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the
back."
    Liz sighed deeply, and William knew he won.
"He gave up his childhood for war."
    This angered William. "Don’t go soft on me
now. You’ve told him that this war is not just worth killing for,
it’s worth dying for.”
    Liz did not look convinced. “Genghis will
soon launch another offensive in France. Stopping that is more
urgent than hallowing out their reserves. All the coin and wands
we’ve sent Free Europe may not be enough.”
    William suddenly looked sheepish. “Genghis
can’t start the offensive until after the Olympics for publicity
reasons. By then it’ll be too late.”
    His wife suddenly stood up. “William, what
have you done?”
    “I bought a small logistics company so the
Siberians can show authorities they work for Mongols. They’ve been
driving herds north and stockpiling food, medicine, and tents for
the Americans.
    “The marathoners have spent all winter
building underground bunkers on the tallest mountaintops across
Central Asia. They brought tons of food that won’t spoil quickly --
dry beans, sugar, wheat, pasta, rice, legumes, dried fruit, and
raisons -- but they need perishables like fruit and vegetables that
only Siberians can get safely. I need the Siberians to help feed
ten thousand marathoners and one hundred thousand near-marathoners,
and guide them around patrols.”
    Liz looked stunned. “You’re really gonna loot
the capital?”
    “The Khan must station a lot of troops in
Peking during the Olympics, so we’ll sack the Mongol capital on
opening day. That will force the Mongols to station a million
troops across Siberia -- Genghis may actually have to take troops
from Europe.”
    His wife looked both exhilarated and
horrified. “But sacking cities means slaughtering women and
children. You’ll be as monstrous as the Mongols.”
    William sighed. More people have an eye for
war than a stomach. “One hundred million, mostly women and
children, have died over the last three centuries because Mongols
refuse to accept their borders. They won’t stop until they conquer
the world because they see themselves as conquerors. And, given the
length, depth, and breadth of their success, I can’t blame them.
Unless stopped, world war will kill another one hundred million
over the next century. So we must choose between terrible
alternatives: kill millions of Mongols and their allies now, or let
them kill one hundred million people later.”
    Liz didn’t look convinced. “But kids?”
    William stood strong. “My little brother was
younger than Billy when they killed him, and my sister was just a
baby. Yet some Mongols smashed their heads against a rock. Mongols
get away with a million murders every year. We can stop them. But
sacking cities is the price to pay.”
    “We’ve trained Billy to be a monster.”
    “No. We trained Billy to be a warrior. And a
warrior does what must be done to protect his people. That child of
yours will stop the conquest of France. Not just by donating money
and wands, but by stretching the Empire thin. The Mongols will be
too busy chasing Americans in Siberia to finish conquering France.
And England is safe as long as France remains free.”
    William held up her chin. “Winning this war
is the most humane mission we could possibly dedicate our lives
to.”
    “Do you really believe we can win this war?”
she asked, clearly skeptical.
    William gave her the smile that melted her
heart years ago. “I believe Billy can win it. And winning will
justify everything else.”
    His wife’s face hardened. “Then make sure he
wins. Whatever it takes.”

CHAPTER 9
     
    Genghis Khan and his wife came to watch Billy
compete for his 10,000th duel in one hundred days. At over 350
years old, Genghis thought he looked pretty good. But that damn
child looked even better. "He's young, but he looks even younger,"
his beloved empress joked. Genghis killed thousands to preserve his
reputation as the greatest dueler ever. Now a kid from the steppe,
of all places,