taken and all of us killed. They deserved to die. I wanted to kill them myself, put them to the torture.”
Trella filled a cup with a mixture of water and wine and handed it to him. “They said that Nicar asked for mercy on their behalf.”
He smiled at her, then drained the cup. “So you were at the table after all.”
She took the empty cup from his hand and put it on the floor, then got on the bed behind him and began to rub his shoulders, her fingers strong on the muscles of his neck. “You did the right thing, killing only the leaders, and doing it quickly before anyone could feel sorry for them. But Nicar also was right to ask you for mercy for the others. You should thank him for it, you know.” She kissed his neck. “He gave you good advice, though you did not ask him for it.”
Esk kar started to relax. The massage stopped for a moment and he heard the rustle of her dress as she removed it. Then her hands were reaching around to hold him and he could feel her breasts soft against his back, her nipples hard.
“You need to get some sleep, Esk kar, before the morning is upon us. Let me help you sleep.” She blew out the lamp and pushed him down on the bed. Her mouth found his and she kissed him tenderly, her hands moving over him, her body twining against his.
Suddenly Esk kar wanted her. His fatigue vanished and he felt the urg-ings rise up inside him. He’d survived another battle and now he wanted her, as much to prove that he still lived as for any other reason. He pulled her down beside him on the bed and moved atop her, heard her moan softly as he entered her and felt her arms encircle him. Then he thought of nothing else.
The sun had climbed well over the horizon before he awoke, the street sounds finally rousing him. Again Trella had let him sleep but had risen early for her own work. Esk kar felt annoyed at himself. The village lay surrounded by thousands of savage enemies and Orak’s leader slept in his soft bed until well past the dawn.
He shook the sleep from his eyes and dressed, then went into the outer room, stopping abruptly when he found others there. To his further surprise, Bantor was awake, propped up by blankets and being fed soup by his wife. He looked pale and weak but his eyes seemed alert.
“Bantor! I’m glad to see you awake.” Esk kar looked at Annok — sur. “Did the healer… I mean… is he…”
“Ventor said he is doing better.” Annok — sur couldn’t disguise the happiness in her voice. “He isn’t allowed to speak. And he’s very weak and must not move or exert himself for several days. The healer has already changed the bandages and says the blood flow has stopped.”
“Well, that is good news,” Esk kar replied, a smile lighting his face. “I must go, before the whole village thinks I sleep the day away.” Bantor’s eyes were full of questions but Esk kar waved them away. “Everything is taken care of, so don’t try to speak. Annok — sur will tell you everything.”
Esk kar looked at her. “The women around here seem to know everything that goes on.”
He checked in at the command table, where he learned the barbarians were keeping out of sight and that nothing had happened during the night. He went to the well, washing and drinking deeply of the cool water before he poured it over himself. Returning to the house, he entered the kitchen where he got bread, figs, and some fresh — cooked strips of horseflesh. Placing everything on a wooden trencher, along with a cup of water, he carried it all outside to the command table.
By then a tired Gatus had arrived, his watch just finished. Esk kar remembered that his second in command was getting on in seasons.
“I walked the walls at dawn,” Gatus reported. “Everything is as it should be. Work continues on the gate and there’s a huge stockpile of stones there now. Jalen is on watch and Hamati is making another circuit of the wall.
Corio wants to know what he should do about all the bodies in the ditch.
The smell will be rank soon enough.”
Esk kar took a bite of the horsemeat and washed it down with a gulp of water, then chewed on a piece of bread, using the time to think. Trella had spoken several times about the need to keep the village as clean as possible during the siege. When he hadn’t shown much interest, she took the responsibility on herself. He didn’t understand her reasons for wanting to take charge of the sanitation but it seemed harmless enough.
She’d organized work gangs to cleanse the streets and make sure the villagers cleaned up after themselves. Carts now collected the human and animal waste each day and took it to the stables, where a huge pit had been dug.
Before the attack closed the gates, the carts had simply dumped their contents into the river, letting those downstream worry about the occasional floating gifts in their water. But the dead bodies in the ditch would soon be stinking. Not that he cared about that, but they might block the flow of water needed to keep the ditch muddy. In a few days there might be dry patches that the barbarians could use for their attacks.
“Gatus, I want the bodies dragged to the river and dumped in. We can’t let anything interfere with the water flow. So let’s use all the men who ran yesterday. I’ll tell them they can redeem their honor by this task, if they do it well. We’ll let them do the dirty work but we’ll need soldiers and others to help, maybe even horses and some carts. If we prepare everything in advance, we can probably clear the bodies in a few hours, and maybe the barbarians won’t try to interfere.”
“It’s a filthy job, not even fit for slaves,” Gatus replied with a laugh.
“They’ll think twice before they shirk their duties again. I’ll get everything ready and go out with them.”
Esk kar thought it more likely that the sight of their leaders being executed yesterday might keep them better focused on their duties. “You prepare everything, but I’ll watch them,” Esk kar ordered. “You get some rest.”
Gatus opened his mouth to protest but Esk kar held up his hand. “If I do it everyone will see how important it is, and I can get a chance to stretch my legs. I’ll promise a few coins for those who work the hardest.”
He stood up and went to the well for more water, carrying his empty water cup. A servant was there bringing up water and a fresh bucket soon appeared, cold from the depths. Men always forgot to drink enough water when they had the chance, and then a long day in the heat would leave them weak from thirst.
A little after midmorning they opened the rear gate. Soldiers stood ready, just in case a horde of barbarians had hidden at the river’s edge. But nothing greeted them except the swirling sounds of the river. In a steady stream nearly two hundred men and women slipped out, leading a few horses and carrying ropes and planks. Everyone went quickly to their assigned locations and duties.
They didn’t have far to go before they found the first corpses. The hot sun and slippery mud made it hard work, and the bodies of men and horses were already covered with flies that rose up in a cloud as they were disturbed. Many of the dead had loosed their bowels as they died, adding the stink of human waste to the smells of blood and open flesh. They saw marks on the bodies indicating that during the night, many small animals had feasted well.
The men slogged through the mud, dragging the bodies toward the far side of the ditch, where other men tied ropes to the corpses’ feet, then coaxed nervous and excitable horses to their dreary task. As they shifted the bodies, the smell of death rose fresh in the heated air.
The worst jobs went to those men who’d fled their duty. They had to wrestle the bodies from the mud to the edge of the embankment. But yesterday’s offenders weren’t enough to move all those dead by themselves.
Soon almost everyone was in the mud, all of them more fearful of being caught out in the open than worrying about the dirt and stench.
They started from the river gate, working both sides of the walls. It didn’t take long to clear the rear, and soon they began working on the sides.
But most of the dead lay in the front of the east wall, and before long the barbarians saw the activity and sent horsemen to investigate.
They were a small party, fewer then ten riders, and they held their distance, showing a newfound respect for the archers standing ready on the walls. Esk kar kept pace with the laborers, shouting encouragement and laughing each time a man fell on his face, or slipped backward on his ass.
He had led his horse down into the ditch, walked it carefully across the muck, then helped it scramble up at the other side.
Now he could ride back and forth as needed, keeping an eye on things and giving directions. His four bodyguards followed on foot behind him, no doubt cursing the heat and their captain’s idea of exercise. Mostly, though, he sat and watched, letting the men know that he was there, while Nicar and others from the Families directed the actual work.
