Zaya’s body arched backward. The next instant, she slid from her horse as if all strength had left her. Her horse sprang up and bolted blindly across the plain.

  “Ambush! Run!” Ehau shouted.

  “Dogon, go call for reinforcements,” Subutai ordered calmly. One of his men stepped forward, waiting for the next command.

  “There was a settlement ahead. The rest of you, head there. ”No sooner had he spoken than Subutai broke into a run. The rest followed.

  “Yes, sir!” Dogon belatedly kicked his horse into motion.

  Ehau did not move. His bloodshot eyes flew open as he scanned the area, trying to determine where the arrow had come from.

  “Ehau, the next wave will be the real one. Follow the general!” Norjin snapped. As he spoke, he lifted Zaya onto his own horse, swung up behind her, and spurred forward. Ehau followed.

  The settlement came into view, and Subutai’s men were already locked in a fierce exchange of blades. Subutai’s sword strikes landed not on his opponent, but again and again on the sheep pen. Seeing that, the enemy mistook him for a feeble old man, and their swings grew careless. Ehau let out a battle cry and hurled himself into the fight.

  Norjin pulled up behind the shadow of a lean-to stacked with winter fuel and lowered Zaya to the ground. She was still breathing.

  An arrow had pierced her shoulder and lodged into her fur-lined mantle. Her face looked unnaturally pale. Norjin did not hesitate. He snapped the shaft and tore the arrow free, ripping the mantle away with it, pulled open her deel, pressed his mouth to the wound, and sucked hard.

  Once the settlement's resistance had been crushed, Ehau came over to check on them.

  “It was poisoned,” Norjin said. “Not a strong one, but she needs water.”

  “There’s no water around here—” Ehau began, faltering.

  “There is,” Subutai said from behind them, his sword still drawn.

  “Over there.” He jerked his chin toward a cluster of shabby tents.

  “That place…” Ehau hesitated. There would be water inside those tents—water kept for the people who lived there. The men who had attacked them were dead, but women and children were barricaded within.

  Hooves approached. It sounded as if the enemy was catching up.

  “Hmph.” Subutai lifted the corner of his mouth.

  She wore a charming deel embroidered along the hem. Braids fell from either side of her fur hat, and the fur trimming her mantle matched the fur at her sleeves. The gray pelts and the red embroidery at her collar framed her small, round face. Ehau’s eyes went wide.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. I thought you were a boy.”

  Norjin looked at her as if dazzled, then finally spoke.

  “You’re beautiful. Makes me want to untie that mantle cord with my own hands.”

  “Hmph.” Zaya snorted, swung up onto her horse, and said briskly, “The general’s waiting. Let’s go.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  That day, General Subutai wished to look over the area around the Ili Valley, and Zaya’s group was assigned to guide him. Since there were Kipchak locals in the region who had not sworn loyalty to the Jochid house, it was decided they would avoid provoking them. All but Ehau wore plain clothing. Gift bundles had been prepared and loaded onto the horses.

  When Zaya and the others reached the outer edge of the ulus, Subutai was already waiting. He wore light armor over a fur-lined deel and a black fur hat. Two soldiers stood with him, lightly equipped. And, to Zaya’s dismay, Dogon’s massive frame was there as well, accompanied by two men of his own.

  Zaya let out a small sigh. Even Dogon, she told herself, would not dare anything foolish in front of General Subutai.

  They set off westward across ground barely covered by dry, withered grass.

  The Ili Valley, chosen by Batu as the assembly point for the western campaign, was a land where steppe seemed to melt into mountain. Shallow river channels threaded through gently rolling terrain, with patches of damp grassland scattered throughout. In the distance, the low ridges of the Tian Shan lay veiled in haze; the snow-capped peaks were not yet visible. The wind was dry but not cold. Though the grass had mostly faded to autumn brown, traces of green still remained.

  There was ample space—an ideal place to gather an army bound for the west.

  Subutai surveyed the valley and judged the objective fully achievable. Then he told Zaya he wished to scout farther west. Though this would be the route of the western army, Kipchak locals lived nearby, and with their limited numbers it was dangerous. These tribes were not friendly to the Jochids; many leaned toward the Rus instead.

  Disguising themselves as peaceful travelers, the group moved farther west.

  “Elbek, start a fire. You and you—circle behind the largest tent. And you—”Subutai pointed at Ehau. “If you want to prove your courage, face them head-on.”

  The coldness of the order made Ehau flinch. Facing them directly was little more than making himself a target.

  “Why send Dogon away?” he snapped. “I’m faster.”

  “He’s slow,” Subutai replied.

  The emptiness in Subutai’s eyes unsettled him. Ehau turned sharply and mounted his horse.

  "And you—" Subutai turned to Norjin. "How long do you plan to cling to a woman’s chest? There should be water in the smallest tent behind them. Tear in from the rear.”

  As he spoke, Subutai thrust his sword toward Norjin. Norjin accepted it with deliberate care, the faint tremor in his hands kept in check, then hoisted Zaya onto his back.

  Elbek pulled an arrow from his quiver, tore off a lump of dried dung used for fuel, wrapped it around the arrowhead, and set it alight.

  “Fire,” Subutai commanded.

  The flaming arrow struck the largest tent. Elbek loosed a second arrow at once.

  Enemy arrows flew back. Subutai and Elbek ducked behind the fuel store as several arrows thudded into it in quick succession.

  A glance showed Ehau darting around the enemy’s left flank, evading the volley. Dogon would have been riddled with arrows. It was exactly the movement Subutai had anticipated.

  Soon the tent caught fire. Women and children burst out screaming. Startled by the flames, the sheep panicked. The pen, sturdy as it was meant to be, gave way easily—Subutai had been striking it deliberately while pretending to fight, opening a weakness.

  The terrified sheep crashed straight into an approaching enemy group. Horses reared in panic. From behind the tents, Subutai’s hidden men surged forward and attacked from the rear.

  The poorly armed band of locals—no more than a dozen—were cut down in moments, left sprawled across the ground.

  Norjin reached the smallest tent and slashed through the felt with his sword. Kicking aside the furnishings, he went in. Women and children screamed.

  Ignoring them, he laid Zaya down and found water in a cooking jar set against the wall. He poured it over the wound, washing it clean. Thinking he had drawn out most of the poison, he sucked at the wound again, spat, and rinsed it once more.

  “Zaya.” He tapped her cheek lightly. “Zaya.”

  Her eyes opened.

  Her body felt heavy. Her vision was blurred, but it seemed she was inside her own tent. Norjin was sitting beside her.

  “I was shot…” Her voice barely came out. “You saved me?”

  “Ehau did,” Norjin said. “Fought like a demon possessed.”

  Zaya touched the aching spot and froze.

  “You saw.”

  “I like them about the size that fits right in my palm,” Norjin said, as if to comfort her.

  “Get out!”

  Zaya shouted, and Norjin slipped from the tent at once.

  Ehau was sitting at the entrance, grinning at him.

  “Me? I prefer something that spills out of my hands.”

  “Ehau!”

  Zaya’s voice echoed through the cold air.