Empire Rising es-2

by Sam Barone

  In a few days, much of the rank odor disappeared from the outside of the alehouse. At the same time, with Kuri’s assistance, she cut a small hole through the ceiling of the public room, giving the stale air and cooking smoke a chance to escape, a good trade-off for the occasional rain that would find its way inside. For another copper coin, two barrows loaded with clean sand arrived. Tammuz watched as En-hedu efficiently spread the contents over the dirt floor. That helped keep the bugs and insects under control.

  With these and other improvements En-hedu suggested, the establishment took on a somewhat more reputable appearance. The number of customers increased as well, which not only helped profits increase, but provided more of a cover for the half-dozen or more thieves who habitu-ated the place. Since Tammuz kept his ale prices low, his clientele soon increased, and most of the patrons knew each other. That kept the fights to a minimum, and Kuri had fewer problems keeping order.

  En-hedu wanted to do more, but Tammuz, a smile on his face, told her to stop, before the place began to look too good for its customers. That made her laugh, and without thinking he took her in his arms. For a brief moment, she looked happy and alive. Then she stiffened, and he knew thoughts of her former master still troubled her.

  Nevertheless he couldn’t stop from kissing her. Her mouth felt warm and soft, and she didn’t resist. Nor did she kiss him back. He knew she wasn’t ready, not yet. The fear remained in her eyes, so he let her go. To his surprise, she hugged him for a moment before turning back to her work.

  Her touch gave him a feeling of contentment that lasted the rest of the afternoon.

  The days went by, and if his nights still lacked the pleasure of the gods, he refused to allow the shortcoming to bother him. Be patient, he said to himself, though now he whispered it with a smile on his lips.

  Best of all, the purpose lacking in his life returned. Since he’d crippled his arm, he’d held little hope for the future. Though he’d undertaken the assignment at the alehouse, he’d done so more to please Eskkar and Lady Trella than out of any conviction he would ever accomplish anything of importance. Now he saw how he could make a difference, how what he did today, and would do in the future, could help protect the vision Eskkar and Trella wished for Akkad.

  Watching En-hedu day after day, he began to comprehend the mysterious ways of women. And the more he learned, the more he understood how Eskkar commanded Trella’s affections. The tiny hint of jealousy he’d always felt for Akkad’s ruler disappeared with that new knowledge.

  With the alehouse in good hands and running smoothly, Tammuz spent several hours a day shadowing the inn where Korthac stayed, or the river where he traded his gemstones. One morning, after Korthac departed for his business at the docks, Tammuz tried to enter the inn, ostensibly to buy food, but the Egyptian guarding the door stopped him with a hand on his chest. Before Tammuz could even plead his case, the inn’s owner, standing behind the guard, called out for Tammuz to leave, informing him that, at present, the inn served only Korthac and his men.

  Frustrated, Tammuz decided to risk another, more direct, approach.

  One of his customers, Sargat, a young man only a season or two older than Tammuz, made his living by thieving at night. Agile and strong, Sargat could hang by his fingertips and pull himself up and over any roof in Akkad. As quiet as a mouse, he could see in the dark better than most. Sargat had slipped into many a house without waking its inhabitants, collected what he could, and left as silently as he entered.

  In order to entice Sargat, Tammuz invented a story about a trader who competed with Korthac, sought information about the secretive Egyptian, and would pay well for anything Sargat could learn.

  “If you can discover anything, see anything, fi nd out what their plans are, or even what these Egyptians are doing, this man will pay well for the information.” As Tammuz finished, he slid a silver coin across the table to Sargat. “And if you happen to pick up any of his goods, my patron will be glad to buy them from you.”

  Sargat reached for the silver, but Tammuz put his hand over the coin.

  “Not until you return. And you’ll have to be careful. Korthac has guards everywhere, and they look as if they’d do more than just break a few bones if they catch you.”

  The thief nodded in understanding; he’d seen Korthac’s men in the lanes.

