by Sam Barone
“Then we start tomorrow,” Esk kar said, staring at the miniature Orak, studying where the wall ended and the marshland began. It looked remarkably like what he’d envisioned from the hillside only a few days ago.
“You must show this to Nicar and the Families. He will be pleased, I’m sure.”
Esk kar turned to Sisuthros and gripped his subcommander’s arm.
“Sisuthros, you see what must be done. A strong hand will be needed to make sure the lumber arrives, the stones moved, the bricks made. Both slaves and villagers must be pressed into work as soon as Corio is ready and kept at it until they drop from exhaustion. Everyone must do his share, even the women and children. There must be no villagers hiding in their huts while others labor. I’ll give you ten soldiers to start. It will be a difficult task, but I’m sure you can accomplish it.”
Sisuthros nodded, fascinated by the model and now eager to undertake the assignment he’d questioned only this morning. “I’ll do it, Captain. It will be worth it to see the faces of the barbarians when they see Corio’s wall blocking their path.”
“Come, there is more. Follow me.” Corio went outdoors, then along the side of the courtyard. Two apprentices waited there.
“These boys built a model of the wall, so that you can get an idea of the scale you’ll be using.”
Using common river mud, the boys had built a wall, about three feet high and four feet in length. At the front side, dirt had been scooped out to represent the ditch. On the back of the wall a platform made of wood rose almost as high as the wall itself.
Corio squatted down and pointed to a doll. The figure held a tiny wooden sword on high and had been positioned in the ditch before the wall. “That’s how high a man will be, standing before the wall. They’ll need long ladders to reach the top.”
He shifted his position to the other side of the wall. “Inside, the wall will be braced every twenty feet by a support wall, which will also carry the weight of the fighting platform. That platform, which we call a parapet, will be built of rough planks and will be four feet lower than the wall and ten feet across. That should be wide enough to allow men to pull a bow or swing a sword or even for some to move along the wall as others fi ght.”
Esk kar joined Corio, squatting down beside him. “How high will the parapet be inside the village?” Esk kar wondered how he was going to get men up and down so that they could fight. Another detail he hadn’t thought about before.
One of the apprentices giggled, apparently at Esk kar’s ignorance, and received a sharp smack across his arm from the measuring ruler Corio still carried. “Keep your mouth still, boy.”
Corio looked annoyed, clearly embarrassed by this flaw in his presentation. All of Corio’s staff must have been warned not to laugh or say anything should any of the ignorant soldiers, particularly their barbarian captain, fail to understand what they saw or be unable to do a simple sum in their heads.
But Sisuthros had the same question. “Yes, Master Corio, how high will it be? We’ll need to move men up and down very rapidly, and they’ll be carrying heavy loads. And we’ll need clear space at the base so men can move quickly from one point to another.”
“The parapet will be ten feet high. We will put wooden ramps or steps inside so your men may mount the wall. We can use lifting poles to haul heavy stones to the top so that you can hurl them down at the attackers.”
“Not wooden ramps, Corio,” Esk kar commented. “At least, not anything that will burn easily. We’ll be getting fire arrows shot over the wall. I want nothing nearby that can burn or even make smoke.”
Fire was always a major hazard in the village, even in the best of times.
The walls of the huts might be made of river mud, but their roofs could be any combination of cloth, wood, or straw, and most burned easily. Cooking fires set roofs ablaze often enough. During the siege, if the villagers detected smoke, many would panic. The defenders would have to be prepared for fi re and smoke, Esk kar decided. Yet one more detail to think about.
“A good point,” Corio conceded. “We’ll build everything using as little wood as possible.”
“Master Corio, if I may,” Trella began, “perhaps we can coat anything inside the walls that might burn with a layer of mud. And we can have women and old men standing by with water buckets to fi ght any fi res that break out. But besides fire arrows, won’t there be many arrows shot over the wall into the village itself?”
“Trella’s right,” Sisuthros agreed. “Arrows will be landing everywhere.
We may need to shelter some of the ground just inside the wall. It may be safest right under the wall.”
Corio nodded thoughtfully. “There will be many such things to consider in the next few weeks.” He stood up and turned to Esk kar. Esk kar rose with him.
“I’ll work with Sisuthros starting tomorrow.” Corio’s eyes looked directly into Esk kar’s. “We’ll give you your wall, Captain. Now you must make sure you have the men to defend it.”
9
Five days later, much had changed. Esk kar and Trella had moved into Drigo’s house. The lower story of the spacious home contained five good — sized chambers, in addition to a large central space that could be used for meeting or dining, and a separate area for cooking. The upper fl oor, which Esk kar took for himself and Trella, held only two large rooms, one for sleeping and one for working.
With all that extra space, Esk kar provided quarters for Bantor and Jalen. Bantor had a wife and a daughter of eight seasons. After meeting Bantor’s wife, Trella hired mother and daughter to help run the house.
Bantor’s family was more than grateful to get out of their wretched hut, all Bantor could afford.
