Bones Of the Hills

PART THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Genghis smiled to see his grandson Mongke paddling at the lake edge. His scouts had found the body of water some hundreds of miles to the north-east of Samarkand and he had brought the gers and families there, while his army administered the lands and cities of Khwarezm. The caravans moved again, from as far as Russia and Chin lands, but now they were met by Mongol officials trained by Temuge and backed by warriors. A part of every merchant’s cargo was removed, but in return they needed no guards of their own. The khan’s word protected the roads for a thousand miles and more in any direction from Samarkand.

Mountains surrounded the lake and plain, far enough away that Genghis did not feel enclosed. He knew his warriors would be watching on every peak, but he could not see them. It was somehow comforting to know that the mountains would still be there when all those who lived were dust.

Ogedai had taken well to his new position as heir. Genghis had sent him out with the tumans, learning every detail of the men he would command. That was expected, but Genghis had also placed Ogedai with Temuge, who taught him how to keep an army fed and clothed. Ogedai soaked up every skill the tribes could impart, as well as languages and even writing. The heir was never seen without a group of tutors at his back, but he seemed to thrive on it.

Genghis stretched his back, feeling at peace. The sounds of war were distant in that place and he was enjoying the cries and laughter of the boys in the water, sunning themselves and learning to swim like fish. Some even dived below the surface, launching from rocks in great splashes. Their mothers called and peered anxiously into the depths, but they always surfaced, blowing and laughing at those who worried for them.

Genghis felt a small hand tugging at his leggings and he reached down to swing Kublai into the air. The tiny little boy was only three years old, but from the age of just a few months, he had beamed whenever he saw his grandfather. Genghis had taken a liking to him.

With a jerk, the khan put his grandson on his shoulders and walked to the water’s edge, wincing a little as Kublai gripped his hair too tightly.

‘I will not let you fall, little man,’ Genghis said. He saw Mongke catch sight of the rare treat and hold his arms out to be lifted up in turn. Genghis shook his head. ‘In a while. Until then, Kublai rides.’

‘Another story!’ Kublai called from above his head.

Genghis thought for a time. Kublai’s mother had said his tales were too violent for a little boy, but Kublai seemed to enjoy them regardless. Genghis could see Sorhatani watching him from a little way off down the shore. At nineteen years old, she had grown into a woman of unusual beauty. Genghis sometimes wondered how little Tolui had snared her.

‘Would you like to hear about the khan of the Assassins?’

‘Yes, tell me!’ Kublai shouted joyfully.

Genghis smiled, turning this way and that so that the boy giggled at the sudden movements.

‘He was a huge man,’ Genghis said, ‘with arms strong enough to bend an iron bar. His beard was like black wire and it stretched almost to his waist! It was two years ago that I came across him in his fortress. He leapt on my back as I passed underneath an arch and I could not break his grip. I felt his hands around my throat, squeezing and squeezing until I thought my eyes would pop out from my head!’

He mimed a terrible grip, while Mongke came out from the water and watched with his eyes wide.

‘How did you get him off?’ Mongke asked.

Genghis looked down and thought for a moment.

‘I could not, Mongke. I tried to shake him free, as I am doing with Kublai here, but he was too strong for me. He squeezed even harder and suddenly I saw my eyes rolling on the ground in front of me.’

‘How could you see them if they were on the ground?’ Kublai asked immediately.

Genghis laughed and lifted him down.

‘You are a clever boy, Kublai, but you are right. I could not see them. In fact, I could see me, with just holes where my eyes used to be and the Assassin still clinging to my back. Yet as my eyes rolled, I saw a great ruby flashing in his forehead. I did not know it was his weakness, but I was desperate. With my hands, I reached up and ripped it out. His strength went with it, for the gem was the source of all his power. I collected my eyes and sold the ruby to buy a white horse. I survived, but even today I have to be careful that my eyes do not come out again when I sneeze.’

‘That is not true,’ Mongke said scornfully.

