Page 4

J ai woke to the resonance of a horn. He lay still for a moment, his eyes closed. Listening to the movements of his surroundings, until a hand jostled him awake.

Men and women stretched around him, paying him almost no heed, talking among themselves. Only the one who had woken him, a young woman, offered him a fleeting, soft smile before ducking out of the tent. Jai recognised her as the other soulbound here, who Zayn had faced in the fighting circle.

It had been an uncomfortable night, spent in the same tent he had found himself in that morning. As it turned out, it was a place for the elderly and infirm – a poor prison, had Jai wished to escape. But the truth was, Jai had been exhausted – one moment, he had calmed his mind to soulbreathe, the next he woke to the morning reveille rumbling in his ears.

Still, even if he had soulbreathed through the night, and an opportunity to run had presented itself, he wouldn’t have made it far. And he couldn’t leave without breaking Winter free.

His dragon was held in another tent, chained to a stake. She had communicated as much to him. Since his ascension, he could understand her better. She could shape intention – not words exactly, but... meaning. He hadn’t had much chance to explore their renewed bond since escaping the Sabines.

Now he sought her out in his mind, and found her sleeping. He let her rest, opting instead to join the elders as they emerged from the tent.

Jai rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the dim light of daybreak. The camp was a hive of activity; warriors sharpened their weapons, khiroi being saddled, and the tent behind him was collapsing even as he stepped out of it.

It was fascinating to see the village disappearing before his eyes, and the great beasts of burden loaded up like humpbacked oxen. Within minutes, all that remained of the village was trampled grass. Indeed, Jai could see the green shoots already growing in the exposed dark soil. Soon enough, it would be as if they had never been there at all.

If Jai had imagined that they would be riding east on the backs of the khiroi, he was mistaken. The majority of the khiroi bore the weight of furs, nets, baskets and assorted belongings. Others were harnessed to bamboo sleds, mostly the oldest, or youngest of the khiroi.

A few, though, did ride. At their head, Zayn sat astride the largest of them, its horn standing proud and tall above the others. To Jai’s dismay, he saw Winter chained to Zayn’s saddle, her mind still bleary from sleep.

Her sapphire eyes turned on him, widening as she let out a yawp of recognition. He worried for her, but soon a flash of her love through their bond told him she was happy enough to be out in the open air, and within sight of him. He promised himself he would hold her in his arms soon, but dared not approach as Sindri barked orders and men and women hurried to ready themselves.

Those on foot had gathered at a series of central fires, where children handed out steaming dumplings wrapped in waxy leaves. Jai took one, savouring the rich filling, a tangy, meaty centre, mixed with more spices that set his tongue tingling, and warmed him from the inside out.

‘Come,’ Feng said.

Jai turned to find the young man hunched behind him, a heavy pack upon his shoulders. Beyond, the khiroi were already on the move, with the Steppefolk trailing the path of flattened grass that otherwise would have reached their waists.

Together, they ploughed a furrow through the green expanse, following the vanguard of warriors who led the way.

Jai and Feng walked in silence for a while, and Jai was amazed at the deep quietude that had settled over the steppe. The dawn air was still, but for the shuffling of feet, and the plodding of the khiroi. Not a bird to be heard, nor the soft chirr of an insect. It was as if the very world was holding its breath, waiting for the sun to crest the horizon.

Still, before long the Valor began to speak, a murmuring begun by the play of bored children. Jai walked on in comfortable silence, only stopping to relieve an old lady of her burden as she shuffled behind them, a large basket that he slotted under his arm.

But then he remembered something that had disturbed him last night.

‘Feng, I never got a chance to ask at the... gathering... who are the Tainted?’ he asked. ‘I didn’t know what Sindri meant last night.’

Feng glanced at Jai, his eyes reflecting the weight of the question. He responded in a low voice, though the rest of the tribe had already given them a wide berth as they trudged through the long grass.

