by Sam Barone
But ten of the men halted halfway, while two continued to ride. Eskkar checked the fastening that tethered his mount, then studied the men approaching. One was old and thick-waisted. Even at this distance, Eskkar could see the man’s wispy gray hair floating around a mostly bald pate. Isin’s master builder rode awkwardly on an old brown horse that looked more suited to pulling a plow than to carrying a man.
Naxos rode a rangy red stallion bigger than Eskkar’s. Tall and broad, Naxos wore a bronze helmet and breastplate. Thick legs kept the horse under firm control, and a sword hung from his left hip. He stopped about fifty paces from Eskkar and looked around, taking his time and checking for any possible ambush. Naxos’s nose, like Eskkar’s, had encountered something solid in his youth. Then Naxos turned his gaze to Alcinor for a few moments, before giving his attention to Eskkar.
Eskkar said nothing. Anything he could say now, any words or assurances, would mean little to Naxos. The sword had brought Isin’s king out from behind his walls, but the man still needed to make up his own mind, and Eskkar knew there was no need to rush him.
Naxos made his decision. He said something to his companion, tapped his horse’s flank, and stepped his horse closer, his master builder following with obvious reluctance. When Naxos halted again, he was only ten paces away.
“You’re Eskkar.”
It wasn’t a question, just a statement.
“I am. You’re as men have described you, Naxos of Isin.”
“What do you have to say?”
“In a moment. Is this your master builder?”
Naxos snorted in disgust. “One of them. The other was too frightened to come. He fell to his knees and couldn’t stop shaking. He thought you would cut out his heart and eat it before his eyes.”
Eskkar grunted. He’d seen such stupidity before. He turned to Alcinor. “Take Isin’s master builder . . . what is your name?”
The man had to lick his lips and clear his throat before he could get the words out. “Sardos, King Eskkar.” He gave a fearful glance not to Eskkar, but to his king, to see if Naxos approved of the use of Eskkar’s title.
“Well, Sardos of Isin, I want you to go with Alcinor here to the top of the hill. There’s something you need to see. Nothing will happen to you. And when you get there, make sure there are no soldiers lurking about. King Naxos will want to know that.”
Sardos turned to Naxos, licking his lips in fear. “Lord, do I have to go . . . ?”
“Get going, you fool, or I will cut your heart out myself. Do you think he’s lured me out of Isin just to take your fool head?”
Alcinor, who appeared almost as nervous as Sardos, gingerly mounted his horse and started trotting up the hill. Naxos slapped the rump of Sardos’s horse, to send him along.
Naxos watched as the two rode slowly up the hill, then turned his gaze to Eskkar. “You know, I’m tempted to kill you right here.” He let his left hand drop to the scabbard of his sword. The weapon would slide easily when held that way. “Shulgi thinks that killing you would end the war in one stroke.”
Eskkar met Naxos’s gaze. “Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?”
“Your death scream would tell me all I need to know.”
“Bigger and better men than you have tried to take my head.” Eskkar kept his voice calm, with no trace of emotion, as all barbarians did when they faced their foe before battle. “But if you think you’re good enough . . . think how happy Shulgi would be. I’m sure he would give you a suitable reward. Or perhaps he would be even more satisfied if I killed you. I’m sure I can deal with your successor just as well.”
Naxos tightened his lips at the taunt. Eskkar could see the man considering his chances. He was on horseback, facing a man on foot. It should be easy enough to ride him down, one quick slash of his blade, but . . . Naxos took his hand off the hilt of his sword.
“Damn you, Eskkar, and damn Shulgi even more! I’ll not do his dirty work for him, at least not yet. What is that old fool doing up there?”
That last was directed toward the top of the hill. Eskkar turned to stare upwards. Alcinor and Sardos had reached the crest, and now the two were exchanging words. Alcinor pointed to the north, moving his hands for emphasis. In a moment Sardos’s high-pitched voice floated down the hill, but not his words. Both men continued talking, and the discussion went on and on. Every few moments, Sardos gestured impatiently. Even Eskkar grew tired of watching them.
