Empire Rising (77 page)

“Eskkar described it somewhat differently. And he also told me that he cared for you.”

A thrill went through Lani at the words. “As I care for him, Lady Trella.

He saved more than our lives.” Lani bit her lip, then decided she might as well say everything on her mind. “You are the one he loves, Lady Trella.

The moment he heard that you might be in danger, he had no thoughts for me or anyone else.” She paused. “He has never told me that he loves me.”

“And what do you feel toward my husband, Lani? Do you merely seek his protection? Perhaps you just wanted someone to comfort
you
in the night? Or do you love him?”

“When I was with Ninazu, I swore that if I escaped somehow, I would never let a man touch me again. When the soldiers came and I pleaded for mercy, Lord Eskkar looked at me, the way any man looks at a woman. But instead of taking me or Tippu, or giving us to his men, he put his protection around us. That surprised me, Lady Trella, that a great warrior could want someone, but not take advantage of our weakness. So I went to him, just to serve him, and . . . he was tired and dirty . . . and somehow I knew he was different . . . from the others.”

Her voice trailed off, and Lani realized she had avoided answering Trella’s question. She lifted her chin and spoke firmly. “Yes, Lady Trella, I do love your husband.”

She watched Trella shake her head, as if in disbelief, but then Trella smiled, and for the first time her face showed the warmth of a young woman.

“A man should be more than just an animal. Isn’t that right, Lani?”

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Lani felt confused, both by Trella’s smile and her strange words. “I do not understand, Lady Trella. I . . .”

“No, of course not. But I do understand, Lani. I once had much the same feelings toward Eskkar myself. I think it’s the barbarian in him that appeals to women. The savage horse fighters apparently honor and respect their women more than city dwellers, who seem to be crueler and harsher to us than any barbarian.”

Annok-sur slipped back into the room, partially closing the inner door so that the conversation would not wake the child. “Sargon is asleep, Trella, but I think he will need to nurse again soon.” She stared at Lani, but said nothing.

Trella’s eyes brightened at the thought of feeding her child. “We will be finished soon, Annok-sur.” Then she turned to Lani again. “Do you have any children, Lani?”

The question caught Lani by surprise. “No, Lady Trella. Ishtar has never blessed me with a child, though I sacrificed to her often when . . .

when I was married.”

“Perhaps the fault was with your husband,” Trella offered.

Lani’s eyes widened. The scandalous words could never be said in front of a man. Every husband knew that if a woman didn’t conceive a child, it was her fault.

“No, I was his second wife. His first wife died in childbirth, and the babe was lost.” Then Lani understood. Trella wanted to know if she might be carrying Eskkar’s child. “I carry no child, Lady Trella. The moon has risen for me since Lord Eskkar left Bisitun.”

Trella said nothing, just sat there for a long moment, staring down at the table. When she spoke, her voice took on a gentler tone. “I am sorry to have kept you standing, Lani, and you, too, Tippu. You must both be tired after your long voyage. Please sit down.” She turned to Annok-sur. “Give our guests some wine, Annok-sur, and a small cup for me.”

The other table held two pitchers and a half-dozen dark green glass goblets.

Lani and Tippu glanced at each other, then took seats across the table from Trella. Something must have satisfied Trella, Lani decided. Servants and inferiors stood in the presence of their betters. Annok-sur poured wine into a pair of goblets, diluted them with water, and handed them to Lani and her sister, before pouring a third glass for Trella.

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“Welcome to Akkad, Lani . . . Tippu,” Trella said, her voice low.

Lani looked down at the dark wine glinting in the green glass, and wondered if it contained poison. She saw Tippu’s hand trembling with the same thought. Trella had not raised her glass. Still, Lani had no choice, not really. If Lady Trella wished them both dead, they would die, one way or another.

Lani lifted the glass to her hostess. “To Akkad,” and drank deeply, emptying half the contents before she put the goblet back on the table.

Tippu watched her for a moment, then took a small sip from her own glass.

“Drink up, Tippu,” Lani said. “The wine is very good.”

“You do not fear poison, then?” Trella asked drily.

“No, Lady Trella. If you wish to kill me, then I am in your power and at your mercy. But I would remind you that my sister has done nothing to offend you.”

