By then the warriors’ sandals were in ruins from the hard ground or loose shale underfoot, and despite frequent attempts at repair, at least half the men were barefoot. Sargons’s sandals, still fairly new, were in better condition, but even he had to retie broken laces twice. While the horses looked in better shape than their riders, Sargon saw his own mount’s head start to sag.
“We’ll stop here,” Chinua called out, glancing up at the sun.
They’d reached the top of a long incline, and had a good view of the land behind them. Sargon studied the terrain they’d traversed, but saw no signs of life, only grass, juniper and hawthorn bushes, rocks, and the occasional tree. Birds flew across the blue sky, and a red-tailed hawk circled lazily above, but Sargon saw no game or animals of any kind. Chinua ordered Garal and another warrior to scan the horizon and search for signs of pursuit from the west.
The rest of the warriors tied their horses to some low juniper bushes that dotted the slope, and stretched out on the ground. More than a few started snoring within moments. For men who spent most of their lives on the back of a horse, walking such distances meant a real hardship. The youngest warriors, like Garal and even Sargon, were in better shape.
Chinua told the others to rest, and Sargon stretched out on the hard ground and fell asleep. It seemed he’d scarcely closed his eyes before Chinua’s voice roused him. Still, Sargon saw the sun had moved a few hands width across the sky, so he’d gotten more rest than he’d expected.
“Everyone, wake up and gather around.” Chinua ignored the yawns of his men. He waited until he had every man’s attention.
“Even if the enemy doesn’t pursue us in force, they will send scouts to see which way we’ve gone. We must lead them on a false trail to the northeast. Meanwhile, Jennat will leave us soon. I can see a hard patch of ground about a half a mile ahead. Jennat, Timmu, and Rutba will turn off there and head for home. The passage of a few horses and men on foot should be easy to hide from any following our trail. The rest of us will continue northeast for another few miles. Hopefully, they will think our camp is in that direction.”
One of the younger warriors spoke up. “We could ambush any one tracking us.”
Chinua shook his head at the suggestion. “There is not much cover, and they will be wary. They’re not likely to just stumble into any trap we can set. And what if there are ten or even twenty of them? We might end up fighting for our lives with nothing to gain.”
When Sargon first heard the youth’s suggestion, Sargon thought it sounded like a good idea. Now it sounded foolish. Which was why Chinua was leading them, and not any of the others.
“Sargon thinks there might have been a larger group of men to the north of those we met yesterday. I believe Sargon is right.”
Chinua waited a moment, in case anyone wanted to challenge the assumption. “The men who came to aid Khnan’s force came from that direction. If there is such a force, and it moves in this direction, we should now be even with it, or a little farther north. Soon we’ll swing due north, toward the mountains, before we double back along the foothills.”
Chinua grinned. “We’ll be moving toward each other, but if we stay close to the foothills, we are not likely to encounter any of their scouts. They will have all their eyes searching east and south. With luck we can close within striking distance of their next camp before dawn.”
Sargon wanted to ask what would happen if the enemy stumbled onto them, but no one else raised the question, so he kept silent. Besides, he’d had his chance to return to Subutai’s camp with Jennat and the others. Sargon’s determination to show as much courage as Chinua and his men hadn’t wavered. Where these men could go, Sargon would follow, even if they all ended up dead.
Chinua waited to make sure no one had any questions. “Good. Sargon, Makko, each of you fill a sack with fresh horse dung. Bring them with us. Let’s get moving.”
Makko looked as confused at the order as Sargon, but neither dared to question a direct order.
Empty food sacks were quickly filled with horse droppings, and Sargon could not help asking. “Do you know what this is for?”
It was the first time he’d spoken to Skala’s son in days.
“No. But it must be important. We’ll know soon enough.”
They mounted their horses and rode out at a slow pace, but soon enough reached a rocky escarpment that led to the southeast. Jennat and the horse boys moved to the front. They dismounted and led their horses onto the rocky ground.
Sargon watched as Jennat handed his horse off to Rutba, and the second in command made sure that the hard ground showed no trace of their branching off from the main party. Jennat gave a final wave to the others as they passed by. Sargon wondered if he would ever see Timmu or the warrior again.
Chinua kept moving. He wanted to get at least another mile past the place where Jennat turned away. Chinua had to travel much farther, however, before he found a rocky shelf that he liked. He led the horses onto it, and kept them going for another quarter mile before Chinua gave the signal to halt and told the men to dismount.
“Garal! Take the sacks and make a trail to the northeast. Scatter one sack by that big rock, and the second a few hundred paces further on.” Garal swung down from his mount and strode back to where Sargon and Makko waited. Garal handed his horse to Sargon, then took both sacks and trotted away.
“Skala, take Sargon and Makko and lead the way on foot. I’ll clean up any sign that we’ve changed direction.”
Obviously Chinua didn’t trust either horse boy to not leave any sign of their passing. Sargon moved to the head of the group, just behind Skala, who guided the band now toward the northwest. Chinua and two other warriors walked behind, making sure no horse droppings fell where they could be seen, and that no hoof marks left any impression that might be spotted by anyone tracking them.
If any pursuers followed the warriors onto the rocky shelf, they would see the horse droppings up ahead, and, hopefully, believe the riders had continued their flight to the northeast.
The warriors moved slowly over the next quarter mile. At last Garal, breathing hard from his long run, rejoined them. When they swung behind a low ridge, Chinua gave the order to mount up, and the Ur Nammu scouting party, now reduced from eighteen to fifteen, changed direction and headed toward the northwest.
To Sargon’s surprise, Chinua set a rapid pace, and the miles passed quickly. The ridges provided cover from anyone on the lower slopes, though Chinua dismounted and studied each gap that they had to pass through to make sure it would not reveal their presence. Once again they alternated between riding the horses and running alongside.
Gradually Chinua shifted their direction, climbing ever higher into the foothills, until they rode almost due west. The late afternoon sun now shone in their faces, and it would be dark soon.
Sargon’s feet had blistered, after his sandals had finally given out. By then everyone was barefoot. Chinua halted just before the sun set. He didn’t need to tell them to rest, as every man sank to the ground as soon as he’d looked after his horse.
Sargon, his legs stretched out before him, sprawled beside Garal. No one questioned his right, or Makko’s either, to sit with the warriors now. All of them were going into battle, and the youngest boys had been sent home. They watched as Chinua went to scan the countryside below, taking Skala with him.
They were gone a long time, and dusk cloaked the hills before they returned.
“They’ve found something.” Garal jostled Sargon with his elbow. Sargon saw a trace of excitement on Skala’s face.
Sargon wasn’t the only one who had to be prodded into wakefulness. Soon every eye was on Chinua as he dropped to the ground. The warriors crowded around, eager to learn what their leader had seen.