* * *
To the captain’s surprise, the leader of the Kushans clambered up the ladder as soon as he dismounted. The captain had expected him to join his fellows at the well below. The guards were already circulating among the new arrivals, flavoring the well water with wine poured from amphorae. Doing what they could to assuage the new arrivals, who would know full well that the garritroopers had good wine hidden somewhere about. Hopefully, the Kushans would be satisfied with the hospitality, and not go searching in the cellars.
“So let’s be hospitable,” muttered the captain to himself. He went to greet the Kushan climbing onto the rampart, hands outstretched.
“A great victory!” he cried, beaming from ear to ear.
The Kushan returned the grin with one of his own. “Better than you think,” he replied. Proudly, the Kushan pointed to the oncoming mass of prisoners. “Those are Romans. Belisarius’ men! We smashed them not six days ago. Routed them! Even got their horses.”
The captain had wondered a bit, seeing so many of the prisoners still mounted. The majority were marching on foot, manacled in long chains, but there were at least four thousand captives who were simply manacled to their saddles.
Then again, if I were one of those Romans I wouldn’t try to escape either. Horse be damned. Just like those crazy Kushans to make a game out of hunting you down. Gut you along with your horse and then drag you with your own intestines. Drag the horse too, probably.
The Kushan leader seized the captain in a hearty embrace. Gasping for breath, but not daring to complain, the captain studied the nearest prisoners. The first ranks were now within thirty yards of the gates. At the very forefront were two tall men. One of them was so huge he was almost a giant.
The captain grimaced. Glad I didn’t have to catch that monster! Let’s hear it for garrison duty.
To the captain’s relief, the Kushan drew away from the bear hug and gestured toward the nearby gun platform.
“You did quench the firing rods?” he demanded. The Kushan’s smile thinned, became less friendly. “We don’t want any accidents now, do we?” The smile became very thin. “We wouldn’t even bother looking for your women. Time we were done, you could fit one of those siege guns up your ass.”
The captain shook his head hastily. Reassurances began pouring out of his mouth. To his relief, the friendly grin returned.
“Enough said!” exclaimed the Kushan. He seized the captain’s arms and squeezed them reassuringly.
The first prisoners had reached the gate. They were being marched in ten abreast, with Kushan guards flanking them on both sides. The huge one at the fore, noticed the captain, really was a giant. He positively dwarfed the man next to him, even though that man was big himself.
The captain made a quick decision.
“Listen,” he said softly, conspiratorially. “You come—” He glanced at the horizon. The sun was almost setting. “Tonight, after dark. Bring a few of your officers, if you want.”
He gave the Kushan a friendly leer. “We’ll have some fresh young women for you.” He started to make a jocular shrug, but the Kushan’s hands were still on his arms. “Well, they’re not all that fresh, of course.”
The prisoners were pouring through now, spilling onto the flat expanse inside the walls. The column barely fit the gate, even as wide as it was. The Kushans were chivvying the captives mercilessly, driving them in like a human flood.
“But they’re better than the broken-down cunts in the brothels.” Cackling: “Last week, half the crew of a cargo ship got through one of the bitches before they noticed she was dead.”
He cackled again. The Kushan joined in the humor, laughing uproariously. Apparently, he found the thing so funny that he couldn’t stop squeezing the captain’s arms. The Kushan was very strong. The captain began to wince.
The wince turned into a gasp. A horse had kicked him in the stomach. The captain couldn’t understand where the horse had come from.
He was on his knees. He didn’t understand how he’d gotten there. And he saw, but didn’t understand, how a sword was in the Kushan’s hand.