  A little after midnight that night, while Tammuz waited at the far end of the lane, Sargat took to the roofs and made his way toward the inn, vanishing into the darkness. Tammuz squatted down to wait. The better part of an hour passed without a sound. Suddenly he heard voices, then something falling with a crash, but all too muted to wake anyone sleeping nearby. Nevertheless, he knew something had gone awry.

  Tammuz pushed himself to his feet, cursing at whatever unknown problem had occurred, and anxiously scanned the rooftops. A shadow blocked the moonlight for an instant, and Tammuz caught a glimpse of a dark shape running along the rooftop.

  By now a light burned in the inn, and Tammuz heard the door bang open. His heart began beating faster, and he took off down the lane, running as fast as he could and trying to make as little noise as possible. When he felt sure he wasn’t being followed, he slipped through the streets and back to the alehouse. Kuri waited there, the door unbarred. Sargat was already inside, his breathing still audible as he tried to catch his breath.

  Tammuz led the thief into his private room, while En-hedu watched the lane and Kuri guarded the door. The two men sat in the darkness.

  “What happened?” Tammuz kept his voice to a whisper. “Did you learn anything?”

  “I almost got killed. They were up in a moment, looking…”

  Tammuz heard the fear in the young man’s voice. “Tell me what happened. You were gone long enough.”

  Sargat took a deep breath. Tammuz poured the thief a cup of ale, then watched as Sargat gulped it down without pausing. The strong brew calmed him, and he took a few more breaths before going on.

  “I got inside. One of Korthac’s men was on guard below, watching the roof hole. But he looked ready to doze off, so I waited until his head began to nod, and I slipped past him.”

  Tammuz hadn’t expected anyone to be guarding the roof. The fl imsy wood and vine rooftops creaked and swayed with every movement, and made plenty of noise. Only someone with a slight figure, like Sargat, who knew how to move silently and with patience, could traverse the delicate rafters without waking those below. Tammuz puzzled over why Korthac would place a guard over the roof ’s entrance, since only an exceptional thief could gain entrance that way. “You could have been caught. You weren’t supposed to…”

  “I know,” Sargat went on, “but he was breathing like a sleeper, so I felt sure I could get past. Besides, there was nothing to see from the roof, just a room full of sleeping men all snoring away. But when I climbed down the ladder, I saw two more men guarding the door, and another standing before one of the private rooms.”

  Tammuz felt a tingle go through him. Four guards, on watch during the night. He’d never heard of such a thing. No merchant, no noble kept that many men awake during darkness.

  “Then what happened?”

  “Nothing. With three or four men on guard, I decided to get out. I started back up the ladder, but the wood creaked, and the guard jumped, you know, the way you do when you wake suddenly. I scrambled up the ladder. Then I heard a crash. The guard swung his sword and nearly got my leg. He came up the ladder after me in an instant, and I ran. I heard him stumbling behind me, but I took to the ledges.”

  Tammuz knew the rest. Sargat could outrun anyone across a rooftop.

  “You’re lucky you weren’t caught. I told you not to take any chances.”

  “What about my coin? Will you still pay me the silver?”

  “Yes, you’ve earned it. Maybe even more. Stay here, I’ll…”

  En-hedu slipped into the room. “Keep silent,” she whispered. “There are men with swords in the lane, looking about. Stay here and don’t move about.” Sh
e went back into the common room.

  Tammuz felt his heart pounding in his chest. How had they tracked him here? Could he have been followed? He heard Sargat’s rapid breathing and reached out and gripped the thief ’s arm. “Stay still, and don’t make a sound,” he ordered.

  They sat like that, not moving, not making a sound, until En-hedu returned. “They’ve gone. They’re checking all the houses on the street, putting their ears to the doors, listening. Thank the gods your customers are still snoring their ale away.”

  So Korthac’s guards hadn’t followed him, Tammuz realized. They’d just headed to the places most likely to be frequented by thieves. They weren’t listening for sounds, but for the absence of sounds. If they found a place without the little murmurs of slumber, they would have forced their way in. He wondered who gave them the idea, then answered the thought himself. Korthac. Only he would have the cunning to think of such things.

