When Buqutai returned he immediately placed a bit in his horse’s mouth and a bridle over the stallion’s head. “Mount your horses, we ride. We have a relatively far distance to go,” he told them and they quickly mounted their horses and rode off, following Buqutai at a rapid pace. It took them a day to reach their designated starting location. Then, they waited there for a day and at midday of the next day, they spread into a line and began pushing animals forward, right from facing the north wind. They rode in this fashion for a day, making sure that no prey escaped the net. In the early morning of the next day, they caught sight of other Yisra for the first time. Late in that day a general halt was ordered, within the net was a huge assortment of prey and after a long while of waiting, Alqa witnessed riders masterfully hunting the pick of the hunting within the net. It was not long after that that all riders were permitted to go in and hunt, there was plenty of prey for all Yisra and Alqa managed to kill two foxes. Everybody returned to their Yisra the next day and when Alqa got back she went straight to her yurt, laid down on the furs, and fell asleep.

She was woken in the morning by Sugekui, at first she didn’t recognize him as he shook her awake and reached for her knife, grabbing it and pinning Sugekui to the ground with the knife against his throat. Only then did she recognize him. “Sorry, but you shouldn’t be in my yurt,” Alqa told him, still with her knife to his throat.

“Buqutai was looking for you,” He told her. Alqa removed the knife and got off of him. She hefted a woolen cloak over her shoulders, put on her belt, and attached her quiver, she slipped her twenty-eight arrows into the main section and her bow into the bow pocket on the outer edge. Then she put on her curved leather boots.

It only took a few minutes until she found Buqutai “What is it?” she asked.

“I wanted to get something for you. Winter will be here soon and it will be your fourteenth. You need a melee weapon. We are going to war with the Baltui over your blood feud, so you will fight,” Buqutai explained to her.

“But I don’t know how,” Alqa told him.

“That is why you will learn, go prepare Nergui,” Buqutai instructed her. Alqa consented and left to prepare Nergui, while she was doing so, Sugekui approached.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“Wherever Buqutai needs me to go, he says I need a melee weapon. Watch over Dagan for me,” Alqa told him.

“Of course,” Sugekui exclaimed. “Have fun!” Alqa finished putting the bit and bridle on Nergui and Sugekui left to go find Dagan. Buqutai appeared shortly, mounted Achaku, and set off, Alqa followed on Nergui. They traveled for a day until they saw mudbrick buildings, square of shape and small off in the distance.

“Is that a Baal Tusgra?” Alqa asked, she had never seen a Baal Tusgra before.

“Yes. The slaves there will make you a sword,” Buqutai told her. They continued forward and eventually arrived at the Baal Tusgra and as they dismounted, a couple of warriors in armor approached them.

“Halt, state your names and business,” one of them ordered in a gruff voice. He had skin only a little darker than honey, and he had a thick beard, but an iron helmet covered his hair. A cloth covering was wrapped around the helmet and hung down, covering his neck and most of his helmet, with only the top spike sticking out. He wore a thick tunic and sewn into the fabric were metal plates, Alqa could see their outlines as the fabric was extremely tight around them. This protection went down to his knees in a skirt, split in the front. He wore curved leather boots and thick woolen pants. In his right hand, he held a spear. His clothes were gray with yellow stripes on the sleeves. His companion wore a simple fur cap on her head and had long braided blond hair. She wore iron scale armor with a skirt down to her knees, she wore curved leather boots as well and she had a battleaxe in her right hand.

“I am Buqutaiii Qutuqäz and this is Alqaiia Qutuqäsa. We are here to have weapons made,” Buqutai told the tusgra gaalaak. The tusgra gaalaak nodded and both tusgra gaalaa left.

Buqutai motioned for Alqa to follow and walked to a mudbrick building with a vertical stone tunnel allowing smoke to exit. They walked in, through the opening used as an entrance and there was a dark-skinned man arranging bars of iron and bronze from a cart.

Buqutai cleared his throat and the man jumped, “No hurt me! I not done wrong! No requests! No requests!” The man yelped, his voice thick with fear. Alqa noticed that his arms were scarred and his back was covered in cuts.

“Well that is changing, come over here,” Buqutai told the slave. The slave obeyed without a second thought. As he approached, Buqutai motioned Alqa to come forward.

“What lord want?” The slave asked.

“Make a sword, in our style,” Buqutai ordered the slave.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Of course lord, is for you or girl?” The slave asked.

“It is for the girl,” Buqutai answered.

“And how long does she want it?” The slave asked, turning to face Alqa. Alqa stepped back in shock, not only was his right eye missing but his face was horribly scarred and burnt.

“I-I-I Long enough to be used by an adult on a horse,” Alqa told him, still in shock from his appearance.

“I work, will take some days. We say five. Come back then,” The slave told them. Buqutai nodded and left, and Alqa followed him.

“What happened to him?” Alqa asked.

