He was the Great Khan.A guest of the Igwe.A man whose reputation made hardened warriors flinch.
No one dared to move.
Then, as if controlled by a single mind, every woman in the procession dropped to her knees, heads bowed.Even the Ugoeze knelt, her pride dissolving in the face of death.
"Great Khan."Her voice emerged steady."We did not know you were...visiting."
"The Khatun is unwell," he said coldly."I am ensuring her safety."
The Iyom's face went grey.
"She should not be alone in such a state," the Ugoeze managed."We came to offer comfort—"
"Comfort."He scoffed."How considerate."Ragnar stepped forward, and every woman's heart shuddered.He stopped at the Ugoeze’s side, hand on the hilt of his sword.
She did not look up.
"Ugoeze, you are the mother of this tribe.I will not interfere in how you govern your household.But the Khatun will be the mother of the Valthorne.Whatever punishment you deem appropriate for whatever transgression you imagine—deliver it.I will not stop you."
Her breath caught.
"However."His voice dropped lower, colder."If she is harmed again—by illness, by poison, by any means—I will hold you personally responsible.Not the Iyom.Not the Okpalaeze.You.The mother of the tribe, who allows vicious snakes to nest in her house."
He straightened.
"Oversee your punishment, Ugoeze.I have said my piece."
The Ugoeze’s body was frozen as she watched him return, closing the door behind him.He did not even bother to stay and watch.Gritting her teeth, she spoke out loud.“Fifty slaps!”she said.“If you do not slap yourself hard enough, I will send someone to slap you!”Without waiting for them to realise she was saving them from anything worse, the Ugoeze raised her hand, and her palm landed on her right cheek.
The Ugoeze knelt at the edge of the room, her back straight, her face heavily painted.Inside, her blood boiled.
The room around her was large, the centre cleared to receive Elders.She bowed before her husband’s desk as he put brush to paper, not bothering to look down at her.The Ugoeze wasn’t foolish enough to postpone informing him of her mistake; if he heard of it through his elders, she would be punished more severely.
"He was in her chambers," she said."With the door closed.For hours, if the servants are to be believed.The scandal—"
"Ugoeze," the Igwe cut her off.He didn’t look up from his work."My first wife led a procession of women to my guest's betrothed and found him there.The scandal is that you put me in a position where my choices are to challenge a man who could destroy this tribe or to punish you for your stupidity."
The Ugoeze's mask cracked slightly."My Lord!"
"Do you know what message that sends?"He looked up, his shadow falling across her like an eclipse."It says my household cannot govern itself.My wives are petty and vindictive.My servants have loose tongues.I, apparently, cannot control my own women, so how can I control a tribe?"
She opened her mouth.
"Quiet!"
She shut it.
"I have made my decision.For the next year, your allowance is suspended.You will live on the same stipend as a common wife and remember what it means to earn your place."
The Ugoeze's heart stopped.
"My Lord!For a slave girl!?"
"You brought this on yourself.You may leave."
The Ugoeze’s face twisted, and seeing that seemed to anger him.
A loud crash startled her as the Igwe threw his seal across the wall.The heavy block fell to the wooden floor, leaving a dent.In his anger, he could’ve thrown that at her; that caused her to tremble.
