“Sit here and I’ll get you something to drink. You are our guest of honour tonight.”
Shuree glanced at Dagar and he nodded.
Another woman approached, twisting her hands together as she walked. Her eyes were red and her face splotchy. She’d been grieving.
“I heard you gave our dead a proper burial,” she said.
“That’s right. Our spiritual advisor said the rites and we buried the bodies together.”
Tears glistened in the woman’s eyes and she said, “Did you see my boy? He wore a carving of a wolf on his vest.”
Pain twisted inside her and she quickly got to her feet. “I did. I am so very sorry. He rides now with Qadan.”
Tears ran down the mother’s face and Shuree opened her arms as she would for any of her own tribe. The woman fell into them, sobbing. “Thank you. He was too young. He never should have gone.”
Determination filled Shuree. These deaths had to stop.
Even if she had to travel alone to each tribe and speak to them, she would bring peace to Rhora.
“This horse is for you.” Dagar led a chestnut horse over to where Shuree was saddling her own horse.
She sucked in a breath. The animal was two hands taller than her own, its glossy coat begging to be stroked. She ran a hand down its withers and felt the strong muscles underneath. It was made for speed and distance. “Thank you. She’s beautiful.”
“Leave your horse here. I’ll get someone to return it to your camp in a few days, but it won’t keep up with us and time is of the essence.”
It was. Even now her brother could be saddling his own horse to mount an attack. Shuree adjusted her sabre strapped to her waist, and mounted. The sun’s rays were peeking above the horizon. Dagar, Mengu, and three other riders rode out of the camp with her, along with extra horses for the Saltar messengers. They rode hard across the steppes, faster than Shuree had ridden before. The Erseg horses were indeed superior to their own.
By late morning, the Saltar camp appeared in front of them. Home. She swallowed the lump in her throat as she spotted children gathering horse dung for fires, and women beating wool to make felt. Such normal everyday activities. Shuree pulled up her horse and the others followed suit. She pointed to the west. “Your people are buried over there, but first we should go into camp so I can introduce you. I don’t want to have any incidents.”
They continued at a slower pace, until they reached the outskirts where a guard waited. Shuree grinned. “Greetings, Vachir.”
Relief flooded her friend’s face and his crooked grin was full of joy. “Shuree! I’m so glad you’re back.” He eyed the others. “Who have you brought with you?”
“This is Dagar, son of Ogodai Khan, and Mengu, the spiritual advisor of the Erseg tribe.” She introduced the messengers as well.
Vachir’s eyes widened. “Then I guess you had some success. Welcome. Your brother is in the khan’s tent.”
Shuree raised her eyebrows. “Has there been a ceremony?”
“Only the burial ceremony for the men Jambal’s family brought back.” He glanced at the Erseg men again and lowered his voice. “Amar was furious about your father’s body. He’s trying to convince the others to ignore your instructions and seek revenge.”
A quiet growl from Dagar and she held up a hand, her heart pounding. She hadn’t come this far to fail now. “I will find him immediately.” She turned to Dagar. “All of you, stick close to me. I’m sure this can be sorted out. Vachir, come with us. There is no need to fear an attack from the Erseg.”
Vachir followed them to the horse area and Shuree called over some youths. “Vachir, stay here with the Erseg messengers. Help them with the horses and then find them some food.” She turned to the youths. “Spread the word I have returned with some of the Erseg tribe. Tell everyone they are our honoured guests and under my protection.”
The youths nodded. “Yes, Tribal Mother.”
Shuree gestured to Dagar and Mengu and led them through the camp, greeting people as she went.
Sube ran up, his training sabre held out front as he glared at the men. “Do you need protection, Shuree?”
She smiled. “No, Sube, but thank you for the offer. These men are my guests. Could you tell my grandmother I’ve returned?”
His suspicion was clear in the way he looked them up and down and then ran off with her message.
“Your warriors are young,” Dagar commented.
“Sube has a big heart.”
