The Great Khan Ch. 05

Forward: This story was given to me as a challenge. Think of it as an alternate history to some degree. There are historical personages represented who interact with my invented characters. Feel free to ask which is which. There is plenty of graphic sex in this story, along with a lot of combat and violence. Just warning you now. Reviews and genuine critiques are welcome. Flames will be snickered at and deleted. Enjoy!

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Chapter 5- The Boring Side Of Warfare

"Aival buu hii, hiivel buu ai."

"If you fear it, do not do it. If you do it, do not fear it."

***

Boldbator watched grimly as the little warband rode into the west, with the god Sun showing them the way, threading with sky with oranges, purples and pinks. It seemed auspicious to him, that such a display heralded the beginning of the journey. Mundane as it appeared, his entire enterprise was hinged on the success of this transaction, with a people he knew nothing about.

Was his wife Toragana really up to this challenge? Was his sister, Khorijin, capable of protecting them on such a perilous journey?

"You seem pensive, husband." Satantuya said quietly as she stood beside him, watching her sister-wives and their entourage fade into the distance. "Do you fear for their safety?"

"I think I am reasonable to do so," replied the Tengger khan, his eyes still on the horizon. "Only a damned fool lives without caution and doubt."

"And yet you are the most confident and audacious man I know," she mused, smiling at him and stroking the sleeve of his del. "Which is quite the statement, given that I knew your father, Arslan."

"There is a fine line to be walked where confidence and foolhardiness are concerned, Sarantuya," grunted the warrior. "If things go awry, and they are all slain, not only have I lost two valuable counselors in Galina and Toragana, and my sister, but all that gold and silver I sent with them. It will be a severe blow to my ambitions."

"Enough to quash them?" she asked, surprised at his tone.

"It will make the way forward infinitely harder if they fail." Boldbator said. "Where gold, new tactics and diplomacy might have advanced my cause, there will be only hard fighting and endless bloodshed."

"At least your brother would be happy for a change." Sarantuya quipped, managing to elicit a tug at the corner of his mouth, indicating he almost smiled. It was something. Rarely did anyone's sense of humour ever touch Boldbator. He said nothing, just continuing to stare. Her gaze followed his, across the flat steppe, to the now barely visible figures that sought Lake Alakol.

She mused on her feelings about the venture - not whether she hoped it would succeed, per se, but how would she feel if those participating were to die? It perplexed her.

As little as a day ago, she had hated Khorijin, the khan's sister. They had fought incessantly since Sarantuya had married Boldbator, not just arguing, but coming to blows. More often than not, Khorijin, who was far the better warrior, had beaten her savagely, leaving her a trembling mess, covered in scratches and endless painful bruises. If she was feeling very contemptuous of the First Wife, she would violate her and then piss on her.

Sarantuya's skin felt warm and she seethed at the memory.

But now, things were different. The fighting had stopped, each of the wives now committing herself to their role in helping Boldbator achieve his destiny as the Khan of Khans. Khorijin, the ferocious warrior-wife, now was beholden to protecting the others. And if Sarantuya still felt anger about her previous humiliations, she looked forward to a future where she needn't live in fear of them. Khorijin would play her part dutifully.

What of Galina? The Chinese whore, whose name was actually Mai?

Sarantuya had despised her for so long, simply out of principle, because she was Chinese, and not a Mongol. It's what everyone else did; why wouldn't she?

Boldbator didn't. There had to be more to this Song concubine that just her flawless skin, long, raven hair, ethereal beauty and shaved cunt. She refused to believe her husband was so easily ensorcelled. She had made love to Galina on countless occasions now, and she was indeed an exquisite lover, beyond all compare - a delicate blossom with a core of steel.

She feared Galina in a way she didn't fear Khorijin. The khan's sister could beat her, abuse her, but it ended there. She would always recover. But Galina was universally loathed by everyone in the Tengger clan, simply because she was different. And that meant that Galina, soft as she may have appeared, would not think twice about preserving her own life by slaying someone who she deemed a threat.

Boldbator, of course, had decreed that anyone who attempted to harm his concubine would be swiftly killed by his blade across their throat. That was enough to quell the rabble. But Galina, quite rightly, still didn't feel safe, because she understood that anyone would still try to get away with kill her if they could.

