Clash Of Empires (The Eskkar Saga)

by Sam Barone

  Also by Sam Barone

  Dawn of Empire

  Empire Rising

  Quest For Honour

  (Published outside the United States as

  Conflict of Empires)

  Eskkar & Trella – The Beginning

  Battle For Empire

  Clash of Empires

  _____________

  Eskkar & Bracca – Rogue Warriors 1

  (Kindle singlet)

  SAM BARONE

  CLASH

  OF

  EMPIRES

  Copyright © 2013 by Sam Barone

  All rights reserved

  ISBN: 0985162665

  ISBN 13: 9780985162665

  Please feel free to contact the

  author with suggestions and comments

  www.sambarone.com

  Cast of Characters

  Eskkar Family:

  Eskkar – born a barbarian, became King of the City of Akkad

  Trella – noble born, but enslaved as a young girl, now Queen of Akkad

  Sargon – Eskkar and Trella’s son and heir

  Zakita – Eskkar and Trella’s daughter (second born)

  Melkorak – Eskkar and Trella’s son (third born)

  Tashanella – daughter of Ur Nammu clan leader Subutai and wife of Sargon

  Escander – son of Sargon, grandson of Eskkar and Trella

  Akkadians:

  Alexar – originally an archer, now in command of Akkad’s infantry

  Alcinor – son of Corio, Master Builder of Akkad. Alcinor is Akkad’s first Engineer

  Annok-sur – wife of Bantor and friend to Trella, commands all of Akkad’s agents & spies

  Bantor – former soldier, now senior commander of the city of Akkad’s defenses

  Daro – a senior commander of Akkad’s riverboat archers

  Draelin – a subcommander in Akkad’s army

  Drakis – originally an archer, now a senior commander of Akkad’s infantry

  En-hedu – wife of Tammuz, a spy in Akkad’s service

  Harnos – a Master Riverboat archer

  Hathor – Egyptian outcast, once fought against Akkad, now commander of Akkad’s cavalry

  Ismenne – Akkad’s Master Map Maker, wife of Daro

  Jahiri – Master Apprentice to Alcinor

  Markesh – A subcommander of Shappa’s slingers

  Mitrac – Master Bowman, senior commander of Akkad’s archers

  Muta – once a slave, now a senior commander, second in command of Akkad’s cavalry

  Orodes – richest man in Akkad, Master of the Gold Mine at Nuzi

  Rue-el – one of Wakannh’s subcommanders

  Sabatu – nobleman and former commander in the Elamite army, sentenced to death by torture. Rescued by Dar

  Shappa – a senior commander of Akkad’s slingers

  Steratakis – a spy in the service of Akkad

  Tammuz – husband of En-hedu, a spy in Akkad’s service

  Tooraj – commander of the mine at Nuzi

  Wakannh – Captain of the City of Akkad’s Guards

  Uvela – one of Annok-sur senior spies

  Yavtar – wealthy merchant and river trader, advisor to King Eskkar

  Zahara – an Akkadian spying for the Elamites

  Luka – second in command of Akkad’s slingers

  City of Sumer:

  King Gemama – ruler of the City of Sumer

  Jarud – Commander of Sumer’s Guard and soldiers

  City of Isin:

  King Naxos – ruler of the City of Isin

  Kuara – chief advisor to King Naxos

  Barbarian Clans – Alur Meriki and Ur Nammu

  Chief Bekka – Sarum (Leader) of Alur Meriki

  Suijan – an Alur Meriki clan leader

  Den’rack – an Alur Meriki clan leader, friend to Sargon

  Virani – an Alur Meriki clan leader

  Unegen – an Alur Meriki clan leader

  Chief Subutai – Sarum of the Ur Nammu clan, father of Tashanella

  Fashod – an Ur Nammu clan leader

  Chinua – an Ur Nammu clan leader, mentor to Sargon

  Garal – an Ur Nammu warrior, tutor and friend to Sargon

  Jennat – an Ur Nammu warrior, friend to Sargon

  Elamites:

