Part 18 (1/2)

32 Precious Medicine

Finally, the day before we reached Nesruddin's palace, I found a chance to talk to Marco. During a steep uphill climb, I deliberately slowed my horse and dropped behind the others, to the back of the line, where Marco was riding with a servant.

”I hope you are not too tired, Messer Marco,” I began as his horse pulled up next to mine. I could not bring myself to apologize for my outburst after the battle, and the intervening days had made me more eager to see him.

In a short meeting of our eyes, I could see both pleasure and concern in his. ”Thank you. I am not too tired, Emmajin Beki.” The soldier behind me was not close enough to hear, but close enough to see our manner of speaking.

I had to work to keep my voice even, as if discussing the weather. ”Will you be returning with Abaji to Khanbalik?”

”I must take the dragons back to the Great Khan. I am hoping that Little Li will travel with me, to take care of them. That will mean a slow journey. General Abaji has told me he wishes to return quickly.”

My heart fell. I wished I could travel back with Marco, but I knew that General Abaji would never allow it. ”General Abaji plans to celebrate the New Year in Carajan before returning home,” I said. ”But...after you return to Khanbalik? What then?”

He looked sad. ”My father's plan is to begin our journey home in the late spring.”

I rode in silence, as if I'd heard a death sentence. While I had known that Marco planned to return to Venezia, I had just realized that it would mean losing him forever. In a few days, I would leave Carajan and might not have a chance to see Marco again. ”Of course you must return to your homeland,” I said.

He lowered his voice. ”But I hate to face my father with empty saddlebags. He will be furious.”

”What do you mean?” I had never asked him about his trading.

”My father gave me half his profits, what little he had left after giving our greatest treasures to the Khan, and asked me to buy goods on this trip. I spent most of it on rare medicines in Carajan, items not available in the capital, small and easy to carry.”

”That sounds like a wise purchase.”

”Yes. But now they are gone.”

I remembered seeing him go from tent to tent when we were caring for the injured after the battle. ”You gave them to the soldiers.”

”Yes.” He looked at me intently.

”And now you have no gold to buy more medicine in Da-li?”

”That is correct.”

”What will you tell your father and uncle?”

He twisted his mouth. ”I have been pondering this every day.”

Caught up in my own problems, I had been oblivious to his. ”Marco,” I said. ”I will see what I can do.”

Back in Da-li, the following evening, Nesruddin invited us to a banquet to celebrate our victory. I sat next to General Nesruddin, with all the sergeants of ten and commanders of one hundred. The airag airag flowed freely, and the food was delicious: spicy rice noodles, ham, snake, stewed fish, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. The flavors and spices danced on my tongue as if I were eating for the first time. flowed freely, and the food was delicious: spicy rice noodles, ham, snake, stewed fish, bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. The flavors and spices danced on my tongue as if I were eating for the first time.

After dinner, talk turned to the battle of Vochan. Every man present told his view of the battle, except Marco. So Abaji stood and told the story of how Marco had gotten the idea of using fire rats and bamboo lances filled with fire medicine to frighten the elephants. The men shouted, ”Good! Good!” Marco smiled humbly, and I realized that he hid his brilliance and acted the fool so as not to appear threatening.

When Abaji had finished, I stood, feeling uncertain. Women seldom spoke at banquets. All eyes were on me. Steadying myself with my hands on the table, I looked across at Marco, then at Abaji and Nesruddin.

”I am not a trained storyteller,” I began, my voice cracking. ”Still, there is something else you do not know about our Latin friend. After the battle, many soldiers were wounded. Messer Marco gave to our wounded troops his precious medicines that he had bought with his own gold.”

A ripple of approval rose from the gathering.

My voice grew more confident. ”I saw this with my own eyes. One young soldier was in great pain. He took Messer Marco's medicine, stopped moaning, and later recovered. Messer Marco gave freely, sacrificing all he had. Now he has nothing of value to take back to Khanbalik to trade. This, too, is heroism.”

”This is true?” asked Nesruddin. Marco waved his hand as if it were nothing. ”Remark on this!” the general continued. ”A foreigner has contributed to the Great Khan's cause. For a merchant, merchandise is like blood. Yet he gave it freely!”

”Good! Good!” shouted Abaji, and others followed.

”I will see that you are compensated,” said Nesruddin to Marco. And he did. As the Khan's highest representative in the province of Carajan, Nesruddin was empowered to spend the Khan's gold. On behalf of our generous Khan, he gave Marco enough to replace all the precious medicine he had bought and to buy other goods as well.

I was glad I had helped Marco. But it was bittersweet. Helping him buy goods would enable him to return to his homeland.

33 Under the New Moon

Soon it was time to celebrate the New Year-Tsagaan Sar, the White Festival. We stayed at Nesruddin's Palace in Da-li to enjoy the biggest holiday of the Mongol year.

Despite our victory and the festivities, the Mongol holiday traditions filled me with sadness. Suren's absence darkened every activity. We greeted one another with khadag khadags, the blue ceremonial silk scarves we Mongols present with both hands as a gesture of goodwill. Each of them made me think of Suren with unbearable pain. I was sure I would never again feel pleasure on this holiday.

On the evening of the second day of the New Year, when most people of the palace had aching heads from too much airag airag, or sore bellies from too much meat, I found time to talk to Marco alone. He was standing on the ramparts overlooking the huge ear-shaped lake that lapped at the palace walls. This time, there was no moon, as New Year's Day is always on the day of the new moon. The stars seemed brighter, reflected in the lake water.

”Do they see the same stars in your homeland?” I asked, startling him as I came up behind him.

When he saw it was I, he smiled. ”It's strange. The stars look exactly the same, and so does the moon. This is the only thing here that reminds me of home.”

”You are eager to go back,” I said, standing near him.

He turned toward me. ”Thank you for your help,” he said. ”Still, I wish I could find some way to stay.” Even in the darkness, I could see that his eyes burned with sincerity.

”There is no way. You know that,” I said, wis.h.i.+ng it were not true.

He looked over the lake. ”Yes. Of course. I understand.”

”Far from home, we are free to think different thoughts,” I said.

”And you will return home soon, to the palace.” He continued my train of thought. ”I hope I have not offended you in any way.” His voice became more formal. It saddened me.

Side by side, we stared out over the water awhile. His arm was two hand widths away from mine. My heart was full of sorrow. I felt sure we would never be alone again. ”Princess, you remember, in Xanadu,” he began, ”I told you about courtly love, when a low-ranking man admires a lady from a distance.”

So he had been thinking of me. ”A lovely tradition,” I said.

”Do you recall,” he said, ”the day you shot down the eagle?”

We had not mentioned the incident since that day. ”Mmm,” I said.