LITMIR.BIZ

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and were surrounded by his foolish families, already looking irritated by the close press of the crowd. Togrul blew air from his lips, wishing he had brought another of the pouches with him. His stomach growled and he thought the newcomers would welcome a feast in their honour. His wife could hardly complain about that.

      The crowd of Kerait children parted and he saw his bondsmen were there before him. He looked around for Wen Chao, but the Chin ambassador had not yet stirred from his sleep. As Togrul approached the group, his heart sank at the small number of them. Where was the horde Wen had promised?

      Many of the newcomers stared around them with fascination and nervousness. In the centre, Togrul saw five men standing by thin ponies, their faces hard and strained. He beamed at them as he came forward, his bondsmen falling in behind.

      ‘I grant you guest rights in my home,’ he said. ‘Which one of you is Temujin of the Wolves? I have heard much about you.’

      The tallest stepped forward, bowing his head stiffly, as if the gesture was unfamiliar.

      ‘No longer of the Wolves, my lord. I owe no loyalty to the tribe of my father. These are my only people now.’

      Temujin had never seen a man quite as fat as Togrul before. He tried to keep the surprise from his face as Togrul greeted his brothers, as well as Jelme and Arslan. The khan could not have been more than thirty and his grip was strong, but flesh cloaked him, so that his deel strained under a wide belt. His face was round, with thick rolls of fat over his collar. Even stranger was the fact that he wore a robe very similar to the one Wen had worn on his visit. Togrul’s hair was tied back in the manner of the Chin and Temujin did not know what to make of such a man. He looked like no khan he had ever seen and only the familiar features and reddish skin marked him as one of their own people.

      Temujin exchanged a glance with Kachiun as Togrul finished his welcome and placed heavy hands on his belly.

      ‘The beast has woken, my friends. You must be hungry after your journey, yes?’

      He clapped his hands together and called for food to be brought. Temujin watched as the crowd moved away to the gers, no doubt looking for enough food to ease the khan’s appetite. They seemed long familiar with the task.

      ‘I do not see more than thirty warriors with you,’ Togrul said, counting under his breath. ‘Wen Chao told me there could be as many as a hundred.’

      ‘I will find more,’ Temujin told him, instantly defensive. Togrul raised an eyebrow in surprise.

      ‘It is true, then, that you welcome wanderers in your camp? Do they not steal?’

      ‘Not from me,’ Temujin replied. ‘And they fight well. I was told you needed a war leader. If you do not, I will take them back into the north.’

      Togrul blinked at this sharp response. For a moment, he wished he had a single son instead of the daughters his wife had given him. Perhaps then he would not need to be courting savages fresh in from the hills.

      ‘Wen Chao spoke highly of you and I trust his recommendation,’ he said. ‘However, we will talk of that when we have eaten.’ He smiled again in anticipation, already able to smell mutton sizzling in the gers.

      ‘There is a Tartar camp a month’s ride to the north,’ Temujin said, ignoring the offer. ‘There are perhaps a hundred warriors there. If you will match my men with thirty more, I will bring you Tartar heads and show you what we can achieve.’

      Togrul blinked at him. The young warrior was surrounded by a huge camp and many armed men. He was addressing a man he needed to persuade to his side, but he spoke as if Togrul was the one who should be bowing his head. He wondered briefly if he should remind the man of his position, but thought better of it.

      ‘We will talk of that, also,’ he said. ‘But if you do not eat with me, I will be insulted.’

      He watched as Temujin nodded. Togrul relaxed as platters of steaming meat were brought out into the cold air. He saw the eyes of the newcomers dart towards them. No doubt they had been half-starved all winter. A fire had been laid in the centre of the camp and Togrul nodded towards it as the flames caught. Temujin shared a wary glance with his companions and Togrul saw his brothers shrug, one of them smiling in anticipation.

      ‘Very well, my lord,’ Temujin said, reluctantly. ‘We will eat first.’

      ‘I am honoured,’ Togrul said, unable to keep a sharp tone from his voice. He told himself to remember the estates Wen had promised. Perhaps this raider would bring them a little closer.

      Wen Chao joined them at the fire when the sun had cleared the horizon. His servants disdained the blankets provided to keep off the chill of the ground. Instead, they brought out a small bench for their master. Temujin watched in interest as the servants spiced the meat with powders from tiny bottles before handing it over. Togrul snapped his fingers to have his own meat treated and the servants moved quickly to do his bidding. It was obviously not a new request from the khan of the Kerait.

      Wen Chao’s soldiers did not join in the feasting. Temujin saw the first among them, Yuan, direct the others to defensive positions around the camp while his master ate, apparently oblivious.

      Togrul would not allow conversation until he had sated his appetite. Twice Temujin began to speak but, both times, Togrul merely gestured to the food, too busy with his own. It was frustrating and Temujin was sure Wen Chao had a sparkle of amusement in his eyes. No doubt he was recalling his own surprise at Togrul’s prodigious ability to eat and drink. The fat khan seemed to have no limit to the amount he could take in, and Temujin and his brothers had all finished long before him and only just after Wen, who ate as little as a bird.

      At last, Togrul announced himself satisfied and hid a belch with his hand.

      ‘You can see we have not gone hungry in the winter,’ he said cheerfully, patting his belly. ‘The spirits have been good to the Kerait.’

      ‘And they will be generous in the future,’ Wen Chao added, watching Temujin. ‘I am glad to see you have accepted the offer I brought you, my lord.’

      The last words sounded oddly false in his throat, but Temujin accepted them as his due.

      ‘Why am I needed here?’ he asked Togrul. ‘You have enough men and weapons to smash the Tartars on your own. Why call on my men?’

      Togrul reached up to wipe his greasy lips with the back of a hand. He seemed to feel Wen Chao’s gaze fall on him and instead took a cloth from his deel for the task.

      ‘Your name is known, Temujin. It is true that the Kerait are strong, too strong for another tribe to attack, but Wen has convinced me of the need to carry the fight further into the north, as you have done.’

      Temujin said nothing. From his first glance at the enormous man, he had no need to ask why Togrul did not lead them himself. He wondered if the man could even sit a pony for more than a few miles. Yet he could see hundreds of the Kerait around the feast, as well as the fifty or so who had joined them at the fire. The tribe was larger than the Wolves or even the Olkhun’ut. Surely there was someone amongst them who could lead a raiding party? He did not voice the thought aloud, but Togrul saw his expression and chuckled.

      ‘I could have one of my bondsmen attack the Tartars, could I not? How long would it be before he came to me with a knife hidden in a sleeve of his deel? I am not a fool, Temujin, do not think it. The Kerait have grown because I kept them strong and because Wen Chao has brought us horses, food and gold from the east. Perhaps one day I will look out on lands of my own in that country. The Kerait will know peace and plenty in my lifetime if I can drive back the Tartars.’

      ‘You would take the entire Kerait tribe into Chin territory?’ Temujin said incredulously.

      Togrul shrugged. ‘Why not? Is it too much to imagine living without a dozen baying tribes all around, watching for weakness? Wen has promised us the land and the Kerait will thrive there.’

      Temujin darted a sharp look at the Chin representative.

      ‘I

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