Clash Of Empires

Chapter 13

Sargon swung down from his horse and tossed the halter to one of the swarm of young boys who rushed to greet him. He needed only a few steps before he joined the circle of warriors who’d gathered in front of Subutai’s tent. Sargon’s arrival at the Ur Nammu camp was two days late, but he didn’t bother to explain. They would have endured the same rains that slowed his ride north.

His escort of fifty Akkadians hadn’t even settled into their campground. Sargon had ridden straight in, pausing only long enough to rid himself of most of the grime and mud of the journey. Despite the invasion already on the move toward Akkad, Sargon wanted to deliver his words in person. Nor was now the time to allow any possible insult to a free and proud people like the Alur Meriki and Ur Nammu. He would not send an underling to order them to give battle.

He knew all the chiefs waiting for him. Subutai, Fashod, and Chinua of the Ur Nammu. Bekka and Suijan and Unegen from the Alur Meriki. The chiefs, and all their warriors, had gathered at a campsite agreed upon months ago. Far to the north, and at the base of the mountains, its location would save many days of riding when the ride east began.

Sargon bowed to those present, but ignored the usual pleasantries. “The Elamites are on the move. Our spies inform us that they are massing their soldiers and making their final preparations before marching west. Their plan is cross the mountains in two fronts at nearly the same time, to sow confusion in our lands. By now the eastern mouths of both the Jkarian and Dellen Passes have been sealed off to our scouts, and no more word of their actions will be coming through. I expect they’ll start moving toward these lands soon, if they haven’t already started.”

“Then it is time for us to ride east.” Subutai turned to Bekka. “I am ready to join Chief Bekka’s forces.”

In the last two years, the leaders of their respective peoples had grown closer. Much of the old resentment between the two Clans had died out. The food and supplies from Akkad had helped bring them together, of course. But in the last few months, the knowledge that they would soon be again confronting a common enemy had drawn the Ur Nammu and Alur Meriki into something more than a fragile peace.

The old steppes saying had proved true once again — the enemy of my enemy is my friend. The Elamites held only hatred for all the steppes warriors.

Bekka nodded approvingly to Subutai. “My warriors are ready. I am bringing almost eleven hundred warriors and boys with me. As well as many extra horses, though I expect we’ll find enough of them in the east.”

“I have readied two hundred and thirty warriors,” Subutai declared. “Together we will strike a heavy blow against the Elamites.”

“The warriors of the Alur Meriki and Ur Nammu are brave,” Sargon said, “but my father asked me to remind you that you need not risk your men’s lives in unnecessary battles, or challenge their forces directly. Your presence in their rear will do much to disrupt their preparations and cut Modran’s supply line.” Sargon took a deep breath. “My father also said to tell you that he wishes he could ride with you into battle.”

Sargon knew his father meant the words. All his life, Eskkar had wanted to ride to war with his warrior clan. But Eskkar, after the murder of his family by the Clan’s sarum, had fled his people before Eskkar had the chance. Now, once again, the opportunity would be denied him.

“You will ride in his place, Sargon, and do us much honor.” Bekka, too, meant his words. A king’s son would face the same dangers as his warriors.

Sargon bowed again. His father had reluctantly accepted that decision, but now was not the time to bring it up again. Sargon had insisted on riding with his adopted Ur Nammu kin, and none of Eskkar or Trella’s arguments had changed his mind. Sargon might have grown up and accepted his parents and his responsibilities, but in their eyes, he remained as stubborn as ever.

“You will be a great help to us.” Subutai knew of the many heated discussions between father and son. “You know your father’s plans, as well as the minds of the Elamites. And you now speak their language. That will prove useful.”

Sargon, along with his friend Garal, had spent more than two months learning the Elamite’s main tongue.

“I am glad that I can ride in my father’s place.” Sargon didn’t trust himself to say more. Subutai knew that Eskkar would have preferred Sargon stay behind, or at least join him defending Akkad. But Sargon had declared that he could be the most help to Akkad by riding with the warriors. In the end, Eskkar had shrugged his shoulders and given in.

The King’s son had turned into a man, and was entitled to make his own choices, even if that meant riding into battle in a distant land against a mighty empire.

“The supply arrangements for your women and children are in place,” Sargon went on. “And I’m leaving my fifty men behind to guard the supply camp, along with the older Hawk Clan warriors. Most have too many seasons to fight in this campaign, but they should do well enough to help guard your camps.”

“Both our clans will keep scouts out far and wide,” Bekka said. “If an enemy approaches, we will fall back to your supply camp.”

Soldiers and laborers had established a large campsite surrounded by a palisade, a small village, really, to store the food and herd animals needed to support the two Clans while their warriors rode to war. The fortified village would also provide protection in case of the sudden appearance of some enemy.

“My mother’s people have created a new map to guide you, Chief Bekka.” As leader of the majority of fighters, the Alur Meriki sarum would command the raid. Sargon drew the cloth from his pouch and spread it out on the blanket. “Remember, you should avoid the Elamites in the Jkarian Pass. If they find their way blocked, they may turn back.”

