Before long, they were shouting back at him. "Fight! We'd rather fight than dig!"

But Gatus had an answer for that, too. "You'll all be fighting soon enough. Keep digging!"

Day 11 Eskkar watched the work progress until almost midnight. Finally, after Grond's repeated suggestions, Eskkar took the hint and decided to get some rest. When he woke, the sun was well above the horizon, but he felt as rested as if he'd slept all night.

With a handful of bread, he mounted and rode toward the river. The progress in the ditch surprised him. Working in shifts, the soldiers-turned-diggers had moved an enormous quant.i.ty of earth. Grond, who had slept only briefly through the night, professed both Alcinor and himself well satisfied with the men's labors. Nevertheless, the work continued. There was still much more dirt to be moved. Now as impressed as any of his men, Eskkar decided that this whole scheme might just possibly work.

At midday, Eskkar studied the three men standing before him. Simple farmers, they'd been unlucky enough to be taken prisoner during the march to Isin. All of them showed fear, either on their faces or by their trembling limbs. Eskkar selected the one who trembled the least, and whose eyes showed a hint of steady wits. He moved to stand directly before the man.

"What's your name?"

"Harno, n.o.ble one."

"Look at me when you speak, Harno. Unlike your Sumerian rulers, I like to see a man's face when he talks to me, not the top of his head." Eskkar towered over the man, who appeared to have about thirty seasons. "Do as I say, and you won't be harmed. I want you to take a message to King Naxos. Tell him I wish to meet him. Tell him to bring his master builder with him, but no others. I will meet him alone, save for my clerk. We'll meet in the open, halfway between the hills and the walls. Tell him to come at once, if he wishes to save his city. Can you remember all that, Harno?"

"Yes, lord. But if he does not come . . ."

"You will be safe inside Isin's walls at least for a little while."

"My brother." Harno gestured toward one of the other captives. "What will happen to him?"

"Ah, your brother. Well, his life will depend on how well you convince Naxos to meet me. Make sure your king knows that there is only this one chance to save his city. Remind him that I gave the same offer to King Naran of Larsa before I destroyed that city. If Naxos fails to meet me, you'll find your brother floating in the river, without his head. And make sure Naxos brings his master builder with him. That's as important as the king coming himself."

"Yes, n.o.ble one. I'll give him the message."

Eskkar made Harno repeat the message three more times, until he felt certain the man could remember everything Eskkar had said, at least until he reached Isin's walls. Then he and Grond escorted the man to the edge of the camp.

"Harno, there is something else. I want you to give this to King Naxos as a gift." Eskkar turned to Grond, who unwrapped a bundle he carried. A l.u.s.trous sword, with a carved hilt embedded with jewels, glinted in the sun. "This was the sword of the King of Larsa. He doesn't need it any more, so I'm giving it to Naxos as a gift. Give it to none but the king. He'll know what it means."

Grond rewrapped the sword and handed the weapon to the messenger, whose unsteady hands nearly dropped it. "The sword should convince the guards to take you to the king. Make sure no one takes it away from you. No matter who demands you speak to them, tell your message only to King Naxos. Remember that. Others will try to learn what words you carry. Do not heed them. And call out as you approach the walls, that you bear a message from Eskkar of Akkad for King Naxos. Go!"

Harno, holding the bundle awkwardly with both hands, had to be pushed on his way.

Eskkar and Grond watched the man stumble his way down the hill and break into an unsteady trot toward the city walls.

"Do you think Naxos will come?"

Eskkar shrugged. "Perhaps. He's a warrior, so he'll understand what the sword means. I don't think he'll be afraid. But he might suspect a trap. If he doesn't come, he should at least send someone else out to talk to us. Let's hope some eager subcommander doesn't force the message from Harno's lips and twist its meaning. We'll see soon enough, either way."

They remained on the crest of the hill until Harno reached the city's gate. For a long moment, nothing happened, then one portal of the gate opened a trifle, and Harno disappeared inside the city.

"Well, at least they let him in. I was half expecting they'd riddle him with arrows."

"Bring my horse, Grond. And tell Alcinor it's time."

Eskkar and Alcinor rode down the hill and moved out of bowshot from the crest. They stopped a little less than half a mile from the city's walls, just out of range of any bows. Eskkar dismounted, tied his horse to a scraggly bush, and sat on a small boulder to wait. The land part of a grain field lay empty after the recent harvest. Only a flat expanse of short gra.s.s remained. That should make it clear to Naxos that there would be no attempt to capture him.

