The couriers apprentice
Chapter 21 – The Courier’s Apprentice The girl’s name was Jahan, sixteen, born in Kashgar to a Sogdian mother and a Tang garrison father. Her red sash was new, her hands callused from training, and her eyes were wide when she looked at Mei’s white hair. “You’re younger than my mother,” Jahan said, sitting on the floor of Mei’s small house. “But your hair…” Mei whispered, “I paid for a road to stay open. Hair turns white on some roads.” Du, squinting, opened his large-letter ledger to a fresh page. “Name: Jahan of Kashgar. Lesson one: what is a dragon’s price?” Jahan recited the oath all couriers learned: “Life for life, memory for memory, breath for breath.” Mei shook her head, a small motion. “No. That’s the empire’s ledger. Our ledger says: choice for choice.” Outside, Mule stampe
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