‘It is,’ Kublai said, determined to defend his grandfather.

The khan chuckled.

‘Who can say if I have remembered every detail correctly? He may not have had a beard.’

Mongke snorted and struck his leg, which Genghis did not seem to notice. When Kublai and Mongke looked up, they saw their grandfather gazing into the distance, where two men were riding across the pebble beach towards him. A change came over the khan at the sight and both boys watched quizzically, not understanding why the light mood had come to an end.

‘Go to your mother now. I will tell you another story tonight, if I have time.’

Genghis did not watch them as they pelted away, sending sand and pebbles skittering from their bare feet. Instead, he straightened fully to receive the scouts. He knew the men who rode to him. He had sent them away from the families more than a year before, with carefully worded orders. Their return meant they had either failed, or found his missing son. He could not tell from their faces as they reached him and dismounted, bowing deeply.

‘My lord khan,’ the first said.

Genghis had no patience for polite greetings.

‘Did you find him?’ he snapped.

The man nodded, swallowing nervousness.

‘In the far north, lord. We did not stop to check once we saw gers and ponies of the sort we know. It could not be anyone else.’

‘Gers? He took none with him,’ Genghis replied. ‘He has made a home then, so far away from the memory of me. Did his men see you?’

Both scouts shook their heads with utter certainty, remaining silent. The khan would not want to know the details of how they had crept close to Jochi’s rough settlement, hiding themselves in snow though they almost froze to death.

‘Good,’ Genghis replied. ‘You have done well. Take six fresh horses from my herd as your reward: two mares, two stallions and two of the younger geldings. I will commend you to your general for this work.’

The scouts bowed again, flushed with success as they mounted and rode to the maze of gers along the banks of the lake. Genghis was left alone for a moment, looking out over the waters. In all his life, not one of his generals had refused an order, or even considered betraying him. Not until Jochi had vanished, taking seven thousand valuable warriors with him. Genghis had sent scouts in all directions, searching lands new and old for his son. It had taken almost two years, but he had found him at last. Genghis shook his head as his thoughts grew dark. It would end in blood, after all he had done in raising another man’s son as his own. The entire nation spoke of the vanished army, though not in the presence of the khan. Jochi had given him no choice.

He looked along the shore to where the gers clustered, covering miles of land around the lake. It was a good place, but the grazing was very poor and the goats and sheep that fed them had to be walked back to slaughter each day. It was time to move on, he thought, enjoying the idea. His people were not made to stay in one place, with just one view, not when the world stretched around them with an infinite array of strange things to see. Genghis arched his back, feeling it click unpleasantly He saw another rider setting out from the gers and sighed to himself. Though his eyes were not as sharp as they had once been, he knew his brother Kachiun from the way he rode.

Genghis waited for his brother, enjoying the breeze coming off the water as the sun beat down. He did not turn as Kachiun called a greeting to Sorhatani and the boys.

‘You have heard then?’ Genghis said.

Kachiun came to stand by him, looking out over the same pale waters.

‘The scouts? I sent them to find you, brother. They have found Jochi, but that is not why I am here.’

Genghis did turn then, raising his eyebrows at his brother’s serious expression.

‘No? I thought you would be full of advice on how I should deal with my son the traitor.’

Kachiun snorted.

‘Nothing I can say will change what you do, Genghis. You are khan and perhaps you should make an example of him to the rest; I don’t know. That is for you to decide. I have other news.’

Genghis studied his brother, seeing how his once smooth face had taken on lines around the mouth and eyes. The age showed most when he smiled, which was less and less often since coming to Arab lands. Genghis owned no mirrors of the sort the Chin made, but he supposed his own face was just as weathered, or even more.

‘Tell me then, brother,’ he said.

‘You have heard of this army in the south? I have had men watching it for some time.’

Genghis shrugged.

‘Tsubodai and Chagatai have both sent men to watch them. We know more about that gathering of farmers than they do themselves.’

