"Get them outside. You'd better a.s.sign someone to guard them." If they'd been a few seasons older, Eskkar would have turned them over to his archers as a reward. Now he'd have to waste time and men to keep two useless pleasure slaves from harm.

The thought surprised him. A few years ago, he would have taken both girls himself. Even now, if he'd done any fighting, the thought of burying himself in a woman's flesh would have tempted him. Now he regarded them as just another problem to be dealt with. Living with Trella more than satisfied his urges.

"Maybe they'll tell us something useful," Grond said, when he returned.

"Yes, I'm sure they'll know plenty about Eridu's rod and what wines he favors," Eskkar said. "I doubt if they have the wits to remember what he dined on last night." Remembering Trella's advice, he took a deep breath. Women, even ones as young as these, still heard everything their master said. "But you're right. They may be helpful. We'll get back to them later. Now there's work to do. I want to be ready if the Sumerian hors.e.m.e.n arrive."

5.

In the morning, Razrek was up before the dawn, inspecting his men and making sure they were ready for battle. He, too, had doubled his guards for the night, spreading them out around his forces and making sure his horses were protected. The Akkadians knew he was close by, and Razrek didn't intend to be surprised by a night attack, especially after warning Eridu to beware the same possibility. The first rays of the sun had just lifted above the horizon when Mattaki galloped up, his horse snorting and throwing clods of dirt in the air as its rider pulled it to a halt.

"Razrek! They're gone, all of them! The Akkadians have broken camp!"

A feeling of dread washed over Razrek. The Akkadians might be flanking him. They could attack at any moment. "Which way did they go?"

"South, d.a.m.n them," Mattaki said. "I said they're gone. I watched the last of them ride off at first light, traveling fast."

"And the archers?"

"Gone as well. I rode to the top of the hill, but saw no sign of them. They must have left well before dawn."

Razrek clenched the hilt of his sword until his hand began to hurt. "What were our sentries doing? Sleeping again. You were supposed to keep . . ."

"No, I checked the guards twice last night, and watched the Akkadians myself. They settled in for the night. d.a.m.n the G.o.ds, they were all sleeping when the camp fires burned out."

"Then they can't be far ahead." Razrek took a deep breath. No sense appearing worried in front of his men. He hadn't survived so many years by panicking at the unexpected, and his wits told him to think the situation through. Eskkar was a cunning b.a.s.t.a.r.d who always had a trick or two ready to spring on his opponents. Razrek realized it didn't make much sense for the foot soldiers to leave an hour or two earlier. The Akkadian cavalry would overtake them soon enough, so what was to be gained by such a maneuver? Unless . . . unless the archers had left long before the dawn. Could they have slipped away without his men seeing them go?

"Demons below," Razrek said. "They're going back to attack Eridu's men. He thinks he's pursuing the Akkadians. Instead he'll be walking into a trap."

"Impossible," Mattaki said. "The Sumerians are at least twenty, maybe twenty-five miles behind."

"Not any more. If Eridu marched north yesterday, even his ragged band of cut-throats would have covered at least ten miles. If Eskkar's men can cover twelve or fifteen miles during the night, they can meet Eridu at daybreak."

Mattaki looked dubious. "Could foot soldiers travel that far in the dark? There wasn't much of a moon last night."

Razrek wanted to believe they couldn't. He knew Eridu's men couldn't manage such a thing, but Eskkar's soldiers . . .

"Marduk's bones, these Akkadians might." Razrek spat on the ground in anger. "Eridu had better hope to the G.o.ds Eskkar's men can't reach his Sumerians before dawn. If he doesn't have a strong guard posted, the fool might wake up with an arrow in his belly."

"Eridu's men outnumber the Akkadians by at least three to one, more if their cavalry won't be there."

"Numbers won't matter to Eskkar. Even if he can't destroy Eridu's soldiers, he'll maul them so bad they'll be ready to run home." Razrek looked up at the sky. By now Eskkar's archers might be closing on Eridu's men. "Get the men mounted, all of them. Call in the scouts. We'll have to ride hard to save whatever's left of Eridu's soldiers. I just hope they can hold out until we arrive."

"Which route will we take, to the east or west?"

"The shortest, which means we'll have to follow the path the Akkadians took."

