Sam Barone: Conflict of Empires

Eyes wide, En-hedu sank down on the bench beside Jarud. “Are you sure? I mean…”

“I’m sure. I spoke to some of the scum myself. The army was…” Jarud couldn’t find words to describe what he felt.

Tammuz joined them, and she whispered the news to him. It didn’t matter. The remaining patrons needed only a look at Jarud and his companions to guess the worst. Then faint shouts from the lane could be heard. The news had already begun to spread.

En-hedu clasped her hands to her bosom. “The gods preserve us! What will happen now?”

“Who knows?” Jarud shrugged. “Whenever he’s ready, Eskkar will march on Sumer. The last messenger brought news that Isin has changed sides and is now supporting the Akkadians. King Naxos will allow free passage across his lands, the filthy coward.”

“Sumer will not fall,” En-hedu declared. “It’s walls are high…”

“Larsa fell, and Uruk, too. The other cities will not come to our aid now. Like Isin, they’ll rush to make their peace with Akkad. On Kushanna’s orders, I sealed the city, to keep everyone within, but that’s not going to work for long. With Eskkar on the march, everyone will want to flee.”

No longer “Queen” Kushanna, En-hedu noted. Just the woman’s name, spoken unflatteringly. “Perhaps things are not as bad as we think. Tomorrow may bring better news.” But in her heart, and for the first time, En-hedu started to believe that Eskkar had succeeded.

She rose and fetched two more cups, and she and Tammuz joined in with Jarud, consuming the last of the ale, and all of them wondering what word would arrive tomorrow.

J ust before dawn, Kushanna raged at the wretched soldier cringing before her, his right arm bound in a clumsy sling. A leader of twenty, he’d ridden through the night to bring his news. “My husband is dead? You saw him fall?”

“Yes, my queen. He fought with Eskkar and was slain. King Shulgi fought well, but the barbarian was too strong. Afterwards, the Akkadian king spared my life. He set many of us free, gave us horses, and told us all to deliver word of Shulgi’s defeat and death to you. And to tell you that he is coming to destroy Sumer.”

Of all those given the message, only this man had bothered to return. Probably the others had already disappeared into the countryside.

“And our army? How many men remain to fight? When will they return?”

The subcommander shook his head. “Not many escaped. Sumer’s soldiers fought to the last, even when the other contingents lay down their weapons. However many survived, it will not be enough to stop the Akkadians. They fought like demons, my queen, attacking our men despite their few numbers.”

She cared nothing about how either side had fought. “How long before Eskkar arrives?”

“A few days, four or five at most. I expect his horsemen will be here tomorrow. They were already preparing to ride south when I and the others left. The main force won’t be far behind.”

Kushanna tried to control the sinking sensation in her stomach. How had this happened? How could everything have gone so horribly wrong? Twenty thousand men defeated by a handful? “Get out. All of you, get out!”

She turned away, ignoring them, and stepped onto the balcony. The courtyard appeared different, and she realized that many of the soldiers who should have been standing guard had gone, slipping away in the night as soon as they heard the news. The morning would find more deserters abandoning their posts.

“Damn you, Shulgi, you fool!”

Kushanna took a deep breath, and tried to control her rage. She needed to think. Something must be done. She could leave the city, but where could she go that Trella’s agents wouldn’t find her? Nippur and Lagash wouldn’t take her in, and there would soon be a bounty on her head. Trella knew of Kushanna’s involvement in the war, and wouldn’t rest until she’d been captured or killed. Besides, who could she trust to protect her if she ran? Whoever Kushanna turned to would want her gold and jewels more than they wanted her body, and she would be helpless to protect either of them.

Sumer might be held, at least for a time, perhaps long enough to wring some concession from Eskkar. But another look at the quiet courtyard convinced her that wouldn’t happen. Without enough fighting men to man the walls, the soldiers wouldn’t continue the battle for her. They’d throw down their weapons at first sight of Eskkar’s riders.

In fact, the longer she thought, the more she realized only one man could save her: Eskkar. The king of Akkad. Kushanna would have to turn him to her side. She had dominated every man she’d ever met, and had no doubt that she would succeed with the barbarian king. It would take some doing, but perhaps it could be managed.

She thanked the gods that she hadn’t killed Trella’s brother. Now the half-witted slave might prove useful. She would send word to the farm and have him delivered to her.

By the time Kushanna worked out what to do, the first rays of the sun broke into the morning sky. She left her chambers and descended to the courtyard, grateful to see at least a few loyal soldiers still awaiting her commands. Her eyes rested on Jarud, the new Captain of the Guard.

“Jarud! Round up every one of the nobles, every merchant, every trader.” She rattled off the names of Sumer’s wealthiest. “Bring them here at once. Make sure you find every one.” They would protest, but that didn’t matter. “And spread the word throughout the city. I will speak to the people at mid-morning in the marketplace. Go! And do not fail. Sumer’s fate may rest on how well you obey my commands.”

And more important, her own.

E n-hedu and Tammuz arrived at the marketplace well before mid-morning, determined to get a good place to stand and hear Queen Kushanna’s words. Rimaud joined them, as much to keep them safe as to hear the queen speak. With the city in an ugly mood, Rimaud wore his sword, and Tammuz carried his knife on his belt.

Others arrived early as well, and soon at least eight or nine hundred people of all ages packed their way into the marketplace, with more arriving every moment. Everyone had questions, and shouts echoed back and forth as people sought to learn what had happened. Many had news, probably most of it wrong, to share with whomever would listen. En-hedu shook her head at their foolishness.

Mid-morning came and went before Jarud and ten soldiers arrived, escorting thirteen of Sumer’s richest men. Some showed bruises and marks on their face and arms, so En-hedu knew they hadn’t come willingly. Every one of them had sullen looks on their faces. She saw Merchant Gemama there, along with Puzur-Amurri, and Jamshid, Bikku’s husband. En-hedu had given massages to most of their women.

She leaned closer to Tammuz. “Too bad I never got invited to service Kushanna.” She fingered the knife under her dress.

The crowd — now numbering close to two thousand — surged forward, shouting questions at the merchants, demanding to know what had happened. The former leaders of Sumer stared at the angry people confronting them, but said nothing.

“They’ve been ordered not to speak,” Tammuz said.

“Queen Kushanna had better arrive soon,” En-hedu whispered. “The people are getting angry. There aren’t enough soldiers here to control this many.”

They both sensed the rising tension. No one enjoyed standing around in the hot sun, which added to the crowd’s anger. The smell from so many bodies filled the still air. The incensed mutterings grew louder and angrier. The soldiers glanced at each other and fingered their weapons.

“Where is our army?” An old man shouted the question with a quavering voice. “What happened to my sons?”

Everyone joined in, and soon the crowd began to shift and move under the pressure of so many struggling to make themselves heard.