Page 8 of The Tainted Khan (The Soulbound Saga #2)

S indri did not linger to see if Jai could turn Navi around, leaving him alone under the vast expanse of the moonlit sky. Jai sat on Navi’s back for a while, allowing the old khiro to graze on the tender grass, as he breathed in the cool night air. This was the Great Steppe in all its glory: the grasses, bathed in silver, swaying in a shimmering, burnished meadow.

His thoughts drifted once again to Erica. He wondered if she had made it to her homeland. If Hanebal and his Huddite brethren had continued east, or gone with her, to the Dansk and their Northern Tundra.

He missed her presence. Even missed her silence, in the early morning, when the world was still asleep, and Rufus was loading up their wagon.

Rufus too weighed heavy in his thoughts. Had the big man won his battle with Magnus? Or did the Gryphon Guard sect leader still fly the steppe, relentlessly pursuing the royal bloodlines of the Sabines’ adversaries.

Jai realised he might never discover the answers to these questions. He could only hope for their success... and focus on his own.

Only one of his loved ones was within his reach. Winter, trapped in a life she did not choose. He knew he had to earn Zayn’s trust, not just for his own sake, but for Winter’s as well. Sindri had said as much.

Taking a deep breath, he filled his lungs with the crisp night air and steeled himself to face the challenges that awaited him. He urged Navi forward, steering her back towards the camp using his heels, as his brothers had taught him long ago.

Upon his return, Jai saw only Feng had waited for him, standing forlornly at the edge of the village. Jai dismounted, awkward as he slid backwards off her rump, and was suddenly glad for the lack of audience.

‘You’re back,’ Feng said, half to himself. ‘I had almost believed you wouldn’t be.’

Jai felt a surge of gratitude for Feng. He had fast become a steadfast ally, looking out for him when he could have easily turned his back. In a world where trust was a rare commodity, Jai knew the value of such friendship.

‘Thank you, Feng,’ Jai said, embracing the lad. ‘I wouldn’t leave without you.’

Feng’s eyes lit up at that.

‘Truly?’

But Jai hardly registered his response, for beyond them, the encampment bustled with activity.

Men and women toiled with wooden trowels, excavating two pits in the village centre. Others drove bamboo stakes into the earth, fashioning a makeshift curtain to separate the two holes.

Still more stoked bonfires, tossing bales of dried grass into the flames. They were cooking something. But what?

‘Come,’ Feng said. ‘We must help, or we won’t be allowed to partake.’

Jai grinned, and rubbed his belly, following Feng as the lad hurried back into the village.

‘Good idea,’ Jai said, ‘I’m starving.’

Feng grinned back, but more in amusement than camaraderie.

‘You misunderstand me.’

By now, Jai could feel the heat of the bonfires, the crackling of flames drowning out the chatter of conversation as the Valor went about their labours. What food could possibly need such fires?

Only now, did Jai see men scrabbling around in the bottom of the pits, lifting out stones from the soil beneath. Children grabbed them, and tossed them into the bonfires under the watchful eyes of the elders, who stoked and prodded the flames.

‘What...?’ Jai asked.

Feng hushed him, instead leaping into the pit. Jai followed, landing in its muddy bottom with a squelch. He followed Feng and the others’ example, raking his hands through the soil, clawing rocks from its sucking embrace and passing them to the grasping hands of the children above. Others hammered bamboo stakes into the retaining walls, holding back the earth.

Feng strained to dislodge a small boulder lodged at the pit’s centre, eliciting knowing grins from the others as the stone slid back into the mud.

Jai sucked in a breath, and summoned the dregs of mana within his core. Things had been moving so fast, he’d hardly any mana: only what Winter had trickled through to him through the night, and some hints of the hummingbird technique, when there was a lull in his and Feng’s conversation.

Nonetheless, it was enough for Jai to thrust his hands beneath the boulder, lift it with a grunt and heave it over the edge of the pit.

He ignored the astonished looks from the others, and went about his work.

‘Watch out!’ a voice called from above.

Jai understood enough sithosi to leap back just in time. A young girl grinned down at him as a bowlful of embers and coals tumbled into the mud behind him, sizzling and steaming.

‘Come on,’ Feng said, clapping Jai on the shoulder. ‘Before the pit fills completely.’

By now, more embers were being tipped into the pit, and the stone diggers were swift to scoop mud over the steaming embers, burying them in a thin layer of silt, spreading them more evenly along the pit bottom.

Jai had hardly time to see how it was done before the embers stopped, and the workers were scrabbling out of the hole. A hand reached down to Jai, and he took it, surprised.

