Battle For Empire

31

By midmorning, the demons of last night had faded, driven away as much by Tashanella’s love making as a good night’s rest. Her father hadn’t commented when Sargon and his daughter approached hand in hand. The time for such thoughts had passed.

Instead, Subutai called his clan leaders and whatever warriors stood nearby. In a loud voice, he praised Sargon both for his courage and his success with the Alur Meriki. And after last night’s fight on the slope, Subutai declared that Sargon had become a warrior and a clan brother to the Ur Nammu.

To Sargon’s surprise, he felt prouder of Subutai’s words than any praise his father or mother had ever bestowed on him. He might not have fought with bravery and skill, but he had fought, and he now realized how big a role luck played in staying alive. A sobering lesson, to be sure.

The warriors surrounding him all voiced their thanks, many of them coming close to touch his arm or shoulder, one brother warrior to another. By then Fashod and the others had told everyone the story of Sargon’s challenges, and every man there understood all the risks that the boy from Akkad had taken to help the Ur Nammu.

At last Sargon broke free. Tashanella was busy helping her mother, so he wandered away, until he found Garal testing a fresh bowstring. Somehow the man had managed to hang on to his bow during last night’s climb.

After Garal finished, they walked the entire length of the hilltop, studying the enemy below. In daylight, the flat portion of the hill seemed even more crowded than last night, with horses and people sharing much of the same ground. The Carchemishi had ringed about half the hill.

Only a few guarded those places too steep even for a man on foot, let alone a horse, to descend. The enemy had taken their position just out of bowshot range, about a hundred and fifty paces from the base of the hill.

Sargon stopped at the place where they had ascended last night. “No wonder the guards weren’t all that alert.” From above, the slope looked even more difficult to climb than it had seemed from below.

To their left, they could see the holding area for the Carchemishi horses. The rope corrals were almost empty now, as the enemy horsemen had mounted at first light, in case the defenders tried to ride down and attack.

Sargon and Garal continued their inspection, and soon enough they reached the incline where the Ur Nammu had ascended. About forty or fifty paces wide, it looked steep enough to slow down any attacker. At the base, and just out of arrow range, the besiegers had dug a ditch that formed a half circle. To Sargon’s eyes, it appeared both wide and deep enough to stop a horse.

“Chinua says they dug the ditch in half a day,” Garal commented.

Sargon had seen the efficient work of soldiers before. They knew how to work together to accomplish much in a short time.

“Have they paid any attention to the bluffs we came from?”

From up here, Sargon could see all the way to the foothills, including the low ridges where the Alur Meriki scouting party even now lay hidden, and from where Sargon and his companions had set out on last night’s venture.

“The Carchemishi sent out two patrols just after dawn,” Garal said. “Subutai had men watching from here, to see if they discovered any traces of the Alur Meriki horses. One group entered the bluffs, but didn’t reach the place where we had hidden. The other just patrolled along the edge of the bluffs. If they even found our tracks, they didn’t show it.”

“That seems careless. They should have wondered which direction we came from.” Sargon studied the plain beneath him. The enemy forces appeared alert enough. Soldiers armed with bows and spears flanked the main downward slope all the way to the ditch. More archers, backed up by several hundred horse fighters, waited for any attempt to escape or counterattack. “My father or Hathor would have sent out four or five patrols.”

“Perhaps. But they may think it’s more likely we came from the south, from Akkad’s outposts. Two more patrols headed out in that direction.”

“When Bekka arrives,” Sargon said, studying the landscape, “he’ll take one look at the horse herd and attack. If he can scatter those horses during the night, the Carchemishi will be in trouble.”

“If he comes. Subutai has his doubts. That’s what he told Chinua.”

“He’ll come if he can.” Sargon put more confidence in his words than he felt. “But who knows when? How long can we hold out up here without water?”

“Before they climbed the slope, Subutai ordered every sack and skin filled with water. And the horses had plenty to drink. But despite all that, with so many people, it’s almost all gone. Soon we’ll be too weak to fight.”

