The Tiger-Headed Horseman Page 18

  Lily was horrified. Now she knew how Khad had managed to take over Mongolia so easily. Throughout time it seemed to her that people everywhere were easily influenced and made dishonest whenever and wherever there was an excessive amount of wealth. It didn't seem fair. Chinggis had wanted to improve his empire, working for his people. Khad had wanted to create his own empire and cruelly rule over his people. It wasn't right that Khad had been allowed to succeed. As Lily read on, there appeared to be no entries dated later than a few months after Khad had seized control of the mine. From what Lily could ascertain it seemed that Khad not told anyone about the whereabouts or source of his fraudulent wealth. When he had died suddenly, it was before he could share this knowledge. Since then, although the Khadists had remained in power, their coffers had slowly dwindled as the remainder of Khad's stolen swag was wasted upon banal bureaucracy and supercilious seediness. The mine had now stood empty for eight hundred years.

  Closing the book roughly, Lily threw it away from her. The more she learned about her country's history and the unfairness of its government, the more resolved she became to taking action against it. She turned to the second book that had appeared pertinent to her. Given the length of time the mine had had no owner, the book oddly looked more recent. Between its pages were crammed small pieces of yellow sticky paper containing illegible scribbled notes that stuck out from the edge of the book. When Lily opened the book, various tatty pieces of paper fell out, each covered in faint squares some of which had numbers written in them. There was also what looked to be mathematical workings but Lily had no knowledge of these things. Mathematics had never held any real importance to the life of a herder beyond the ability to count livestock accurately, barter forcefully on price and subtract carelessly when giving change. These workings were more complicated than anything she had ever seen before. Lily wasn't particularly interested in numbers and so laid them next to the pile she had earlier discarded. The book itself looked far more intriguing and she eagerly turned the neatly scribed pages. As she read on, her mind raced faster and faster as her blood began to boil.

  The book used language that had a more modern feel to Lily. She read through pages and pages that detailed the strategic plan for the mine – an outline for a massive expansion. Whoever had written this book intended to increase the size of the mine tenfold. There were sketches of how far into the mountain the mine would go. To achieve their goal, whoever was behind it planned to employ hundreds of people who could act as cheap labour. The plan was to be kept secret so the labour would be found outside Ongolium. Lily recalled the Legend of Khad; she knew that if any Outsider set foot in Ongolium ever again then Chinggis's terror would cut through them like a scythe. The Outsiders were to be kept out of sight and housed within the mine. The plans detailed the myriad of ger complexes, canteens and even a hairdresser's that would be set up within the grotto as its belly grew ever more bloated.

  Lily wondered who on earth could be planning such a greed-fuelled enterprise. There was only one person she knew who had an unnervingly single-minded self-agenda to attain power at any cost, a cost that could be met through mining vast quantities of the shimmering matter. There was only one person despicable enough to flaunt ancient legend and risk the wrath of Chinggis. Then again, the person she had in mind seemed to believe that he had the favour of Chinggis, that it was Chinggis that advised him. He was also the only person in Ongolium who appeared to have ever found any of the iridescent metal. The expansion plans were hugely ambitious; his ego even more so. It was no wonder that Tengis had so keenly sought the support of the wealthiest members of Baatarulaan society. How else was he to fund his intended corrupt election?

  Towards the end of the book Lily found some plans for winning over the people that Tengis had written. They contained a number of slogans he had presumably used during his road show around the upper classes: ‘Greed is good – for those who can afford it’; ‘If you are sick, think about your life; if you are better, think about your gold’. She now looked at the graph papers she had earlier thought irrelevant. Now she saw that they listed the good and great of Ongolium. Next to each name was an estimate of how much money they would lend Tengis. The total was a sum far more vast than anything Lily had ever heard of before. In another column Tengis had detailed the various strands of work he deemed needed to be undertaken together with related costs. The sum he planned to raise from the gullible fat cats of Baatarulaan far outweighed the amount necessary to complete the proposed works. Lily wondered what on earth Tengis could be planning with the surplus.

