- "Men and women of my kin! Are you not T'aghurs? Are you not people strong enough to survive this harsh weather and meager bounty? Are you not the kind who learns to ride and shoot arrows before learning to walk?"
Yun-Men's eyes were alight with passion. The men and women, wearing ragged leather and furs, listened to her with caution. However, many were nodding to her words.
- "I say we should make a better life for ourselves, to take what should be ours! We should be more than a sorry band of scattered brigands. We have the horses, we have the skill. We would only need to practise tactical maneuvers in order to build a light cavalry."
- "What about the war elephants?" said a man.
- "Sell them to the Shou. They are ill suited to warfare anyway, and if the triumvirate is foolish enough not to see that, then I say... down with the triumvirate!"
Now she had said it aloud. Her father had influenced her somewhat, holding her back so that she hadn't been this open about her disdain for the triumvirate in public. But she would not be silent about the truth any more. It needed to be said, and she had no fear. Her audience seemed somewhat startled, but many of them seemed to approve of her words. There was the passion in their eyes, the pride, the willingness to grow and conquer. To be a proud people, like in the mythical past of Manis Khan. Yun-Men liked what she was seeing. She wanted a tribe she could be proud of.
- "What about the other tribes?" a woman asked.
- "We should take them by surprise, claim their land and make them part of our nation. They are content that they are militarily superior to us, and watching for the Shou. They will never see us coming until it is too late."
There was nervous murmur in the crowd. Yun-Men stood straight and proud, eyes hard as flintstones, the high cheekbones giving her a sharp air of savage nobility.
Three men were approaching, two of them middle-aged, one as young as Yun-Men. A father, an uncle, and a son. The triumvirate. Yun-Men faced them contemptuously, without fear. From the corner of her eye she could see her father's fearful face.
- "Yun-Men Changyi," sneered the leader Arond. "Here you are, talking the dangerous talk again. I have been willing to believe that you would give up this foolishness, for your father Emorg's sake. But now you have gone too far, girl."
- "Perhaps," Yun-Men said evenly, "I have only said what needs to be said. Perhaps the triumvirate is not worthy of its authority."
- "You are talking to the leader of the triumvirate, wench!"
She said nothing, but her eyes hardened still.
- "As the first among the Three I will show leniency for your father's sake," the man said. "If you take your words back, and apologize, you will get off with public whipping. Otherwise, you will face execution."
- "I see," Yun-Men said icily. It startled Arond to see that there wasn't the slightest hint of fear or hesitation on her face.
- "How about this," Yun- Men continued. "I renounce your right to rule, your and your lackeys', for you have grown lazy and useless in your unearned privilege. I challenge you for the leadership of the tribe, as has been the ancient custom of our clan in the past."
- "The leadership has been passed on in our bloodline for a long time!"
- "With obvious results," the girl sneered. Arond could not back off now. The men drew a large circle on the ground.
- "If one of you comes out of the circle with the other one still alive, that contestant will become an outcast and killed on sight. The one of you coming out of the circle alive shall be the leader of the triumvirate."
Yun-Men nodded. Arond was charging at her. The man was a burly seasoned warrior, but his large size and experience made him overconfident. He had also grown lazy with his leadership position, in lack of all physical labor and hunting duties. His girth had also started to get heavier and heavier, as he ate far better than his clansmen. The blows of his axe had a murderous strength to them, but Yun-Men could dodge them without breaking a sweat. After another missed one she brought her own lighter handaxe at the neck of the man, who dropped on his knees. Yun-Men recognized the expression in his eyes. Fear, like the fear in the eyes of a dying rabbit. She smiled contemptuously and slashed the axe again. It severed an artery, and the blood spurted hot, steaming and bright red. She laughed ferally.
- "Bitch!" It was the son of Arond. He charged in anger. He was faster than his father, and actually managed to cut Yun-Men in arm. But the pain did not hinder her. On the contrary, it made her blood soar and boil, it made her like a beast intent and joyos on kill. Splattered with blood, strong and wiry, she fought the young man who only had his anger going for him. This was not a clean kill - she hacked the boy full of wounds so that he finally started to lose blood and wobble on his knees.
Yun-Men let him sink onto the ground.
- "Honorless coward," she spat, kicking the dying man sprawling on the ground.
- "Do you want to die too?" she asked the remaining member of the triumvirate, who quickly shook his head.
- "Good, then. There will be no more triumvirate. What there will be is a military force the Plain of Horses has yet to see."
- "Yun-Men! Yun-Men! Khan come again!"
They were cheering. They were proud. They were not afraid. Yes, she liked what she was seeing.