“Shuree!” Badma’s excited shriek caused Shuree to turn, but she didn’t have a chance to prepare herself before Badma flung her arms around her, forcing her to stumble back a step. “You’re alive!”
Shuree chuckled, hugging her friend. “I am and I have brought guests from the Erseg tribe.”
Badma stepped back and noticed Dagar. Fear crossed her face and Shuree squeezed her hand. “They are friends. I will tell you all about it later. Could you find Erhi for me? Ask her to come to the khan’s tent.”
Her friend left, turning back a few times as if to check Shuree was indeed all right.
“You are popular,” Dagar commented.
“They are merely surprised.” She smiled. “I’m not sure anyone believed I would return.”
He grunted.
At the khan’s tent she paused. She had to convince her brother to agree with the terms she’d negotiated. She was sure he would insist on holding the khan ceremony immediately. She pushed the flap open. Inside her brother sat at the head of the table and next to him sat the council, including Erhi.
Amar’s mouth dropped open. “Shuree!”
“Greetings brother. Permit me to introduce Dagar, son of Ogodai Khan, and spiritual advisor, Mengu from the Erseg tribe.” She turned to Dagar, but before she could continue her introductions, her brother stood, outrage turning his face red.
“They mutilated our khan! They need to die.” He reached for his sabre.
Dagar went for his weapon and Shuree stepped in front of him, heart pounding, holding up her hands in pacification. “Drop your weapon, Amar! These are my honoured guests and you will treat them as such.”
“They are murderers,” he growled, ignoring her command and moving closer.
Shuree drew her own sabre and held it out. “You will not touch them.” Her gaze flicked to the men around the table. “Jambal, restrain my brother.”
Jambal hesitated.
“As your Tribal Mother, I order you to restrain him. If it weren’t for me, you would not have your family back.”
Jambal stood and Amar glared at him.
She did not want bloodshed. “Amar, I will ask you only once more. If you disobey me, I will banish you from this tribe.” The words tore at her throat, but it was the only way she could get him to understand how serious she was.
He gaped at her and lowered his sabre a touch, but it was enough for Jambal to disarm him.
“Sit back down,” she ordered. “All of you, place your weapons on the floor behind you.”
So many startled looks and one man opened his mouth to protest. “Now!” Shuree insisted.
They did as she requested and her pulse slowed. She turned to Dagar. “My apologies for this poor welcome. I can only imagine my brother’s grief made him forget himself.”
Dagar nodded, but he watched the table warily.
Shuree continued the introductions. “Next to Amar is our spiritual advisor, Erhi.”
Erhi stood and walked over, greeting the newcomers with outstretched hands. “Welcome. I am pleased to meet you finally.” She smiled at Mengu. “Would you like refreshments first, or would you like to see where we buried your dead?”
“Refreshments would be appreciated,” Mengu replied.
Shuree gathered the weapons the warriors had discarded and placed them in a pile out of reach of the table. While she did so, Erhi made the council shift to make room for them.
Shuree gestured for Dagar and Mengu to sit either side of her. “We have much to discuss,” s
he began. “As you will know from Yesugen’s and Tegusken’s safe arrival home, the Erseg tribe were willing to negotiate with me.”
“Thank you, Mother,” Jambal said. “I did not think I would see them again.”
She smiled. “Vachir tells me our warriors have been buried.”
“Yesterday,” Amar answered. “We gave Father and all our warriors a proper send off.” The look he gave Dagar suggested he wanted to send him to the other side as well.
Her chest squeezed. She would have liked to have been able to say her goodbyes to her family. She swallowed.
“It truly pained me to discover what someone did to your khan,” Dagar spoke, his tone low. “Please know it is not the normal way for my tribe. My father is investigating it.”
Clearing the lump from her throat, Shuree continued. “I have discussed our circumstances with Ogodai Khan and we have come to a temporary truce. Dagar has come to help me implement it.”
