“Why is she just standing there?” Saras asked.

“No... idea,” the tall guard said slowly. “But that guy seems to be waiting for her.”

The Epi-Khmet warrior - Emareth- was indeed watching the young girl patiently, ignoring the people on the wall completely.

They did not hear her, Belili realized. Her mouth never opened but I am sure it was the girl.

‘What do you want?’ another voice asked. ‘This is my domain and has been for a long time.’ It was a man’s voice. A voice Belili had heard before.

Where does it come from? She thought, looking around. It sounded close by. Almost as if the speaker was standing up here with us.

None of the people around her gave any indication that they had heard anything. Most eyes moved back and forth between the gruesome pile of heads and the Epi-khmet who still hadn’t given their answer to the elders’ request for time.

‘I am not here for your domain, Urk,’ the girls said.

‘Then why are you hiding behind that magic veil of yours?’ Urk asked. ‘Is it not so I would not discover you, sneaking around in my lands?’

The girl tilted her head. ‘I am not wearing this for you. And are these lands not all part of Inashtar’s wider domain? I can see one of her temples over there in the middle of your town.’

‘Inashtar and I have no quarrels,’ Urk said testily. ‘She has her own place over there in the north-east. You should be a bit more respectful. Your band of mortals is drinking from my wells.’

‘I am allied with the Ka,’ the girl said calmly. ‘The mortals belong to them. Have you heard of the Ka, Urk?’

There was a moment of silence before Urk responded. ‘...I have.’

‘That is good. Then I do not need to explain. There is a man in your town that stole from me - from the Ka. We will take him. He is not one of yours, so you do not have to concern yourself with this.’

‘This is my city,’ Urk said. ‘These people are my servants.’

‘We care about neither,’ the girl said, turning around and getting back on the chariot. ‘Do not interfere with us and your temple will stay untouched. The mortals will grow back. They always do.’

This time Urk stayed silent.

“Tomorrow morning,” Emareth called up to the wall before hurrying after the girl. The moment he jumped on the back of the platform the charioteer snapped the reins.

For a while, everybody stared after the dust cloud heading south-west.

It was Harbis who snapped out of it first. “Dagan!”

The tall man turned his head. “Hm?”

“Send everybody back to their post. And send somebody down there to collect the heads. Have them turned over to the families.”

His orders woke up the people around him and men started moving. Two dozen individual conversations started all around Belili as the men discussed what they had just witnessed. The crowd, who had anxiously waited below the gate, began to call up questions to the elders.

“Come,” Belili said, tapping Saras on the arm. She wanted to stay close to Gulan and Ibilsin who were climbing down a letter to address the crowd.

“Will they attack?” somebody from the back asked.

“My cousin lives on a farm in the north. Will the bandits go there, too?”

More questions were called until Ibilsin raised both arms. “Listen to me! Groups of bandits have gathered out there and they are attacking the farms. We have sent word to those folks beforehand and warned them - yes, to those in the north as well. Many have heeded our warning and brought their families behind the safety of our walls.”

“What about our farms?” a man in the front of the crowd asked. “Why is Harbis not leading his men out there to disperse them? That is what he is paid for.”

Many voices called out their agreement.

“Friends!” Ibilsin raised his voice just enough to regain the people’s attention. “There are too many bandits to drive them off. But here behind the walls, we are safe.”

“Can the elders not just pay them to leave?”

“Did they not ask for a thief? Just hand him over and be done with it.”

“Right so. Why should our farms burn for some stranger.”

“Wait,” the man in the front shouted. “Ibilsin, you say we are safe behind the wall, but what if they besiege us? There is enough food on the farms to feed them.”

“They captured the messengers, too!”

Again, the chief elder raised his arms. “Harbis?” He turned his head to the guard chief standing right behind him.

“Yes, elder?”

“Harbis, how many messengers did they capture?”

Harbis straightened. Unlike Ibilsin he looked visibly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of so many eyes. “Two, elder. The men we send north and northeast.”

Ibilsin nodded thoughtfully. “We will make offerings on their behalf to honor their bravery.” Then his voice rose slightly. “How many messengers did we send in total?”

“Five, elder,” Harbis said. “Another one went straight east to the fort that guards the caravan route. And two were sent west to the sea to alarm the Saggabian garrison in Sipolos.”

“There you have it,” Ibilsin said, raising his voice slightly. “Help will come as long as we do not let the enemy climb over the wall. Those that Harbis assigned as sentries go back to your posts. The rest of you go home. Nothing is going to happen before tomorrow anyway.”

The crowd grumbled but they complied, slowly dispersing in different directions.

Ibilsin turned to Gulan and Harbis. “Walk with me.” He led them along the wall nodding to the men they passed and gave a word of encouragement here and there.

Belili and Saras stayed in the background, trying to look as if they belonged.

I hope Saras does not do anything to bring attention to us, Belili thought. We must know if the town can be defended until help arrives. If it couldn’t they would have to find a way to sneak out somehow and sneak past the enemy’s sentries.