The chiefs exchanged glances, but no one spoke for a long moment.

“You still believe you have a way to stop that force?” Subutai asked the question that all the clan leaders wanted to ask.

Until recently, only Sargon knew of Alcinor’s plan to topple a mountain, which might or might not succeed. It wasn’t that Eskkar didn’t trust his allies, but the fewer who knew the details the better. Any man could be captured and tortured into revealing what he knew. But the time for that secrecy had passed.

Sargon told Subutai and the others of the plan to seal the Jkarian Pass. “If our Engineer can’t close the pass, we at least hope to slow the invaders down enough to keep them out of the fighting for a few days. If they do get through, they can devastate the countryside. Or they might even attack my father’s supply line. They should be no threat to your people. General Jedidia won’t bother coming this far north. His plan will be to isolate Akkad and loot the countryside.”

When Sargon finished, no one spoke. The idea of moving a mountain didn’t come easily to such men.

“I know Master Engineer Alcinor well,” Sargon said, breaking the silence. “If anyone can accomplish this task, it is he.”

Sargon’s words would carry more weight than his father’s. “No man can be certain of such things, but, yes, I believe Alcinor will find a way to block the pass. For how long, I don’t know. Hopefully long enough to make them turn back to resupply their men.”

“How many Elamites do you expect your father to face in the Dellen Pass?” Bekka had heard the earlier estimates, but he knew that Sargon would have the latest information.

“Between twenty-five and twenty-eight thousand men. Over five thousand mounted.”

“And Eskkar will have how many to oppose them?” This time Subutai asked the blunt question.

“A little more than six thousand,” Sargon answered. “Plus another thousand or so for a rear guard and to deliver supplies to the battleground.”

None of the chiefs met his gaze. The numbers foretold a grim story. Finally Subutai lifted his eyes. “Can you stop them with so few?”

Sargon shrugged. “It is all that we have. My father does not need to defeat them, just force them to turn back. With your help, he should be able to hold them off.” Sargon wasn’t as confident as he sounded, but he had no intention of voicing any doubts.

“And the enemy force that marches toward Sumer?”

“King Naxos of Isin and Hathor have ridden south with five thousand horsemen to deal with the invaders. Our cavalry will be greatly outnumbered, but all they need to do is make sure the siege of Sumer is broken.”

“What happens if this King Naxos is defeated, and Sumer falls?” Subutai persisted.

“Then the war is lost. Isin and Akkad will fall in turn, and after them the rest of the Land Between the Rivers. If that day comes, the Alur Meriki and Ur Nammu will be alone.”

“The situation then is grave.” Chief Bekka of the Alur Meriki added his worries to those of Subutai. “There is much that can go wrong.”

Again, Sargon nodded. These leaders knew as well as any of Akkad’s commanders that battle plans drawn up months in advance and far from the actual fighting often led not to victory, but disaster. All the same, he had little more to offer them. But every clan leader there had reason to respect Eskkar’s ability to plan where and when he gave battle.

“Yes, it is true that much can wrong. But Sumer will not fall easily, not with a large army of our fighters loose in the countryside and striking at the enemy’s rear. My father will only need to hold the Dellen Pass for ten or fifteen days. If Chief Bekka can disrupt their supply caravans, then Lord Modran and his army will have to fall back, and the invasion will have failed. My father can then move south and deal with any Elamites still besieging Sumer. By then, even if the enemy gets through the Jkarian Pass, they won’t have enough numbers to attack Akkad.”

Bekka nodded. “Your father will face the heaviest fighting, Sargon. He will indeed need the blessing of the gods.”

“It is a way of fighting that my father has learned well,” Sargon agreed. “His men are well prepared for this fight. Now much depends on whether we can get into the Elamite lands in time.”

“When should we leave?”

“At once, Chief Bekka,” Sargon said. “The enemy appears to have moved his forces a few days earlier than we expected.”

“Then tomorrow, we will also begin our ride,” Bekka said. “At least we are well prepared with food and horses along the way. I will dispatch messengers to gather the men. We will have a long ride before we reach the lands beyond the mountains.”

“My father’s last words to me were to bid you both good hunting, Chief Bekka, and you, Chief Subutai.” Sargon rose. “Eskkar said that it may be some time before he speaks to you again, but he knows that you will strike a heavy blow. And that Akkad will not forget your help in our time of need.”

The three men knew that it was likely none of them would ever see Eskkar alive again.

After a moment of silence, Subutai turned to Sargon. “You will stand in your father’s place during our battle. Of that, I know he would approve.”

“We will begin our journey tomorrow, at dawn,” Bekka said. “The Alur Meriki and our allies ride to war together, and the Elamites will feel our wrath.”

“Then I will return to my tent and make my own preparations.” Everything Sargon needed waited there. He wanted one last evening with Tashanella. This was the first time since their marriage that he rode to war.