“I will try and take care of myself, Drakis,” Eskkar answered dryly.
Somehow her concern made him feel proud, not embarrassed. “What else did she say?”
“Only that she wished you a speedy return. And she suggested Gatus send another man with me, with a second pack horse. So we’ve brought you twelve skins of oil, three bags of cotton, and all the ropes we could carry.
The extra supplies slowed us down, or we’d have arrived yesterday.”
Eskkar hadn’t expected so much. Leave it to Trella to make sure he got double what he asked for. And he should have thought of sending two men. If one of the horses got injured, there would have been a delay in getting him what he needed. “And everything is well in Akkad?”
“Yes, and Dilgarth, too,” Drakis said, anticipating Eskkar’s next question. “There’s no sign of any bandits remaining in the area, and the village seems to be recovering. Corio and Nicar are sending more men there, and Gatus sent a few more soldiers for protection. No doubt they’ve already arrived. With the extra men, Dilgarth will begin rebuilding the palisade and irrigation ditches, and helping the flax weavers get started again. Nicar says there is a great shortage of linen in Akkad.”
“Good. Very good,” Eskkar said, pleased to hear that Dilgarth remained safe and secure. He turned to Sisuthros. “We can begin the next part of the plan.”
Grond turned to Drakis. “What about this other man? Who is he?”
“Rukor? He’s one of the new men Gatus is training.” Drakis seemed surprised at the sudden interest. “He’s good with horses. We would’ve been even later without him.”
Eskkar looked over toward the pack animals, where Rukor and some of the liverymen from the camp had already stripped the tired animals of their burdens and started rubbing them down. Eskkar didn’t know this man and didn’t want to take any chances. “We’ll have to get rid of him. Rukor!
Come here!”
The shout made Rukor turn, and he jogged over to where his leaders stood. “Yes, Lord Eskkar,” he said, as he bowed. An older man, Rukor looked to have more than thirty seasons. He had never spoken with Eskkar before and knew little about Akkad’s leader.
“Rukor, Drakis says you’ve done well,” Eskkar said, “but I want you back on a horse and on your way back to Akkad. I have an urgent message for my wife. You will tell her… tell her that we are encamped outside of Bisitun and waiting.”
Rukor looked both confused and disappointed. No doubt he expected to get at least a few days’ rest before climbing back on a horse. And the message didn’t seem particularly urgent or important.
Eskkar turned to Grond. “Give Rukor two silver coins as a reward.”
A week’s pay would make the man feel a little better. While Grond hunted in his belt for the coins, Eskkar went on. “Rukor, Drakis says you can be trusted, so I ask you to leave at once. Get a fresh horse and take whatever you need. And tell no one what message you carry. Do you understand?”
Grond put the coins in Rukor’s hand before the man could answer.
“Come with me, Rukor.” He put his arm around the uncomprehending man’s shoulder and started him moving. “I’ll make sure you get a good horse and plenty of food.”
When the two of them were gone Eskkar turned back to Drakis. “Now I need you to do something important, Drakis. Listen carefully. You’re going to deliver the rest of the message Gatus sent to me. The message is that Gatus and a hundred and twenty men will be here in four or five days.
Do you understand?”
Drakis’s mouth fell open. There had been no other message. “But Captain, Gatus did not…”
“Listen to me, Drakis,” Eskkar went on patiently, keeping his voice low. “This is very important. Gatus told you that he and a hundred and twenty men will be here in four or five days. That’s what he told you to tell me.” Eskkar waited a moment, to let that sink in. “Now, Drakis, tell me what message you carry from Gatus?”
Drakis looked from Eskkar to Sisuthros, who grinned broadly at the man’s confusion. “Tell Eskkar what Gatus told you, Drakis,” Sisuthros encouraged. “Go on, deliver the message from Gatus.”
Now both Eskkar and Sisuthros waited, smiles on their faces. Drakis turned back to Eskkar. “Uh, Captain… Gatus said… that he and a hundred and twenty men would be here in four or five days.”
“Very good, Drakis,” Eskkar said. “Now remember well what Gatus told you. You must believe the words and say them as if it were true.
When you’re with the men, someone will ask you what message you carried. You will tell them what Gatus said, just as you told me. I want our men to believe that more soldiers are coming. You must believe it yourself, so that they will believe you. Can you do that, Drakis? If you can’t, then you’ll need to get on a horse with Rukor. The men have to believe reinforcements are coming.”
“I can do it, Captain,” Drakis answered determinedly. “I’m not sure what these words mean, but I can do it.”
“Understanding is not required, Drakis,” Eskkar said, but softened the words with a smile. “Just follow your orders. Believe the message yourself, and you’ll have no trouble convincing any of the men. Now, let’s go over it again.”
Eskkar made Drakis repeat the message half a dozen times, until the words fell smoothly off his tongue. Finally Eskkar dismissed Drakis, letting him rejoin the men so he could get something to eat. The other men would ask for news of Akkad, and sooner or later, Drakis would “confirm”
Gatus’s message. Rukor had already departed, on his way back to Akkad, carrying a useless message that would raise Trella’s eyebrows and make Gatus think his captain had lost his wits.
“Well, Captain,” Sisuthros said, “it’s as you said. The men will believe Drakis. And I expect the local farmers will be here soon. They know we’ve arrived, and that we’ll need food.”
“You deal with them personally when they arrive, Sisuthros. They’re important to the plan. Remember to pay them fairly for whatever they bring, but no more. If we start paying too much…” Eskkar glanced around the camp. “Now it’s time for Grond and me to take our little ride around the village, while you do your part.”
Moments later, after Eskkar had mounted his horse, a ragged cheer went up from the men. Sisuthros had just told the soldiers that Gatus and more men were on the way, to bolster their numbers. And should anyone ask Drakis, he would confirm that he had indeed delivered that message.
In Bisitun, men would start wondering about the cheering. Eskkar nodded in satisfaction.
With ten soldiers riding behind him, Eskkar started his survey of the village. First they rode slowly to the west, stopping often to examine the land, always keeping at least a quarter mile from the village. When they reached the river, they paused for nearly a half hour as Eskkar studied the land, the river, and the southwestern approach to the village before they began to retrace their steps. They quickened their pace as they passed behind their own encampment, then slowed down again and leisurely inspected the northeastern outskirts of Bisitun until they reached the river once again. As before, Eskkar took his time, studying the landscape, before they rode slowly back to the encampment.
They had been gone nearly two hours and during that time, the walls of Bisitun had been filled with men, not only soldiers but villagers as well, all of them nervous and curious as to what the men from Akkad were planning. Shading his eyes, Grond picked out the man with the silver arm bracelets who followed them along the palisade from one side of the village to the other.
“Well, we got their attention, Captain,” Grond said, as they dismounted and handed the horses off. “And Sisuthros makes good progress in building the ditch. It looks finished.”
“Let’s take a turn around the camp, just to see how it looks.”
They walked slowly around the encampment but found no fault with either the ditch or the rampart. While a good rider on a strong horse might leap the six-foot-wide ditch, the animal would be jumping directly into the mound of dirt and would probably bury itself to the shoulder into the soft earth. The ditch and the earthen embankment would slow down men on foot even more. They would have to jump into the ditch, then endeavor to climb up the rampart’s side, into the teeth of the defenders’ bows and swords. Satisfied that his position couldn’t be taken, Eskkar strode back inside the camp, thinking that, if Gatus were here, he would be pleased as well.