  Flicking through other pages she saw a number heavily circled. It matched the same amount as the initial surplus Tengis would have left over. Lily glanced up the page to see what it related to. There were names listed she didn't recognise. They didn't even seem to be in the Ongolian language. Next to each was a monetary value but also another number that tended to be in thousands. As Lily read the entries detailing what this related to, she began to feel sick. Perhaps Tengis was more corrupted than she had imagined? Perhaps Tengis was planning to buy in mercenaries from outside Ongolium? Perhaps he was planning something far greater and more wicked than simply gaining the support of the people to bring him to power? If he was able to gain even half the number of hired soldiers he had outlined on the page she was reading, it would swamp the entire population of Ongolium. The Khadists and Fun Brigade may have been malicious but the martial law which Lily feared Tengis and the Leggie had planned would be infinitely more terrible.

  She hurled the book against the cavern wall. Holding her knees to her chest, she rocked crazily back and forth. Her heart pumped awkwardly in her chest as blood soared through her body. She felt dizzy. She felt afraid. Most of all, Lily felt angry. She had to let the people know about Tengis. She had to raise the alarm before it was too late. She had so many things to do besides. As she thought of the best way to find her way back to Baatarulaan, she recalled where she was. While the fire had been dying down, the darkness had risen from the floor and descended down the walls from the roof. She had hoped that some semblance of natural light would become visible but nothing presented itself. She may have wanted to run to Danyal and Millie but for the time being she was trapped. Lily needed to find another way to get out.

  When she had stumbled over the wheelbarrow she had only covered half the cavern wall she had intended to. Lucky had completed his task and returned to her, and she knew her horse well enough that, had he smelled fresh air, he would have let her know. There was a distance of some forty metres that remained unexplored. Rushing to the fire before it died completely, she gathered up what unburned wood she could and fashioned as many torches as she was able. The last thing Lily wanted was to be left trapped, alone (besides Lucky) and in the dark.

  Feeling her way back along the unchartered wall it suddenly began to turn away from the centre of the mine. Moving slowly Lily held the torch in front of her to light the way. Lucky followed so closely behind, Lily could hear his teeth chattering. Although he was comfortingly loyal, he had never been a particularly brave mount. His nose occasionally touched Lily's back, causing her to jump.

  ‘Stop it, will you!’ shouted Lily. ‘Stop being such a silly beast!’ She gently slapped his nose and he backed away an inch or two. The wall continued to bend away from the mine. Lily and Lucky walked on. Before long the fire that had lit proceedings this far went out. Lily was unsure whether it had finally gone out or if they had moved around a corner out of sight of its glow. She had expected to start turning back the way they had come, but the wall continued to bend in the opposite direction. The hand that Lily had been holding against the wall began to turn cold. She looked at it. The wall was no longer completely covered in the shimmering substance. Flecks of it riddled and pocked the grey rocks that had started to dominate the wall. Lily could tell straight away that it was normal rock; there was enough of it lying about on the Steppe. It was good to find something she recognised. Her respite was short-lived, as the path she was follo
wing began to descend deeper inside the mountain. She took a cloak from the saddlebags on Lucky's back and tied it tightly around her shoulders; it was becoming colder with every step they took. They moved onwards down inside the mountain.

  Lily's head began to ache. Blood had been rushing through it unchecked for the hours since she had arrived in the cave. The sensation that started to fill her head was different. It was noisier than the gush and throb of blood. She noticed that Lucky's ears had pricked up. Standing to attention they rotated fractionally as they sought out whatever it was that had caught their attention. Lily closed her eyes and concentrated. There was sound. Following the absolute silence that had pervaded the mine Lily had not immediately recognised the noise that was filling her head. She hastened her pace but with each stride the air around them became increasingly colder. It didn't matter to Lily she was hearing a sound that she recognised. It was a sound that meant movement; it was a sound that she knew would lead them out of the mountain. Somewhere below them an underground river was rapidly raging through the rocks.