  Something else occurred to him. “Sargat, you’re not cut or anything, are you?” Tammuz, still worried about anyone overhearing, kept his voice to a whisper.

  “No, the sword missed by a handbreadth, thank the lazy god who watches over thieves. Though my tunic got torn, and…”

  “Show me,” En-hedu ordered, startling both men.

  Sargat fingered his shoulder. “It caught when the ladder slipped, probably on some splinter or a nail. I heard it rip.”

  “Don’t leave the alehouse,” En-hedu said. “Tomorrow I’ll get you a new tunic.”

  “Why, what’s the matter?” Sargat asked.

  Tammuz took a moment to catch up with his slave. “They’ll be walking the lanes tomorrow, looking for someone with a torn sleeve. If they saw that… you’ll stay inside the alehouse for a few days. If any of the Egyptians come wandering in here, they’ll find nothing.”

  “There’s nothing else to do tonight,” En-hedu said. “Kuri, Sargat, get some sleep.”

  Sargat emptied another cup of ale before he left, going into the common room to try and sleep. Tammuz checked the outer door before returning to his chamber, fastening the inner door, and climbing into bed.

  En-hedu moved against him, so she could whisper in his ear. “If they’d caught him, they would have beat your name out of him,” she said. “I don’t think you should risk anything like that again. Korthac is leaving the inn soon. I’ll watch his new house as we planned. It will be safer than trying to break in.”

  Tammuz knew she never liked the idea of sending in Sargat, but she didn’t remind him. “You’re right,” he admitted. “If Sargat had been captured and put to the torture, it would have been bad. Damn the gods! I just wanted to find out something about Korthac for Trella, something useful.”

  “You just did. You learned how alert his men are, and how well he guards his secrets. Lady Trella will want to know that, before she makes the same mistake. Now go to sleep.”

  He felt her thigh brush against his, and suddenly Korthac and Trella were forgotten. The urge to take her, mount her right now, surged over him, and he had to struggle to keep control. Be patient. He had to say the words to himself a dozen times before he finally drifted off to a restless and uneven sleep.

  For En-hedu, the days with Tammuz seemed like a dream, a happy dream she hoped would never end. Her brief stay at Lady Trella’s house had mended her body, but she knew her soul still needed more time to recover. Her years as a slave had nearly ruined her mind, but Lady Trella had assured her that, in time, her spirit would heal.

  The experience of living with Trella, Annok-sur, and other strong women in Lord Eskkar’s house showed En-hedu that she could make a difference, that her life wasn’t entirely under the control of others. In Lady Trella’s household, En-hedu saw that even slaves could be treated well, respected for their talents, and rewarded for their service. For the first time in her life, En-hedu began to appreciate the many unique and special talents a strong woman could possess, and how they might be used.

  She also came to understand some of Trella’s reasons for rescuing her. Pity had little to do with it; Trella wanted allies, those who could help her keep control of Akkad. She offered En-hedu the opportunity to shape her own destiny, if she could grasp it. En-hedu determined to make the most of this chance at a new life.

  Her childhood had consisted of hard labor on her parents’ farm, and the brutal existence she’d endured the last three seasons now helped her more than she realized. Physically strong, she could labor long hours without tiring. En-hedu soon comprehended the simple business of running an alehouse, far less complicated than the craft of tanning leather. After the first day, she took over almost all of Kuri’s duties, leaving him free to assist Tammuz as needed.

  Her new master helped her more than he knew. Even as he gave her the time she needed to heal, he offered something else, a life she could share as an equal partner. With each day, En-hedu grew more accepting of both him and the life Trella had restored to her.

  Tammuz had almost no possessions, much less than her former master, and En-hedu owned nothing but the dress she wore each day. But he had something more valuable than goods to give her: the trust of Lady Trella. If the ruler of Akkad considered Tammuz a friend and a valuable ally, then En-hedu would devote her days to helping him, and, indirectly, Lady Trella. That common purpose helped bind them to one another.

