Page 105 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

“Where do you want him, Shuree Khan?” Turgen asked.

Slowly she exhaled and forced herself to unclench her hands. “Take him to my tent.” The anger in her words made Gan stop struggling, his mouth gaping a little. She would deal with him when she was calm.

Taking another breath, she bowed to Dagar. “My apologies, Dagar, son of Ogodai Khan. You were attacked in my home.” Would he leave?

“This was not your fault,” Dagar replied. “Go to your brother. We will talk afterwards.”

The compassion and concern in his eyes helped diffuse the remaining anger.

The crowd around them were silent.

“The tournament is not over. Do you wish it to continue?” She directed the question at Kublai and Bat.

“We’ve had enough excitement,” Kublai answered.

“Then let us prepare for dinner.”

The crowd dispersed and Dagar followed the three khans and Gan back to her tent. Shuree went to find her brother.

He was lying on his back in the healers’ tent while the healer stitched his wound and Nergui held his hand. When she walked in, he said, “I’m sorry, Shuree.”

“You can’t be blamed for Gan’s actions.” She took his other hand in hers and asked the healer, “How bad is it?”

“It wasn’t deep, and didn’t pierce any vital organs. He’ll be fine.”

Shuree exhaled, closing her eyes. “Good.”

“What are you going to do to Gan?” Amar asked.

A good question. She wanted to kill him for hurting her brother, and for threatening the peace, but she’d always said violence wasn’t the answer. “What do you think I should do with him?”

“Father would have beheaded him.”

“Is that what you want me to do?”

He shook his head. “Gan’s still grieving for his father.”

“He can’t go unpunished,” Nergui said.

No, but if she banished him from the tribe, would it free him to cause more trouble?

The healer finished the stitches and cleaned the remaining blood from Amar’s stomach. “No fighting until it heals,” she said.

Amar sat up, wincing a little. Shuree hugged him. “Go show the tribe you are all right, and find out what people are saying. I must deal with Gan.”

She headed for her tent. Gan’s hands and feet were tied and he sat on the floor with Turgen, Bat, Kublai and Dagar standing over him.

“Thank you for your help.” She poured them each a drink and gestured for them to sit at the table. She stood over Gan. “What do you have to say for yourself?”

He spat. “I’m only sorry I didn’t kill him.”

She raised an eyebrow. “You wanted to kill your best friend?”

“Not Amar, the Erseg scum.”

“You’ve broken the truce I made with Ogodai Khan and threatened our chance at peace. My father would have beheaded you for that.”

His face paled, but he continued to stare defiantly at her. She wasn’t ever going to change his mind. She turned to the other men in the room. “What would you do?”

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