Page 27

‘W hat are we buying?’ Jai whispered.

They stood at the back of the camp, where the wake of the Kidara’s passage through the Great Steppe was evident.

A great furrow had been torn through the grasslands, one that stretched as far as the eye could see. And yet, already, Jai could see the new shoots sprouting, staking their claim to reconquer the land.

But it was the caravans within it that drew Jai’s gaze, for there was a chaotic tableau of trade happening in the midst of the great trail, like a bustling satellite town springing up in the trampled grass and mud. Caravans with stretched awnings and tables of wares were scattered in haphazard fashion, the air punctuated with the calls of sellers, the chime of coin and the aromas of exotic wares from distant lands.

Nearby, Jai could see horses, grazing on cut piles of grass, mixed in with grain. He knew from Leonid’s diary, they were difficult to keep fed, or to even move them through the grasslands. It was no wonder they followed the Great Tribes, taking advantage of the flattened ground and protection from those that did not honour the Pact.

As a Sabine hostage, he had seen myriad exotic items paraded in front of Latium’s royalty, the Sabines’ peculiar tastes ranging from the intriguing to the downright grotesque. Yet those items were often the culmination of countless trades along the Kashmere Road, and almost never from the original seller.

Here, the folks were far more diverse, hailing from every corner of the empire, and more besides. There was a distinctly eastern influence, though, for many seemed to hearken from the Phoenix Empire, as Feng’s mother had.

Jai could see Feng tense at the sight. It must have reminded him of home. The boy sniffed, and shook himself, as if willing away ill thoughts that clung to him.

‘We need to find you more suitable clothing,’ Feng said. ‘In this place, you must display your bloodline, and wear garments according to your status. No one will follow you dressed as you are.’

He walked into the midst of the strange settlement, without waiting for a reply. Jai followed, trying to resist his mild annoyance at Feng’s domineering. He was only trying to help and, if he was being truthful with himself, it was help he desperately needed.

The sheer vibrancy of it all was a stark contrast to the tranquillity of the surrounding grasslands, and it felt as if they had stepped into a different world. Amid the hustle and bustle, the common language was commerce, a tongue that Feng seemed to think he spoke fluently.

Jai was entirely in his hands. He had hardly ever handled coin in his service of Leonid. The royals hardly had need for petty change. Now thrust into this world of haggling, he found himself completely at Feng’s mercy.

‘How much do we have?’ Jai asked, pulling Feng away from the awning of a vendor. His was one of silks, dyed in a dozen colours that drew Jai’s eye.

‘Perhaps not enough for a full outfit,’ Feng said. ‘But maybe a shirt to go beneath your gorget. It’ll be dark enough in his tent; they won’t notice your trousers.’

Feng returned to the table, one draped with an assortment of cloth in vibrant hues that would have looked more at home on a peacock’s tail than in the midst of the Great Steppe. Their vendor, a woman of middle age, wore a dress that showed off all its colours, the rainbow hues clashing with the black of her hair. She glanced up, her eyes bright with a shrewd yet friendly gaze.

‘I am Lai,’ she said, gesturing to her goods with a flourish that bespoke of a performer. Her hands moved quickly, touching the fabrics with an affectionate familiarity. ‘Here to be of service. But remember, if you muddy something with those dirty paws, you’re buying it.’

Feng returned her comment with a cheeky smile, holding his hands up to the morning light.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve been thoroughly house-trained.’

‘And that one?’ she asked, motioning at Jai with her chin. ‘He looks like trouble.’

Feng grinned once more. ‘That there is a Kidaran royal,’ he said flippantly. ‘So mind your manners.’

‘Oh,’ she chuckled drily. ‘Sure. Next, you’ll tell me you’re the Phoenix emperor’s prized eunuch.’

Jai wiped his nose with his sleeve, glad to see the bleeding had stopped. He looked over the silks. His attention was caught by a bolt of deep blue fabric, the colour as fathomless as the midnight sea.

‘Popular here,’ Lai said, catching Jai’s gaze. ‘The royal Kidaran colours, dyed by my own hand. And the finest silk.’

‘But it seems the nobles aren’t buying,’ Feng said, tapping his nose. ‘You’ve brought more of it than old Teji and his nobles wanted.’

Lai waved away Feng’s claims, as if they meant little. ‘What need have you of it then?’ she muttered.

‘Never you mind,’ Feng said, lifting the bolt and holding it to the sunlight. ‘Thirty denarius for a shirt made from this, by sundown.’

Lai spluttered in exaggerated shock.

‘Fifty, surely.’

‘Take it or leave it,’ Feng said, dropping the bolt as if it were a sack of cold vomit. ‘See if any other tribes will wear the royal blue of their rivals.’

Lai grimaced, then took a rough grip of Jai, lifting his arms and laying marked string along their lengths.

‘Come now,’ she said, kicking his legs akimbo.

‘Wha—’

Lai brooked no nonsense, measuring him up in brusque fashion. She eyed his crotch.

‘Hangs to the left...’

Jai reddened and she winked.

‘Finest silk in all the land, sold to a ruffian,’ she muttered good-naturedly under her breath. ‘You know what this silk can do?’

‘Tell me,’ Jai said.

‘You think it’s merely made for style and comfort? Silk, dear boy, is a warrior’s wear. It resists a light blow, for it challenges even a tailor’s shears. Should a javelin strike you, it won’t tear or shred like other fabrics. It’ll wrap around the barbs, making it easier to pull out.’

‘Really?’ Jai murmured, unable to keep a touch of intrigue from his voice. He looked down at the fabric with new-found respect, his fingers grazing its surface.

‘And on top of that,’ she continued, eyes back on her work, hands navigating his dimensions, ‘it’s a blessing on a hot day, and a comfort in a cold night. It breathes and warms.’

‘The perfect material for the steppe,’ Jai concluded, earning himself a nod of approval from Lai.

‘Indeed,’ she agreed. ‘But such virtue comes at a price. Forty-five denarius .’

‘Thirty-five,’ Feng countered.

‘Fine,’ she said. ‘But only because this one here looks like he could do with a bit of luck. That’s a bad cut lip if I’ve ever seen one. Mind you don’t bleed on it.’

Jai swore he would not, even as she gave him a light nudge, letting him know she was done. She did leave them with one final bit of advice, though.

‘I’m told a man wearing a shirt of my silk always finds luck. Whether in battle, or in the boudoir.’

Feng burst into a hearty laugh while Jai’s cheeks flushed a light shade of pink.

‘If it doesn’t work, at least you’ll look great while doing it,’ he chuckled.

Jai sighed, and watched as Feng counted out the gold, and the pair argued over the values of the various coinage, weighing them on a set of small scales.

He felt lost. If it had been the Sabines’ plan to keep him unprepared for the rigours of this world, they had succeeded in at least this part.

Perhaps he was what he knew Teji would make him out to be. A pampered princeling, who knew not even the value of a coin.

‘Come on,’ Feng said, interrupting his thoughts. ‘We’ve still some coin left over. Let’s make a prince out of you.’