It was growing dark when Borte saw Jochi leading his exhausted brothers back across the river. His bare feet still bled from the run as he stood before her, his chest heaving. Borte's heart broke for the little boy as he looked in vain for his father. Something went out of him when he saw Genghis was not there. He spat out the mouthful of water and gasped loudly into the evening silence.

"Your father was called back to the camp," Borte lied. Jochi did not believe her. She could see the pain in his face and she hid her frustration with her husband and herself for arguing with him.

"He will have gone to his new wife, the foreigner," Jochi said suddenly. Borte bit her lip rather than reply. In that too, she had lost the man she had married. With her oldest son standing bewildered and hurt before her, it was easy to hate Genghis for his selfish blindness. She resolved to enter the ger of the Xia Xia woman if she could not find him. Perhaps he did not care for his wife any longer, but he did care for his sons and she would use that to bring him back.

Chagatai and Ogedai came stumbling along in the darkness, each boy spitting water as he had been told. Without their father to see, the victory was hollow and they seemed at a loss.

"I will tell him how you ran," Borte said, her eyes shining with tears. It was not enough for them and they were silent and wounded as they mounted for the ride home.

GenghisLordsoftheBow

H O S A TOLD THE BROTHERS that Baotou was a trek of some miles from the busy river port that kept it supplied. The city was the last trading post between the northern Chin and the Xi Xia kingdom, and the river teemed with boats by the time they wound their way into the area. The journey had taken three weeks since abandoning their ponies, and Temuge at least was sick of the slow hours, the damp river mists, and the diet of rice and fish. Chen Yi and his crew drank from the river without ill effects and Khasar seemed to have a stomach of iron, but Temuge's bowels had grown weak for three days, leaving him in misery and his clothes foul. He had never eaten or even seen fish before, and he did not trust the silver-scaled things from the river. The boat crew seemed to delight in them as they yanked them onboard on thin lines, jerking and flopping madly while the men stove in their heads. Temuge had washed his garments as they moored, but his stomach continued to rumble and bring bad air from both ends.

As the Yellow River snaked between hills, more and more birds could be seen, living on scraps from the boats and traders. Temuge and Khasar were fascinated by the sheer number of men and craft bringing cargoes up and down the river, denser in this place than any other they had seen. Though Chen Yi seemed able to find a path through the press with just the sail, many of the boatmen carried long poles to fend off other boats. It was noisy and chaotic, with hundreds of shouting traders competing to sell anything from fresh fish to water-spoiled cloth that could still be used for rough clothing. The smell of strange spices hung in the air as Chen Yi maneuvered between his competitors, looking for a space to moor for the evening.

Chen Yi was even better known in these waters, and Temuge watched with narrow eyes as he was hailed by friends again and again. Despite the fact that the crew seemed to have accepted Khasar as one of their own, Temuge did not trust the little boat master. He agreed with Ho Sa that the hold was probably full of some contraband substance, but perhaps the man could earn another few coins by reporting their presence to Imperial soldiers. Remaining onboard without knowing they were safe was a gnawing tension on all three men.

It was clearly no accident that they arrived at the river port as evening was coming. Chen Yi had delayed their passage around a bend in the river, not deigning to reply when Temuge pressed him to make better time. Whatever was in his hold would be unloaded in the darkness, when the tax gatherers and their soldiers would be less alert.

Temuge muttered angrily under his breath. He cared nothing for Chen Yi's problems. His task was to get to the docks as quickly as possible before making his way to the city. Ho Sa had said it was only a few hours' walk on a good road, but the alien sights and sounds all around him were making Temuge nervous and he wanted to be moving. The crew too had grown tense as they found a place where they could moor and wait their turn on the rickety dock.

The river port was not impressive to look upon, no more than a few dozen wooden buildings seeming to lean upon each other for support. It was a squalid little place, built for trade rather than comfort. Temuge did not mind that, but he could see a pair of well-armed soldiers keeping an eye on everything that was unloaded and he did not want to come to their attention.

He heard Chen Yi speak in low tones to his crew, clearly giving orders as they ducked their heads with sharp gestures. He struggled to hide his irritation at another delay. He and his companions would soon be off the river and away from this peculiar little world he did not understand. For a short time, he had wondered if he could buy illustrated manuscripts in the boat market, but there was no sign of such a trade and he had no taste for ingots of silver or carved figurines. Those items were held out in the dirty fists of boys, paddling out in reed coracles to the side of any new vessel. Temuge looked stonily past the urchins until they passed on. His mood was black by the time Chen Yi came to the stern to speak with his passengers.

"We must wait until there is a space on the docks," he said. "You will be on your way before midnight, or a few hours later." To Temuge's annoyance, the little man nodded to Khasar.

"If you did not eat so much, I would take you on as crew," he said. Khasar did not understand him, but he clapped Chen Yi on the shoulder in reply. He too was impatient to be going on, and the little master sensed the mood of his passengers.

"If you wish, I can find a place on the carts to take you to the city. It will be a fair price," he said.

Temuge saw the man was watching them closely. He had no idea whether the journey to Baotou was an easy one or not, but he suspected a merchant as he claimed to be would not turn down the offer of a ride. The idea of traveling further with Chen Yi's suspicious gaze on him made him uncomfortable, but he forced a smile and replied in the Chin tongue.

"We will say yes to you," he said. "Unless your unloading is long."

Chen Yi shrugged. "I have friends here to help. It will not take long. You are impatient for merchants, I think." He smiled as he spoke, but his eyes remained fixed on them, taking in every detail. Temuge was thankful that Khasar could not understand. His brother was easier to read than a map.

"We will decide later," Temuge said, turning away to make sure Chen Yi knew he was dismissed. The man might have left them alone, but Khasar pointed to the soldiers on the dock.

"Ask him about those men," he said to Ho Sa. "We want to get past them and I think he does as well. Ask him how he is going to unload without them noticing."

Ho Sa hesitated, unwilling to let Chen Yi know they had guessed his cargo was illegal or untaxed. He did not know how the man would react. Before he could speak, Khasar snorted.

"Chen Yi," he said, pointing at the soldiers again. The master of the boat reached up and pressed Khasar's arm down before the gesture could be seen.

"I have friends on the docks," he said. "There will be no trouble here. Baotou is my city, where I was born, do you understand?"

Ho Sa translated and Khasar nodded.

"We should keep this one in view, brother," he said to Temuge. "He can't betray us while he unloads, or he would draw too much attention to whatever we've been sitting on for the last few weeks."