Season of the Dragon (5)
I stepped into the Khan’s quarters with Uushun at my side.
The tent was already packed with many more than just Khan Ashtien.
“Now I’m getting used to places like this,” I thought, glancing around for an empty seat.
Ahor quickly made room for me.
“Please, sit here.”
As head of the Keshik, Ahor’s position was naturally right in front of the Khan. That realization brought a faint twinge of discomfort.
“A little intimidating,” I admitted to myself, “even though I’m not technically her official partner.”
“Yes. Come, sit beside me. I have something I must tell you.”
Ashtien took my hand and drew me forward.
“Understood.”
I met the elves’ eyes—nothing hostile, only polite respect—and took the seat.
“The Steppe folk are said to be very particular about seating arrangements,” I recalled. “But our tribe seems less strict about it.”
In truth, I had been allowed beside the Khan because every person present recognized my status. Bia and Ahor needed no reminder. Uushun and Aruk showed me the same courtesy.
Of course, the credit for my rank belonged to them—my deeds could never rival theirs. Yet they acknowledged my potential and the courage that came with it. No one could deny that a human youth, a boy, had fought with the prowess of a champion.
It was almost unheard of.
Even among the long-lived elves, such precedent was rare.
That alone made special treatment only natural.
“So the Baatar has arrived. I suppose I must explain everything again.”
The atmosphere felt heavier than usual with so many eyes upon me.
“Everyone gathered here is because of a message that arrived moments ago.”
I had guessed as much. I simply hadn’t anticipated its contents.
Ashtien, however, might have known the sender.
Ashtien must have been checking the seal, I realized. She looked troubled—something serious must be coming.
“It was from my mother. The Great Khan.”
“The Great Khan…”
Her elevated title felt foreign on Ashtien’s lips. In the Steppe she was already the pinnacle of nobility; she rarely bothered with formal speech.
So that’s why she seems uneasy. Yet when the sender is the Great Khan herself, even Ashtien has no choice.
Simply knowing the letter came from her changes everything.
Ashtien began reading aloud.
“Do you still remember the story I told you about the salt mines last time?”
The memory hit me like lightning. The day still burned bright in my mind.
“Yes. I remember. The Salt Mines draw the steppe herds, and the dragons come to feast on them.”
Probably the same dragon I had seen with her, streaking toward the salt lake.
Ashtien’s eyes showed satisfaction.
“Exactly. The letter concerns the same salt mines.”
“What’s the problem with the salt mines?”
If it were serious, it would mean livestock losses.
“Not yet. But my mother is viewing it differently.”
Ashtien continued.
“You and I discussed this once before. Dragons don’t normally fly over the Wilderness. But this time they did. She’s worried about the difference.”
I couldn’t read dragon thoughts, but the question was clear.
“Is this good fortune, or ill?”
Ashtien had been worried too.
“She has always regarded dragons with unease,” Bia added quietly. “Her reaction to dragon news has always been sharp.”
“The Steppe and fire are opposite elements,” Bia said.
The prairie grass was always brittle; a spark could turn the entire plain to ash.
“Yet it isn’t quite so simple,” Ashtien said, glancing at me sideways.
“Ah, of course…”
Bia fell silent, sensing the implication.
“The story took a different turn. Let us return to the letter. In summary: the Great Khan has ordered that the salt lake be personally supervised.”
She’s sending someone to the mines, just as she once sent someone to deal with the sandworms in the Great Desert.
Yet the mood felt different this time.
I lowered my eyes, speaking politely.
“Will the Khan go herself?”
“That is my intention.”
Surprising. She usually refused to leave the tribe.
The salt lake lay far to the north—too distant for quick return trips.
Last time we hunted, we never ventured farther than the same day’s return.
Ashtien caught the question in my eyes and answered without hesitation.
“I rarely leave the tribe except on true necessity.”
But this time… something feels different.
“The season is summer. The centaur chieftains will gather at the salt lake. Strong leaders cannot be left unsupervised.”
“Understood.”
The moment the centaur chieftains were mentioned, Bia’s clan—the Altangerel—sprang to mind.
Will Bia’s family be there?
Of course. If Ashtien was attending, they would appear. The bond was too tight to keep her daughter away.
I glanced at Bia. Her expression showed clear discomfort.
She dislikes being put in this position.
“Baatar.”
Ashtien turned to me.
“Will you accompany me to the salt mines and Dragon’s Valley?”
The invitation came as no surprise. I had expected it the moment she said she would go herself.
“Yes. I will go.”
“Good. Afraid of dragons, are you?”
Ashtien’s playful tone made laughter ripple through the tent.
“Dragons are small enough for me to swallow in one bite.”
Uushun grinned. “Dragons are bite-sized. There’s nowhere left to eat!”
“Haha! You’ve made me think… it’s true!”
The mood loosened instantly. Elves around us chuckled at my words.
Ashtien added her own remark.
“Indeed. If a dragon is the opponent, Bia might even be considered bite-sized.”
Bia as well?
Thinking about it, Bia is a different scale altogether. Maybe even two bites.
I kept the thought to myself.
Dear Ashtien,
After I left the others, we sat together over tea.
“Asmur will remain with the tribe,” she said.
“With Aruk, she will guard the settlement. She’ll stay until Rahan recovers.”
“How unfortunate.”
“One must tend to one’s family. There is no other choice.”
We sipped fresh-milk tea and talked idly.
Naturally, the conversation turned to dragons.
“Surely dragons won’t cause real trouble?”
“You worry too much. Nothing like that has happened in hundreds of years.”
“Still, I’ve heard of injuries or deaths caused by dragons in the past.”
“That was different. There was never an open conflict with dragons themselves.”
“That’s a relief.”
“You were so calm a moment ago. Were you secretly afraid?”
“Not at all.”
I answered quickly, but my tone lacked conviction.
“This is a problem. If dragons go on a rampage, you will have to step in and stop them.”
Honestly, I had no idea how to face a dragon. Griffons were already terrifyingly large.
“I will bring it down for you,” Ashtien said, sipping her tea.
“Prove it,” I answered. “Can you really fight dragons for me?”
She laughed.
“Of course. I will bring the dragons crashing down. Shall we begin?”
“Dragons can be brought down by me,” I suggested.
Ashtien laughed aloud.
“Very well. I will bring them down. How about that?”
“If a dragon lands and bows its head, I will cleave it.”
Her hearty laugh filled the tent.