“Alcinor is showing your man . . . Sardos? . . . how we’re going to destroy Isin. I thought it best to have it explained to a builder who can understand such things. The idea is hard to grasp. I didn’t believe it possible myself, but Alcinor and my other builders kept assuring me it would work.”
Naxos stared up the hill, unimpressed by Eskkar’s comment. The conversation between the two builders ceased, but Sardos continued to keep his gaze fixed to the north. Finally, he dragged his horse’s head around, and started coming cautiously back down the hill, Alcinor following.
“Well, here they come.” Eskkar’s eyes followed the two as they approached. One good look at Sardos’s face and wide eyes told Eskkar what he needed to know. “After you’ve heard what they say, you might want to see for yourself.”
Sardos managed to pull his horse to a stop facing his king, his back to Eskkar. Apparently, the man no longer feared that the Akkadian would murder him. “Lord Naxos, the Akkadians have dug a channel from the river to just beyond this hill. It’s almost completed. They’re preparing to flood the city.”
“Flood the city? What kind of fool are you? The city’s a half a mile away, more even.”
Sardos shook his head. “The ditch is nearly complete. Once they break through the last few paces of earth to breach the riverbank, the force of the water will widen the opening and deepen the channel. Since the river runs higher here than at Isin, the breach will continue to widen. The whole river . . . the course of the river will change. It will flood the basin. Isin will be surrounded by the river.”
Naxos’s brow furrowed in anger, and his words came more rapidly than before. “So? So let the water come. It won’t reach the top of the walls.”
Eskkar laughed, and both men turned toward him. “Ah, I’m not laughing at you, Naxos. That’s what I said, when I first heard it explained.” He moved toward his horse. “But as Akkad’s builders explained to me, the water will quickly wash away the loose soil surrounding the city’s walls. Then the base of the walls will begin to weaken. The bricks are mostly mud, after all, and as soon as they get too wet, they’ll simply start to crumble under the weight from above. Once the foundation is loosened, the walls will come down, and the city will be under water. How high will it get, Alcinor?”
“About the height of a man, Lord Eskkar. Maybe a little higher.”
“And how long will this take?”
“Once we open the breach, it will take less than half a day to surround Isin with water, perhaps sooner. Another half day should see the walls crumble and start to collapse. No longer than that, I think.”
Naxos glanced at Eskkar, then fixed his gaze on Sardos. “Is this true? So help me, if they’re trying to trick you, I’ll cut your balls off and make you eat them myself!”
“Lord . . .” Sardos had to lick his lips again. “I think it will happen as Alcinor and King Eskkar say. Go see for yourself what they have done.”
“Come, Naxos.” Eskkar unfastened his horse. “Use your own eyes. Then we’ll talk about how you can save your city.”
“Damn you all!” Naxos didn’t bother to wait for Eskkar. He kicked his horse and galloped up the hill alone.
Taking his time, Eskkar followed him. When he reached the crest, Naxos was still staring in amazement.
Since they had made camp yesterday, Gatus, Grond and Alexar had over three thousand men working in shifts, digging out a channel that already stretched more than a quarter mile. The soldiers still labored, moving dirt, widening the channel. The site impressed Eskkar almost as much as it did Nax
os. Neither had ever seen so many men working together on such a task. After one look, even someone untrained in the force of the river could imagine what would happen when the riverbank collapsed, and likely Naxos knew more about the flow of water than most of those living in his city. Isin, like Akkad, depended on the river to survive, and Naxos would understand the river’s strength.
When the riverbank was breached, the water would flow through the channel, widening it on the downriver side, as more and more of the bank was washed away. The unchecked water, pushed by hundreds of miles of river behind it, would flow out over the plain and engulf Isin, not in a fury of rushing water, but in a slow but powerful force that would make what remained of the city an island.
Alcinor and Sardos had rejoined them. Alcinor pointed out how the water would move, while Sardos explained the effects. Eskkar soon saw that both were wasting their words. A merchant might buy his way into a kingship with gold, but a fighting man needed to know how to think on his feet to accomplish the same goal.
