A bsolutely nothing. Amber dunes stretched for miles in every direction. Hardly a big surprise but still a hope-sapping disappointment.
They stood in silence for a minute, maybe two or three. "I feel like my life should be flashing before my eyes," she said at last. "This isn't good."
His chest rose and fell as he let out a sigh. "I can't argue with you."
Sweat trickled down her back under her thin blouse. She could feel her already dark skin tanning in the sun. When she looked back toward the plane she was alarmed by how easily it blended in with the sun-glare-lit sand. "How would anyone even see us if they flew over?"
"We should do something to attract the eye. Do you have any bright clothes?"
She shook her head. "I usually wear black or white."
"I suppose I do, too."
She rubbed her mouth thoughtfully. "Maybe we should make a big shape, like a circle. A familiar outline that draws the eye and breaks up monotony. It's something we do in architecture all the time."
"You mean with our footprints."
"With anything we can find."
Zadir led the way as they trekked back to the plane. His T-shirt clung to his athletic muscles, and his damp hair accented his bold features. She cursed herself for noticing at a time like this. Maybe her brain was playing tricks on her. They could die out here and she was thinking about how hot he was?
Probably the human survival instinct. Hopefully, she'd prove civilized enough not to claw his clothes off in a desperate last-ditch attempt to continue the species.
He glanced back at her, then lifted a dark brow. "You're smiling."
"I think I'm going crazy."
"Have some water." They climbed back into the plane, where he offered her one of her own Evian bottles. "People are often found dead of thirst with water still in their canteens. Let's not go down like that."
She took a swig, surprised at how good it tasted. "We're going to survive this."
"Damn right we are." He took a gulp from another bottle. "And show those bastards they can't take down an Al Kilanjar."
"Who do you think it is?"
He shook his head. "Our country hasn't had a war with any of the neighbors in decades. Ubar's been a sleepy throwback to another era while the countries around us have exploited their oil and prospered. My brothers and I plan to bring Ubar up to speed and there are some traditionalists who are cranky about reforms we plan to make, but I don't think they're angry enough to kill us. Traditionalists usually still have respect for the ruling family."