Free Quest for Honour by Sam Barone Page B

walking into a trap.”
    “Impossible,” Mattaki said. “The Sumerians are at least twenty, maybe twenty-five miles behind.”
    “Not any more. If Eridu marched north yesterday, even his ragged band of cut-throats would have covered at least ten miles. If Eskkar’s men can cover twelve or fifteen miles during the night, they can meet Eridu at daybreak.”
    Mattaki looked dubious. “Could foot soldiers travel that far in the dark? There wasn’t much of a moon last night.”
    Razrek wanted to believe they couldn’t. He knew Eridu’s men couldn’t manage such a thing, but Eskkar’s soldiers . . .
    “Marduk’s bones, these Akkadians might.” Razrek spat on the ground in anger. “Eridu had better hope to the gods Eskkar’s men can’t reach his Sumerians before dawn. If he doesn’t have a strong guard posted, the fool might wake up with an arrow in his belly.”
    “Eridu’s men outnumber the Akkadians by at least three to one, more if their cavalry won’t be there.”
    “Numbers won’t matter to Eskkar. Even if he can’t destroy Eridu’s soldiers, he’ll maul them so bad they’ll be ready to run home.” Razrek looked up at the sky. By now Eskkar’s archers might be closing on Eridu’s men. “Get the men mounted, all of them. Call in the scouts. We’ll have to ride hard to save whatever’s left of Eridu’s soldiers. I just hope they can hold out until we arrive.”
    “Which route will we take, to the east or west?”
    “The shortest, which means we’ll have to follow the path the Akkadians took.”
    “We’re going to chase them? Are you mad? They’ll expect us tofollow, they’ll set up an ambush for sure. We should swing around them, take a different route.”
    “No time. We’ll have to take the chance.” Razrek shook his head in anger. “Besides, it’s the Sumerians Eskkar wants to smash, not us. By now he’s figured out who his real enemy is. If Eskkar leaves a strong enough force behind to ambush us, he won’t have enough to break Eridu’s forces. We only have to get to Eridu before he’s overrun, and that means we’ll need to take the shortest path.”
    “You’re going to get us all killed.”
    “No, at the first sign of an ambush, we’ll just pull back, swing around them. If their cavalry tries to follow, we’ll finish them off. Now get moving.”
    Mattaki took only moments to get the men ready to ride. Razrek waited, frowning at every delay. He felt his own doubts rising. Suddenly, he was dependent on Eridu’s men holding their ground, and he felt certain Eskkar wouldn’t gamble his forces like this if he weren’t confident of winning. Or would he? King Eskkar believed in luck, that much was certain. Still, even the Akkadian might not be able to cover all that distance during the night. He might be counting on engaging whatever force he encountered before Razrek could arrive.
    “Damn all the demons to the fires.” Razrek swung onto his horse. “Let’s ride!”
    M itrac figured he had more than enough time to prepare his position. Even if the Sumerian horsemen began their pursuit at first light, the sun would be nearly halfway to its zenith before they reached this valley. In fact, they might not even come at all, if they took another route to reach the enemy’s camp ground. That would be the best solution, Mitrac knew, because it would delay the horsemen even more, and he wouldn’t have to risk his men. Nevertheless, he hoped the enemy would take the most direct route. If the Sumerian horsemen followed Hathor’s trail, then they would have to ride past Mitrac and his archers.
    Eskkar and Mitrac had marked this position yesterday, on the march north. They’d been searching for a place where a few archers might hold off Eridu’s cavalry. This gentle valley seemed a perfect place for the archers. The dale’s walls were not particularly high or steep, but the slopewas long and would be tiring for any horse and rider. At the valley’s center, the walls pinched in,