  King Shirudukh – ruler of the Elamite Empire

  Lord Modran – the favorite general of King Shirudukh

  Grand Commander Chaiyanar – another general of King Shirudukh

  General Jedidia – another general of King Shirudukh

  General Martiya – second in command of Lord Modran’s army

  General Zathras – second in command of General Jedidia’s cavalry force

  Shesh-kala – an advisor to King Shirudukh

  Meweldi – one of King Shirudukh military advisors

  Kedor – a seagoing trader from the city of Sushan (Susa)

  Simaski – Grand Commander Chaiyanar’s cavalry commander

  Bracca / Aram-Kitchu – former Sumerian thief and companion of Eskkar, now a wealthy trader and master spy for the Elamite Empire and advisor to the King Shirudukh

  Prologue

  3129 BC, the harbor of Sushan, in the Land of Elam . . .

  Daro leaned against the single mast of the Star of Sumer, his eyes scanning the dockside crowd and the broad pathway that led from the wharf to Sushan’s river gate, a few hundred paces away. He had finished stowing the last of the trade goods and supplies at first light, and since then, the ship stood ready to begin its passage home. Now Daro struggled to conceal his impatience while Yavtar, the Star’s owner, finished his dealings with the Dock Master.

  The lazy official should have arrived at dawn, so the departing ships could get an early start on their journeys. Instead the sun had nearly cleared the horizon before the yawning Dock Master waddled to his station, unconcerned by the impatient mutterings of the three ship masters awaiting him, and all impatient to be on their way. Well before daybreak, Yavtar had claimed the head of the line, determined to get his ship out of the harbor as early as possible.

  Daro ignored the cloudless blue sky overhead, the gentle rubbing of the boat against the roped stanchion, and the pleasant gurgle of the river. He kept his eyes on Master Trader Yavtar, who had almost concluded the seemingly endless and probably unnecessary haggling with the official. A sudden movement drew Daro’s gaze back toward the city’s walls. Six harbor guards jogged through the gate, heading straight for the dock.

  Daro never hesitated. His single shout alerted Yavtar, who needed only one look to comprehend the danger. Leaving the confused Dock Master stammering in surprise, Yavtar darted across the dock, and leapt onto the Star. Not as agile as in his youth, Yavtar’s sandal snagged on the gunwale and he nearly fell into the harbor. But Daro caught the man’s arm and pulled Yavtar into the boat.

  “Cast off! Get the boat moving!” Yavtar’s booming voice left no doubt about the urgency of the moment.

  The eight crew members, already alerted to the possibility of a hurried departure, rushed into motion. Two men sprang onto the dock, cast off the fore and aft ropes that secured the Star, and then jumped nimbly back aboard. Daro and the others snatched up oars and pushed the ship away from the wharf. With Yavtar urging them on, the crew plunged their oars into the water, grunting under the effort to get the Star underway and into the Karum River.

  They managed to get ten paces of water between the ship and the wharf before the harbor guards arrived. Daro, one of the few crew members fluent in the language of Elam, heard the guard’s commander bellow an order to stop and return the ship to the dock. Neither Daro nor Yavtar had any intention of complying. Both knew what fate awaited them onshore.

/>   Fortunately, these guards had carried no bows, so they waved their swords and filled the air with curses and demands that the boat come back. Looking back toward the city’s walls, Daro saw the first of the city’s professional soldiers race into view. Six archers, alerted by the commotion, rushed toward the wharf.

  By the time the bowmen reached the water’s edge and strung their weapons, the Star had caught the river’s current and dragged itself almost out of range. A few arrows sliced into the river, but only one lucky or well-aimed shaft managed to strike the side of the boat. A moment later the ship pulled out of reach.

  As Daro watched the guards and dockside idlers milling about, he saw another troop of at least thirty soldiers pouring through the gate, all of them armed with swords and carrying bows in their hands. This latest contingent rushed onto the dock, knocking aside anyone in their path. In moments, they seized possession of the nearest ship.

  The Star of Sumer rowed out to the center of the river, where the most favorable current flowed. Meanwhile, the Elamites climbed on board their commandeered vessel, a larger craft that displayed Sushan’s pennant at its mast head. With thirty or more men on board, they slipped loose the ropes holding the vessel to the dock.

