Trella sighed at the thought. She didn’t like the thought of sharing her husband with another woman. So far, it hadn’t seemed a problem. His love for her remained ardent. But a strong man needed more than one woman, at least occasionally. If she didn’t provide one, the village elders might convince Eskkar of the need to take a second wife, if for no other reason than to weaken Trella’s influence. No, it would be better to do it herself, one more task to occupy her time. Fortunately, she didn’t need to deal with it today. When he returned from the north, she would speak to him about it.
Now she worried about the dangers Eskkar would face. She hated being idle while her husband prepared for battle somewhere in the north.
And today this stranger from the land of Egypt arrived and intrigued her.
Trella closed her eyes again, and worried about the coming child.
Annok-sur slipped quietly into the bedroom, thinking Trella was asleep. But the girl stirred when Annok-sur set the tray of dates, wine, and water onto a round table scarcely bigger than the two plain stools that stood beside it. Annok-sur sat down on the one closest to the bed and ran her fingers through her brown hair, already touched with a tinge of gray though she had one more year before her thirtieth season.
“I should get up,” Trella said, her voice barely above a whisper.
“No, stay there,” Annok-sur said, “supper is at least an hour away.”
She pushed the table closer to the bed. “Eat something. The child must be hungry.” Annok-sur knew that Trella did not intend to let her pregnancy interfere with her work.
Trella clasped her hands behind her head. “There is a stranger in town, Annok-sur. A trader from the lands far to the west, the land called Egypt. Or so he claims. He says the land there has many cities and villages, some with walls of mud-brick as high as our own. This man plans to trade gemstones here in Akkad.”
Annok-sur had heard of the mythical Egypt from her husband, Bantor. “So the land of Egypt exists! It is said that food falls from the branches of the trees, and that gold and silver are everywhere underfoot.” She shrugged at the fable. “What does it mean to Akkad?”
“Nothing, I’m sure. It’s far away, and the great desert makes travel nearly impossible. Even bandits can’t raid across that expanse. That’s what interests me about this trader. He wants to open a merchant house here, and begin trade with Egypt.”
Like Trella, Annok-sur kept her voice low, more from habit than any need. The servants had proven trustworthy, and no strangers or guests stayed in the main house. Nevertheless, outside of these rooms, spies lurked everywhere, looking to sell whatever gossip or secrets they heard to one trader or another. Women, if they had any wits, learned at an early age to whisper among themselves; the less men knew about their wives and daughters’ dealings, the better.
“Bantor told me the lands to the west of the Euphrates are wild, filled with only savage people who can withstand the desert heat. He traveled three days into those barren lands once, chasing a murderer, before turning back empty-handed.”
“Yes, the wastelands are desolate and dangerous,” Trella agreed. “Even Eskkar has never gone very far west of the other river. So trading across the desert will be a great risk.”
“This merchant… what is his name?”
“Korthac. You saw him leave the Council House. He has delicate features, almost like a woman’s. His eyes are sharp and miss nothing.”
“Ah, yes, I remember seeing him. So this Korthac will trade gemstones.” Annok-sur thought for a moment. “There’s always much demand for such goods. He can sell all he wishes in Akkad, now that the boats are again moving up and down the river.”
Rising from the bed, Trella sat on the other stool. She poured some wine and water for them both, careful to add just a mouthful of the spirits in her cup, as she did not enjoy the taste of wine or even the local beer.
“Yes, a steady supply of scarce gemstones would attract even more merchants to Akkad, benefiting all.” Trella took a small sip before taking a date from the platter. “But I wonder what Korthac will send back to Egypt in return. Merchants must trade both ways to be successful.”
The question seemed casual enough, but Annok-sur knew Trella didn’t waste her thoughts on trivial matters. “Well, he would have plenty of gold,”
Annok-sur answered. “He might deal in linens or bronze, or perhaps
…”
Her voice trailed off for a moment as she considered the possibilities.
“When traders come to Akkad,” Trella went on, as she selected another date, “they barter copper and ores for food and clothing. Or timber for tools, or cattle for leather goods or weapons.” She looked at Annok-sur. “If you were a trader, what would you carry back to this rich land called Egypt?”
Annok-sur deliberated the question. Gold, of course. But gold had its limitations. You couldn’t eat it or build anything with it, and its weight made it difficult to transport. Just as important, with every rich merchant making his own coins and setting their value, its worth was often suspect.
So traders used gold mainly to adjust for differences in value between goods, or to represent value that could be carried more easily than bulky merchandise.
Across such a great and dangerous distance, what would one carry back? What would be worth the effort for such a trip? Food and grain would spoil on the journey. Tools and weapons weighed too much for their value. Besides, if the land of Egypt had as many riches as people claimed, it would already have these things in plenty.
“I see what you mean, Trella. But there must be something in Akkad that they lack. Or perhaps he intends to trade only in Akkad. He may have no plans to trade with his homeland.” She shook her head. “We’ll know soon enough, won’t we?”
“Yes, we’ll see what this stranger buys with the gold he gets for his gemstones,” Trella answered. “But he did say he meant to trade with Egypt.
So I think we should find out as much as possible about him.” She finished her watered wine, then poured herself a cup of plain water. “Korthac will need furniture for his house, servants to care for him, and food for his kitchen. And he and his men will need women, especially after such a long and dangerous journey.”
Annok-sur smiled. “Yes, I’m sure we can learn much about Korthac and his plans in the next few weeks.”
“Be discreet,” Trella said. “I don’t want him to learn we are spying on him.”
“As a stranger, he’ll expect to be watched. But I will be careful.” Annok-sur got up and moved behind Trella and began massaging her shoulders.
Her fingers worked steadily, and in a few moments Annok-sur felt her mistress relax. Trella nibbled at another date, separating the pit from the meat with her slender fingertips. Her hair swirled around her cheeks, her long lashes accenting her eyes. Even when doing something as simple as eating, Trella demonstrated a presence that enhanced her beauty. No wonder all the men in Akkad watched her with hot eyes whenever she walked the lanes.
“You should drink a little more wine, Trella.”
“No, now that I’m with child, it tastes even worse. Besides, my father warned me that strong drink dulls the senses and weakens the wits. He never drank wine at all, only a cup of ale with his supper.”
Most of the nobles, including their women, drank as much wine as they could afford. Annok-sur had never seen Trella with the glazed eyes or slurred speech that showed the effects of too much wine or even the local beer, which nearly everyone consumed in large quantities. In the old days, the days before Trella, Eskkar had passed out often enough from too much ale. But Eskkar stopped the heavy drinking the day he met Trella, restricting himself to a few cups of well-watered wine or ale a day. Even Bantor, despite the fact that her husband could now afford as much wine as he wanted, drank only enough to wash down his supper.