"We're going to chase them? Are you mad? They'll expect us to follow, they'll set up an ambush for sure. We should swing around them, take a different route."

"No time. We'll have to take the chance." Razrek shook his head in anger. "Besides, it's the Sumerians Eskkar wants to smash, not us. By now he's figured out who his real enemy is. If Eskkar leaves a strong enough force behind to ambush us, he won't have enough to break Eridu's forces. We only have to get to Eridu before he's overrun, and that means we'll need to take the shortest path."

"You're going to get us all killed."

"No, at the first sign of an ambush, we'll just pull back, swing around them. If their cavalry tries to follow, we'll finish them off. Now get moving."

Mattaki took only moments to get the men ready to ride. Razrek waited, frowning at every delay. He felt his own doubts rising. Suddenly, he was dependent on Eridu's men holding their ground, and he felt certain Eskkar wouldn't gamble his forces like this if he weren't confident of winning. Or would he? King Eskkar believed in luck, that much was certain. Still, even the Akkadian might not be able to cover all that distance during the night. He might be counting on engaging whatever force he encountered before Razrek could arrive.

"d.a.m.n all the demons to the fires." Razrek swung onto his horse. "Let's ride!"

Mitrac figured he had more than enough time to prepare his position. Even if the Sumerian hors.e.m.e.n began their pursuit at first light, the sun would be nearly halfway to its zenith before they reached this valley. In fact, they might not even come at all, if they took another route to reach the enemy's camp ground. That would be the best solution, Mitrac knew, because it would delay the hors.e.m.e.n even more, and he wouldn't have to risk his men. Nevertheless, he hoped the enemy would take the most direct route. If the Sumerian hors.e.m.e.n followed Hathor's trail, then they would have to ride past Mitrac and his archers.

Eskkar and Mitrac had marked this position yesterday, on the march north. They'd been searching for a place where a few archers might hold off Eridu's cavalry. This gentle valley seemed a perfect place for the archers. The dale's walls were not particularly high or steep, but the slope was long and would be tiring for any horse and rider. At the valley's center, the walls pinched in, and a small hill jutted up a few dozen paces from the floor, leaving only one narrow path that circled the base of the hill.

Mitrac knew his archers could sweep the approach, and then follow the hors.e.m.e.n as they rode past. The hilltop might not be that imposing, but it would slow down any hors.e.m.e.n foolish enough to try attacking uphill and overrunning the archers' position. Unless, Mitrac corrected himself, the enemy was willing to risk taking plenty of casualties. Best of all, if the hors.e.m.e.n decided to avoid the killing zone and bypa.s.s Mitrac's archers, the enemy would have to turn around and ride back more than a mile, then find another trail south. That would waste even more time.

His mission wasn't to defeat or even stop the Sumerian hors.e.m.e.n, only to slow them down and give Eskkar enough time to finish off the foot soldiers. If the enemy didn't take this route, then Mitrac would have to find a way to join up with Eskkar's archers. Mitrac and his band would be needed, too, especially if Eskkar arrived too late to take Eridu's men by surprise.

All that mattered little now, Mitrac decided. "Let's get to work." He posted two guards on the top of the hill, and the others descended to the base and started digging.

The Akkadians had brought one bronze-tipped shovel with them on the march south, and Mitrac had requested it. He wanted to dig as many small holes as possible, to help block the expanse between the foot of the hill and the other side of the valley wall. The holes didn't need to be deep or wide. Half a sword-length deep would be more than enough to break a horse's leg.

The men took turns with the shovel. Mitrac didn't want any of them getting their hands blistered and impairing their archery. After Eskkar and the commanders had worked out the plan, Mitrac had picked his own men. He'd selected those who could draw and loose a shaft as fast as humanly possible.

Soon they were all sweating with the effort of digging. At least they'd gotten some rest waiting for dawn to arrive. Mitrac took his turn, like any of the men. They pa.s.sed the shovel from man to man, while others dug with sticks or anything else they could lay their hands on. Soon the ground beside the hill was pock-marked with dozens of irregular holes scattered about. His men had just a few more paces of open ground to dig when one of the guards gave a shout.

"Riders coming!"