  Lily was running now and noticed that the path was becoming slippery in places. Ice was starting to form on the rocks, too. Icicles began to appear cascading sluggishly from the roof. Droplets of water that escaped froze before they hit the ground. The echo of glass chandeliers swaying in the breeze tinkled up through the passageway. Lily and Lucky began to breathe with difficulty. Their breath billowed out from their mouths. Moving quickly soon became too hazardous. Lily was wearing leather shoes and the precipitation that had collected on her soles as she had made her way down began to freeze. She was walking ice on ice. Similarly, the sweat that had dripped through Lucky's hooves began to hinder their progress as it froze.

  Inching their way along the passageway, Lily was relieved to see some natural light up ahead. Buoyed by her potential escape, Lily hurried on as fast as was safe. Soon enough Lily no longer needed her flaming torch. What light that had penetrated this icy interior was multiplied a million times by the glassy temple they now found themselves standing in. The room was as large as the cave had been. They stood on a bridge made of ice that spanned a raging river that flowed beneath. Lily noted that the light came from the river and knew that it must escape the mountain at some none too distant point. Escape was now only a matter of time. As Lily and Lucky edged across the frozen precipice, they entered a crystal chamber. It was even more beautiful than the cave had been. Icy sculptures tumbled down the walls from a roof that would have suited the most marvellous of fairy-tale castle ballrooms. The rushing river below lapped up the walls, frequently dragging large coffins of ice into its depths. In the centre of the crystal temple the ice from the room met the bridge they were crossing. As they drew nearer, Lily's heart didn't know whether to sink or explode.

  Partly hidden within a section of ice over three metres thick Lily could see the figure of a man. As she examined the glacier further, she began to notice his features. He was tall and muscular and had long thick dark hair. He was dressed how she had always assumed a traditional warrior would have been clad. Two razor-sharp scimitars crisscrossed his back, various throwing weapons were attached to his belt, and two long knives hung by his side. Baggy dark trousers were gathered at his waist and held fast by a large clasp. A large tunic covered his broad torso and hung in places as far down as his thighs. Embroidered into the tunic were various spheres each emblazoned with a proud-looking horse bearing an ornate saddle. The man's almond-shaped eyes were closed in frozen slumber. Peacefulness clad his noble face. The only sign that all was not well with the man, other than the fact he was deeply embedded within a strangely shaped glacier, was a thin line of red where his throat had been slit. Lily slumped to the ground and held her head in her hands. Lucky cosied up close to her; he understood her distress. When Lily had found herself in the cave filled with the sunny substance she had not expected that it would lead her to . . . Chinggis Khaan.

  Lily needed to speak to Tsara. It was the least she could do for her spirit friend. She began trying to steady her mind and focus upon releasing her body from its physical boundaries. She started the breathing exercises that normally eventually led her to the spirit world but nothing was happening. She tried in vain to block out the sound of the river below. No matter how tightly she closed her eyes, they remained blinded by the illuminations dancing around her in the crystal temple. Lily had never failed to enter the spirit world when she had wanted to. Now, more than ever, she needed to be there. Lily had to let Tsara know that she had found Chinggis but leaving the real world was proving impossible. Lily began to weep, her tears freezing to her cheeks as they rolled away from her eyes.

  As Lily sat crying in shock, she felt the earth move. Lucky whinnied. Staring across the ice bridge she and Lucky were sitting on, Lily saw that their combined weight was too much for it. The result was inevitable: it was only a matter of seconds before the bridge collapsed and they tumbled downwards into the ferocious bitter waters below. Everything happened in slow motion as is so often the case when something terrible occurs. The ice continued to crack loudly displacing sections of the bridge. Moments later Lily and Lucky found themselves falling. Enormous pieces of ice fell between and around them. Lily could hear the roar of the river coming closer. Taking deep breaths, she and Lucky awaited their fate . . .