His brother frowned. “And if we don’t like it?”
“You don’t have to like it, you just need to obey it.” Shuree’s tone was hard. She hadn’t risked her life and come this far for her brother to mess it up.
“Tomorrow I will be khan.”
Several men nodded in agreement.
Erhi cleared her throat. “That is not necessarily the case.”
Shuree jolted and everyone turned to the spiritual advisor.
“The law states a khan’s child must be the next khan, but it doesn’t state whether that child be first born, or male, or female.” Her expression was slightly apologetic. “If there is a disagreement on who rules, the tribe may vote.”
Shuree sat back, her mind whirling. She’d never even considered it. “I don’t want to be khan.”
Amar unclenched his fists. “Then we don’t have a problem.”
Beside her Dagar shifted and he looked deeply uncomfortable. If Amar didn’t agree with her proposal, he could ruin everything. “The agreement with the Erseg tribe is contingent on all the tribes of Rhora.”
A few men gaped at her and one said, “You can’t decide that.”
She held up a hand to stop the murmuring. “No. That is why the truce holds until after the gathering of all Rhoran khans in two moons’ time.” She explained the terms. “We both hope to set up trade and better relations between the tribes.”
Amar glared at her. “It would never work. They are likely to attack us the moment our backs are turned.”
“My father has given his word,” Dagar growled. “He will not go back on it.”
“Says you. All we know of him is he attacks us, mutilates the dead, and steals our women.”
Shuree spoke before Dagar could retort. “That is why it is so important we hold this gathering.” She glanced at Erhi. “Mengu says the Gods have chosen the Dragon Mountains as the meeting place.”
Erhi inclined her head. “A good choice.”
“We won’t have to worry about the dragons?” Jambal asked.
Shuree looked at Erhi to answer. “I believe they reside in the upper reaches of the mountains. They should have no interest in what we do.”
“The dragons don’t matter. We have not agreed to go,” Amar said.
“We have,” Shuree corrected him. “I negotiated in good faith as leader of the Saltar tribe. I expect you to respect my wishes.”
“A woman knows nothing of war,” one of the men said.
“We are not discussing war,” she replied. “We are discussing peace.”
“We should not have these discussions with them here.” Amar jerked his head towards Dagar and Mengu.
“Dagar is here as my guest. He needs to be involved in all our discussions so he may grow to trust us. We must be open and honest about our plans. His tribe is taking as big a risk as ours in doing this.”
Amar stood. “I am in charge here.”
Shuree stiffened. “No, you are not, brother. Not yet.”
Amar looked at Erhi who said, “Your sister is right. She is acting khan until the ceremony.”
“Then we continue this discussion when I am khan.”
Her gut swirled like a dust storm. She couldn’t let this fall apart. Too much was at stake. Her father’s last words echoed in her mind. It was her duty to protect their people. Though it was the last thing she wanted, she straightened her spine. “Our people can vote on our next khan.”
As Amar gaped at her, she said to Erhi, “I will stand up to be khan. What do I need to do?”
Chapter 6
Shuree showed Dagar to the guest yurt. The uproar that had ensued after her announcement still had her head spinning, but Amar was right about one thing—Dagar didn’t need to witness siblings fighting. Erhi had calmed Amar and then taken Mengu out to the buried Erseg with the Erseg messengers and some warriors Shuree trusted to protect them.
“I thought you were speaking with the authority of your tribe when you came to us,” Dagar said as they reached the door.
“I was. My brother agreed to my proposal before I left. I fear he is still mourning my father and brothers, particularly after what happened to Father.”
He sighed. “I should warn my tribe.”
She placed a hand on his arm. “Please wait. This afternoon we will vote in our new leader. If Amar is chosen, you and your people can ride home and warn them.”
“I trusted you.”
The concern and betrayal in his eyes twisted her heart. “And I trusted my brother.” Her chest ached. So close to a peaceful solution. “I will talk to him again. I need to make him see sense.”
