“Alqa! Wake up!” Buqutai called from outside her yurt. Alqa opened her eyes.

“What? How long was I asleep?”

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Come out and get ready. We’re forming up soon,” Buqutai said. Alqa heard him walking away. She sat up and put on her boots. Out of a small satchel she took a few pieces of dried meat and ate them. She stood and put on her belt. Stepping out of the yurt she saw large circles of warriors applying warpaint, others putting on armor, some putting war-regalia on horses. Alqa led Nergui to her yurt.

“Wait here please,” she said and went into the yurt. She picked up Nergui’s war regalia and went back outside. Nergui was peacefully waiting, munching on grass. She put the saddle on first, then the mane-comb and the chanfron last. Alqa stroked Nergui’s neck. “You’ll be alright. I’ll protect you,” she said. She sighed, time to put on warpaint. But not with those people. Alqa led Nergui in the direction of the vanguard.

“Hey, Alqa! You want some help with your warpaint?” Baatar asked. Alqa turned, she sighed.

“Sure. I assume you want help too?”

“Yes please,”

“Alright. Nergui, can you wait here for me? I’ll be back soon,” Alqa said, scratching Nergui’s neck. She followed Baatar to a circle of warriors all getting warpaint. There were more bowls of paint than Alqa cared to count but she and Baatar sat down on the edge.

“What color do you want?” Baatar asked as he pulled a bowl of white closer.

“Red please,” Alqa said. She drew the same design she had drawn two nights ago and closed her eyes as Baatar applied it. When he was done, Alqa opened her eyes. He quickly looked down. “Ready for your turn?” Alqa asked. Baatar nodded. He drew a line between his lips and nose. Extending all the way to the top part of his neck.

“Red line there. White coat below it,” He said. Alqa applied the white first, covering the entire bottom part of his face. She drew the red line as he had requested next.

“You’re ready,” she said. She stood up and rinsed off her hands and returned to Nergui.

“Wait,”

“What?”

“You need to stick with us,” Baatar said. Alqa sighed. She was supposed to stick with her Yisra, but what about Qotoiyan?

“Just let me do this,”

“Not a chance. Iija told me to make sure nothing happened to you,”

“I’ll be fine,”

“I promised,”

“Fine, come with me if you must,” Alqa said. She mounted Nergui and set off towards the last location she had seen the Yisra of Begter.

Baatar followed her. Everywhere they looked, warriors mounted on their horses and rode to the rally point, or were getting ready to do just that. Some brought carts full of arrows and led spare horses. Alqa approached a warrior. “Good day. May the Stewards guide you,”

“May the Stewards guide you. What may I do for you zuulyegt?”

“Can you tell me where the Yisra of Begter is?”

“Right here. Do I know you?”

“Not personally. I’m Alqaiia Qutuqäsa, this is Baatarii Qutuqäz,”

“Pleasure to meet both of you. “I’m Zaiyaatii Qutuqäz,” he said.

“Thank you for your help. May your balance persist,”

“May your balance persist,” Zaiyaat said. Alqa and Baatar continued on, she scanned the area for Qotoiyan and saw him sitting with Taben, doing Taben’s warpaint, while his was already on. Alqa waited atop Nergui for them to be done.

When they finished, Qotoiyan looked up and waved to her, she waved back. “Wait for me Alqa,” he said. They rinsed their hands and went to their yurts. Alqa waited patiently and in a bit both Qotoiyan and Taben had returned. Their horses were in full war-regalia and they were wearing armor. Taben wore a leather scale that reached down just below his knees and a tall, conical helmet with a horse-hair plume, dyed red. Qotoiyan’s armor was the same as before but with a brand new addition. He wore a bronze helmet with a slight egg shape on top and a small lip in the front. It extended down to the base of his neck and had cutouts for his ears, but his cheeks were the only part of his face covered.

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“You got a helmet,”

“You didn’t,”

“No, I didn’t,” Alqa said. Qotoiyan sighed. He turned his horse and together the four of them joined the columns of warriors. As they got farther from the camp all Alqa could see was warriors preparing for battle, the sun was finally starting to spread the first rays of light over the steppe as they arrived at the rally point. The warriors were arranging themselves in a long line, a few ranks deep, not really in any formation. They joined the line, to Alqa’s immense surprise, she could actually see out in front of the formation. Through the early morning’s light she saw the faint line that was the Baltui. The whole air around her buzzed with excitement, anticipation and even fear. Were all these people actually ready to die, all because of the destruction of her Yisra?

Qotoiyan put a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think it will be much longer. The stream of warriors appears to be slowing,”

“Alright,” She said. She hoped she didn’t sound too scared, but she was. She looked at Qotoiyan, would he survive? What if he died? What would she do then?

