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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HOMECOMING

There was no sleep for Kati the night before Mengmoshu came to take her to her people. Her mind would not cease its whirling with fear and apprehension about the trip, and Huomeng's visit, while comforting, had only added to the confusion of her thoughts.

He'd stayed quite late while they talked in her sitting room. He'd pulled up a chair, and they'd sat knee to knee in quiet conversation for nearly two hours when she could have been trying to sleep. They'd talked about the visit, and what she could say to a people she'd been absent from for twelve years. They would surely see her as a Tumatsin; her physical presence was enough for that. There was Da and Baber and many others who had known her as a child, but now she was coming to them after many years as a ward of the Moshuguang, and accompanied by a Searcher. Wouldn't they see her as a spy for the Emperor? She could not hide her own mental probe from them for long and then they would see she was also a Searcher, somehow transformed by those they despised.

"But you are Moshuguang, Kati," said Huomeng. "It's a part of your being, and you can't deny it. And while your powers are beyond those of the Tumatsin, you're still one of them. They must see your special gifts as the reason First Mother has chosen you to lead them. You must show them these gifts, Kati, even if they feel threatened by them. And they must know that you care about their welfare."

Huomeng had leaned close and taken her hands in his, startling her. "This will be a difficult time for you. You've waited so long to see your father and brother again, and I wish I could tell you what their reaction will be in seeing you, but I cannot. It might not be pleasant, Kati, and I don't want your expectations for a joyful reunion to be too high. I don't want you to be hurt."

He'd held her hands tightly and looked straight into her eyes, and the feelings coming from him were warm and wonderful, so much so that Kati's thumbs stroked his knuckles in return and they sat for a moment, just looking at each other.

"If there is pain for you, remember who you are," he whispered. "You are to be Empress over all the people, not just the Tumatsin. Your world is much bigger now, and there is loneliness in leadership, a terrible loneliness when difficult things must be done. Your own people might reject you, but still you must lead them if they're to survive. Follow your instincts, and do what an Empress must do. This is the task First Mother has chosen you for, and now it's time to do it."

Kati nodded. "I know."

Huomeng raised her hands to his mouth, and kissed them. "I'll be waiting," he said, and his look was so intense that she felt her cheeks flush. He seemed suddenly embarrassed, releasing her hands and standing up abruptly.

Kati stood up with him, and without a thought put an arm around him to rest her head against his shoulder. She felt his arms go around her, his cheek on top of her head. Suddenly, she wanted him to kiss her, but he did not. They stayed that way for only a moment, and then he gave her a little squeeze and released her, hurrying away, leaving her trembling.

Sleep did not come that night.

Mengmoshu came for her before dawn, and she was waiting for him dressed in her riding leathers, the three precious amulets hanging from her neck, the artifacts of her two worlds that Mandughai had decreed must be made one. Mengmoshu wore the full armor of a trooper and gave her a hooded robe to wear over her leathers. They were the only two passengers in the monorail car driven by a Moshuguang trooper to the flyer field above the palace.

The guard at the gate was also a Searcher, and he led them to a flyer set apart from the others. The field was quiet and all the troopers she saw had the prominent foreheads of the Moshuguang. Not a word was spoken by anyone as they reached the flyer, and Kati saw that Mengyao was its pilot.

The field commander is a friend of the Moshuguang. The Emperor will not hear about our leaving. 

Kati had never been in a flyer, and was nervous as she climbed into the open cockpit of the craft and strapped herself in.

Relax. I fly even better than I ride a horse. I didn't drop you on the way to the city, and I won't drop you now. 

Where do we go, Mengmoshu? 

To the border. We'll take horses from there to the ordu Manlee was last reported to reside in. Since the fences went up, we haven't kept good track of Tumatsin movements, so we might have to search for her. Mengyao will fly cover for us at all times. The Tumatsin have come to think of themselves as an independent nation since the border was established, but they have granted our request for this visit. They are expecting to see the future Empress of Shanji. 

You told them that? 

I told them the truth. What comes from this visit is up to you. 

And they will see their Empress to be a nineteen-year-old girl dressed in riding leathers. 

Their future Empress is a Tumatsin. Tighten your lap belt. We're taking off, now. 

The flyer jerked upwards as she reached for her belt to pull it tightly across her thighs and chest. Mengyao looked back and grinned at her terror. The craft rose straight up, humming loudly, and she clutched at the belt, heart pounding, eyes fixed at the nape of Mengyao's neck. Above her, the dome glowed dimly and a dark patch suddenly grew there, showing stars beyond. She fixed her eyes on the stars, not daring to look down as they lifted, her stomach sinking.

The square opening in the dome rumbled, already beginning to close as they passed through it. Straight above them was the intensely orange Tengri-Nayon, now the brightest star in the night sky. Less than two years to closest approach, thought Kati, and Mandughai was readying Her army for the coming confrontation. Would the people believe? Believe that the goddess they thought would deliver them from the Emperor came to destroy them as well as him? Suddenly, Kati was filled with doubt about any success of her mission, and in her own abilities to lead a people socially divided by so many centuries of archaic rule.

"You're missing a good view," said Mengmoshu. "Look to your right."

She did so as the craft leveled, and saw the city sprawled up the side of the mountain like a crust of fluorescent crystals, illuminating the dome in a soft blue. Mengyao made a slow turn north before the city, then another turn west, passing over the cliffs and then the plateau, the summits of the three peaks a hundred meters below them. It was too dark to see the little meadow there, the place where Lui-Pang had first kissed her. The plateau glowed in starlight and she thought of her rides on Sushua and the trek to Festival with Da on black Kaidu. The trip of days on horseback rushed beneath her as Mengyao held a steady course westward. Kati began to relax and dared to look over the edge of the open cockpit, pressing her nose to the plastic windshield rising a meter above her head. She saw the rolling hills criss-crossed with trails, then the black gash that was the canyon leading to the Festival area, then more hills. It seemed only minutes before a line of orange lights appeared ahead of them, a long line snaking north to south, and suddenly the whine of the flyer lowered in pitch. They were losing altitude and Kati's stomach was rising again.

As they came close to the ground, Kati saw the wire fence with yellow lights spaced far apart, marking the boundary of Tumatsin lands. They were coming up on a stone building with a thatched roof, and people were there with horses, the area brightly lit by a circle of lights mounted on tall poles. Mengyao slowed the flyer to hover over the area, then settled it slowly to the ground as four troopers armed with laser rifles came forward to meet them. All four were Moshuguang. All four bowed to Kati, then to Mengmoshu and Mengyao as they exited the craft.

"They are waiting by the fence," said one trooper to Mengmoshu. "They've been here for over an hour."

Mengyao remained standing by the flyer, and Mengmoshu motioned Kati ahead of him to follow the troopers. Four guards standing before the stone building came rigidly to attention as Kati passed by them, and ahead was a gate in the fence, beyond it several people on horseback with two riderless horses awaiting them in yellow light. The guards opened the gate and passed through it ahead of them. They stood at attention on both sides of Kati as she came close to the riders and stopped, looking up at them.

There were six men, and one woman.

The woman was Goldani.

Kati smiled, and started to speak, but then Mengmoshu pushed past her and bowed to the riders before gesturing back at her.

"This is Mengnu, the one chosen by First Mother. We thank you for coming to escort us at such an early hour."

Seven Tumatsin faces were unreadable masks, but Kati felt their wary interest in her. Goldani looked her up and down, and said, "We came mainly to satisfy our curiosity, Searcher. She is very young, and we weren't aware that Shanji requires a new leader. Has something happened to the Emperor?"

"No," said Mengmoshu. "He's quite ill, however, and the one you call Mandughai has decided the time has come for major changes in the leadership of Shanji. She will soon return with her armies to enforce these changes and place Mengnu on the throne as Empress."

"Indeed," said Goldani. "Mandughai has not informed me of these developments."

"Perhaps she has spoken to Manlee about it. It's Manlee we wish to visit with first," said Mengmoshu.

Goldani stiffened, still looking at Kati. "Manlee has been dead for nearly two years, and I have been chosen to take her place as intermediary to Mandughai. You all see the truth of my words, including this young woman. I feel her probing my mind."

"I have the abilities of a Searcher," said Kati, "but I'm searching for your memory of a little girl carried away by the Emperor's troopers after the ordu with no name was destroyed twelve years ago. I didn't know you were still alive, Goldani. I thought you might have died with my mother."

Goldani seemed to catch her breath, and leaned forward to look at Kati more closely. "I see that you're Tumatsin in appearance. Am I supposed to know you?"

"You rode with my mother in Festival procession when I received my first horse. Her name was Toregene, and she could make her eyes green, Goldani. I am her daughter, Kati, and I've come to see my people again. I've waited many years for this moment."

Goldani's face was still expressionless, but now she dismounted, and walked towards Kati. The guards moved to block her, but Mengmoshu waved them away. The woman stopped within reach, and Kati saw the red of her eyes. Suddenly, her heart was aching, and she felt the sting of tears.

"I've been a ward of the Moshuguang, the Searchers, for twelve years. They always promised me the day would come when I could see my people again, and now it's arrived. You're as I remember you, Goldani. It's good to see a familiar face again."

Goldani put out a hand to finger the necklaces hanging from Kati's neck, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Ma gave me the Eye of Tengri when I went to Festival. The shells came from Edi, a little girl who also received her first horse when I did. The other is from Juimoshu, a woman of the Moshuguang. It is the eye of Mandughai, whom the Moshuguang call First Mother. We are all related to Her, Goldani, both the Tumatsin and the Moshuguang, from two different sons of Her body. She has called me to be Empress of Shanji, and unite all our people. That is why I'm here."

Goldani reached up and touched a tear on Kati's cheek, while the guards nervously shuffled their feet. "I've never seen such green in the eyes of a Tumatsin woman," she said softly.

"The green color comes when I'm happy. I've missed being with my own kind."

Kati grabbed the woman in a hug, felt her stiffen, then relax, one hand resting softly on Kati's back. Kati whispered, "I've missed Da and Baber, and the others in my ordu. I don't even know who's alive! Can you take me to them?"

Goldani stiffened again, and held Kati at arm's length. "This will come, but first I must know you better. I see a woman, not a little girl I remember, and your reason for coming here is extraordinary. While we ride, you must tell me everything that has happened to you since the day Toregene was killed."

"You're not certain of me, but you want to believe," said Kati.

"Yes—I want to believe. We have an hour's ride for you to tell me everything."

"Mengmoshu, here, has been my teacher in many things. You'll have questions he can answer."

"Then we'll ride together," said Goldani.

They mounted up, and the three of them rode ahead of the others along a broad trail heading west as the sky began to lighten. The ride went quickly with conversation. Mengmoshu talked about the Moshuguang's discovery of a gifted Tumatsin child, and the near-tragedy of their mission to save that child from death when the Emperor ordered a threatening ordu destroyed. He talked about Kati's natural abilities, her training, the intervention of First Mother in pushing those abilities to their limits.

Kati told her about the times with Mandughai in the gong-shi-jie, what she'd learned to do there, and how the Empress of Tengri-Nayon had been like a mother to her. She recited the history of the Tumatsin and the truth of the long line of Empresses, some good, some evil, all known as Mandughai.

Goldani seemed wistful. "You speak to Her as we speak now? You've seen Her?"

"When I was a child," said Kati, "I would see emerald eyes and hear a voice in my head, but later, in the gong-shi-jie, She showed me an image of a young Empress when we talked. It was years before I realized She was showing me an image of myself as a woman."

"But you hear her words?"

"Yes."

Goldani sighed. "It has never been so with me. It is more like an instinct, an intuition from something said in a dream. It was also like that with Manlee. You see what I think, so I will say it. Based on my own experience, I'm skeptical about what you tell me. You're saying that only you have direct contact with Mandughai."

"I also have it," said Mengmoshu, "but not in the gong-shi-jie. Only Kati, or Mengnu, as we call her among our people, has the ability to go there. First Mother speaks directly to me and others in the Moshuguang, but only in the way Kati experienced as a child. I've told you her gifts are exceptional and unique. First Mother has chosen her for this reason alone. Kati's abilities exceed even Hers."

