At first light Esk kar dispatched a rider to Orak to deliver word of the victory. He also wanted Trella aware of Mesilim’s death and its effect on Subutai.
The men spent the morning burying the dead and caring for the wounded. The sun had climbed high before they began their journey back to Orak, but the long summer days promised them extra hours of daylight.
The injured who could cling to a horse had been given mounts, while parties of men took turns carrying the three wounded men unable to ride.
Thirty — two horses had been captured. Esk kar gave thirty of them to the Ur Nammu. The rest of the Alur Meriki mounts had been killed in the fi ghting.
Every man had their fill of horsemeat, while what was left of the farmhouse had provided fuel for the cooking fires.
They camped as soon as darkness fell, and the next morning Esk kar had them on the march almost as soon as the sun rose. By early afternoon they’d covered nearly three — quarters of the distance home and Esk kar expected to reach Orak just after dark. He didn’t push the pace and the men walked lighter now that they didn’t have to carry the awkward and heavy shields.
They carried no food, either. The last of it had gone with this morning’s breakfast. It wouldn’t hurt the men to miss one dinner.
The sun had started to set when a rider appeared over the hilltop and lashed an obviously tired beast toward the column of soldiers.
Subutai rode alongside Esk kar, though only ten of his warriors accompanied him. The others had stayed behind in the valley, guarding the horses and resting. Esk kar watched the rider as he approached, the horse covered with sweat and finished for the day. Halting the column, Esk kar dismounted and sat on the ground, motioning to the rider to join him. The rest of his men, eager to hear the latest news, crowded around them, all discipline lost in a moment.
“Captain, I come from Lady Trella. She says to tell you the barbarians have been sighted.” The man paused to catch his breath. “A large column rode up from the south two days ago. We saw more than a hundred riders.
Now they keep a watch on the village.”
“Did any of them attempt to cross the river?” The water ran a bit lower now, and a strong swimmer might make it across.
“No, Captain. There’s plenty of water at the farms, so they don’t need the river.”
Nor did they want to call anyone’s attention to it just yet, Esk kar thought. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes, Captain. Lady Trella will join you in a few hours. She crossed the river with me along with the barbar… the women and children that the warriors left behind. She said she wanted to get them out of Orak before the enemy prevented them from leaving.”
Trella on her way here! Well, a small group of men and women crossing the river should arouse no suspicions. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t take any chances on this side of the river.
“Gatus! Start the men moving and pick up the pace. I’ll not have Trella walking through the countryside with a group of women. We keep moving until we find her.”
“Captain, she has four soldiers with her,” the messenger said hastily.
“Sisuthros wanted to send more, but she said it would attract too much attention.”
Four or forty made no difference. Esk kar wouldn’t rest until he saw her safely back in Orak. Climbing back on his horse, he led the way, moving at a quick trot that drew grumbling from the men as they struggled to get moving and keep up.
Once again Subutai rode beside him. “Perhaps I should ride ahead, Eskkar, to see to Trella’s safety.”
Esk kar appeared to think it over for a moment. “No, it’s better that you stay at my side. The men guarding Trella might be surprised if they saw warriors riding toward them.”
“I would be willing to take such a chance. We could call out to them, tell them who we are. Our women would recognize us.”
“No, I will not risk it. Stay here with me. We’ll meet up with them in another hour or two at most.”
“And if my horse suddenly broke into a run, what would you do?”
For the first time Esk kar turned to look carefully at the man at his side.
He regarded the new chief of the Ur Nammu closely for a few moments and chose his words before replying.
“In the village, Subutai, many men now cast their eyes at Trella, and I’m sure some of them would slit my throat if they thought that would help them get her. But that could never happen in Orak. The entire village would rise up and punish anyone who tried to take her by force.”
His voice hardened. “But out here, any man with a horse can take a captive, and I remember the saying of my clan: ‘Trust no man with your woman, especially your brother or your friend.’ Now the warrior in me sees danger everywhere, and I’ll take no chances with her safety.”
Subutai digested Esk kar’s words. “Put your fears at rest. I’ll ride with you until we meet up with them.” After a moment he added, “Though I think you have learned much wisdom from your woman.”
