Not that most of this rabble would ever become true fighters or horsemen, not in these few weeks. But if they could swing a sword and ride a horse, Ariamus asked little more. The rest, those who survived the coming battle, would have plenty of time to improve their fighting skills in Akkad.
He heard hoofbeats and looked up to see a rider coming toward him, raising a cloud of dust and no doubt stirring up another wave of sand fleas. Ariamus stood outside his tent until the outrider galloped up.
“Ariamus! Four riders are coming in. I think one of them is Hathor,” the man shouted, as excited as a boy taking his first woman.
“Get back to your post, you useless piece of crap,” Ariamus ordered.
“Of course he’s coming. We’ve been expecting him for two days.”
By then the party appeared, crossing the hilly skyline, four men riding toward the camp. Ariamus didn’t intend to stand there waiting in the sun, so he went inside his tent. The visitors would want water and care for their horses before they got down to business. Korthac had dispatched his third subcommander, Hathor, the last two times as well. Upon arriving, he might want to count all the men, the horses, and even the cursed weapons. And, of course, count up all the gold expended.
Ariamus had to admit that these Egyptians were thorough. Korthac wanted every man well fed, well armed, and trained in how to use a sword.
And be able to use it from horseback. Korthac had stressed that point. Not many of his Egyptians could fight from horseback; they preferred to fight on foot. What Korthac demanded from Ariamus was a troop of horsemen that could be used to sweep the countryside. Those same mounted fighters would prevent the city’s inhabitants from fleeing their new master, at the same time as they gathered up new recruits, willing or unwilling.
Two weeks ago, when Hathor came downriver the first time, he’d told Ariamus how Eskkar had split his soldiers and scattered them over the countryside. That made the horsemen Ariamus trained even more important, as they might have to engage more than one enemy, and one possibly spread out over the land.
On his last visit, Hathor had even dared, in Korthac’s name, to inspect the Egyptians, to see them practicing their swordsmanship, and their physical readiness. Hathor “asked” Takany to stage some mock fights with sword and knife; Hathor watched as both the Egyptians and Ariamus’s men went through their drills, or charged back and forth waving their swords and shouting their war cries.
Takany’s dour face had flushed a darker shade than normal at the insult, but he’d said nothing. The more than fifty Egyptians in the camp trained nearly every day, practicing with sword, axe, and knife, and they impressed Ariamus with their skill. He’d never seen better fighters, certainly not in that number of men. He had no doubt that, in a pitched battle, they would defeat an enemy two or three times their number. But Korthac also knew he couldn’t hold Akkad without horsemen, and that’s where Ariamus intended to impress his new master.
With a little luck, Ariamus would soon be second in command. Already he had the larger number of fighters reporting to him. That would naturally elevate him above the Egyptian subcommanders, even Takany, because Korthac, once Akkad was taken, would need Ariamus more than he needed his own forces. Besides, plenty of Egyptians were going to die taking the city, which would strengthen Ariamus’s position. With a little more luck, Korthac might get killed himself. That would put Ariamus in command, since without Korthac, even hardheaded foreigners like Takany and Nebibi would realize they needed someone from this land if they intended to rule here.
If all went as Korthac planned, then Ariamus would have plenty of time to think about getting rid of Korthac. The Egyptian had taught Ariamus how to play the game, but the pupil intended to rise above the master, even if it took a year or two.
The first step was to court the Egyptian subcommanders. Takany was hopeless, but Hathor and Nebibi would see reason soon enough. Hathor was the lowliest of the three who served Korthac as subcommanders, but the one chosen for all the more difficult tasks, or whenever Korthac needed someone with more wits than brawn. The Egyptian obviously wanted men about him that he could trust, but none too sharp in the head, lest they get ideas of their own. As captain of the guard in Akkad, Ariamus had done the same himself, making sure his subcommanders followed orders without asking too many questions, let alone doing any thinking.
In some ways, Eskkar had been the perfect subcommander. A friend-less loner, he kept his mouth shut and obeyed orders, spending as much time as he could away from the village, caring for the horses, and chasing after runaway slaves and petty thieves. Once again, Ariamus wondered how such an insignificant barbarian outcast had ever managed to seize control of Akkad.
Nevertheless, Ariamus didn’t have time to daydream about such things now. He needed to hear the latest news from Hathor, and by now Takany would be waiting for him to come to his tent. Ariamus would have to swallow his pride once again and defer to these cursed foreigners. But not for long, he vowed. Not for long.
Hathor had just finished washing the dust from his body when Ariamus strode into Takany’s tent. Hathor took another drink of water, though the warm liquid tasted more like moldy leather and horse sweat after its journey under the hot sun to this place. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted Takany looked even grimmer than usual. The man didn’t like it when Hathor spoke in Korthac’s name. Ignoring Takany’s frown, Hathor joined the two Egyptians already sitting cross-legged on the sand, and waved his hand for Ariamus to join them.
“Greetings, Hathor,” Ariamus said, his voice filling the tent. “How’s the soft life in Akkad? Did you bring more gold? Are you…”
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Takany said. “Do not keep me waiting again.”
“Last time I came here, you kept me standing outside,” Ariamus countered, as he sat. “I didn’t feel like cooking in the sun while you three whispered secrets to each other.”
“You presume much, Ariamus. You’d better learn to watch your tongue.”
“Please, let’s not argue amongst ourselves,” Hathor interrupted, though he extended a small bow to Takany as he did so. Hathor did remember that last meeting. Takany had insisted on hearing everything first, and then Hathor had to repeat the same message a second time, for Ariamus’s edification.
Hathor got right to his master’s business. “Korthac wishes to know how ready you are, Ariamus, and how many men and horses you have.
The situation in Akkad grows even more favorable. Eskkar remains in the north, and the city is at ease. There are barely enough men in Akkad to maintain order.”
They all smiled at his news, Hathor noted. “Now, Ariamus, how many men will you have ready to fight in two weeks?”
“Two weeks!” Ariamus sounded dismayed at the early date. “Why so soon?”
“Ariamus has almost ninety men,” Takany said, speaking as if the man didn’t exist, “though most of them fight like old women.”
Korthac, in his wisdom, had warned Hathor about the growing conflict between Ariamus and Takany. The sooner they attacked Akkad, Hathor realized, the better. These two would be at each other’s throats soon enough. Either that or Ariamus just might take it into his head to collect his men and ride off, leaving Takany to his own devices. And to Korthac’s wrath.
“We must all work together,” Hathor said soothingly, trying to keep the peace. “A great prize awaits us. Akkad will provide wealth and a life of ease for all of us, and the sooner we take it the better. But time grows short, and Korthac says we need to move quickly.” He turned to Ariamus.
“How many men?”
“In three or four more weeks, I can get another thirty or forty men.
We’re still a little short of horses.”
“You only have two weeks, Ariamus,” Hathor countered, shaking his head firmly. “Then we need to start moving toward Akkad. We’ll have to travel by night, avoiding the roads. Korthac has picked a place to ford the river, and arranged for boats to be waiting for us.”