Empire Rising (55 page)

“How far have we come, Yavtar?” Eskkar asked.

“Farther than I thought we could. Your men have strong backs, I’ll say that for them. I always wondered how fast a trip could be made by sailing through the night, but I never thought I’d make such a voyage. Too risky for the cargo.” He laughed at that thought, but then lapsed into silence.

The land on either side of them flowed steadily by, and those on the land took little if any notice of their passage. A handful of farmers paused to stare at them with open mouths, and once some shepherds tending a small flock of sheep ran along the riverbank, calling out greetings and shouting in excitement as the ships glided by. Those on the shore had probably never seen so many boats passing at one time. Nevertheless, except for some women gathering water or washing clothes, not many people labored at the river’s edge. Eskkar tried to see the trail that paralleled the river, but in most locations, it ran nearly half a mile away.

Hopefully, Eskkar told himself, no travelers journeying on horseback would pay much attention to their passage. If someone saw them, by the time the tale could be told, the boats would be far down the Tigris, moving faster than any horse.

They didn’t stop again until dusk. Yavtar used the last of the day’s Empire Rising

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light to beach his boat once again, this time on the eastern bank. While he inspected the craft, Eskkar checked the casks that held the bowstrings, to make sure the seals looked dry and tight. One of the smaller boats had capsized earlier in the afternoon, after brushing against some rocks; the men had righted it soon enough, and managed to catch up with the others, none the worse for the experience. Other than that, no mishaps had occurred.

“Make sure the men finish the food, Grond,” Eskkar ordered. There’d be plenty to eat at Rebba’s farm. Either that, or they’d be fighting for their lives.

They ate in silence. This time Eskkar and the others forced themselves to swallow as much of the food as they could. They might be fighting before they got to eat again, and only a few loaves of bread remained when the men reboarded the crafts. They hadn’t stopped for longer than needed, and darkness again covered the river as they pushed off. This time Yavtar slackened the pace at the oars a bit. The river narrowed somewhat as they drew closer to Akkad, and the current speeded up. Still, Eskkar felt his arms aching from the constant strain.

They rowed steadily, picking up the pace again when the moon rose and Yavtar raised the sail. The boat captain kept his crewman attending to the sail, ready to drop it to the deck should any problem arise. They rowed for nearly four hours before Yavtar called for another break; this time he moved down the boat to squat next to Eskkar.

“Lord, I think we’re a little more than three hours from Rebba’s jetty.

If nothing goes wrong, you’ll be ashore not long after midnight. That should give you enough time to rest and stretch your limbs.”

“My thanks to you, Yavtar. I still cannot believe we covered so much distance so quickly. It would have taken days on the road to reach Akkad.”

Yavtar’s teeth flashed in the moonlight. “I’ve enjoyed the trip more than you know. I always wanted to race the river, and you’ve given me the chance, and paid me for it as well. In less than two days, we’ve covered nearly a hundred and thirty miles. No man, no river captain has ever accomplished such a thing.”

“You’ve made me think about using the river to move men in the future, Yavtar. I’ll not forget what I’ve seen and learned on this trip.”

The boat captain focused his attention on the river for a few moments, and Eskkar thought the conversation ended.

“Lord Eskkar,” Yavtar said, “when you go ashore, I want to come with you.”

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Eskkar blinked in surprise. “I thought you planned to return to Bisitun. We’ll be fighting for our lives at Akkad.”

“I was going to, but I’ve changed my mind.” Yavtar grunted, as if surprised at his own decision. “In my years, I’ve seen more bandits, brigands, robbers, and thieves up and down the length of the Tigris than you could imagine. Sometimes I ferried them from place to place, and I fought them off more than once. But your soldiers are different. I’ve watched you and your men for the last two days. They show no fear, no doubt. They don’t brag about what they’ve done or what they’ll do. They follow your orders without thinking or worrying about the danger.”

“They’re good men,” Eskkar answered, trying to understand the meaning behind Yavtar’s words. “And they’re well trained. Perhaps that is the difference.”

“Yes, perhaps. But you trained them, didn’t you, and gave them a home and a clan. That’s why I think you’ll win at Akkad, Captain, no matter what the odds. And that’s why I want to fi ght with you. I think I want to be part of your victory. And it would be nice to have a clan of my own, for when I get too old to ride the river.”