“You are both safe, Lani, though I must admit there were nights when I was jealous of my husband in your arms. Would you like to know what I did about it?”

“Did about it? I don’t understand?”

“No, you could not. As soon as I learned you were more than a casual bed partner and that Eskkar was growing attached to you, I sent a rider to your birthplace. I wanted to learn about you. The rider returned only three days ago. Do you know what he told me?”

“I . . . My land is very far away. How could you send . . . I don’t know what to say, Lady Trella.”

“He reported to me that your husband was an honorable man of a respected family, and that you were reputed to be a good and decent wife, who prayed each day at Ishtar’s feet for a child. Your whole village mourned when they heard of Namtar’s death and your capture. They thought you dead as well.”

The mention of her husband’s name sent a tremor through Lani’s body. Then she understood the full import of Trella’s words. This girl had dispatched a rider on a long and dangerous journey of nearly three hundred miles, simply to gather information. All this at the merest hint of a rival for her husband’s affections.

For the first time Lani realized that all she had heard about Trella must be true, that the ruler of Akkad had sharp wits and would be dangerous to offend. More important, she had the power to do whatever she 460

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wished, even to send forth a man on such a difficult errand. Lani recalled how easily Alexar had turned her and her sister over to Trella’s woman.

He had done it without question, so certain of her authority.

“And I’ve spoken to many from Bisitun about you, Lani,” Trella went on when Lani didn’t answer. “You are important to my husband, so I needed to learn as much about you as I could.” Trella paused for a moment, giving Lani time to comprehend. “Now I have some questions for you, Lani. And let me say that Eskkar and I have spoken much about you, and he asked me to make whatever arrangements for you that I saw fit.”

Lani nodded her head in understanding. As soon as Alexar turned her over to Trella’s woman, she knew her fate rested in Trella’s hands, not Eskkar’s. He had risked his life to rescue his wife and his newborn son. He wasn’t likely to offend her now, not over some captive, ill used by Ninazu for his amusement.

“So, what is it you wish to do now that you are in Akkad? Would you have me find you a new husband? There are many good men in Akkad who would look with favor on you, and you could have your pick of several.

Or do you want to live by yourself for a time? That, too, can be arranged.

Eskkar has set aside enough gold for you to do whatever you choose.”

Gold meant freedom, protection, even for two women alone. Lani could get a house, servants . . . she could choose her own life. It sounded too good to be true, and yet . . .

Trella waited a moment, but Lani said nothing. “Or do you wish to remain as Eskkar’s concubine?”

Lani didn’t hesitate. “Lady Trella, if I could be permitted to remain as Lord Eskkar’s concubine, I would pay anything, do anything . . .”

“There is nothing to pay, Lani, and the gold is yours already. However, there are rules if you are to be his concubine. So you must think hard about this.”

Trella leaned forward, and her voice took on a harder edge. “There must be no issue from your womb, Lani. If you become with child, you must take the herbs to force the child from your body. If that fails, and a boy is born, you must give it up. Sargon is to be the only heir to his father.”

She waited for Lani to speak.

“That is very hard, Lady Trella.” Lani felt the tears start and bit her lip to stop them. She would not cry in front of this girl. “But I do not think I will conceive . . .”

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“No, Lani, that is not what you must say,” Trella cut in, her voice firm.

“You will not be a wife, and there will not be a son. You must agree to that.

If you hope for a child of your own, then you must give up Eskkar and seek another man to father it.”

The tears started, and this time Lani couldn’t stop them. To never have a child was a terrible curse for a woman. The only thing worse than such an evil would be to give a child away.

She looked up at Trella, surprised to see sadness and sympathy in her eyes. Trella had just delivered her own baby, and knew what she asked. But Lani hesitated only a moment.

“I will take the herbs, Lady Trella. If I bear a son, I will give him up.”

“I am sorry to do this to you, Lani, but I must. Sargon needs protection, as do Eskkar and I. As will you, if you are to be his companion. We still have many enemies. You must swear to do all that you can to protect and serve all three of us.”

“What can I do to protect you and Eskkar?” Lani heard the confusion in her voice. How could she do anything to protect anyone?

