After breakfast Nanberry arranged the children into white clothes and put them to work dismantling the tent. Cloth was stacked and packed on to packhorses while tent poles became support beams for packs, greatly expanding the capacity for the horses. Everything had a place. In a matter of hours, the whole camp had been dismantled and soon they were all moving. The clan moved south between the holy grove—a large group of neatly ordered trees—and the temple district. They came to the white tower, crossed the white bridge and wended their way through the large palatial buildings. Following the packhorses were several hundred head of cattle, sheep, and goats. Taking up the rear and ensuring none of the cattle were lost were a dozen men from the clan.

Araki led his horse beside Nanberry’s.

Nanberry was sitting watching the herd move past the large buildings.

“Why did we go through the city?” Araki asked Nanberry.

“I guess now is a good as time as any. These buildings are what the merchants built to house them during the negotiations. Coming through here reminds them that they didn’t get all the herd. Next year we can ask for more.”

“Won’t they see how many you have and lower the prices?” Araki asked.

The last of the herders rode past and Nanberry nudged her mount to follow. She grabbed the reins of Araki’s mount and pulled his horse along.

Once the horse was walking beside hers, she dropped the reins and they followed the herd. “They buy so many head of cattle that I think they need more than we can afford to give them.”

Araki nodded.

“Let’s begin your training,” Nanberry announced. “The clan is a family and a community at the same time.”

Araki nodded.

“The clan provides everything for its members. In turn, every member works to support the clan.”

“Do all the marriages happen inside the clan?”

“Not all but most do. It is the first wife’s job to track the children’s heritage and ensure that each marriage is beneficial.”

“Has a first wife failed?”

“A few times,” Nanberry admitted.

They rode out of the city and came to large stone menhirs arrayed around a large statue of a man in full battle armour, kneeling.

“The price of getting it wrong now means that a marriage must be approved by a clan elder. We have three such women that can approve an internal marriage.”

“How do marriages between clans happen?”

“It is a lot easier, but it would need to be checked with elders and chiefs from both clans.”

“So, it is a political arrangement?”

Nanberry nodded. “A child is the responsibility of the whole family. Anyone in the family group, basically those that sleep in the same tent, has the right to discipline a child. However, when moving, the whole clan becomes one family.”

“The child becomes the responsibility of the whole clan.”

Nanberry nodded. “You’re getting it.”

“It seems pretty simple,” Araki said.

“I started with the family unit because it is simple,” Nanberry said.

“Is there a maximum of allowed marriages per person?”

“The chief of the clan can have many, some have even gotten so bad that every woman was considered his wife.”

“That would have made marriage for his children difficult,” Araki said.

Nanberry laughed. “I assume it was as it hasn’t happened in a while. The last known one to be like that was killed by a wife’s lover.”

The clan moved to the north and headed east, leaving the city and Skylake behind them. The grass went from green to a deep purple.

“How far is it to Tell Aroll?”

“Tell Aroll is at the base of the mountains to the east. It is a small creek that trickles off the mountains before going underground. It will take us several days to get there.”

Nanberry turned in her saddle and looked back to the city behind them.

“What are you looking for?”

“I am checking for anyone following us.”

“Who would follow you?”

“Clan Linjah has been known to shadow us.”

“Why would they do that?”

“In the election of the king, when my husband ascended the throne, Clan Linjah had a contender, but they lost.”

“Why would they follow you around?”

“Us … we are not sure.”

***

As the sun reached its zenith, Nanberry handed Araki some tough bread to chew on, and a water skin. The mountains of Skylake became a distant grey blur on the horizon.

“Tell me how a clan chooses its chieftains,” Araki said.

“The family is chosen through an election. Normally a chieftain is for life and he passes on his position to his son unless his son is too young. In that case a new family is chosen.”

“Does the young son resume chieftain status when he comes of age?”

Nanberry shook her head. “Chieftains are for life and are passed on to of-age sons. What you suggest would be a disservice to the new chieftain.”