"There are Tumatsin who will consider that statement a blasphemy."

"I understand," said Mengmoshu, "but it is truth. First Mother is one of many persons in history, not a god. Her daughter will soon take Her place, and as a final accomplishment of Her reign she wants Tumatsin and Hansui reunited for the betterment of Shanji. She has chosen Kati as an Empress who will bring change in the way we do things, and improve everyone's life, including those millions who live beyond the mountains."

"I've never heard of such people," said Goldani.

Millions, indeed. I see Toregene in this child, but what is she now? Why is she here? 

To show you Mandughai's will, Goldani. I must unite Tumatsin and Hansui as one people. 

Goldani sucked in a breath, turning to see Kati regarding her calmly with emerald green eyes. The sky was bright, now, and ahead of them the great sea spread to the horizon. Clusters of gerts were scattered north and south along a sloping plain leading to beaches and rocky cliffs, and several boats dotted the water near the shore.

"You have not heard of the people in the east because the Emperor has forced your isolation, and the time for that is coming to an end. Tumatsin and Hansui must work together if things are to change," said Kati.

"And if we do not?"

"Then Mandughai will force it, or kill us all," said Kati. "In less than two years, She returns with Her armies. She doesn't come as a savior of the Tumatsin, but as a foreign aggressor. If we don't oppose Her together, She will destroy us all, and start all over again. Her main concern is for the millions who live difficult lives beyond the mountains."

"The Tumatsin will not believe this. At Festival next year they will celebrate Her coming. They've awaited it thousands of years."

"I understand," said Kati. "I've come to tell you the truth and give you a warning. I expect your skepticism, your disbelief. My hope is that when the time comes, and Mandughai's armies are burning your ordus, you will join us in fighting Her. We will be ready to help you."

"We?"

"The fighting force of the Moshuguang is moderate in size, but well trained," said Mengmoshu. "We also have considerable numbers of friends in the Emperor's army who will join us. If we can formulate a mutual-defense pact, I can guarantee the use of these forces to defend your ordus if you will join us in defending the city."

Goldani chuckled. "The Emperor himself once made such a promise, but our only defense is a few troopers and a fence he has built to keep us within our own territory. Your proposal cannot be taken seriously by us, but you are welcome to make it."

"May we speak to the ordu leaders as a group?" asked Kati.

"They are all here. Word of your visit arrived weeks ago, and every ordu is represented."

"When we're finished, I want to see my father and brother. Do you know where they are?"

"They are also here," said Goldani, but suddenly her mind was closed off from Kati, the familiar blackness when someone resisted a probe.

"What's wrong?" asked Kati.

"You will first meet Baber. He will take you to see your father. We didn't know who this person Mengnu was, only that she was Tumatsin. I'm sorry."

Still the blackness in the woman's mind, hiding something from her. "Is it far?"

"No. We come to the ordu now. We shall have time for more talk later, when I've assembled the others. First, there will be food and drink for you."

The trail ended at the edge of the ordu, a cluster of gerts set in three concentric circles, a large, permanent building of logs with a turf roof in the center that was the traditional meeting place for a large ordu. People ran towards them from all directions for a look at the strangers, and there were many children of all ages. Several men sat on horseback, scowling as they passed by. Kati looked for a familiar face, but there were none there. The odor of barley cakes and cheese was in the air, mingled with the scent of horses and goats and burning wood.

The scents of the Tumatsin.

Kati turned, and smiled at Mengmoshu. I feel like I'm coming home. 

Yes, but it isn't home. Your world has become much larger than this one. 

Goldani led them to the log building and dismounted. They went through a doorway with a flap of hide. There were no windows, the only light coming from a partially opened vent made from some translucent animal membrane in the ceiling. In the center of the dirt floor was a stone hearth with freshly set wood beneath a black kettle filled with water for ceremonial tea. Benches lined the walls of the single, large room, and the air smelled like incense and burned wood.

"Our meeting will be here," said Goldani, "and we'll bring bedding for you to sleep on as long as you wish to stay. How long will that be?"

"No more than two nights," said Mengmoshu.

No more? I haven't seen Da and Baber for twelve years! 

We must go back before the Emperor discovers we've left the city. But you can return whenever you think it's safe. 

"Food will be brought here for you. Tomorrow, I invite you to join me for meals in my ger," said Goldani. "We'll discuss the results of the meeting, then. Our food is simple. I hope you will find it satisfactory."

"I'm sure we will," said Kati, "and I'm happy to see that Tumatsin hospitality hasn't changed while I've been away."

My people are fond of understatement. To say their food is simple means they will serve us their very best. 

Goldani nodded, cold and formal, but her eyes were constantly on Kati now. She stepped up close, and said, "I've heard enough to believe you're the little girl we thought was dead so many years ago. I loved your mother, Kati, and I still mourn her. It's her place I've taken, after the death of Manlee, and now her daughter returns to tell me she is to be Empress over all of Shanji. This is difficult for me. I still remember the little girl who would rather ride than eat, but now she's a woman standing before me with the greenest eyes I've ever seen, probing my mind like a Searcher. You are Tumatsin, Kati, yet different. Your aura fills this room in gold and red, always moving, dynamic and powerful. The others will notice this. They will still wonder who or what you really are. They will not believe Mandughai comes to harm us, and will question your motives for telling such a story."

"I'm sent by Mandughai to fulfill Her wishes, Goldani, and all my gifts come from Her. Please tell that to the others before the meeting. Whatever else I am, or will be, I am Tumatsin. This is my first home, and I haven't forgotten it."

"I'll tell them that. Rest now. Food will be brought soon. Our meeting will be after the noon meal."

"When can I see my father and brother?"

"Baber will come for you after the meeting," said Goldani, finally showing a faint smile. "Your brother has become a handsome young man you might not even recognize. You might find him shy at first. I think he will be awed by the beauty of his sister."

Goldani put a hand on Kati's shoulder, and her own eyes were light green. "I'm so happy to see you're alive," she said, then turned, pushed her way past the door flap, and was gone.

Kati was excited, yet worried. "She's hiding something, Mengmoshu. I couldn't penetrate her mind."

"Nor could I. She has excellent control," said Mengmoshu, "but if hostility were there I would have sensed it, and I didn't."

"She remembers me."

"The others will not. Goldani was from your ordu, and she is leader here. She anticipates a difficult meeting and has given us extra time to speak to her alone. We need to take advantage of that."

"Some might remember me from Festival, when I got my first horse."

"This will not help them believe you come as future Empress, or that you're chosen by First Mother. You must give them a sign, Kati. Use your powers when there's an opportunity."

They sat down on a bench and waited only a few minutes before food and drink arrived, verifying what Kati had said about Tumatsin understatement. A line of women, girls, and young boys entered the room, carrying bowls, plates and jugs which they arranged on a hide by the hearth, then two cushions of soft hide stuffed with wool for them to sit on. There were barley cakes and fruit, small potatoes and slabs of lamb steamed with herbs, and a small bowl of honeycomb to finish the meal over tea and ayrog.

Both of them ate greedily, for they hadn't had anything in their stomachs since the previous evening. The silence was interrupted only by people coming in to retrieve empty dishes, and finally to give them moist cloths to clean their hands and mouths. The people did not speak or look at them, even when they voiced their pleasure with the meal.

"It's the Tumatsin way," explained Kati, when Mengmoshu seemed worried about the people not responding to a compliment. "We're treated as honored guests, and what we say or do during our meal is considered private, as if nobody else were present."

They finished everything and sat on the benches, dozing after the early start of the day. All too soon, Goldani was standing in the doorway, and light was pouring in from outside.

"I have the others with me. Are you ready?"

"Of course," said Kati. "Please come in."

Ten women filed solemnly in behind Goldani, and seated themselves along the benches on the other side of the hearth. All eyes were on Kati and Mengmoshu. All eyes were red with wariness, and Kati breathed slowly, deeply, to calm herself.

These are my people. I love and care about them. 

She knew her eyes were green, for she saw some eyebrows raised, and a few women looked at each other as if to verify what they saw. Or was her aura the thing that intrigued them? Their own auras were heavily laced with blue, and close to their bodies, while Goldani's seemed normal, extending outwards an arm's length in yellows and red hues.

"I bring you greetings from Mandughai," said Kati. "and I come at Her request to bring you important news about Her coming to Shanji. I'm called Mengnu in the Emperor's city, but my birth name is Kati, given to me by my parents Toregene and Temujin. I was born in the ordu without a name that the Emperor destroyed, and taken—"

"I have given them your history, Kati. All of us knew your mother, and some remember you as a child," said Goldani. "We welcome you as a Tumatsin, but need to hear from your own mouth about your relationship to Mandughai, and the reason you are here."

Don't speak for me, Goldani. She's a Searcher, altered to look like one of us. One of the women interjected the thought, harsh and peremptory.

Kati stiffened. "Very well," she said. For several minutes, she gave them a running account of her contact with Mandughai, beginning as a child, and then her later training with the Moshuguang, the times in the gong-shi-jie, the things she'd been taught by the Empress of Tengri-Nayon herself. Mengmoshu broke in once to explain why Kati had been saved from death, how the Moshuguang had seen her special gifts even when she was a tiny child.

The women listened politely until she was finished, and then voices came from the gloom on the other side of the hearth.

"You come here with a Searcher. They've been our enemies for a thousand years."

You are spy for the Emperor. Mandughai will destroy all of you if She comes again. 

"They searched out truth when the Tumatsin were in rebellion against the Emperor," said Kati. "Their influence prevented the Emperor from destroying all of us! They understand the importance of the Tumatsin on Shanji. You have your own lands because of them. There are millions of people on Shanji who have nothing, and the Moshuguang, or the Searchers, as you call them, work to change that. They are not your enemies. The Emperor is your enemy, and his reign is coming to an end. Shanji is stagnant. It will not move ahead unless there is fairness and justice for all people."

That same voice again, and now Kati saw a brightening aura from a woman three places away from Goldani.

"We're told that Mandughai has proclaimed you Empress when the Emperor is gone, yet you must fight Her army for this to happen. I, for one, do not believe this. It makes no sense, and seems convenient if Mandughai is really coming with Her armies. She will rid us of the Emperor, and establish Her own rule. I think you're attempting to usurp this by getting us to help you fight Her, and then take power for yourself! You're barely a woman. How can we believe what you say without direct verification from Mandughai, The One who is always with us?"

Careful! She sees Mandughai as a goddess! 

"One moment," said Goldani. "Mamai has arrived to light our fire for tea. Please come in."

A boy entered with a bag of tinder and lighted candle, kneeling at the hearth to perform his duties while everyone sat in silence. He lit the tinder at strategic places within the tent of wood beneath the water pot, and hurried out of the room.

"I will answer you with a question," said Kati. "Suppose you suddenly heard the voice of a woman proclaiming herself to be Mandughai, and the woman told you you must give up your isolation to work and live with the other people on Shanji, move from your land if necessary to be in harmony with the Hansui. Would you do it?"

Bright, blue spikes appeared in the woman's aura. "I—I would obey the will of Mandughai."

"Even though it's against your will? I can see it in your aura, and hear it in your thoughts! You despise the Hansui! Yet you would live and work with them if Mandughai ordered it?"

"Yes—if I knew it was Mandughai who ordered it. You have entered my mind without—"

"Your permission, yes. I also have the powers of a Searcher, you see, but any woman in this room can see the truth in your aura. Now, tell me how you could be sure it was Mandughai ordering you to do something you didn't want to do. It could be anyone's voice: a Searcher, perhaps, or other impostor. How could you know it was truly Mandughai speaking?"

"I would know," said the woman stubbornly.

The fire in the hearth had caught, but burned slowly, and smoke circled the room.

Now is a good time to show them something. 

"By faith? Or by a sign of her power?" Kati pointed a hand at the fire. "For example, I may direct my aura—so."

The entire wood pile on the hearth burst into a column of flame reaching half-way to the ceiling, and was consumed in seconds. The women gasped at the sight and the abrupt, almost unbearable heat, and pressed their backs against the wall.

