Part 14 (1/2)
”The Great Khan could have any man buy this medicine and send it back. One of his most trusted generals is governor of Carajan.”
”He asked me to capture a dragon and bring it back to Khanbalik alive, so he can have a continual supply.”
I laughed. ”Even I know you cannot milk gall from an animal. You have to kill the animal to get it. You will need at least one male and one female, to reproduce. I cannot imagine how you would transport two dragons back to Khanbalik.”
He paused. ”Will you help me?”
”Capture a dragon, with rows of teeth in its jaws?”
”Yes, but without slaying it.”
I laughed again. ”I can think of nothing I'd rather do.”
”Tell no one.”
So this was the secret he had been harboring. Marco was full of surprises. We were alone in the moonlight, yet he made no move toward me. His manner was upright and controlled, but I sensed he was reining himself in for my sake.
I reached my hand toward his arm, which was trembling. I slipped both arms around the bulk of his waist. He hugged my shoulders as tightly as our fur-lined cloaks would allow. He put his hand behind my neck and tilted my face up to his. His eyes seemed dark and deep, roaming over my features. My nose tingled with the spicy scent of him. Inside my cloak, my body pushed hard toward him, resisting the layers between us.
His face drew closer, and I could feel the bristly softness of his beard against my cheek. Suddenly, his lips were on mine, soft and wet, and his mustache tickled my upper lip. A wondrous tingling sensation flooded through my body.
For a long moment, I luxuriated in the unexpected, glorious feel of his touch. Then the urgency of his embrace, the full moonlight, the sound of the rus.h.i.+ng stream brought me back with a jolt.
I pushed him away. ”What was that?” I asked.
He seemed chastened. ”We call it bacio bacio. What is the word in your language?”
I shook my head. ”We have no such word. People do not do this.”
”I meant no offense,” he said.
The bacio bacio was strange but also delicious. I wanted to try again. I began to move toward him. was strange but also delicious. I wanted to try again. I began to move toward him.
”Emmajin! Where are you?” Suren's yell sounded frantic.
”Stay here,” I whispered to Marco. Suren must not see us together alone. I headed back toward the village. Just as I reached the bend, my cousin rushed toward me.
”Emmajin! Thanks be, you're safe. Where have you been!” he grabbed my arms and looked me over.
”Taking a walk, that's all.”
”Are you all right?”
I adopted a commanding tone. ”Of course!”
Suren looked past me and saw Marco still standing by the rock. My cousin looked at me, eyes full of questions and accusation. ”It's freezing. Come back now.”
As I walked back with him, I could sense his anger mounting. He led me to a military ger ger, secured the tent flap, and stirred the fire while I sat cross-legged on a sleeping fur. He added some wood to the fire, then knelt, facing me.
”What were you doing?” His eyes showed concern and disappointment.
I sat straight. What right had he to question my doings? ”Talking to Marco.”
”Marco. What did you have to say to Marco at this time of night?”
I did not deign to answer.
”Emmajin.” He sat next to me, less accusing. ”Be careful. Others are watching.”
The firelight flickered on the white walls of the ger ger. I looked away. I could still feel the bacio bacio on my lips. on my lips.
”It's my fault,” Suren said. ”I will never leave you alone again.”
It would have been pointless to argue. I knew he was right. To risk harming my reputation in the military was like stabbing my own foot with a dagger. I could not explain to myself this forbidden attraction.
”Suren,” I said, with as much authority as I could, ”do not fear.”
23 To Carajan
After that night, Suren would not leave my side. He slept inside my tent. Even when I went to relieve myself, he stood guard. The other soldiers did not notice. If Marco noticed, he did not show it. He kept his distance, but I could feel his eyes on me. Suren's watchfulness made Marco seem more forbidden, more desirable. Just one glance from him made me feel connected. It was too late for Suren to pry us apart.
Within a few days, we had pa.s.sed out of Tibetan territory and into the province of Caindu, a verdant, forested land with mountains, not quite as steep, but still arduous. At every village, people came out, trying to sell us turquoise stones and freshwater pearls. I bought a string of them, to give to my sister.
After ten days of riding, we came to a huge river, called the Brius, or Long River in Chinese. It was the second great river of China and ran all the way to the ocean. Even here, thousands of miles inland, it was wide and swift. We crossed it by ferry.
On the other side, at last, was the province of Carajan-a large mountainous region with seven separate kingdoms, each of which had a distinct tongue and a unique style of clothing. We had to hire local guides who understood Chinese, requiring two translations. No one in this part of the Empire understood Mongolian.
Finally, fifteen days after crossing the river Brius, we arrived at our destination, the city of Carajan, sometimes called Da-li. We first spotted the city from a mountain pa.s.s to the east. At the crest of the pa.s.s, I looked down on a deep mountain lake reflecting pink clouds in the late afternoon. On the far side, Da-li, an ancient walled city, overlooked the large lake, climbing a gentle slope. This mild southern climate was not too cold, even in midwinter. But it had been raining, so I was soaked.
Standing in my short stirrups to take in the view, I grinned at Suren, who was next to me. The weariness of travel disappeared from my body. ”I'll race you there!” I took off on my horse and Suren followed. We galloped like madmen straight downhill. We soldiers had not been traveling in formation since entering the mountains.
The palace at Carajan, a stone structure by the lake, was surrounded by high walls and turrets with curved roofs. The buildings inside, small and fanciful, were painted with bright designs well suited to the lush mountain greenery. The servants wore black garments decorated with strips of bright cloth. The women wore many necklaces and earrings, and the men had gold teeth in their smiles.
When we rode into the courtyard, we were met by Nesruddin, the governor of Carajan and commander of the Mongol army garrison. Nesruddin, a Muslim, had won renown as a valiant soldier. A tall man with wide shoulders and huge girth, he wore a round brimless hat, pure white, perched in his thick dark hair, which he did not shave. He spoke Mongolian with only a slight accent, since he had spent part of his childhood in Khanbalik. He had a broad, ready smile and seemed genuinely pleased to greet us.
Nesruddin welcomed Abaji with open arms and invited Suren and me to join him at a banquet that night. It was the first time since our journey had begun that Suren and I were treated as royalty. It was an indulgence not offered to other soldiers, but I did not refuse. We were given s.p.a.cious rooms in his palace, with servants who drew fresh hot water for baths in our private chambers. I let the maidservants scrub my head and hair and body, and I soaked in the tub. It felt wonderful to be a princess again.
At dinner that night, I realized that Nesruddin had also chosen to treat Marco Polo as an honored guest, when he had learned that Marco was traveling on the Khan's business. Like us, Marco had been given a private room at the palace. At the head table, Nesruddin served us as much meat as we could eat.
Nesruddin did not mind talking to Abaji in front of us. In fact, he was eager to talk to us about the threat from Burma, the country just across the mountains.
Burma, which he called the kingdom of Mien, was a small but wealthy land, with towers of gold and silver in its n.o.ble capital, Pagan. Its king despised the Mongols. He often inflicted ravages on the people of Carajan, hara.s.sed our border troops, and mistreated Mongol envoys. Nesruddin's spies told him that the Burmese soldiers were ma.s.sing on the border, preparing to invade. Burma claimed the right to rule parts of Carajan, because many local villagers belonged to tribes that spanned the border.
So far, Nesruddin had been able to ama.s.s only twelve thousand Mongol hors.e.m.e.n, hardly enough for a large-scale attack against Burma. Most Mongol troops were fighting far to the east, on China's coast. Nesruddin was itching for a fight.
Abaji peppered Nesruddin with questions. How many more troops would be needed? How long might it take to conquer Burma and then India?