Silence was a strange companion. Sometimes it helped to listen to it, to let thoughts run free. In other moments it was like a blade digging into your flesh, poisoning your mind with fear.

Now you were trapped in it. The sea had become calm. There were no more waves crashing against the belly of the ship, the rain seemed to have stopped. But there were also no more footsteps above your head.

It was as if the ships had been abandoned. All that was left was you and endless possibilities. Lost in thought, your eyes wandered to the wall that separated you from the prisoners under the ship.

Carefully, you raised your hand and tapped, pressing your ear against the wood. Nothing answered. No knocking. No breathing or muffled voices. It was dead quiet.

Had you fallen asleep without realising it?

Otherwise there was no explanation for this sudden change.

What could the Mongols be planning to do with the prisoners?

Your gaze jumped to the stairs. No one had come back to see what you were doing for hours. You had already used up most of the ingredients, made ointments that you knew could reduce inflammation or numb pain for a short time.

However, it was difficult to say what would help in the long term. Khotun Kahn had not been very precise with his complaints, it could be weeks before you found out exactly what he had. And that doesn't guarantee that it was curable.

A sigh rolled from your lips. With your eyes closed, you let your forehead fall onto the cold surface of the table. Small wooden tins clinked in your pockets with every move you made.

In case your escape was imminent, you had siphoned off a small amount of everything the ahn would get for yourself. If there were any questions, you could simply claim they were reserves for emergencies.

And that wasn't even a lie. But these reserves were not for the general.

All at once you heard footsteps. Torn from your thoughts, you made sure your bag was firmly closed. The door opened. Then footsteps came down the stairs.

Your stomach growled. Perhaps it was time to eat. As a slave, there was usually no regular food and if there was, then too little to fill him up. Perhaps that would change as the Kahn's personal doctor.

But your hopes were quickly dashed when the captain appeared at the edge of the stairs. Without food. You frowned at the sight of it. He was still in full armour. Even though it was hard to tell how much time had passed, you could have sworn that enough hours had passed for him to sleep.

He couldn't have been on duty for more than twenty hours, but you could see from his armour that he hadn't taken it off once. There was still a stain on the breastplate.

"Get up.", his voice shook, rough from the storm of the night.

"I'm awake.", you stood up.

With a wave of his hand, he ordered you to come to him. You obediently held your hands out to him so that he could tie them, but he just wrinkled his nose and indicated with his head that you should go up the stairs. You did that, too, without any objections.

"Have you got any medicine?", he asked suddenly, cutting you off with his sabre.

Wordlessly, you turned round on the step and pointed to the containers lined up on the table.

"Which one do you need?", he asked.

"All of them.", you said.

"Don't be absurd."

You shrugged your shoulders.

"It depends on what is required of me."

His gaze changed. He thought for a moment and then lifted his chin.

"That's for the Kahn to tell you.", he pushed you on.

"The medicine.", you reminded him.

"I'll have some men follow in a second boat."

You frowned in confusion. Darkness had fallen in the cabin. The candles were no longer burning. Wax dripped from wooden shelves onto a carpet woven from Chinese silk.

Goose bumps spread across your arms as you approached the door. It was still cold from the previous rain. Puddles shimmered on the deck. Before you could even step out into the open, a hand placed itself on your shoulder and dragged you back into the room.

"You're going to die, stupid woman!", growled the captain, pushing a bundle of clothes unkindly into her arms. "If that's how you want to escape the service of the Kahn then I can cut your head off now."

If only it had been that. Secretly, you were afraid of the things the Mongols were capable of. Not only in war, but also when they were allowed to plunder.

Women were their favourite prey and the suffering they inflicted on them their favourite occupation. You had seen what some women had done to avoid having to bear the children of their tormentors.

Sometimes you thought you could still feel the warmth of their blood on your hands.

Swallowing hard, you hugged the clothes he had given you tighter to your chest. If there was one thing you didn't want, it was for something similar to what happened to the other women to happen to you.

Maybe you've been lucky until this moment.

"Get changed.", he growled, already halfway out the door. "And hurry. The Kahn demands your services."

With a silent nod, you retreated to the furthest corner of the cabin and began to peel your old, still damp clothes from your body.

The new clothing was Mongolian light armour. Or maybe not quite, because apart from the splints for your arms and legs, you weren't given anything. No chest armour, no helmet or gloves.

But there were enough pockets on these clothes to store a lot of things that you would find on your escape. Now you looked obviously one of the Mongols.

This armour was light, agile and allowed you to run away if necessary. You had seen doctors on the battlefield but none of them had clothes like this.

You looked around one last time. There was nothing on the desk but a map. You couldn't read the Mongolian script, but the islands led you to believe that it was Japan.

You took a quick look around. Then you opened the drawers.

The first thing that caught your eye was a short blade, a knife hidden between cards and books. You looked around again. And finally pocketed it.