Free Empire Rising by Sam Barone

have been easy to take control of Bisitun, already devastated by the Alur Meriki’s passage.
    Once in power, Ninazu’s force would grow steadily each day, as more and more desperate men joined him, either out of a desire for loot or simply as a way to get something to eat. Again Eskkar silently cursed the barbarians and their passage. Whatever they touched, they left in chaos. He had expected to find problems in and around Bisitun, but not a village full of fighting men who surpassed him in numbers.
    Eskkar had more questions, but Utu’s mind wandered now, his voice weak as he struggled to breathe. The vague answers came slower and slower. Blood seeped into the dirt underneath the man. Utu’s face looked even whiter than before and now a bluish tinge showed on his lips. Finally the only word Eskkar could get out of him was “wine.”
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    Hamati, still holding the wineskin, looked at Eskkar, who noted the nearly empty wineskin and shook his head. “No, we may need the wine for the other one. Give him water. He won’t know the difference.”
    Eskkar stood up, picked up his stool, and walked back outside. The sun still shone bright in the late afternoon sky, and he had to shade his eyes when he left the house.
    The square bustled with activity. Drakis, one of Hamati’s men, sat on the ground next to the prisoner, to make sure he stayed alive and to keep him quiet. Before Eskkar could speak, Drakis began. “I’ve posted a guard by the main entrance, Captain, and Mitrac keeps watch from the roof,”
    indicating the house Eskkar had just left. “The bodies are being loaded on a cart and will be dumped in the river. The rest of the men are helping the women butcher the dead horses or gather firewood. We’ll have plenty of meat for the next few days.”
    As Eskkar watched, two soldiers lifted the last naked body and tossed it onto the cart. They’d already stripped the dead of whatever clothing and valuables they possessed. He moved farther away from the house and looked up to the roof.
    “Mitrac!” he called out. “Do you see anything?”
    The young archer stepped into view. “Nothing, Captain. The fields are empty. Not even any travelers on the road.”
    It would be too late in the day for the few travelers brave enough to venture forth. “Good. Keep a sharp watch, Mitrac,” Eskkar said. He walked back to the shade of the tree, put down the stool and sat, his feet almost touching Shulat’s body.
    “Well, Shulat, are you getting thirsty yet?” The man had a fresh bruise on his face, no doubt a reminder from Drakis to keep silent. “It’s time for us to talk about your brother.”
    “I’ll tell you nothing, Eskkar. I’m not afraid to die.”
    “As I told Utu, your death is certain. Only how you die is to be decided.”
    Hamati came out of the house, carrying the wineskin in his hand, and stood next to Eskkar. “The other one is dead, Captain.”
    “You see, Shulat, your man, Utu, is dead,” Eskkar said. “At least he died full of wine, to ease his pain. Are you going to tell me about your brother?”
    “I’ll be avenged when my brother takes your head.” Shulat spat the words at him as a curse. “He likes to kill soft farmers and tradesmen.”
    Eskkar smiled at the man’s words but detected the first hint of fear Empire Rising
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    behind the bravado. “I’m a barbarian myself, Shulat. And my soft villagers took your men easily enough. So don’t be so sure of your revenge.” Eskkar turned to his second in command. “Hamati, this man needs to change his ways. Stake him out here in the square. We’ll let the women have some time with him.”
    Looking up, Eskkar saw Nisaba standing in the shadows, watching him. Her women had already stripped Utu’s corpse. Now the loaded cart stood there, awaiting only Shulat’s body. Nearby, the rest of the women, eager for the taste of meat, moved about a little faster and worked swiftly to build cooking fires for the butchered horses. Eskkar