“She has many sayings, so many that sometimes my head turns. One of them is to always try to put yourself in another man’s place, to understand him from within. Sometimes it’s not an easy thing to do, but often it helps to understand a man.”
He turned toward the Ur Nammu chief again. “You’re now the leader of your people. But whether you’ll be a great ruler, only time will tell. But it might be a wise saying for you as well.”
They rode in silence for a hundred paces before Subutai spoke. “I did think about it, Esk kar. For a moment it was a great temptation. But I knew I would have to kill you first. After all you’ve done for my people, I’m content to seek her wisdom. But remember your instincts. Always keep a close watch on her.”
“That’s one lesson I’ve already learned. Now, let us talk about the future.”
The moon had not yet risen when they crested a small hill and saw two torches twinkling in the distance. A few moments later Trella’s party spotted them and waved their torches.
The men groaned in relief when they saw Trella’s group. They hadn’t stopped moving for the last three hours. Orak was close now, little more than another two or three hours at an easy pace. Trella had not traveled very far, burdened with the Ur Nammu women and children in addition to a great amount of supplies.
Esk kar galloped ahead as soon as he saw the torches. He jumped down from his horse and took her in his arms until she gasped for breath.
“You should not have left Orak. This was dangerous. You could’ve been attacked on the road. You haven’t even recovered from your wound.”
She looked at him in the flickering torchlight. “Orak is only a few miles behind us. But the ford may be blocked at any moment. I didn’t want to be alone on the other side of the river, away from you.”
“We will talk of this later. Now we must deal with Subutai. I hope you’ve more influence with him and his women than I.”
He told her about the battle in the valley, of Mesilim’s death, and Subutai’s plans. While they talked, Gatus and the men arrived. The soldiers built a small fire and a ring of soldiers formed around Esk kar and Trella.
The men drank the last of their water and rested. Esk kar told Trella what he thought about the new situation, then listened carefully to her replies.
They sent for Subutai. He’d been with his wife and daughter, listening to what the clan’s women had to say, examining the supplies and gifts Trella had given them. The supplies would make a great difference in how the Ur Nammu lived in the months ahead.
Esk kar moved back his guards so his men formed a wide circle, leaving himself and Trella in the center. Now Subutai and his men entered the circlet, bringing with them their women, though Esk kar knew this was not their custom. But these were highly unusual circumstances. With only five women for thirty men, these wives would command a greater say in their fates.
Esk kar watched Subutai as he regarded Trella, who sat on part of a fallen tree one of the soldiers had dragged up for her. How she managed it, Esk kar didn’t know, but she appeared both regal and desirable even in her rough travel dress. Maybe it was the combination of the firelight on her face, while two torches burned behind her. She had an indisputable presence, one she’d become well aware of and worked hard to enhance.
When the Ur Nammu were seated, the women behind the men, Esk kar began. “Our two peoples have fought together against their common enemy not once, but twice, and we’ve defeated them both times. Now Subutai will take his people back to their homelands, north of the river Enratus.
When the Alur Meriki are defeated and driven from Orak, our people will stay to the south. In that way, our two peoples can live in peace.”
Esk kar gestured toward Trella. “Trella and I have offered to help Chief Subutai in any way we can.” He turned to Subutai, who had to speak next.
“Lady Trella,” Subutai began, adopting the phrase Esk kar used, “We thank you for your help with our women and children. You’ve given us many gifts of food and clothing, as well as tools and healing medicines.
We’re embarrassed we have nothing to give you in return. Now we are too few to fight against the Alur Meriki. Yet we know you are wise, and so my people ask you for your wisdom.”
Esk kar guessed that Subutai doubted she had any wisdom for him. But Trella had planted the seeds with the womenfolk even before they left the village, and no doubt that had been part of the quiet discussions between Subutai and his people moments ago.
“It is we who are in your debt, Chief Subutai.” Trella’s soft voice floated on the night air like music from a lute, and not a sound was heard around the circle except for the crackling of the fires and the whispers of the translators as everyone strained to catch her words.
