The men dismounted and walked the horses to Esk kar’s house. The crowd followed behind, still shouting with as much enthusiasm as if the barbarians had already been defeated. Arriving home, Esk kar ordered that Tammuz be carried inside. Annok — sur sent one of the women to fetch a healer.
Esk kar went to the well and took advantage of his first opportunity to clean himself properly in over three weeks. A servant brought clean clothes, but Esk kar only donned them after he’d scrubbed as much of the horse scent from his body as he could.
Maldar remained at Esk kar’s house. The men chose Maldar as custo-dian for their loot, to be stored in Esk kar’s chambers until they called for it. None of them ever had so much of value before, and they didn’t know what to do with it. No one felt comfortable carrying all that gold on their persons. They approached Esk kar and asked him to guard it for them.
The idea of holding gold for others made him uncomfortable, but he agreed his house was a safer place for their money than leaving it in the barracks. They decided Maldar and one other of the Hawk Clan would inspect the valuables once a week to make sure they remained safe. Each man took only what he needed for a few days of wine, women, and gambling.
Alone in their rooms Esk kar took Trella in his arms and squeezed her tightly. He stroked her hair and felt happy just to hold her. The feel of her body aroused him, and he would have taken her, but the summons had already come from Nicar. Reluctantly he let her go.
Later Esk kar, Trella, and Sisuthros sat down at Nicar’s crowded table with all the Families and their important followers present. A feast had been declared for all. Villagers shouted and sang in the streets, gladdened by Esk kar’s return and a chance to celebrate.
Nicar served his finest wine, but Esk kar took only a single cup. When he’d drunk half of it, he refilled it with water. Wine no longer tempted him. Esk kar didn’t want his wits dulled by wine. He did eat, enjoying the fresh bread and chicken Nicar’s servants provided.
When he described the battle, not a sound could be heard, and he had to repeat the story, adding more details. Sisuthros told part of the tale, filling in the fight as he’d seen it, and telling of Esk kar’s exploits.
Their faces registered shock at what he’d done. That Esk kar would risk his life to help another tribe of barbarians seemed incredible. Nevertheless they rejoiced to hear that, together, they’d wiped out seventy Alur Meriki.
“The Ur Nammu will be of great use to us,” Esk kar said, ignoring the skeptical looks. “We’ll meet them again, and they’ll keep track of the main force for us.”
More questions kept coming, and Esk kar encouraged Sisuthros to answer several, while he studied the faces of Caldor and Nestor. The old man just smiled, revealing no emotion.
But young Caldor did not repress an occasional flash of anger, though he kept silent. No doubt he wondered what his gold had purchased. You will be dead soon, Caldor, like Drigo’s whelp, and this time it will give me much more pleasure. Finally Esk kar had a question of his own.
“Corio, I see the east wall is complete. How goes the rest of the work?”
The new walls were not laid out strictly according to the compass. The east side, where the wall stood highest and where the main attack would come, actually faced southeast, toward the crossroad where the two main roads met to form a single track that led to the gate.
“You’ve been gone three weeks,” Corio said. “In that time, we’ve made good progress, and are ahead of schedule, mostly due to the numbers of new men willing to bend their backs to avoid the barbarians. The entire wall will be finished in less than three weeks, and the river sluices and canals have been widened and are ready for release. We can let loose the water and begin to flood the plains in less than one hour.”
Esk kar turned toward Gatus and Jalen. “And the men? How goes their training?”
“Sixty men finish training this week, and another seventy will start.”
Gatus had a big grin on his face. “The training goes faster, now that we have so many veterans. By the time the barbarians arrive, we’ll have over four hundred and twenty well — drilled men ready to defend the walls.”
“Then there’s much to give thanks for,” Esk kar said. “And you are satisfied with our progress, Nicar?”
“Esk kar, I’m more than satisfied. Up to now, I’ve been hopeful we could fend off the barbarians. When we first spoke, you promised me no better than an even chance. Now I’m sure that we have at least that, especially now that you have returned. The whole village worried while you were gone.” Heads around the table nodded in agreement.
“But now that you are back, the people will have confidence again.
Permit us to give thanks to the gods and to honor your return with a celebration tomorrow.”
Esk kar felt surprised by the warmth in Nicar’s words, but the sight of Caldor clenching his jaw reminded him of what was to come. “I’m grateful to return, Nicar… honored Nobles. But now I would like to return home and get some rest.”
That ended the dinner. Everyone seemed excited by the prospect of a celebration. The village hadn’t relaxed for months, and the people could do with a reason to cheer. In the street outside Nicar’s, a few idlers lingered to shout greetings to Esk kar and, to his surprise, Trella as well.
They walked back to the house, Trella’s hand in his. He closed the door to their private chambers, slid the wooden bolt into the hole with a sigh of satisfaction.
“Don’t you want to eat more supper, Esk kar? You hardly ate anything at Nicar’s, and we have much to talk about.”
Her smile looked the same as he remembered it. “Yes, Trella, I’m still hungry.” He took her into his arms and ran his hands over her body.
Esk kar kissed her hungrily, and she returned his passion, rising up on her toes as she put her arms around his neck. When they finally paused for breath, she lifted up her arms and he drew her garment up over her head, then let it drop. He took her hands in his and stepped back to look at her, letting his eyes feast on the sight of her naked body in the lamp’s flickering light before picking her up and carrying her to the bed.
Two hours later Trella arose and called down to the servants for food.
Sitting at Esk kar’s work table, they ate another meal of bread and cold lamb, washed down with watered wine. For dessert, Trella peeled an apple while Esk kar savored a handful of fresh dates. She listened attentively as he described the trip and what he’d learned. When he finished, she shook her head.
“You leave too much out.” She put her hand on his. “I want to know everything about the battle: what you thought, what you saw, why you did what you did, even how your men reacted. I know nothing about such things, and if I’m to help you, I need to know what and how men think in such situations.”
Unlike most fighting men, Esk kar found it difficult to talk about battle.
It was too personal, too intense. He knew he’d dodged death too often to boast about his own skill, all too aware that luck or chance was as important as one’s prowess. The terror of it all, the horses screaming, the stink of fear in the air and on men’s bodies, the knots in your chest when a sword slashed at you, the trembling in your bowels, the weakness of limb and mind afterward.
Esk kar began again, this time taking her as best he could through the entire episode, starting from the hilltop when he first saw that the Ur Nammu would be trapped. He tried to explain to her what thoughts rushed into his head and why he decided to help them. He recalled the fear he saw in Mitrac’s face as Esk kar pushed him into the battle, the tenseness and doubts of Sisuthros, who had never been involved in such a close — fought battle, and even the struggles of those Esk kar fought and killed.
Words and emotions he didn’t know he possessed helped him describe something almost beyond description. When he finished, she took his hand and led him back to their bed, and this time she made love to him with such tenderness that she left him weak and trembling.
Afterward she bathed him again. They relaxed in each other’s arms, the light from the lamp almost gone, the wick already smoldering. But Trella had more questions. “Tell me more about Mesilim and his son.”
That led to the conversation with Sisuthros, the division of the spoils, the formation of the Hawk Clan, and eventually their return to Orak. Eskkar even repeated conversations with Tammuz and Maldar, surprised he could recall so many details. By the time he finished, the moon had risen high in the night.
“You have done well, husband, better than well. My father said that few men have the ability to command large numbers of fighting men. You’re such a man, Esk kar. You saw your opportunity and you took your chance.
Luck is the favor of the gods, and it’s sometimes better to be lucky than skillful. All your decisions were
