“Yes, perhaps. But you trained them, didn’t you, and gave them a home and a clan. That’s why I think you’ll win at Akkad, Captain, no matter what the odds. And that’s why I want to fi ght with you. I think I want to be part of your victory. And it would be nice to have a clan of my own, for when I get too old to ride the river.”
Eskkar considered the man’s words for a moment. Yavtar didn’t look much older than himself, so the sailor could be sailing the Tigris for many more years. Still, every man wanted a home somewhere, a place of safety to raise his family and spend his declining years. “I welcome you to the fight, Yavtar,” Eskkar said, using what he thought of as his formal voice,
“the Hawk Clan always needs good men.”
“Thank you, Lord Eskkar.” He moved back toward the stern. “Keep rowing, men. We don’t want to lose any time.”
True to his word, before three hours had passed, Yavtar started guiding the boat closer to the eastern bank. He ordered the pace slackened, and the other boats soon caught up with them, staying just far enough apart to avoid a collision.
Eskkar wondered how Yavtar could be certain of their location.
The deeper darkness of the land looked the same to him, even with the moon up. Moments later, Yavtar angled the boat toward the riverbank.
Eskkar still couldn’t see anything, and Yavtar’s mate had caught the jetty before Eskkar even saw it. Both Yavtar and the crewman slipped over the side into the river, ropes in their hands, and lashed the craft tightly to the jetty.
The jetty had room for only the one vessel; two small boats, no doubt belonging to Rebba, occupied the remaining space. So the other craft moved carefully alongside, until men could push them ashore, struggling in the current to move the now-clumsy boats as far up onto the bank as possible. The moment each ship came to rest, men with their gear climbed carefully over the side and started moving inshore, until every man had landed. Grond slipped away first, and had already moved inland. For a big man, he could move without a sound when need be. All the men from Eskkar’s boat followed, armed only with their swords, and fading into the darkness, to make sure no one lurked in ambush.
Eskkar swore at the noise they made. The men stumbled about in the dark. He hoped the river muffled the sounds, and maybe the din wouldn’t be heard above the normal bubbling of the flowing water. At last everyone stood on firm ground once again, though now it felt strange enough to Eskkar’s shaky legs.
The boat crews passed out the bows, all bundled together, and then handed out the jars containing the bowstrings. Eskkar cursed again as the sound echoed out over the river. He felt certain they could be heard all the way to Akkad.
At last all the weapons had landed. The soldiers spread out, all the men stringing their bows and readying their arrows and swords. By then Grond returned.
“Captain, nothing suspicious. I went as close as I dared. Any closer and I would have awakened the dogs. But there was nothing.”
“No sentries, no guards, no horses?”
“No, no horses except the three or four that Rebba would have in his corral.”
“Well, we’ll have to chance it. I’ll go ahead and see what…”
“No, Captain,” Grond interrupted. “I’ve thought about this. Let’s send Alexar, and have him approach as if he came from Akkad. If all’s well, he can report back to us. If not, we can still use the boats.”
Eskkar bit his lip. Grond spoke the truth. Eskkar’s old instincts made him want to rush ahead, but Grond and the others wouldn’t let him go, and there was no sense arguing over it.
“I’m ready to go, Captain,” Alexar whispered. He had seen Grond come back and stepped over to join them. “I’ll know if there’s anything wrong. I’ll bring Bantor back with me.”
“You know about the dogs?” Eskkar asked. “The dogs will start barking as soon as they hear you.”
“Yes. It can’t be helped,” Alexar answered. “But they’d waken anyway, so we might as well get it over with. The sound won’t carry to the next farmhouse.”
“Be careful,” Eskkar said, putting his hand on Alexar’s arm. The moment the words left his mouth he swore at himself for wasting his breath; no one needed any orders to take care. He watched them disappear into the darkness, Grond leading the way, to show Alexar the location of the road and the farmhouse.
Clenching his fist at the inaction, Eskkar moved forward, until he could make out the cluster of buildings that made up Rebba’s farmstead.
Moments later, the dogs began barking. The noise went on and on, for what seemed like far too long, before a light appeared in the window of the main house. But the glow went out almost immediately, and the dogs stopped their challenge. After what seemed like a lifetime, he saw two men looming in the darkness, heading toward the jetty.
Still worried about an ambush, Eskkar squinted against the darkness, looking for any other movement, his hand resting on his sword hilt. Relief flooded over him when he heard a familiar voice call out. Then Bantor rushed the last few steps and wrapped his arms around Eskkar, hugging him tight and pounding on his back.
“Thank the gods, Captain, but I’m glad to see you. Let’s move up to the house.”
With Alexar and Bantor leading the way, Eskkar gave the orders and started the soldiers moving toward the farmhouse. They went in single file, to leave as little trace of their passing as possible. The dogs barked a few more times, nervous at the approach of so many men. Eskkar heard voices, no doubt Rebba’s farmers, chiding the watchdogs to keep silent, and keeping them away from the soldiers’ approach.
Bantor guided his captain and Grond to the main house, while Alexar led the rest to another building. When the door opened, Eskkar saw that a small lamp burned. Heavy leather strips covered the windows and prevented the light from showing.
Rebba stood there, waiting. He had already sent the rest of his family to the other house. Inside, Rebba motioned them to the benches at the big table, lighting a second lamp, a larger one that provided plenty of light, though it smoked quite a bit. Rebba sat at one end, while Eskkar sat at the other. By then Mitrac, Alexar, and Klexor had joined them and, to Eskkar’s surprise, Yavtar. The sailor had followed silently behind the soldiers. Eskkar noticed that Yavtar had laced sandals on his usually bare feet, and carried a short sword at his waist.
“Is Trella all right?” Eskkar had to know, though he dreaded what he might hear.
“She’s alive, a prisoner in your house,” Rebba answered.
Eskkar felt relief wash over him. He still had time to save her.
“How many men have you brought, Lord Eskkar?”
Rebba’s voice sounded frail, but the urgency of his question took Eskkar’s mind off Trella.
One of Rebba’s daughters came into the house, carrying a fresh jug of water. She began pouring it, looking nervously about the table, as the men eased themselves down, shoulder to shoulder, around the table.
“Thirty-nine, no, forty now, counting me, Noble Rebba,” Eskkar answered. He saw the looks of disappointment on Rebba and Bantor’s faces.
“We came by riverboat, and it would have taken us another three or four days to march here with more men.”
Rebba shook his head. “You don’t have enough soldiers. There are many men inside Akkad who now follow Korthac.” He saw the question on Eskkar’s face. “Ah, yes. You don’t know the man. He came less than a week after you left for Dilgarth.” He looked at Bantor for a moment. “Perhaps we should start when you left Akkad.”
Eskkar held his tongue as much as possible, resisting the urge to interrupt with questions. The telling of the events took nearly an hour, with Rebba speaking of what had happened in the city, and then Bantor describing the ambush on the road. Rebba fi nished with what had happened since.
“So now,” Rebba said as he wound up his tale, “the forty or so soldiers still alive are used as slaves, and kept under guard at the old barracks.