The Lion of the Desert

The desert outpost of Fort Al-Hisn stood like an ancient sentinel atop a black basalt ridge overlooking the northern expanse of the Rub' al Khali. Built in the fourteenth century of rough-hewn stone and thick mudbrick, the fortress had served generations of Al-Zahrani rulers as a forward garrison against nomadic raiders. Today, the fortress was secured by fifty elite soldiers of the Sovereign’s Royal Brigade, while black combat helicopters refueled…