There were always stories bandied about qa Yvutha Pharath. Hell, Sharaf had even told one or two himself, once upon a time. Objects in the desert could be swallowed entire by the shifting sands. A strong, sustained wind could uncover them as quickly as they'd been buried. The one thing you were always certain of was that these so-called 'ghost ships' were almost never worth exploring. They'd reveal themselves in sandstorms, but by the time the storm died, they'd be buried again. Sometimes in a matter of minutes. If you weren't fast, you could find yourself buried alive inside of them. Sharaf stared hard at them whenever he saw one, determined to match the fanciful stories of the other fellows the next time ghost ships were mentioned. This time he was staring at the thing for an entirely different reason.

( They were being followed. )