Exactly the same trap Eskkar had used on the Alur Meriki. Sargon had never realized how important a weapon water could be. His cunning father had understood its role, and constructed a battle plan based on little else.

“If I were Subutai,” Sargon said, “I would attack tomorrow at dawn. He has to be ready anyway, if Bekka comes tonight. And if he doesn’t, why wait another day without water? And the longer we’re up here, the better prepared the Carchemishi will be.”

“Do you think Bekka can get here that fast? He won’t be able to double up on his horses as we did.”

“By now, one of Unegen’s riders will have reached him. Once he realizes the situation here, Bekka will press the pace. He’ll want to arrive while we can still fight. If the enemy destroys us, they’ll have the hill itself as a refuge. They could even corral the horses up here. Nothing the Alur Meriki could do would touch them then.”

“You think like a clan leader, Sargon.” Garal’s usually cheerful voice held only respect. Like all the other Ur Nammu, he believed anyone who has killed a man in battle must be treated as a warrior. “Someday you will make a good war chief.”

The last thing Sargon had ever wanted. “If we live that long.”

Later that day, Sargon watched as Subutai returned to the patch of ground where his wives and children had gathered. Though Tashanella’s father strode through the camp with his head held high, Sargon guessed that Subutai was growing discouraged. The leader of the clan had probably gotten little sleep for the last seven days, and Sargon wondered how much longer the Ur Nammu Sarum could last.

Subutai collected a single strip of dried meat from his wives, and then crossed over to where Sargon and Tashanella sat side by side.

“Sargon, we are readying the warriors for an attack at first light. We will try to drive off the invaders.”

“Can you not wait a little longer for the Alur Meriki to arrive?”

Subutai shook his head. “Most of the warriors have had nothing to drink since yesterday. If we wait any longer. .” His voice trailed off. “And Fashod doesn’t think the Alur Meriki can get here before the day after tomorrow at the earliest. By then we’ll be dying of thirst. Better to go now, while we can still fight.”

A hopeless attempt, Sargon knew, but there was little else that Subutai could do.

“Fifty warriors will attack down the slope that you and Fashod used to scale the hill. They will try to convince the enemy that we are attempting to escape there. Then the rest of us will ride down and try to get through the ditch on the right hand side. If we send all our men against that one place, we may be able to break through. If our warriors can reach the enemy horses, we may be able to stampede and scatter them.”

“Where do you wish me to be?” Sargon really didn’t care.

“For your sake, and for your father’s, I wish you had not returned here. You could have ridden south, and reached the lands of Akkad.”

“I came back for your daughter, Subutai. I don’t intend to leave her.”

“So I see.” Subutai looked at Tashanella, and smiled. “That means she has chosen well. Probably better than I would have for her.”

He reached out and touched her cheek for a moment. Then he turned back to Sargon. “The old men, young boys, and some of the women will defend the camp when. . after we attack. I thought you might want to remain here with them. They will need a leader if our attack fails.”

Sargon understood. Every clan leader and subcommander would ride to the attack. He thought about Subutai’s offer, but he’d already made up his mind. He and Tashanella had already discussed tomorrow’s attack.

“No. I will ride beside Chinua, Garal, and their kin. I cannot stay behind when they ride to war.”

“In that case, you will ride behind me. I will lead the attack down the slope, and Chinua will lead the second wave.” He stood and ran his fingers through Tashanella’s hair. “You will see to your mother and the others?”

“Yes, Father. I will be at their side.”

Sargon understood what that meant. Tashanella would make sure her younger brothers and sisters did not fall into the enemy’s hands.

“Then I have done all that I can for them,” Subutai said. “Now I must see to my men.”

Sargon glanced up at the sun as Subutai strode off into the camp. The afternoon was passing, and before long, the sun would touch the horizon.

Sargon placed his arm around Tashanella’s shoulder and pulled her close. They might not have much more time together.