“He will tell you what you want to hear in order to become khan.”
He was right. She closed her eyes and exhaled. “Then I will still put my name forward.”
“Even though you don’t want to be khan?”
She nodded. “Peace for the whole of Rhora is far more important than my own desires.”
His hand brushed her chin as he lifted it and she opened her eyes. “That is brave. Fighting with family is far harder than with anyone else.”
He understood. “I’m sure your brother wasn’t happy with you when you mentioned I’d bested him on the battlefield.”
“No, he wasn’t.” Dagar chuckled. “I will wait until this evening before I leave,” he said. “Not because I trust your people, but because I believe in you. If anyone can bring peace to Rhora, it is you.” He walked into the yurt.
Shuree’s heart beat uncomfortably hard in her chest. With one last look at Dagar’s door, she went to find her brother.
Amar was still in the khan’s tent, and Gan was with him when she walked in. They both glared at her and Amar’s fierce hatred stabbed her, but she would not let her love for him sway her. He had always been quick to react, to fight and then forgive and he was easily swayed by his friend. As children they had often bickered and because she hated it so much, she usually gave in. Not this time.
“I need to speak with my brother alone, Gan.”
“You’re going to slaughter our tribe,” Gan said as he shoved past her and out of the tent.
Shuree ignored him, instead meeting her brother’s gaze. “Don’t look at me like that, Amar. You know why I went to the Erseg tribe.”
“How can you even consider peace with them?” he demanded. “They cut off Father’s head.”
Nausea rose in her and she blocked the memory. “I know. I found him.” Her voice was dull.
He stood and came to her, wrapping her in his arms. He wore the same musky scent as all the men in her family and she squeezed her eyes closed, breathing through her mouth so it wouldn’t affect her so much. His voice switched to cajoling. “Don’t you see what barbarians they are? They don’t treat the dead with any respect.” The tone was so familiar from their childhood arguments.
She wanted to cling to him and sob, but she wouldn’t let him distract or persuade her. She stepped back, swallowed hard. “Dagar says they are investigating it.”
Amar frowned. “Well he would say that.”
> She shook her head. “I believe him. He wants this peace as well. It was he who told the khan I spared his son during their raid. It was my compassion that ensured Jambal’s family were freed and we recovered our bodies.” She had to make him understand. “Their camp is so much like ours,” she continued. “Their traditions the same. I stayed in a guest yurt and when I woke, the sounds outside were like being at home. I spoke with many of their people at dinner and they all want peace, but not all trust us to keep our end of the bargain.”
He scowled.
“See, brother, without talking to them, we wouldn’t have known. We would have reacted emotionally instead of rationally. Our warriors become fewer with every battle. Soon there will be no one to protect us.”
“But you’ve seen to that as well, haven’t you?” Amar said. “You’re training the women to fight.”
“To protect themselves and the tribe,” she corrected. “We can’t rely on our warriors any longer. We need to take control of our own safety.”
He turned away. “You are our mother’s daughter,” he said. “Strong and wilful.”
Shuree took it as a compliment. “Thank you.”
“You put us in a very vulnerable position,” he said. “This gathering could lead to the destruction of our tribe.”
“Or it could be the beginning of a stronger community,” she responded. “The old ways aren’t working, brother. Surely you can see that.”
He sighed. “I don’t agree with you, but we will let our tribe decide. Erhi wants us both to explain our vision of the future and then the tribe will choose who they want to lead them.”
It was fair. “I will accept what they decide, but if you should win, I ask that you let the Erseg men go free and that you arrange your own discussion with Ogodai.”
“I will free the Erseg men, but I won’t guarantee to speak with Ogodai.” His expression hardened.
It was the best she could hope for. She’d pushed her brother far enough. “Thank you.”
Someone called to them and Shuree opened the door to find Erhi outside the yurt. “It is time.”
Shuree squeezed her brother’s hand. “No matter what happens, know I love you, brother.”
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