Everyone scrambled back up the hill, gathered their bows, and strung them. The quivers had already been laid out, so that the shafts would draw easily. By now Mitrac could feel the earth shaking as the hors.e.m.e.n appeared at the far end of the valley. As soon as the riders saw the hill, they halted. A few moments later, one of them waved his arms.

"It's Hathor!" Mitrac shouted. He gestured them to ride in. "Guide them past."

Hathor's tall and lean figure was almost as recognizable at a distance as Eskkar's. The Egyptian and his men cantered toward Mitrac's position, stopping when they reached the base of the hill. Mitrac and his men formed a line that forced Hathor to funnel his men close to the valley wall, in order to avoid the holes.

Hathor waited until his men had pa.s.sed through. "They won't be far behind me, Mitrac."

"We've just another dozen holes to dig, and we'll be ready."

"If we get a chance, I'll send men back to guide you in."

Not likely, Mitrac thought. He'd recognized the same look in Eskkar's eyes. Both men thought there was a good chance Mitrac and his men would all be dead by noon. "Good hunting, Hathor."

The Egyptian nodded respectfully, then kicked his horse and galloped off, riding hard to catch up with his men. Mitrac knew that the Akkadian hors.e.m.e.n had as dangerous an a.s.signment as his own. They needed to ride south at top speed, to link up with Eskkar's archers at the Sumerian camp. Hathor's warriors would be the final blow on the Sumerians, the stroke that Eskkar hoped would finish them as a fighting force. With luck, they might even get ahead of the Sumerians. Otherwise, they would follow their trail and try to hunt them down. Hathor would be facing plenty of danger of his own today. If anything went wrong, they'd be caught on tired horses in open ground.

The archers completed digging the last of the holes. Then, on their hands and knees, they spread gra.s.s over and around them, trying to erase all signs of their work. When Mitrac felt satisfied that any oncoming riders wouldn't see the deadly holes until they were right on top of them, he gathered his men atop the hill. They formed a rough half-circle that encompa.s.sed the hilltop. Swords were withdrawn from their sheaths and stuck into the earth.

Mitrac gazed at each of his archers. They looked nervous, excited, a few of the untested even looked scared. But all them appeared ready to gamble their skill against those of the Sumerians. Thirteen men would try to stop between seventy or eighty hors.e.m.e.n. On open ground, Mitrac knew it couldn't be done, not against a determined enemy, and these Sumerian horse fighters clearly knew their trade.

But the little hilltop might provide the archers with enough of an edge, and all of his bowmen could loose four aimed shafts in the time it took a man to count to ten. When the hors.e.m.e.n arrived, they would have to decide their course of action. Either attack at once and in full force, or turn aside and take the longer route south.

The waiting began. Mitrac realized he should have kept the men busy, even if it meant digging more holes than needed. The longer they waited, the more time they had to worry, and the more tense they got. He tried to talk to them, but quickly realized he was only making them more nervous. With a shake of his head, Mitrac suddenly understood why Eskkar always remained so grim and silent right before a battle. Better to say nothing, he decided, and just try to look confident.

This time they all heard the hors.e.m.e.n coming, and the ground shook even harder than from Hathor's pa.s.sage. Mitrac no longer cared, and without realizing it, he let out a sigh of relief. Two advance riders came into view. They halted at the same place where Hathor stopped as soon as they saw Mitrac's archers, getting to their feet and readying their weapons. In moments the main force joined the scouts, and the troop halted at the top of the valley, just out of range. A heated discussion soon began, as evidenced by the gestures of the riders.

Mitrac smiled at their hesitation. They didn't know how many men might be hiding just behind the hill. For all they could tell, all of Eskkar's archers could be here, just waiting for the chance to slaughter their enemies.

That risk was too great to take. The two scouts turned their horses and began climbing up the valley wall, scrambling their way to the valley rim. Halfway up, the horses stopped, refusing to go any further, and the men dismounted and made their way up the last hundred paces on foot. From there they trotted along the valley rim until they could see behind the hill.

"They're afraid of our bows," Mitrac said, as much to rea.s.sure his men as himself.

The two scouts continued along the crest, until they could see well up into the valley beyond. They were within range now, and Mitrac considered loosing a few arrows at them, but decided not to waste shafts at such a long distance.

