Before Modran fell to the ground, Jedidia bellowed out for his men. A drum began to beat, but already Jedidia’s personal guards rushed from the hut to protect him, their blades drawn or arrows nocked to the bowstrings.
Modran’s guards, picked from the ranks of the Immortals, sat on their horses, stunned by the swift and unexpected killing. Their leader drew his sword, but immediately two arrows struck him down. Before the rest could decide what to do, the sound of five hundred horsemen galloping toward the village center drew the eyes of the Immortals and halted every movement.
Zathras, alerted by the drum, led his men from the east toward the center of the village. From across the fields to the south, another five hundred men heard the signal and rode toward Zanbil. Other units appeared as well. In moments, Jedidia’s entire force, nearly six thousand men, raced toward the village.
Some of Modran’s loyal guards drew their swords and moved toward Jedidia. But he lowered his bloody sword and raised his empty left hand. “Modran was a traitor to King Shirudukh, who sentenced him to death. By order of the King, if you do not lay down your arms, my men will kill all of you as traitors.”
The chilling threat stopped Modran’s men, some still with their swords half-drawn. They could see the thousands of horsemen charging toward them. While the remnants of Modran’s defeated army might outnumber Jedidia’s force, that army, if the ragged mass of hungry stragglers could even be called such, still stretched many miles throughout the Dellen Pass. With General Martiya dead or captured, and now Lord Modran fallen, his soldiers lacked any senior leaders to tell them what to do.
A subcommander of Modran’s personal guard grasped the situation fast enough. Modran, who still twitched in the dirt at the feet of Jedidia’s horse, was already a dead man. Better to obey General Jedidia’s orders then fight another hopeless battle.
Besides, the survivors of Modran’s army had enough of fighting. King Eskkar’s army had savaged the Elamites, including the Immortals, and hurled back the invasion. One last glance at the grim soldiers standing beside Jedidia, weapons at the ready, was more than enough.
“We yield to the order of the King,” the man shouted. “Everyone, put away your weapons.”
“A wise decision,” Jedidia said, as the Immortals took their hands off their swords. “What is your name?”
“My name is Jirsa, General Jedidia.”
“Jirsa, you are promoted to commander of these men, and you will place yourself under Commander Zathras’s orders. You and your troop will be well rewarded soon enough.”
By then Zathras had raced his horse into the center of the village. One glance at Modran’s now motionless body told him all he needed to know. “What are your orders, General Jedidia?”
“Prepare our riders. I intend to ride to Sushan at once, with five thousand men. You will stay behind, and as more of Modran’s scum crawl out of the Pass, get them under your authority. As soon as you have them all, march toward Sushan as fast as you can.”
Jedidia swept his gaze over his soldiers, all of them waiting to hear his plan.
“Men! We’re going to Sushan, and stamp out the traitors responsible for Lord Modran’s defeat by the Akkadians! And after we’ve finished, every one of you will receive five gold coins!”
A cheer went up from his men at the prospect of some easy wealth. But no one felt more satisfaction than Jedidia. One of his enemies lay dead at his feet. Now the time had arrived for another to join him.
Chapter 41
The King’s Compound in Akkad. .
Twenty-two days after the victory at the Dellen Pass, Eskkar and Trella entered the private garden at the rear of their house. The early autumn shadows had brought a hint of coolness to the evening, and Trella wore a brown shawl over her shoulders to ward off the chill. Their sons and daughter were already seated when Eskkar and Trella turned the corner and joined the others.
As Eskkar escorted Trella to her chair, he had time for a glance at the garden. Red and yellow tulips in pots still bloomed, and four candles burned, set on the limbs of the two trees. Two long streamers of cloth, one white and one yellow, threaded and retraced their way through the branches, a festive decoration for the very few invited to tonight’s gathering. The heady scent of jasmine, flowers and leaves crushed to bring out the pleasing tang, hung in the still air.
For one of the very rare times, no friends, commanders, guests, or loyal followers joined the family members. Tonight the family of Eskkar and Trella dined alone.
The servants had set the table for the private dinner. Sargon and his wife Tashanella were already seated. Zakita and Melkorak, Eskkar’s daughter and youngest son, waited until their parents took their places across from Sargon and Tashanella.
Outside the Compound, the sounds of celebration from the city’s jubilant crowds could still be heard, and Eskkar knew the noise would continue well into the evening. The three days of celebration for the end of the Elamite War had begun today, although most in Akkad had been rejoicing since the first word of Eskkar’s victory at the Dellen Pass had arrived.
Eskkar carried that news back himself, galloping ahead of Alexar and the soldiers. Riding through the gates, he found Akkad’s inhabitants, broad smiles on their faces, already cheering another victory.
Yavtar had raced upriver from Sumer to bring word of the breaking of the siege and a stunning victory by Hathor and King Naxos over the Elamites. Hathor and Naxos declared their intention to remain in the south for a time, hunting down the last survivors of Grand Commander Chaiyanar’s once mighty army.
For Eskkar, the news brought indescribable relief. The years of meticulous planning and secret preparation had brought Akkad its greatest victory. The invasion had ended, and Akkad and all the cities of the Land Between the Rivers had escaped the brutal fate King Shirudukh had decreed for them. Instead of a quick victory, the King of Elam had lost two armies.
A body count of the enemy dead in the Dellen Pass revealed that just over thirteen thousand of Modran’s army survived the final battle. Many of those would have died of their wounds before reaching safety. The once-vaunted might of Elam had dashed itself to death against the shields of Akkad’s spearmen.
His luck had held yet again, Eskkar decided. He’d more than half expected to die in the Dellen Pass. And he had made a decision when he returned, though he told only Trella. He would not take up weapons again, either in this war, or any future conflicts.
The time had come for him to hang up his sword, or rather, to pass it on to another, and that’s what he intended to do. Tonight. From now on, Sargon would lead the soldiers and fighting men of Akkad.
The day after Sargon’s return to Zanbil from the raid on Lord Modran’s horses, Sargon and a small troop of warriors had departed Elam. Some of the warriors roamed the countryside, ravaging the northern lands of the Elamites.
But Chief Bekka and most of his men had lingered near the mouth of the Dellen Pass, and two days after General Jedidia departed south, the Alur Meriki and Ur Nammu had fallen on the survivors of Lord Modran’s army at Zanbil. Despite being outnumbered, they slaughtered thousands of weak and hungry Elamite soldiers. With that, the final battle of the war, the steppes warriors effectively destroyed the rest of Modran’s army as a fighting force.
Afterward, the warriors sent back to the northern lands many of their riders escorting over two thousand horses, in three different herds. That staggering number that would ensure the Alur Meriki remained a potent force for many years. The Ur Nammu had also received a generous share of the captured herds, more than enough for their warriors.