“Without your help, there would have been no victory two days ago, and the Alur Meriki would now have a strong force behind Orak. But a great challenge stands before you-the need to return to your homelands and rebuild your people. It is something that you must do quickly, else you fall victim to some larger clan. You’ll need more wives for your men to give you many children, and you’ll need tools and food before you can stand on your own again. It may be that Esk kar and I can help you with these things.”
Esk kar smiled inwardly at the box Trella had placed Subutai in. She offered him a way to rebuild his people, but he’d have to ask for it, and that would place him in her debt. If he turned it down, some of his men would begin to doubt his leadership, especially if her ideas had merit.
Subutai worked it out quickly enough. He had to ask, then examine her suggestions seriously. “Lady Trella, if you have any thoughts that can help my people, we ask for them.”
“Nothing is certain, Chief Subutai,” Trella answered. “We face a great battle against your own enemy, and it may be that we will not survive. But if we do, and if the Alur Meriki are driven off, then the lands that they have passed through will be filled with chaos and confusion. There will be many masterless and landless men who’ll kill and destroy whatever little has survived the Alur Meriki. Even among your kind, there will be many steppes clans wandering these lands. They’ll fight each other as well as the soldiers Orak will send out into the countryside to protect our farmers and herders. Even now, several small bands of steppes people are on the west bank of the Tigris, moving north, avoiding the Alur Meriki while they take whatever they can.”
Esk kar watched Subutai as he listened to Trella’s words. So far she’d said nothing unexpected.
“If you wish,” Trella continued, “we can speak to these small bands, or you can ride south and seek them yourself. Gather them together into a new clan within your own land, with a truce between your people and the men of the villages and farms. With supplies and trade goods from Orak, life in the northern lands could be easier. Orak would give you gold, and you would need only to watch the mountains and send us word of any dangers. You could trade for anything else you needed. All we would ask is that you raid no lands south of the Enratus.”
Esk kar saw Subutai thinking it over, the same way Esk kar had when Trella proposed it. The havoc caused by the Alur Meriki had created many bands of homeless men. By absorbing them, one band at a time, perhaps a new tribe could be built in months rather than in years.
“We would still need women as wives for our men, Lady Trella. These will not be so easy to find, and without them the true Ur Nammu will diminish.”
“My husband has told you of a way to obtain many women by taking them from the Alur Meriki at the height of their attack on us. They’ll be distracted and you can capture as many as you like.”
“Even if the Alur Meriki are defeated before your walls, they’ll give chase to anyone who raids their women.” Subutai spoke confidently.
Doubtless he’d given much thought to such a raid. His father might have been willing to chance it, to bring death and shame to the Alur Meriki, but not Subutai. “If we were burdened with captives, Lady Trella, they would quickly catch up with us, and we would be destroyed.”
Esk kar spoke up. “Subutai, much can be accomplished if the plan is good. We’ve seen how easily the Alur Meriki can be beaten when everything is thought out in advance. Now you have many horses, more than you will need, maybe even more than you can easily drive back to the mountains. The raiding party could capture the women and throw them on horses. If the raid were planned carefully, you would have thongs ready to bind the women to the horses, and torches prepared to burn as much of their camp as possible. If your men did not waste any time or strength in fighting, you could be gone in a few moments. Then the horses could be run until they were exhausted. Change to a relay of new mounts, kill or scatter the old ones, and the Alur Meriki would be chasing you on tired animals. Kill a second string of horses and they’d be left far behind, in danger of being cut off from the main body of the tribe.
They would have to turn back. Any few that went on could be easily trapped and killed.”
Some men would never give up the chase, those whose wives or daughters were important to them. But most would turn back when they saw no quick opportunity of either revenge or loot. There would be plenty of widows in the main camp after the battle at Orak. Those would be easier to obtain than chasing a small band of determined Ur Nammu far into the distant north.
“A raid planned so carefully would have little risk and much chance of success,” Trella offered. “And a wise leader would treat these new women as wives, not slaves. If they were treated better than they were with the Alur Meriki, they’d soon dry their tears and look with admiration on their new husbands.”