The sun crawled across the sky, and started its descent. When the rock grew too hard to sit, Eskkar slid to the earth and stretched out his long legs on the ground, with his back to the boulder, and closed his eyes. Alcinor, too nervous to remain in one place, paced back and forth, his eyes wide as he stared at the city, unable to control his excitement.

"Your messenger has been gone a long time, Lord Eskkar. More than enough time for them to hear your message and act on it."

"He's a king, Alcinor. He can't appear to run when someone calls. Besides, the longer he takes, the closer your men get."

Nevertheless, sun had traveled a good distance across the sky. At last Eskkar decided that Naxos wasn't coming. He stood and stretched. Just then the gate opened, and twelve men rode out. They rode leisurely toward Eskkar's position.

He loosened the sword in its scabbard and moved toward his horse. If the men kept coming, he and Alcinor would ride back up the hill. Mitrac and fifty archers waited there, in case they were needed.

But ten of the men halted halfway, while two continued to ride. Eskkar checked the fastening that tethered his mount, then studied the men approaching. One was old and thick-waisted. Even at this distance, Eskkar could see the man's wispy gray hair floating around a mostly bald pate. Isin's master builder rode awkwardly on an old brown horse that looked more suited to pulling a plow than to carrying a man.

Naxos rode a rangy red stallion bigger than Eskkar's. Tall and broad, Naxos wore a bronze helmet and breastplate. Thick legs kept the horse under firm control, and a sword hung from his left hip. He stopped about fifty paces from Eskkar and looked around, taking his time and checking for any possible ambush. Naxos's nose, like Eskkar's, had encountered something solid in his youth. Then Naxos turned his gaze to Alcinor for a few moments, before giving his attention to Eskkar.

Eskkar said nothing. Anything he could say now, any words or a.s.surances, would mean little to Naxos. The sword had brought Isin's king out from behind his walls, but the man still needed to make up his own mind, and Eskkar knew there was no need to rush him.

Naxos made his decision. He said something to his companion, tapped his horse's flank, and stepped his horse closer, his master builder following with obvious reluctance. When Naxos halted again, he was only ten paces away.

"You're Eskkar."

It wasn't a question, just a statement.

"I am. You're as men have described you, Naxos of Isin."

"What do you have to say?"

"In a moment. Is this your master builder?"

Naxos snorted in disgust. "One of them. The other was too frightened to come. He fell to his knees and couldn't stop shaking. He thought you would cut out his heart and eat it before his eyes."

Eskkar grunted. He'd seen such stupidity before. He turned to Alcinor. "Take Isin's master builder . . . what is your name?"

The man had to lick his lips and clear his throat before he could get the words out. "Sardos, King Eskkar." He gave a fearful glance not to Eskkar, but to his king, to see if Naxos approved of the use of Eskkar's t.i.tle.

"Well, Sardos of Isin, I want you to go with Alcinor here to the top of the hill. There's something you need to see. Nothing will happen to you. And when you get there, make sure there are no soldiers lurking about. King Naxos will want to know that."

Sardos turned to Naxos, licking his lips in fear. "Lord, do I have to go . . . ?"

"Get going, you fool, or I will will cut your heart out myself. Do you think he's lured me out of Isin just to take your fool head?" cut your heart out myself. Do you think he's lured me out of Isin just to take your fool head?"

Alcinor, who appeared almost as nervous as Sardos, gingerly mounted his horse and started trotting up the hill. Naxos slapped the rump of Sardos's horse, to send him along.

Naxos watched as the two rode slowly up the hill, then turned his gaze to Eskkar. "You know, I'm tempted to kill you right here." He let his left hand drop to the scabbard of his sword. The weapon would slide easily when held that way. "Shulgi thinks that killing you would end the war in one stroke."

Eskkar met Naxos's gaze. "Don't you want to hear what I have to say?"

"Your death scream would tell me all I need to know."

"Bigger and better men than you have tried to take my head." Eskkar kept his voice calm, with no trace of emotion, as all barbarians did when they faced their foe before battle. "But if you think you're good enough . . . think how happy Shulgi would be. I'm sure he would give you a suitable reward. Or perhaps he would be even more satisfied if I killed you. I'm sure I can deal with your successor just as well."

Naxos tightened his lips at the taunt. Eskkar could see the man considering his chances. He was on horseback, facing a man on foot. It should be easy enough to ride him down, one quick slash of his blade, but . . . Naxos took his hand off the hilt of his sword.