“He is a slave, that is what happened. Sometimes the tusgra gaalaa get bored, or an example needs to be made or even a slave does something wrong. All of those can get one cut, whipped, burned, or maimed,” Buqutai explained. Alqa was silent, she knew this must be normal but still brutal treatment. They walked through the Baal Tusgra until they found a slave, much less abused but still had cuts on her arms, chest, and face. She wore a light tunic but had a woolen cloak wrapped around her. She was handing out flatbread with the sides folded up and filled with meat to slaves and tusgra gaalaa alike. Buqutai approached her and got a small platter with eight of them and they sat down next to each other, leaning against a mudbrick house, and ate. It was really good and when they finished eating they went to a large mudbrick building.

In the building they found a room prepared for each of them, not FOR them but prepared already. Each room had a pile of furs for sleeping and some curtains for privacy. Alqa took off her boots, belt, and cloak. She set her bow and quiver on the floor next to her and lay down on the furs, pulling the top layer over her.

In the morning a slave girl, probably not much older than Alqa herself bathed her in warm water the slaves had collected from a nearby stream. The warm water felt really good and when she was done, Alqa stepped out of the tub and was dried off with a linen towel. She put on her woolen pants and tunic that extended down to her ankles, she put on her curved boots and sat down on a rock while the slave girl braided her hair. Alqa and Buqutai spent the rest of the day and the rest of the time waiting, practicing riding horses, and shooting accurately while at full gallop. Alqa learned to mount Nergui without the use of a mounting step and was noticeably better at shooting. When the fifth day came they got bathed, got dressed and Alqa got her hair braided by the slave girl again and went to the smith. They entered and the smith immediately exclaimed. “It ready! Sword ready! Please no kill me!” At this Buqutai chuckled, and Alqa smiled too. His reaction was somewhat funny, and it made her feel good to be able to put somebody in that much fear. She didn’t consider that he was probably more scared of Buqutai than of her though. They walked over and the slave took a beautiful sword off of a rack, noticeably it was the only one there.

The sword had a wicked curve and gleamed in the candlelit room. It had short quillons made of iron, the blade was also made of iron. The hilt curved forward gently and was wrapped in dark brown leather. Alqa looked at Buqutai, silently asking to pick it up and he nodded. Alqa reached forward and wrapped her hand around the hilt and lifted the sword. It was surprisingly light and Alqa held it, looking all over it, she had never thought to imagine owning her very own sword. The slave handed her a scabbard, it was the same dark leather and had bronze bands about a hand width apart running down the blade. The tip was capped with a bronze ball as well. With the scabbard, the slave handed Alqa two leather straps to use to attach the sword to her belt, they could be adjusted for a tighter fit or be let to be looser for comfort while riding. Alqa attached the scabbard to her belt and tightened it, then she sheathed her sword. Buqutai dismissed the slave and left. Alqa followed him and didn’t look back.

They returned to the Yisra and as Alqa was dismounting Nergui, she heard a shout, “Alqa!” It was Dagan and he was running towards her, Alqa knelt and embraced him as he got to her, Sugekui wasn’t far behind and Alqa stood up and hugged Sugekui too.

“Thanks,” she whispered to him. Sugekui smiled and Alqa released him, then Alqa went to her yurt to take a nap.

The next day Buqutai found Alqa as she was exiting her yurt in the early morning. “Get your sword, you need to know who to use and take care of it,” he ordered her. Alqa turned and went back to her yurt and put on the belt with her sword. She then returned to Buqutai, and he led her to an area next to the goats and horses, out of the way of the daily proceedings of the Yisra. “Draw your sword,” Buqutai instructed her. Alqa did as he asked and he continued. “Basic function of sword use is important before you even attempt to use a sword on Nergui. Hold your sword with a strong but flexible grip. When you make contact you want the sword to slide through your target. Your primary attack from Nergui will be a downward cut on your right or a horizontal cut on your right, but really whatever will hit your target,” Buqutai explained to her. “To stop an incoming melee attack, put your sword in between you and your opponent’s weapon. Well, that seems logical enough, go mount Nergui and return while I set up some targets,” Buqutai instructed.

Alqa walked over to Nergui and slipped a bit into her mouth, the bridle over her head, and swung herself onto Nergui. She kicked Nergui and guided Nergui to a halt next to Buqutai. He was finishing setting up poles with thick targets made of thatch. After a bit of waiting he looked at Alqa, “Attack them with your sword, at a full gallop, hit as many as you can,” he said. Alqa drew her sword and spurred Nergui into a gallop. She lined up her first attack and swung downwards as she passed the first target, the sword only shaved the edge off, with her left hand she adjusted Nergui’s trajectory to be a little closer to the poles and raised her sword for the next. She swung from her high right and the sword cut through the mat, encountering the hard wooden post. Alqa let the sword cut through the mat and pulled it out as she passed, she didn’t get it ready in time for the next post and only got off a rushed swing which missed. The final post Alqa hit with a cut from above, nearly vertical. The sword sliced through the thatch and Alqa let the curve of the sword pull it away as she rode by. Alqa pulled Nergui to a stop and looked at Buqutai.

“Good, reset,” Buqutai told her. They continued training until it was dark and Buqutai dismissed Alqa to her yurt. After returning Nergui to the horse pens and freeing her of the bit and bridle, Alqa went back to her yurt. Dagan was already asleep, so Alqa quietly took off her sword, laid down next to him, and quickly fell asleep.