“Come, Naxos. I think you’ve seen enough. Let’s ride back down the hill, before your men waiting out there decide to do something foolish. Then we’ll talk.”
Without waiting for a reply, Eskkar turned his horse around and started down. “You can return to camp, Alcinor. Make sure everything is ready.”
Eskkar stopped at the same boulder, dismounted and fastened his horse. “Send Sardos back to your men. I don’t think we need our master builders anymore.”
Naxos jerked his head. “Get back to the city. Start making preparations to hold back the water. Put every man and woman in Isin to work on it.” He swung down from his horse and tied it to the same bush as Eskkar’s.
“All right, damn you, now let’s talk. Then I’ll decide whether or not to kill you.”
“Why did you join forces with Shulgi?”
The question caught Naxos by surprise. “Why not? He had plenty of gold, and too many of my men were eager to fight. It’s always the fools who know nothing about battle that want to rush out and fight the most.”
“Why didn’t you go with him?”
“He didn’t ask me. Like his father, I suppose he didn’t want to share the glory of destroying Akkad. Besides, he trusts his own commanders, and he has a few good ones.”
“His war has already cost Sumeria two of its cities. First Larsa, and now Uruk.”
“Uruk! How did you . . . ?”
“My cavalry slipped away from Shulgi, crossed over the desert, and took Uruk by surprise from the west. I just received word before I sent the messenger to you. My horsemen will be here by sundown. Then I’ll be ready to face Shulgi.”
“He’ll smash your forces, horsemen or not. He outnumbers you five, maybe six to one.”
“Perhaps. But if I win, I’ll move south to take Sumer, then return here to finish you. Isin will be isolated. I’ll cut your supply lines and starve you out, if I have to. Or I’ll just drown you and your city. There are other places where the river can be breached, and you won’t be able to guard them all. You’ll have to come out and fight, to stop me from unleashing the river, and this time you’ll be outnumbered four or five to one.”
Eskkar paused for a moment to let that sink in. “Unless you’re willing to consider another way.”
Naxos frowned again. “What other way?”
“Stay out of the battle. Don’t try to join forces with Shulgi, or attack my rear. If you do that, you can save your city.”
“And if Shulgi defeats you?”
“Then you can say you were trapped by my threats against Isin, forced to remain behind your walls. I don’t think Shulgi knows about Uruk, not yet. If Shulgi wins, then your troubles are over. If Akkad wins, then you and Isin will be the most important city in Sumeria.”
“Sumer always profits more from the river trade than we do.”
“Not after I tear it down. Or better yet, if I directed that all goods coming downriver from Akkad and the north go not to Sumer, but cross over to Isin. That would make your city the center of river trading in Sumeria. With all the merchants and goods passing through your gates, King Naxos of Isin would soon make the decisions for Sumeria, not Shulgi.”
Naxos considered that for a moment. “As long as Shulgi lives, Sumeria will do his bidding. The boy’s young, but he’s no fool. Even now, his sister rules in Sumer in his name, of course. She is promised to me as a prize after the victory over Akkad.”
“She’s a cunning bitch who will probably poison you in your sleep on your wedding night. Since she and Shulgi took power, I’ve learned much about her. Kushanna belongs to Shulgi, apparently by choice, for many years. He might give her up for a few months, to lull you into relaxing your guard, but not longer. By telling you this, I’ve probably saved your life. Besides, your marriage wedding bed will likely be empty. With any luck, she’s already dead by now. I have spies in Sumer prepared to strike her down.”
Eskkar doubted that was true, but Naxos had no way of knowing if she were alive or dead.
“How . . . never mind her. And all I have to do to save my city and reap these new trade routes is stay inside Isin?”
“I know many of Razrek’s men are with you. Is he inside with you, too?”
“No. He sent Mattaki, one of his commanders. Most of the men he brought are from Isin.”
“Good. Without Razrek, his men will be easier to deal with. Still, they’ll want to leave Isin, to attack my rear. Since I can’t trust them, I want all their horses and yours, too, driven out of the city. My men will scatter them, so that it will take days before they can be recaptured. I want all your spears and shields carried outside the gate and burned. And I want five thousand bowstrings handed over. If you meet those terms, you can keep your city dry.”