A shocking strength pulled him over the edge, and he hauled himself, a muddy, charcoal-dusted mess, onto the grass above. His helper chuckled, and gave him a poke with her toe.

It was the girl who had woken him that morning, the same one who had fought Zayn. She was a rare beauty, even among the many winsome girls in the camp, with long lashes, a heart-shaped face and wide eyes whose intense gaze Jai found difficult to meet without averting his own.

She flashed him an enticing smile before hurrying away. Jai watched her retreating back, noting the long braid that swung down to her buttocks. Unmarried, then, if what Balbir had once told him held true.

He felt a flash of guilt, for the feeling that stirred within was one he’d only reserved for Erica. She could be within Magnus’s clutches that very moment.

‘Little help?’ Feng called out. ‘Before I drown down here?’

Jai hurried to help Feng, who by now was waist-deep in water that was rapidly seeping into the pit. With a firm grip, he pulled Feng out, and the two collapsed beside the pit, catching their breath amid the laughter and chaos.

‘Why the embers?’ Jai asked, trying and failing to rub the dust from his hands.

‘Charcoal cleans the water,’ Feng panted. ‘See?’

Jai stared into the slow-rising placid pool. Feng was right. The water was tinged with mud, true, but he could see far deeper than he had any right to.

Then, a red-hot stone plummeted into its centre, sending out a splash of hissing, steaming water. Another followed, and then another.

Soon it was not just stones that followed, but men. Whooping and yelling, they dove and bellyflopped into the fast-warming waters, splashing the onlookers in a near-puerile display. And bare as the days they were born, utterly unembarrassed by their nakedness, the boundaries between age and status momentarily erased in the face of shared revelry.

Jai stood awkwardly at the pool’s edge, suddenly understanding what the screen of bamboo was for – for he could hear splashing and the laughter of women on the other side. He turned to Feng, only to see he’d stripped down himself, and was sliding down the banks of the pit.

Jai groaned, but knew he needed to bathe more than any here. He could not remember the last time he’d had a chance.

Throwing caution to the wind, Jai tugged off his clothing, letting it fall into the mud. Then he leaped into the water with as much grace as he could muster.

Within, the water was warm as a baby’s bath, and he let out a stream of bubbles as he groaned with relief. Jai emerged with a whoop, smoothing the hair from his eyes.

He and Feng waded to the edge of the crowded pool, surrounded by the strong, battle-scarred men of the village. Jai couldn’t help but count the warriors, taking note that there were perhaps thirty men of fighting age, all of them gravitating around Zayn.

Now the young boys and elders slid down into the pool, but not before they tossed baskets of rough-chopped herbs into the water.

There was a scent that rose with the steam, minty and refreshing. Jai observed as the men scooped up handfuls of the fragrant leaves, crushing them between their palms and allowing the rich, foamy suds to cascade over their heads. Strangely, a foam was gathering on the surface of the water.

‘Yucca,’ Feng said, gathering up a handful. ‘It makes the water soapy. Then there’s wild mint, lemon balm, who knows what else.’

Jai followed Feng’s example, squeezing it into his hair and delighting in the silky tingling as he rubbed it into his scalp.

As he rinsed the suds from his eyes, Jai noticed the men arranging themselves in a line around the edge of the bathing pit. He and Feng joined the queue, taking their places in the chain of men. A toothless elder grinned at Jai, guiding him into position with a gentle nudge.

Each man took his place, reaching out to work through the hair and beards of their comrades, using combs they had apparently brought with them. Their fingers worked deftly, untangling knots and smoothing out the roughness that marked their lives. The scene was surprisingly intimate, and Jai was beginning to see the deep trust that bound these men together.

Jai did his best, even as his own scalp was tugged and teased, the old man tutting loudly. Feng chuckled a little at Jai’s inexpert touch, and handed him the bone comb he had been using on his own charge, a young lad who seemed content to escape Feng’s ministrations.

It was peaceful. Here, words were unnecessary. All that could be heard was the gentle splash of water and the crackling of flames, as the steam drifted into the star-speckled sky above.

He settled into the rhythm of it. Letting the fresh, herby scent clear his mind, and his nostrils. And all the while, finally... Jai soulbreathed.

Letting the mana fill his lungs, it flowed through his channels and reached the emptiness of his core. Even as the first motes entered his crystalline centre and ran down its walls to fill its bottom, Jai felt it rush to his extremities, to heal the cuts and scrapes of the last few days. Had it really only been a few days? It felt like his escape from Porticus had been a lifetime ago.

