Lords of the Black Banner: A Mongolian Epic (Fractured Empire Book 2) by Starr Z. Davies

Author:Starr Z. Davies [Davies, Starr Z.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: historical fiction, saga, asian fiction, epic fiction
Publisher: Pangea Books
Published: 2021-12-12T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

Cold Thoughts

East of Mongke Bulag – Summer 1469

After returning from his rendezvous with Yeke, Bayan had promptly fallen asleep in his bed beside the snoring form of his wife. Siker had woken early, nagging at him about the dirt his boots had tracked in on the rug, which again turned into a full-blown argument. How did that woman ever expect him to have sex with her again if all she did was criticize everything?

The morning had offered the promise of a good day for hunting. Bayan mounted up with his personal guards and Berkedai to take an extended hunting trip. Escaping the suffocating mass of Mongke Bulag—and Siker—offered relief.

As he raced across the plains with his men, Bayan breathed in the warm summer air. They already had killed several marmots brave enough to stick their heads out of their holes to discover what made the ground rumble so. The dogs barked with delight, running alongside the mounts, their furry manes rippling along their heads and down their backs like black and brown waves. While Bayan despised warfare, he enjoyed hunting. It felt liberating, as if he were free of any cares he could have in the world.

Berkedai’s bow string snapped and Bayan watched the arrow whistle through the air and catch a bird in flight. He grinned as Berkedai whooped in delight. One dog raced ahead to collect the prize in its jaw.

By nightfall, they all stretched out on felt bedrolls beside a campfire and feasted on their kills from the hunt. Bayan tossed scraps to the dogs, who devoured the morsels of meat with slobbery delight. As he tossed a bone toward two dogs, they snatched it simultaneously, nearly biting each other as each grabbed an end of the bone in their teeth. The two tugged back and forth until one emerged with the reward. The other dog snarled, then the two wrestled over the dry ground.

Berkedai gave a sharp whistle, and the dogs stopped immediately, settling down on the ground. The loser of the fight rested his massive head on his giant paws and watched with sad eyes as the other dog gnawed on the bone, sharpening his teeth. The sadness should have bothered Bayan, but such was the way of life. The strongest always won.

Indeed, it was a good day to be alive, and Bayan stretched out beneath the stars as Berkedai shared a tale of their battle against the Ming imposters with the guards, as if the other men had not been there. His enthusiasm was contagious. Bayan closed his eyes and smiled.

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