The two men turned suddenly and retraced their steps at a run. Soon they were slipping and sliding down the slope to where their horses waited.

Mitrac possessed very good eyes, and he used them to watch the two men report. They spoke to a rider on a large brown horse with a splash of white across its chest, and another man riding a gray speckled mount. Those would be the leaders. Without thinking, Mitrac took a quick count of his enemy. At least seventy riders, more than enough to wreak havoc in Eskkar's rear.

"Men, when I give the word, target those two riders." He described both horses, though he felt certain all his men had identified them by now. "Two shafts from every man, that's all. But hold until I give the word."

Now there was nothing to do but wait. Mitrac felt the excitement rising in his chest. He told himself that it wasn't fear, but that wasn't entirely true. He and his men had nowhere to go. If they left their vantage point, they'd be run down. His archers now had no choice but to stand together and defend this position. The battle was set, and the next few moments might determine his fate, as well as the fate of all the Akkadians.

"You're sure there's no more behind them?"

"Yes, Razrek," the scout replied, breathing hard from his exertions. "We could see all the way up the valley. And we saw fresh tracks, so the Akkadian cavalry must have just pa.s.sed through."

"We're going to lose a lot of men riding through that gap," Mattaki said. "Let's go back and ride around this valley. Eskkar weakened his forces to leave these behind. Even Eridu should be able to hold them off. Why should we lose any of our men trying to get past a handful of archers?"

"They picked their spot well," Razrek said, ignoring Mattaki's advice. He studied the ground, searching for any advantage. "By the time we ride around them, the battle will be over."

"There may not even be a battle," Mattaki argued. "If the Akkadians haven't reached Eridu's soldiers, then we'll have wasted men and horses for nothing."

"And if they have reached Eridu's camp, Eskkar's archers and his cavalry will smash those fools."

"Against those odds?" Mattaki shook his head. "And if they do, it's all the more reason to save our men and horses."

Razrek shook his head. "No, we can't take the chance. Even if Eskkar attacks and pushes Eridu's men back, our men can turn the tide of battle. We're going through."

"d.a.m.n you, Razrek! What about the archers? Do we ride them down?"

"No, half of us would never make it up the hill. A few dead horses and the approach would be blocked. They'd pick us off like flies. We'll take our chances and ride through. We might still be able to smash Eskkar's force."

Even if he lost a quarter of his men, Razrek decided, he would still have enough to turn the battle at the camp. Mattaki thought like a raider, out for easy kills and quick conquests. Razrek perceived the real danger in the situation. If Eskkar broke through, there was nothing to stop him from moving all the way south into Sumeria, to Sumer itself if he wanted. In that case, Razrek and his hors.e.m.e.n might need some luck to get back to Sumer.

Razrek struggled to control his horse. All the animals had picked up the scent of fear and danger from his men, and wanted to mill about. The sooner they got past this handful of bowmen, the better. "Get our bowmen ready!" Razrek shouted. His hors.e.m.e.n had about ten bows, the shorter ones that could be fired from horseback. "Try and take a few shots as we ride through." It took only a few moments to ready the men.

"We're going straight through!" he shouted. "Now ride, d.a.m.n you, ride!"

"They're coming!"

Mitrac smiled at the needless warning, shouted by an excited young archer in his first battle.

"Ready your shafts, men!" Mitrac had to raise his voice to be heard over the hoof beats of the approaching hors.e.m.e.n, but he kept his voice calm. "Aim for the horses and remember to lead your targets!"

Almost the same words Eskkar had repeated again and again at the siege of Akkad. Bring the horse down, and the rider is helpless, either stunned or injured, and suddenly on foot and unsure of himself. An easy kill.

The swiftly moving horses moved into range.

"Loose!" Mitrac gave the command and let fly his own shaft, with just the slightest arch to reach the riders out in front. Thirteen arrows flew toward the onrushing hors.e.m.e.n, galloping as fast as they could, every rider hanging low over his horse's neck. Well before the first arrows struck, a second flight flew off the bowstrings.