  In his twenty-eighth season, Daro had grown up around boats and sailed many a craft on the Tigris. He needed only a quick glance to know that the heavily laden ship could not catch the Star of Sumer, no matter how many oarsmen she carried. But almost as soon as the Elamite ship cleared the dock, the soldiers aboard started tossing whatever cargo the vessel carried over the side. Even before they finished heaving the trade goods overboard, Daro noticed the ship picked up speed. The chase had begun.

  What should have been an easy run downstream for the Star of Sumer to the mouth of the Karum River had turned into a desperate race. Daro observed that the ship chasing them lacked the Star’s fast lines, but the leader of the soldiers who assumed command of the vessel had shown both quickness and skill in getting his boat moving. Nor had he evinced any compunction about dumping its goods into the river, even as the ship’s owner danced along the edge of the wharf, waving his arms in a rage.

  Yavtar, at the tiller of his ship, also watched the bales and bundles splash into the river. He, too, understood what it meant. In moments the much lighter Elamite vessel, manned by a crew of well-armed men, straightened its course and now churned through the water in pursuit.

  While the Star’s narrow hull and tight construction made it the swifter vessel, the far greater number of enemy oarsmen would likely compensate for the pursuing boat’s larger size and heavier weight.

  “Damn every Elamite god!” Yavtar’s curse echoed over the water. “Daro, take three men and toss our cargo over the side. Make sure you don’t swamp the boat while you’re doing it. The rest of you bastards, row for your life!”

  While aboard the Star, Daro functioned as First Mate, and he jumped to do Yavtar’s bidding. As soon as the last of their cargo splashed into the river, Daro returned to the stern of the boat, and stared at the vessel hunting them. “Can we keep ahead of them?”

  Tight-lipped, Yavtar glanced over his shoulder. The Star, much lighter now, rode easily in the river’s current, and had opened the gap between ships to almost half a mile. “The Apikin handles like a pig. We’ll stay ahead of her for now. But they can rest half their rowers at a time. They may wear us out before we can reach the sea.”

  Once they left the Karum River and entered the Great Sea, Daro knew the Star of Sumer would show her heels to the lumbering Elamite ship. He could also see that whoever commanded her knew his business and would reach the same conclusion. With the Apikin’s cargo gone, there was plenty of room for oarsmen, and Daro counted eight men on each side. Sixteen rowers against the eight men the Star possessed, and the Apikin probably contained another full bank of oarsmen ready to relieve the first batch.

  “We can’t be taken alive.” Daro glanced down at the near-lifeless body at Yavtar’s feet, the man responsible for the vigorous pursuit by the soldiers on board the Apikin. The Star’s single passenger remained sprawled on the bottom of the craft, unconscious, asleep, or maybe dying. Last night, Daro had saved Sabatu’s life, rescuing him from the Elamite prison the night before Sabatu’s scheduled execution.

  Dark bruises covered Sabatu’s battered body, interspersed with the bright red marks from the lash. Blood still oozed from some of the open sores. His torturers had broken both his thumbs, and the man’s right eye could scarcely be seen, a small slit in a swollen and inflamed face.

  Sabatu’s ordeal extended far beyond his battered body. The six days of public torment in Sushan’s marketplace had included forcing him to watch as the members of his family were brutalized before his eyes, one each day, before being put to death. Wife, sister, brother, and his three young children, all had suffered greatly before dying.

  Daro had seen men whipped to death before. Vicious criminals, murderers, and even bandits might face such a punishment for a heinous crime. But Daro had never seen anyone’s family persecuted and tortured to death for the crimes of another. By the time the last of Sabatu’s kin had succumbed, his weakened body and mind had endured so much that Daro worried Sabatu might not survive a rescue followed by a long journey.

  Nevertheless, the potential benefit to King Eskkar and Lady Trella had convinced Daro to attempt the rescue. Yavtar’s trading voyage, the goods he’d sold in Sushan, even the Star of Sumer mattered little. He and Daro had undertaken the difficult and dangerous passage primarily to gather information about the Elamite Empire and their plans to invade the Land Between the Rivers.

  Passing through Sushan’s crowded market, Daro had paused to watch the public torture. But as soon as he learned the identity of the victim, he realized the opportunity. What better way, Daro reasoned, to learn about the Elamite army than by spiriting out one of its high-ranking commanders. Such a man would undoubtedly know everything about Elam’s generals, their weapons and tactics, even their personal strengths and weaknesses.

  And so Daro had risked his own life to slip into the prison barracks in the middle of the night and carry Sabatu from Sushan’s torture room. The Elamite ruler would be furious at Sabatu’s escape, not to mention the two guards Daro had killed in the process. Grand Commander Chaiyanar, the satrap of Sushan, might not have figured out exactly what had happened, but he’d ordered the harbor sealed, lest his missing prisoner attempt to escape by ship.

  Yavtar frowned at the helpless man. “I hope he’s worth it. I warned you this might happen.”

  Daro shrugged. A soldier first and last, he seldom worried about the cause of any dilemma. What was done was done. “Anything you want me to do?”

  “Just row, damn you.”

  Daro nodded, and picked up an oar. The race had indeed started. He added his strength to those of the crew. For this voyage, Yavtar had selected his best men from his crews of rowers in Sumer, the home port of the Star, and now those choices would prove their worth. Every man straining at his oar knew what was at stake. If the Elamites captured the Star, Yavtar and Daro would be tortured to death, but the fate of the crew would be little better. They would be turned into slaves, then lashed and worked until they dropped dead.

  With no choice except to flee, the men needed little urging to do their utmost. Reach, pull, withdraw, and reach again. The oars dipped rhythmically into the river, propelling the graceful ship through the water.

  The long chase continued. By midmorning, a favorable wind blew down the river, and allowed Yavtar to rest his men. The ship hunting them had a sail as well, but whatever boatmen remained onboard lacked Yavtar’s skill. The Elamite ship yawed from time to time, wasting both the wind and its rowers’ best efforts.

  Even so, the Elamites’ greater number of oarsmen nearly made up for the squat lines and clumsy attributes of the Apikin. The brute strength of her rowers kept the race close. Now only Yavtar’s proficiency with his ship prevented the Elamites from closing the distance and getting near enough
to launch their arrows. One or two wounded men, and the Star would be overtaken.

  Not that they hadn’t tried. Twice they had loosed volleys at the Star of Sumer, but each time the enemy shafts had plunged into the Star’s wake, and no shaft reached within fifty paces.

  The wind held steady for most of the day, but whenever it slackened or died down, every man went back to the oars, driving the boat downriver as fast as they could. Despite the Star’s utmost travail, the pursuing ship clung stubbornly to their stern, sometimes closing to within a quarter of a mile. What the trailing ship lacked in speed and grace, it more than made up with the extra number of its soldiers, determined to drive the Apikin through the water until they could catch the Star.

  The long day dragged on, as Yavtar’s exhausted men sweated and rowed, too tired even to swear at their situation.

  The sun finally neared the western horizon. “Pull, damn you, pull!” Yavtar, standing at the tiller shouted. “We’re almost at the sea. We’ll be safe in deep water.”

  This late in the afternoon, the swift passage down the river had extracted a high price from every man. Daro ignored the pain in his arms, across his chest and shoulders, and down his back. The hands that wielded the oar ran with blood, and the raw scrapes on his knees added to his misery.

  A sharp wind blew across Daro’s face as he dragged his oar through the choppy water, but even the cool breeze off the Great Sea failed to dry the sweat from his brow. All the men rowing the Star of Sumer had labored to exhaustion, fighting wind and water that sought to roll over the lightly-laden ship. Despite the danger, Daro didn’t worry about drowning, nor did his crewmates. The ship pursuing them promised far greater pain than a quick death beneath the waves. The Star’s oarsmen would row until they collapsed.

  Daro glanced around at the other members of the crew. Each man endured, working as hard as he could. Still, Daro knew the ship’s crew couldn’t keep up this pace much longer. But Yavtar knew his trade, so he must have some plan ready to shake the Elamites.