“More than you realize, Lani. Much is at stake here, too much to tell you about now. But you know we barely survived a siege by the barbarians, and then this attempt by Korthac to kill us all and seize control of Akkad.

There will be more such strife in the future, and I . . . we will need all the help we can find.”

“I will do whatever you ask, whatever I can to protect all of you. What else must I do?”

“As Eskkar’s concubine, you will see no other man, only him. And you will only see him once or twice a week, or when the moon does not permit me to be with him. Your role will be to share pleasure with him, to soothe and comfort his body, and ease his mind. I love him too much to give up more of his spirit.”

So Lani would become a consort, a pleasure girl, little better than a hired prostitute or slave, whose only business would be to please and satisfy her lover. It would be a bittersweet role to play. Trella would be his wife, his lover, his companion, the mother of his children. Lani would be almost nothing, have nothing.

Trella saw the struggle in Lani’s eyes and leaned forward across the table. “You do not need to accept this, Lani. I know this is very hard to bear. All I can say is that, if you do accept, you will be helping Eskkar and 462

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myself. If this role becomes too difficult, you can stop being his concubine, and we will find another place for you, another task, or a husband of your own.”

Lani heard the words. More important, she realized that, for some unknown reason, Trella wanted Lani to agree to this, wanted her to continue as Eskkar’s concubine. It must mean a great deal to Trella, though Lani didn’t understand why. She could turn down this role, but that thought was too awful to bear. Lani remembered the pain in her breast as Eskkar sailed away from Bisitun, likely going to his death. She’d been willing to kill herself at that moment, rather than face life without him. At least this would be better than that fate. And if it helped Eskkar . . .

“I will do whatever you ask. I will be his concubine, if he so chooses.”

The words came out almost without volition. Lani’s love for Eskkar gave her no choice. She watched Trella lean back in her seat, a hint of fatigue in her face. Lani remembered that in the last few days, this girl had delivered a baby practically in the midst of a battle, been wounded, and then had to fight to save her own life and the life of her child.

“Then I’m glad you’re here, Lani. I welcome you to Eskkar’s household. There will be much for you to do, and much to learn. We will speak often in the coming days. Go now and rest. Tonight, when Eskkar returns from the countryside, I will send him to you. Now, dry your eyes.”

Lani’s tears came without stopping. She felt Tippu’s arm around her shoulders, but still Lani found it difficult to stand.

Trella turned to Annok-sur. “Can you help her, while I attend to Sargon?”

Annok-sur arose and took a square of linen from her dress. “Your eyes are very beautiful, Lani,” she said, her voice surprisingly gentle, the hardness gone from her face. “Your tears will spoil your eye coloring.” She dabbed gently at Lani’s cheeks. “I’ll take you back to Uvela.”

Somehow Lani got to her feet and let herself be escorted to the door.

Blurred by tears, her eyes refused to focus properly. She had to hold on to Annok-sur’s arm to make sure she did not fall going down the stairs, Tippu following anxiously behind them. Lani struggled to hold back most of her tears until they left the house, keeping only one thought in her mind—that Eskkar would come to her bed tonight, and that once again she would be safe in his arms.

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Trella sighed when the door closed. She regretted hurting someone like that, a good woman who had done nothing wrong, but it needed to be done. From her own sources, from Eskkar, and from what she had just seen, she realized that Lani possessed a strong mind, with wits sharp enough to see what the future would bring.

Trella didn’t like sharing Eskkar’s affections, but anyone could see that Lani loved Eskkar, and Trella saw just as clearly that Eskkar possessed more than a little love for Lani, even if, as she claimed, he had never said the words.

In the coming days, as Lani learned more about the ever-present dangers that surrounded them all, Trella knew Lani would do everything in her power to protect Eskkar, and that would soon include Trella and the child. In a few months Lani would become a firm supporter of Eskkar’s House, and she would be useful in many other ways. Eskkar had told her about Lani’s skills in running the household, and of her suggestion that he use the river to return to Akkad. And for that alone, Trella might owe Lani her own life, and the life of her child. Another few days delay in reaching Akkad, and Korthac might never have been toppled.