THE SILK TREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Marius was stretched out savouring his little victory when Nicander arrived back.

He opened his eyes. ‘Where’ve you been, Nico? You’ve missed the excitement.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The Tibetans. It’s worse than Su thought. They’ve cut the route and we’re stranded. What a pity, when I’ve been to so much trouble seeing to our capital!’

He slapped down his haul, a goodly selection of every coin traded on the caravan routes of the desert.

‘Where-’

‘Never mind that for now.’ Marius swung down his legs. ‘There’s a get-together tonight. All caravan members who have an interest, what we’ll do next. Su isn’t going to make a move without he gets backing, which means some sort o’ vote.’

‘To head out and take on the Tibetans with a bigger escort or wait, you mean?’

‘No idea. He’s going to lay out the options. My feeling is we can’t wait around – if the Emperor is that set on seeing our heads on a pole he’ll have agents out to the borders.’

‘You’ve got to be right, we daren’t stay here.’

The meeting was held in the Golden Peach but there was nothing light-hearted about the patrons on this occasion.

‘What is it that they’re such a risk to us, these Tibetans?’ Korkut asked Su.

‘They took Miran. We can’t go around, we don’t know what’s on the other side and besides we can’t shift enough supplies for that distance to do it.’

‘So it’s all off for Khotan.’

‘I didn’t say that.’

‘Why don’t we double our escort?’ called one of the older merchants. ‘Should be enough to sort out a lot of rogue Tibetans. Or help bluff our way through.’

‘There’s none available hereabouts. Southbound caravan took ’em all.’

‘We wait?’ suggested one of the Buddhist monks.

‘Not possible,’ snapped Korkut. ‘I have to deliver to Khotan and can’t delay indefinitely.’

‘And I’ve got a contract to supply and can’t sit on capital doing nothing.’

‘But if we can’t get through, everyone’s going to have to think again!’ growled another.

‘Su sheng?’ Nicander asked.

‘I can’t have a view, I’m not paying, it’s not my risk.’

‘Nevertheless, you have a duty to your caravan and its people,’ Ying Mei’s cool voice interjected. ‘To assist them with their decision it’s of value to have your estimate of our position. Do please let us hear it.’

Su flushed. ‘My Lady, you have to understand-’

‘Your opinion in this is as much to us, as the worth of your judgement is to our course through the desert. How can it be different?’

‘Well said, Lady!’ a merchant called.

Su frowned darkly. ‘How we go on has to be your own decision! That’s the way of it in a caravan.’

He sniffed importantly. ‘Yet I’ll give you my feelings about it. That’s all!

‘Well, you’ve got only a few choices. The first is, you don’t go on, therefore the caravan terminates here. All advance fees and monies returnable at this point. The second, you go on – but retrace and go for the northern route right around the Taklamakan desert – get to Khotan the long way.’

Mutterings arose which he stopped with a glare. ‘If you do this, there’s a few things to think on. It’ll be high summer across the other side and there’s some who’ll see it a torment too far, Turfan in summer.’

He let it sink in.

‘And, it’ll cost you. Not only is it longer that way but there’s transit fees to pay for more oasis kingdoms, although it’s likely they’ll be modest, they wanting to attract more caravan trade.

‘Then there’s those here who’ll tell you, the northern route is not pleasant. In fact it’s bloody hard. No horses, certainly no carriages,’ he said with a glance at Ying Mei.

‘No horses means no cavalry. The Hsien Pei Mongols have been quiet so far this year but we’ll be passing their territory and we could get unlucky. Those of a nervous nature should think about it.’

‘But I’m understanding from all this you recommend we should do it,’ Korkut said.

‘I’m not saying you should do anything. And as well, there’s another decision you have to make.’

‘What’s that?’

‘Don’t go around the edges to get to Turfan and the other oases – strike out across the desert directly, the Loulan route.’

‘Is it easier?’

‘It’s worse – but it’s quicker.’

‘How worse?’

Su rubbed his chin speculatively. ‘Well, now, and I’m not the one to put you off… but Loulan is suffering. Their lake Lop Nor is playing tricks on ’em, retreating away and letting the dunes swallow ’em up piece by piece. I’ve not been that way for years, can’t say for sure they’re even still there, so if we go that way we could find ourselves gasping for water – at a ghost city in the dunes.’

Korkut stood up and looked about him. ‘So. You’ve made things clear for us, thank you. As I see it, there’s only two alternatives. Give up right here or go the long way around the Taklamakan. No other. Am I right?’

‘Can’t argue with that.’

‘Then I suggest we put it to the vote. Those who want to call it all off now.’

The monks voted for it to a man, as did one or two others, but when hands were counted for the longer route there was no doubt about the sentiment of the majority.

‘Seems you have your answer, Su sheng.’