Page 100 of Warlords, Witches & Wolves

Surprise made her laugh. “Well, that would certainly solve the problem.”

Vachir grabbed her hand. “Don’t laugh. I heard someone suggest they kill Dagar which would stop the Erseg from wanting peace.”

Goat dung. “Thank you for telling me. I was on my way to speak to Amar. Will you keep an eye on Dagar? He’s with the horses.”

Vachir nodded. “Good luck.”

She was going to need it. She found her brother sitting at the table in their tent, a drink in front of him. “We need to talk about Gan.”

He looked up at her and sighed.

“Did you know he’s trying to convince the warriors you would be a better khan?”

“I can’t stop him voicing his opinions,” Amar replied, shifting in his seat.

“But you can tell him you’re not interested.”

“You want me to lie to my best friend?”

Shuree stepped back, shocked. “You still want to be khan?”

Amar shrugged and played with the cup in front of him.

“Amar, talk to me. This is serious. The fate of our people lies in communication, trust and peace.” She sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He shifted away. “It hurts,” he said. “That everyone chose you and not me.”

Her heart went out to him. “They didn’t choose me, they chose peace. If you had offered it, they would have chosen you.”

“You can’t guarantee peace.”

“No, but I can guarantee I’ll try. Our people want change.” An idea popped into her head. “Have you visited the families of the grieving yet?”

“You did that.”

“It’s not a one-off thing, Amar. As Tribal Father you need to continue to nurture them. It has been almost a week since the raids. Go to them, see how they are coping, find out if they need anything and talk to them about what they want.”

“I wouldn’t know what to say.”

“None of us do. Take Nergui with you. She will be able to help.”

He sighed. “All right.”

If that didn’t change his mind about fighting, she didn’t know what would. “Amar, you need to talk to Gan. He’s also been suggesting someone kill Dagar.”

The surprise in his eyes soothed her. “What?”

“He sees it as a way of ruining our truce. You need to talk him out of it, or at the very least, keep a close eye on him.”

“I will.” He sipped his drink. “Gan was ropeable when he overheard the girls talking about the way Dagar danced last night.” He rolled his eyes. “A few want to marry him.”

Unwelcome jealousy surged through her and she forced a smile. “Then our attempts at peace may still work.” She touched his arm again. “I really need your support, Amar. The gathering of the khans is a turning point, but we need to get there first.”

Amar gave her a small smile. “All right, little dragon. You’ve convinced me. I’ll keep Gan in check.”

Her heart squeezed as he hugged her.

She hoped he was telling the truth.

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