Instead, Xau sent for tea

and they talked of small things,

Xau’s children’s lessons,

a new design of beehive.

Enlai grateful for every word,

the commonplace comfort

of tea and conversation.

FURTHER EXTRACTS FROM THE RECOLLECTIONS OF ARTOCH,
SENIOR ADVISOR TO KING XAU

Correct. King Xau returned

to the horse country that summer.

If you require a target to blame,

blame me. I argued him into it.

Had Xau stayed in Lipoh

he could have coordinated more easily

with his generals,

but to what purpose?

He had warned Tahj of the monster,

had offered his help,

help that Tahj had declined.

Even in hindsight, I believe

it was the correct decision—

the correct military decision—

for Xau to leave Lipoh.

If you pour me a bowl of tea,

I will elaborate.

Thank you.

Xau’s alliances were strong,

his main army readied.

Whereas the horse lords,

though willing,

had never fought alongside others,

and would not have heeded

advice from anyone other

than King Xau himself.

May I remind you of the magnitude

of the Khan’s concessions—

Three thousand of the Khan’s warriors

incorporated into Xau’s cavalry.

Every other horse warrior,

every single horse lord

sworn to fight at Xau’s command,

a fealty never offered before or since

in the history of the horse tribes.

A fealty due solely

to their devotion, their love,

for Xau himself.

Even so I had great difficulty

convincing the king to leave.

He never did master detachment:

knowing that the monster lived,

knowing it preyed on others’ pain,

he held himself at fault,

hadn’t slept through the night

in nearly two months.

Compounding that,

Heng had not returned.

Heng? A translator whom Xau

had dispatched to Sumbral

to watch for war preparations.

Whether for the particular or the general,

Xau took responsibility.

The one man he’d sent into danger,

and the monster’s uncounted victims

whom he had never met,

who were not from his country.

One man.

[Archivist’s note: at this point Artoch fell

silent. I assumed he had become confused, as

he was prone to do, and left for the day. But

when I returned next morning, Artoch returned

immediately, though briefly, to Heng.]

Heng. Set this down—

Heng, a translator in King Xau’s service,

never returned from Sumbral.

Although his body wasn’t identified,

he was likely our first casualty

in the Imperial War.

MONSTER: TAHJ

Six-eyed, six-mouthed, within his caves

the monster sported with his slaves.

With whip and blade and burning brand

he played his games beneath the sand.

Alas, how fragile proved his toys,

their deaths the costliest of joys.

The more he killed, the more he craved,

his tastes destructive and depraved.

His hellish harvest hard to hide

from soldiers searching far and wide

(sent by King Tahj who ruled the land

from forests green to desert sand).

So the monster spun a story

of golden tombs, desert glory,

an ancient crown with the power

its bearer’s rivals to devour.

∗

Lusting for greatness, King Tahj came.

In place of fame, found fear and shame.