Sarantuya had recently witnessed the Chinese girl's puissance with subtle poisons, killing the khan of the Batalji clan in mere seconds when she pierced his eye with a golden needle she wore in her hair. Sarantuya had watched the man die, convulsing, turning purple, his tongue bulging from his mouth as panic and terror robbed him of life.

No, she did not fear Galina. It was not fear she felt. It was dread. If Galina wanted her dead, she wouldn't know until she was choking on her own blood and Erlik was dragging down into hateful darkness.

And what of Toragana?

The khan's newest wife was still something of an enigma to Sarantuya. She should have been jealous, because they now shared the title of 'First Wife', but the way Toragana behaved was somehow assuring to her. Khan of her own clan, the Sukh, she was not terribly interested in competing for the title thrust upon her by Boldbator. She had been appointed First Wife because it made political sense to do so. It elevated the status of her clan to the same level as Sarantuya's own, the venerable Borjigin.

She was also surprisingly cunning, with great insights into matters that women were routinely unknown for or frozen out from. She had a surprising grasp of political matters, and negotiation. It was Toragana that had almost single-handedly forged the impossible peace between Boldbator's wives. Her reasoning had been so simple, and yet profound, that even the irascible Khorijin had given way to it.

Toragana had pointed out that each of the wives was indispensable and utterly necessary in her own way, and there was much more to be gained in working together than always fighting and trying to hurt or destroy one another. So compelling were her arguments that even Galina had laid aside her fears and mistrust of everyone around her and committed to the arrangement.

So there the wives stood, each with a vital role and now dedicated to supporting one another and the khan - Khorijin, warrior-sister and protector. Galina, beautiful blossom and Boldbator's secret weapon against the mighty Song empire. Toragana, his inscrutable wife, subtle of intellect and a capable negotiator.

And Sarantuya, his standard to the other clans, first among equals where his wives were concerned.

She had to admit, she felt surprisingly confident in her position. And even more surprising, she wanted none of her sister-wives dead. It was a passing strange thing, and she felt no small relief in it.

It was getting dark now, and she sighed and nodded her head. "What now, husband? Their fate is in the hands of the gods now. I will pray to Chokqu and Zarlik for them and their well-being."

Boldbator turned his head and looked at her, perhaps a glint of amusement in his eyes. "You do not wish death on any of them? Not even my sister?"

Sarantuya shook her head. "No, my khan. Our wars have ended; we now seek to serve you as your wives, united in purpose and will. Indeed, even the lady Khorijin has my well-wishes, for we cannot do without her."

"I had best go to bed; to hear too many impossible things in one day is a bad omen." Boldbator grunted, turning and trudging back toward his ger. Sarantuya stifled a giggle and followed him dutifully. Without fighting and worrying about her station, she was free to concentrate on bearing heirs to the khan, something they would see to once the tribes had been united. It was both all she ever desired, and more than she could hope for.

Her prayers to Umay would rise on the hearth-fire smoke tonight.

***

"Khorijin and I agree it is wisest to move under the cover of night," Toragana stated as the small group rode westward, with Ay Ata watching over them. "We'll attract the least amount of attention, and the wolves will not approach if we keep moving."

"We can set up the ger quickly and rest during the day," Khorijin added as she rode alongside Toragana, Solongo, Mai, the three Uyghur scribes and other servants, along with the two chests of gold and silver ingots. Her arvahn of warriors was spread around the little group, far enough apart to have a good sense of their surroundings, but still close enough to rapidly support one another in case they were attacked. "And if the weather turns against us, we have enough wood and skins to create a small, covered pen for the mounts while we can wait inside the ger. Nothing can attack us under those conditions. By that same reasoning, we are unlikely to be espied during the day, because nothing that would threaten us will be around."

"I sent word to my Sukh people, and they will secure the borders as far as they can," Toragana continued. "We should remain unhindered for a week at least. Once we are west of Urg-Khital, however, we will have to be much more careful."

"I wish we did not have to travel at night," Solongo murmured, staying close to her sister. She may have been Mongol, but she was no warrior. "I fear the dark, sister."

