others will be assigned duties of greater danger. If they falter, the soldiers are to kill them instantly.
What they did and why they’re being punished is to be explained to every man in Orak, so that everyone understands what will happen if they run again.”
Nicar swallowed nervously but kept silent. The look on Esk kar’s face was plain to all. No entreaty would change his mind.
Gatus turned to Nicar. “It’s better than they deserve. The villagers must see that their leaders are willing to fight for them.” He looked back at Esk kar. “We’ll find the fourth man soon enough. How do you want them to die?”
Esk kar wanted them tortured over the fire, but knew he couldn’t order that.
“Just kill them, Gatus, as soon as you find the last one, just kill them and make sure everyone knows why. Do it in the marketplace, with a sword thrust. It’s a better fate than the barbarians would have given them. Nicar and Rebba can handle the details.”
He put all thoughts of those men out of his mind. “Now let’s get ready for the next attack.”
Two miles away, a disgusted Thutmose — sin sat inside his tent, still thinking about the failed attack he witnessed earlier. The dirt — eaters had not quailed at the sight of his warriors. Instead they fought bravely, their cursed arrows wreaking havoc among his men. Their outcast leader had prepared his men well, training the cowards to fight with the bow while hiding behind their wall. And each time the Alur Meriki pressed the attack, this Esk kar had rallied his men.
Now Thutmose — sin had to deliver even more bad news to the council. Bar’rack had ridden into the camp an hour earlier, near exhaustion.
Bar’rack’s clan leader, Insak, heard the story first. Insak then gathered Altanar, the other clan leader who’d provided warriors for the raid across the river, and the three of them carried the evil tidings to Thutmose — sin.
Bar’rack again related what had happened on the other side of the Tigris. Thutmose — sin sat stone — faced as the tale unfolded. The news didn’t surprise him. He’d already assumed the riders were dead or scattered, otherwise they would have signaled days ago. It was one thing to be a day or two late in arriving, but it would be a foolish leader who disobeyed his sarrum’s orders for more than a week. When Bar’rack finished, Thutmose — sin told him to keep silent about the loss and dismissed him.
“It must have been this Esk kar,” Thutmose — sin said when they were alone. “He moves quickly. Across the river only a few days ago, then back to Orak to meet our attack.”
“How did he know about the warriors,” Insak asked. “It would take time to gather men, to prepare this ambush. Is there a spy within our camp, someone who…”
“No, I don’t think so,” Thutmose — sin replied. “From the Ur Nammu he learned about our plans to encircle the village. With that knowledge, he guessed we would send a force across the river. So he recruited the Ur Nammu to provide riders, made his preparations, and moved northward.”
“He’s a demon, then,” Altanar said, “one of our own turned against us.
He must be killed, flayed alive, and burned over the fire.”
“On that we agree, Altanar,” Thutmose — sin said. “But first we have to capture him. Summon the rest of the council. I’ll tell them the news.”
The two clan leaders left, and Thutmose — sin resumed his thoughts.
Orak had turned into a disaster. Today’s failure, coupled with this latest news, would turn the council into an angry mob. Outside his tent, he could hear the clan leaders gathering, some still quarreling about today’s attack, blaming each other for the failure to capture the village. Their voices rose in anger, and the accusations and recriminations flowed freely.
“All the clan leaders are waiting, Sarrum.”
Thutmose — sin cleared his thoughts, buckled the sword around his waist, then stepped outside. The full council of the Alur Meriki, with every clan leader present, turned toward him. His presence stopped the bickering, and they took their seats on the open ground before his tent.
Only then did Thutmose — sin join them, taking the last empty spot that completed the circle. Markad and Issogu took their places behind him.
No other guards were permitted when the full council met. Thutmose — sin nodded to Insak.
“One of my warriors has returned from across the river,” Insak began.
He repeated Bar’rack’s story, taking his time and leaving nothing out. The council sat there, mouths open, stunned into silence at hearing that another force of Alur Meriki warriors had ceased to exist.
“These dirt — eaters,” Insak concluded, “must be swept from the earth.
My clan demands vengeance on these fi lth. They are even worse than the Ur Nammu who shame their clan by joining forces with them.”
They all started talking, asking more questions at fi rst, then beginning the argument that Thutmose — sin expected. Some wanted to hunt down the Ur Nammu, some to raid the lands across the river. Others wanted to attack the village again, as soon as possible. A few, Thutmose — sin noted, wanted to move on. He counted these, relieved that only four clan leaders spoke openly of leaving Orak.
At last Thutmose — sin raised his hand, and the conversations trailed off.
“My clan brothers,” he began, “we must destroy this village. For us, there is no other way.”
He gazed at every clan leader as his eyes went around the circle. “We are committed. We’ve driven the dirt — eaters to this place, and destroyed their farms and fields. Our men across the river were to prevent them from escaping, but they are not trying to escape. The few boats they might have are inside the walls, unused. This Orak offers a challenge to us each day that it resists. Its people are prepared to die here, and die they must. We planned for this battle. We traveled out of our path. Now we must finish it. If we had food enough, I’d stay here and starve them out. But the lands are empty, and we cannot remain here much longer.”
“But the loss of the raiding party. Do we not need them…”
“The raiding party was to keep the dirt — eaters from crossing the river.”
Thutmose — sin stood. “Our men have watched the crossing and none of the villagers have tried to flee. Our warriors across the river would not be of any help to us even if they were alive. And I’m sure Insak and Altanar’s men killed many dirt — eaters before they died. Now it falls to us to avenge our kin.”
No one spoke. He’d shamed them all into silence, and now no one met his gaze.
“So nothing has changed. The dirt — eaters held us off today only by luck. Next time will be different.”
He let his voice grow hard. “The Alur Meriki have never been defeated. Remind your warriors of that. Tell them to prepare to attack the village again. Tell them that no matter what the cost, the next attack will succeed, or every Alur Meriki warrior will die in the attempt. And this time, my clan brothers, we will hold nothing back, and we will not fail.”
24
Esk kar returned to his bedroom well after midnight and closed the door. Bantor remained on the table outside, resting under his wife’s eye on a layer of linen blankets. Ventor didn’t want to chance reopening Bantor’s wounds by carrying him down to his bed.
Instead the healer, along with his apprentice, took what sleep they could in Bantor’s room downstairs.
He found Trella waiting for him, sitting cross — legged on the bed, a single, small lamp shedding smoky light throughout the chamber. He knew he’d kept her from sleeping, that she stayed up because he might need her.
“You should have slept,” he chided her gently, though grateful she’d stayed awake.
Trella stood and came into his arms. “It’s been a long day for you, Eskkar. I thought you might need to talk.” She spoke softly, reminding him that others slept in the outer room. She held him close for a moment, then stepped back and helped him remove the great sword from his waist. “I saw what you did with the men at the gate. I was in the marketplace when they were killed.”
Most of the wounded received treatment at the marketplace, and she’d gone there after doing what she could at the house.
He held her for a moment, then sat tiredly on the edge of the bed. “I was angry. The gate could’ve been
