Page 93 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

“The dragons don’t matter. We have not agreed to go,” Amar said.

“We have,” Shuree corrected him. “I negotiated in good faith as leader of the Saltar tribe. I expect you to respect my wishes.”

“A woman knows nothing of war,” one of the men said.

“We are not discussing war,” she replied. “We are discussing peace.”

“We should not have these discussions with them here.” Amar jerked his head towards Dagar and Mengu.

“Dagar is here as my guest. He needs to be involved in all our discussions so he may grow to trust us. We must be open and honest about our plans. His tribe is taking as big a risk as ours in doing this.”

Amar stood. “I am in charge here.”

Shuree stiffened. “No, you are not, brother. Not yet.”

Amar looked at Erhi who said, “Your sister is right. She is acting khan until the ceremony.”

“Then we continue this discussion when I am khan.”

Her gut swirled like a dust storm. She couldn’t let this fall apart. Too much was at stake. Her father’s last words echoed in her mind. It was her duty to protect their people. Though it was the last thing she wanted, she straightened her spine. “Our people can vote on our next khan.”

As Amar gaped at her, she said to Erhi, “I will stand up to be khan. What do I need to do?”

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