The minute he sends word, you must be ready to move.”
No one said anything. Whatever Korthac wished would be done.
“Nebibi, you are to come back to Akkad with me. Then you will return to help guide the men on the final leg of the march.”
“I’ll give thanks to Isis and Osiris,” Nebibi said, “for getting me out of this place.”
Hathor turned back to Ariamus. “I’ll need four of your best men to return with me to Akkad. Men who won’t attract attention, and who can follow orders perfectly and keep their mouths shut. Men who know how to kill and are good at it. Do you have any like that?”
Ariamus lifted his brow. “Yes, but I need all my subcommanders to help…”
“If you need help with the training, Takany can provide it.” Hathor caught the momentary frown on Ariamus’s face. “I’ll meet with those you select now, to see if they’re capable. Your best men, Ariamus, nothing less will do. If they’re good enough, they’ll need good strong horses. Have them ready to ride with me at dawn.”
For once, Ariamus stood speechless, his open mouth showing his dismay at losing four good men.
Hathor leaned back and smiled at everyone. His mission had gone remarkably well, and for the next few weeks, the two forces would be too busy training to cause each other trouble. Korthac had shown his wisdom once again by pushing up the date for the attack. Best of all, Hathor would be out of this unhappy place in the morning, and he wouldn’t be coming back. He let himself relax.
“Now that Korthac’s business is settled, what can I tell you of Akkad?”
13
Trella greeted Nicar and Corio when the two nobles entered the upper room. Seating Nicar in the place of honor at the head of the table, she took the chair across from Corio. In the days before the Alur Meriki invasion, Nicar had led the five Noble Families that ruled Orak. Faced with the city’s destruction, and fi nding no one else willing to risk his neck, Nicar selected Eskkar as the new captain of the guard. In addition, he’d given Eskkar a recently acquired slave girl named Trella to be his helpmate and keep him out of the alehouse at night.
Those two decisions, made less than a year ago, created a future none of them could have foreseen, a future brought about by the common people, long without a voice in their daily affairs. Now they acclaimed Eskkar as their leader, and expected him to protect them not only from barbarian invasions, but also from the power and whims of the noble families.
Today Nicar remained the foremost of the Noble Families, but everyone understood who had the real power in Akkad. While Nicar might regret the loss of his authority, Eskkar and Trella had saved not only his city, but his life and that of his family, when the mob had shouted for their death.
Though their roles had reversed, Trella still felt beholden to him. A good man, she grieved that Nicar had aged much in the last six months.
Nearing his sixtieth season, his only remaining son had taken charge of the family’s trading ventures in the last few weeks, lifting that burden from his father. Trella planned to use that situation to her advantage.
“I hope today’s meeting will be brief, Lady Trella,” Corio said, ever in a hurry to be about his business. “It’s already past noon, and the Feast of Ishtar has begun.” He waved his hand toward the window where the sounds of celebration already echoed throughout the courtyard.
“So Ishtar’s priest has reminded me every day for the last few weeks, Corio,” Trella answered. “You and your family are attending the feast tonight?”
She’d arranged a major banquet, the first she’d ever given, to honor the goddess and reward those friends who had stood at Eskkar’s side during the siege. “There will be an abundance of food and wine. Annok-sur has hired the finest cooks and entertainers in the city.”
“Corio’s family accompanied us here, Trella,” Nicar said. “Now, can you tell us why you asked us here early? I assume you have something special to discuss with us?”
“Yes,” Trella said, pushing her hair back from her eyes. “Before Eskkar left, he spoke about proposing a change to our customs, and I wanted to ask your advice before bringing it up at the next council meeting.” Trella preferred to speak the truth whenever possible, though she’d been the one who broached the subject of how to rule Akkad with her husband.
She’d started by asking Eskkar about the customs that governed his former clan.
He told her how each clan’s leader settled disputes as he chose, with no recourse. Confl icts between clan leaders, if not settled by blood, were resolved by the Alur Meriki ruler, often with the help of the full council. Eskkar compared the customs of his barbarian clan with those of the nobles of Akkad. He’d seen enough of the local customs, enforcing them for the nobles before the invasion, and knew how unjustly they could be administered. To her surprise, Eskkar had several suggestions for changing Akkad’s customs and enforcing them less capriciously.
When Trella mentioned changing them into something more permanent, he not only agreed, but suggested they establish similar customs in the north. They spent several hours talking about the way Akkad, Bisitun, and the other northern villages should be ruled. Eskkar had learned the mysteries of the farm as well as those of gold and bronze from Trella, Nicar, and the other nobles, and understood that the more lightly they administered those under their rule, the more wealth would flow to Akkad.
When she’d told Eskkar what she wanted to do, he smiled and wished her luck. She spent the next few weeks preparing for this moment, waiting for exactly the right time to bring the subject before Nicar and Corio, the most influential members of the council of nobles. That time had now arrived. Today’s celebration would provide the most opportune moment to launch such a new concept.
“Well, what changes to our sacred customs are you proposing, Trella?”
Corio’s voice held a hint of humor. “Something new and exciting, I hope.”
“I want to alter the way all of our customs are administered.” She saw Corio glance at Nicar in surprise. “Not so much change them, but establish them as a code of conduct, laws for all the people of Akkad. I want to set them down in writing, so that everyone can know them, and follow them without fear or worry.”
Customs set penalties for crimes, determined the prices paid to the farmers for their produce, and even set the dates for feasts and celebrations. As Akkad had grown more prosperous, customs often changed, and not always for the better. But the nobles had always reserved final say to themselves, and often exempted their own families from the justice they imposed on others.
“Some of the council will object to that,” Nicar commented, straightening in his chair, his voice reflecting the seriousness of her suggestion. “They’ve followed their ways for years, and don’t see any reason to change.”
“Yes, they follow custom when it suits them,” Corio said. “I remember how it was. A price might be agreed upon, the work completed, then the payment reduced or even withheld. And no one to appeal to, either.”
An artisan by trade, Corio had joined the ranks of the nobles when he agreed to build the wall that now surrounded Akkad. For him, the customs had not always operated fairly, something Trella had counted upon.
“It seems to me that prices vary, as well,” Trella said, changing the subject before the two men began arguing about the past. “A bushel of grain set at one price when the nobles deal with each other, and a different price for everyone else.” She had worked with Nicar’s finances, and learned the details of his commerce. “That has led to discontent among the people, as well as disputes in the marketplace.”
The child within her stirred about, and Trella shifted in her chair. She watched Nicar’s eyes for any clues as to his thoughts. This would seem to him like one more way to lessen the authority of the nobles.
“Nobles,” she said, “since Eskkar drove off the Alur Meriki, nearly all of his time has been spent settling disputes over prices, petty crimes, even ownership of homes. You both know him. You know he should be thinking about Akkad’s defense, about building the new wall, not such petty squabbles.”
Neither man said anything. They knew Eskkar had no patience for such matters. “By making Eskkar the final arbiter in such affairs, we waste everyone’s time. If all the customs were written down, turned into laws that applied to all who live within Akkad’s control, think how many hours laboring over such matters could be saved. And if these new laws were administered fairly, I believe trade and farming would increase, with still more benefits to the city’s merchants and traders.”
“And leave Eskkar in a better mood.” Corio laughed.
