Free Empire Rising by Sam Barone Page A

walked over to Nisaba’s side. “Did you hear what I said?”
    “Yes, noble.” Her hands fingered a small, leaf-shaped knife she’d taken from one of the dead. Blood streaked the dull copper blade.
    Eskkar saw the gesture. “No knives, Nisaba. And just his hands and feet, for now. Do you understand?” Working only on the man’s hands and feet helped avoid an untimely demise.
    “Yes, noble, I understand.” She looked toward the group of women, then back at Shulat. “Shulat killed Nitari’s husband in front of her and her children, then took her. And there was . . .”
    “Enough, Nisaba,” Eskkar cut her off. No doubt the man had taken every woman in the village. “Just you and two women, to start with. He is not to die, only to feel pain. Can you do that?”
    “Yes, noble.” Her hand gripped tighter on the knife she held.
    “I mean it, Nisaba. If one of your women gets carried away . . . I don’t want him to die yet. You can have your revenge after he talks. Make sure they truly understand, Nisaba.”
    He walked over to Hamati, who supervised his men as they finished staking the prisoner. They’d cut his garment off, then spread-eagled him in the dirt, with his arms and legs spread wide apart. A hammer and some wood stakes had come from the blacksmith’s stall, and the men pounded four stakes deep into the ground to anchor the ropes that secured him.
    Eskkar stood over him. “Make sure the ropes are tight, Hamati. I don’t want him moving around.” If the man could move, even a little, an acci-dental death might occur. That reminded Eskkar of something else.
    “And break his thumbs first.” Eskkar had once seen a man staked out like Shulat grab a woman’s hand and snap her wrist. There was no sense taking any chances. With the man’s thumbs broken, he couldn’t grab anything. “Keep a close watch on the women. I don’t want him to die.”
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    SAM BARONE
    “Yes, Captain,” Hamati answered patiently. He waited until his men had Shulat securely fastened, then knelt on Shulat’s right wrist, letting his knee pin the prisoner’s hand to the ground. Shulat clenched his fist tightly, but another soldier added his own weight, and together they forced apart Shulat’s hand, ignoring his curses and struggles. It took some effort, but Hamati finally grasped the man’s thumb. A quick twist, accompanied by a popping sound, and the deed was done. The pain forced a low moan from the man, even as it weakened his resistance. The other thumb went much easier.
    Eskkar looked down at Shulat. Eskkar knew his own presence would give the man a reason to resist, so he went back into the house and again climbed the ladder to the roof. Up there, a slight breeze blew and the air seemed free of the scent of blood and urine that lingered below. Mitrac turned as Eskkar arrived. “Nothing to see, Captain. Are more bandits in the hills?”
    “I don’t think so, but there’s a large force at Bisitun and I don’t know what they’re up to. I want to get back to our men as soon as possible.” He gazed out over the hills, taking his time, letting his eyes slowly traverse every point of the horizon, then moving them back and forth over the intervening landscape. Eskkar knew well how to search the land for enemies.
    Everything looked peaceful. He decided there was nothing more he could do. His twenty horsemen would arrive later tonight, and tomorrow they’d link up with Sisuthros and the rest of the soldiers.
    “Stay and watch until it’s too dark, Mitrac. Hopefully our men will return soon after.”
    Mitrac nodded, and Eskkar went down the ladder. One of Dilgarth’s women had cleaned the room and the signs of Utu’s passing had vanished.
    Reentering the square, Eskkar heard Shulat’s first cry of pain. Two women worked on his feet, each sitting on one of Shulat’s legs. The women held stones in each hand, and they had started crushing his toes by smashing the rocks together. Nisaba knelt on Shulat’s right wrist,