make room for more. Some of the great machines had extremely large digging buckets on the front of them, suitable for carrying tremendous weight and moving material from place to place, and these were the ones that the young man headed for, with ten of the soldiers on his heels.

“Krotchner! You were watching all that has passed, and I think you can become an instructor with a little practice.” He spent some time with the Weez, and, satisfied that the project was in good hands, went off to see if the other portion of his dream had any merit. At the back of the huge chamber he found a doorway into the place he had seen in that dream, and opened it and went through, carrying a fresh lantern to light the way.

The roof had collapsed at the far end, burying much of what was stored there, but the things he was most interested in were right there in front of him. A fleet of starships numbering more than a hundred, and rack upon rack of armaments, armor, and hand weaponry. He went to the nearest rack and took down a weapon harness that held a short sword and, on the other side, a holster containing something that not another living soul knew of. If he would not have had the strange dreams he too would have been baffled by them. As it was, he took the blaster in hand, and after a moments thought, pointed it at the far wall and let loose a shot. An iridescent beam of purple zapped across the space in an instant and burned a hole three foot wide through the stone. With careful aim, he burned several more of the holes, creating windows to allow the outside light to enter. “That will help us see what we see.”

He buckled the harness around his waist and went to the starships to inspect them. They were replicas of the ones they had already found, but for three dozen of them that were much larger, troop and cargo transporters, all of them capable of deep space travel, or atmospheric flight. “We have entered a new age,” Sonja said from behind him, and he turned and took her in his arms. “Yes. It is pure luck that no one ever found this stuff, and even more luck that a man such as your father will be in control of it. With this equipment a man of lesser character could wreak havoc on the world. I know Amil will be righteous in his use of it.”

“Hey,” she said, rubbing against him, “You wanta climb up and sit in one of the ships?” He grinned, “Well, I have missed your delightful company! Yes, let’s do!”