A clerk, provided by the Noble Nestor and skilled in writing the symbols, arrived the morning after Esk kar and Trella moved in. The clerk kept track of expenses, but returned to Nestor’s house each night, where he no doubt reported everything of interest.
Gatus’s two boys and their friends began spending their days at the new headquarters and right away became runners, relaying messages at Esk kar’s or the subcommanders’ need. Nicar contributed an older woman slave as a cook. He’d planned to put her on the auction block, but she would have fetched little. Instead, he made her a gift to Esk kar. The grateful slave took over the cooking, and soon Esk kar and Trella began to enjoy bread and vegetables fresh from the market, to go with the occasional chicken.
To men used to communal living in the filthy and crowded barracks, the house seemed vast and luxurious, but Esk kar knew that soon more commanders would be eating and sleeping there. Meanwhile he ordered each commander to sleep three nights in a row in Ariamus’s quarters. This would keep them close to the men, not only to keep an eye on the soldiers but also to stay aware of what they thought and felt.
The main house had a smaller, single
— story building adjoining it, where Drigo housed his guards and slaves. It had five separate rooms, each large enough for four or five men. Esk kar decided to keep a force of ten soldiers near him at all times, should the villagers or even the Families grow troublesome. He had to put men there anyway, since the old barracks could at best provide beds for fifty men. Gatus helped pick the ten soldiers, making sure only the steadiest and most reliable men moved into Esk kar’s quarters.
Esk kar and Trella began to settle into a routine. Each day he trained until midmorning with his men. After a brief break to wash up, he met with his four subcommanders and Trella to plan the rest of the day. They gathered in what had been Drigo’s workroom, the large room outside Eskkar’s bedroom and sanctuary. While Nicar had stripped the house of most of its furnishings, no one had wanted the workroom’s two tables. Esk kar purchased them at a good price. He used the smaller one as his private work table, while the other easily accommodated Esk kar’s meetings with his four subcommanders.
At the initial session, Esk kar had spoken first, according to the custom.
Afterward, Trella suggested he allow the others to
speak first. By doing so, he would not be contradicted by facts or new information he didn’t have when he spoke. She added he didn’t need to impress his men with his authority. Esk kar saw the wisdom in her suggestion so the next morning he let Gatus begin.
“The target range has been completed,” Gatus announced. “Since Sisuthros wanted some building materials and we needed the space, we tore down almost all the huts on the northeast side of the palisade. We set up a range of up to three hundred paces, right up to the river’s edge.”
“And the training?” Most of the soldiers could bend a decent bow, but these men needed to train others. That required better than average archery skills, plus the knowledge of how to teach others.
“They’re doing well, but slower than I’d like. I won’t trust the best of them on their own for another week at least.”
Gatus went on to the next topic. “In the last few days, we’ve taken in forty recruits. When I reached that number, I stopped accepting new men, at least until we’ve got these other men trained.”
“Gatus, we need men as soon as possible, so move them along as quickly as you can,” Esk kar said. “But I don’t want half — trained men strutting around Orak carrying weapons, or fools killing themselves or some villager. How long before you can take more men?”
“At least two weeks, maybe longer.” Gatus’s words brooked no argument. “After that, we’ll be able to take in another forty or fifty. Tevana already supplies us with target arrows, though he has requested four tons of bronze, plus a new forge and a dozen other wood and metal — working tools. I think Master Tevana wants to make sure he never has to buy anything again.”
Esk kar grimaced at that, but nothing could stop Tevana or other craftsmen from taking advantage of the situation. If Orak survived, many tradesmen would profit handsomely by their dealings with Esk kar and Nicar.
“And thanks to Trella,” Gatus continued with a smile, “we now have plenty of bows to work with, good ones, too. Tell them, Trella.”
All eyes turned to Trella. She sat to Esk kar’s left and always a little away from the table. “When I went to work with Rufus at his home, I said I was ignorant of the bowmaking process and asked him to show me everything. At first he resisted, but finally he took me to the room where the bows were shaped and assembled, and the glues were prepared. I saw the tubs where they soaked the wood and the presses where the wet shafts were bent. But I never saw any finished bows.
“After I finished, I went to Gatus. He brought some men, and we searched the house. In a tiny attic above the bowmaster’s sleeping chamber we found the drying and storage room. Inside were twenty — two finished bows, ready for use. I told Gatus to take them. Since Rufus had denied having any inventory, I told him there would be no payment. He wasn’t happy.”
Gatus laughed at that. “No, not a bit. He started to scream at Trella. His sons were quick to restrain him. Good thing, too, or I would’ve knocked the old fool down.”
“Make sure the tale is told throughout the village,” Esk kar said, laughing as well, though he’d already heard the story. “It may persuade others to be more honest. And keep training the men, Gatus. Archery first, then sword and spear. Practice everything from behind a wall if you can.
Sisuthros, how goes our wall?”
