promotion.
The thought of his possessions made him smile. It wouldn’t have taken long to move a thin blanket, a tunic, an old horse sword, and a common short sword.
A fire burned in the tiny hearth and someone had piled a stack of wood nearby. A soldier entered, bringing a precious candle that he set in a pool of wax on the rough table in the center of the room. The soldier glanced admiringly at Trella, then grinned at Esk kar before he left them.
Esk kar closed the door and leaned against it, the crowd noises already fading as his men started herding the villagers away. The candle flared up, adding its light to that of the fire.
Trella walked slowly around the room. Esk kar’s eyes followed her as she took in her new home. She removed her cloak, then hung it on a peg near the door. From a pocket of her dress she removed a small pouch that no doubt contained the rest of her possessions, and hung it over the same peg. She crossed over to the fireplace, then turned and stood facing him, her head held high.
Esk kar saw the swell of her breasts against the thin dress as she took a deep breath and let her eyes meet his.
“I was told your name is ‘Esk kar,’ that you’re a barbarian, and that I’m given to you as your slave.” She couldn’t keep the hint of bitterness out of her voice when she uttered the word slave. “Creta didn’t say that you are now captain of the guard.”
“The steppes people don’t consider themselves barbarians, Trella.
They’re the same as any other clan, except they move from place to place.
But I left them long ago, when I was fourteen, and I’ve lived among the farms and villages ever since, selling my sword. I’m just a soldier, and only the cowardice of Ariamus has made me captain of the guard.”
Esk kar still had his back to the door, and faintly he heard a guard take up position outside. The crowd noise had disappeared, save for an occasional distant shout as his men went about their assignments.
His men. The words sounded good. The day had started badly, but by day’s end, he’d become captain of the guard with his own room, his own woman slave, and a bag of gold arriving in the morning. Perhaps the gods smiled on him after all. His future prospects seemed good, at least for the next few months, when the Alur Meriki would likely cut off his head and impale it on a lance. No sense worrying about that tonight, though.
“My father was advisor to the ruler of the village of Carnax,” Trella went on. “They were both killed by treachery, and my brother and I sold into slavery. Now I belong to you.”
Esk kar wondered whether she told the truth. Everyone knew that all slaves lied about their past. Her parents could be peasants in the field who sold their daughter for a few coins because the rains came late or the sow died. He’d never heard of Carnax and in truth, it mattered little what she said or claimed. Trella was a slave and would be so for the rest of her life.
He saw the tension in her body and guessed that she would resist him when he took her.
To his surprise, the thought of taking her brought no excitement, and suddenly his legs felt as weary as his head. He pushed himself away from the door. The movement brought fear to Trella’s eyes. She took a step backward, her hands coming up to cross over her breasts.
He sat down at the table and stared at the burning candle for a moment. “Trella, today has been long, and filled with many surprises for both of us.”
Until now he hadn’t realized how much effort it had taken him to talk to Nicar, forcing himself to think and to present his plans and ideas clearly. Swinging a sword or cracking skulls took less effort, and he knew he’d spoken more words today than in the last month. His head wasn’t used to this much activity, and now he felt too tired even to force himself on the girl. He was getting old. Thirty seasons gone, and he knew he was lucky to be alive.
“And tomorrow will probably be worse. I’m weary. I’ve eaten too much food and drunk too much wine, and there are too many thoughts in my head. Tell me if there’s anything you need, and we’ll go to sleep.”
Her head came up, and he thought he saw color come into her cheeks, though the flickering light made it hard to be sure.
“I have never been with a man.”
He smiled at her, though at this particular moment he didn’t know whether that was good news or bad. “I think you’ll be safe tonight, girl. I need my sleep more than I need to wrestle with you.”
He stood up, looking around the room. “There’s the chamber pot. I don’t think you should use the latrine outside, not tonight, anyway.” He turned away from the table and went outside, nodding to the guard as he headed down to the barracks’ privy.
Finishing at the latrine, he found Gatus waiting for him. The old soldier wasted no words. “Did Nicar make you captain of the guard?” Gatus looked him straight in the eye, standing directly in front of his new commander.
“For now. But I told him I would be in charge of all the village and its defenses or nothing at all. He’ll confirm that when he meets with the nobles. Or perhaps not.”
“And if not?” Gatus asked.
“If not, then I and my slave will be leaving the village. But Nicar will confirm it, I’m sure.”
Gatus shrugged, then shook his head. The motion swirled his long gray hair around his shoulders. “Do you really think the village can withstand the barbarians?”
“Gatus, I won’t lie to you. I know it’s never been done. But this is no small village. There may be as many people here as there are barbarians on the move. I think we can make its defenses strong enough to resist until they are forced to move on.”
The thought that he might slip out of the village at any time in the next few months had also occurred to him, and the promise of Nicar’s gold kept the thought in the back of his head.
The man looked dubious, and rightly so. Still, Gatus had to be persuaded, or Esk kar’s tenuous authority with the men would vanish. They respected Gatus and his words would matter.
“Follow me for a few weeks, and let’s see what we can do. I’ve spent the day thinking about this, and it can be done. I’m certain of it. Meanwhile, your pay is doubled, and you’re second in command.”
Gatus moved a step closer. “You are changed from what you were yesterday. Have you been touched by the gods?”
Esk kar’s laugh rang out into the night. The gods and he were not exactly on good terms. “No, I’m not out of my head, though my skull does spin with all these new ideas.” He started to walk past the man, but Gatus gripped his arm hard and now their faces were inches apart.
“You are changed, Esk kar. A fool can see that, even the rest of the men.
I’ll follow your orders for a while, at least. But if you lie to me, I’ll put a sword in your back. I swear by the gods, I will! I’ve a wife and two boys, and I’ll not have them taken by the barbarians.”
“Tend to your duties, then. Tomorrow will be a long day, and you’ll have much to do.” He moved away, and Gatus’s hand slipped from his arm.
Esk kar thought about how quickly things had changed. Yesterday he would have struck anyone who laid hands on him. Now it meant nothing.
When Esk kar returned to Ariamus’s room, the candle had been extinguished and the fire had burned itself down to glowing embers. Dropping the wooden bar across the door, he untied his sandals and stripped off his tunic and undergarment, ignoring the growing chill in the room.
He took his short sword from the wall where it had been hung, drew the blade from its scabbard, and placed it next to the bed. Since he’d run from the Alur Meriki, there had never been a night when he didn’t keep a weapon close at hand. Briefly, he wondered whether the girl would use it on him in the middle of the night, but decided he was too tired to worry about it.
The bed had more than enough room for two, as Ariamus had liked his women large. For a moment, Esk kar thought it was empty until he realized the girl had wedged herself against the wall, as far from him as possible.
Fine, let her stay there. Tomorrow, maybe even in the morning, he’d take her, and there’d be no more nonsense.
Esk kar rolled onto his side, putting his back to her while facing the door. He pulled the single blanket up over his shoulder and let his body relax as he prepared for sleep.
But his mind refused to obey. Thoughts of Nicar, the Alur Meriki, the command of the guard, the village itself, all kept running through his head. A week ago, Esk kar couldn’t have imagined this could happen. Now he could
