For the first time in over a week Lily found herself alone with Lucky. A good deal had taken place since that had last happened. She was thankful of having an opportunity to take stock and think about everything that had taken place. Sitting up in her saddle, Lily wiped the sleep from her eyes. She had no idea what time it was or how long she had been riding. As she looked around her, Baatarulaan was nowhere to be seen. Even if she wasn't certain where she was, Lily knew that she was safely back on the Steppe. She bent over forwards and gave Lucky as big a hug as was possible from her saddle. People had always said he was a very fortunate horse.
Lily stretched widely and yawned heavenwards. Although they had been travelling for some time, Lily knew that Lucky would simply stop when he needed a rest; she didn't have to worry about his fatigue. Reaching behind her, Lily opened the pannier saddlebags that contained her provisions and meagre belongings. She pulled out the letter that Danyal had left with her and untied the string that bound its scroll:
Dearest Lily,
You really have been a wonder. Imagine taking on Tengis on your own – such courage! I no longer have any doubts that with you leading our charge we shall defeat Tengis and with him the Khadist regime that has shackled the true people of Ongolium since the age of Chinggis Khaan. Keep your faith – you are the one; it is your destiny.
In your saddlebags you will find enough provisions to see you till next we meet. I have also given you a small horn. If you find yourself in danger, blow it. Although you may think you are alone, there are friends in hidden places. The influence of Millie reaches further than you can imagine.
Be at the spot marked X by midnight of the next full moon. In the meantime, while your horse is strong, travel to see places.
With deepest support, faith and gratitude,
Danyal.
Lily finished reading the letter, rolled it back up and replaced it in the saddlebag. Although she had experienced more excitement in the past month than in the rest of her life put together, she was exhausted both mentally and physically. The last thing she wanted was anything that would cause her adrenalin levels to rise anything over ‘just awake’. She looked around at the flat rocky Steppe. She counted how many birds she could see – eleven in total. In short, Lily was bored. After the excitement of Baatarulaan and the future challenges that lay ahead she didn't know what to do with herself until the next full moon appeared. It was too far for her to head back to her herder group. She also didn't want to go back until she had actually achieved something. To date she had been given a box she didn't understand yet; gone in search of her father but not found him; met some people she wasn't one hundred per cent sure she trusted; and inadvertently started a battle with somebody she utterly abhorred but wasn't sure why. Lily was rather confused. Lucky kept plodding further on into the Steppe. Neither of them was sure where they were heading but both of them wanted to get there.
Lily needed something to occupy her time. Two things came to mind. She had a puzzle that she still remained some way away from solving – the strange ornate box and its nonsensical riddle.
She had seen a tiger. It was apparently meant to signify Tengis and the future, although other than being a strong marketing tool Lily saw little connection between the two and there had been no sign of any tigers wearing a bell. It all felt a little bit like it lacked real substance. The cats Lily had quickly identified as the rich, opulent and lazy Khadists living in Baatarulaan, but there were no fish. During the time Lily had spent in Baatarulaan she had seen people eating many weird and wonderful things but never once fish. There was also hardly any fresh water to speak of. The river near the city was dreadfully polluted and not even Lucky would think about drinking from it. This brought Lily to the Heaven and Earth conundrum. It had to have something to do with her shawomanism, but again she was unsure what. Altogether she surmised that, while she had learned many things from her first experience of Baatarulaan, she had moved no further in understanding the riddle of the box.
Deflated, she jumped down from Lucky and walked beside him. The horse stopped almost immediately. Lily saw that he was looking to rest. He wandered down to the banks of the river that flowed nearby and drank deeply. Lily was utterly exhausted. Dusk was fast approaching, which meant the chill cold of the Ongolian night would soon be upon her. Where they stood was as good a place as any to set up camp. After starting a suitable fire Lily set up camp. The tent covering Danyal had provided was oddly shaped yet enabled both Lily and Lucky to snuggle up against one another. It was a blustery frozen night but the pair remained warm. Lily dreamed about Baatarulaan and the strange way city people lived. It differed so greatly from the herder life she had grown accustomed to. She could not understand why people lived in such confined spaces so close to one another. It didn't feel natural.
Lucky dreamed about carrots and a warm bed of hay, snoring noisily as he did so.