“Captain, I’m worried,” Sisuthros answered gloomily. “For the last five days, Corio and his helpers have been digging small holes in the ground, driving stakes here and there, and mixing batches of mud and straw. There are many meetings with his apprentices where they talk and talk. The masons are working from dawn to dusk making bricks, but Corio has yet to lay one brick on another, though he seems busy enough. I asked when he’d begin, but ‘soon’ was all he said.”
Esk kar frowned. “What have you done for him?”
“We’ve confiscated lumber and tools and set up three different work crews. I also cleared some land near where the new gate will be, but that’s all that has happened so far.”
“Master, do not be concerned yet,” Trella offered. “I’ve watched houses built, and there’s much talking and preparation before the actual construction begins. It’s always this way at the beginning, much confusion and seemingly little progress. Better to have them certain of what they must do, than to begin wrong and have to start over.”
“Well, let’s hope so, for our sakes.” Esk kar shook his head. “Though I’d like the wall finished at least a day or two before the barbarians arrive.” He turned to Bantor. “And the guards at the gates?”
Bantor’s duty had turned into the busiest of all. Larger numbers of people came into and out of the village, and traffic on the road had increased to match. Already he’d stopped two fights at the gate involving people trying to leave. The second struggle had nearly overwhelmed the gatekeepers. Esk kar had to assign additional men, and now four men guarded both gates at all times.
“We search every cart and wagon that leaves Orak,” Bantor answered.
“No slaves or tools of value have left, and we make sure that no villager on Nicar’s list leaves without his approval.” He looked around the table.
“Captain, the men are growing tired of guarding the gate. They complain they train for ten or twelve hours a day, then stand a four — hour watch at the gate or patrolling the streets.”
“Bantor, I know the duty is hard right now. Tell the men it’s only for a few more weeks until the recruits are trained.” Not that Esk kar believed it.
Any slack time created by the new recruits would likely be used up somewhere else. “You can lead them in this, Bantor. Treat yourself no better than they, and your men will endure it because you do.”
Bantor nodded, then sat back, relieved to know his commander understood his problems.
Trella leaned forward again. “Bantor, has anyone tried to bribe your men to get out of Orak? If not, they will soon. Some rich tradesman or merchant will offer your men gold, and the temptation will be great.”
“Like Rufus, you mean,” Gatus said with a laugh. “I’m sure he’s planning it as we speak.”
Esk kar hadn’t considered that possibility, though, of course, he should have thought of something so obvious. He sat thinking about what he would do if he were a rich merchant who wanted a few underpaid guards-men to look the other way.
“Bantor, tell your men that anyone offered a bribe is to accept it. Once he has it in his hand then he’s to report it, and you will double it. No matter how much the bribe, we’ll double it.”
“Where will this additional gold come from?” Sisuthros asked.
“Why, from the person who offered the bribe,” Esk kar answered. “If a man can offer five silver coins, then he must have at least another five somewhere. This way, any man offering a bribe will pay twice and still be kept in Orak. Bantor, tell your men. If they can keep it to themselves, it may give them some incentive for their labors. A few may get some extra pay before the word gets out.”
They all smiled at that. Everyone could picture the look of conster-nation on some merchant’s face when he found out he’d been swindled.
Esk kar turned to Jalen and listened to him report about the condition of the docks for a few moments, then held up his hand to interrupt. “Jalen, you haven’t been given any tasks of importance this week because I’ve got something special for you. I want you to take four men, good riders, and the five best horses in the village. Then I want you to ride north and find the barbarians. I want to know where they are and when we can expect them to reach Orak.”
“You’re the best horseman in Orak,” Esk kar went on, “and you’ve seen the barbarians in action. We need to know as much as we can about their movements, how many Alur Meriki there are. Anything you learn would be useful, but most of all, we need to know how much time we have.”
All eyes turned to Jalen. The young man looked calm.
“I know this is risky. This will be dangerous, because if you get too close, you’ll likely end up dead or captured.”
“I’l
l do it, Captain,” Jalen answered, “though it might be better if I took more men.”
“No more men. I don’t want you fighting. I want you scouting and reporting.”
Jalen exhaled a long breath, but didn’t argue. “How soon do you want me to go?”
“Leave in the morning,” Esk kar replied. “Spend today picking your men and getting ready. Each of them will receive ten gold coins when they return, in addition to their regular pay. And double that for yourself, Jalen.” For that much gold, most men would risk their lives gladly.
“You’ll travel light and travel fast. And you can only take two experienced soldiers. Choose the others from the new recruits. Pick only good horsemen who are steady and will do as you tell them and not get their blood rushing if they see the barbarians.” Esk kar intended that advice as much for Jalen as for any men he might pick.
“And the horses, take any in the village, even from the Families. Didn’t Drigo have some good horseflesh?” Esk kar slapped the table in irritation for forgetting Drigo’s horses, no doubt already appropriated by the Families. Breeding and maintaining a riding horse took plenty of silver coins, and only the richest could afford the luxury. The soldiers’ mounts, provided grudgingly by the nobles, were mostly inferior animals, used for local patrols or as pack animals.