"Or, I may open a path to the gong-shi-jie, the place of creation, and draw a piece of its infinite energy to heat our water for tea. Watch, now."

Kati's aura snaked to the water kettle, flattening into a dish-shape just above it. She kept her eyes open, let them see the blaze of emerald green as she made the connection to the world of purple light, drawing out a trickle of radiation, and directing it into the kettle. In one second, the water was at a roiling boil. The room glowed green with the light from her eyes, then subsided.

"Would this be enough? Must I heat this room to the scalding point, or burn down an entire ordu with the light you've just seen? Are these the signs you look for? I show you signs, yet I do not claim to be Mandughai, but I tell you She has sent me here to proclaim Her will. Goldani has given you Her message, and I need not repeat it for you. In less than two years Mandughai comes as a foreign aggressor to force Tumatsin and Hansui together in opposition to Her.

"She is a woman, like you or me, a good woman determined to see Shanji advance and expand to join the rest of Her worlds. She has chosen me to lead this change, and to make a better life for all the people, but I must first unite Tumatsin and Hansui. Her armies come to enforce this, or to destroy us all. We can work together now, and agree to meet the confrontation in a united way, or wait until Her soldiers are burning your ordus. The choice is yours."

"You speak blasphemy!" snarled a woman.

"A trick, with one of the Hansui light weapons!" said another.

"Nonsense. We all saw her aura. The source of power was right in this room," said still another. "But what can we do now, when the Emperor is in power, and our border is fenced and guarded?"

"We can agree to mutually defend each other against foreign aggression," said Kati. "We can come together as equals to plan a better life for the people on Shanji. But you must understand that the greatest need for change lies beyond the mountains where most of Shanji's people live. It means giving up your isolation."

"The Emperor has imposed this on us!"

"It will not be so when he's gone."

"We only have your word for that!"

"This is true," said Kati. "Trust is necessary for what we do together."

The women were now whispering to each other, and Goldani said, "Kati, suppose we cannot agree to what you say, and when Mandughai's army arrives they attack our ordus, and we see you have spoken the truth. What happens to us then?"

The women were suddenly silent.

"If I hear you're being attacked, I will come with Moshuguang soldiers to help defend you."

"Even if we will not help you defend the city?"

"Yes. You are my people. I will fight shoulder to shoulder with the Moshuguang to defend you, and if I survive I will defend the city as well, without your help. Mandughai expects nothing less of me. I'm committed to Her will."

There was a long silence until Goldani said, "It seems there are no more questions for now. The council will meet in my ger this evening for further discussion, and now, since the water in our kettle seems nicely hot, I suggest we have tea, and some informal talk with our guests."

Goldani herself served the tea in small ceramic cups. The women remained on their benches, whispering to each other as they sipped, Kati and Mengmoshu sitting alone across from them. The minds of the women were now tightly masked. Goldani talked among them for several minutes, and several of them stood up, looking nervously over at Kati, eyes red.

You did well, but I heard that business again about you fighting with the troops. 

I meant it. I've been trained, and I will fight. 

We will talk about that later. 

Goldani was coming towards them, two women straggling behind her. She stopped, leaned over, and said, "They're impressed by your powers, but what you ask is difficult after thousands of years of animosity between Hansui and Tumatsin. I'll do my best to persuade them, but surely you can see their lack of belief in what you've told them."

Kati sighed, but smiled as the two other women came up to her. Both were Goldani's age. There were no introductions.

"We remember your mother," said one. "She's buried near here, and your brother will take you there if you wish. Despite what you've heard from us, we're happy to see that Toregene's daughter is still alive. But you've surprised us in many ways."

She would visit Ma's grave. Kati felt an ache in her throat. "I understand," she said. "Thank you."

"We cannot decide everything while you're here," said the other woman. "We must also speak to the men, and they will have their own opinions."

"Of course," said Kati. "I hope for continued communication between us, regardless of your decisions."

"Festival will be held this time next year," said the woman. "As a Tumatsin, you are welcome there." She lowered her eyes, and walked away to join the other women filing out of the room. The redness of suspicion and anger was in many eyes.

Goldani smiled. "It's another opportunity, especially with the men. We're finished for the moment. Wait here, and I'll bring Baber to you."

Then she and Mengmoshu were alone again, and Kati's heart was pounding. "What will he think of me?" she asked.

"He's your brother," he said.

"We've been raised in different worlds. And why isn't Da coming with him? Doesn't he want to see me?"

"I don't know, Kati. You'll find out soon enough. Your little display here seemed so easy, no natural for you. I'm wondering just how far First Mother has pushed the limits of your abilities."

"I'm too excited to think about that now, Mengmoshu. It's been twelve years since I've seen them!"

"I know. Do you wish to be alone with them?"

"No! Stay with me! I want them to meet you!" Kati grabbed his arm with both hands, and he smiled.

Suddenly, Goldani was at the doorway. "Kati? There's someone here to see you. May we come in?"

"Yes!" Kati squeezed Mengmoshu's arm, a shiver running through her.

Goldani held the doorflap aside, and a young man ducked his head to enter the room. He was tall and square-shouldered, wearing riding leathers, hair tied into a tail reaching below the nape of his neck. He came at Goldani's side to stand before Kati, a frown on his face, hands clenched at his sides.

Kati looked into brown eyes set in a square, chiseled face, and the sight brought tears to her eyes. "Baber," she said softly. "You look just like Da. Do you recognize me after such a long time?"

Baber swallowed hard, and pointed to her necklaces. "I remember those."

"From Festival, when I got Sushua, and you rode back with Da on Kaidu. You were so proud!"

"Kati? We—we thought you were dead, and buried, or burned up. Father looked everywhere, and—"

"I'm here, and alive! Oh, Baber!" Kati grabbed him in a fierce hug, her face against his chest, for he was even taller than she. "I've missed you so much, and Da, too. Please take me to him! We have two days to talk about what has happened to us, and I don't want to waste a minute of it!"

Baber's hands rested lightly on her back, and his mind was a blank to her. "It's not far. Will the Searcher come with us?"

"Yes. This is Mengmoshu. He's been my teacher for many years." Like a father to me, in many ways. 

Baber nodded to Mengmoshu. "Follow me, then."

They left the building, and walked south away from the concentric circles of the ordu, past the stares of women and children, and out onto a sandy plain ending at shear cliffs dropping to the sea. Kati looked around, and saw no gerts beyond the ordu. "You said it was near?" she asked.

"A little way further," said Baber.

Something was wrong. There were no dwellings out here, not even a horse or a goat, only sand and wind and the pounding of the sea below them.

They came to a wide shelf jutting out from the cliff face, and someone had built a commemorative cairn of stones there, a small altar placed on a rectangular bed of pebbles. Baber went to it, took a green stone from his pocket, and placed it on the altar. He took out another green stone, and handed it to Kati.

"Ma is buried here," he said solemnly. "Some of the survivors of the Emperor's attack risked their lives to go back for her and bring her here."

Sea air beating at her face did not dry the tears that came. Kati choked back a sob, fingered the stone, then placed it on the altar beside Baber's offering. "It's a beautiful place," she said. "You can see to the horizon. Ma would have loved the view."

"Yes. I remember her wanting to see the ocean up close," said Baber.

Kati knelt on the bed of colorful pebbles around the altar, Baber and Mengmoshu standing behind her. Her sadness was tempered by the memory of her mother's face. She shared it mentally again with Mengmoshu, then ran the palm of her hand over the smooth stones.

"This place has been kept neatly. Does Da come here often to see her?"

Baber made a choking sound, and then his mind was open to her, and she knew the horrible truth before his words came.

"He's there with her, Kati, and Kaidu is buried beneath where I stand."

Oh, Kati, I'm sorry. We didn't know. 

She was stunned for a moment, kneeling there with her hands at her side. She wanted to disbelieve, but couldn't, for she saw the truth in Baber's mind. She'd waited twelve years for this day, a day of joyful reunion, and suddenly all those dreams were shattered. Her breath seemed to have left her, and she gasped.

"When? How did it happen?" The horror of loss made a knot in her stomach, tendrils reaching upwards towards her chest, and into the heart.

"Only two months after Ma was killed; it was before the fences went up. When they brought Ma back, he went a little crazy. You hadn't been found. Nobody saw them take you away, and they set fire to everything. When he went back to the ordu there were only piles of ashes. I remember him saying how clever you were, that you'd probably escaped and were hiding somewhere. He spent weeks searching for you, with Kuchlug, but it was very dangerous. The flyers were everywhere, and there were patrols all over the plateau. Then, one morning, he went out alone, and didn't come back. After a day, Kuchlug and three men went looking for him. They found him high on the slopes of Three Peaks. His neck was broken, and he was dead. Kaidu's legs were broken, and Kuchlug ended his misery. We buried them together."

"He knew my place on the summit of Three Peaks," said Kati. "If I'd escaped, I would have gone there. Oh, Da!" The horror had reached her throat. She bent over, forehead touching the pebbles, and her body shook.

"It was bad for me, Kati. I'd lost everyone, including you. Manlee took me in for a few years, but then she got sick. Goldani has raised me since I was nine. She's been good to me."

Kati wept without restraint, and Mengmoshu joined her without words.

Don't let me go. Let me feel it with you, Kati. You're not alone. Not now. I never guessed your dreams would end this way. I should have checked things out and prepared you for it. I'm sorry. 

Baber's hand was on her shoulder, and he was kneeling beside her. "I thought I'd lost everyone, but I hadn't. My sister is still alive, Kati. We still have each other."

Kati embraced him, clinging hard, and sobbing into his shoulder. She looked up at Mengmoshu, and he was standing there with glistening eyes. She had felt his grief for her, but suddenly his mind was as dark as a cave. She wiped her eyes with a hand, and stood up with her brother. They looked at the grave in silence for a moment, arms around each other's waists, then walked back to the ordu, Mengmoshu following them.

She made no effort to hide her tears from the Tumatsin, for they had already known what she now knew, and they watched her sorrowfully as she passed by them, clinging to her brother. They went directly to the log building and Mengmoshu left them there alone to talk. They sat by the hearth in gloom, and Kati told Baber every detail of what had happened to her during their separation, all the things she'd seen and learned and the tasks that Mandughai had called upon her to do.

Baber shared his simple but mostly happy life as the orphaned child of an honored woman. Manlee had been like a grandmother, and then Goldani, childless, a husband drowned in a storm at sea. He was learning the life of a fisherman, working the nets on the outrigger boats and cultivating the shellfish in the shallows. Riding was not so important here, but he had a horse named Shuel, presented to him by the ordu at Festival when he was twelve. There was a girl named Chilan who'd captured his affections. Kati asked if he'd kissed her, and he said yes, and she laughed. His guard was down, and she'd seen that they did more than kiss.

It was late when Mengmoshu returned, followed by two women with food for them. They ate together, then Baber excused himself, for he arose early to work the nets three days a week.

"I'll be back late tomorrow. Will you be here?" he asked anxiously.

"One more night, then we must leave," said Kati. "We can talk more tomorrow night."

Baber smiled, and left the room. Mengmoshu looked at her, concerned.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. He's had a good life. At least I still have my brother. I wanted so much to see Da again, to let him know what's happened to me."

"I know," said Mengmoshu softly.

A thought brought tears to her eyes again. "He always called me his little Empress. Isn't that funny?"

"No," said Mengmoshu. Suddenly, he sat down beside her at the hearth, and put an arm around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried again, and his hand stroked her hair. "He would be proud of you, Kati. Any father would be proud of you," he murmured.

Mengmoshu was struggling for control of his mind, holding back something from her. She'd felt it many times before, and now it was there again, very close. She looked up at his face: mouth set grimly, silent tears on his cheeks, staring at the hearth.

"Mengmoshu, is there something you want to tell me? I feel a terrible struggle within you."

Mengmoshu stroked her hair, and held her close.

"I'm proud of you like a father," he said.

Kati nuzzled his shoulder. "There's more. You're hiding things again. I don't hide things from you, Mengmoshu. Tell me."

"I need to think some more. Aren't you ready to sleep?"