“Tell me what you think,” Ibilsin said, without looking back.

The two men exchanged a glance.

“I am not a warrior,” Gulan said nodding towards Harbis.

“If it were just the bandits, we could hold them off easily,” the guard chief said. “Bandits are notoriously cowards. If they see enough armed men manning the wall they are going to hesitate.” He shrugged. “But if the Epi-khmet whip them forward that is a different story.”

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“We still have more men,” Gulan said. “And we have the wall.”

Harbis looked grim. “That can also work against us, though.”

“What do you mean?” Ibilsin asked waving to a couple having a silent conversation standing next to one of the ladders. Seeing Ibilsin both bowed their heads before the man squeezed the woman’s shoulder and turned to climb up to the top of the wall.

Harbis watched the two for a moment before answering. “The townsfolk have neither experience nor training. They lack the discipline of a trained unit. And we have to spread them out all along the wall. If I were the enemy, I would storm the wall from two directions with a slight delay between the attacks. Our people will not know where to turn. Then they will either be rolled up or flee to their homes. The result will be the same.”

“How likely is this?” Ibilsin asked.

“I watched those Epi-khmet bastards,” Harbis said darkly. “They are dangerous – well armed and well fed.”

They are not bringing up the girl, Belili thought. They did not hear her, so they do not recognize her as a threat. She couldn’t be entirely sure either but she had a terrible suspicion about the girl’s identity.

“So, we expect them to know what they are doing,” Gulan said.

“There are enough tools and materials on the farms to build two dozen ladders in a day,” Harbis said.

Ibilsin stopped. For a while he just stood there, staring along the wall. When he finally spoke again it was very quiet. “Gulan, you studied in Saggab. Do we… have the means to hand the magus over to them?”

The healer didn’t answer right away.

Standing behind him Belili, couldn’t see his expression. Will he betray Master Jas’ar? What should I do if he does?

“The master is wounded and has a fever,” Gulan said, his voice sounding neutral and calm. “I gave him medicine against the pain that will also help him sleep. Is it possible to pick him up and carry him to the gate in this state? Maybe. But what consequences would we invite? Simple charms and our priests’ prayers are not going to protect us against the magic that is likely protecting somebody like Master Jas’ar.”

“You would also have a hard time finding men willing to do the carrying,” Harbis said. “The story of him taking down a dozen warriors at Zabu’s estate has spread throughout town.”

“So we are left without choice,” Ibilsin said, resigned. “We will have to find a way to keep the Epi-khmet out until help arrives.” His tone betrayed how realistic he thought their prospects were.

Harbis stepped closer to the elder. “It is not impossible if the elders offer their own guards for the defense of the wall.”

“You have made your point,” Ibilsin said. “It is being discussed.”

“With them, I would have enough trained men to form a group we could send to bolster the defense wherever it becomes necessary.” Harbis spoke insistently. “We might be able to handle it even if the enemy storms two sections of the wall at the same time.”

The chief elder’s expression showed that he had heard these arguments before. “I will bring it up with the others again.” He paused, glancing at the wall. “And I will send you half of my men once I return home.” He turned away, making it clear that the discussion was over. “I will have the council gather at my house in an hour. Gulan - I will see you then.” Heading for a side street, he left the group behind.

Harbis snorted. “This is why the gods want us to be ruled by a sar and not by a council of stingy old men.” Then he seemed to remember in whose company he was and he gave Gulan a somewhat apologetic look. “I am sorry healer. I lost my temper.”

Gulan raised his hands. “Please, it is understandable. You are responsible for the defense of the entire town after all. And I shall speak out on your behalf later.”

“Thank you.” Harbis nodded his head before turning to the nearest ladder.

“We will return home,” Gulan said to Belili and Saras. “There is still sometime before the council meeting.”

For a while, they walked silently through the streets of Urk. It was getting rapidly darker and they met fewer people than before. A few merchants and craftsmen were closing down their shops and stalls. Most seemed to have done so already.

A palpable silence hung over the town. Here and there men and women stood together in groups of two or three whispering, their nervous eyes following Gulan as they walked by.

Despite all the new impressions around her, Belili's thoughts mainly circled around the conversation between the god Urk and the Epi-khmet woman.

If this was really Urk, then she must be a god too, Belili thought. And she threatened Urk! Here in his own town.

Urk was the god of the wells. The people prayed to him for health and a good harvest. He wasn’t a great storm god or a mighty patron of war like Inashtar. But who would threaten a god other than another god?

Belili needed to speak to Master Jas’ar. He would know what all this meant.

“How good do you think those Epi-Khmet really are?” Saras asked suddenly. “They did not seem that strong the other night.”

“We had master Jas’ar with us then,” Gulan said. “If he had not hidden you with his magic, would you have been able to sneak up on them like you did? Even the greatest warrior can be killed if you catch him asleep. Or the gods are not with him.”