Eskkar considered the man’s words for a moment. Yavtar didn’t look much older than himself, so the sailor could be sailing the Tigris for many more years. Still, every man wanted a home somewhere, a place of safety to raise his family and spend his declining years. “I welcome you to the fight, Yavtar,” Eskkar said, using what he thought of as his formal voice,

“the Hawk Clan always needs good men.”

“Thank you, Lord Eskkar.” He moved back toward the stern. “Keep rowing, men. We don’t want to lose any time.”

True to his word, before three hours had passed, Yavtar started guiding the boat closer to the eastern bank. He ordered the pace slackened, and the other boats soon caught up with them, staying just far enough apart to avoid a collision.

Eskkar wondered how Yavtar could be certain of their location.

The deeper darkness of the land looked the same to him, even with the moon up. Moments later, Yavtar angled the boat toward the riverbank.

Eskkar still couldn’t see anything, and Yavtar’s mate had caught the jetty before Eskkar even saw it. Both Yavtar and the crewman slipped over the side into the river, ropes in their hands, and lashed the craft tightly to the jetty.

The jetty had room for only the one vessel; two small boats, no doubt Empire Rising

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belonging to Rebba, occupied the remaining space. So the other craft moved carefully alongside, until men could push them ashore, struggling in the current to move the now-clumsy boats as far up onto the bank as possible. The moment each ship came to rest, men with their gear climbed carefully over the side and started moving inshore, until every man had landed. Grond slipped away first, and had already moved inland. For a big man, he could move without a sound when need be. All the men from Eskkar’s boat followed, armed only with their swords, and fading into the darkness, to make sure no one lurked in ambush.

Eskkar swore at the noise they made. The men stumbled about in the dark. He hoped the river muffled the sounds, and maybe the din wouldn’t be heard above the normal bubbling of the flowing water. At last everyone stood on firm ground once again, though now it felt strange enough to Eskkar’s shaky legs.

The boat crews passed out the bows, all bundled together, and then handed out the jars containing the bowstrings. Eskkar cursed again as the sound echoed out over the river. He felt certain they could be heard all the way to Akkad.

At last all the weapons had landed. The soldiers spread out, all the men stringing their bows and readying their arrows and swords. By then Grond returned.

“Captain, nothing suspicious. I went as close as I dared. Any closer and I would have awakened the dogs. But there was nothing.”

“No sentries, no guards, no horses?”

“No, no horses except the three or four that Rebba would have in his corral.”

“Well, we’ll have to chance it. I’ll go ahead and see what . . .”

“No, Captain,” Grond interrupted. “I’ve thought about this. Let’s send Alexar, and have him approach as if he came from Akkad. If all’s well, he can report back to us. If not, we can still use the boats.”

Eskkar bit his lip. Grond spoke the truth. Eskkar’s old instincts made him want to rush ahead, but Grond and the others wouldn’t let him go, and there was no sense arguing over it.

“I’m ready to go, Captain,” Alexar whispered. He had seen Grond come back and stepped over to join them. “I’ll know if there’s anything wrong. I’ll bring Bantor back with me.”

“You know about the dogs?” Eskkar asked. “The dogs will start barking as soon as they hear you.”

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“Yes. It can’t be helped,” Alexar answered. “But they’d waken anyway, so we might as well get it over with. The sound won’t carry to the next farmhouse.”

“Be careful,” Eskkar said, putting his hand on Alexar’s arm. The moment the words left his mouth he swore at himself for wasting his breath; no one needed any orders to take care. He watched them disappear into the darkness, Grond leading the way, to show Alexar the location of the road and the farmhouse.

Clenching his fist at the inaction, Eskkar moved forward, until he could make out the cluster of buildings that made up Rebba’s farmstead.

Moments later, the dogs began barking. The noise went on and on, for what seemed like far too long, before a light appeared in the window of the main house. But the glow went out almost immediately, and the dogs stopped their challenge. After what seemed like a lifetime, he saw two men looming in the darkness, heading toward the jetty.