She turned to the women. “For your clan to survive, you would have to accept these new captives as equals, not captured concubines, and treat them with friendship, not the whip. In this way, their children and your own would grow up to be brothers.”
The fire had burned down. No one bothered to add more fuel, so Eskkar gathered some wood himself, dumping it on the flames, then arranging the new sticks. Others joined in, and for a few moments everyone focused on rebuilding the fire, giving Subutai time to think. When Esk kar sat down, the circle went silent again.
“Both of you have given me much to think about,” Subutai said cautiously. “And in return for your help, you only ask us to raid the Alur Meriki at the height of the battle?”
“Yes,” Esk kar answered, a little too quickly, so he checked his pace. “It may be that your help isn’t needed to defeat them, or it may be that we are fallen. But at the height of the main attack, your diversion might turn the battle.”
Subutai took a deep breath, and his lips came together for a moment.
“I’d hoped we were finished with fighting for a time. Now we must decide if there is yet one more battle to risk.”
“Chief Subutai, we, too, have one more battle to fight,” Esk kar answered. “But there is always one more battle to wage. Each season brings some new threat. What’s important to remember is to fight only those fights that make your people grow, not those that gain nothing except lasting hatred.”
Esk kar spoke the words, but the idea and thoughts were Trella’s. They’d spoken many times about the future, after the Alur Meriki were defeated.
Subutai stood up and bowed, his people rising to their feet with him.
“You would have me change the ways of my people, and that is not an easy thing to do. But we’ll consider your words.”
He left the circle and moved back to where his people had gathered before, his warriors and their women following. In a few moments, they had started a small fire and sat down around it.
“Do you think he’ll do it?” Esk kar asked Trella in a whisper as he slipped his arm around her.
“Oh, yes. He will have no choice. The women will see to it. They know that if the tribe does not grow, they’ll all be dead or captured soon enough.
And they want the goods Orak can provide to make life easier for them.”
Trella rested her head on his shoulder.
“I was angry when I heard you had left Orak,” Esk kar murmured. “But now I’m glad that you came. I tried to convince Subutai myself but I couldn’t think of a way. But I did manage to change his mind about riding ahead and making you his captive.”
He smiled at the look of confusion that crossed her face. “Never mind.
I’ll tell you all about it when we return to Orak. Now rest. We march for Orak and our own great battle in an hour.”
Two hours after midnight, Esk kar and Trella stepped off the ferry and onto the east bank of the Tigris. They’d scarcely left the flat — bottomed craft before the gang of ferrymen and soldiers began heaving on the ropes, sending the unwieldy craft slowly back across the river, their grunts of effort seeming to boom across the river, which amplified the slightest sound.
They couldn’t do anything about the noise, and it would take another four trips to move everyone, including the horses, back to Orak, so the men would be at risk for another few hours.
Sisuthros waited anxiously for them at dockside, his face filled with relief at their safe return. Once inside the village, Esk kar, Trella, and Sisuthros walked quickly back to their house. They went directly to Esk kar’s workroom, where Corio and Nicar awaited them. Cold food, water, and wine were on the table, while two lamps provided light.
“By Ishtar, we’re glad to see you back,” Sisuthros began excitedly. “The villagers were nearly in a panic with you both gone. Another day, and half of them would be trying to get across the river to join up with you.”
“The barbarians are here?” Esk kar asked as he picked up a cold chicken leg and took a bite.
“Yes, the big band that’s been pillaging to the south arrived two days ago. Our scouts had to run for the gate. Now they’re camped about two miles away at the farm belonging to old Gudea and his sons. He and his family are as mad as hornets that their house was chosen by the barbarians.
We could see about a hundred men from the walls, but there are probably at least twice that number.”
“And the main party? Any news?”
“Nothing in the last few days, but they can’t be too far away now. We’re locked in here now, and there have been no patrols to the north since you left. It’s likely the main force will be making camp a few miles away from here in two or three days.” The tension sounded in his voice. “Your own battle went well?”
“Very well. We lost only eight men during the battle, though one of the wounded died on the return trip. But all seventy — three barbarians were killed, and their horses, those that survived, were given to the Ur Nammu.
