Baasan grabbed the man's sleeve, begging for water. As he did, he slid his thumb across the blue wax seal on the nearest bundle. The wax crumbled. Fake. Real seals had a hairline of red thread baked inside.
Batzorig lowered the spyglass. "Baasan, ride ahead. Fall off your horse. Play injured. Get close enough to smell the wax." mongol shuudan ilgeemj shalgah
Commander Batzorig, a man whose face looked like it had been carved from the permafrost, raised a brass spyglass. Below, in the valley, a column of camels trudged forward. Each beast carried two large, felt-wrapped bundles sealed with blue wax. Baasan grabbed the man's sleeve, begging for water
"Three days late," whispered Baasan, the youngest. His breath fogged in the cold. Baasan grabbed the man's sleeve