Bones of the Hills. Conn Iggulden

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СКАЧАТЬ or have simply not returned.’ He paused, but no man spoke. They were hardly breathing as they listened to the man who would send them out like wolves on the hunt. The entire camp knew war was coming and it was a pleasure to be the first to hear the details.

      ‘One group went into the west, more than two thousand miles. A single scout returned when the rest were slaughtered. At first, I did not think too much of it. It was not so long ago that a raiding party in our own land would have been killed by whichever tribe came first upon them.’

      Some of the older men nodded, though Tsubodai and Jebe could barely recall those times.

      ‘I learned from the scout that the leader of that land is one who calls himself Shah Ala-ud-Din Mohammed.’ Genghis pronounced the name with difficulty, then gestured to Temuge. ‘On my brother’s advice, I sent a group of four hundred warriors, well armed, but only as a threat. They travelled to the closest city, Otrar, and met the governor there. They took letters with my words on them for the shah.’ Genghis grimaced at the memory. ‘I expected him to hand over the men involved, or at least to send word of where they had their camp. I called him “beloved son” and mentioned only trade and friendship.’ At that, he stared coldly at Temuge until his brother looked away. It had been his advice that had failed so spectacularly.

      ‘The bazaar in Otrar is a public place. I sent three spies with the warriors to witness their treatment.’ He showed his teeth for an instant as anger swelled in him. ‘The governor commands a garrison of twenty thousand. They arrested my men and tore up my words in a gesture for the crowd.’ Once more he glared at Temuge.

      ‘Even then, I did not react! This shah is served by a fool, but I thought perhaps he could yet be made to walk a straight path. I learned of greater cities than Otrar in the east and I sent three senior officers to the shah himself, demanding that the governor be bound and handed over to me for punishment and my men freed. In this too, I was scorned.’ His face had grown flushed and the men in the ger felt their own hearts beat faster in response.

      ‘Shah Mohammed sent their heads back to me,’ Genghis went on. He clenched his right fist slowly. ‘I am not the author of this trouble, but I have prayed to the sky father to give me the strength to exact vengeance.’

      In the distance, they heard a man’s voice screaming and more than one head jerked at hearing it. Genghis too listened and nodded, satisfied.

      ‘It is Jochi. My shaman is tending his wounds.’ He looked at Chagatai as he spoke and his son blurted out a question.

      ‘Will he too ride with us?’

      Genghis’ eyes turned distant.

      ‘He killed the tiger, in front of the people. And our numbers have grown.’ His expression hardened at the memory of Chagatai kneeling. ‘As you have a place, so will he, if he lives. We will cross the Altai mountains to the west and show these desert men whom they have chosen to insult.’

      ‘And the Chin lands?’ Khasar said. ‘There are cities more wealthy than any we have seen yet and they lie untouched in the south.’

      Genghis was quiet at that. He still dreamed of bringing the southern Chin empire under his feet. Taking his nation into the west had its risks and it was tempting to send at least one of the men in the ger to crush his ancestral enemy. He remembered the estimates of Chin numbers and grimaced again. Against millions, one tuman would not be enough. Reluctantly, he had decided the Chin must wait to see him on their horizon.

      ‘They will still be there, my brother, when we come back for them. You will see Chin lands again, I promise you.’

      Khasar frowned at that and would have spoken again, but Genghis went on.

      ‘Ask yourself this: for what purpose do we go to war and risk our lives? Is it for gold coins and to build the sort of palaces we tear down? I cannot care for those things. A man spends his life in struggle, from the pain of birth to the last breath.’ He looked round at them all then, his gaze falling finally on Jebe and Chagatai.

      ‘There are some who will tell you they seek happiness, that there is nothing more to our lives than that simple aim. I tell you now that the sheep are happy on the plains and the hawks are happy in the air. For us, happiness is a small thing, one to be discounted in a man’s life. We strive and we suffer because we know through those things that we are alive.’ He snorted. ‘You may want to see the Chin cities humbled, Khasar, but can I let this challenge go unanswered? How long will it be before every small king dares to spit on my shadow?’ His voice grew harder as he spoke, so that it filled the ger. Outside, they could hear another scream from Jochi and it seemed a fitting counterpoint under those yellow eyes. ‘Can I let my people’s deaths go unavenged? Never in this world.’

      He had them all. He knew it, as he had always known.

      ‘When I am gone, I do not want men to say, “Look at his piles of wealth, his cities, his palaces and fine clothes.”’ Genghis paused for a moment. ‘Instead I want them to say, “Make sure he is truly dead. He is a vicious old man and he conquered half the world.”’ He chuckled at the idea and some of the tension went out of the group.

      ‘We are not here to earn riches with a bow. The wolf does not think of fine things, only that his pack is strong and no other wolf dares to cross his path. That is enough.’

      His gaze swept them and he was satisfied. Genghis stood and his manner changed to one of respect as he gestured to Arslan.

      ‘Your horses are ready, general,’ he said. ‘I will think of you resting your bones as we ride.’

      ‘Long life and victory, my lord,’ Arslan said.

      As they all stood, the ger became suddenly crowded. Having the highest rank, Genghis could have left first, but he stood back for Arslan to step out into the light. One by one, they followed until only Jebe remained to stare round at the khan’s ger. The young warrior took it all in and nodded to himself, strangely satisfied at the lack of ornament. He felt the khan was a man to follow and everything Arslan had told him had been confirmed. Jebe grinned lightly with no one to see him. He had been born on a hillside and raised in winters so terrible that his father brought the sheep into the only ger to protect them. His eyes were bright at the memory. Now he would lead a tuman for the khan. If Genghis only knew it, he had loosed a wolf. Jebe nodded to himself, satisfied. He would show the khan what he could do. In time, every man and woman of the tribes would know his name.

      Outside, Arslan checked his packs and mounts one more time, refusing to let the seriousness of the moment alter his routines. Genghis watched him test each knot and give instructions to three herd boys who would accompany him to his first camp. No one spoke until the old man was ready. When he was satisfied, Arslan embraced Jelme and they could all see the son’s eyes were proud. Finally, Arslan stood before Genghis.

      ‘I was there at the beginning, lord,’ Arslan said. ‘If I were younger, I would ride with you to the end.’

      ‘I know it, general,’ Genghis replied. He gestured to the vast camp on the banks of the river. ‘Without you, none of this would be here. I will honour your name always.’

      Arslan had never been a man who enjoyed physical contact, but he took Genghis’ hand in the warrior’s grip and then mounted. His young wife looked up at her husband, proud to see great men honour him with their presence.

      ‘Goodbye, old friend,’ Genghis called as Arslan clicked his tongue and the ponies moved away. The herd boys used СКАЧАТЬ