“Ah, brother.” Batu lounged on Ulaanbaatar’s palace tiles, his arms spread open to accommodate as many concubines as possible. “Back so soon? I take it the army was a disappointment.”

“At least only one of us was disappointed,” I said.

“Oh.” Batu sprung up, women slipping off of him like water from a duck. He pulled a sack out from behind a chair. “I read a few as I collected them.” He smiled. “And I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Take a look at the first few on the top.”

“Someone will be.” I dug into the sack and read the first one I grabbed. It described the necessity for quick action after Changhan’s death. Signed by Gantulga.

“Shall we?” I returned the letter to the sack and offered Batu a hand.

“We shall.” Batu straightened his shirt and blew a kiss to the concubines. They giggled, almost in unison.

I gripped the sack of letters and Batu put his hand on my wrist. I pressed on Karakhorum’s courtroom.

Men of the court always seemed to be in disarray. It was understandable – to go from being under a madman’s thumb to at war with a neighbor to part of a young empire. I’d be disheveled too, if I wasn’t the driving force behind it.

No one had dressed properly yet. Everyone wore loose silk robes meant for sleeping, and, as usual, everyone shouted over one another. Gantulga, his cheeks jostling with the vigor of his oration, tried to rally them to his cause. I caught the end of his little speech.

“…and it’s clear as daylight that this man is herding us to our doom—” He shook when he noticed me. “Oh my lord! Great and noble Lord Kublai!” He scurried over, like a puppy trying to beg for scraps. “The scouts will be along from the frontlines soon to deliver their reports on the state of the war with Ulaan—”

“There is no war,” I said. “Not with Ulaanbaatar, at least.”

“My lord.” Gantulga chuckled nervously. “Now is not the time for denial—”

“I’m not in denial.” I tucked the map away. “I’ve just slain Ulaanbaatar’s elected champion. This is his blood on my clothes.”

“Oh…” he murmured. “Oh.”

“You don’t seem very happy Gantulga,” I said.

“No, no my lord,” he said, forcing a smile. “I’m ecstatic. Praise the Eternal Blue Sky for this deliverance.” He shook his hands at the hole in the ceiling. A few men nodded along.

“Actually,” I said, looking over the crowd. “I achieved this by my own hand alone.”

“Surely you must give some credence—”

“However,” I said, “other men in this room did not achieve their ends with only their hands.” I paused and let them stew with it for a moment, then locked my gaze on Gantulga. “Men in this very courtroom have conspired against their own city, against Karakhorum, and against me.”

“And…” Gantulga looked at his feet, “you have evidence of this great and dire betrayal?”

I kicked the sack of letters. “More than enough. Batu, go to the wall. Tell Chair-Wax I relieve him of his duty. He may release the prisoner to you.”

“As you wish,” Batu said, bowing as he glided back toward to the door.

“The… the prisoner?” Gantulga said.

“You may know him as Lord Altan,” I said, “you two seem to be great friends. He’s no longer a lord, however, so I suspect your friendship will waver.”

Gantulga looked visibly paler. “I don’t know what you’re insinuating, my lord.”

“But you know what you’re guilty of,” I said.

“My lord,” one of the other men squeaked. “This court has heard many words like yours thrown around carelessly in the time Changhan.”

“But unlike Changhan,” I said, “I have evidence.”

I pushed the sack and it spilled its contents on the court floor like the sea delivering foam to the shore. “You,” I said to the man who spoke up. “Please, select which piece of evidence you’d like to read.”

He shuffled forward, his hands tucked into his sleeves. He bent down and handed me his choice.

I unfolded it. “Ah, excellent choice.” I cleared my throat and started to mimic Gantulga’s accent. “Changhan is falling to madness. Our time to strike looms upon us. Ready your forces and I shall make the preparations. Gantulga.” I guffawed. “You could have at least not signed your name to these. But I suppose that’s been your problem for some time now: your pride wouldn’t let you entertain the idea that you might just lose.”

The court mumbled.

“That…” Gantulga said. “That is but one piece of… frankly circumstantial evidence—”

“If you would,” I gestured to the same man of the court again. “Make another selection.”

He did.

“I have made correspondence with Lord Batbayar’s wife. She shall handle our operations in the south. For now, we shall storm Karakhorum at first opportunity. Be ready. Gantulga.” I glanced at Gantulga and tucked this one away for later. Lord Batbayar would be very interested to read it. “Now, if anyone else would like to make a selection while we wait for Lord Altan, please do.”

No one did, and the man who’d spoken up shuffled back to his place.

“Captain Eeluk,” I said, “restrain Gantulga.”

“Stop wriggling!” Batu groaned as he dragged Altan up over the last step. “I swear I’ll open you up for the Eternal Blue Sky to see.”

Altan froze.

“Altan,” I said, “welcome to Karakhorum. I know you wanted to set foot in this court for… how long? Though, you probably wanted an army around you. They’re well on their way back to Ulaanbaatar now.”

He remained silent, and averted his eyes from the restrained Gantulga.

I sidled over to Altan. “I suggest you give full and truthful answers when I ask you questions.”

“Suggest?” he said.

I drew my dagger. “Strongly.”

“Do not say anything, Lord Altan,” Gantulga said. “This man is no threat—”

“I’ll speak,” Altan said, getting his feet. Batu had tied his arms behind his back. “It’s over Gantulga.”

Gantulga’s face sunk. “But…”

“Six years,” Altan said. “I colluded with Gantulga for six years.”

The court erupted with sneers and pointed fingers.

When I spoke, their jeering tapered off. “For what aim?”

“To place Gantulga as the Lord of the city,” Altan said. “In order to gain a greater foothold in the Council of Lords, which we’d use to conquer cities in the south and the north.”

I turned to the court. “I believe this evidence is satisfactory.”

The crowd nodded. “And what is their sentence?” one man said.

“That depends,” I said, “on what they say next.” I glanced at Captain Eeluk. “Captain, have your men escort the men of court out. This is a delicate matter.”

Eeluk nodded at three men by the door, who jogged over and herded everyone out.

When everyone had left, I rested a hand on Altan’s shoulder. “Speak, and you may keep your head.” I paused. “The Council of Lords. Explain.”

“Explain what?”

“Everything.”

“Don’t!” Gantulga struggled against Eeluk’s grip. “This demon will bend the entire continent over—”

“Why should I prevent him,” Altan said, “from doing exactly what we aimed to? We’re beaten, Gantulga.”

Gantulga grumbled.

“I can shut him up, my lord,” Eeluk said.

“No need,” I said. “I believe Altan has just performed that service for me. Please, continue.”

“It began after the fall of the First Empire decades ago, when the members of the royal family were ousted from their cities. The new lords… well, they were ordinary men. Fishermen, villagers, milliners. My own father sold linen. When these new lords tasted a little power, they couldn’t stop pawing for more. They overthrew each other on an almost fortnightly basis.

The Council of Lords was, at first, an alliance to maintain some sliver of order. At first, the Council acted to secure trade routes, root out bandits, and strengthen relationships between cities… At first, it was for the good of the people, my father always said. I believe it did stamp out the constant vying for power. For a time.”

I pulled Altan a chair. “But not for long, I assume.”

“Indeed, not for long. It didn’t stop the game. It only drove it underground. Before, men sacked cities by their own hand. After the Council, they poisoned food supplies. They assassinated one another. They…” Altan glanced at Gantulga. “They convinced lords, like my cousin, to spend weeks in places like the Split-Skull Forest to drive them to madness. Members of the Council are forbidden to take direct action against one another, so now that my plans against Changhan have been discovered…” He looked at his feet.

“Now that the Council of Lords knows…” Altan continued. “Lord Kublai. I will answer every question you put to me, and I will serve you as much as I can—”

“I won’t protect you,” I said. “You conspired against me. That can’t be—”

“Protect me?” Altan shook his head. “No. I want you to kill me.” He paused. “What the Council of Lords will do…”

“Can’t be worse than death,” I said. “Men can only hurt other men so much.”

“That would be true,” he said. “If the Council of Lords was just the lords of the continent. I mentioned that at first it was good. And it was good. I saw them feed the hungry and nurse the sick. They rebuilt the First Capital, the center of the Council’s operations, in a matter of weeks.”

“What changed?”

His voice fell as low as he could take it. “He came.”

“Who?”

Could it be the same man after Erhi? I thought.

“I can’t speak on it directly, but I shall try.” Altan took a breath and savored it, as if it may be his last. “There are men. There are goblins, giants, and orcs. There were dragons.” He paused. “But on the other side, there are individuals who… aren’t. There are some who listen to us even now. Some who could snap my neck now before I say more than… he allows.

“The Council of Lords was corrupted. Men became greedier, more bloodthirsty. I don’t understand the workings of the invisible myself, but that is what I saw. Now the sick lie on the streets. Slavers stalk the former trade routes, prowling for able men and young women.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “There’s a monster on this continent. He doesn’t involve himself directly, not often. He has emissaries for that, and the Council is the most notable in his collection. I won’t say he is entirely to blame, however. We on the Council of Lords… we didn’t even try and resist—”

Altan’s nose started bleeding. “Lord Kublai, you must…” He choked, spit blood from his teeth. “You must—”

“Kill him?”

“In time, but…” Altan said. “The Council of Lords. We fell to his whispers, his darkness.” His eyes teared with blood. “To defeat him will take time. I don’t even know if he can be defeated. But the Council can—”

Altan’s body shook and he fell off the chair. His chest hit the ground and twitched like a fish. “He… will… come.” Altan stopped convulsing. His blood crept along the courtroom floor.

The door at the back of the court burst open. My right hand when for my blade, and I slipped my left into my satchel and onto the map. Wind rushed through the court. The fire crackled and died down. A dark cloud crept over the sun, smothering the light.

The sound of footsteps approaching, bare feet on tiles, echoed through the room.

Erhi huffed as she came through the door. “What’s… happening?”

I nodded at Altan’s body.

“I felt it,” she said. “I felt him.”

The wind tapered off after a few moments, and the fire returned to life like a mouse peeking out of its hole. I relaxed, my hands falling to my sides again. Whatever had come to kill Altan was gone, and the experience had had a lasting effect on Gantulga. He whimpered prayers in the corner, Eeluk looming over him. Batu had rushed to my side, his hand on his blade.

Erhi stepped over Altan’s body. “I know what you’re thinking of doing, Kublai.” She gripped my arm. “I saw you in the First Capital.”

“And what was I doing?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “But I saw… fire. And I know you’re thinking of going against the Council of Lords. Kublai, you’ve already done enough—”

“If you saw me doing it,” I said, “then I’m not merely thinking of doing it.”

“Kublai, if you do this, it’ll be you against the whole might of the Council of Lords. It’s a fool’s errand.” She glanced at her feet. “You can’t win.”

“Most people would think that, yes.” I closed the distance between us. “I’m counting on the Council thinking I can’t. People have bent the knee because I’ve won when it didn’t seem like winning was possible.”

She nestled her cheek into my chest. “But… this time, you really can’t—”

“I can. I will.” I kissed her forehead and whispered to her, “and when I get back, I’ll show you the other things I can do.”

“When you get back?” Erhi shook her head. “I’m coming with.”

I turned to Batu. “Brother.”

“Brother,” Batu said, his smile growing.

“Let’s go meet the Council of Lords.”