breeze pushed his hair against his cheek, and he brushed it back, waiting until everyone stopped talking.
For the first time, the inhabitants of Bisitun got a good look at their new lord. They stared open-mouthed at the tall warrior, one hand resting on the hilt of the great sword, a man clearly born in the northern steppes, and who now ruled their lives. Eskkar’s eyes slowly scanned the square, gazing, it seemed, at every single person who faced him. When he spoke, his deep voice carried even to those farthest away.
“People of Bisitun, I, too, have grievances against Ninazu. I will speak for the people of Dilgarth, who have none here to represent their wishes.
At Ninazu’s order, his brother raided and killed many in Dilgarth, and their spirits cry out for vengeance as much as any here. A peaceful village, they had no fighting men to guard them. Today Dilgarth is under the protection of Akkad, as all here are now under the protection of Akkad. I tell you what I told the people of Dilgarth. The days of bandits raiding this countryside are over. From today on, they will be hunted down and killed.
The few still left will soon learn to leave alone any who live under Akkad’s safekeeping. You will be safe in your homes and on your farms. The prosperity that you enjoyed before the coming of the Alur Meriki will return, and this time it will be even greater because of Akkad’s protection.”
He paused to take a breath. Clearly in awe of him, the crowd remained silent, and he felt glad that he had left all the petty details to Sisuthros. It made it easier to play the role of a distant guardian, handing out decisions from above. “Akkad, Dilgarth, and Bisitun, as well as the other small villages, will all work together, trade together, and defend themselves together.”
Eskkar turned to Grond. “Bring Lani and Tippu out.” He raised his voice again. “There are two more to accuse Ninazu. I want all to hear what he has done.” Lifting his arm, he pointed at Lani and Tippu as they walked into the center of the square. Grond supported Tippu, his arm around her waist, but Lani stood alone, her head high, holding Tippu by the hand.
Some in the square called out their displeasure at the sight of the women, a few shouting that they, too, deserved punishment.
“Silence!” Eskkar bellowed the single word, the force of his voice shocking the crowd into stunned silence. He glanced about the square, but none of the villagers dared to meet his eyes, all of them suddenly fearful of his wrath. “Come forward, Lani.”
Ignoring the crowd, she kept her eyes on Eskkar until she reached the tables. Finally the two sisters stood directly in front of Ninazu.
In a clear voice, Lani listed the crimes the bandit leader had done to her and her family. She told the whole story, what had been done to her, giving the names of those murdered and tortured. When she finished, Lani took her sister’s arm, and held her while Tippu added her own grievances, the murder of her betrothed, her rape, and enslavement. Tippu’s tears flowed as she spoke, and only those close by could make out her halting words, spoken in a barely audible voice.
After Tippu finished, Eskkar spoke, raising his voice to make sure everyone heard. “Lani and Tippu are under my protection. Because of them, much of the gold stolen from you was recovered, so all of you should give them thanks. And although they are not from this village, they are to be treated as honorably as anyone here.”
Eskkar jumped down from the table, and this time the crowd shouted approval. He returned to his spot near the wall, while Grond escorted the two sisters back into the house. Meanwhile, Sisuthros queried each council member and asked for his decision.
“Death!” Each in turn called for Ninazu to be put to the torture until he died.
Sisuthros nodded his assent. “Death, at the hands of those whose kin he murdered,” he pronounced in a loud voice, so that everyone present could hear the council’s just decision, one clearly approved by the gods.
“Let the torture begin.” The crowd’s roar of approval filled the square.
The three villagers selected by the elders to administer the torture came forward, eager to get to their task, and wielding small knives such as used for carving, and the mallets and bronze-tipped chisels used by the tanners to decorate their leather goods; the implements would work equally as well for inflicting pain. The guards moved farther apart as the torturers began their work, so that all could see. The crowd called out their curses on Ninazu, and shouted for the pain-givers to hurry their work.
They removed Ninazu’s gag and the torment began. Soon his screams echoed throughout the square. The broken leg made things easier. The slightest touch there instantly overcame any of Ninazu’s efforts to hold in his pain. He passed out several times, but they always revived him by fling-ing a bucket of water in his face. They forced more water down his throat to refresh him, before they started in again, urged on by the crowd.
By then, Eskkar had had enough. Unnoticed, he returned into the house, followed by his bodyguard. He and Grond sat down at the big table.
“You don’t feel like watching, Captain?” Grond filled two cups with water.
“I’ve seen enough of death and torture in the last few months.” Eskkar felt glad to be away from Ninazu’s ordeal. “Besides, it always makes me wonder how long I’d last under the knife.”
“I was put to the torture once,” Grond said. “Just because my master caught me looking at him. Said I wasn’t respectful.”
Eskkar didn’t bother to ask if Grond had screamed. Everyone did.
Again Eskkar wondered what he would do if he were the one being tortured, how well he would stand the pain, or how long it would take before he began to plead for mercy or death. Some men resisted to the last, but most begged for the pain to stop long before the end.
The thought sent a shiver through his frame. In all his days of fighting, he’d only been captured once, and that day death had come close. The memory of being helpless before his enemies still troubled him. Eskkar swore to himself that he would never be taken alive. Better to fall on your own sword than go through that horror.
“If the assault on Bisitun had gone badly, Grond, I might have ended up dead on the cart, and Ninazu might be standing over me.”
“Well, Captain, I would’ve avenged your death. Or at least buried your remains.”
He looked at Grond and had to smile.
They were alone in the house, except for the two sisters huddled in their room, trying to block out the noise from the crowd. Everyone else was outside enjoying the spectacle. The screams from the square seemed almost as loud inside.
Eskkar finished a handful of grapes from the platter.
“Would you like some wine, lord, or something to eat?” Lani had come out of the bedroom.
“You don’t care to watch Ninazu take the torture, Lani?”
“No, lord. I have seen enough of people being tortured. Now that it’s his turn on the wheel, I know what will happen.”
Eskkar looked around the room. “Where is your sister?”
“In our room, her head under the blanket. Tippu cannot watch such things. It sickens her even to hear it.”
Grond stood up. “Perhaps I should go to her, Lani. Do you think it would help?”
Eskkar wondered about Grond and Tippu, and what had happened last night, or not happened, as it seemed. He would ask his bodyguard about it later, when they were alone.
But Lani mentioned it herself. “I think it would be good for her to be with someone besides myself for a little while, at least until this horrible day is over.” She looked at Grond. “Can you restrain yourself as you did last night, for a while longer?”
“When you’ve been a slave, Lani,” Grond answered, “you know what is needed. I’ll just hold her for a while.” He looked at Eskkar. “If I may, Captain?”
Eskkar nodded, surprised at the serious tone of Grond’s voice. The bodyguard left the table and went to the woman’s room. Eskkar looked at Lani for an explanation.
“That’s what he did last night, lord. He held her, and told her she was safe. She cried in his arms for a long time, until she fell asleep. Your bodyguard didn’t take her. Was he a slave in Akkad?”
“No, not in Akkad. He told me that he’d been a slave in the lands to the west, but he never said much about it, only that he escaped. He has the marks of the lash on his back, and even in Akkad, he might have been put back into slavery, except that we needed soldiers to fight the Alur Meriki.”
“But you did not put him back into bondage when the danger passed?
Did not those in the village declare him a runaway slave?”