‘They are not farmers, Genghis, or if they are, they have the armour and weapons of soldiers. The latest reports are of sixty thousand men, if my scouts have learned to count so high.’

‘I should fear only sixty? They grow, then. We have watched them for a year or more. They shout and chant and wave their swords. Are they coming for us at last?’

Genghis felt a cold hand clutch at his belly for all his lightness of tone. He had heard of the gathering army and their revered leader almost a year after he had returned from the Assassins’ stronghold. His generals had prepared for attack, but the seasons had crept by and no army had marched against them. At times, he thought it was only the threat of them that kept him in lands where heat and flies bothered him every day.

‘My men captured three of their number,’ Kachiun answered, interrupting his thoughts. ‘They were wild, brother, almost frothing at the mouth when they realised who we were.’

‘You made them talk?’ Genghis said.

‘We could not; that was what surprised me. They merely spat threats at us and died badly. Only the last gave me anything and that was the name of the man who leads them.’

‘What do I care for names?’ Genghis asked incredulously.

‘You know this one: Jelaudin, whose father was the Shah of Khwarezm.’

Genghis stood very still as he digested the information.

‘He has done well. His father would be proud of him, Kachiun. Sixty thousand men? At least we know for sure that he will come north, after my head. There will be no more talk of purges into India, not now we know it is Jelaudin.’

‘They cannot move a step without me knowing, brother.’

‘If we wait for them,’ Genghis said thoughtfully. ‘I am tempted to end their shouting with my tumans.’

Kachiun winced, knowing that if he were to guide Genghis, it would have to be subtle.

‘The shah’s army was far larger, but we had no choice then. Your own tuman and mine are proven. Tsubodai’s Young Wolves and Jebe’s Bearskins bring twenty thousand more to the field. Chagatai, Khasar and Jelme another thirty. Seven tumans of veterans. Ogedai is barely blooded. I would not want to throw his men against such an enemy.’

‘I gave him good officers, Kachiun. They will not let me down.’

Genghis considered the gers along the shore. The families bore children in the thousands each year, but many of them went into the tumans to replace the dead and injured. It had been difficult to create a new tuman for Ogedai, but his heir had to learn command and the other generals had gone begging for a year. He did not mention his plans to form a ninth tuman for Tolui to lead. His youngest son’s wife had approached him on the subject just a few months before. Genghis glanced over to where she now played with Kublai and Mongke, tossing one after the other into the water, to their delighted shrieks.

‘Find a good second for Ogedai, Kachiun. Someone who can stop him doing something stupid until he learns.’

‘Even then, eight tumans against almost as many?’ Kachiun replied. ‘We would lose many good men.’ He hesitated and Genghis turned to him.

‘You have not worried about numbers before, brother. Spit it out, whatever it is.’

Kachiun took a deep breath.

‘You brought us here to avenge men killed by the shah. You have done that and repaid their deaths a thousand times over. Why should we stay and risk destruction? You do not want these lands and cities. How long is it now since you saw the mountains of home?’ He paused to gesture at the peaks around the lake. ‘This is not the same.’

Genghis did not answer for a long time. When he spoke at last, he weighed each word carefully.

‘I brought the tribes together to take the Chin foot off our necks. Then I took it off and we humbled their emperor in his capital. That was my path, the one I made and chose and fought for. I wanted to send the Chin reeling still further, Kachiun, right to the sea in all directions. I would not even have come here if they had not provoked me. They have brought this on their own heads.’

‘We do not have to fight the entire world,’ Kachiun said quietly.

‘You are getting old, Kachiun, do you know that? You are thinking of the future, of your wives and children. Don’t splutter, brother, you know I am right. You have forgotten why we do this. I was the same for a time in Samarkand. I told Arslan these people live longer than us and have safer, softer lives. They do, just as camels and sheep live happily on the plains. We could choose that for a time, though wolves would still come for us in the end. We are herdsmen, Kachiun. We know how the world truly works and everything else is just an illusion.’