“What about the previous chieftain?”

“He was unable to show that his family was strong enough for the rigours of leadership.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s not the person that the clan chooses, it’s the family.”

Araki looked at Nanberry with a furrowed brow.

“The clan chooses the whole family … the wives the children and the man. It is all considered when a clan chief is elected.”

“Why would the family be considered?”

“If the family seems weak then the clan will suffer. If the chief is strong, the clan will grow in strength and cattle.”

They passed by a pair of horses standing by tall grasses and a couple was heard in the grasses giggling.

Nanberry smiled at them. “Young love. A household needs to be considered. The actions of the grown children are especially important; if the women are known to be fertile and can produce many children this is good. If the man is virile that is also good. Both traits are sought out in the family. It is best if the chieftain has a grown son, better still if he also has a child. The more children a family has the better.”

“So, my claim to chieftainship would be very weak.”

Nanberry tilted her head to one side. “Well you are considered to have two wives, three if you consider me. If you do consider me, then you will also have four girls and one son … a good strong family but still young. You would be required to have an advisor, which will make you look weak.”

“Okay, let me work this out. The best chieftain would be one with grown sons who also have sons. One with many wives and children,” Araki said.

“Yes. That is how we choose the contenders. So far there are four such contenders. Yalla, Bunyan, Jungurrur and Drice. All have children, and all have at least one grown son with a child of their own.”

“How do we select between them?”

“As you know with you, we have forty-one voting men. Each contender needs at least twenty-one votes, basically half plus. It is not recommended that women vote because we will always side with our husbands. If say Yalla’s three wives all vote for Bunyan giving him the majority when those three votes could have gone to Yalla … Yalla’s wives could expect reprisals. He wouldn’t, he is a nice gentle man, but it is possible and to protect the women we are not given the vote.”

Araki furrowed his brow and nodded. Something about the system sounded like it was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was the problem.

“Couldn’t the same be said for sons?”

Nanberry tilted her head again. “It is possible that many sons would vote for their father because of loyalty.”

“How many sons does each contender have?”

“Yalla has three sons all voting for him. Bunyan has four all also voting for him. Jungurrur has six all voting for him. Drice has nine sons and all but one vote for him.”

“Why doesn’t that one son vote for his father?”

“He was heard to say to his father that he is too old. Drice is in his fifties.”

“Is that old?”

Nanberry shrugged. “It could be, but we don’t elect a man, we elect his family.

Araki counted. “That is twenty-six votes, between just the contenders.”

“The count at last vote three days ago was ten votes for each family. Problem is that even with your vote we still need one person to change their mind and vote for someone else.”

“Does my being here make a difference; it seems that regardless you have the same problem.”

“That is true.”

“Then why did you ask for my father’s help?”

“When I sent the letter, we only had two contenders: my husband and Drice. I had hoped that your father would come vote for my husband and give us the needed votes.”

“Since your husband died, we now have four contenders with no clear leader. What will my vote actually do?”

“That is a decision that has yet to be made.”

“Who should I vote for?”

Nanberry shrugged. “I am not certain, at this point it matters little.”

***

As dusk approached the clan set up camp in a circle. The tents of the family heads went up quickly in the centre, dividing walls, connecting some tents to smaller tents, allowing children and grandchildren to play together.

Five tents formed around the central campsite: Yalla, Bunyan, Jungurrur, Drice and Nanberry, all looking into the centre. Once the outside walls were set up, the children all stripped off their now-dirty clothes and began to heat water in a large pot. Everyone stripped off their clothes and added them to the pot to clean them and began to set up the inside of the tents. Aquillia, Stella and Araki rolled out a large carpet, while Nanberry affixed the dividing lines down the middle of the tent and then broke the sleeping quarters into two sections.

Once the sections were arranged, and the clothes hung out to dry, the children started to prepare a stew pot for dinner while the adults lounged in the sitting section with the back flap open to let in the light and to cool their now-sweaty bodies.

