Interview with Kutula from Yassa

Happy Wednesday, dear people of the blogosphere!! Today, I bring you Kutula from Yassa. He's a character I hear a lot of people fall in love with. If you haven't read Yassa, this is the week to do it. It's on sale at Amazon and Smashwords for just $3.99. ONE WEEK ONLY!!

Jo: Hello everyone! I’m so happy to present you with my guest for today’s interview: Kutula. Kutula was integral to the plot of Yassa and became one of Mr. Khan’s right-hand men. Let’s find out how! Hello, Kutula, how are you today?

Kutula: I’m great, Jo, how about you?

Jo: Doing fine. I’d like to start off with questions about Genghis. Are you okay with that?

Kutula: Nothing would make me happier. I love your hair, by the way.

Jo: (blushes) Well thank you (pats hairdo). Yours is fabulous too! Now, Kutula, how did you meet Genghis?

Kutula: When I met him, he was just a boy of ten, named Temujin, who had managed to kill many of the General’s men singlehandedly. I could tell Temujin was up to something – he is a clever one – so I played his little game and pretended to be weak myself. What struck me first was the lad’s looks. He was such a good-looking kid (Kutula smiles and looks a little dreamy).

Jo: Then what happened?

Kutula: (shakes his head a little) We put him in a cangue and took him away to our camp as a slave. He was a murderer and an outlaw. We had every right to claim him. But I did get to see him put on quite a show for the General first.

Jo: What’s a cangue?

Kutula: A cangue is two pieces of wood with holes for the head and hands that we fasten together with a lock on either end. A person can walk but they cannot escape because we also attach it to a rope. If they don’t move when the rope is pulled, they fall and oftentimes break their neck in the process. There are many men who lost the power of speech due to the damage the cangue did to their necks when they fell.

Jo: That sounds horrible (shudders). Was Temujin a good slave?

Kutula: He worked very hard, yes. But I hated to see his strong spirit in the hands of my people at the time. They were a brutal bunch.

Jo: I know you helped him escape and won your own freedom in the process. Could you tell us what really happened the night you let the boys go?

Kutula: I had been planning my own freedom for a very long time, you see. I belonged to the General. I was his concubine. He had bought me when I was just a boy of fifteen and ruled over me with an iron fist. I hated him. But my true love was a beautiful young man, around my age, with long, dark hair and thick, curly eyelashes that lived in a yurt near ours. My plan was to have most of the soldiers follow the boys, who I blamed for cutting the General’s throat, and let the rest of the slaves go so they could overthrow the men left behind. I took a risk, yes, but it was a risk worth taking. I watched those boys run until I couldn’t see them anymore, then I raised the alarm. When the men came to my yurt, I pretended to be upset over coming in and finding the General with his throat cut. I blamed it on Temujin and his friends: Jelme, Jamuka, and Bo’orchu. Those fool soldiers took off, knowing the rains were coming, in the hopes of catching those four boys. Even if they had returned, I would have had control of the camp and could have dispatched them easily with a wave of my hand.

Jo: Wow. That was one elaborate plan. You must have a good head on your shoulders.

Kutula: Of course I do. I may be feminine, but I am not stupid. It was decided that I would be in control of our tribe from that point forward.

Jo: I never meant to imply that you were. Sorry. I… (shuffles papers). You seem to be the backbone of the entire book. You help Temujin escape his slavery, help him by sending a recommendation to Wang Khan, and help him find a potential fiancé for his son, Jochi. How did you know what would happen in that situation?

Kutula: I had no idea what was going to happen. I thought Temujin would make the offer, Wang Khan would accept, and the two tribes would unite. What I got was a big mess of war.

Jo: (laughs) Sometimes what happens leaves us with a question of how in the hell we ended up in a situation. I found you very humorous in the book. You were one of my favorite characters. There was one incident, when Jelme insulted you, that I found particularly funny. Tell me, what made you punish Jelme the way you did rather than breaking his neck for his insult?

Kutula: (laughs) He was just a young thing and wasn’t thinking when he spoke. Besides, he was one of Temujin’s best friends; I’m not just the pretty boy who goes around killing people because they made me angry.

Jo: You helped young Temujin and older Genghis. How stunned were you when he was named Khan and changed his name?

Kutula: I was shocked that we accomplished exactly what we set out to do after the betrothal was denied. I was so proud of him. But, that man has some strange notions about loyalty. When that mess with Börte happened… I shouldn’t talk about that.

Jo: What? What happened?

Kutula: None of your business.

Jo: Ugh! Fine! You men are so frustrating. Okay, another question then: Do you believe Genghis spoke to God?

Kutula: I don’t know if he did or if he didn’t. But, I can tell you he knew things no normal person could possibly know.

Jo: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you, Kutula, for giving us your time today.

Kutula: Thank you for having me.

If you have any questions you'd like to ask Kutula, feel free to put them in the comments and I'll add them to the post.

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo