“Our men are ready, Lord Modran.” Martiya pulled his horse to halt beside his general.
Modran, his eyes fixed up the slope, decided to change his tactics. “Hold the cavalry ready. Order the rest of the men to follow behind Jedidia’s infantry. When we attack, I want all our men brought into play. We’ll crush these Akkadians with the first charge.”
Martiya glanced up at the Akkadians. Obviously he, too, had seen the battle line taking shape and growing in numbers. “Yes, Lord Modran. Better to take our losses and break through their ranks as quickly as we can.”
This second delay didn’t take as long, as Modran’s men had readied themselves for battle, and by now every man knew his station. At last Martiya waved his sword in readiness.
Lord Modran took one last look up the slope, and gave the order. “Begin the attack!”
As Eskkar watched the Elamites massing below, more Akkadians continued to arrive. In groups of ten or twenty, archers and spearmen swelled the ranks. The final march into the Dellen Pass had sapped their strength, but every man had gotten a good night’s rest.
All of them felt grateful that the long march from Akkad had finally ended. Directed to their positions by Alexar’s impatient subcommanders, the infantry and bowmen shuffled into their places. By now, Eskkar knew, his men would prefer a tough fight rather than any more hard marching over the rough and hilly ground.
After the last of the infantry arrived, Alexar and Drakis had formed up their men in four ranks of four hundred men each. That presented a solid front that stretched the width of the Pass. Every spearman, in addition to his spear, wore a short sword at his waist.
Each man carried a large, but surprisingly lightweight shield just thick enough to stop an arrow or deflect a sword. A leather vest covered his chest and a bronze helmet protected his head. Thick leather gauntlets covered each wrist and forearm. Sturdy sandals, laced up high on each calf, provided firm footing.
Every Akkadian possessed not only a dependable weapon, but also the finest clothing and leather armor. Trella’s supply clerks had done their job well. They had outfitted sixty-four hundred men for battle, and at the same time ensured that each soldier had enough food and water to last at least ten to fifteen days.
Nor had all those supplies burdened the men. More than a thousand porters and livery men, volunteers from Akkad and its neighboring villages, had delivered those supplies, gathered from the many storage depots along the way.
About a quarter of the infantry, usually the strongest men, carried spears nearly three paces long. The rest carried weapons about half a pace shorter. Every spear was tipped with a bronze point, its slim, leaf-shaped blade riveted to the shaft. All the weapons had a long strip of leather wrapped tight around the grip, to make certain the wood didn’t slide through the man’s hand on impact.
Twenty paces behind the infantry, Mitrac had assembled his sixteen hundred archers, also in four ranks. They wore leather vests and caps, as well as a leather guard on their left arm. On their right hip, a short sword hung from every belt. Each man wore a quiver of fifteen arrows on his left hip, and another slung over his shoulder. Between each pair of bowmen rested a linen sack containing an additional fifty arrows, carried to the battle site by Trella’s porters.
Twenty paces behind the archers stood twelve hundred dismounted cavalry, also arranged in four ranks. They carried the shorter horseman’s bow that lacked the range of Mitrac’s archers. But at close range, up to sixty paces or so, the weapons were just as deadly. The rest of the cavalry tended the horses and kept themselves ready as the reserve, with each man holding fast his own mount plus three others.
Eskkar, sitting on his second-best horse just behind the archers, watched his spearmen ready themselves for the coming attack. Years of training, intensified over the last two years, had turned these men into the fiercest foot soldiers in the Land Between the Rivers. He had no doubt they would soon demonstrate their fighting skills to the Elamites. In the Battle of Isin, the Akkadian infantry had torn apart their far more numerous adversaries.
For his personal guard, Eskkar had ten Hawk Clan fighters protecting his front, and another ten, mostly archers, protecting his back. The remaining Hawk Clan soldiers had taken positions with Alexar and Drakis. The rest of Eskkar’s command staff consisted of ten messengers, two drummers, and two clerks. The task of the scribes was to keep track of the enemy’s forces, and the Akkadian dead and wounded.
The rising slope gave each of the Akkadian contingents a clear and unobstructed view of any approaching enemy. From their elevated position, each bowman’s shaft would fly at least twenty or thirty paces farther than the enemy, who would be shooting uphill.
Both the men and the plan were in place. The time for doubt and worry had passed. The strength and skill of Eskkar’s men, with the help of the battle gods, would decide Akkad’s fate.
A commotion down the trail began, and Eskkar saw the Elamite bowmen, at least three thousand strong, moving forward, with a dense mass of horsemen behind them. The moment for the assault had finally arrived.
“Make ready!” Alexar’s voice boomed against the cliff walls.
Eskkar ignored the shifting ranks and cursing men all around him. His soldiers moved with purpose, forming and adjusting the battle lines, and readying their weapons. Each man inspected his companion’s gear as well, looking for anything out of place or overlooked. Eskkar kept his eyes on the Elamites as they moved into position. Alexar and Drakis, helped by their subcommanders, checked and rechecked the infantry lines, confirming that each man knew how to place their shield for the coming arrow storm.
Mitrac’s archers flexed their bows, inspected bowstrings, and made sure the spare arrows stood close at hand. His subcommanders readied the archers, making certain they formed even lines with enough room between each man so that he could work his bow without interference.
Muta, standing with the cavalry, had one of the most critical assignments. His task was to reinforce any weakness that developed in the lines, and if it appeared that the enemy might break through, to deliver a counterattack with his horsemen.
Despite the activity, Eskkar had little to do with the preparations. For months, the men had trained to form similar battle lines, all without knowing the true reason for the odd formations. Now, within the narrow width of the Pass, that training reassured the men. Eskkar felt confident that the infantry understood both their role and how they were to fight.
With a loud shout that echoed up the Pass, the enemy archers started forward. Eskkar dismounted and handed the horse’s halter to one of his guards. Surrounded by thousands of soldiers on foot, any man riding a horse would be targeted. Eskkar had already donned his bronze chest plate and helmet, and he wore the same cloak he’d worn when he met with the Alur Meriki.
While not needed, it identified the leader of the Akkadians to his men, and he wanted to be sure that today of all days he was recognized. If the enemy also picked him out, so be it. Eskkar would not try to hide from their arrows.
Eskkar carried his round bronze shield, and his short sword, better for close-in fighting. His long sword waited with A-tuku, should he need to fight from horseback.
Looking down the slope at the mass of men surging forward, he nodded in grudging approval. The enemy had not wasted either time or men in a probing attack. Instead, Modran was hurling his entire force, or as much of it as he could bring to bear in the confines of the Pass, as soon as he could get them into formation.
Even so, Modran had made his first mistake. The presence of so many horsemen near the front ranks showed that he intended to attack with his cavalry. They paced their horses up the slope behind the mass of archers, and would charge after the Elamite bowmen weakened Akkad’s battle lines and cleared the way.