always slowly with my eyes downcast.”
Soqtani frowned.“You speak as though you have made up your mind about them.”
“They are feeble,” said the djinn. Her eyes stayed at her feet.
“Perhaps you should spend more time with the herds. They will not look at you the
way man-kin do, and they can teach you who we are.”
She told the djinn the story of Ruthful Tuq, who died on the long ride back from
war after giving his last drop of water to his steed. The djinn was pleased. It nodded
and rose to depart.
“I will watch the village herds,” it said.
“Wait,” called Soqtani, standing. “Before you leave, tell me, how is my father?”
The djinn stopped. A faint breeze stirred the grass between them.
“He lives,” said the djinn. “But he fell from his horse in competition with another
rider. He no longer goes with the others in wartime. He is the same man, though.”
Soqtani nodded, and the djinn left.
- “How long has it been?”
“Five years.” The djinn sat in its usual spot. “Thieves tried to lure my herd away as
I slept.”
Soqtani cocked her head. “You sleep?”
“I do my best. I close my eyes and think of dreams. I imagine they are like many
different thoughts pushed together and stretched out as wide as the steppe. Those
thieves would have woken me if I slept truly. They were loud as frightened colts.”
“What did you do?”
The djinn blinked its pretty eyes. “I slew them, of course.”
Soqtani stared. “You make it sound easy.”
“It was. They did not think a single girl would be much trouble. I was faster than
all of them.”
“They could have killed you.”
“No. If they struck me, I would vanish into smoke.” The djinn weighed a stone in
its hand. They sat and watched the wind like an invisible beast in the grass.
“How did they look, when you slew them?”
The djinn dropped the stone.
“I cannot recall. Truth be told, I was thinking of your father.”
Soqtani rose. “If you still want to understand the man-kin,” she said. “You should
go back and bury them. Look into their faces before you cover them with soil.”
She strode to the opposite side of the cairn and sat.
The djinn laughed. “Any more advice?” it called across.
Soqtani did not respond, and the djinn grew bored. It crept around and took the
girl’s shoulder.
“Don’t you want to know of your father? His leg gives him trouble in the cold. But
he gets around fast enough. Mostly he looks after the horses. Makes sure they’re fi t
for riding.”
Soqtani looked up. “And what about my mother?”
The djinn paused.“She is well, but she does not speak much. She spends most of
her time watching the sky, especially at night. She will watch until she falls asleep.”