Her voice cracked with her words, and Eskkar heard the dryness in her throat. He got out of bed and looked down at the table, at the empty water cup. Lani followed his gaze.
“I’ll fetch water, lord,” she said, swinging her feet off the bed.
“Stay where you are,” he ordered, then strode to the door, unbarred it, and stepped out into the great room.
Most of the men had risen earlier, and Sisuthros already sat at the table with Hamati, no doubt talking about the coming day’s events. No one seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of their captain, naked.
“Have someone bring water to my room,” Eskkar said, then turned back into the bedroom. He stood by the door, waiting, and in moments Tippu stood there, a large goblet of water in her hands.
“Bring it in, Tippu. Give it to your sister.” He watched the younger girl, to see if he could detect any signs of her madness. She seemed calm, even more so than last night.
Lani took the cup and drank. He watched as she half-emptied the cup, gazing at her naked body, and he felt another stir of passion.
When Lani lowered the cup, she looked at him guiltily. “My pardon, lord. I should not drink your water.”
He returned to the bed and sat down, pulling the blanket over his lap, then accepted the cup from her hands and took a few sips. A mouthful remained, so he gave it back to her. “Finish it, Lani.”
She drained it and handed the empty cup back to her sister. Tippu started for the door.
“Tippu, stay a moment,” Eskkar said, studying her with care for the first time. Shorter than her sister, Tippu possessed swirling reddish-brown hair that floated around her tiny face, with features as delicate as a child’s. Her dress, the same one she’d worn yesterday, showed the full body of a woman.
A beautiful woman, he decided, but one without her sister’s sharp wits.
He knew that, given a choice, every one of his soldiers would have chosen Tippu over Lani, just as he knew that Lani’s strength of will made her more desirable, at least for him. Days and nights with Trella had spoiled him. Weak, empty-headed women, painted and perfumed, or trained only to keep house and hearth, no longer interested him. Eskkar put the annoying thought aside.
“Last night, Tippu, I sent you to Grond’s bed. I did not realize what you and your sister had been through, though I should have guessed. You need not return to him tonight. I’ll speak to him.”
For the first time Tippu lifted her eyes to his. “Lord, there is no need to say anything. Grond did no more than hold me through the night. I am no longer afraid of being with him. He’s offered me his protection.”
Eskkar turned to Lani, who appeared just as surprised as her sister.
That didn’t sound like Grond at all, a simple soldier who enjoyed taking a woman as much as any man. Someone as beautiful as Tippu… maybe the girl had bewitched him.
“Tippu, bring food for us both. We’ll eat in here.” He touched Lani’s hand. “We have much to talk about, Lani. I want to hear more about Ninazu, and about you and your sister.”
Eskkar sat on the bed and ate, while Lani told him everything about Ninazu. In managing Ninazu’s household, she directed his servants and concubines, and served at his table. Lani knew everything. She had overheard or been present during most of Ninazu’s meetings with his men.
She even knew the secret place where Ninazu had buried his personal store of gold. Ninazu, like most men, had spoken too freely in his conversations around his women, a bad trait Eskkar had once possessed, until Trella showed him just how dangerous such a habit could be.
After the meal he took Hamati and a few men to retrieve the buried gold. They crossed the square and entered a well-constructed house with two rooms, big enough for a good-sized family. No doubt one of Ninazu’s trusted subcommanders, or perhaps even his brother Shulat, had occupied it. It took only moments to find the hiding place, still untouched, and exactly where Lani had said it would be. A few moments of digging uncovered a good-sized sack containing gold, silver, and gemstones buried in the floor.
Eskkar hadn’t expected to find such a large cache. Apparently Ninazu had been very successful in his raids even before he came to Bisitun.
Added to what they had found in Ninazu’s main house, there would be more than enough coins to keep Trella’s wall-building going for several months, even after allocating a good portion to Sisuthros and Bisitun’s elders for use in the village.
Even under torture, Ninazu might not have revealed this hiding place.
So Eskkar decided he owed another debt to Lani.
Most of the morning had passed before Eskkar and Grond left the house for the second time. They took a slow tour of the village, checking on the soldiers, prisoners, and inhabitants. Reassured that his men had Bisitun under control, he decided to return to the house and visit the prisoner.
Ninazu had scarcely moved, except to soil himself. He looked weaker, and fever burned on his face. Infection had started in the broken leg. Eskkar ignored the hatred in the man’s eyes.
“Are you ready to talk, Ninazu?” Eskkar began without preamble. “I’ll not ask you again, and I warn you that I already know much of what I want to know. So don’t try to lie to me.”
“I’ll tell you nothing, barbarian.” Ninazu tried to spit at Eskkar, but his parched lips produced only air. He turned his face away.
The man’s words satisfied Eskkar. He’d made the offer yesterday and still felt bound by it. But the situation had changed. With the bandit’s gold in hand, Ninazu now meant little to Eskkar.
“Then you’ll suffer for nothing, Ninazu. Lani told us everything,” Eskkar said. “We’ve already found the rest of your loot buried across the square.”
Ignoring the man’s curses, Eskkar turned to the guard. “Only water, as much as he wants.”
There would be no wine to ease Ninazu’s pain. With him dead and his marauders broken or enslaved, any freebooters still in the countryside would soon take heed and leave the area. If not, Eskkar would drive them away in the next few weeks, as his patrols began combing the countryside.
“When he’s finished drinking,” Eskkar said to the Hawk Clan soldier guarding the prisoner, “take him outside. Have the men keep a close watch on him. I don’t want him killing himself to avoid the villagers’ revenge.
And don’t let any villager, man or woman, near him. Remember what happened in Dilgarth.”
Eskkar turned away and moved to the next bedroom, the chamber used by Lani and Tippu as their sleeping quarters. He found Tippu curled up on the bed and Lani sitting on a stool, waiting. She had changed back into the simple dress she’d worn yesterday. Her eyes still looked red and puffy.
“It’s time for Ninazu to face the village, Lani. They’ll list their charges against him.”
“I will stay in my room, lord. I do not want to see his face again.”
Eskkar thought about that, then shook his head. “Lani, I want you to accuse Ninazu for the deeds he committed against you, your husband, and Tippu’s family. I have given you my protection, but everyone in the village and all my soldiers must know what Ninazu did to you and your kin.
Otherwise some might think that you came with Ninazu willingly. Even my men might not understand.”
She cast her eyes downward, and said nothing.
“It will be hard, Lani, but you need to do it. Both of you. Otherwise the spirits of your family will not rest in peace. It may even help Tippu with her memories.”
“I… we will do it, lord,” Lani said, still looking down. “When will we be needed?”
“Not for some time. Farmers are still arriving from the countryside, and there is much to discuss. Tell your sister what to say. I’ll fetch you when you are needed.” He started to go, then turned back. “After Ninazu is dead, the healing can start. Once you’ve reached Akkad, you’ll both be safe.”