Still worried about an ambush, Eskkar squinted against the darkness, looking for any other movement, his hand resting on his sword hilt. Relief flooded over him when he heard a familiar voice call out. Then Bantor rushed the last few steps and wrapped his arms around Eskkar, hugging him tight and pounding on his back.

“Thank the gods, Captain, but I’m glad to see you. Let’s move up to the house.”

With Alexar and Bantor leading the way, Eskkar gave the orders and started the soldiers moving toward the farmhouse. They went in single file, to leave as little trace of their passing as possible. The dogs barked a few more times, nervous at the approach of so many men. Eskkar heard voices, no doubt Rebba’s farmers, chiding the watchdogs to keep silent, and keeping them away from the soldiers’ approach.

Bantor guided his captain and Grond to the main house, while Alexar led the rest to another building. When the door opened, Eskkar saw that a small lamp burned. Heavy leather strips covered the windows and prevented the light from showing.

Rebba stood there, waiting. He had already sent the rest of his family to the other house. Inside, Rebba motioned them to the benches at the big table, lighting a second lamp, a larger one that provided plenty of light, though it smoked quite a bit. Rebba sat at one end, while Eskkar sat at the other. By then Mitrac, Alexar, and Klexor had joined them and, to Eskkar’s Empire Rising

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surprise, Yavtar. The sailor had followed silently behind the soldiers. Eskkar noticed that Yavtar had laced sandals on his usually bare feet, and carried a short sword at his waist.

“Is Trella all right?” Eskkar had to know, though he dreaded what he might hear.

“She’s alive, a prisoner in your house,” Rebba answered.

Eskkar felt relief wash over him. He still had time to save her.

“How many men have you brought, Lord Eskkar?”

Rebba’s voice sounded frail, but the urgency of his question took Eskkar’s mind off Trella.

One of Rebba’s daughters came into the house, carrying a fresh jug of water. She began pouring it, looking nervously about the table, as the men eased themselves down, shoulder to shoulder, around the table.

“Thirty-nine, no, forty now, counting me, Noble Rebba,” Eskkar answered. He saw the looks of disappointment on Rebba and Bantor’s faces.

“We came by riverboat, and it would have taken us another three or four days to march here with more men.”

Rebba shook his head. “You don’t have enough soldiers. There are many men inside Akkad who now follow Korthac.” He saw the question on Eskkar’s face. “Ah, yes. You don’t know the man. He came less than a week after you left for Dilgarth.” He looked at Bantor for a moment. “Perhaps we should start when you left Akkad.”

Eskkar held his tongue as much as possible, resisting the urge to interrupt with questions. The telling of the events took nearly an hour, with Rebba speaking of what had happened in the city, and then Bantor describing the ambush on the road. Rebba fi nished with what had happened since.

“So now,” Rebba said as he wound up his tale, “the forty or so soldiers still alive are used as slaves, and kept under guard at the old barracks.

Korthac’s men, and now he has close to two hundred of them, terrorize the villagers. There have been many rapes and much looting. Any that resist are killed horribly in the marketplace. All the merchants and craftsmen must pay a tax just to stay alive and remain in business.” He looked across the flickering lamp at Eskkar. “You must gather more men, then find a way to drive them out.”

“I intend to do that, Rebba,” Eskkar said. “But you haven’t seen Trella?”

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“No, but she is in her room, with Annok-sur, giving birth.” Rebba saw the look on Eskkar’s face and realized he had left something out. “Lady Trella went into labor this afternoon. I don’t know how . . .”

“Trella is well, you say?”

“Yes, that’s what I heard today,” Rebba replied. “But we hear only rumors from the servants. Trella and Annok-sur are confined to the upper rooms of your home. Korthac uses the outer room during the day, but sleeps downstairs at night. He has taken a few young boys and girls as bedmates, they say.”

“I don’t care who he sleeps with,” Eskkar said, his hands clenching into fists. “He’ll be dead as soon as I get my hands on his throat.”

“It won’t be easy, Eskkar.” Rebba shook his head. “The gates are heavily guarded and the walls are patrolled day and night, as much to keep the people in as intruders out.”

Bantor rapped his fist on the table. “We just need to get inside, Captain. Ariamus’s men spend their nights in the alehouses, drinking their fill.

We’ll kill them easy enough. My men have practiced each day with bow and sword.”