“Hm.” Saras didn’t seem to like the healer’s answer but for once he was smart enough not to argue.

Gulan considered the boy for a moment. “I would assume they are very strong. When I studied in Saggab, I saw the sar’s bodyguard many times. Unlike most men in the army, they do not go back to their villages and fields when the fighting season ends. Fighting is their trade, and they spend a lot of time honing their skills. Those Epi-khmet warriors remind me of them.” He shrugged, opening his mouth to say more but sudden shouting made them all turn around.

“That is coming from the wall,” Saras said, his face turning from surprised to excited. “I will go check!” And with that, he ran off.

“Wait!” Belili shouted but it was too late. Her brother was sprinting down the street, already holding his precious sickle sword in hand.

Without ever making a conscious decision, Belili ran after him.

The shouting and the dark of night – in her mind she was back in the wilderness, running toward the camp, the fear for her brother driving her forward. I cannot lose Saras. I must stop him.

But her brother’s legs were longer and when he dashed around a corner, she lost sight of him.

He is going to follow the shouting, she thought and did the same.

“Belili, wait,” Gulan called behind her. “It is too dangerous.”

She ignored him. Suddenly the street ended and she stood below the wall. In front of her opened a chaos of shadows, flickering fires, and screams.

Where is he? Belili thought, trying to orientate herself.

“Out of the way!” Somebody bumped into her from behind and she was flung to the side, hitting the hard earth. As she looked up, she saw a group of five or six men rushing past her joining the fray.

“Do not just rush in! Use your spears and gang up on them.” There was Harbis. The guard chief was in the back of the group, roughly pushing men into place.

A sharp cry of pain brought Belili’s attention to the figures in front of the closest ladder. In the light of the wall fire above she could see a man hastily crawling away from an Epi-khmet warrior towering over him. The man on the ground was dragging one of his legs, whimpering in pain.

The warrior strolled casually past him, his attention on the group of defenders, ignoring the wounded man’s pleas. For a heartbeat, his bronze sickle sword reflected the light of the fire and then the man’s movement ceased, blood gushing out of his opened throat.

“Bastard!” one of the defenders screamed and charged, the tip of his spear pointed at the Epi-Khmet's chest.

He is going to run him through, Belili thought, holding her breath.

Harbis cursed. “Wait, you fool!”

The warning came too late. The Epi-khmet warrior waited to the very last moment before sidestepping the attack. His sword diverted the spear by a hand’s breadth, swinging around in the same motion and chopping into the man’s neck as he stumbled past. While the headless body sacked to his knees, the warrior already turned away.

“Inashtar’s tits!” Harbis shouted. “Form a line and attack together, you bastards.”

Pushed and kicked forward by the guard chief the men formed a ragged line.

The Epi-khmet faced the wall of spears without blinking.

‘Good. Get the bastard!’

By now Belili recognized Urk’s voice. She looked around but couldn’t see anybody the voice might belong to.

It always feels like he stands right next to me, she thought, turning back to the chaos in front of her. There wasn’t time to think about this right now. She had to find Saras.

With a thud, a second warrior landed behind his comrade. In addition to the sickle sword, this one carried a wooden shield tall enough to cover him from hip to nose.

Belili looked up reflexively to see where the man had come from. A heartbeat later shouts and curses from the men around Harbis told her that she hadn’t been the only one.

On the wall stood a third warrior. Instead of jumping down to join the fight he started to pull up the ladder.

Belili was confused. Why is he taking away his friend's only way of retreat?

Harbis shoved the man in front of him. “Push forward. Don’t let him get the ladder.”

But the two warriors didn’t give them the chance to interfere. Swinging their weapons in wide arcs against the spears, they kept their opponents from advancing. Despite the guard chief’s encouragement, it was clear that the townsfolk lacked both skill and courage to overwhelm the Epi-khmet.

The warrior on the wall pulled the ladder the last bit and started to push it over the battlement.

One of the townsmen cried and staggered backward, holding up his blood-gushing arm, the hand still dangling on a last bit of skin.

Harbis ripped the spear from the man’s other hand and pushed him aside. With a skilled twirl, the guard chief reversed his grip and hurled the weapon at the warrior on the wall. “There!”

At the last moment, the Epi-khmet leaned back half a handsbreadth to chang his grip on the ladder. The tip’s blade sliced along his upper arm making him drop his burden.

The warrior never lost his bearing. Seemingly ignoring the pain from the bleeding cut, he jumped after the ladder before it could slide down the town’s site of the wall. ‘You almost had him!’ Urk shouted, anxiety clearly audible in his voice. ‘Oh, good boy! Get him from behind. The bastard is too occupied to see you coming.’

Belili couldn’t have said why but something in the god’s words made every muscle in her belly clench. Walking closer and closer to the fighting, she strained her eyes, searching the wall.

And there he was.

Still more than ten paces away from his prey, staying ducked below the level of the battlement, Saras snuck along the wall.