"I think so."

"Some men want to meet with you tomorrow. Talk about today's meeting has spread fast, and these men are in charge of a kind of home guard. They have no religious feelings to deal with; they'll ask practical questions about the size of our forces and our commitment to Tumatsin defense. Goldani has allowed the meeting. I think she supports us."

"When?"

"Late morning. Now get some rest."

Their bedding had been brought in with the food: straw mattresses bound in softened hides, pillows, and wool blankets. They slept in their clothing, Kati's eyelids already fluttering as her head hit the pillow. As she drifted towards sleep, she saw Mengmoshu's eyes glittering near her, still watching, as if he were ready to say something.

She slept without dreaming.

The morning meeting went quickly, and it seemed the men had mainly wanted to see her face-to-face. Mengmoshu coached her without words as she answered their questions, and it was quickly apparent the men had little belief in Mandughai or Her coming. Yes, the Moshuguang could provide an elite fighting force of two thousand within a day's notice, but only a few flyers were available to them. They had no idea of the size of Mandughai's forces, or their strategy for invasion. Kati's commitment to Tumatsin defense did not depend on their commitment to help defend the city, but Mandughai required it if an extensive war was to be won. Once Hansui and Tumatsin were united against Her, Mandughai had promised to cease Her attack, and bring Kati to the throne. If Her daughter will allow it, thought Kati, bothered by the partial truth of her words.

At one point, a man asked for a demonstration of her powers. Kati stood in the center of the room, an arm stretched out from her side, palm up, and suddenly a ball of sizzling blue plasma was floating above her hand. She asked the man to flip his dagger at it, and he did so. There was a faint popping sound and the blade was gone; the hilt dropped to the floor, blade ionized.

The men stared, and were frightened by her, but still they did not believe in Mandughai, or in Her coming. Now they believed in Kati, seeing her as a possible threat, and she saw it all in their minds.

Mandughai had been correct. The people would not see the truth until it happened to them.

In the afternoon, she returned alone to the gravesite of her parents, and sat there for two hours to watch the sea. The water was dotted near and far with semicircles of small boats with outriggers to work the nets taking life from sea to Tumatsin gerts. She imagined herself with Baber on one of the boats, pulling on those nets full of struggling fish, the salty wind in her face. Their life was good here, and simple. It was no wonder they protected their isolation from a people who at one time had thrown them away because of an ethnic impurity.

Goldani served them an early meal as the men were returning from the sea. Her news was mostly bad.

"They are convinced there is a threat against us, but think it might come from you. They fear your power. Some believe it comes from Mandughai, but others feel you're in rebellion against Her and seek to establish your own rule against Her will. Out of fear they're motivated to strengthen our home guard, and intensify training, but they will make no commitment of any kind to you. Not now. They do ask that I stay in communication with you. They allow the possibility of future discussions."

"The border post we came through is entirely manned by Moshuguang forces," said Mengmoshu. "Any messages you leave there will be immediately relayed to us over closed channels. The Emperor must hear nothing. Say nothing to anyone who's not Moshuguang."

"I understand," said Goldani. "I hope you're not too disappointed. It was the best I could do. Another thing, Kati; the women want to see you at Festival next year. If you are not, they will say you are no longer Tumatsin, but have become a foreigner."

"I'll be there," said Kati.

"Alone," said Goldani. "No escort, and no flyers like the one that's been hovering around since you arrived here. You must come alone."

"I'll ride the route I remember as a child," said Kati, "and I'll be armed with sword and bow."

Goldani nodded, and smiled. "Baber will be here soon, and tomorrow morning we'll escort you back to the border. I'm sorry Baber had to tell you about your father, Kati. I simply couldn't force myself to do it. He's a fine young man, and I love him. He's the child I never had, and now he has his sister back. I'm happy for both of you."

"Thank you for caring for him," said Kati, and they embraced warmly, holding each other for a long moment.

"Baber will meet you at your sleeping quarters, and we're finished here," said Goldani. "I wish you well, Kati. You're one of us, and if Mandughai has called on you to be Empress of Shanji, I hope it will come to pass. You have your mother's heart, and she was a loving and fair person. I think we can work together, if there is fairness and justice in the rule of our world."

"It's what I want, too, Goldani. In less than two years it will be decided. Please communicate with us at anytime."

"We will."

Goldani released her, and Mengmoshu said, "I'll stay here awhile."

Kati went back to the log house, and Baber arrived within an hour, bringing with him a beautiful shell glistening in a rainbow of colors. "We cultivate them in the shallows," he explained. "The meat is sweet, and rich. Even a grown man can only eat two of them."

He gave her the shell. "It makes a good dish. Take it with you."

"I've nothing to give in return; I'll send something," she said.

"It's no matter. Knowing I still have a sister is enough."

He seemed so serious, so adult as they sat down by the hearth. "The men were all talking about you. They say you have great powers and might be Empress of Shanji. They asked about your childhood, and I could only remember how well you rode a horse. Were there other things?"

"I could probe minds and hear thoughts like the Searchers. That's how they discovered me."

"I didn't know," said Baber.

"Ma did. It frightened her, and she made me keep it secret, but there were times we talked without words. I think she felt the Searchers would kill me if they discovered my abilities."

"I wonder what she would think of you now."

"I think she'd be happy for me, and support me like Goldani is doing. We've been lucky, Baber. We've both had good people in our lives, people who care about us. Not everyone has that."

"What now?" asked Baber. "Did you get what you came for?"

"No, but it's what Mandughai told me to expect. We'll have to fight Her armies, and it could be very bad."

"I'll be involved, then. All boys over fifteen are in the home guard. I'm a bowman." He paused, sober. "My arrows are no match for laser weapons."

"She might not use them. We'll have to wait and see. We'll both be in danger, brother. I'll fight with the Moshuguang. They've trained me for battle, and I'll use that training, but Mengmoshu will try to prevent it. He worries over me too much."

"He's a good man?"

"Yes. Formal, and stern, but lonely inside. I'm very fond of him."

"A Searcher."

"A Moshuguang, Baber, and I'm one of them."

"But how? No other Tumatsin has the mind of a Searcher."

"I don't know. Perhaps Mandughai made it happen. I am what I am. I don't question it. I'm still your sister, Baber. I'm still Kati."

Their shoulders touched. "I know," said Baber, "and I'll fight by your side when the time comes."

Kati hugged him, felt the hard muscle in his arms, shoulders and back, and they sat that way, silently, until Mengmoshu arrived.

Baber left, and it was growing dark. They would leave early in the morning, and Kati went to bed early. Mengmoshu sat on his bed next to hers.

"We did as well as could be expected," he said reflectively, "perhaps even better, if they strengthen their home guard. We still need to talk about you fighting along with the troopers."

"Not now, Mengmoshu, I'm tired."

"It makes no sense for an Empress to be killed in battle. The risk isn't necessary."

"I'm trained as well as any trooper. You worry too much."

"Yes—I worry."

He was still sitting there, watching her as her eyes closed. His face was solemn, and there was a roiling within him, something left unsaid as she drifted into sleep.

It was only a short time before the dream came, a dream that brought her fully awake with a moan. It began with Ma's face smiling at her, and then another scene. Ma was on her back, naked, and a man was on top of her, rocking to and fro, copulating with her. Ma looked very frightened; she scratched at the man, but he held her hands down, rocking harder, and then there was his release, and he turned his head, gasping.

The man was Mengmoshu.

Kati sat up on the bed with a moan, her breath coming in short gasps. Torchlight from outside leaked past the doorflap, and the air was cold, making her shiver. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, and turned to see if she'd awakened Mengmoshu.

He was still sitting there, as he'd been when she'd fallen asleep, watching her with glistening eyes.

"Mengmoshu!" she gasped. "I—I had a dream—it disturbed me—"

"It was not a dream," said Mengmoshu softly, "but a vision from the past. I cannot wait any longer to tell you."

"What? What I saw was—"

"What you saw was something that happened to a young Moshuguang captain when a Tumatsin spy was captured near the cliffs twenty years ago. His men would have raped the spy, then killed her, but she was young, and beautiful, and he wished to spare her life. He used his rank to rape the woman in place of the men, and pretended to kill her, temporarily paralyzing her with his own mind. He forced himself into her, using her lustfully, and rationalizing his disgraceful act by saying he was saving the woman's life and doing First Mother's work by spreading the seed of the Moshuguang."

"It was Ma I saw in my—"

"A child was conceived, and the woman's husband didn't know it was by another man. The captain rose in the ranks of the Moshuguang, and then one day an exceptional Tumatsin child was standing before him, showing him the images of the woman he'd disgraced, and he knew—he knew—"

Mengmoshu's voice cracked, and broke, and now he was sobbing. He held his head in his hands, body heaving with sobs. Kati reached out to touch him, but he jerked away, his voice a strangled whisper.

"I am your father! It was I who disgraced your mother that night, and then you were there, and all the guilt came back, and yet there you were, so exceptional, and somehow it was good. I—I confessed to First Mother, but she already knew, and said the secret must be kept. And then—when I felt your grief yesterday—I couldn't—I couldn't—"

Mengmoshu buried his face in his hands, and sobbed again. Kati just sat there, stunned, clutching the blanket to her. What was she feeling? Anger? No, strangely not. Surprise, yes, and relief, for now so many questions she'd had about herself were suddenly answered: the source of her childhood powers, Ma's fear and anger when discovering them, then Mandughai saying she had the blood of two sons, not one, all the little things unanswered till now.

"Mengmoshu," she said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. This time, he didn't move away from her, but kept his head bowed.

"I've loved you since you came to us, but I could say nothing. I could only be your teacher, watch you grow, feel your pain, your happiness, and be proud of my daughter in secret. It's been tearing at me for years, and then yesterday —your sense of loss—I couldn't hold back any longer. If you hate me, I accept it. I deserve it."

Kati pressed her hand on his shoulder. "I cannot hate you. How many times have I accused you of acting like my father? And now I finally know why. I know why I'm so different, Mengmoshu. That's important to me."

Mengmoshu took her hand in his, and held it tightly. Tears were streaming down his rugged face.

"You are unique, Kati. Juimoshu came from a liaison between a Tumatsin man and an adventuresome Hansui girl, but there has never been someone like you. First Mother has forgiven me because of you, but can you forgive me for what I've done? Your mother's face, it's been in my dreams for years. If only it could have been different, the way we met, I could have—"

Kati dropped her blanket, put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You're my father."

She was amazed how comfortable she felt saying it, how natural it seemed. Suddenly she was totally centered and at peace with herself, all her questions answered. Mengmoshu put his arms around her, his cheek wet against her face.

"I think of the coming battle. I don't want to lose you, not now."

"We do what Mandughai directs us to do. The task is much bigger than the two of us, and everything that can be done has been done to prepare me for it. Your daughter is a woman, Mengmoshu. I'm also chosen to serve Mandughai, and now you must let me do it. I'm not Mandughai. I'm Kati. I'll join the battle, and not stand idly by as a symbol."

"If you're killed, First Mother will choose another for the throne. Shan-lan can't do it; the nobles will lead him by the nose."

"I intend to be alive," said Kati. "You're underestimating my abilities again, Mengmoshu, or should I call you father?"

"No. Never. The secret must be kept, even from the Moshuguang."

"Have you been sitting up all night?"

"Yes."

"If you don't sleep, I'll have to pick you up when you fall out of the saddle."

Mengmoshu leaned back from her, and smiled. "The Empress orders me to sleep?"

"I do." Kati helped him slide beneath the blanket. For the moment, he seemed very old, but she felt his relief from sharing a thing that had happened long ago, a release of guilt as he looked at her. He reached up, and touched her cheek.

"I obey the Empress—and my daughter."

He closed his eyes. Kati leaned over, and kissed his forehead, then got back into her own bed, and listened to his breathing slow. She had a sudden urge to contact Mandughai, but knew she couldn't, not now. Mandughai would not be there for her. But her true father was there, close by, snoring now softly.

She closed her eyes, and sleep came quickly.

No further dreams disturbed it.

