East

We rode throughout the day, stopped for the night in a thatch of forest, and continued for another two days.

On the fourth day, we continued past night fall. I expected him to stop in another field or at the edge of a forest or somewhere similar, but he continued. Soon after dark fell, a clump of around five buildings came into view. One was far larger than the others, and light and sound spilled from the windows.

"What is this?" I asked.

"Traders' post and inn." Batu glanced at me and then leaned over to tug up my hood. "Keep your face hidden. You draw attention."

I pulled it the rest of the way. The closer we got, the less I liked the idea of a hotel of this kind. It was very … rough. Not only did it smell of waste and unwashed bodies, but the mix of people weren't what I expected. Mongols I recognized by their clothing, though some appeared European or Chinese, but it was the men who looked like bandits or scruffy, shifty-eyed thieves who concerned me.

"Are we staying here?" I asked when Batu stopped at the stables beside the post.

"We are," he confirmed. He dismounted and handed over the reins to a stable boy. "There is little crime here, goddess. The Khan's code is enforced strictly."

I didn't ask, but I suspected the punishment for every infraction was probably death. Dismounting, I bit back a groan of pain after the day on the horse and limped to Batu.

"We will eat here," he said and began walking towards the loud inn. "I have a trade to conduct and then we will rest."

The moment we set foot in the inn, I decided there was nothing on the planet that would dissuade me from his orders this time. The roughened crowd was eating stew or meat and drinking wine and ale. Boisterously drunk or busy eating, the place reeked of humanity, and everyone was armed. I crowded Batu as he wove through the men towards an unoccupied table in corner.

Sitting, I huddled more deeply into my hood and gazed around.

"Wait here," he told me.

I watched him navigate the crowd to the window of the kitchens. Batu returned a few moments later with bowls of stew, bread and wine. He set them down and sat, eating quickly, his eyes never still as he observed the people around us.

I ate more slowly. The stew meat was tough and chewy though there were some unidentifiable spices in it. Batu wolfed down his food and sat back with a glance at the food I'd barely started.