Page 111 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

She sighed and wandered further away from the fire. The twinkling lights danced in the sky above her, unhindered by any clouds. Would Ghalin hear her if she called him?

She closed her eyes and pushed the call out as far as she could.Ghalin, can you hear me? I would like a word if you are near.

A pause and then,I don’t need to be near to hear you.

She smiled.Do you know where the other two tribes are?

Yes.

Shuree frowned.Where are they?

A long pause.They will arrive early morning.

Something in Ghalin’s tone made her skin crawl. What wasn’t he telling her?Before sunrise?

Another pause.Yes.

Her heart thumped.Are they planning to attack?

I am forbidden from telling you.

By whom?

My elders. We should not involve ourselves in human matters.

Shuree could feel he didn’t agree with it.Can you tell me how many people are with the two tribes?

Twice the number that are gathered here.

She gasped, her stomach clenching. Ogodai hadn’t honoured their agreement. What could she do? If she warned the others, they would be furious and would either leave, or want to attack first. But if she didn’t warn them and Ogodai attacked, they would all be slaughtered.

Where are they camped?

About a league below.

Do they have any men watching the meadow?

Not any longer.

She couldn’t scout them without at least telling someone where she was going. Her absence would be noticed.Is there anything else you can tell me?

Only that I disagree with my elders’ orders.

This was going to end badly. She strode over to the campfire, nerves prickling her skin. A couple of people looked up as she reached the firelight. “May I ask the khans to join me for a moment? Ghalin tells me the other tribes should arrive tomorrow and I would like to go over our agenda.”

“Shouldn’t we wait until they arrive?” Bat tapped absently on his round belly.

She forced a smile. “I think we can get much of the arguing done tonight.”

A couple of people laughed, but the khans got to their feet. Vachir sat just in front of her and she tapped his shoulder and leaned close to speak. “Don’t react, but don’t let Dagar out of your sight. Get Erhi to watch Mengu.”

He laughed as if she’d told a joke, but his eyes showed his concern.

She took a torch from the fire and led the khans over to the pavilion. When she turned, Dagar was there. Goat dung. She hadn’t thought this through. He was his father’s representative. She stared at him until Bat said, “What’s this about, Shuree?”

“Ghalin gave me some disturbing news and we need to decide what to do about it.”

“Do we need to leave the meadow?” Kublai asked.

---