He looked over to his grandsons, seeing Sorhatani comb their hair as they writhed and struggled to get away from her. Her own hair was long and black and he toyed with the idea of getting himself another young wife like her to warm his bed. It would invigorate him, he was certain.

‘Brother,’ he said, ‘we can live our lives at peace, so that our sons and grandsons can live their lives at peace, but what is the point? If we all live to eighty in a green field, without ever holding a bow or sword, we will have wasted the good years. You should know the truth of that. Will our grandsons thank us for a peaceful life? Only if they are too afraid to take up arms. I would not wish a quiet life on my enemies, Kachiun, never mind my own family. Even cities only prosper when there are rough men on the walls, willing to stand and die so that others can sleep in peace. With us, we all fight, from the first yell to the last breath. It is the only way to take pride in who we are.’

‘I do take pride!’ Kachiun snapped. ‘But that does not mean…’

Genghis raised a hand.

‘There is no “but”, brother. This Jelaudin will sweep north with his men and we could run before them. We could let him take back every city we have won and call himself shah in his father’s place. He might think twice before provoking me again when I send envoys to him. But I came to these lands because, when a man threatens me and I look away, he has taken something important from me. If I fight and die, all he can take is my life. My courage, my dignity remains. Shall I do less for the nation I have made? Shall I allow them less honour than I claim for myself?’

‘I understand,’ Kachiun murmured.

‘Be sure you do, brother, because you will be riding with me against this host. We will win or die, one or the other. But I will not look away when they come. I will not bow down and let them trample me.’ He paused and barked a laugh. ‘You know, I was going to add that no one will ever say I ran from a battle, but Arslan reminded me of something in Samarkand. It does not matter what others think of how I lived my life. It does not matter if we go down in Temuge’s histories as tyrants or even cowards. All that matters is what we do now. We are our only judges, Kachiun. Remember that. Those who come after will have other trials, other battles to worry about.’

He saw Kachiun had listened and at least tried to understand. Genghis clapped him on the shoulder.

‘We have come such a long way, Kachiun. I still remember the first days, when it was just us and we were starving. I remember killing Bekter and I sometimes wish he could be here to see what we went on to make. Perhaps you and I have fashioned something that will last a thousand generations, or disappear with us. I do not know. I do not even care, brother. I have grown strong to defeat powerful enemies. I welcome this horde from the south to grow stronger still.’

‘You are a strange man,’ Kachiun said. ‘There is no one else like you, do you know that?’ He expected Genghis to smile, but his brother shook his head.

‘Be careful of raising me too high, brother. I have no special strength, unless it is in choosing good men to follow me. The great lie of cities is that we are all too weak to stand against those who oppress us. All I have done is see through that lie. I always fight, Kachiun. Kings and shahs depend on people remaining sheep, too afraid to rise up. All I ever did was realise I can be a wolf to them.’

Kachiun nodded, his worries lifting away under his brother’s pale eyes. He led his horse at Genghis’ side as the two men walked back to the gers to eat and rest. As they drew close, Kachiun recalled the arrival of the scouts.

‘And Jochi? Have you made a decision?’

Genghis tightened his mouth at the mention of the name.

‘He took seven thousand men from me, Kachiun. I cannot forgive him for that. If he had gone on his own, perhaps I would have left him to find his own path. As it is, he has stolen a tenth of my army and I want them back.’

‘You would take them? Honestly?’ Kachiun said, surprised.

‘I thought at first that I would have them killed, but I have had time to think while I waited for word, Kachiun. They left their wives and children and followed him, just as others followed me and gave up everything they knew and loved. Of all men, I know what a leader can do. They allowed themselves to be led, but I need them now, if Jelaudin is gathering a storm. Send scouts out to bring Tsubodai in. Jochi admired him more than any man. He will let him speak.’

