Abdel ibn Zaid frowned when he reached this conclusion, and his eyes burned with the glow of hatred. Everything connected with Oromasd was loathsome to such a devoted follower of Rimahn, and the thought of venturing into a consecrated area filled him with disgust. He would be entering enemy territory, and if Prince Ahmad was still there it would make the assignment cumbersome.
The code of the oasis was strict, for life in the desert was harsh on followers of Rimahn and Oromasd alike. All who came to an oasis must be granted sanctuary. Within the oasis there could be no fighting, even between the most vehement of enemies. There were no exceptions to this arrangement. Even the rimahniya, as cold-blooded and treacherous as they were, realized the need to keep oases as free havens. Once they