"You need not, I promise," Toragana assured her. "I will protect you with my life. So will Khorijin and her warriors."

Khorijin grunted in agreement from nearby.

Not far from the trio, another small knot of riders had formed, consisting of Mai and the three Uyghur scholars who had come along on the venture, followed some distance back by the servants. They were speaking to one another animatedly in what Toragana could only assume was Chinese. She had never seen the Song girl so animated before. She seemed to be enjoying herself, smiling readily and even laughing.

Toragana supposed she could understand. It had to be hard for Galina... Mai... to be so far from her home, basically a hostage to people who hated her and would kill her in numberless cruel ways, if given the chance. Toragana, by comparison, was infinitely closer to her own Sukh clan, and found herself often yearning for the company of those familiar faces, even though she was a devout wife of Tengger Boldbator now.

How much harder and worse for Mai?

She could not readily imagine Mai's world, before she had come to the steppes. Apparently, buildings made of wood, standing on stone foundations, were the norm. Some of the buildings were so grand as to reach the sky with their peaks, and stretch beyond sight in either direction. Toragana could picture hundreds of gers, she had seen it before. But these buildings? She had no reference for it.

"Are you all right, sister?" she heard Mai ask, bringing her out of her reverie. Toragana blinked and shook her head before looking at the concubine.

"You were staring at me rather intently," Mai remarked, while the scribes looked on in quiet amusement. "I wanted to make sure you were well."

"Yes, I'm fine," the sa-khan replied, nodding and composing herself as she dropped back slowly to converse, rather than call across the them. "I was merely trying to envision the place that you came from, these far-sung cities of the Song. I cannot readily picture a single building, let alone a community of hundreds of them."

She sensed a swell of what was maybe pride in the Chinese girl, compounded by being surrounded by the well-versed Uyghur scribes, and she spoke with a trace of condescension in her melodious voice. "I wish my poor words could describe them to you, sister, but I would do them no justice. It is as if the Heavens had come to earth and built dwellings of jade, in a rainbow of colours."

There was a ripple of subtle amusement among the scribes at her words. They may have been in her employ, for good gold and silver, but they still considered the Mongols to be filthy barbarians. They also seemed to be having that effect on Mai.

"It does sound wondrous," Toragana said finally, nodding. "Perhaps I will get to see such buildings in all their glory once the bridges are built and we attack the Xia-Xia, as a prelude to the conquest of the Song."

The scribes said nothing, but seemed to shrink slightly, one coughing. Mai too, seemed somewhat chastened by the statement. She bowed her head in genuine humility.

"Forgive me, sister," she said quietly. "Talking with these sage men has lifted my spirits, reminding me of home, and I allowed it to get the better of me. Our husband, the khan, will show you those mighty cities, Toragana, before he destroys them, I have no doubt."

Once again, Toragana felt a great sympathy for Mai. To preserve her own life, she had to see her nation burn, a pyre to untold millions, if Boldbator's wrath was great enough. The Tengger khan had nearly destroyed Toragana's people, subjugating them at the last moment. It would not be so for the Song. There was only doom for them.

"Talk all you want, about whatever you want, amongst yourselves," she said finally. "I place no restrictions on you. But when I call for your advice or some other aid, heed to me immediately. Do you scribes understand me?"

They all nodded hastily, bowing their heads. They may have been getting smug, but they knew better than to cross even a female khan of a defeated tribe.

Toragana then smiled at Mai. "Between us, I make no demands, sister. We have already committed ourselves to our shared endeavour, and I will trust to that. Enjoy your discourse with these learned men."

She tapped her heels into her mount's flanks and trotted forward, leaving them alone and rejoining her sister, Solongo. The younger girl seemed relieved to have her back.

"Fear not, I am here," the older sister said, her voice carrying a weight of confidence she did not necessarily feel. "We will continue on through the night, for I hope to be deep in Sukh territory by tomorrow. Then we can travel quickly, but also rest easy, protected by our kin."

"I miss them," Solongo mourned. "Though I am happy to be with you, sister, I miss our people so much."

It had to be hard on Solongo, and Toragana's eyes stung as she pondered the matter. Dragged from her home, from her family, watching them be slaughtered...

