Not that Esk kar would have trusted any of them in a hard fight, including those taken by Ariamus. It took gold to buy, maintain, and train good horses, and the miserly nobles spent as few of their coins as possible on the soldiers’ mounts.
They picked two horses that needed work, and Esk kar led the way to the hilltop where he’d done his thinking yesterday. The two men sat facing each other, and Esk kar repeated everything he’d told Nicar, this time in much more detail. Gatus made suggestions about the food and supplies needed, the quantity and quality of weapons, and how the men would be paid. They discussed the soldiers, talking about individual abilities and how best they could be used. Gatus agreed with the three Esk kar had in mind for subcommanders.
They tried to come up with everything needed to raise, train, and support a large number of fi ghting men. Then they attempted to put tasks in order, what must be done first, what could wait a few weeks longer. Last, they discussed the barbarians, guessing what they might do when they saw the wall, how they’d use their weapons and horses, and the most likely points of attack.
Esk kar had never had such a discussion before. All his life, fighting was something you just did, not something you planned for. You might try to ambush your enemy, or catch them asleep, but for horsemen, there was little else in the way of tactics. In true steppes tradition, Esk kar believed the best plan of all was to have more men and better horses than your enemy. If outnumbered, barbarians tended to avoid battle, preferring to fight another day. Neither Esk kar nor the Alur Meriki felt any loss of honor in turning away from such unfavorable conflicts. Now Esk kar had to devise ways to resist not only a numerically superior foe, but one whose individual warriors were stronger and more capable. Just as important, he had to convince villagers that his tactics would be effective.
For someone village — bred, Gatus had plenty to contribute. He had survived years of fighting and had ideas of his own and no hesitations about putting them forth, especially those concerning weapons and training. He kept challenging Esk kar, looking for weaknesses or flaws that would doom Orak’s defense. When Gatus did fi nd a weakness, they worked out how to resolve it.
Nearly three hours later, Esk kar nodded in satisfaction. They had reached agreement on every item. Gatus had helped him specify his plans.
For the first time Esk kar felt confident he could answer any question at Nicar’s meeting, that no one could brush off either his ideas or his facts.
They might not share his beliefs, but that would be a matter for debate.
The two men rode down the hill to repeat Esk kar’s survey of the land.
This time they paid particular attention to the farmlands north and south of the village. Flooding these would change the usual approach to Orak’s main gate. When they finally finished their circuit, Gatus admitted Orak might have a chance, with luck, of surviving the invasion.
Esk kar wanted more than just Gatus’s approval. He wanted the old soldier waiting outside Nicar’s house, in case the nobles wanted a second opinion. Gatus had lived in Orak for more than five years, and most of them would respect his words.
“But we’ll need to train bowmen, three or four hundred of them at least,” Gatus said. “And assuming you can provide weapons for all of them, it’s still going to take at least two months to train a good archer.”
Esk kar didn’t understand why it took so long to teach someone how to use such a simple weapon, but he had to defer to Gatus’s experience with villagers. “Then we’d better get started at once, Gatus. You know how to train men better than anyone. They’ll do as you say.”
And they would do it faster for Gatus than for a barbarian. Esk kar might be captain of the guard, but he hadn’t proven himself to the men. They’d follow him for now, but for a real battle, where men had to trust their commander completely and be willing to risk their lives
… that needed a leader with a different kind of authority.
“And what of everything else that must be done? Are you sure you know what’s needed from Nicar and the nobles?”
“Yes. I went over all that with Trella. She thought of a dozen things I’d missed. She knows how to ask for what we’ll need. We just have to tell her. Then she can deal with the craftsmen. She knows the symbols, she can count, and she remembers what she hears. She comes from a noble family.
Her father taught her the ruling ways.”
“Ah, she’s one of those.”
“Those what?” He looked toward Gatus.
“One of the special ones. You’ve spent time in other villages, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Now stop talking in riddles. What about her?”
Gatus took his time before answering. “How many women in Orak know the symbols, or can count higher than ten?”
“I don’t know,” he shrugged. “None, I suppose. All the clerks and scribes are men.”
“You don’t know the symbols; I don’t know them. But Nicar’s wife knows them.” Gatus saw the surprise on Esk kar’s face. “There are a few others, wives of the big traders and merchants. Who do you think runs their trading business when they’re away or sick? There are some women, you ignorant barbarian, who are trained for more than just bedding. If she’s one of those… tell me what else Trella said.”
Esk kar grimaced at the slur, but told him everything he’d learned.
“Then she was raised to be a wife to someone like Nicar or Drigo,”
Gatus mused, “a ruling noble.”
“What does that…”
“Listen to me. You were raised to fight, trained from childhood, taught how to use weapons, how to be strong.”
“Yes, that’s the barbarian way. You spend your whole life learning how to fight, how to…”
“Trella was raised to help rule. She probably spent her whole life at her father’s feet, watching the rulers of her village, learning how to read men’s faces, listening to what they say, judging when they lie. Trella’s what, fourteen seasons? She may have spent every day for the last five years watching her village’s nobles, learning the mysteries of gold and bronze, the secret symbols, studying the ways of farmer and villager. If her wits are as sharp as you say…”
“They are,” Esk kar said, trying to grasp this new concept. It had never occurred to him that the nobles in Orak might have trained to learn their ruling ways. As he’d been trained to fight, Trella learned to use her wits, to study men and their ways. Their talk this morning
… he realized that Trella had guided him through the preparations for tomorrow’s meeting with more than just her knowledge of Nicar’s house. If she knew the secret ways of the nobles, could read men’s thoughts, then she might be worth even more than he’d thought.
“Not used to dealing with women who have their wits about them, are you?”
Esk kar closed his mouth and frowned at Gatus. “No. I didn’t know such women existed.”
“Well, think about what that means, Esk kar, before you have her fetch-ing water from the well and washing your feet. Nicar may have given you a bigger prize than you know.”
“At fi rst I thought she was just for remembering things… helping out.
After last night’s bedding and our talk this morning…”
“She’s bewitched you already. I saw the way you look at her.” Gatus laughed at the memory. “But will the nobles listen to a slave girl?”
“When the time comes, I’ll make sure they do, Gatus. And she’ll speak in my name. If the nobles refuse or give us trouble, we’ll leave Orak. I won’t argue with Drigo or any of them. That’s what I told Nicar yesterday, and that’s what I’ll say at tomorrow’s meeting. That’s why you’ll be there, in case they want to hear your thoughts.”
“My thoughts are that you’re going to get us both killed, Esk kar.”
Esk kar laughed. “Perhaps. But don’t tell them that. Besides, we’ve time to get out, if things start going badly. And enough men to follow us, if it comes to that. So we’ll just have to see what happens.”
“Time will tell, then,” Gatus said, putting his heels to the horse.
They cantered through the gate before slowing to a walk. Gatus was right. The next few days would decide all. But Esk kar had persuaded the old soldier, a difficult enough task, and now Gatus would stay as long as he believed they could endure. Winning over Gatus would help persuade the soldiers, too. A good day’s work, Esk kar