Tsubodai came, though his heart was heavy. The great camp was buzzing with the news that Jochi had been found and he had hoped Genghis would not ask for him. He found Genghis with Ogedai, watching his son train his young men. The khan gestured for him to follow and they rode away from the gathering tumans, walking their horses together like old friends.

Tsubodai’s heart beat hard as he listened. He had revered Genghis since he had first met the man who had forged a nation from warring tribes. He had been there when they took their first fortress in Xi Xia, then the region itself. Tsubodai had no false modesty. He knew he had played a vital part in the khan’s success. Genghis treated him with respect and Tsubodai returned it as he did with no other man alive. Even so, what he was being asked caused him bitterness and pain. He took a shuddering breath as Genghis looked at him, waiting for a reply.

‘My lord khan, I do not want to do this. Ask me for anything else and I will ride, anything.’

Genghis reined in, turning his horse so that he faced his general. The man was brilliant, more gifted at war than anyone else Genghis knew, but he demanded obedience first and only the khan’s surprise held back a sharp reply.

‘If I send Khasar, or Kachiun, I think Jochi will resist. His men have broken oaths to follow him. They will not baulk at fighting to prevent him being taken. You are the only man he will let speak, Tsubodai. You are the only one who can get close.’

Tsubodai closed his eyes for a moment, overcome. Genghis must have understood how Jochi looked to him or he would not have chosen Tsubodai for the task.

‘My lord, I have never refused an order from you, ever. Remember that when you ask me for this.’

‘You trained him when he was just an angry boy, but I warned you then that his blood was bad, that he could turn against us at any moment. I was right then, was I not? I trusted him with warriors and authority and he took them and ran. As my general, tell me how I should deal with such a man!’

Tsubodai clenched his fists on the reins. He did not say that Genghis had brought it on himself, that the pride he showed in Chagatai had eaten at Jochi until there was nothing left but hatred. None of that would matter to the khan who sat before him. He tried a different tack, desperately.

‘At least let it wait until we have ridden against the shah’s son, lord. My men are vital there. If you send me away now, I will be gone for six months or more. If they attack us before then, I will be useless to you.’

Genghis lowered his brows, growing angry that his general was still struggling.

‘This prince has just sixty thousand, Tsubodai. I could send two or three tumans and gut him where he stands. This concerns me more. You are the only man Jochi will allow to speak. He respects you.’

‘I know it,’ Tsubodai said softly. He felt ill, torn between obedience to the khan and his friendship with Jochi. It did not help that his tactical mind saw the truth in Genghis’ words. Tsubodai knew he could get close to Jochi as no one else could. He sat in despair on the lake shore. Genghis seemed to sense his utter misery and his face and voice softened slightly.

‘Did you think all your orders would be easy, Tsubodai? That I would never ask for something hard? Tell me when a man is tested. Is it when his khan orders him into battle, with warriors of proven skill and courage? Or is it now, when he is given work he does not want? You have the finest mind of any of my generals, Tsubodai. I will grant you this. If you can see another way, tell me now and I will try it.’

Tsubodai had already considered and discarded a dozen plans, but none of them were worth his spit. In desperation, he tried one more time.

‘The tumans are gathering, lord. Let me stay with them and we will take the war to the prince in the south. I am more valuable to you there. If you send me north, you will lose my tuman as well, just when you need every man.’

‘It took me more than a year to find him the first time, Tsubodai. If my scouts were seen, he will already have left. You can follow his trail, but could you find it another year from now? This is the time to take him quietly. You are my general, but I will begin this war without you if they come. Join me when you return or give back the marks of rank I gave to you!'

His anger surfaced at the last and Tsubodai almost flinched from it. The khan’s arguments were weak and both of them knew it. Genghis was obsessed with punishing Jochi. That was the truth that whispered behind the words. The khan could not be reached with reasoning when his heart was filled with bitterness. Tsubodai bowed his head, defeated.

‘Very well,’ he said. ‘I will ride fast and far, lord. If the prince brings his army from the south, look for me in the hills.’