Raped by Toragana's husband, the khan of their enemy.

And then given as a bride to his monstrous younger brother, who could kill her on a whim, and life would go on.

Toragana spent so much time trying to establish her place in the new hierarchy of the Tengger clan, to ensure the safety of herself, Solongo, and Bolorma, that she sometimes forgot that it could hardly seem a mercy to her little sister, to live on like this.

Boldbator had raped her. Raped her and then slit their grandmother's throat in front of her and her daughter. He had threatened to kill Bolorma on the spot unless Solongo had revealed the location of the treasure of Targetai.

A surge of anger coursed through her. She squeezed her eyes shut as she fought to control her fury. She had worked so hard to put all this behind her, so that they could survive another day. And now it all came flooding back to her.

"Sister, it is fine," Solongo said quietly, as if she wanted only Toragana to hear her. "We live, and our clan lives. That is enough. I trust you to keep Bolorma and myself safe. Please believe that. Do not regret your circumstances."

The older girl sighed heavily. Her sister had always been perceptive. What she lacked in a warrior's spirit, she made up for with a keen insight, as if touched by the heavens. Toragana had learned to always heed that intuition. She would trust to her sister's words now.

"You are right, of course," she said finally. "It will be good to see our kin again, even if we are Tengger now."

"What think our kin of that?" Solongo asked.

"Does it matter?" reasoned the older girl. "They are vassals of Boldbator now. The alternative is death. I made the choice, as khan of our people, that we would live. I do not regret that decision, not only for myself and for you, but for our clan. The stronger family prevailed, Solongo. Boldbator has seen the Wolf and the Deer; the Heavens chose him over us. What do we say to that? Die for our pride, or submit to the will of the gods?"

"I... am glad, for my daughter's sake, that you chose life," said Solongo. "I am now reasonably certain that she is not at risk of my husband's fury."

"He may be a monster, but he is no coward," Toragana said grimly. "To be honest, I do not believe that Boldbator would have killed Bolorma the way you described his threat. I know him now, I believe. He is ruthless, perhaps, but will not risk the wrath of Umay."

"That is good to hear," sighed Solongo. "That leaves only Chambui's spite to endure."

"Chambui is a bitter old cunt," muttered the older girl. "But she is no fool, she is terrified of your husband, and even more so of Turkina. Much as she may want to, she would never dare harm Bolorma. I promise you, I shall find a way to protect you, my love."

Solongo smiled warmly and moved her pony closer to her sister's. "Promise I can sleep with you, once we stop?"

"Of course." Toragana said readily, looking forward to it.

***

Nomgor. The remains stood nearby, the blackened, windswept remnants of what had been the Sukh clan's greatest settlement. It had been impressive enough, by Mongol standards, that Toragana's father, Delger, had given it a name. It was, perhaps, a mark of arrogance, and they had paid a terrible price for that folly. Boldbator, in his wrath, had razed Nomgor, slaughtering and enslaving the inhabitants. What remained of the Sukh clan was composed of families from other groups. Toragana, Solongo, Bolorma, and maybe a few slaves, were all that remained of Nomgor.

It sent a chill through her to see the husks of her one-time home.

"Fond memories, sister-mine?" Khorijin asked snidely from nearby, no doubt noticing the look on her face.

"Oh, shut up," muttered Toragana, not in the mood for Khorijin's games. "Still more pleasant than looking at your hatchet of a face."

Khorijin's eyes flared angrily, but then she snapped her reins and rode off, while Mai and the scribes snickered quietly. Khorijin was not even that unattractive, if she had to be objective, but she was not about to give the bitch the satisfaction.

She took a deep breath and looked around. "Our scouts have reported that there is a small Sukh group maybe two or three beer to our southwest. It is not much out of our way, and we will prove considerably safer if we rest with them. We will press on until then."

It was the sixth day of their trek, and they had rested sparingly. Khorijin had moved them through the nights steadily, counting on their numbers and horses to keep predators at bay. Wolves were not uncommon in these parts. When dawn had broken, she would have the single ger assembled, and everyone slept inside around a small, warming fire, except for those on guard. Once the sun was setting, the ger was struck and they prepared to move again.