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Framed

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

HOMECOMING

There was no sleep for Kati the night before Mengmoshu came to take her to her people. Her mind would not cease its whirling with fear and apprehension about the trip, and Huomeng's visit, while comforting, had only added to the confusion of her thoughts.

He'd stayed quite late while they talked in her sitting room. He'd pulled up a chair, and they'd sat knee to knee in quiet conversation for nearly two hours when she could have been trying to sleep. They'd talked about the visit, and what she could say to a people she'd been absent from for twelve years. They would surely see her as a Tumatsin; her physical presence was enough for that. There was Da and Baber and many others who had known her as a child, but now she was coming to them after many years as a ward of the Moshuguang, and accompanied by a Searcher. Wouldn't they see her as a spy for the Emperor? She could not hide her own mental probe from them for long and then they would see she was also a Searcher, somehow transformed by those they despised.

"But you are Moshuguang, Kati," said Huomeng. "It's a part of your being, and you can't deny it. And while your powers are beyond those of the Tumatsin, you're still one of them. They must see your special gifts as the reason First Mother has chosen you to lead them. You must show them these gifts, Kati, even if they feel threatened by them. And they must know that you care about their welfare."

Huomeng had leaned close and taken her hands in his, startling her. "This will be a difficult time for you. You've waited so long to see your father and brother again, and I wish I could tell you what their reaction will be in seeing you, but I cannot. It might not be pleasant, Kati, and I don't want your expectations for a joyful reunion to be too high. I don't want you to be hurt."

He'd held her hands tightly and looked straight into her eyes, and the feelings coming from him were warm and wonderful, so much so that Kati's thumbs stroked his knuckles in return and they sat for a moment, just looking at each other.

"If there is pain for you, remember who you are," he whispered. "You are to be Empress over all the people, not just the Tumatsin. Your world is much bigger now, and there is loneliness in leadership, a terrible loneliness when difficult things must be done. Your own people might reject you, but still you must lead them if they're to survive. Follow your instincts, and do what an Empress must do. This is the task First Mother has chosen you for, and now it's time to do it."

Kati nodded. "I know."

Huomeng raised her hands to his mouth, and kissed them. "I'll be waiting," he said, and his look was so intense that she felt her cheeks flush. He seemed suddenly embarrassed, releasing her hands and standing up abruptly.

Kati stood up with him, and without a thought put an arm around him to rest her head against his shoulder. She felt his arms go around her, his cheek on top of her head. Suddenly, she wanted him to kiss her, but he did not. They stayed that way for only a moment, and then he gave her a little squeeze and released her, hurrying away, leaving her trembling.

Sleep did not come that night.

Mengmoshu came for her before dawn, and she was waiting for him dressed in her riding leathers, the three precious amulets hanging from her neck, the artifacts of her two worlds that Mandughai had decreed must be made one. Mengmoshu wore the full armor of a trooper and gave her a hooded robe to wear over her leathers. They were the only two passengers in the monorail car driven by a Moshuguang trooper to the flyer field above the palace.

The guard at the gate was also a Searcher, and he led them to a flyer set apart from the others. The field was quiet and all the troopers she saw had the prominent foreheads of the Moshuguang. Not a word was spoken by anyone as they reached the flyer, and Kati saw that Mengyao was its pilot.

The field commander is a friend of the Moshuguang. The Emperor will not hear about our leaving. 

Kati had never been in a flyer, and was nervous as she climbed into the open cockpit of the craft and strapped herself in.

Relax. I fly even better than I ride a horse. I didn't drop you on the way to the city, and I won't drop you now. 

Where do we go, Mengmoshu? 

To the border. We'll take horses from there to the ordu Manlee was last reported to reside in. Since the fences went up, we haven't kept good track of Tumatsin movements, so we might have to search for her. Mengyao will fly cover for us at all times. The Tumatsin have come to think of themselves as an independent nation since the border was established, but they have granted our request for this visit. They are expecting to see the future Empress of Shanji. 

You told them that? 

I told them the truth. What comes from this visit is up to you. 

And they will see their Empress to be a nineteen-year-old girl dressed in riding leathers. 

Their future Empress is a Tumatsin. Tighten your lap belt. We're taking off, now. 

The flyer jerked upwards as she reached for her belt to pull it tightly across her thighs and chest. Mengyao looked back and grinned at her terror. The craft rose straight up, humming loudly, and she clutched at the belt, heart pounding, eyes fixed at the nape of Mengyao's neck. Above her, the dome glowed dimly and a dark patch suddenly grew there, showing stars beyond. She fixed her eyes on the stars, not daring to look down as they lifted, her stomach sinking.

The square opening in the dome rumbled, already beginning to close as they passed through it. Straight above them was the intensely orange Tengri-Nayon, now the brightest star in the night sky. Less than two years to closest approach, thought Kati, and Mandughai was readying Her army for the coming confrontation. Would the people believe? Believe that the goddess they thought would deliver them from the Emperor came to destroy them as well as him? Suddenly, Kati was filled with doubt about any success of her mission, and in her own abilities to lead a people socially divided by so many centuries of archaic rule.

"You're missing a good view," said Mengmoshu. "Look to your right."

She did so as the craft leveled, and saw the city sprawled up the side of the mountain like a crust of fluorescent crystals, illuminating the dome in a soft blue. Mengyao made a slow turn north before the city, then another turn west, passing over the cliffs and then the plateau, the summits of the three peaks a hundred meters below them. It was too dark to see the little meadow there, the place where Lui-Pang had first kissed her. The plateau glowed in starlight and she thought of her rides on Sushua and the trek to Festival with Da on black Kaidu. The trip of days on horseback rushed beneath her as Mengyao held a steady course westward. Kati began to relax and dared to look over the edge of the open cockpit, pressing her nose to the plastic windshield rising a meter above her head. She saw the rolling hills criss-crossed with trails, then the black gash that was the canyon leading to the Festival area, then more hills. It seemed only minutes before a line of orange lights appeared ahead of them, a long line snaking north to south, and suddenly the whine of the flyer lowered in pitch. They were losing altitude and Kati's stomach was rising again.

As they came close to the ground, Kati saw the wire fence with yellow lights spaced far apart, marking the boundary of Tumatsin lands. They were coming up on a stone building with a thatched roof, and people were there with horses, the area brightly lit by a circle of lights mounted on tall poles. Mengyao slowed the flyer to hover over the area, then settled it slowly to the ground as four troopers armed with laser rifles came forward to meet them. All four were Moshuguang. All four bowed to Kati, then to Mengmoshu and Mengyao as they exited the craft.

"They are waiting by the fence," said one trooper to Mengmoshu. "They've been here for over an hour."

Mengyao remained standing by the flyer, and Mengmoshu motioned Kati ahead of him to follow the troopers. Four guards standing before the stone building came rigidly to attention as Kati passed by them, and ahead was a gate in the fence, beyond it several people on horseback with two riderless horses awaiting them in yellow light. The guards opened the gate and passed through it ahead of them. They stood at attention on both sides of Kati as she came close to the riders and stopped, looking up at them.

There were six men, and one woman.

The woman was Goldani.

Kati smiled, and started to speak, but then Mengmoshu pushed past her and bowed to the riders before gesturing back at her.

"This is Mengnu, the one chosen by First Mother. We thank you for coming to escort us at such an early hour."

Seven Tumatsin faces were unreadable masks, but Kati felt their wary interest in her. Goldani looked her up and down, and said, "We came mainly to satisfy our curiosity, Searcher. She is very young, and we weren't aware that Shanji requires a new leader. Has something happened to the Emperor?"

"No," said Mengmoshu. "He's quite ill, however, and the one you call Mandughai has decided the time has come for major changes in the leadership of Shanji. She will soon return with her armies to enforce these changes and place Mengnu on the throne as Empress."

"Indeed," said Goldani. "Mandughai has not informed me of these developments."

"Perhaps she has spoken to Manlee about it. It's Manlee we wish to visit with first," said Mengmoshu.

Goldani stiffened, still looking at Kati. "Manlee has been dead for nearly two years, and I have been chosen to take her place as intermediary to Mandughai. You all see the truth of my words, including this young woman. I feel her probing my mind."

"I have the abilities of a Searcher," said Kati, "but I'm searching for your memory of a little girl carried away by the Emperor's troopers after the ordu with no name was destroyed twelve years ago. I didn't know you were still alive, Goldani. I thought you might have died with my mother."

Goldani seemed to catch her breath, and leaned forward to look at Kati more closely. "I see that you're Tumatsin in appearance. Am I supposed to know you?"

"You rode with my mother in Festival procession when I received my first horse. Her name was Toregene, and she could make her eyes green, Goldani. I am her daughter, Kati, and I've come to see my people again. I've waited many years for this moment."

Goldani's face was still expressionless, but now she dismounted, and walked towards Kati. The guards moved to block her, but Mengmoshu waved them away. The woman stopped within reach, and Kati saw the red of her eyes. Suddenly, her heart was aching, and she felt the sting of tears.

"I've been a ward of the Moshuguang, the Searchers, for twelve years. They always promised me the day would come when I could see my people again, and now it's arrived. You're as I remember you, Goldani. It's good to see a familiar face again."

Goldani put out a hand to finger the necklaces hanging from Kati's neck, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Ma gave me the Eye of Tengri when I went to Festival. The shells came from Edi, a little girl who also received her first horse when I did. The other is from Juimoshu, a woman of the Moshuguang. It is the eye of Mandughai, whom the Moshuguang call First Mother. We are all related to Her, Goldani, both the Tumatsin and the Moshuguang, from two different sons of Her body. She has called me to be Empress of Shanji, and unite all our people. That is why I'm here."

Goldani reached up and touched a tear on Kati's cheek, while the guards nervously shuffled their feet. "I've never seen such green in the eyes of a Tumatsin woman," she said softly.

"The green color comes when I'm happy. I've missed being with my own kind."

Kati grabbed the woman in a hug, felt her stiffen, then relax, one hand resting softly on Kati's back. Kati whispered, "I've missed Da and Baber, and the others in my ordu. I don't even know who's alive! Can you take me to them?"

Goldani stiffened again, and held Kati at arm's length. "This will come, but first I must know you better. I see a woman, not a little girl I remember, and your reason for coming here is extraordinary. While we ride, you must tell me everything that has happened to you since the day Toregene was killed."

"You're not certain of me, but you want to believe," said Kati.

"Yes—I want to believe. We have an hour's ride for you to tell me everything."

"Mengmoshu, here, has been my teacher in many things. You'll have questions he can answer."

"Then we'll ride together," said Goldani.

They mounted up, and the three of them rode ahead of the others along a broad trail heading west as the sky began to lighten. The ride went quickly with conversation. Mengmoshu talked about the Moshuguang's discovery of a gifted Tumatsin child, and the near-tragedy of their mission to save that child from death when the Emperor ordered a threatening ordu destroyed. He talked about Kati's natural abilities, her training, the intervention of First Mother in pushing those abilities to their limits.

Kati told her about the times with Mandughai in the gong-shi-jie, what she'd learned to do there, and how the Empress of Tengri-Nayon had been like a mother to her. She recited the history of the Tumatsin and the truth of the long line of Empresses, some good, some evil, all known as Mandughai.

Goldani seemed wistful. "You speak to Her as we speak now? You've seen Her?"

"When I was a child," said Kati, "I would see emerald eyes and hear a voice in my head, but later, in the gong-shi-jie, She showed me an image of a young Empress when we talked. It was years before I realized She was showing me an image of myself as a woman."

"But you hear her words?"

"Yes."

Goldani sighed. "It has never been so with me. It is more like an instinct, an intuition from something said in a dream. It was also like that with Manlee. You see what I think, so I will say it. Based on my own experience, I'm skeptical about what you tell me. You're saying that only you have direct contact with Mandughai."

"I also have it," said Mengmoshu, "but not in the gong-shi-jie. Only Kati, or Mengnu, as we call her among our people, has the ability to go there. First Mother speaks directly to me and others in the Moshuguang, but only in the way Kati experienced as a child. I've told you her gifts are exceptional and unique. First Mother has chosen her for this reason alone. Kati's abilities exceed even Hers."

