Daughter of Xanadu - Dori Jones Yang [46]
I gulped and nodded. Why had I risked my future by asking a favor for Marco? Still, I could not help adding, “He has served you well, and pleased you as a storyteller.”
The Khan tapped his finger on his armrest. “I am considering an invasion of the Latin’s homeland. Your uncle Chimkin says your Latin words and your knowledge could prove useful. Would you be prepared to join this expedition?”
Suddenly, I had the choice of betraying Marco or my homeland. I knew the Khan was testing me, to see if I sympathized too much with the foreigner. If I said the wrong thing, I would never be able to join the army.
“I would like to fight against enemies of the Empire, but not in Christendom.”
Suren sucked in his breath, and the Khan stared at me. While I knew this was not the right answer, something had changed inside me during the summer in Xanadu. If given a choice, I would not take part in the invasion of Marco’s homeland.
“You must face a hard truth, young Emmajin,” the Khan said. “All enemies are people, like Marco. Every man you kill in battle has a father, an uncle, a homeland, some skill, perhaps a sense of humor. Everyone who joins the army must learn that.”
The Great Khan was right. It had been weakness that had made me identify with that foreigner. Soldiers needed to show strength. But finally the Khan had said the words I had ached to hear: “join the army.” I had already betrayed Marco. It was time to be loyal to my dreams.
Calm confidence flowed through me. I no longer felt confused or angry, embarrassed or humiliated. I regarded him steadily. “If the Great Khan gives me the honor of being the first woman soldier in his army, I will strive to bring you glory.”
He cocked his head, as if not understanding. “But you would not obey my orders to invade that man’s homeland.”
I straightened my back. “I obeyed your orders by reporting what the foreigner told me about his homeland. As a soldier, I will obey any orders the Khan gives.”
“Good,” said the Khan. “Then I will let you train with the army, in Ninth Moon.”
I bowed my head and closed my eyes, flooded with relief and gratitude.
At last I had resolved the battle in my heart. Face to face with the Khan, I had spoken up for what I thought Marco wanted. Against all odds, the Khan had allowed me to join the army anyway.
My blood pounded so fiercely that my head felt light. I was ready to leave my childhood behind. I was prepared to venture into the real world of battles and conquest in the Khan’s army. Now I had to forget about Marco and prove myself a good soldier.
On the last day of Eighth Moon, the Great Khan and his court left Xanadu and returned to the capital in Khanbalik. This time, I rode with Suren, and we were high with enthusiasm. My joy about joining the army the next day helped me to bury my still-simmering regrets about Marco. My independent adult life was about to begin. Temur, too, had been permitted to join. Good-hearted Suren did not seem to mind.
When I arrived home, I found on my bed a fur-lined military-style coat, a fur cap with ear flaps, thick felt leggings, a new pair of leather riding boots, and a set of leather armor. Beside them lay a white del, embroidered with the insignia of the Khan’s army, made of smooth, firm silk. Clearly, someone from the military had delivered them, at the Khan’s orders. I held the del to my face, feeling its texture against my cheek.
This type of silk, I knew, was a special fabric used only for the army. It was famous from the stories of Chinggis Khan’s conquests, a layer of silk worn under the leather armor, so tightly woven that arrows could not pierce it. Mongol soldiers astounded their enemies, because when an arrow struck them, they could pull it out of their armor, toss it aside, and continue fighting. A surge of gratitude overwhelmed me as I held the first tangible sign that I was truly to become one of those soldiers.
I ran my fingers over the leather armor, a cuirass designed to cover the front and back of the torso. It was made of overlapping strips of lacquered black leather and laced with