"d.a.m.n you, Eskkar, and d.a.m.n Shulgi even more! I'll not do his dirty work for him, at least not yet. What is that old fool doing up there?"

That last was directed toward the top of the hill. Eskkar turned to stare upwards. Alcinor and Sardos had reached the crest, and now the two were exchanging words. Alcinor pointed to the north, moving his hands for emphasis. In a moment Sardos's high-pitched voice floated down the hill, but not his words. Both men continued talking, and the discussion went on and on. Every few moments, Sardos gestured impatiently. Even Eskkar grew tired of watching them.

"Alcinor is showing your man . . . Sardos? . . . how we're going to destroy Isin. I thought it best to have it explained to a builder who can understand such things. The idea is hard to grasp. I didn't believe it possible myself, but Alcinor and my other builders kept a.s.suring me it would work."

Naxos stared up the hill, unimpressed by Eskkar's comment. The conversation between the two builders ceased, but Sardos continued to keep his gaze fixed to the north. Finally, he dragged his horse's head around, and started coming cautiously back down the hill, Alcinor following.

"Well, here they come." Eskkar's eyes followed the two as they approached. One good look at Sardos's face and wide eyes told Eskkar what he needed to know. "After you've heard what they say, you might want to see for yourself."

Sardos managed to pull his horse to a stop facing his king, his back to Eskkar. Apparently, the man no longer feared that the Akkadian would murder him. "Lord Naxos, the Akkadians have dug a channel from the river to just beyond this hill. It's almost completed. They're preparing to flood the city."

"Flood the city? What kind of fool are you? The city's a half a mile away, more even."

Sardos shook his head. "The ditch is nearly complete. Once they break through the last few paces of earth to breach the riverbank, the force of the water will widen the opening and deepen the channel. Since the river runs higher here than at Isin, the breach will continue to widen. The whole river . . . the course of the river will change. It will flood the basin. Isin will be surrounded by the river."

Naxos's brow furrowed in anger, and his words came more rapidly than before. "So? So let the water come. It won't reach the top of the walls."

Eskkar laughed, and both men turned toward him. "Ah, I'm not laughing at you, Naxos. That's what I said, when I first heard it explained." He moved toward his horse. "But as Akkad's builders explained to me, the water will quickly wash away the loose soil surrounding the city's walls. Then the base of the walls will begin to weaken. The bricks are mostly mud, after all, and as soon as they get too wet, they'll simply start to crumble under the weight from above. Once the foundation is loosened, the walls will come down, and the city will be under water. How high will it get, Alcinor?"

"About the height of a man, Lord Eskkar. Maybe a little higher."

"And how long will this take?"

"Once we open the breach, it will take less than half a day to surround Isin with water, perhaps sooner. Another half day should see the walls crumble and start to collapse. No longer than that, I think."

Naxos glanced at Eskkar, then fixed his gaze on Sardos. "Is this true? So help me, if they're trying to trick you, I'll cut your b.a.l.l.s off and make you eat them myself!"

"Lord . . ." Sardos had to lick his lips again. "I think it will happen as Alcinor and King Eskkar say. Go see for yourself what they have done."

"Come, Naxos." Eskkar unfastened his horse. "Use your own eyes. Then we'll talk about how you can save your city."

"d.a.m.n you all!" Naxos didn't bother to wait for Eskkar. He kicked his horse and galloped up the hill alone.

Taking his time, Eskkar followed him. When he reached the crest, Naxos was still staring in amazement.

Since they had made camp yesterday, Gatus, Grond and Alexar had over three thousand men working in shifts, digging out a channel that already stretched more than a quarter mile. The soldiers still labored, moving dirt, widening the channel. The site impressed Eskkar almost as much as it did Naxos. Neither had ever seen so many men working together on such a task. After one look, even someone untrained in the force of the river could imagine what would happen when the riverbank collapsed, and likely Naxos knew more about the flow of water than most of those living in his city. Isin, like Akkad, depended on the river to survive, and Naxos would understand the river's strength.

When the riverbank was breached, the water would flow through the channel, widening it on the downriver side, as more and more of the bank was washed away. The unchecked water, pushed by hundreds of miles of river behind it, would flow out over the plain and engulf Isin, not in a fury of rushing water, but in a slow but powerful force that would make what remained of the city an island.