"There are Tumatsin who will consider that statement a blasphemy."

"I understand," said Mengmoshu, "but it is truth. First Mother is one of many persons in history, not a god. Her daughter will soon take Her place, and as a final accomplishment of Her reign she wants Tumatsin and Hansui reunited for the betterment of Shanji. She has chosen Kati as an Empress who will bring change in the way we do things, and improve everyone's life, including those millions who live beyond the mountains."

"I've never heard of such people," said Goldani.

Millions, indeed. I see Toregene in this child, but what is she now? Why is she here? 

To show you Mandughai's will, Goldani. I must unite Tumatsin and Hansui as one people. 

Goldani sucked in a breath, turning to see Kati regarding her calmly with emerald green eyes. The sky was bright, now, and ahead of them the great sea spread to the horizon. Clusters of gerts were scattered north and south along a sloping plain leading to beaches and rocky cliffs, and several boats dotted the water near the shore.

"You have not heard of the people in the east because the Emperor has forced your isolation, and the time for that is coming to an end. Tumatsin and Hansui must work together if things are to change," said Kati.

"And if we do not?"

"Then Mandughai will force it, or kill us all," said Kati. "In less than two years, She returns with Her armies. She doesn't come as a savior of the Tumatsin, but as a foreign aggressor. If we don't oppose Her together, She will destroy us all, and start all over again. Her main concern is for the millions who live difficult lives beyond the mountains."

"The Tumatsin will not believe this. At Festival next year they will celebrate Her coming. They've awaited it thousands of years."

"I understand," said Kati. "I've come to tell you the truth and give you a warning. I expect your skepticism, your disbelief. My hope is that when the time comes, and Mandughai's armies are burning your ordus, you will join us in fighting Her. We will be ready to help you."

"We?"

"The fighting force of the Moshuguang is moderate in size, but well trained," said Mengmoshu. "We also have considerable numbers of friends in the Emperor's army who will join us. If we can formulate a mutual-defense pact, I can guarantee the use of these forces to defend your ordus if you will join us in defending the city."

Goldani chuckled. "The Emperor himself once made such a promise, but our only defense is a few troopers and a fence he has built to keep us within our own territory. Your proposal cannot be taken seriously by us, but you are welcome to make it."

"May we speak to the ordu leaders as a group?" asked Kati.

"They are all here. Word of your visit arrived weeks ago, and every ordu is represented."

"When we're finished, I want to see my father and brother. Do you know where they are?"

"They are also here," said Goldani, but suddenly her mind was closed off from Kati, the familiar blackness when someone resisted a probe.

"What's wrong?" asked Kati.

"You will first meet Baber. He will take you to see your father. We didn't know who this person Mengnu was, only that she was Tumatsin. I'm sorry."

Still the blackness in the woman's mind, hiding something from her. "Is it far?"

"No. We come to the ordu now. We shall have time for more talk later, when I've assembled the others. First, there will be food and drink for you."

The trail ended at the edge of the ordu, a cluster of gerts set in three concentric circles, a large, permanent building of logs with a turf roof in the center that was the traditional meeting place for a large ordu. People ran towards them from all directions for a look at the strangers, and there were many children of all ages. Several men sat on horseback, scowling as they passed by. Kati looked for a familiar face, but there were none there. The odor of barley cakes and cheese was in the air, mingled with the scent of horses and goats and burning wood.

The scents of the Tumatsin.

Kati turned, and smiled at Mengmoshu. I feel like I'm coming home. 

Yes, but it isn't home. Your world has become much larger than this one. 

Goldani led them to the log building and dismounted. They went through a doorway with a flap of hide. There were no windows, the only light coming from a partially opened vent made from some translucent animal membrane in the ceiling. In the center of the dirt floor was a stone hearth with freshly set wood beneath a black kettle filled with water for ceremonial tea. Benches lined the walls of the single, large room, and the air smelled like incense and burned wood.

"Our meeting will be here," said Goldani, "and we'll bring bedding for you to sleep on as long as you wish to stay. How long will that be?"

"No more than two nights," said Mengmoshu.

No more? I haven't seen Da and Baber for twelve years! 

We must go back before the Emperor discovers we've left the city. But you can return whenever you think it's safe. 

"Food will be brought here for you. Tomorrow, I invite you to join me for meals in my ger," said Goldani. "We'll discuss the results of the meeting, then. Our food is simple. I hope you will find it satisfactory."

"I'm sure we will," said Kati, "and I'm happy to see that Tumatsin hospitality hasn't changed while I've been away."

My people are fond of understatement. To say their food is simple means they will serve us their very best. 

Goldani nodded, cold and formal, but her eyes were constantly on Kati now. She stepped up close, and said, "I've heard enough to believe you're the little girl we thought was dead so many years ago. I loved your mother, Kati, and I still mourn her. It's her place I've taken, after the death of Manlee, and now her daughter returns to tell me she is to be Empress over all of Shanji. This is difficult for me. I still remember the little girl who would rather ride than eat, but now she's a woman standing before me with the greenest eyes I've ever seen, probing my mind like a Searcher. You are Tumatsin, Kati, yet different. Your aura fills this room in gold and red, always moving, dynamic and powerful. The others will notice this. They will still wonder who or what you really are. They will not believe Mandughai comes to harm us, and will question your motives for telling such a story."

"I'm sent by Mandughai to fulfill Her wishes, Goldani, and all my gifts come from Her. Please tell that to the others before the meeting. Whatever else I am, or will be, I am Tumatsin. This is my first home, and I haven't forgotten it."

"I'll tell them that. Rest now. Food will be brought soon. Our meeting will be after the noon meal."

"When can I see my father and brother?"

"Baber will come for you after the meeting," said Goldani, finally showing a faint smile. "Your brother has become a handsome young man you might not even recognize. You might find him shy at first. I think he will be awed by the beauty of his sister."

Goldani put a hand on Kati's shoulder, and her own eyes were light green. "I'm so happy to see you're alive," she said, then turned, pushed her way past the door flap, and was gone.

Kati was excited, yet worried. "She's hiding something, Mengmoshu. I couldn't penetrate her mind."

"Nor could I. She has excellent control," said Mengmoshu, "but if hostility were there I would have sensed it, and I didn't."

"She remembers me."

"The others will not. Goldani was from your ordu, and she is leader here. She anticipates a difficult meeting and has given us extra time to speak to her alone. We need to take advantage of that."

"Some might remember me from Festival, when I got my first horse."

"This will not help them believe you come as future Empress, or that you're chosen by First Mother. You must give them a sign, Kati. Use your powers when there's an opportunity."

They sat down on a bench and waited only a few minutes before food and drink arrived, verifying what Kati had said about Tumatsin understatement. A line of women, girls, and young boys entered the room, carrying bowls, plates and jugs which they arranged on a hide by the hearth, then two cushions of soft hide stuffed with wool for them to sit on. There were barley cakes and fruit, small potatoes and slabs of lamb steamed with herbs, and a small bowl of honeycomb to finish the meal over tea and ayrog.

Both of them ate greedily, for they hadn't had anything in their stomachs since the previous evening. The silence was interrupted only by people coming in to retrieve empty dishes, and finally to give them moist cloths to clean their hands and mouths. The people did not speak or look at them, even when they voiced their pleasure with the meal.

"It's the Tumatsin way," explained Kati, when Mengmoshu seemed worried about the people not responding to a compliment. "We're treated as honored guests, and what we say or do during our meal is considered private, as if nobody else were present."

They finished everything and sat on the benches, dozing after the early start of the day. All too soon, Goldani was standing in the doorway, and light was pouring in from outside.

"I have the others with me. Are you ready?"

"Of course," said Kati. "Please come in."

Ten women filed solemnly in behind Goldani, and seated themselves along the benches on the other side of the hearth. All eyes were on Kati and Mengmoshu. All eyes were red with wariness, and Kati breathed slowly, deeply, to calm herself.

These are my people. I love and care about them. 

She knew her eyes were green, for she saw some eyebrows raised, and a few women looked at each other as if to verify what they saw. Or was her aura the thing that intrigued them? Their own auras were heavily laced with blue, and close to their bodies, while Goldani's seemed normal, extending outwards an arm's length in yellows and red hues.

"I bring you greetings from Mandughai," said Kati. "and I come at Her request to bring you important news about Her coming to Shanji. I'm called Mengnu in the Emperor's city, but my birth name is Kati, given to me by my parents Toregene and Temujin. I was born in the ordu without a name that the Emperor destroyed, and taken—"

"I have given them your history, Kati. All of us knew your mother, and some remember you as a child," said Goldani. "We welcome you as a Tumatsin, but need to hear from your own mouth about your relationship to Mandughai, and the reason you are here."

Don't speak for me, Goldani. She's a Searcher, altered to look like one of us. One of the women interjected the thought, harsh and peremptory.

Kati stiffened. "Very well," she said. For several minutes, she gave them a running account of her contact with Mandughai, beginning as a child, and then her later training with the Moshuguang, the times in the gong-shi-jie, the things she'd been taught by the Empress of Tengri-Nayon herself. Mengmoshu broke in once to explain why Kati had been saved from death, how the Moshuguang had seen her special gifts even when she was a tiny child.

The women listened politely until she was finished, and then voices came from the gloom on the other side of the hearth.

"You come here with a Searcher. They've been our enemies for a thousand years."

You are spy for the Emperor. Mandughai will destroy all of you if She comes again. 

"They searched out truth when the Tumatsin were in rebellion against the Emperor," said Kati. "Their influence prevented the Emperor from destroying all of us! They understand the importance of the Tumatsin on Shanji. You have your own lands because of them. There are millions of people on Shanji who have nothing, and the Moshuguang, or the Searchers, as you call them, work to change that. They are not your enemies. The Emperor is your enemy, and his reign is coming to an end. Shanji is stagnant. It will not move ahead unless there is fairness and justice for all people."

That same voice again, and now Kati saw a brightening aura from a woman three places away from Goldani.

"We're told that Mandughai has proclaimed you Empress when the Emperor is gone, yet you must fight Her army for this to happen. I, for one, do not believe this. It makes no sense, and seems convenient if Mandughai is really coming with Her armies. She will rid us of the Emperor, and establish Her own rule. I think you're attempting to usurp this by getting us to help you fight Her, and then take power for yourself! You're barely a woman. How can we believe what you say without direct verification from Mandughai, The One who is always with us?"

Careful! She sees Mandughai as a goddess! 

"One moment," said Goldani. "Mamai has arrived to light our fire for tea. Please come in."

A boy entered with a bag of tinder and lighted candle, kneeling at the hearth to perform his duties while everyone sat in silence. He lit the tinder at strategic places within the tent of wood beneath the water pot, and hurried out of the room.

"I will answer you with a question," said Kati. "Suppose you suddenly heard the voice of a woman proclaiming herself to be Mandughai, and the woman told you you must give up your isolation to work and live with the other people on Shanji, move from your land if necessary to be in harmony with the Hansui. Would you do it?"

Bright, blue spikes appeared in the woman's aura. "I—I would obey the will of Mandughai."

"Even though it's against your will? I can see it in your aura, and hear it in your thoughts! You despise the Hansui! Yet you would live and work with them if Mandughai ordered it?"

"Yes—if I knew it was Mandughai who ordered it. You have entered my mind without—"

"Your permission, yes. I also have the powers of a Searcher, you see, but any woman in this room can see the truth in your aura. Now, tell me how you could be sure it was Mandughai ordering you to do something you didn't want to do. It could be anyone's voice: a Searcher, perhaps, or other impostor. How could you know it was truly Mandughai speaking?"

"I would know," said the woman stubbornly.

The fire in the hearth had caught, but burned slowly, and smoke circled the room.

Now is a good time to show them something. 

"By faith? Or by a sign of her power?" Kati pointed a hand at the fire. "For example, I may direct my aura—so."

The entire wood pile on the hearth burst into a column of flame reaching half-way to the ceiling, and was consumed in seconds. The women gasped at the sight and the abrupt, almost unbearable heat, and pressed their backs against the wall.

