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mental agility than he. When the three arrived at class most of the time there would be a note pinned to the blackboard stating that Mr Clumphod had been called away on urgent business to see Principal Ahgresor. The note would ask them to open their books where they had left off last time and continue to work until the class was over. The book in question was over a thousand pages long. They had all finished it long ago, so afraid was Mr Clumphod of attending his own class. It didn't matter to them. Bankher liked to catch up on sleep and it gave Tengis and Odval an opportunity to continue career-counselling one another.
    ‘I have got to find the link between me and Chinggis,’ said Tengis.
    ‘Are you sure there is an actual link?’ said Odval. She knew she was stepping into dangerous territory doubting Tengis on matters relating to Chinggis. ‘Do you really
need
there to be a link? You have such a brilliant mind; you will succeed no matter what.’
    ‘It's not as simple as that,’ said Tengis, ignoring his friend's cynicism about his link to Chinggis. ‘It's not just about me, it's about how other people see me. At the moment they see me as a weirdo. Sure, they see me as a smart guy but I'm not from a well-connected family. I don't have money and influence like you and your family. If I don't have a degree, how am I going to be perceived as professional – even though in my view the degrees they hand out these days aren't worth the paper they're written on. It's degrees that people in business and politics look for. I'm better than their stupid education system. I need another angle. I know how things work. I know what people blindly value. But I am nothing at the moment. No matter how book-smart I am, they'll only ever see some boffin kid. They will never see my potential.’
    ‘Look,’ said Odval, ‘don't look for bad things in the good that you do.’
    ‘That's the problem,’ replied Tengis, ‘you're the
only
person who sees, let alone understands, the good I do now and could do for the whole of Ongolium. I need to prove that I am linked to Chinggis.’
    ‘Forgive me,’ said Odval, ‘but are you really sure that is the wisest thing to do? What makes you so certain there
is
a connection?’
    ‘You have to trust me on this,’ said Tengis, trying hard not to get annoyed. ‘There have been too many signs, too many dreams, too many coincidences! It started as an occasional vision where I would be embroiled in some fantastic situation whereby the country depended on my courage and ability. The dreams became more frequent and a voice started to guide me through the dreams, explaining things . . .’
    ‘This is what I mean,’ Odval interrupted. ‘You have no real evidence.’
    ‘Let me finish!’ snapped Tengis. ‘The voice visits me more often now. Almost every night I hear him and sometimes even during the day when I am thinking hard. It is encouraging me to follow my instinct and unleash myself on the world. It says that I have the ability to become emperor.’
    ‘Tengis!’ shouted Odval. ‘That's crazy talk.’
    ‘It's so easy for you,’ said Tengis sarcastically, ‘you were born privileged. I have had nothing and now that I have an opportunity to do something good, something big, you try and take away my hopes and aspirations. How very typical of
your lot
.’ Tengis waved his hand dismissively in Odval's general direction.
    ‘How can you say that?’ said Odval. She was deeply offended. ‘I have always been here for you. I have always been devoted to you and admired your confidence and capacity for thought.’
    Tengis calmed himself. ‘I will find evidence.’ He pulled somedocuments from his bag. Bankher stirred in the corner, then returned to snoring. ‘Here, help me with these.’
    Odval helped him open several large sheets of paper. They spread them out over their desks.
    ‘What on earth is this?’ asked Odval.
    ‘I have been doing some digging,’ said Tengis. ‘This here is my