bows. “Your arrows are longer and heavier. Where did you get so many shafts this size?”
“We made them, Subutai. That is, they’ll be finished by tomorrow evening. The fletchers started as soon as I sent word. The same with the lance.
These are weapons for those who fight from horseback, and though we don’t use such weapons ourselves, we can make them quickly now.” That impressed them. It would have taken them weeks to make so many arrows.
“Whatever else you…” Esk kar’s voice died away as Mesilim’s eyes shifted from him. Turning, Esk kar saw a group of seven women approach the camp, two of them carrying torches now that dusk had fallen. Each woman carried a bundle or basket of various size and shape. Trella walked in their midst, wearing her finest dress and escorted by her guards, Annok — sur beside her, carrying one of the torches.
The torchlight procession had a strange effect on the tribesmen. They could see that a woman of importance was coming. Trella’s fine dress and the guards conveyed that fact, as much as the obvious respect shown by the accompanying women. Conversation and eating ceased throughout the camp. Everyone rose to their feet in respect, an unusual gesture for such men.
The leading women stopped when they reached Esk kar’s group and Trella passed through them to move to Esk kar’s side. Once there, she bowed to the visitors, then turned to Esk kar.
He felt her effect as much as did the others. In the flickering torchlight she looked like one touched by the gods. Only the hissing and snapping of the torches broke the silence.
Esk kar found his voice and made the introductions.
She bowed low again, then straightened, erect and proud. “I welcome you to Orak, Clan Leader Mesilim, and your brave son, Subutai.”
Esk kar translated her words, then nodded to her to continue.
“We honor your fight against our common enemy. My husband did not tell me you had women and children, so we had not prepared for them.
Now we bring them gifts and clothing.”
Trella’s voice sounded serene and regal. Mesilim might not understand her words, but he clearly recognized her presence. He looked at her, as much at a loss for words as Esk kar had been a moment ago. Subutai stared at her with his mouth open.
“Honored wife, Trella,” Mesilim began, “you honor us by your presence and your gifts. We welcome you to our campfire. Esk kar told us you were a ‘gifted one,’ but we did not expect you to visit us.”
Trella glanced at Esk kar as he translated, and he read the question in her glance. “Gifted One?” she would say tonight, followed no doubt by the
“everything is important” speech.
She bowed again to Mesilim. “Your visit honors us, as does your offer to help in our fight. How could I do less? Now, I must leave you to your talk while we tend to your women, if I have your leave?”
When she left, they sat back down. No one spoke for a moment. Esk kar saw Gatus struggling to keep a grin off his face. Trella did look and act as if she had the power to command both men and spirits. Perhaps it wasn’t just superstition. Maybe she did have the gift, and maybe a group of barbarians could see it more clearly than Esk kar could.
They watched as she went to the women, but found herself surrounded by Mesilim’s men. The Ur Nammu women had to push the men aside.
Fashod stood at Trella’s side, translating for her, then helped with the distribution of clothing and other gifts. The commotion went on for some time until the women led Trella and her companions away from the men.
They sat a short distance from the fire, to talk about things that concerned women only.
Even Fashod stayed away, leaving one of the women to do the translating. Trella asked her guards to move back as well. After watching for a while, the tribesmen returned to the fire and their food, but their eyes often returned to Trella and the women, lighted now only by the flickering torches that began to burn low.
Mesilim shook his head and turned back to Esk kar and his men. “Never have I seen the women act like that, to take a stranger into their midst and pay honor to her. She truly has the gift, to move my people so easily.”
“She’s wise beyond her seasons,” Esk kar added. “Her wisdom guides me and gives me strength.”
Gatus spoke unexpectedly. “Her wisdom guides all of us, Mesilim. My wife, who has more than twice her seasons, stands at her side and heeds her every word.”
Esk kar translated Gatus’s words with another smile.
“Chief Esk kar, why do those men guard her?” Subutai inquired. “Surely no one would harm one with the gift.”
Esk kar shook his head in disgust. “I have not been war leader in Orak for long, Subutai. Two weeks ago, one of my enemies tried to kill her. He was angered at her wisdom and thought to attack me by killing her. She was wounded but survived, and now I make sure that it doesn’t happen again.”
“The clan responsible was killed?” Mesilim made it more of a state-ment than a question.
“All those involved died, slain by the people,” Esk kar said carefully. “I don’t think it will happen again.” No sense trying to explain local politics to tribesmen who tended to see everything as white or black. Depending on the offense, barbarians might hold an entire clan responsible for the misdeed of one of its members.
“Nor will it,” Gatus added firmly, after Esk kar explained Subutai’s question. “Everyone has been warned.”
“Guard her well, Esk kar,” Subutai suggested. “If the Alur Meriki knew you had one such as her, they’d tear the walls down to take her.”
Esk kar looked at him, reading beneath the man’s words echoes of what Subutai himself might like to do. Esk kar felt surprised at his intuition.
But where Trella was concerned, his eyes had become quick to see and his wits and words just as swift. “Subutai, such a gift cannot be taken by force.
It must be given freely. An enemy cannot capture it, and a friend would never try.”
“May her wisdom guide you, Esk kar,” Mesilim said, bringing the conversation back to the matter at hand. “You’ll need her help in the coming fight. Now let’s talk about weapons.”
They discussed the weapons and reviewed the plans for the next few days. They were almost finished when laughter coming from the women made all heads turn toward them again.
Trella stood now, holding hands with some of the tribeswomen, as all of them sought to touch her. Finally they released their clasp. Trella bowed to them and walked toward the leaders, passing through most of the warriors, who seemed to pay more attention to her than to their leaders. Mesilim and Subutai again rose to their feet, as did Esk kar and his men a moment later.
Trella stepped between Mesilim and his son and stopped with them close on either side. “Esk kar, some of the children are too weak to travel.
I’ve offered to care for them here until the battle is over.” She looked at Mesilim. “That is, if Clan Leader Mesilim will allow it?”
“My women suggested this?” Mesilim questioned in surprise, as soon as Esk kar finished translating.
Esk kar felt as astonished as Mesilim. He’d never heard of such a thing, to leave children with not only strangers but hereditary enemies. “Trella, there’s danger here as well. They may not understand what they are asking.”
Before Trella could reply, one of the women approached the group, calling out as she did so and slowing down until Subutai waved her forward. The woman spoke softly but rapidly to Subutai, and Esk kar couldn’t keep up with her words, so fast did she speak. Whatever she said, it took a long time and when she finished, she didn’t move away, though custom decreed it.
Subutai turned toward Esk kar. “It is as Honored Trella says. My woman wants to leave the five youngest here, saying they will surely die if we have to travel hard once again. My daughter is among those.” Subutai looked at his father. “We’ll have to speak of this.”
Mesilim nodded thoughtfully, then turned to Trella. “We’ll consider your offer with great care. But our thanks are yours already.”
“Then I will leave you men to your work.” She touched Esk kar on the arm and wished him goodnight. As she started to leave, one of the tribesmen called something out to Mesilim, then added several sentences, and Trella, hearing her name, stopped and waited.