"Or, I may open a path to the gong-shi-jie, the place of creation, and draw a piece of its infinite energy to heat our water for tea. Watch, now."

Kati's aura snaked to the water kettle, flattening into a dish-shape just above it. She kept her eyes open, let them see the blaze of emerald green as she made the connection to the world of purple light, drawing out a trickle of radiation, and directing it into the kettle. In one second, the water was at a roiling boil. The room glowed green with the light from her eyes, then subsided.

"Would this be enough? Must I heat this room to the scalding point, or burn down an entire ordu with the light you've just seen? Are these the signs you look for? I show you signs, yet I do not claim to be Mandughai, but I tell you She has sent me here to proclaim Her will. Goldani has given you Her message, and I need not repeat it for you. In less than two years Mandughai comes as a foreign aggressor to force Tumatsin and Hansui together in opposition to Her.

"She is a woman, like you or me, a good woman determined to see Shanji advance and expand to join the rest of Her worlds. She has chosen me to lead this change, and to make a better life for all the people, but I must first unite Tumatsin and Hansui. Her armies come to enforce this, or to destroy us all. We can work together now, and agree to meet the confrontation in a united way, or wait until Her soldiers are burning your ordus. The choice is yours."

"You speak blasphemy!" snarled a woman.

"A trick, with one of the Hansui light weapons!" said another.

"Nonsense. We all saw her aura. The source of power was right in this room," said still another. "But what can we do now, when the Emperor is in power, and our border is fenced and guarded?"

"We can agree to mutually defend each other against foreign aggression," said Kati. "We can come together as equals to plan a better life for the people on Shanji. But you must understand that the greatest need for change lies beyond the mountains where most of Shanji's people live. It means giving up your isolation."

"The Emperor has imposed this on us!"

"It will not be so when he's gone."

"We only have your word for that!"

"This is true," said Kati. "Trust is necessary for what we do together."

The women were now whispering to each other, and Goldani said, "Kati, suppose we cannot agree to what you say, and when Mandughai's army arrives they attack our ordus, and we see you have spoken the truth. What happens to us then?"

The women were suddenly silent.

"If I hear you're being attacked, I will come with Moshuguang soldiers to help defend you."

"Even if we will not help you defend the city?"

"Yes. You are my people. I will fight shoulder to shoulder with the Moshuguang to defend you, and if I survive I will defend the city as well, without your help. Mandughai expects nothing less of me. I'm committed to Her will."

There was a long silence until Goldani said, "It seems there are no more questions for now. The council will meet in my ger this evening for further discussion, and now, since the water in our kettle seems nicely hot, I suggest we have tea, and some informal talk with our guests."

Goldani herself served the tea in small ceramic cups. The women remained on their benches, whispering to each other as they sipped, Kati and Mengmoshu sitting alone across from them. The minds of the women were now tightly masked. Goldani talked among them for several minutes, and several of them stood up, looking nervously over at Kati, eyes red.

You did well, but I heard that business again about you fighting with the troops. 

I meant it. I've been trained, and I will fight. 

We will talk about that later. 

Goldani was coming towards them, two women straggling behind her. She stopped, leaned over, and said, "They're impressed by your powers, but what you ask is difficult after thousands of years of animosity between Hansui and Tumatsin. I'll do my best to persuade them, but surely you can see their lack of belief in what you've told them."

Kati sighed, but smiled as the two other women came up to her. Both were Goldani's age. There were no introductions.

"We remember your mother," said one. "She's buried near here, and your brother will take you there if you wish. Despite what you've heard from us, we're happy to see that Toregene's daughter is still alive. But you've surprised us in many ways."

She would visit Ma's grave. Kati felt an ache in her throat. "I understand," she said. "Thank you."

"We cannot decide everything while you're here," said the other woman. "We must also speak to the men, and they will have their own opinions."

"Of course," said Kati. "I hope for continued communication between us, regardless of your decisions."

"Festival will be held this time next year," said the woman. "As a Tumatsin, you are welcome there." She lowered her eyes, and walked away to join the other women filing out of the room. The redness of suspicion and anger was in many eyes.

Goldani smiled. "It's another opportunity, especially with the men. We're finished for the moment. Wait here, and I'll bring Baber to you."

Then she and Mengmoshu were alone again, and Kati's heart was pounding. "What will he think of me?" she asked.

"He's your brother," he said.

"We've been raised in different worlds. And why isn't Da coming with him? Doesn't he want to see me?"

"I don't know, Kati. You'll find out soon enough. Your little display here seemed so easy, no natural for you. I'm wondering just how far First Mother has pushed the limits of your abilities."

"I'm too excited to think about that now, Mengmoshu. It's been twelve years since I've seen them!"

"I know. Do you wish to be alone with them?"

"No! Stay with me! I want them to meet you!" Kati grabbed his arm with both hands, and he smiled.

Suddenly, Goldani was at the doorway. "Kati? There's someone here to see you. May we come in?"

"Yes!" Kati squeezed Mengmoshu's arm, a shiver running through her.

Goldani held the doorflap aside, and a young man ducked his head to enter the room. He was tall and square-shouldered, wearing riding leathers, hair tied into a tail reaching below the nape of his neck. He came at Goldani's side to stand before Kati, a frown on his face, hands clenched at his sides.

Kati looked into brown eyes set in a square, chiseled face, and the sight brought tears to her eyes. "Baber," she said softly. "You look just like Da. Do you recognize me after such a long time?"

Baber swallowed hard, and pointed to her necklaces. "I remember those."

"From Festival, when I got Sushua, and you rode back with Da on Kaidu. You were so proud!"

"Kati? We—we thought you were dead, and buried, or burned up. Father looked everywhere, and—"

"I'm here, and alive! Oh, Baber!" Kati grabbed him in a fierce hug, her face against his chest, for he was even taller than she. "I've missed you so much, and Da, too. Please take me to him! We have two days to talk about what has happened to us, and I don't want to waste a minute of it!"

Baber's hands rested lightly on her back, and his mind was a blank to her. "It's not far. Will the Searcher come with us?"

"Yes. This is Mengmoshu. He's been my teacher for many years." Like a father to me, in many ways. 

Baber nodded to Mengmoshu. "Follow me, then."

They left the building, and walked south away from the concentric circles of the ordu, past the stares of women and children, and out onto a sandy plain ending at shear cliffs dropping to the sea. Kati looked around, and saw no gerts beyond the ordu. "You said it was near?" she asked.

"A little way further," said Baber.

Something was wrong. There were no dwellings out here, not even a horse or a goat, only sand and wind and the pounding of the sea below them.

They came to a wide shelf jutting out from the cliff face, and someone had built a commemorative cairn of stones there, a small altar placed on a rectangular bed of pebbles. Baber went to it, took a green stone from his pocket, and placed it on the altar. He took out another green stone, and handed it to Kati.

"Ma is buried here," he said solemnly. "Some of the survivors of the Emperor's attack risked their lives to go back for her and bring her here."

Sea air beating at her face did not dry the tears that came. Kati choked back a sob, fingered the stone, then placed it on the altar beside Baber's offering. "It's a beautiful place," she said. "You can see to the horizon. Ma would have loved the view."

"Yes. I remember her wanting to see the ocean up close," said Baber.

Kati knelt on the bed of colorful pebbles around the altar, Baber and Mengmoshu standing behind her. Her sadness was tempered by the memory of her mother's face. She shared it mentally again with Mengmoshu, then ran the palm of her hand over the smooth stones.

"This place has been kept neatly. Does Da come here often to see her?"

Baber made a choking sound, and then his mind was open to her, and she knew the horrible truth before his words came.

"He's there with her, Kati, and Kaidu is buried beneath where I stand."

Oh, Kati, I'm sorry. We didn't know. 

She was stunned for a moment, kneeling there with her hands at her side. She wanted to disbelieve, but couldn't, for she saw the truth in Baber's mind. She'd waited twelve years for this day, a day of joyful reunion, and suddenly all those dreams were shattered. Her breath seemed to have left her, and she gasped.

"When? How did it happen?" The horror of loss made a knot in her stomach, tendrils reaching upwards towards her chest, and into the heart.

"Only two months after Ma was killed; it was before the fences went up. When they brought Ma back, he went a little crazy. You hadn't been found. Nobody saw them take you away, and they set fire to everything. When he went back to the ordu there were only piles of ashes. I remember him saying how clever you were, that you'd probably escaped and were hiding somewhere. He spent weeks searching for you, with Kuchlug, but it was very dangerous. The flyers were everywhere, and there were patrols all over the plateau. Then, one morning, he went out alone, and didn't come back. After a day, Kuchlug and three men went looking for him. They found him high on the slopes of Three Peaks. His neck was broken, and he was dead. Kaidu's legs were broken, and Kuchlug ended his misery. We buried them together."

"He knew my place on the summit of Three Peaks," said Kati. "If I'd escaped, I would have gone there. Oh, Da!" The horror had reached her throat. She bent over, forehead touching the pebbles, and her body shook.

"It was bad for me, Kati. I'd lost everyone, including you. Manlee took me in for a few years, but then she got sick. Goldani has raised me since I was nine. She's been good to me."

Kati wept without restraint, and Mengmoshu joined her without words.

Don't let me go. Let me feel it with you, Kati. You're not alone. Not now. I never guessed your dreams would end this way. I should have checked things out and prepared you for it. I'm sorry. 

Baber's hand was on her shoulder, and he was kneeling beside her. "I thought I'd lost everyone, but I hadn't. My sister is still alive, Kati. We still have each other."

Kati embraced him, clinging hard, and sobbing into his shoulder. She looked up at Mengmoshu, and he was standing there with glistening eyes. She had felt his grief for her, but suddenly his mind was as dark as a cave. She wiped her eyes with a hand, and stood up with her brother. They looked at the grave in silence for a moment, arms around each other's waists, then walked back to the ordu, Mengmoshu following them.

She made no effort to hide her tears from the Tumatsin, for they had already known what she now knew, and they watched her sorrowfully as she passed by them, clinging to her brother. They went directly to the log building and Mengmoshu left them there alone to talk. They sat by the hearth in gloom, and Kati told Baber every detail of what had happened to her during their separation, all the things she'd seen and learned and the tasks that Mandughai had called upon her to do.

Baber shared his simple but mostly happy life as the orphaned child of an honored woman. Manlee had been like a grandmother, and then Goldani, childless, a husband drowned in a storm at sea. He was learning the life of a fisherman, working the nets on the outrigger boats and cultivating the shellfish in the shallows. Riding was not so important here, but he had a horse named Shuel, presented to him by the ordu at Festival when he was twelve. There was a girl named Chilan who'd captured his affections. Kati asked if he'd kissed her, and he said yes, and she laughed. His guard was down, and she'd seen that they did more than kiss.

It was late when Mengmoshu returned, followed by two women with food for them. They ate together, then Baber excused himself, for he arose early to work the nets three days a week.

"I'll be back late tomorrow. Will you be here?" he asked anxiously.

"One more night, then we must leave," said Kati. "We can talk more tomorrow night."

Baber smiled, and left the room. Mengmoshu looked at her, concerned.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yes. He's had a good life. At least I still have my brother. I wanted so much to see Da again, to let him know what's happened to me."

"I know," said Mengmoshu softly.

A thought brought tears to her eyes again. "He always called me his little Empress. Isn't that funny?"

"No," said Mengmoshu. Suddenly, he sat down beside her at the hearth, and put an arm around her. She buried her face in his shoulder and cried again, and his hand stroked her hair. "He would be proud of you, Kati. Any father would be proud of you," he murmured.

Mengmoshu was struggling for control of his mind, holding back something from her. She'd felt it many times before, and now it was there again, very close. She looked up at his face: mouth set grimly, silent tears on his cheeks, staring at the hearth.

"Mengmoshu, is there something you want to tell me? I feel a terrible struggle within you."

Mengmoshu stroked her hair, and held her close.

"I'm proud of you like a father," he said.

Kati nuzzled his shoulder. "There's more. You're hiding things again. I don't hide things from you, Mengmoshu. Tell me."

"I need to think some more. Aren't you ready to sleep?"

"I think so."

