Only once did Drakis have to use force, a brutal kick in the face that probably broke the man’s nose, and sent a fresh stream of blood trickling down the prisoner’s chin. After that, the information came forth in a rush. Thirty thousand men, more than half of them infantry. Nearly five thousand archers, and perhaps nine thousand cavalry.
“That’s a lot more horsemen than we expected,” Drakis said, after he and Eskkar had moved away from the prisoner. “They must have pulled some cavalry from Jedidia’s force.”
“I’m more concerned about the number of bowmen,” Eskkar said. They’re going to unleash an arrow storm against our line.”
“Still, with so many archers, they could have swept Akkad’s walls clear of defenders.” Drakis rubbed the scar on his face, the wound he’d received years ago fighting on those very walls. “Better to meet them here.”
Drakis spoke the truth about the futility of trying to defend Akkad. Early on, Eskkar and his senior commanders had realized that they could not put enough bowmen on the walls to resist such numbers — not when the enemy could mass thousands of archers against a single point of the wall.
Eskkar shrugged. Right or wrong, they were committed to fight here, in the Dellen Pass. “Let’s just hope the rest of our men and supplies reach us before the enemy can attack in force.”
By midmorning, a large force of Elamite cavalry appeared, at least a thousand strong. They held their position at the base of the trail, well out of range, and stared up the slope at the Akkadians. Muta ordered half his horsemen to mount up, just in case the Elamites decided to attack.
But then the first of Eskkar’s soldiers arrived. Not the bowmen, or even the infantry, but the slingers, still staggering under the weight of bronze and stone missiles they carried. Eskkar rode out to meet Shappa, leading the ragged column. If the slingers had managed to get here, the rest of the army couldn’t be far behind.
With a sigh of relief, Shappa dropped his sack of stones, and let his shoulders sag for a moment. “The archers are only a few miles back, Captain. My men decided they didn’t want to miss the fight, so we got up in the middle of the night and pushed on ahead. You should have heard the spearmen cursing us when we passed them by.”
Eskkar smiled. He could indeed imagine the language. No part of the army wanted to arrive last and even worse, be led to the battlefield by a force of boys and young men. “Well, I’m glad you’re here. The Elamite cavalry is just down the slope. As soon as they get a few more reinforcements, I’m sure they’ll attack.”
“Where do you want my men? In the rocks?”
“No. For now, split them in half, on either side of the Pass. That should give you a clear field.”
Shappa nodded. “And Captain, this morning a messenger caught up with me. Luka sent word that Daro and Orodes broke through the mountains and reached the sea, with Hathor’s cavalry right behind them. That was,” Shappa had to use his fingers to count, “five days ago.”
“So the battle for Sumer may have already started,” Eskkar said. “Let’s hope Hathor and Naxos catch them by surprise.”
“Luka will be coming here as soon as he gets a horse.” Shappa laughed. “He won’t want to stay in Akkad while his men are here. Besides, Luka is probably sick of Orodes by now.”
Eskkar could smile at that, too. Orodes might be a Master Miner and the richest man in Akkad, but he remained an unpleasant and annoying person. Eskkar clasped Shappa on the shoulder. “You and Luka have both done well. Now get your men in place. Tell them they’ll have to wait for food and water until the supply men arrive.”
Six hundred slingers weren’t going to be as effective fighters as an equal number of archers, but they would still be a force to be reckoned with. At close range, their missiles would be almost as deadly as an arrow.
Eskkar rode back to the cairn marking the center of the trail. More enemy horsemen had arrived, but they observed the steady trickle of men coming to reinforce the Akkadian cavalry. The Elamite cavalry showed little inclination to attack a mixed force of horsemen and foot soldiers.
And so the two sides, little more than half a mile apart, watched each other until almost dusk. As the shadows darkened in the Pass, Eskkar knew the likelihood of battle for the day had ended. Clearly, the Elamites wouldn’t find the prospect of charging uphill in the darkness appealing.
Before the light faded against the high cliff walls, Mitrac and the first elements of Akkadian bowmen arrived, stumbling along, bent over beneath their loads of weapons and stocks of arrows. Eskkar greeted the late arrivals, until it grew too dark for anyone to see much of anything. But by then he had most of his archers, and even a few hundred of Alexar’s infantry.
At last Eskkar turned away to get some rest, leaving Drakis and Muta to take charge of the camp, and distribute the newly arrived men. Just before Eskkar fell asleep, he had time for one satisfying thought. Without a day to spare, he’d managed to assemble his men before his enemy. Either his luck, or more likely, Trella’s planning, had held up once again.
Chapter 27
In the morning, Lord Modran and his commanders rode up to the vanguard of his army. Reports had come in until well after dark last night, so he knew he faced a sizeable force of Akkadians. But one look up the slope of the Pass, and he realized the full extent of the situation. The Akkadians had chosen a favorable place to fight, and Modran could see a thin line of enemy reinforcements continually arriving.
Better, Modran decided, to attack now in case even more Akkadians were coming. He turned to his second in command, General Martiya. “We’ll attack at once. Collect the archers and have them provide cover. Use Jedidia’s rabble to lead the charge. That way they can prove themselves to our men.”
King Shirudukh, at the very last moment, had assigned the invasion targets for each of his generals. At the same time, in a clear sign of disfavor, the King had transferred seven thousand of Jedidia’s foot and horse soldiers to Lord Modran. General Jedidia, left with only his cavalry force of six thousand men, found himself assigned to invade the countryside north of Akkad. As everyone knew, there were no cities or even large villages of significance, and nothing much worth looting.
With those simple orders, Shirudukh had weakened General Jedidia’s power, and bestowed the King’s favor on Modran. Even Grand Commander Chaiyanar had benefited, assigned the easily-plucked city of Sumer. Needless to say, Jedidia’s protests had gone unheeded.
“The northern lands are very important to us.” King Shirudukh could scarcely keep the smile from his face. “You will have other chances to distinguish yourself in the future, General Jedidia.”
The King’s soothing voice did nothing to lessen Jedidia’s humiliation, visible in his flushed face and clenched teeth.
Even now, Modran smiled at the memory of Jedidia’s repressed fury. Modran had control of Elam’s largest army, and received the most valuable target, the city of Akkad. He would come out of this campaign with unimaginable wealth and power, so much so that Jedidia would never again be a threat.
But first, Modran would have to brush aside these Akkadians seeking to delay his passage through the mountains. While General Martiya shouted orders, Modran found a rocky hillock off to the side of the column that provided a good view of the enemy, only a half mile ahead.
The early reports had mentioned a large number of cavalry, but Modran now perceived that the Akkadian front line consisted of ranks of infantry, with archers formed up behind them. Further back he could make out the horse fighters, clearly intended to be used as a reserve.
Despite Modran’s impatience to close with his adversary, it took until midmorning before the bowmen and Jedidia’s former soldiers, both contingents marching near the rear of the column, could get in position. During the delay, an impatient Modran watched the steady arrival of men that continued to swell the Akkadians’ ranks. These latest arrivals, however, seemed different. Not as many bore weapons. Indeed, most carried sacks or what looked like water skins.