She frowned at him. “Calling people like me naive is the excuse kings always give for not finding peaceful alternatives.
“Tell me, how many people do you think live in Jazid?
She blinked at his change of topic. It didnt sound like he was evading her comments, though just coming at them obliquely. She considered his question. Although Jazid was huge, it consisted mostly of inhospitable peaks or the killing desert. Beyond these mountains, a barren wasteland went on and on, a place where no one lived or traveled, until many leagues in the east it met the sea. From the geography she taught her students, she knew most of the population lived in the western edge of Jazid, either as nomads or scattered among villages. They had no centralized capital like Crofts Vale in Aronsdale or the legendary city of Quaaz in Taka Mal.
“The population is about a million, isnt it? she asked.
Markus gave a bitter laugh. “You arent even close.
“I thought I had heard that number.
“We let people believe it, he said. “But its closer to one hundred thousand.
She stared at him. “For the entire country?
“Its a hard land. No one wants to come here. Especially not women, and without women you cant have children. He let out a breath. “Our infant mortality rate is the highest of any country because we have the fewest healers and midwives. We have no guilds to train doctors, as you do in Aronsdale, so we have no doctors. Girl babies die more than boys because boys get better care. Most people never question that bias, and I think many dont see it. Girls who survive into adulthood are sold. More die in childbirth than in any other country because of our execrable medical system. And some situations He stopped.
“Yes? she asked.
He spoke tiredly. “If a man loses a woman due to mistreatment, the law considers it the same as if his livestock dies.
“Thats horrible.
“Im not defending it. He shook his head. “But you have to understand, many of my people feel the way you live in Aronsdale is perverse, like giving inheritance rights to animals.
Saints almighty. “Is that what you think?
He touched her cheek. “No. Youre very human to me.
Berating him for centuries of traditions wouldnt solve anything. He was a product of all that he described, yet he seemed able to step outside of it and look at the effects.
“Im surprised your women dont run away, she said.
“Some do, he admitted. “A few go to Aronsdale, but most choose Taka Mal because the cultures are similar. The numbers that leave arent huge, but its enough to increase our imbalance. Weve had very few wars in modern times. Except for the losses in the Battle of the Rocklands two years ago, none of our men die in combat.
“Thats an awful way to balance a population.
“Yes. It is. He rubbed his eyes. “Now consider this. Our brutal, inhospitable land has incredibly rich deposits of jewels and minerals. We supply almost all the gems and precious ores in the settled lands. But without anyone to mine them, what good does it do us? Hell, my father used to give away huge tracts of land to anyone who would immigrate. In return, they gave him twenty percent of their profits. Even with that, it is the most lucrative trade in any land. Do you have any idea of the wealth owned by some Jazid miners? We have a constant influx of men. Some return to their own countries when theyve made their fortune, but many stay.
“So the imbalance grows.
He nodded. “If it happened only in one or two generations, it wouldnt be a disaster. But this has gone on for centuries. He leaned his head against hers. “Seventy thousand men live here. Most are old enough to want a woman. Those with power and wealth have first choice, and many take the younger women, which leaves a population of angry, restless young men. This, in a country with thirty thousand women, less than ten thousand of marriageable age. You do the math.
“Its impossible, she said. “Jazid cant survive.
“So you see. Taka Mal also has an imbalance, but their population is forty-five percent female. And theyve over two million people. He lifted his head and looked over the desert, toward the border. “The solution is obvious. We conquer Taka Mal.
“Markus, listen. You cant destroy all those peoples lives, killing their men and taking their women. She wanted to shake his shoulders. “The obvious solution is to change what causes the problems. Treat women like human beings. Give them a reason to stay. Make Jazid a place where men are willing to bring their families. Instead of spreading the problems to other countries, why the bloody hell dont you try to solve them?
He met her gaze, his own dark and angry. “Why should we be the ones to change? Taka Mal betrayed us, and my father died. They live as if they are right and we are wrong, and who the bloody hell are you to say thats true? To us, your people are immoral.
“Thats crazy.
“Why is what I believe crazy and what you believe right? He exhaled and went on in a quieter voice. “I see why you hate this way of life, even if sometimes I seem as dense as that proverbial pig. But even if I wanted to change Jazidand Im not convinced I shouldI cant just decree it to happen. Taka Mal has taken centuries to reach the point where they are now, and her people have resisted every step of the way. Their queen seeks even more changes, but she walks an edge and she could fall so easily. She knows that. She takes great care in changes she brings about, maybe even more than a man because she faces such hostility for holding a throne in a country where traditionally women have had much less power than men.
Allegra knew she was out of her depth. In her short life, she hadnt thought much about politics even in her own country. “You need a wife with the experience to sit by your side and help you. Not a girl some nomads found in the woods.
“Youre exactly what I need. He gave a wry smile. “Youll berate me every time I make a decision you think is stupid. I may even have to admit youre right.
“I dont want that role.
“I know. But you have it.
“No! When it came to nations and dynasties and wars, what could she say? The last crisis she had dealt with had been an argument between two dairymaids that her mother asked her to help settle so the girls would go back to work. “Im no queen, Markus.
He watched her pensively. “Do you know why I want to marry you when Ive never wished to take a wife before? It isnt only that Ive never desired a woman as I do you. Its not even your mage abilities, though that turned out to be one hell of an extra. Other women I took to my bed thought aboutwell, I dont know. It was hard to talk to them. They spent a lot of time making themselves beautiful and trying to please me, but they had so little to say. What they desired most seemed to be riches, pretty baubles and an ease of life. What do you say? That I need a woman by my side who can help me with the problems Jazid faces. That, Allegra, is why you should be my wife.
She didnt know how to answer. She had thought he wanted a woman who spent all her time trying to please him. This wasnt the unfeeling overlord she had seen in the auction tent. Behind that facade lived a man of intelligence and courage. And he had chosen her as his queen.
She spoke quietly. “You should tell the atajazid how you feel about the problems Jazid faces. Youre his guardian, yes?
“So will you be, after were married.
That threw her. “Im not qualified.
“You mentioned something last night about reading to your students. Do you teach children his age?
“Well, yes. But thats not the same.
“It doesnt need to be. He stretched out his arms. “If we are going to see him today, we should get going.
“Today?
“Yes. Then he said, “Today youll meet the most fortunateand unfortunatechild in the settled lands.
Allegra didnt realize they had reached their destination until Markus indicated a large ridge that cut across their path. It buckled up into the bright daylight like a fat wrinkle in the land. Beyond it, the Fractured Mountains rose as if the Shadow Dragon had thrown them down from the sky, cracking them against the desert in gigantic broken spires.