“I’ll be fine. Worry about yourself,”

“How did you know?”

“You furrow your brow when worrying about something,”

“But how did you know I was worrying about you?” She asked.

“You were staring at me. I could piece it together,” he said. She laughed a little and looked back forward. Sure enough Qotoiyan was right and soon the Ärchgekui and Tuva Khan in all their glory and splendor could be seen in front of the formation. They conversed for a little bit before the Ärchgekui all broke and took positions in the formation. Alqa watched as Tuva Khan and four Ärchgekui rode out forward, she saw another party of the same size from the Baltui side. The Khan’s conversed for what seemed like forever and then without warning, they turned back to their own sides, each Khan’s Ärchgekui did not.

“Zerqaid!” Tuva Khan bellowed. A tall warrior rode out, his horse wore spectacular war-regalia and his armor was no less beautiful or awe-inspiring. Like Tuva Khan’s it was scale and covered his entire body. His helmet was bronze and had an ovular egg shaped dome on top. Alqa could just barely make out small bumps all around the helmet. It had cheek pieces and a neck protector as well. Atop the helmet was a yellow horse-hair plume. He held in his hand a long, straight sword and under the scale reinforced quilted armor. Alqa could see he rode a red horse.

The Baltui Khan summoned forth his champion, but Alqa could not hear the name. A similarly sized warrior approached, he wore a muscled cuirass and metal reinforced leather pteruges. For a helmet, he wore a wide, much wider than his head, conical helmet topped with a black horse-hair plume. His horse also wore spectacular war-regalia, antlers reaching up to the orange dawn sky. The two warriors approached and the Khan’s and their Ärchgekui returned to their own lines. Without warning the warriors halted and raised their swords.

The first she heard was the skirl of a bagpipe, next it was joined by the sound of a deep tone, like from the back of the singer’s throat, followed by whooping overtones being added. The variable music of many qume followed and the deep bellowing of a keburg. And then the first voice rose up in chant. “Ra azii arasaӓz, zaadläkti madai uugon ga tui bi!”

Many voices answered, some male some female, “zaadläkti madai uugon ga tui bi!”

Alqa joined, without thinking, the whole host around her had broken out in chant, and so, she would too. “Ra azii baraäsa, zaadläktia madai uugon ga tui bi! Zaadläktia madai uugon ga tui bi! Ra azii onoäsa, zaadläktia madai uugon ga tui bi! Zaadläktia madai uugon ga tui bi!” She did not stop as the two warriors spurred on their horses and charged, swords raised, and ready to die. Alqa could only, and only barely, make out what she was saying. The whole horde was now roaring, playing music, howling, or singing. The horses whinnys added to the thunderous noise, it was deafening and to Alqa it seemed that even the honey-eaters so far away should be able to hear it.

The warriors met, their swords clashed, not that Alqa could hear it. They rode past each other and turned back around for another charge. Alqa kept chanting. “Ra ere iyi a ogoimea. Gichgekhui a mortaa! Ra ere iyi a arasalmea. Ernkui mortaasaala a bi!” The warriors met again, this time, they did not pass, they halted and clashed, they began to move around, riding next to each other and fighting. It was a beautiful display of skill and Alqa would have given anything to have a better view. Then, the Baltui warrior dropped his sword and slumped over, falling from his saddle. The Qutuq erupted in even more noise than they had been making before, a feat Alqa had not known was possible. Zerqaid dismounted and removed the helmet from his foe, lifting it above his head for all to see, he let out a long howl of victory. He bent over and replaced the helmet before remounting his horse and returning to Qutuq lines, where Alqa could just make out Tuva Khan and a large group of Ärchgekui greeting him.

The Qutuq did not stop chanting, Alqa included. As a group of eight Baltui Ärchgekui rode out to their fallen comrade the war chant continued and showed no signs of slowing or stopping. “Ra iyi ugyrurta teguuf usgyal bierga! Ra iyi tsergyamea teguuf ai t’hurel!” The Baltui took their fallen comrade and the horse back to their own lines and the two Khans with their Ärchgekui bodyguards met between the armies again. The sun was now a little higher in the sky and it was warming up, slowly, not that it would likely get too hot. The chant continued, “Ra chuvremea ona tebengeräsa teguuf ai bye birch! Ra iyi k’tsengle tsergyamea teguuf mekre iyi syelekiia erdenäsa!” The Khans turned and they returned with their Ärchgekui. Alqa did not see what happened next. But she heard it. The whole host fell silent, slowly at first and then more and more caught on. Then, the unmistakable twang of a bow and the whistle of a whistling arrow.