“That’s why we must show the people we can control people like Asurak and Rasui.”
“Still, you’d better wait until Eskkar returns. Do you think he will approve?”
“If it reduces the number of council meetings my husband has to attend, he’ll approve. We spoke about many of these issues right up to the day he left for Bisitun. He wanted new ways of dealing with the people there.”
“When will you tell the council?”
“I’m sure it will take several weeks to consider every aspect. You and I will start tomorrow. We’ll go over everything we need, and how we think the new Houses will function. We have to be ready to answer every objection from the likes of Rasui. Even Nicar and Corio may not agree with all these ideas. We’ll have to find ways to show them the advantages. Nobles Rebba, Decca, and Rasturin, with their big farm holdings, might be more amenable. Nevertheless, we’ll need to have every answer prepared in advance, every problem considered, and a solution, a good solution, ready to present.” Trella finished with a smile. “For Eskkar to present, that is.”
Annok-sur nodded agreement.
Both women knew it would be easier for the men who made up the council to accept such sweeping new changes if Eskkar proposed them.
The nobles might know that Trella conceived of the ideas, but it would still be more palatable coming from him. And with the Hawk Clan and the rest of the soldiers still solidly supporting Eskkar, the nobles would need good grounds before they dared to object.
“You’ll need more gold, as well.”
“Eskkar will find that, in Bisitun. The upriver trade will make the gold flow in Akkad again. Already goods are moving briskly between Akkad and the south. And the nobles and leading merchants will pay to secure their sons positions in the new Houses.”
“Let’s hope Eskkar returns soon,” Annok-sur said, “and laden with goods and gold.”
“We’ll begin the planning after tomorrow’s council session,” Trella said. “The sooner we start, the better. And we may need to include others to help us. But I’m sure we can do this.”
“More changes for Akkad,” Annok-sur said, shaking her head. “When will it end, I wonder?”
12
Twenty miles east of the Euphrates, and more than a hundred miles south of Akkad, Ariamus cursed the hot sun that beat down on him and his men each day. Then he cursed the high desert where they camped, the lack of water that plagued them, the ignorant louts who whined incessantly, and the clouds of sand fleas that tormented man and beast. Finally he swore at Korthac, though Ariamus kept that oath under his breath, lest one of the Egyptians who always seemed to be shadowing his steps hear and inform the grim Egyptian. Even though Korthac had saved his life from the vengeful villagers on the edge of the desert, Ariamus found little pleasure in serving his new master, at least so far.
Ariamus would have liked to do more than curse at the two Egyptian subcommanders in the camp, but that, too, would have to wait. Takany, Korthac’s second in command, spoke little, and his eyes expressed no emotion. A brutish man, he maintained tight control of the Egyptians, and they obeyed no order that came from Ariamus without Takany’s approval.
Nebibi, the other Egyptian commander, proved more approachable; he spent more time with Ariamus, talking about Korthac’s exploits in Egypt.
Both had sworn blood oaths to Korthac, Nebibi explained one night after a little extra wine, horrific oaths neither would ever dare to break. Nebibi, at least, understood the need for the new men Ariamus recruited, and did his best to keep the two camps working together. He’d even contributed some of his fighters to help with the training.
Still, Ariamus blamed Korthac for insisting they establish their camp so far away from Akkad and other settlements. Ariamus’s new master demanded a place so distant that no word could reach the city about the growing force hidden beyond the fringe of the desert. Each day the situation grew worse, as the number of men and horses under Ariamus’s command increased.
Demands for food and water also increased daily. The moment he left this cursed encampment behind couldn’t come too soon for Ariamus, even if it meant attacking Akkad’s very walls with his bare hands.
The desolate place chosen for his camp lay well off the usual trails.
Ariamus camped here twice before in his wanderings, each time for but a single night. The high desert might be a little cooler than the hell of sand and wind Korthac had crossed, but not by much. Containing only a few scrub plants and stunted trees growing among the rocks, it had little to recommend it, except for its desolation.
Worst of all, there was no water, which probably explained why wanderers seldom bothered to come near the rocky hills that circled his growing force. One of the first things Ariamus did was establish a work party for a daily trek to the nearest river, more than ten miles away, and had the men haul back as many skins of water as their horses could carry. In one respect he didn’t mind assigning the backbreaking labor. It gave the men something to do, to take their minds off their training and the boredom of waiting for action. Each day, half his troop rode off to gather another day’s supply of water for man and beast. Those not on the water detail practiced their riding, improved their swordplay, tended the horses, and waited. Of course, Takany’s Egyptians didn’t deign to do something so menial as carry water, though they managed to drink more than their share of what arrived in camp.
Ariamus spent most of his time on horseback. With a handful of riders, enough to provide protection without frightening the locals, he rode across the land looking for recruits and horses to add to his band of fighters. He stopped at every village and collection of mud huts too small even for that title. He had gold to offer, gold that first came down the river within a week of Korthac reaching Akkad. More gold arrived each week, payment for the restive force growing under Ariamus, as the Egyptian exchanged ever larger quantities of his gemstones for gold and silver in Akkad.
Korthac’s Egyptians kept control of the gold, making sure that Ariamus used it only to buy men, horses, weapons, or supplies. Not that they needed to watch him. Ariamus was too excited by the prospect of looting Akkad. Nothing would please him more than returning there in power, to take revenge on the shopkeepers and merchants who had ordered him about for so many years. They would bow before their former captain of the guard soon enough.
In the initial planning with Korthac, Ariamus had been more than a little skeptical that their forces could capture and hold the city. But with the reports coming from Akkad, he soon began to change his mind. Eskkar, the ignorant barbarian, had split his forces, and if he remained out of the city, Ariamus believed they would have a good chance to capture the Akkad. Each week Ariamus’s force grew, as he enticed more local bandits, wanderers, and even raw farm boys desperate for any means to escape the endless drudgery of a farmer’s existence.
A shortage of horses plagued Ariamus, but down here, far south of Akkad, the passage of the Alur Meriki had caused little damage to the land and livestock. In this part of the country, marauders and other, smaller clans of barbarians had taken their toll, but most farms and villages had survived intact. Horses remained scarce, but not impossible to get, if you were willing to scour the countryside and pay more than their worth in gold.
Or steal them. Twice he’d ridden into small farm holdings at night, killed the men, and taken their horses. He preferred not to do it, as Korthac didn’t want to inflame the countryside against them, lest word reach Akkad. Nevertheless, Ariamus needed horses for his fighters. Korthac’s plan demanded them. So Ariamus gathered every mount he could find, at the same time as he trained his men to ride and to fight.