“Why the bowstrings? I don’t have five thousand anyway.”
“Every archer has at least two or three, and I’m sure you have another thousand or two stored somewhere within Isin. Without them, and without spears and shields, and with no horses, I won’t have to worry about your men attacking my rear anytime soon.”
“I need those weapons to defend Isin.”
“Shields and spears won’t help you on the walls, Naxos, nor will the horses. Not once the water begins to rise.”
Naxos considered that for a moment. “Shulgi won’t be happy if I do as you say.”
“You did what was needed to save your city. Besides, if he wins, he’ll be willing to overlook your actions. With Larsa and Uruk gone, he’ll need Isin even more.”
“Is Larsa really destroyed?”
“Everything except the walls was torn down and burned. The inhabitants, those that survived, were stripped naked and driven from the city. I turned Naran over to those he tortured over the years. Everything of value went north to Akkad, by riverboat. There will be no more raids north from Larsa. It will be five, maybe ten years before anyone even thinks about rebuilding anywhere near the place. By then, it will be an insignificant village, unimportant to the river trade. Isin will be the first to benefit from Larsa’s destruction.”
“Some of Razrek’s men will resist giving up their horses.”
Those words told Eskkar that Naxos had made his decision. Eskkar shrugged. “Make them. Most of the fighting men in Isin are loyal to you. How you convince the others is your problem. Put a sword to Mattaki’s throat if need be. From what I’ve heard of him, he’s not likely to sacrifice himself for Razrek or even Shulgi, for that matter.”
“How do I know you’ll keep your word? That after I make my city defenseless, you won’t still breach the river?”
“Because I give you my word, on my honor as a warrior. That might not be enough for Shulgi or Razrek, but it should be enough for you. A steppe warrior has honor, or he has nothing. Even a Sumerian bandit like you should know that.”
Eskkar knew that Naxos had started his rise to power by raiding villages up and down the Euphrates. When he took power in Isin, the first thing he did to restore order was drive off all the ot
her bandits, including many of his former companions.
Naxos stared at him. By now they stood only a few paces apart. He swallowed both his anger and his pride. “All right, I’ll do it. But if the river is breached, I’ll hunt you down and kill you if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I’ll send men for the horses and bowstrings. Make sure no one shoots any arrows at them from the wall. And if I see one rider on a horse leave Isin, one boat go upriver or down, I’ll loose the last bit of riverbank myself. Even one rider, Naxos. Remember that.”
“You’re a fool, Eskkar, to let yourself be trapped like this, between Shulgi’s army and Isin. The man’s no fool, and he knows how to move his men.”
“Perhaps. But better to fight him here than outside Akkad. Even if I lose, my city will hold out. Another army will be raised against him. This is a war Shulgi can’t win. He was foolish to even start it, even more foolish than his father.”
“But you can still end up dead, Eskkar.”
“Perhaps. If not, you can come visit me in Akkad one day. I think Trella would enjoy your company. If I’m victorious, I’ll send word to you in a few months. I think you’ll find Akkad a better friend to Isin than Sumer ever was or will be. Think about that for the next few days.”
Eskkar jerked the halter loose from the bush. “Meanwhile, stay in Isin until the battle is over. After that, you’d better send men out to fill in the ditch. The river might be stronger than Alcinor thinks.”
He swung up onto the horse, and cantered away, without looking back, satisfied that he had rendered helpless one of his enemies and struck terror to an entire city. Sardos would have blurted the threat at the top of his lungs to everyone he met. All this accomplished, and all without losing a man. Trella would be pleased.
Day 11
The next day, Hathor crossed the Euphrates ten miles south of Isin just after midday. He and his men rode north at an easy pace. Both men and animals were tired after two days of hard riding since leaving Uruk, and he wanted to conserve their strength. No patrols or force from Isin appeared to challenge his presence, but he kept a wary eye on his flanks until his men had moved north of the city and he saw Eskkar’s camp. Cheers broke out from the soldiers when they saw Hathor’s riders approaching.