“Why have you waited so long to tell us?” Gemama’s voice quavered in anger. “You should have warned us as soon as you learned of the danger!”
Eskkar kept his voice calm. “First, we could not be certain they were really coming. We only recently confirmed that the invasion preparations had begun. Second, we needed to learn as much as possible. Otherwise you might not have believed us. And last, we needed to find a way to defeat them.”
“So you do have a plan to stop them?” Jarud spoke for the first time. Like Kuara, he kept whatever he might be feeling out of his voice.
Eskkar glanced from face to face. “I do not plan to defeat them. One city alone cannot resist such numbers. But there may be a way, if the three of us work together, to drive them back across the mountains.”
“And what is this way?” King Naxos’s voice still sounded harsh.
“With my most trusted commanders,” Eskkar began, “I’ve ridden and studied the lands between here and the Zagros Mountains for almost two years, from the far north all the way to the Great Sea. We’ve prepared maps to identify watering places, supply routes, and even likely camp grounds. We have also considered many ways to stop or defeat them.”
Eskkar leaned forward. “But the key to defeating these Elamites is Sumer. If we can drive them away from Sumer’s walls and keep control of the Tigris, we can destroy their main supply route. Without that, they cannot sustain themselves for long in these lands”
“How do you propose to do that,” Naxos repeated his question, his hand a tight fist rapping on the table.
“I don’t propose to do that.” Eskkar leaned back with a smile. “I propose that you do it, King Naxos.”
Naxos’s mouth fell open. For a moment, he remained speechless.
“A daring plan indeed.” Jarud laughed. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”
“Akkad always has a plan to protect itself.” Naxos regained his composure. “They care nothing about the rest of us.”
“If I may?” Trella gazed at Naxos for a moment. “I was born and raised in Sumeria. Do you think I wish my people to live as slaves under the Elamites?”
“Let me finish,” Eskkar went on. “The enemy will capture and occupy Sumer. They must do that to establish and protect their supply line. It is far easier for them to move men and supplies along the coast. They will offer treaties and guarantees to all the other cities that do not resist them. Once their armies are in place, they will ignore their promises. Remember, they do not come here to live in peace with us. They intend to rule over us as masters. They also want gold, food, horses, everything that a conquering army demands, and in vast quantities. All our people will be reduced to slaves, working for their new masters.”
He turned from Naxos to Gemama. “So even if you surrender, if you offer peace to the Elamites, they will remove you from power. At best, you may be permitted to live, or even to rule as their figurehead for a time, until they no longer need you. But the power of Sumer will be forever crushed and its people enslaved. Thousands of Elamites and their followers will soon occupy the city and its surrounding farms. Alone, your choice is simple — to fight, or surrender.”
Eskkar shifted his gaze back to Naxos. “So it is up to you, King Naxos. If you do not choose to fight the Elamites, the Land Between the Rivers is lost. Akkad will fight to the end, but there can be no victory unless the three of us work together.”
“And if I chose to make peace with them, instead of fighting your battles?”
Even Eskkar understood Naxos’s clenched jaw. The man could scarcely keep his anger in check.
“You must do what is best for yourself and your city, King Naxos.” Trella spoke quickly, before Eskkar could reply to the taunt. “But if you submit to them, consider what role you would play in their plans. For a time, you and Isin’s soldiers would be used to attack the other cities, your men always in the forefront. When your numbers were reduced, they would simply absorb your remaining soldiers into their armies, scattering them among many units and places. That is the way the Elamite army continues to grow. At that time, you would no longer be needed. At best, you might find a place in their army, commanding other soldiers recruited from places they have conquered. But you would never command men from Isin again, and there would be no future for you in their rule, except as a simple soldier. If that is acceptable to you, then you should consider making contact with the Elamites.”
“I believe we already have.” Kuara’s words turned every head, including Naxos’s. “I did not tell you before this, Naxos, but I met with a trader claiming to speak for the Elamites only two days ago. He declared that he wished to increase Isin’s trade with the cities of the Indus. The terms he mentioned were most favorable, exceedingly so. Even as we spoke, two hundred gold coins were delivered to my steward.”
A huge sum, Eskkar knew, and far more than necessary for any mutual trading venture.
“And you did not see fit to tell me of this?” Naxos’s face reddened at this unexpected news from his chief advisor.
“The trader suggested that it might be best for me to keep this between the two of us, for now. Of course, once I had taken his gold, he would assume I was in his debt. Not long after, the demands would have begun. Since I already knew we were to visit Akkad, and I suspected we would hear something like this, I decided to wait. Until now.”
“Do not let your anger cloud your thoughts, King Naxos.” Trella’s soothing voice reduced the tension at the table. “This is indeed how the Elamites work, sowing confusion and distrust among their enemies long before they arrive with their armies.”
The table grew silent. Eskkar followed Trella’s lead, and resisted the urge to speak. These men needed time to digest what they’d heard. To try and rush them into a decision would only fail.
Jarud broke the silence. “I have wives and children in Sumer, as well as many kin. I would not see them live as slaves, nor would I take them and flee to safety without a fight.”
Trella nodded agreement. “There is, after all, no place in the Land Between the Rivers to go. To escape, at least for a time, would mean trusting your lives to strangers and in distant lands. Meanwhile, the Elamites will believe you have fled with all your fortune, so they will offer a bounty to track you down.”
“If there is a way to resist,” Jarud thumped his fist on the table, “then I say fight.”
Eskkar caught the slight movement of Trella’s finger that meant she wanted him to answer. “There is a way to defeat them. The risk will be great. But we will need King Naxos to help us.”
Everyone’s eyes went to the King of Isin. But before Naxos could speak, Kuara cleared his throat. “Like Jarud, I would not flee my home, nor leave my family and friends behind to face a conquering army. And I have fought too many fights against Isin’s enemies to hand her over to a strange overlord.” He glanced at Naxos. “But I too, must see a way to victory.”
This time no one looked toward Naxos. His Chief Advisor had said his piece. Now the final decision belonged to Naxos.
“I will not yield my city to anyone. But I will not fight the battles of others, not unless I see a way to win.”
“You would not be alone,” Trella said. “The men of Akkad and Sumer, and all the other cities, will stand beside you. That is Akkad’s promise.” She glanced at Eskkar.
“I give you my word, Naxos” Eskkar said, “as one warrior to another. I give it to all of you, to fight to defend your cities as fiercely as my own. I cannot promise that we will be victorious, but I believe we have a chance to win. Remember, we do not need to destroy the armies of Elam, just drive them off with such fierceness that they never dare invade our lands again.”
Before Naxos could reply, Jarud spoke. “Akkad has kept its promises to Sumer for more than nine years. Not only that, but they have helped us when we needed it. So if Eskkar and Lady Trella now say it is time to fight, then that is good enough for me.” Jarud turned to his friend. “Are we agreed, Gemama?”