Taking a seat, Eskkar faced Sisuthros across the table. “Anything new?”
“Not much,” Sisuthros answered with a yawn. “We didn’t find any more horses, and there was no sign of a trail heading south. I had men walking patrols throughout the village. We’ll do another sweep at dawn, when we round up the villagers.”
“That should turn up something,” Eskkar said. “Whoever else wanted me dead might still be in Bisitun.”
“And if there are more outside the village, they might not know the attack failed.”
That news helped Eskkar breathe a little easier, and he forced himself to eat some bread. By the time he’d finished, the sun had risen. Taking a piece of bread with him, Eskkar walked out into the square. Grond and two soldiers stayed beside him as the first villagers arrived to view the bodies. Eskkar insisted they wait until the sun had cleared the horizon and the torches could be put out.
In the daylight, Eskkar stared at the dead men again, but neither he nor any of his soldiers recognized anyone. The village elders came next, and Eskkar and Sisuthros watched their faces carefully, looking for any indication of nervousness or recognition, but no one claimed to know the men. The first sign came from one of the innkeepers who identified the men as having stayed at his inn for the last two nights. The tavern owner had provided food and quarters for them, but he insisted he knew nothing else about either them or their business.
“That’s all I know,” the innkeeper repeated in a high-pitched voice,
“except for that one’s name.” He gave a kick to one of the bodies, the man who’d come straight at Eskkar. “He called himself Ziusudra. The four of them sat in my inn yesterday afternoon, and he was the one doing all the talking and complaining about having to sleep on the floor. They had plenty of silver for wine and food, but they said nothing about themselves or their business.” He shook his head. “They weren’t even interested in any of my girls.”
Sisuthros questioned the man further as Eskkar watched, looking for any hint the man might be lying. But the innkeeper had nothing else for them. The line of villagers passing the bodies moved forward again, trickling by the bodies until an old man, his grandson at his side for support, stopped and announced that these men had quartered their horses in his corral. But he, too, could divulge nothing, except that they’d possessed four good mounts. After a few more questions, Sisuthros sent him on his way.
By the time the last of the villagers left the square, Eskkar knew only that the men had arrived three days ago, spent two nights at an inn, then rode out of Bisitun just before sundown. They’d slipped back into the village somehow, but no one admitted either seeing or helping them.
The stable owner’s words gave Eskkar an idea, but he kept silent until all of the villagers disappeared. “Bring their horses around, Sisuthros, and let’s see if any of the soldiers recognize them.”
Good horseflesh required plenty of care, and such animals would be noticed. Two of Eskkar’s men thought one of the horses, marked with a stripe of white across its shoulders, came from Akkad, but didn’t know the owner. He grunted at the news, and went back into the house. Sisuthros, Grond, Hamati, and Drakis went with him, and they took seats at the table in the common room.
“There must be trouble in Akkad,” Eskkar began quietly. “I’ll take half the men and horses, and start back. I should have returned there ten days ago.”
“If those men came up from Akkad,” Sisuthros pointed out, “and they’ve been here three days, they must have left eight or nine days ago. If you’d been in the city, they might have had better luck.”
“Those men were determined,” Grond added. “They didn’t run after the first rush failed, not even after the alarm was raised.”
“Well, they had bad luck,” Eskkar said. “But it doesn’t matter. I’ll take the men and start back to Akkad today. If I push the pace, I can be there in four or five days.” He turned to Hamati. “Can we get half the men ready by noon?”
“Half the men?” Sisuthros looked surprised. “Why only half? If there’s fighting in Akkad, you’ll need all of us.”
“We just fought a major battle to capture this place and pacify the countryside,” Eskkar answered, a hint of anger in his voice. “I’m not going to walk away from this place and let some other bandit take it over again.” He shook his head. “Besides, the people here need to feel safe and to accept the authority of Akkad. If we abandon them at the fi rst sign of trouble, they’ll never trust us again.”
Sisuthros opened his mouth, then closed it again. He looked around the table, but no one said anything. “Well, why don’t we leave just enough men here to keep order, say a dozen or so, and take the rest back with us?”
“You’re not going back, Sisuthros,” Eskkar said fi rmly. “You’re needed here. You’ve worked long and hard to get the villagers’ trust, and we’re not going to undo that. Besides, if there is an armed enemy in Akkad, we may need a secure base back here.”
“Captain,” Sisuthros began, his voice rising, “let me come back with you. Hamati can…”
A shout from the square interrupted him. On their feet in a moment, they pushed through the doorway just as one of the soldiers from the main gate reached them, wheeling his horse to stop its movements.
“Captain,” he called out, as soon as he caught his breath, “there’s a rider coming from the south, riding hard.”
“Bring him here as soon as he arrives,” Eskkar said. No sense in rushing down to the gate. They’d be surrounded by a crowd of excited villagers, and couldn’t talk privately there. Besides, the man would probably need food and water. The guard nodded, then rode off to meet the oncoming rider.
No one moved or left the square, and the time seemed to drag before three men arrived. Two soldiers from the gate, half-carrying a dirty and ragged man between them, reached the doorway before Eskkar recognized the one in the middle. He hadn’t seen Alexar in almost two months.
They brought him into the house, and Lani put a cup of watered wine into his hand. Alexar emptied it in one draught, then slumped back on the bench, resting his head and shoulders against the wall. His eyes drooped and he seemed to have trouble focusing. Lani took the cup, and refilled it for him. Alexar looked up at the fi ve men standing around him, but didn’t say anything until he had drained a second cup.
Eskkar sat down next to him on the bench and put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “Can you talk, Alexar?”
“Yes, Captain,” he answered, his voice hoarse. “I haven’t stopped for anything since noon yesterday. I’ve ridden five horses into the ground in three days to get here.”
“Three days!” Sisuthros exclaimed. “From Akkad?”
“From just south of Akkad. I was with Bantor. We were ambushed just a few hours from the city.”
“The Alur Meriki attacked you so close to Akkad?” Eskkar’s fear welled up at the thought of the barbarians’ return. “By the gods.. ”
“It wasn’t the Alur Meriki, Captain,” Alexar interrupted. “Bantor said it was someone named Ariamus. He said you’d know the name. We were surprised by sixty or seventy riders, and they killed half of us before we drove them away.”
No one said anything for a moment, thinking about friends who might be dead. Grond broke the silence. “Who’s Ariamus?”
Eskkar ignored the question. “And Bantor?”
“Bantor survived. He sent me and another rider, with extra horses, to find you here. I left the other man behind me on the road when I needed his horse. I was to tell you that Bantor would be at Rebba’s farmhouse, waiting for you.”
“How many men are with Bantor?”
“Sixteen. We sent a few wounded men south to hide, but that’s all that survived the ambush. We lost most of our horses, and gave the rest to the wounded, so Bantor, Klexor… everyone’s on foot.”
“What’s going on in Akkad?” Eskkar asked.
Alexar shook his head. “Don’t know, Captain. We thought everything was fine until the ambush. Bantor thinks Ariamus must have already seized control of the city. They headed that way after we drove them off. There must be more men in Akkad helping him.”
Akkad! Trella waited there, with a baby due any day. Eskkar’s fist clenched and he tapped it slowly on his leg. He’d wasted time here, and left Trella in danger. Not only Trella, but others as well; his men had kin and friends in the city, too. No one said anything, but the unsaid thought remained.
Lani returned with a plate of bread and cheese that she handed to Alexar. The man held it in his hand, but
