her, wanted her even more every hour, and if keeping her with him meant having to swallow his pride and accept her advice, then he would do it. She’d saved his life once. Maybe she could do it again. After all, things couldn’t get much worse. Perhaps the time had come to try a different way.
Esk kar took one last look at the guards, then went back inside, closing and securing the door behind him. She still sat there, outlined by the remnants of the fire, waiting. Waiting for him to decide not only his fate, but hers.
Nothing mattered, he realized. He needed to be with her, keep her for his own. Everything else meant nothing, including his foolish pride.
“We will think of something, won’t we?”
Trella awoke before dawn, slipped out of bed and dressed. The night had passed uneventfully. Esk kar sent out for a roasted chicken, bread, nuts, and wine, and they’d eaten the dinner with the door closed. The fresh chicken had been well cooked, though neither noticed it. She’d filled his wine cup but refused any herself. When he drank half the cup, she watched as he refilled it with water, leaving the rest of the wine untouched. She hadn’t said anything, but felt grateful her master knew better than to drink too much on such a night.
Gatus came back twice, once to report everything in order and men in place, and the second time to grab a hunk of chicken and tell Esk kar to get some sleep. Before retiring, Esk kar blocked the entrance with the table and benches, and he’d placed his sword and knife next to the bed.
In the darkness he held her in his arms, but didn’t speak, and she knew he was thinking about tomorrow. To her surprise, Esk kar soon came up with a plan for handling the guards. Dangerous to be sure, but perhaps a way to avoid bloodshed.
When nothing more remained to discuss, Trella moved astride him, feeling a thrill at her boldness. She kissed him again and again, then leaned down and rubbed herself against him, moving her breasts slowly over his chest and stomach, then to his lips and back again. Suddenly she felt him inside her, heard herself moaning at the wave of pleasure. She kept her movements slow, enjoying the new sensations that passed through her, holding him back until he cried out, both of them forgetting all about the world outside.
When the lovemaking ended, he’d fallen asleep almost at once, a deep sleep that permitted no worries to interrupt it. She slept lightly, waking often, waiting for the dawn. Today she wanted to be at the river early.
At the first sign of daylight, she woke Esk kar and they opened the door.
Nothing greeted them except two tired guards standing at their post. Moments later Gatus arrived, yawning and carrying a long wooden trencher filled with bread and cheese, breakfast for all of them, including the men who’d watched Esk kar’s door all night. Afterward, Trella went with Gatus into the barracks and offered to clean some of the soldiers’ garments.
They filled a basket with as much as she could carry. She’d hoped Adad would accompany her back to the river, but he’d already gone to get some sleep, tired after his all — night vigil, so Gatus chose another man to accompany her.
At that early hour, only a few women had come to wash their household’s clothes, but more would arrive soon. The women recognized her immediately. They gathered around while she worked, introducing themselves, eager to hear the latest gossip from someone who might actually know something.
Trella reassured them, but kept busy with her washing. Eventually they took the hint and moved away. Trella found herself washing the same tunic over and over before she saw Shubure approaching.
Unnoticed now, Trella moved farther downriver, wading out into deeper water that reached nearly to her waist. Even so, Shubure did not come near until her own washing was well begun. This time Trella’s eyes studied the shore and the other women, but no one was paying any attention to them, only the bored guard whose gaze wandered up and down the river.
As Shubure drew near, Trella let the tunic slip from her hands. The current took it straight to Shubure, who caught it up, then handed it back to Trella. As their hands touched, Trella let three copper coins slip into the girl’s hand. Shubure’s eyes looked down for a moment. Then she turned slightly away, searching those along the river bank.
“Your master meets with Nicar at midmorn. Drigo has ordered Naxos to keep Esk kar from Nicar’s house. They want to embarrass him and Nicar before the meeting, in front of the other nobles. If he resists, Naxos will kill him. Naxos will be the new captain of the guard.”
So it would happen this morning. Trella turned away, so no one could see them talking. “Did you learn anything else?”
“No, nothing. Except Drigo said he will rule in Orak within a few days.
He and his son are already making plans. They expect to gather much gold before the barbarians arrive.”
“I thank you for your news, Shubure.”
“My mother and I thank you for your coins, Mistress Trella. She’ll be able to feed our family for a few days.”
“If your mother can be trusted to keep her tongue, I’ll send more coins to her. If you learn anything more, you tell her and she can tell me.” It would certainly be easier and safer for Shubure to meet with her mother.
Shubure nodded. She moved away as new arrivals splashed closer to them, eager to speak with Trella. But Trella gathered up the wet clothes and waded carefully back to the shore. She lifted the heavy bundle in her arms, the wet dress clinging to her legs, as she walked back toward the gate.
The guard followed, no doubt watching her figure.
She found Esk kar waiting for her outside the barracks. He followed her inside and closed the door.
“Did she come?”
“Yes.” She repeated what Shubure had said. Surprisingly, the news seemed to calm him. He went to the table and sat down, his brow fur-rowed. She spread the wet garments across the bed, then sat down across from him. “Will you keep to your plan, master?”
He looked up, his face grim. “Oh, yes. I’ll take care of Naxos.”
She knew what he meant. “If you kill Drigo’s servant, he’ll hire someone else to murder you. He won’t tolerate the insult. And the nobles…”
“If Naxos’s death is too bloody for them, Trella, then we’ll move on. I won’t spend my days wondering when Drigo’s assassin will find me.”
Trella studied him carefully. Not a hint of worry in the man. He seemed relaxed and assured, no trace of last night’s doubts. She realized how different he was from the merchants and traders she’d grown up with. A warrior, he needed only to know what to do. He would work out the how, and once begun, he would be like an arrow launched from a bowstring-no hesitation and no turning back.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
He smiled at her, a real smile full of warmth and caring. “Perhaps. I’ve been thinking about the meeting. I still need to talk to the men. But I think I will need your help.”
She smiled back and reached her hand out to his across the table. “Tell me what to do.”
5
In two hours, I meet with Nicar and the Five Families,” Esk kar began, speaking to Gatus and the three men he’d selected as subcommanders.
They sat shoulder to shoulder at the small table in Esk kar’s quarters.
Gatus sat next to Esk kar. Bantor, Jalen, and Sisuthros faced their new captain across the table. A water jar and cups rested between them.
Bantor, a reliable man who could follow orders, was a little older than Esk kar. Jalen, about five years younger, had come to Orak from the west.
An excellent fighter and one of the few good horsemen in Orak, Jalen had quarreled with Ariamus and his toadies even more than Esk kar. Sisuthros had just reached his twentieth season, but had sharp wits to match his skill with a sword.
Except for Gatus, none had commanded any significant number of men before. Ariamus had kept them in the