  As she hit the water Lily looked heavenwards. The last thing Lily saw was the outline of Chinggis Khaan standing proudly in his deathly tomb. A moment later she sank beneath the river and was rapidly swept away.

  22

  Odval doubted whether her beloved Tengis would ever recover from the shock of hearing that all he had ever believed was indeed wrong. Until that point, Tengis had believed he carried the spirit of Chinggis Khaan in his soul. To discover that he was haunted, not by Ongolium's greatest emperor, but by the phantom of the man he had always viewed as his nation's greatest traitor was a lot to come to terms with. Tengis had shut himself away for days, refusing food, sleep or company. He had even turned his mother away. The only person Tengis would allow to be near him was Odval. He trusted her above all others. He knew that he could expose himself to her and she would not mock him. As she stroked his hair soothingly, Tengis ranted and raved. The news had done nothing to suppress his rage. If anything, he was angrier than ever.

  ‘Why have my men not found her yet?’ he demanded. ‘She is one small girl; my force has hundreds of men. Do I have to do everything myself? Why can I trust nobody other than myself? You are all fools. I am the only one who can lead this country. I am its rightful emperor. I am the chosen one.’

  Odval grew worried but knew better than to question her lover. As his rage had grown, so had the list of those who had lost their lives for trivial reasons. She remained silent, doing her very best to provide solace. After five days, just as Odval was about to give up on Tengis, he fell into a deep and heavy slumber. She ordered his favourite foods to be prepared for the moment he awoke.

  ‘I can smell sausages,’ said Tengis. He sat up in his bed and yawned.

  He had slept for almost forty hours all the while lovingly guarded by his faithful Odval. As he started to eat heartily, he called upon Oldortar, Mr Enkh and Tchoo. Together with the omnipresent Odval, they gathered in his chamber as he wiped the last of the sausage grease from his chin. Ushering them to draw chairs around the bed where he lay he pushed away his tray and began to speak.

  ‘My dear friends, I have not been myself. Not for a very long time. I had thought my purpose here was to listen to and serve the people. I figured that, if I set up a good team of smart people, we could implement change that would make a difference. We had thought that the Khadist regime was corrupt and wicked. We were only part right: the Khadist regime that has governed us for these past centuries was merely broken. The principles of Khadism, if you break them into their base constituent parts, are not dissimilar to those of New Chinggism. What they do both most certainly have in common and what I had failed to appreciate – and I put my hands up as the one pe
rson that should have noticed – is that they are a far more intellectual embodiment of what Chinggis Khaan had originally set out to achieve.

  ‘Where he failed to fulfil his personal potential, I have an opportunity to succeed. Where he showed his frailty by always seeking consensus, I can show strength by acting single-mindedly. Where he survived less than a decade as emperor, I can last for all eternity. I have the ability to become emperor of Ongolium for all time. This will become known as the Age of Tengis and no more shall we think of ourselves as followers of Chinggis. Now that I have had time to think, we need to reconsider who it is we follow. From this moment on you will follow me and I will follow Khad.’

  His advisors looked at him in awe. It was the type of awe people showed when they had just intimately witnessed something especially malevolent.

  ‘That's all very interesting,’ asked Tchoo, ‘but what about democracy? I thought we had agreed you would become the first President Of Ongolium People? I thought we four would become your government?’

  ‘My dear friend,’ said Tengis – Odval noticed that the tone of Tengis's voice sounded a little too familiar for her comfort – ‘you will always be important to me; it's just that I will be infinitely more important to you! From this moment on it is all about me. Do you agree?’ Tengis looked inside the eyes of each council member.

  ‘So we will still have a say in how the country is run?’ asked Mr Enkh.

  Odval wished her father had said nothing. She feared that Tengis could turn at any moment. Instead, he rose out of bed and stood naked before them. He clapped a hand on Odval's father's shoulder.