left an opening—

Xau parried, pivoted,

sword low but rising—

sliced Subetei’s yellow pants,

the flesh of the Khan’s thigh.

Red bloomed on the yellow fabric.

Subetei looked down as if puzzled.

“I yield.”

Xau took one gasping breath—

not quite over—

he had to restore as much authority

as he could to Subetei.

Bracing himself,

he ran his forearm

along his sword blade,

deeper than he had meant,

held his bleeding arm up.

“Our blood to your blood,” said Xau.

He pressed his arm to Subetei’s thigh.

“As a brother you will be to us.”

Not a sound from the watching men

as Subetei knelt heavily,

red running down his leg.

“My khan, my king, my brother,

the throne is yours.”

Subetei’s words unstinted,

but a bewildered sound to his voice,

like a man who has lost his bearings.

“We wish you to keep the throne,” said Xau.

“You are a strong and just leader,

but if we ourself are absent,

or incapacitated,

we ask you to give command

of the armies to King Donal.”

“I swear it,” said Subetei.

Done then. Over.

All that Xau could have hoped.

An effort to help Subetei up,

to steer him back to the throne,

to wait while one of Subetei’s men

bandaged the Khan’s thigh,

to still his own face

while Li bound his arm.

An effort to bow to the horse lords

as they came up to him,

to say a few words to each one,

to listen to what they told him.

That last hour hardest of all,

the race run,

and only Xau’s will

holding him upright,

but he smiled,

he listened,

he bowed.

LOYALTY

King Donal and Captain Li

flanked Xau as he walked,

Li looking so forbidding,

Donal so ferocious

that the dozen horse warriors

who approached as if to talk to Xau

all veered away.

Both men aware from Xau’s silence,

the rigid precision of his stride

that Xau was spent;

both holding back their objections

to the risk Xau had run.

Time enough to harangue him tomorrow,

for now they would shield him.

TARGET

Scene: The horse country.

King Donal and King Xau are riding

at some distance from their guards.

DONAL

What’s wrong?

XAU

Nothing.

DONAL

Nothing?
Did Subetei anger you?
Did he call you a weakling?
Did he insult Hana?

XAU

No.

DONAL

Then why the fuck did you challenge him?
He could have killed you—

XAU

A necessary risk.

DONAL

Horse shit.
Unless you’re looking to be killed
that wasn’t a risk worth taking.

XAU

Not looking for it, but anticipating it.

DONAL

You think you’ll be killed.

XAU

We think the Hidden Queen was killed.
We were warned we might be next.

DONAL

Then double your guards.
Use a food taster.
Sleep in your armor.
All right. Let’s begin again:
what’s wrong?

XAU

War’s coming.
We’re expecting the enemy
to try to eliminate us.

DONAL

Fuck. You’re an obvious target.
No cavalry can withstand you.

XAU

If the enemy kills us, we expect you
to defend both our kingdoms.