It will be at least a week, probably longer, before the Alur Meriki begin to wonder what happened to those they sent across the Tigris.”
Esk kar smiled grimly at that thought. “At any rate, we now have ninety more veterans to put on the wall, men who know the barbarians can be beaten.”
“And the Ur Nammu?” Corio asked. “Will they help us in our fight?”
Esk kar shrugged. “I’m not sure. Their chief was killed in the battle, and his son now decides for the tribe. But Trella did her best to persuade him. They may yet give us some small help.”
“We didn’t want Lady Trella to go,” Nicar said, looking at Trella as he spoke. “We knew you would be angry. But she insisted, and there was nothing we could say to prevent her.”
“It matters little, now that you’re both safely back,” Corio remarked.
“It is time to get ready for the first attack. When do you think they will attack?”
“Just as soon as their ruler arrives,” Esk kar answered. “He’ll want to see the first attack, and he will probably bring his own warriors ahead of the main party. But he may not want to leave the main camp unguarded and too far to the rear. So tomorrow or the next day should bring the fi rst assault.”
Nicar stood. “We should let them get some sleep. They’re tired and need their rest.”
The others nodded, said their goodnights, and departed for their own beds and a few hours’ sleep. Esk kar escorted them downstairs. When they were gone, he returned to the workroom to find Trella seated at the table.
She had extinguished one of the lamps to save oil.
“You’re not tired, Trella?” He sat down next to her. “Is there something you want to talk about?”
“Everything is starting now.” Her voice was low and her eyes stared at the table. “I mean, all the planning and building and training… everything is finished. Now the battle begins.”
It took him a moment to understand her words. “Yes, this is the way of war. All the preliminaries are over, and luck or the gods decide your fate.
We’ve prepared as best we could. Now swords and arrows will determine if we live or die. All our decisions and choices will be held up to the light for all to see.”
She turned toward him. “You don’t fear tomorrow! Why am I suddenly filled with fear? I wasn’t afraid until now.”
“All men are afraid of their first battle, Trella. When we waited for the Alur Meriki up in the valley, the men’s fear was so thick I was sure the Alur Meriki could smell it three hundred paces away. Men’s teeth were chattering, their bowels loosening, and their hands shaking. But once the battle starts, there’s no time for fear. This is your first battle. Don’t be concerned about these thoughts.”
The night before battle, every man had to face his fear, some men of sword thrusts, others of arrows or lances, and most worried about their own bravery. He realized a woman could be as afraid. “Anyway, we have nowhere to run.”
“And death? We could both be dead by tomorrow night!”
That was more likely than she realized. He pulled her from her chair onto his lap, holding her close as her arms went around his neck and she squeezed him with all her strength.
“All men fear death, but I’ve been fi ghting all my life, and should have been dead many times. Now I only fear losing you.” He kissed her hair and neck, then turned her head toward him.
“When you sat at the fire across from Subutai, you looked and spoke like a goddess come down from the heavens. Every man in camp envied me when you lay down beside me to rest, and I’m sure many wished themselves in my place, with their hands upon you.”
He kissed her again and this time she kissed him back, though the tears were starting now and her body shook with the effort to hold them back.
“I’m just a frightened girl, pretending to be all — wise, because that’s what the people need. Now all I want is for you to take me away, someplace where five thousand barbarians won’t be trying to kill us.”
He smiled. “No, it’s too late now. Once, perhaps, I could have done that. But that’s not enough for me any longer. You are wise and you care about many people, and you deserve something better than a hard life as a soldier’s wife. Here you are… will be… a queen in Orak, and all men will know your wisdom and beauty.”
She wriggled on his lap as she tried to hold him closer, and suddenly he felt excited by her touch, or the heat from her body, or maybe by the threat of dying on the morrow.
Lifting her in his arms, he carried her into the dark bedroom. “Now I need you to love me, to give me strength for the days ahead.”
He sat her down on the bed and helped her remove her dress, as she seemed too weak to do it by herself, then pushed her back gently. When he slid under the blanket, she moved into his arms and buried her face in his neck and he barely heard her words.
“Give me your strength, Esk kar, and I’ll be strong for you forever.”