“Will we move again tomorrow?” Aquillia asked, as she lounged on a cushion.

“We have no more water. There is a well a little walk from here,” Nanberry answered.

Aquillia groaned. “I much prefer moving by ship.”

Stella laughed.

“It’s okay for you. This seems like a great adventure.” Aquillia flung a cushion at Stella. The offending cushion sailed past her head and landed in the grass outside.

“I thought grass was green,” commented Araki as he retrieved the cushion and handed it back to Aquillia.

“We are in the Desert of Blood,” Aquillia said.

“I thought it was given that name because of the great war between the city of Ashford and the Horse Lords,” Stella commented.

Nanberry chuckled. “It is because of the grass; it is purple up close and goes red when viewed from afar. The myth is: when the Horse Lords were birthed that they killed their mother and her blood stained the grass.”

“That doesn’t explain why they left,” Stella interjected.

“They were so torn up by grief that they moved north to escape the remembrance of it, Nanberry said with a shrug. “There are a lot of holes in the myth.”

“I think it is a different type of grass,” commented a young boy.

All the adults looked at him.

“Why do you think that?” Stella asked.

“The purple grass spreads in all directions, but doesn’t stop in a neat line. It bleeds through the other grass near the border.”

“Thank you, Jubeck,” Nanberry dismissed.

Jubeck nodded and returned to his chores.

“He thinks he is an adult if he wears clothes for a day.” Nanberry smiled.

Araki nodded.

“How old is he?” Stella asked.

“He will be a man in a year,” Nanberry said, watching him outside.

“Are you ready to let him go?”

“I have a wife picked out for him.” Nanberry turned back to the others. “A girl of fourteen that will make a good first wife.”

“Have they met before?” Stella asked.

“Her father ensured that they rode together today. He said that they got along well. It is a good marriage for him. It will give him protection and he can learn what he needs from her to expand his own family.”

“Does he need a tent of his own?” Araki asked.

“No, she will move in with us until they have a child,” Nanberry said.

The girls started to spoon the stew into bowls and passed them round to everybody. One of the youngest came and sat down next to Araki. She looked up to him and smiled. Araki smiled back at her. She blushed.

“What is your name?” he asked.

“I am Lammy,” she declared. “Are you going to be my new daddy?” Araki looked up from Lammy and looked at Nanberry.

“We will see, dear,” Nanberry said, as she placed a hand on Lammy’s shoulder.

“He seems nice, and he brings two new mummies.” Lammy said, a bright grin erupting onto her face. Stella and Aquillia laughed.

“Who are your sisters?” Araki asked.

“They are not important.” Lammy waved her hand. “I am the special one.”

“Lammy!” Nanberry scolded.

“It’s true,” Lammy pouted.

“Why are you the special one?” Araki said grinning at the young girl.

“Because I am,” Lammy stated.

Araki laughed. “Yes, you are. Do you like your family?”

“I like my mummy and my sisters, Maynee and Nemma.”

“What about your other sisters?” Araki said pretending to be concerned.

“They are mean to me and make me do work,” Lammy said.

“We will have to put a stop to that,” Araki comforted. Lammy poked her tongue out at her elder sisters. “What do they make you do?”

“I stirred the dinner and help wash the clothes,” Lammy frowned.

“What do you your sisters do?” Araki said.

“They chop the food and wash the dishes,” Lammy said.

“That sounds like you have the easier job,” Araki said. Lammy looked up at Araki her eyes half closed. “I also don’t like to wash dishes; I wouldn’t mind stirring the pot if I didn’t have to clean up.”

Lammy looked at the floor for a while. “I guess you are right.”

Araki smiled down at this young girl sitting beside him and watched her for a while as she ate her stew.

“Aren’t you hungry?” she asked, looking at him.

Araki smiled down at her and spooned a mouthful of food into his mouth. His heart ached for these children who all needed him; a sense of purpose rose in his chest. Could this be the real reason of life, to protect and nurture children?