‘The Tainted,’ Feng said, ‘are a caste among Steppefolk, relegated to the fringes of their society. Though in truth, almost a third of those that call this land home are so-called. They were born into a cursed lineage, or so it is believed. They are not welcome to join with other tribes, nor marry with others outside their caste. They are denied breeding rights for the khiroi, forced to tame wild ones and start fresh bloodlines anew.’

Jai was beginning to understand. It was no wonder he held such value to this tribe, if they could force a trade with the Kidara. Especially if it meant bringing new khiroi, bred for generations by the Great Tribes of old.

‘So all the Valor are Tainted?’ Jai asked.

Feng nodded.

‘Why are they cursed?’ Jai asked.

‘Some will say they know the truth of it, but none that I’ve heard are worth repeating. The original transgression was long forgotten, yet the punishment remains. Fear and superstition force the burden of a sin they never knew.’

Jai shook his head, disillusioned. He had always pictured the Steppefolk as beyond the prejudice of the Sabines. Yet it seemed they were not so different after all.

‘If they are so reviled, how can they treat you the way they do? How can they hold others captive?’

Feng halted, his brow furrowing. ‘Treat me how?’ he asked. ‘I have as many rights as any among the tribe. I am simply forbidden to leave... unless I can purchase my own freedom.’

Now it was Jai’s turn to be confused.

‘But Zayn...’

‘Zayn is a bully to everyone,’ Feng sniffed. ‘But me especially. To the others, I am just another tribe member. Even if they don’t see the value of my labours, the way Sindri does.’

‘You’re... a captive, and an equal?’

Feng walked on, shaking his head.

‘I am no fettered man, nor a hostage as you once were. The tribes of the steppe war so often, it is common for men to be captured, if not entire villages. Do you see a prison here?’

Feng spun slowly, his arms outstretched.

‘It is the way of the steppe. In defeat, you become your enemy. So says their mother goddess, and so it has always been. The merging and breaking of the tribes are as ever-changing as the eddies of the wind. Why, some misguided souls within the Valor fear Zayn will leave and form his own tribe, taking all that would follow him, as is the right of any royal. But the tribe is far too small for such a schism.’

‘And if one of these captives were to wish to leave?’ Jai asked.

Feng shrugged.

‘Then they must earn or buy their freedom. Just as any Steppefolk wishing to leave their tribe must.’

‘Oh?’ Jai raised a brow.

‘Upon their Rite, every Steppeman and Steppewoman must swear allegiance to their tribe leader, one that can only be broken by blood, khiroi or gold. And it’s the tribe leader who sets the price.’

Jai was fascinated at this. Did this mean he might buy his own freedom?

‘Rite?’ Jai asked. ‘Sindri mentioned this as well.’

It sounded familiar, but he could not remember what Balbir told him about it. He’d been so young when she was taken from him.

Feng looked at him, almost with pity, and again the shame from the day before punched Jai in the gut. I know so little about who I actually am . But the other man didn’t speak with disdain when he said, ‘It is the rite of passage, before a tribesman or woman must settle upon a tribe. It is why so many of the young will leave their tribes and travel the steppe before their adulthood. They must return with a gift for the khan of the tribe they wish to join, and swear the blood oath there and then. They must do so alone, or with other riteless, and the gift must come through conquest. Some may never come back, riting themselves to another tribe. The Tainted stick with the Tainted, however, and the untainted with their own. It is the way it has always been.’

Jai wanted to ask him more, but a yell from ahead had Feng scurrying. The same girl who had woken him was calling to them, for they had drifted far behind the rest.

‘I think I understood that,’ Jai said, as he jogged to catch up with Feng. ‘I’m getting used to the accent. Something about limping?’

Feng grinned and nodded.

‘Well done! It comes back to you. I was the same when I first came here. Come on, we can practise as we walk.’

Jai grinned, even as Feng cast a dark look over his shoulder. It seemed his soulbound mind was finding it easier to learn the language than in his childhood.

‘She’s right you know,’ Feng said. ‘We shouldn’t drift behind.’

‘Oh?’

‘Wouldn’t be the first straggler picked off by a sabretooth.’