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one of them has defeated me. My Tumatsin blood gives me an advantage they
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don't have."
"The advantage of a woman," said the man, and she knew what he was thinking.
The skill she'd displayed was superior to theirs. The skill of the Emperor's
troopers was superior to theirs. They'd played games, while others prepared
for war. They were vulnerable to attack.
"Do you practice hand-to-hand with the sword?" she asked.
"No." The men looked grim, now.
"I can give you some exercises to practice, if you're willing. You only have a
few months to practice, but it's enough to make a difference. I can show you
now, if you wish, but you'll have to teach others. I'll not be able to return
before Mandughai comes with Her army."
"Then show us," said the man, dismounting, and drawing his sword.
The others followed him, and Kati took them to a far corner of the field,
forming them into two lines facing each other. For one hour, and another hour
later in the afternoon, she taught them the ten dong s of
Master Yung, and had them practice at sword's length. A first lesson, but
there was no more time. Still, they learned quickly, and she was able to
correct the most glaring errors they made. A small skill was better than
nothing. It would not be much against Mandughai's troops. Kati's people would
not be prepared for war.
Kati did what she could, and the crowd around the field was amused by the
sight of the men hacking away at each other. Goldani finally came out to the
field to halt their practice. "Get to your horses. It's time for the ceremony
of Mandughai's charge against the Emperor."
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The men left, talking among themselves, and Goldani turned to Kati. "When you
were a child, it was
Toregene, your mother, who led the charge. I would like you to do it with me,
in her place."
Kati was moved to tears. "I thank you for such an honor, Goldani. Your
kindness is more than I
expected. I'll join you to honor my mother."
She went back to her horse, and rode over to join the ceremonial warriors
assembled at the end of the field. Goldani was again in her robe, eyes light
green. The Change was upon her, and a group of perhaps fifty men were jostling
their horses behind her. As a child, it had seemed there were thousands
participating in the ritual charge, but now she saw how few there were. They
were farmers, herders, craftsmen, not soldiers. They played games, and acted
out war, based on a memory that was false. The first Mandughai had come with
fierce, bioengineered troops to destroy them all, not to save them from the
Emperor. Her soldiers had the faces of shizi
, and battle was the purpose of their lives. How many would come? Thousands?
Tens of thousands? And now, here was Kati, leading a charge of fifty untrained
men to entertain the crowd watching them.
The Change was fully upon her as the men formed two lines behind them.
"There's a ritual we use with the Emperor's troopers before a charge," she
growled to Goldani. "Will you trust me to use it here?"
Goldani nodded, and Kati turned her horse towards the men.
"Hold out your swords!" she shouted with a hoarse voice.
They did so, blades gleaming. Kati withdrew her own, battered sword, and
shrieked at them, "This is not play! It is real! The next time you do this, a
hoard of invaders will be coming at you to murder your families and burn your
ordus
! You're all that stand in their way! You are the only defense of your
people!"
The men looked at her, astonished. Kati kicked her horse, and rode back and
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forth along the two lines of men, slapping each blade hard with her own, and
screaming, "You defend your families! You defend your ordu s! You defend
Shanji
! Now let the enemy hear you coming!"
The men were screaming before she made the last turn back towards Goldani. The
woman saw her coming, and kicked her horse, but then Kati was past her, blood
boiling, her blade outstretched as she screamed.
"SHANJIIII!"
They covered the length of the field in seconds, the crowd trilling and
screaming with them. They formed up again, horses snorting, banging hard
against each other in their excitement.
"Again!" shouted Goldani.
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"SHANJIII!" a chorus of bass screams as they crossed the field a second time
to the cheers of the crowd.
Now everyone was laughing, dismounting, the swords again in their scabbards.
"It was a good charge,"
said Goldani. "They have the spirit."
"Yes," said Kati, frowning at her, "but they do not understand."
There was nothing more she could do. Kati felt frustration, and some despair.
Even the trained troops of the Moshuguang had never known true battle with a
skilled army. And battle would come, forced on her by a woman she loved, and
another who craved only power. How many would die before Mandughai was
satisfied with their opposition? Or would it be all of them? All her loud
threats to Yesugen were suddenly silly. Destroy all her ships indeed. She
didn't even know if she could bring herself to use the light of the
gong-shi-jie against a human life. If she could not, then Shanji was doomed,
for Yesugen would bring a superior force for conquest, and only Kati's powers
could stop her.
The joy of Festival was suddenly gone from her. She went back to a ger to sit
grimly before it while the people ate and visited with friends. The little
children came out again to ride their first horses. Some were already leaving
the field to pack their belongings for treks back to the more southerly ordu
s.
Goldani brought her a plate of food, and sat beside her to eat, "You're not
happy," she said.
"I'm afraid," said Kati. "I'm afraid about what will happen to them when
Mandughai's army comes. They don't even believe it."
"I believe, and there are others. Many are not here."
"It won't be enough. I'll do what I can, Goldani. I'll bring as many troopers
as I can, but I'm still afraid for them all. It's coming so soon
!"
Goldani put a hand on her shoulder, then went back to her eating, chewing
slowly.
"How can you be so calm?" asked Kati.
Goldani smiled serenely. "I take you at your word. You've said Mandughai hopes
to break off Her attack at the first sign of unified opposition from us. That
is my hope."
"Those were Her words," said Kati. She'd said nothing about Yesugen, and would
not do it now.
"You don't believe Her?"
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"I want to."
"But you have doubts."
"Yes." Kati thought again of the real leader of the invasion: Yesugen, the
cold, imperious one from the gong-shi-jie, the one who had drugged her own
mother to enable a private meeting with her adversary.
She might have killed her mother in such a way. What else was she capable of?
"Don't underestimate your own people, Kati. We live simple lives in isolation,
but we've not survived all these years by being foolish. We're practical
people, capable of making decisions we'd rather not make. I
think we'll demonstrate that when the time comes. Things will be decided by
Mandughai's mercy, not by how well we do in battle. We must trust Her."
"Your belief is strong, Goldani, though you've never seen Her, or talked to
Her as I have. I admire your faith."
"I also have faith in the Tumatsin woman who will be Empress of Shanji," said
Goldani, "and I have faith in the people."
Kati leaned against her, and Goldani put an arm around her shoulders.
"So soon," said Kati. "So soon."
She worked with the men a final time in the afternoon, and then Festival was
over, and everyone was leaving. She found Edi again, and they talked while the
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