Subutai and his men entered the circlet, bringing with them their women, though Esk kar knew this was not their custom. But these were highly unusual circumstances. With only five women for thirty men, these wives would command a greater say in their fates.

Esk kar watched Subutai as he regarded Trella, who sat on part of a fallen tree one of the soldiers had dragged up for her. How she managed it, Esk kar didn’t know, but she appeared both regal and desirable even in her rough travel dress. Maybe it was the combination of the firelight on her face, while two torches burned behind her. She had an indisputable presence, one she’d become well aware of and worked hard to enhance.

When the Ur Nammu were seated, the women behind the men, Esk kar began. “Our two peoples have fought together against their common enemy not once, but twice, and we’ve defeated them both times. Now Subutai will take his people back to their homelands, north of the river Enratus.

When the Alur Meriki are defeated and driven from Orak, our people will stay to the south. In that way, our two peoples can live in peace.”

Esk kar gestured toward Trella. “Trella and I have offered to help Chief Subutai in any way we can.” He turned to Subutai, who had to speak next.

“Lady Trella,” Subutai began, adopting the phrase Esk kar used, “We thank you for your help with our women and children. You’ve given us many gifts of food and clothing, as well as tools and healing medicines.

We’re embarrassed we have nothing to give you in return. Now we are too few to fight against the Alur Meriki. Yet we know you are wise, and so my people ask you for your wisdom.”

Esk kar guessed that Subutai doubted she had any wisdom for him. But Trella had planted the seeds with the womenfolk even before they left the village, and no doubt that had been part of the quiet discussions between Subutai and his people moments ago.

“It is we who are in your debt, Chief Subutai.” Trella’s soft voice floated on the night air like music from a lute, and not a sound was heard around the circle except for the crackling of the fires and the whispers of the translators as everyone strained to catch her words.

“Without your help, there would have been no victory two days ago, and the Alur Meriki would now have a strong force behind Orak. But a great challenge stands before you-the need to return to your homelands and rebuild your people. It is something that you must do quickly, else you fall victim to some larger clan. You’ll need more wives for your men to give you many children, and you’ll need tools and food before you can stand on your own again. It may be that Esk kar and I can help you with these things.”

Esk kar smiled inwardly at the box Trella had placed Subutai in. She offered him a way to rebuild his people, but he’d have to ask for it, and that would place him in her debt. If he turned it down, some of his men would begin to doubt his leadership, especially if her ideas had merit.

Subutai worked it out quickly enough. He had to ask, then examine her suggestions seriously. “Lady Trella, if you have any thoughts that can help my people, we ask for them.”

“Nothing is certain, Chief Subutai,” Trella answered. “We face a great battle against your own enemy, and it may be that we will not survive. But if we do, and if the Alur Meriki are driven off, then the lands that they have passed through will be filled with chaos and confusion. There will be many masterless and landless men who’ll kill and destroy whatever little has survived the Alur Meriki. Even among your kind, there will be many steppes clans wandering these lands. They’ll fight each other as well as the soldiers Orak will send out into the countryside to protect our farmers and herders. Even now, several small bands of steppes people are on the west bank of the Tigris, moving north, avoiding the Alur Meriki while they take whatever they can.”

Esk kar watched Subutai as he listened to Trella’s words. So far she’d said nothing unexpected.

“If you wish,” Trella continued, “we can speak to these small bands, or you can ride south and seek them yourself. Gather them together into a new clan within your own land, with a truce between your people and the men of the villages and farms. With supplies and trade goods from Orak, life in the northern lands could be easier. Orak would give you gold, and you would need only to watch the mountains and send us word of any dangers. You could trade for anything else you needed. All we would ask is that you raid no lands south of the Enratus.”

Esk kar saw Subutai thinking it over, the same way Esk kar had when Trella proposed it. The havoc caused by the Alur Meriki had created many bands of homeless men. By absorbing them, one band at a time, perhaps a new tribe could be built in months rather than in years.

“We would still need women as wives for our men, Lady Trella. These will not be so easy to find, and without them the true Ur Nammu will diminish.”

“My husband has told you of a way to obtain many women by taking them from the Alur Meriki at the height of their attack on us. They’ll be distracted and you can capture as many as you like.”

“Even if the Alur Meriki are defeated before your walls, they’ll give chase to anyone who raids their women.” Subutai spoke confidently.

Doubtless he’d given much thought to such a raid. His father might have been willing to chance it, to bring death and shame to the Alur Meriki, but not Subutai. “If we were burdened with captives, Lady Trella, they would quickly catch up with us, and we would be destroyed.”

Esk kar spoke up. “Subutai, much can be accomplished if the plan is good. We’ve seen how easily the Alur Meriki can be beaten when everything is thought out in advance. Now you have many horses, more than you will need, maybe even more than you can easily drive back to the mountains. The raiding party could capture the women and throw them on horses. If the raid were planned carefully, you would have thongs ready to bind the women to the horses, and torches prepared to burn as much of their camp as possible. If your men did not waste any time or strength in fighting, you could be gone in a few moments. Then the horses could be run until they were exhausted. Change to a relay of new mounts, kill or scatter the old ones, and the Alur Meriki would be chasing you on tired animals. Kill a second string of horses and they’d be left far behind, in danger of being cut off from the main body of the tribe.

They would have to turn back. Any few that went on could be easily trapped and killed.”

Some men would never give up the chase, those whose wives or daughters were important to them. But most would turn back when they saw no quick opportunity of either revenge or loot. There would be plenty of widows in the main camp after the battle at Orak. Those would be easier to obtain than chasing a small band of determined Ur Nammu far into the distant north.

“A raid planned so carefully would have little risk and much chance of success,” Trella offered. “And a wise leader would treat these new women as wives, not slaves. If they were treated better than they were with the Alur Meriki, they’d soon dry their tears and look with admiration on their new husbands.”

She turned to the women. “For your clan to survive, you would have to accept these new captives as equals, not captured concubines, and treat them with friendship, not the whip. In this way, their children and your own would grow up to be brothers.”

The fire had burned down. No one bothered to add more fuel, so Eskkar gathered some wood himself, dumping it on the flames, then arranging the new sticks. Others joined in, and for a few moments everyone focused on rebuilding the fire, giving Subutai time to think. When Esk kar sat down, the circle went silent again.

“Both of you have given me much to think about,” Subutai said cautiously. “And in return for your help, you only ask us to raid the Alur Meriki at the height of the battle?”

“Yes,” Esk kar answered, a little too quickly, so he checked his pace. “It may be that your help isn’t needed to defeat them, or it may be that we are fallen. But at the height of the main attack, your diversion might turn the battle.”

Subutai took a deep breath, and his lips came together for a moment.

“I’d hoped we were finished with fighting for a time. Now we must decide if there is yet one more battle to risk.”

“Chief Subutai, we, too, have one more battle to fight,” Esk kar answered. “But there is always one more battle to wage. Each season brings some new threat. What’s important to remember is to fight only those fights that make your people grow, not those that gain nothing except lasting hatred.”

Esk kar spoke the words, but the idea and thoughts were Trella’s. They’d spoken many times about the future, after the Alur Meriki were defeated.

Subutai stood up and bowed, his people rising to their feet with him.

“You would have me change the ways of my people, and that is not an easy thing to do. But we’ll consider your words.”

He left the circle and moved back to where his people had gathered before, his warriors and their women

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