"Languages." She appeared interested. "What languages?"
"All of them."
"Every language under the sky?"
"Yes."
"This is a great gift. No one man speaks all the languages of the Silk Route, the dialects of China and our own Empire and in the tongues of the West. Without the barrier of language, the Great Khan's words will reach the four corners of the world before his armies."
"Ghoajin, my favorite wife. What have you to tell me?" came a gruff voice from outside the tent.
"We have been blessed, husband," she responded. "If my ger is not prepared immediately to receive our guest, you will not sleep inside it this night. We cannot dishonor the Eternal Blue Sky with our sloth!"
I choked back a laugh, not at all certain it was appropriate but unable to prevent my reaction to her bluntness with her husband.
"Bring her water!" Ghoajin barked at one of the servants.
I downed another goblet of water and did my best not to get in the way of them dressing me. Two layers of linen later, they added a third, this one of much thicker wool and pristine white. It reached the tips of my fingers and tops of my feet and was followed by a white cloak and stole made of soft, grey fur. The layers were loose enough to prevent me from overheating and I guessed thick enough to stop the cold night from chilling me again.
It was bulky but far more comfortable than the girdles I was forced into during my journey to the eighteen forties.
"It is ready, wife," the commander called.
Ghoajin opened the entrance to the tent and stepped aside. "Come and meet our blessing."
I was itching to text Carter and ask a few pointed questions and instead, faced the opening of the tent. The commander entered and walked around me twice, trailed by men I assumed were sub-commanders or advisors by their seasoned age and the fact they wore fur.
"Like silk," he said and picked up a strand of my hair. "I have dispatched a rider to the Great Khan, who seeks peace in the mountains. It will arrive a day or two ahead of you to warn him of the honor that comes."
"How far is he from here?" I asked.
"But ten days. You are fortunate you fell here where we are close."
Ten days was nowhere near close in my mind. But at least it would give me the space to figure out what I was doing there and formulate some sort of plan.
"I overheard you say you speak all languages. Would you show us?" he asked.