The archers had disappeared along the parapet, following Mitrac’s orders to eliminate any sentries, leaving Grond and Eskkar to work the rope. They called down softly, and Alexar tossed up one end of the second rope. Attached to the other end was the blanket containing their weapons; it, too, was quickly drawn up the wall. The men’s swords and knives had been carefully rolled inside, as well as Alexar’s bow and quiver.
Only Alexar remained on the ground. He lowered the ladder, too unsteady to use without being braced, against the base of the wall, then wrapped the first rope around his waist. A moment later, Eskkar and Grond pulled him up and over the wall, to stand beside them on the parapet.
The first part of the plan had succeeded-six men had scaled the wall, and no one had detected them.
Eskkar’s eyes searched the parapet as Grond untied the bundle and distributed the weapons, the three men crouched low against the wall. Alexar took his bow and vanished down the steps and into the darkness to watch the lane, leaving Grond and Eskkar alone on the parapet. Eskkar breathed a thanks to the gods, then dangled his sword carefully alongside the wall and waved it back and forth. There would be just enough moonlight for Drakis to see the signal.
Meanwhile Grond fastened the second rope to a wooden brace a dozen paces away from the first one, then tossed the trailing end over the wall. Eskkar looked up and down the parapet, but saw nothing. Turning toward the ditch, he watched as Drakis urged his men forward and began sending them across the ditch, ten at a time. They lined up five to each rope and began pulling themselves up the wall. Eskkar ground his teeth at every noise, certain they would be discovered at any moment.
The head of the first soldier appeared over the wall and Eskkar dragged him up and over with all his strength, both of them almost falling to the parapet from the effort. But with the two of them working together, the next man came over easier and with less noise.
Eskkar took a moment to make sure he had his bearings and that no one wandered the lanes. Reassuringly, the lane remained empty. He whispered to the soldier, to make sure the man knew where to send the men when they climbed the wall. Before Eskkar left the parapet, he glanced out over the ditch, but he could scarcely see Drakis’s men as they slipped across the open space facing the wall. Turning toward the village, he heard only silence. The sentry would be dead by now, killed by one of Mitrac’s arrows, or he would have returned, making his rounds.
Stepping away from the edge of the wall, Eskkar descended the steps from the parapet and entered the city of Akkad. He crossed the space at the bottom of the wall. During the siege, this open area once measured about thirty paces wide, but since the Alur Meriki had been driven off, villagers had rebuilt or extended their houses, once again encroaching on the wall. Less than a dozen paces of open space remained at the base of the parapet. Butcher’s Lane ended there. Its familiar smells recalled the memory of how they had ambushed the Alur Meriki exactly at this spot, slaughtering their proud warriors like sheep caught in a pen.
Eskkar went to the end of the lane and waited for his men to catch up.
His eyes strained in the darkness, and he listened for every sound. Then Grond reached his side, with three more men. Looking back toward the wall, Eskkar could just make out the moving shadows as they climbed over the wall. To his ears, they sounded as loud as a herd of horses, but so far, no one had raised an alarm.
Mitrac returned, along with his two archers, at the same time that Drakis, breathing hard, came down the steps to join him.
Eskkar put his hand on Drakis’s shoulder. “You know what to do, Drakis? Wait here until all your men are with you. Then get to the gate as quickly as possible.”
“Yes, Captain,” the man replied in a whisper. “We’ll be there.”
“Good hunting, then.” Eskkar clasped his arm, then turned away, Grond, Mitrac, and five more Hawk Clan following, all of them experienced archers. Eskkar resisted the urge to rush, forcing himself to walk along at a regular pace. Counting himself, he had eight men, not as many as he preferred, but Bantor and Drakis would need every man. Besides, if Eskkar had to fight his way into his house, Trella would likely be dead before he could reach her.
They had several streets to cross as they turned and twisted their passage toward their destination. He glanced up at the fading moon. It would be dawn soon. The light of the moon had almost disappeared.
At last Eskkar reached the lane where he lived. Spacious structures lined both sides of the street, almost all of them hidden behind man-high, irregular walls that formed the passage. His house, by far the largest, loomed above the others, near the center of the lane. A faint glow emanated from the upper story, and he wondered who guarded his workroom.
Mitrac touched his shoulder, and Eskkar let the master archer slip past. Mitrac’s eyes would be almost as keen at night, and he had the hunter’s ability to move noiselessly. Only moments went by before he stepped back to Eskkar’s side.
“There are two of them, Captain. One’s leaning against the wall. I think the gate is open, but I can’t be sure.”
The gate should have been closed, but, of course, these bandits had already grown careless. “Quickly, then, Mitrac. Get your men in position.”
He watched as the archer eased across the lane, to the side opposite Eskkar’s house, and then walked slowly down that side of the street. Eskkar could scarcely see Mitrac’s path in the darkness. The archer disappeared from sight, vanished into a doorway. Two archers followed his lead, one by one. As soon as the last man reached his position, Eskkar turned to the others.
“Grond and I will start in. You three wait until we’re at the gate. Make sure no one comes up behind us.”
Eskkar turned the corner, and started moving toward the house, Grond at his side.
They walked slowly, talking loudly to each other, weaving every few steps as if from too much ale. Eskkar wanted to draw all attention to themselves, to keep the guards’ eyes focused on them, not the shadowy figures on the other side of the lane.
The guards heard them and straightened up, but did not draw their swords. They had no worries. In the last few days, Akkad’s inhabitants had learned their place. Besides, behind these sentinels, in the two houses that made up Eskkar’s residence, more than twenty of Korthac’s desert fighters took their rest. Rebba said he’d seen at least that many there.
As Eskkar approached, he saw that the gate indeed stood ajar. A closed and fastened gate would have been another problem. He guessed that more men would be in the courtyard, probably taking their ease at the table, helped by an occasional drink from a wineskin. The rest of Korthac’s men would be asleep inside, but the nighttime watch would end soon, and these guards would be looking forward to getting some sleep of their own.
Eskkar stopped about ten feet away from the guards. Just then a muffled shout reached his ears. From its direction, he guessed that Bantor’s men had reached the river gate. Hopefully the guards would not know what it meant. Before the men could react, Eskkar turned to Grond, raising his voice.
“Did you hear that? Sounds like women screaming. Maybe we should go and see if there’s room for two more.”
“No! We have to get back before Ariamus finds us. We’re in enough trouble already.”
The distant shouting faded away, and the two guards seemed confused. One took a step toward them, but the other turned in the direction of the noise.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” Eskkar said loudly, and dropped down to one knee, by now only a few paces from the sentries.
“Let me help you,” Grond said, slurring the words and stooping down beside him.
The instant he was down, three arrows flashed out of the darkness and struck Korthac’s men. One of them made a strangled gasp, but Eskkar laughed to cover the sound. He and Grond reached the men, catching them before they could fall. Neither guard had a weapon in his hand, making it easy to lower them silently to the ground.