It was amazing. It was the first time he’d felt like himself in forever. Except he knew he wasn’t truly complete, and once more he wished Winter could be with him. The poor dragon remained chained within a nearby tent, though he could sense she had been well-fed at least.

The little dragon was listening through their connection intently, vicariously enjoying the scents and sensations of Jai’s mind. Apart as they were, their meld was far stronger than before he had ascended.

And then, as if by some unspoken signal, the chain broke apart, the men dispersing like ripples in a pond. Jai watched, intrigued, as the warriors began scooping up silt and charcoal from the pit’s bottom, gathering the dark, rich mixture and lathering themselves with it, then scraping it off with the backs of their combs.

Some slapped fine mud playfully into each other’s faces and shoulders. Brotherly in their love for each other. No one did it to Jai, though.

‘Go on,’ Feng said. ‘It’s heavenly.’

Jai took a handful of it himself, only to catch Zayn’s brooding eyes. The firelight danced across his face, crisscrossing faded scars. With a subtle tilt of his head, he beckoned for Jai and Feng to approach. Jai’s heart seized, and he hesitated, knowing to ignore the invitation would be a grave offence.

Feng’s hand pressing the small of his back made the choice for him, and he waded closer to the gathered warriors.

Zayn’s eyes never wavered from Jai’s, his expression shrouded. The other men’s movements slowed, the air thick with anticipation as they drew near. What had been a jovial, raucous atmosphere was suddenly heavy.

Jai felt like he was walking to his own execution. He swallowed hard, feeling the scrutiny of the battle-scarred men surrounding him. Amid these bare-chested warriors, his and Feng’s paler skin tones were all the more obvious.

Zayn’s hand extended, offering Jai a generous scoop of the silt and charcoal mixture. The gesture was both invitation and challenge. Jai’s gaze met Zayn’s and accepted the offering, his hands trembling slightly as he began to lather the mixture onto his skin.

Now Zayn turned to Feng. But as the boy extended his hand, Zayn allowed the mixture to slip from his grasp, dropping it with a mocking splash. Chuckles rippled through the gathering of onlookers.

Jai’s nostrils flared, and he took a defiant step back, receiving a disdainful sneer from Zayn in return. He remained unfazed. Any semblance of an olive branch held out to him was undoubtedly broken if it didn’t extend to Feng as well.

The man was toying with them, only seeking to divide the pair. Jai stooped, gathering a scoop for Feng instead. He turned his back upon Zayn as he did so, catching the sudden scowls from the onlookers.

A wad of mud slapped into the back of his head, and Jai turned to see Zayn grinning at him. What was this? The politics of this place were so physical. In the world Jai was raised in, loyalties were earned in the stroke of a pen, in proclamations and debated antechambers. Politics on a grand scale. Yet here, in the mud, it was a tangible thing. A gift of earth, of knotting the hair of the one beside you. A punch in the shoulder, or an ignored jibe.

And now, Jai realised why Zayn hated Feng. It was because the boy did not fight back. Did not show defiance. Avoided the gaze of those who would challenge him.

Zayn was a man who would only respect strength – courage, in the face of a bully. So Jai would show him strength.

‘When I say,’ Jai muttered, ‘splash at Zayn.’

‘Are you mad?’ Feng hissed back.

‘Do it,’ Jai said. ‘If I get in trouble, Navi is yours.’

Feng thought for a moment. Then nodded.

Jai lowered his hands, scooping mud with one and contorting the other beneath the water. Zayn tensed, still grinning, seeing Jai crouching.

Jai knew few spells, and had practised but two of them. A gout of fire would hardly do, but Balbir’s shade spell might allow him to get within Zayn’s guard.

He channelled the mana through his body, feeling it circulate.

Green light flashed beneath the water, and Jai felt his body numb. Fade.

Zayn’s eyes widened.

‘Now!’ Jai growled.

Water splashed, distracting Zayn for but a moment. Enough time for Jai to dive forward, splatting the big man directly in the face.

Jai stood there as Zayn wiped the mud from his eyes, the numbness leaving Jai’s body, for he had used the last dregs of his mana.

Silence hung in the air, and Jai gave Zayn a hesitant grin. The man looked enraged. Then he broke into a roar of laughter, grabbing Jai by the arm and knuckling his hair.

The watching men, at first hesitant, joined in the laughter, one even punching Feng on the shoulder.

‘Good!’ Zayn announced, in broken High Imperial. ‘Very good!’