She used another piece of linen to thicken the bandage, and tied it tight around his waist. Then she bound up his arm.
Straightening, she faced the two men. “They’ll search here, but they won’t go up on the roof. We can distract anyone who comes looking, if need be, and make sure they don’t poke around too closely. He can stay up there in the hiding hole all day, or at least until they’ve come and gone.”
“All day in the sun? He’ll bake…”
“We’ll give him a blanket to cover himself,” she said. “And some water.
With luck, they won’t find him up there. After they’ve searched, we can bring him back down.” En-hedu looked down at Gatus. “He needs a healer, but that will have to wait, at least until tomorrow night.”
“I’ve been in the sun before,” he said, peering from one to the other in the dim light. “One more day won’t kill me.” He choked off a laugh at his own words.
The roof above their heads, the solid part, had a flat space barely large enough for two people to stretch out. But what looked like the end of the roof was in reality a false wall, concealing a narrow niche where Tammuz, like the previous owner, had found occasion to temporarily hide stolen goods. It would be a tight squeeze to get Gatus in the hiding hole, but he’d be out of sight and well hidden.
“We’ll have to get him up there before dawn, so nobody sees him,”
Tammuz said. “If they find him…”
“You and En-hedu should go somewhere safe,” Kuri said. “Get out of the city. I’ll stay here with Gatus.”
“No, we’re not going,” En-hedu said, her voice decisive. “Why would we leave our business? They’d be suspicious at that. It makes no difference to us who runs Akkad. We should tell everyone we’re glad Korthac’s taken control.”
Tammuz stared at her. He’d never heard such hardness in her voice.
“We don’t know how many men Korthac has. They may loot and rape the whole city before they go.”
“They’re not going anywhere,” she said, still speaking with conviction.
“Korthac would have struck weeks ago if he’d wanted to loot and run.”
“If they stay… there will be rapes… the women… no place will be safe.” Tammuz looked at her, worry on his face.
She reached out and touched Tammuz’s arm. “So we might as well stay here.”
“I won’t see you taken by those men, En-hedu. I swear…”
“We have our knives,” she said, “if it comes to that.”
“And my old sword,” Kuri said, patting his belt.
They looked at each other in the dim light. En-hedu raised her arms and placed one hand on each man’s shoulder. “It’s settled, then. We stay, and wait for Eskkar to return. And we stay alive.”
Long before midnight, the last of the fighting for Akkad had ended.
Korthac felt secure enough to station half his followers at the gates and let the rest get some sleep. The most serious fi ghting had occurred at the barracks. A few of the soldiers had managed to get their bows in play, and Takany had lost a dozen Egyptians, while almost twenty of Ariamus’s followers had died.
Taking the barracks had secured the city, and capturing Trella had made the victory complete. Most of Akkad’s soldiers had been in the wine shops and alehouses, and the rest taken by surprise. As important as the men, the captured barracks held almost all of the soldiers’ weapons-the bows, swords, knives, and axes needed to defend the city. With the barracks and Eskkar’s house taken, the remainder of the soldiers had headed for the main gate, trying to rally their forces there.
For a time the soldiers blocked the entrances to the guard towers, but without someone to lead them, they had little choice but to surrender. A few scrambled down the wall and escaped to the fields, but Korthac didn’t worry about them. Ariamus would have men hunting them down in the morning.
Dawn brought a new era to Akkad. People did not leave their houses, huddling inside in fear, while Korthac’s men roamed the streets, looting the shops and random homes, guzzling wine and assaulting women. After letting the pillaging go on for most of the morning as a reward for his men, Korthac issued orders to his Egyptians, and they soon had the city’s inhabitants and Ariamus’s ruffians under control.
The killings began just before noon. All those who had insulted Korthac during his stay in the city died, as did those who spoke out against their new ruler. The nobles and leading merchants, summoned to the marketplace under threat of death to them and their families, swore allegiance on their knees to Korthac. He promulgated a series of orders, the fi rst of which instructed everyone to turn in any weapons in their possession at once.
All persons caught carrying or possessing a sword or bow would be put to death on the spot, along with their families. All persons speaking of Eskkar or Trella would have their tongues cut out. The process of teaching Eskkar’s citizens their new place in Korthac’s world had begun.
Korthac returned to Eskkar’s house by midafternoon, tired and hungry. The long night and hectic morning had wearied him, but he still had one task to perform. Accompanied by Ariamus, he climbed the stairs to Trella’s quarters. His guards moved aside as he stepped into the bedroom.
Annok-sur and Trella rose from the bed as he entered, Annok-sur’s arm around Trella’s shoulders. The room seemed hot, and the smell of fear and blood lingered inside the walls.
“You are well, I hope, Lady Trella?” He kept his voice pleasant and smiled at her discomfort.
“What is it you want… Honorable Korthac. Why have you…”
“Whatever I want is what I’ll have, Lady Trella, and you will not question me again, about anything. You are mine now, as much as Akkad is mine. Follow me.”
He stepped back into the outer room. His men had returned the big table to its proper place, and he stood next to it. Trella moved toward him, and stopped just inside the workroom, Annok-sur a step behind her.
“Come here. Kneel before your new master.”
Trella hesitated. “Honorable Korthac…”
Moving swiftly, he caught Trella by the hair and yanked her in front of the table. He pushed her up against it, then slapped her across the face.
“You are my slave, Trella, for as long as I choose to let you live, and you will address me as ‘lord.’ Do you understand?”
Her hand went to her cheek, and she nodded. “Yes… lord.”
Annok-sur stepped into the workroom, but Korthac whirled to face her. “I did not give you leave to move about.” He turned to Ariamus. “Kill her if she leaves the bedroom.”
“Stay inside, Annok-sur,” Trella said, “don’t let…”
Korthac turned back to her. “You do not give orders to anyone any longer.” He struck her again, harder this time; blood dripped from her mouth and she slipped to her knees, as much from the blow as his order to kneel. “If you speak out of turn again, if you fail to obey the least of my orders, I’ll have the child cut from your body and tossed into the fire.”
He smiled as she moved herself upright, but remained on her knees.
For a moment he was tempted to have her pleasure him right then and there. It would be fitting humiliation for her, in front of a roomful of strangers. But such things could wait, and he felt too tired to enjoy it properly. Besides, every day that passed would add to her embarrassment.
“Keep her in these rooms. The door is to remain open. She is to see no one, speak to no one. If she complains or gives you any trouble, kill her servants in front of her, one by one, starting with Annok-sur.”
Looking down at her, he noticed the thin strand of leather hanging around her neck. He pulled it toward him, lifting a gold coin up from between her breasts. “You’ll have no need for gold any more, Lady Trella.”
With a quick jerk, he snapped the leather, then raised the coin to his eyes.
It was simply a common coin, one with Nicar’s mark on it, and a thin groove. Korthac tossed the coin to one of his men. It pleased him to take it from her. Obviously the coin meant something special to her, and now it, too, was gone. She’d learn soon enough that she had nothing, was nothing.
He reached out and ran his fingers through Trella’s hair, enjoying its texture. Gradually he tightened his grip until her head twisted upward, the hair pulled back from her face, her eyes wide with distress. When she started to gasp from the pain, he relaxed his hand, then gently brushed the few loose strands from her eyes. Yes, she’d give him plenty of pleasure before he finished with her.
Trella sat on the bed, trying to think. In less than a day, Korthac had seized Akkad and established himself as the city’s ruler. He’d killed, captured, or driven into hiding Akkad’s mighty archers. She’d become a prisoner, worse,