  And Tammuz listened to her. That gave En-hedu more pleasure than anything she’d known in her life. No man or woman had ever asked her advice or cared about her thoughts. Sharing her confidences with him benefited them both, and she saw that Tammuz felt much the same. One night he confided to her that, for the first time in his life, he felt happy.

  For En-hedu, the discovery that someone cared for her, really cared, awakened feelings she’d never experienced. Tammuz filled her thoughts, as she knew she filled his. Slowly, almost reluctantly, she began to think about giving herself to him, to give him the one pleasure he lacked.

  To her surprise, the thought seemed less repugnant than she’d expected. Now that her body had healed, she began to think more often about submitting to him, though she still had misgivings. Still, En-hedu worried that Tammuz might not be satisfied with her, that afterward he would turn from her, like her former master. She sought to banish such thoughts, but they returned, seemingly strongest the closer Tammuz and she were drawn to each other.

  Nevertheless, they shared a common purpose that drew them together. As the days passed, master and slave worked equally in their effort to unravel the mystery that was Korthac. They both wished to please Lady Trella, and for much the same reason. En-hedu out of gratitude for saving her life, and Tammuz for giving his life purpose.

  Their first day together, En-hedu and Tammuz talked for hours about Korthac. When they finished, they had a plan, and the next day they began the preparations necessary to set it in motion.

  Taking advantage of En-hedu’s experience in the tannery, Tammuz approached an older woman, Ninbanda, whose husband had died a few weeks earlier. He, too, had worked with leather, cutting, trimming, and shaping the cured hide into finished goods that Ninbanda sold in the market. But with his death, his duties had passed to his brother, who could do little to help his brother’s widow. He gave her some work and a place to live, and allowed her to sell some of the poorer quality goods that came through the tannery, but she often didn’t earn enough to offset the hardship to her family.

  The woman quickly accepted Tammuz’s offer to share in the selling of additional goods that Tammuz would provide. Ninbanda also agreed to his one condition: that she and En-hedu sell their wares not in the market, but in a particular lane and at a specific location. Tammuz, of course, didn’t mention that this was where Korthac decided to dwell.

  Ten days after En-hedu came to the alehouse, Tammuz received word that Korthac had finally settled on a new house. The largest houses in the better parts of Akkad remained occupied, and no amount of gold could entice their occupants to leave, to Korthac’s obvious annoyance. He eventually had to compromi
se on his new dwelling: the Egyptian’s new residence actually consisted of one large house, flanked by two smaller ones. Unfortunately for Korthac, the large central house remained occupied by its former owners, who delayed their departure an extra week or so, thereby preventing Korthac from taking possession.

  Moving quickly, Tammuz established Ninbanda and En-hedu as sellers of goods, in the lane outside Korthac’s residences. A few days later, when Korthac finally took possession, En-hedu had already established herself and her wares as if she’d been selling there all her life.

  Each morning En-hedu rose before dawn, gathered the day’s wares, and went to her post, just a few paces down the lane from Korthac’s new houses. Corio, Akkad’s master artisan, had offered to build a new home for Korthac, as grand as he wanted, but the Egyptian decided to wait for that, and settled for the three joined houses. He split his men between the two smaller structures, and lived in the main house with just a few servants and guards.

  En-hedu and her business partner, Ninbanda, pushed their cart into the lane at dawn, then sat behind it all day, pitching their wares to all those who passed by. Sandals, leather strips for binding, belts, pouches, scabbards for knives and swords, wrist guards, and even some leather rings, necklaces, and bracelets were offered for sale. Mixed in with the goods were the occasional items stolen by Tammuz’s customers, so the business actually helped her master recover some of his expenses.

  With two women working the cart, the business thrived, especially since En-hedu took but a tiny part of the profits. The selling took little effort, leaving her plenty of time to chat with Ninbanda and those who lived in the lane. En-hedu soon became familiar with Korthac’s men, even learning their names. After a few days she called out to them when they passed by, offering her wares, urging them to look and to buy.