"Target the leaders!" Mitrac shouted the words with all his strength, to be heard over the din of the horses. He launched shaft after shaft at the enemy commander, loosing as fast as he could fit an arrow to the string. Not all his bowmen remembered. A few continued to shoot at the ma.s.s of riders, but enough arrows flew toward the enemy commanders, both riding on the far side of the valley, and keeping the moving ma.s.s of horses and men between themselves and the hilltop.

Nevertheless, even with at least ten arrows launched at them in the first volley, the two leaders rode through the humming shafts unscathed. Then Mitrac glimpsed an arrow striking the brown and white horse in the flank. The animal reared up, its cry of pain unheard over the thundering hooves, but Mitrac lost sight of his prime targets, now concealed by a ma.s.s of horses and men. Instead, he shot his arrows as fast as he could, aiming at the easiest target.

The first hors.e.m.e.n burst past the base of the hill. Mitrac swung his bow around and let a shaft fly. He saw one, then another horse go down, caught by the holes. Even through the din of battle, he heard the bones snapping and the animals' cries of pain. Some of the following horses jumped the injured animals, others swerved past them, b.u.mping and colliding in the narrow pa.s.sage, neighing and snapping their teeth in their confusion.

Another horse went down, screaming in agony, its rider pitching forward to land directly in the path of the remaining riders, crushed to death in an instant. But most of the riders swept by, though his archers followed their movement and continued to shoot arrows as fast as they could.

In the excitement, Mitrac had almost forgotten about the enemy commanders. He didn't recall seeing either of the two horses he'd marked ride past. Turning his gaze back up the valley, he saw five hors.e.m.e.n still remaining, obviously unwilling to chance the ride without the safety of numbers. One pulled a dismounted rider up behind him, and Mitrac saw the brown and white horse sprawled nearby. Once they'd recovered their leader, they took one look at the dead bodies littering the base of the hill. They turned away and galloped back up the valley.

"Archers!" Mitrac pointed with his bow at the retreating hors.e.m.e.n. A few arrows were launched after them. Mitrac loosed four shafts himself, and someone's aim must have been good, for one of the riders took a shaft in the back and pitched off his mount before the rest moved out of range.

"Good shooting, men!" Mitrac shouted. He had separated at least one, possibly both of the enemy leaders from their men. That alone should slow them down, especially if they had to decide what to do next. Satisfied, Mitrac looked around. One of his men lay on his back, an arrow in his throat. Another cursed steadily, as two companions tried to remove a shaft that had penetrated his arm. Other than those two, the rest of his bowmen were unscathed.

The wounded horses still cried out in their fear and pain, a pitiful noise that concealed the cries of any wounded bandits. "Finish off the wounded. Then put those injured horses out of their misery!" he shouted. "And don't forget to gather up your arrows!"

He had no idea if the bandits would return, but his men should be able to recover at least half the arrows they'd shot. The archers descended the hill and started killing the enemy wounded. A sword thrust in the neck finished them off. The horses were harder to kill and took longer to die, screaming like women under the clumsy sword strokes of the archers. Mitrac hated killing horses, and their cries only made it worse.

"Mitrac, here's a horse for you." One of his men led a horse to the foot of the hill.

Mitrac mounted the animal, and began counting the enemy dead. Back and forth he rode, guiding the skittish horse through the b.l.o.o.d.y gra.s.s littered with bodies. The task took longer than he expected, but at last Mitrac returned to the base of the hill. By then his men had captured two more horses, and waited there for him.

"How many?"

"Eighteen dead men, and twenty-three dead or captured horses. Good shooting, men."

They cheered at the news, as well they should. Every archer had loosed at least ten arrows, some as many as fifteen, at the enemy cavalry. Mitrac did the calculation in his head. At least a hundred and twenty to a hundred and sixty arrows had been launched. With the loss of a single man, his archers had broken the strength of the enemy hors.e.m.e.n. Even if those who got through reached Eskkar's forces, the surviving Sumerian hors.e.m.e.n would not be sufficient to overwhelm the Akkadians. And if the unhorsed enemy leader remained to the north, he faced a long and hard ride to rejoin his men.

The plan had worked, and Mitrac felt proud that he had suggested it. He might be the youngest of Eskkar's commanders, but after this, no one would ever doubt either his courage or his tactics. And that alone made the night's walk and the morning's work worthwhile.

6.