Alcinor and Sardos had rejoined them. Alcinor pointed out how the water would move, while Sardos explained the effects. Eskkar soon saw that both were wasting their words. A merchant might buy his way into a kingship with gold, but a fighting man needed to know how to think on his feet to accomplish the same goal.

"Come, Naxos. I think you've seen enough. Let's ride back down the hill, before your men waiting out there decide to do something foolish. Then we'll talk."

Without waiting for a reply, Eskkar turned his horse around and started down. "You can return to camp, Alcinor. Make sure everything is ready."

Eskkar stopped at the same boulder, dismounted and fastened his horse. "Send Sardos back to your men. I don't think we need our master builders anymore."

Naxos jerked his head. "Get back to the city. Start making preparations to hold back the water. Put every man and woman in Isin to work on it." He swung down from his horse and tied it to the same bush as Eskkar's.

"All right, d.a.m.n you, now let's talk. Then I'll decide whether or not to kill you."

"Why did you join forces with Shulgi?"

The question caught Naxos by surprise. "Why not? He had plenty of gold, and too many of my men were eager to fight. It's always the fools who know nothing about battle that want to rush out and fight the most."

"Why didn't you go with him?"

"He didn't ask me. Like his father, I suppose he didn't want to share the glory of destroying Akkad. Besides, he trusts his own commanders, and he has a few good ones."

"His war has already cost Sumeria two of its cities. First Larsa, and now Uruk."

"Uruk! How did you . . . ?"

"My cavalry slipped away from Shulgi, crossed over the desert, and took Uruk by surprise from the west. I just received word before I sent the messenger to you. My hors.e.m.e.n will be here by sundown. Then I'll be ready to face Shulgi."

"He'll smash your forces, hors.e.m.e.n or not. He outnumbers you five, maybe six to one."

"Perhaps. But if I win, I'll move south to take Sumer, then return here to finish you. Isin will be isolated. I'll cut your supply lines and starve you out, if I have to. Or I'll just drown you and your city. There are other places where the river can be breached, and you won't be able to guard them all. You'll have to come out and fight, to stop me from unleashing the river, and this time you'll be outnumbered four or five to one."

Eskkar paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Unless you're willing to consider another way."

Naxos frowned again. "What other way?"

"Stay out of the battle. Don't try to join forces with Shulgi, or attack my rear. If you do that, you can save your city."

"And if Shulgi defeats you?"

"Then you can say you were trapped by my threats against Isin, forced to remain behind your walls. I don't think Shulgi knows about Uruk, not yet. If Shulgi wins, then your troubles are over. If Akkad wins, then you and Isin will be the most important city in Sumeria."

"Sumer always profits more from the river trade than we do."

"Not after I tear it down. Or better yet, if I directed that all goods coming downriver from Akkad and the north go not to Sumer, but cross over to Isin. That would make your city the center of river trading in Sumeria. With all the merchants and goods pa.s.sing through your gates, King Naxos of Isin would soon make the decisions for Sumeria, not Shulgi."

Naxos considered that for a moment. "As long as Shulgi lives, Sumeria will do his bidding. The boy's young, but he's no fool. Even now, his sister rules in Sumer in his name, of course. She is promised to me as a prize after the victory over Akkad."

"She's a cunning b.i.t.c.h who will probably poison you in your sleep on your wedding night. Since she and Shulgi took power, I've learned much about her. Kushanna belongs to Shulgi, apparently by choice, for many years. He might give her up for a few months, to lull you into relaxing your guard, but not longer. By telling you this, I've probably saved your life. Besides, your marriage wedding bed will likely be empty. With any luck, she's already dead by now. I have spies in Sumer prepared to strike her down."

Eskkar doubted that was true, but Naxos had no way of knowing if she were alive or dead.

"How . . . never mind her. And all I have to do to save my city and reap these new trade routes is stay inside Isin?"

"I know many of Razrek's men are with you. Is he inside with you, too?"

"No. He sent Mattaki, one of his commanders. Most of the men he brought are from Isin."

"Good. Without Razrek, his men will be easier to deal with. Still, they'll want to leave Isin, to attack my rear. Since I can't trust them, I want all their horses and yours, too, driven out of the city. My men will scatter them, so that it will take days before they can be recaptured. I want all your spears and shields carried outside the gate and burned. And I want five thousand bowstrings handed over. If you meet those terms, you can keep your city dry."

"Why the bowstrings? I don't have five thousand anyway."