"Some men want to meet with you tomorrow. Talk about today's meeting has spread fast, and these men are in charge of a kind of home guard. They have no religious feelings to deal with; they'll ask practical questions about the size of our forces and our commitment to Tumatsin defense. Goldani has allowed the meeting. I think she supports us."

"When?"

"Late morning. Now get some rest."

Their bedding had been brought in with the food: straw mattresses bound in softened hides, pillows, and wool blankets. They slept in their clothing, Kati's eyelids already fluttering as her head hit the pillow. As she drifted towards sleep, she saw Mengmoshu's eyes glittering near her, still watching, as if he were ready to say something.

She slept without dreaming.

The morning meeting went quickly, and it seemed the men had mainly wanted to see her face-to-face. Mengmoshu coached her without words as she answered their questions, and it was quickly apparent the men had little belief in Mandughai or Her coming. Yes, the Moshuguang could provide an elite fighting force of two thousand within a day's notice, but only a few flyers were available to them. They had no idea of the size of Mandughai's forces, or their strategy for invasion. Kati's commitment to Tumatsin defense did not depend on their commitment to help defend the city, but Mandughai required it if an extensive war was to be won. Once Hansui and Tumatsin were united against Her, Mandughai had promised to cease Her attack, and bring Kati to the throne. If Her daughter will allow it, thought Kati, bothered by the partial truth of her words.

At one point, a man asked for a demonstration of her powers. Kati stood in the center of the room, an arm stretched out from her side, palm up, and suddenly a ball of sizzling blue plasma was floating above her hand. She asked the man to flip his dagger at it, and he did so. There was a faint popping sound and the blade was gone; the hilt dropped to the floor, blade ionized.

The men stared, and were frightened by her, but still they did not believe in Mandughai, or in Her coming. Now they believed in Kati, seeing her as a possible threat, and she saw it all in their minds.

Mandughai had been correct. The people would not see the truth until it happened to them.

In the afternoon, she returned alone to the gravesite of her parents, and sat there for two hours to watch the sea. The water was dotted near and far with semicircles of small boats with outriggers to work the nets taking life from sea to Tumatsin gerts. She imagined herself with Baber on one of the boats, pulling on those nets full of struggling fish, the salty wind in her face. Their life was good here, and simple. It was no wonder they protected their isolation from a people who at one time had thrown them away because of an ethnic impurity.

Goldani served them an early meal as the men were returning from the sea. Her news was mostly bad.

"They are convinced there is a threat against us, but think it might come from you. They fear your power. Some believe it comes from Mandughai, but others feel you're in rebellion against Her and seek to establish your own rule against Her will. Out of fear they're motivated to strengthen our home guard, and intensify training, but they will make no commitment of any kind to you. Not now. They do ask that I stay in communication with you. They allow the possibility of future discussions."

"The border post we came through is entirely manned by Moshuguang forces," said Mengmoshu. "Any messages you leave there will be immediately relayed to us over closed channels. The Emperor must hear nothing. Say nothing to anyone who's not Moshuguang."

"I understand," said Goldani. "I hope you're not too disappointed. It was the best I could do. Another thing, Kati; the women want to see you at Festival next year. If you are not, they will say you are no longer Tumatsin, but have become a foreigner."

"I'll be there," said Kati.

"Alone," said Goldani. "No escort, and no flyers like the one that's been hovering around since you arrived here. You must come alone."

"I'll ride the route I remember as a child," said Kati, "and I'll be armed with sword and bow."

Goldani nodded, and smiled. "Baber will be here soon, and tomorrow morning we'll escort you back to the border. I'm sorry Baber had to tell you about your father, Kati. I simply couldn't force myself to do it. He's a fine young man, and I love him. He's the child I never had, and now he has his sister back. I'm happy for both of you."

"Thank you for caring for him," said Kati, and they embraced warmly, holding each other for a long moment.

"Baber will meet you at your sleeping quarters, and we're finished here," said Goldani. "I wish you well, Kati. You're one of us, and if Mandughai has called on you to be Empress of Shanji, I hope it will come to pass. You have your mother's heart, and she was a loving and fair person. I think we can work together, if there is fairness and justice in the rule of our world."

"It's what I want, too, Goldani. In less than two years it will be decided. Please communicate with us at anytime."

"We will."

Goldani released her, and Mengmoshu said, "I'll stay here awhile."

Kati went back to the log house, and Baber arrived within an hour, bringing with him a beautiful shell glistening in a rainbow of colors. "We cultivate them in the shallows," he explained. "The meat is sweet, and rich. Even a grown man can only eat two of them."

He gave her the shell. "It makes a good dish. Take it with you."

"I've nothing to give in return; I'll send something," she said.

"It's no matter. Knowing I still have a sister is enough."

He seemed so serious, so adult as they sat down by the hearth. "The men were all talking about you. They say you have great powers and might be Empress of Shanji. They asked about your childhood, and I could only remember how well you rode a horse. Were there other things?"

"I could probe minds and hear thoughts like the Searchers. That's how they discovered me."

"I didn't know," said Baber.

"Ma did. It frightened her, and she made me keep it secret, but there were times we talked without words. I think she felt the Searchers would kill me if they discovered my abilities."

"I wonder what she would think of you now."

"I think she'd be happy for me, and support me like Goldani is doing. We've been lucky, Baber. We've both had good people in our lives, people who care about us. Not everyone has that."

"What now?" asked Baber. "Did you get what you came for?"

"No, but it's what Mandughai told me to expect. We'll have to fight Her armies, and it could be very bad."

"I'll be involved, then. All boys over fifteen are in the home guard. I'm a bowman." He paused, sober. "My arrows are no match for laser weapons."

"She might not use them. We'll have to wait and see. We'll both be in danger, brother. I'll fight with the Moshuguang. They've trained me for battle, and I'll use that training, but Mengmoshu will try to prevent it. He worries over me too much."

"He's a good man?"

"Yes. Formal, and stern, but lonely inside. I'm very fond of him."

"A Searcher."

"A Moshuguang, Baber, and I'm one of them."

"But how? No other Tumatsin has the mind of a Searcher."

"I don't know. Perhaps Mandughai made it happen. I am what I am. I don't question it. I'm still your sister, Baber. I'm still Kati."

Their shoulders touched. "I know," said Baber, "and I'll fight by your side when the time comes."

Kati hugged him, felt the hard muscle in his arms, shoulders and back, and they sat that way, silently, until Mengmoshu arrived.

Baber left, and it was growing dark. They would leave early in the morning, and Kati went to bed early. Mengmoshu sat on his bed next to hers.

"We did as well as could be expected," he said reflectively, "perhaps even better, if they strengthen their home guard. We still need to talk about you fighting along with the troopers."

"Not now, Mengmoshu, I'm tired."

"It makes no sense for an Empress to be killed in battle. The risk isn't necessary."

"I'm trained as well as any trooper. You worry too much."

"Yes—I worry."

He was still sitting there, watching her as her eyes closed. His face was solemn, and there was a roiling within him, something left unsaid as she drifted into sleep.

It was only a short time before the dream came, a dream that brought her fully awake with a moan. It began with Ma's face smiling at her, and then another scene. Ma was on her back, naked, and a man was on top of her, rocking to and fro, copulating with her. Ma looked very frightened; she scratched at the man, but he held her hands down, rocking harder, and then there was his release, and he turned his head, gasping.

The man was Mengmoshu.

Kati sat up on the bed with a moan, her breath coming in short gasps. Torchlight from outside leaked past the doorflap, and the air was cold, making her shiver. She pulled the blanket up to her chin, and turned to see if she'd awakened Mengmoshu.

He was still sitting there, as he'd been when she'd fallen asleep, watching her with glistening eyes.

"Mengmoshu!" she gasped. "I—I had a dream—it disturbed me—"

"It was not a dream," said Mengmoshu softly, "but a vision from the past. I cannot wait any longer to tell you."

"What? What I saw was—"

"What you saw was something that happened to a young Moshuguang captain when a Tumatsin spy was captured near the cliffs twenty years ago. His men would have raped the spy, then killed her, but she was young, and beautiful, and he wished to spare her life. He used his rank to rape the woman in place of the men, and pretended to kill her, temporarily paralyzing her with his own mind. He forced himself into her, using her lustfully, and rationalizing his disgraceful act by saying he was saving the woman's life and doing First Mother's work by spreading the seed of the Moshuguang."

"It was Ma I saw in my—"

"A child was conceived, and the woman's husband didn't know it was by another man. The captain rose in the ranks of the Moshuguang, and then one day an exceptional Tumatsin child was standing before him, showing him the images of the woman he'd disgraced, and he knew—he knew—"

Mengmoshu's voice cracked, and broke, and now he was sobbing. He held his head in his hands, body heaving with sobs. Kati reached out to touch him, but he jerked away, his voice a strangled whisper.

"I am your father! It was I who disgraced your mother that night, and then you were there, and all the guilt came back, and yet there you were, so exceptional, and somehow it was good. I—I confessed to First Mother, but she already knew, and said the secret must be kept. And then—when I felt your grief yesterday—I couldn't—I couldn't—"

Mengmoshu buried his face in his hands, and sobbed again. Kati just sat there, stunned, clutching the blanket to her. What was she feeling? Anger? No, strangely not. Surprise, yes, and relief, for now so many questions she'd had about herself were suddenly answered: the source of her childhood powers, Ma's fear and anger when discovering them, then Mandughai saying she had the blood of two sons, not one, all the little things unanswered till now.

"Mengmoshu," she said, reaching out to touch his shoulder. This time, he didn't move away from her, but kept his head bowed.

"I've loved you since you came to us, but I could say nothing. I could only be your teacher, watch you grow, feel your pain, your happiness, and be proud of my daughter in secret. It's been tearing at me for years, and then yesterday —your sense of loss—I couldn't hold back any longer. If you hate me, I accept it. I deserve it."

Kati pressed her hand on his shoulder. "I cannot hate you. How many times have I accused you of acting like my father? And now I finally know why. I know why I'm so different, Mengmoshu. That's important to me."

Mengmoshu took her hand in his, and held it tightly. Tears were streaming down his rugged face.

"You are unique, Kati. Juimoshu came from a liaison between a Tumatsin man and an adventuresome Hansui girl, but there has never been someone like you. First Mother has forgiven me because of you, but can you forgive me for what I've done? Your mother's face, it's been in my dreams for years. If only it could have been different, the way we met, I could have—"

Kati dropped her blanket, put her arms around his neck and hugged him. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. You're my father."

She was amazed how comfortable she felt saying it, how natural it seemed. Suddenly she was totally centered and at peace with herself, all her questions answered. Mengmoshu put his arms around her, his cheek wet against her face.

"I think of the coming battle. I don't want to lose you, not now."

"We do what Mandughai directs us to do. The task is much bigger than the two of us, and everything that can be done has been done to prepare me for it. Your daughter is a woman, Mengmoshu. I'm also chosen to serve Mandughai, and now you must let me do it. I'm not Mandughai. I'm Kati. I'll join the battle, and not stand idly by as a symbol."

"If you're killed, First Mother will choose another for the throne. Shan-lan can't do it; the nobles will lead him by the nose."

"I intend to be alive," said Kati. "You're underestimating my abilities again, Mengmoshu, or should I call you father?"

"No. Never. The secret must be kept, even from the Moshuguang."

"Have you been sitting up all night?"

"Yes."

"If you don't sleep, I'll have to pick you up when you fall out of the saddle."

Mengmoshu leaned back from her, and smiled. "The Empress orders me to sleep?"

"I do." Kati helped him slide beneath the blanket. For the moment, he seemed very old, but she felt his relief from sharing a thing that had happened long ago, a release of guilt as he looked at her. He reached up, and touched her cheek.

"I obey the Empress—and my daughter."

He closed his eyes. Kati leaned over, and kissed his forehead, then got back into her own bed, and listened to his breathing slow. She had a sudden urge to contact Mandughai, but knew she couldn't, not now. Mandughai would not be there for her. But her true father was there, close by, snoring now softly.

She closed her eyes, and sleep came quickly.

No further dreams disturbed it.

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