Chapter 5

I went out to meet the people and this took me to the market. I saw a profusion of food that was not seen in Germany. There were strange vegetables and fruits but most I knew from my previous life but not all.

I asked a great many questions. Most were about plants I was familiar with. There were most of the products I would find in a modern supermarket except potatoes, tomatoes, corn, peppers, squash, peanuts and some varieties of beans. These I think came from what would be called the new world when it was eventually discovered.

I was there quite a while and found that there was even alfalfa and buckwheat. The latter I was not sure of but it seamed the best choice.

There were watermelons, quince, plums, cherries, apples and peaches grown in the area but none were in season now. What I did see and purchase was some of was black pepper and cinnamon bark. When I asked about these products I found that it was kept a secret by the traders that brought it.

Sugar cane was sold by the piece and I saw this as the answer to one of my goals. Sugar was termed 'white gold' when it came to Europe from the east. It was worth a great deal and was correspondingly taxed heavily. Slaves were purchased and moved to islands just to grow and process this crop. Rum was made from the sugar but I guess wine could be made from the crushed stems themselves. It wasn't long until I saw this product and tried it. It was not distilled so it was not strong and without the taste of the fruit.

I hid my excitement and got the merchants to describe what they knew about odd plants that could be eaten. Some was grown in Turkey. I found that a lot more was grown in Iran, Iraq and Egypt. Many plants grew very well here but I assumed they had been brought here a long time ago by travellers.

I found a small selection of carpets. The ones I saw were small and I remembered how expensive the large and high quality ones were. I even had one in my home. Silk was more readily available but not much cheaper.

While looking over one of the stalls I heard and vaguely felt the scrape of a blade on my thin armour. The push was not much but enough to let me know that someone was trying to kill me.

I fell away from the small push then a second as something went around my armour. This time there was a sharp pain. I turned my head and saw a man with worried look and a dagger in his hand. I didn't think he expected to find steel next to my skin. Usually a man operated with accomplices and I tried to think of those around me that I had noticed when I came to the stall.

This happened in only a fraction of a second. I rolled between two people and got up with my k-bar in my hand. Blood was leaking and I took a second to close off all the supply while looking for more threats. The pain was similarly treated.

The man came in now that it looked like the wound was not fatal. I had none of the guards with me because I didn't think that I needed them yet. My katana was still on my back but the crowd was still too close.

I was not worried about one man if I was armoured but there may be more. I also wanted to find out why I was attacked.

The crowd parted some and I moved toward my assailant. He didn't watch my knife but instead watched my eyes. It was easy to see that this man was a professional. He tried some fancy movements of the knife and I decided to play a fool and watch his knife.

When the knife went to his left hand I knew that it would probably come back quickly while I was focussed elsewhere and he would lunge forward. He would also go for my abdomen or my exposed body because he knew now that I wore armour. The man smiled and the knife made one more circuit before the man lunged forward.

I had both hands close together and when he lunged I moved the knife to my left hand which I could use as well as my right. I deflected the blade from my neck and kicked the man in the crotch because he was not prepared for this. He closed his eyes in pain and my own right hand came out and I hit the man's throat with my fist.

The man started to fall and I saw that he was bringing his knife back for either another strike or possibly to keep his own lips sealed. Ninja were supposed to do this as well as any dedicated assassin.

My left hand dropped with the knife and I risked holding the wrist back with my own as I tried to make contact with the man's body. I had to fall onto him to keep the knife away long enough to keep the man rigid.

As soon as I could I regained my feet and drew my sword to look for additional enemies. Three men looked at me differently than the rest of the crowd then one after another they faded back. To chase any of them may mean that one more would take my captive or his life from me.

I checked the windows and rooftops looking for a man with a bow. Many people were looking out but none with a weapon.

The watch came by in five minutes. I would not let anybody near, and spoke to the four Romans as I continued to scan those around me. Two of the watch carried the man while the other two and I looked for more threats.

When we came to the fort, the man went to my room. I paid the guards a gratuity for their help. Some of my own men were present and quickly got up to see what had happened. In moments they were putting on some armour and kept their swords close.

The man was certainly reluctant to talk. I had a visit from the commander later but he could shed nothing on the matter. He did stay to see me work on the man and he was surprised to see me beating the man with a tiny feather. I was sure this would get around very quickly.

It took close to three hours to get the man to talk. I got some subtle hints when I mentioned religion and found the man to be a Christian. He was part of a radical group designed to get rid of those that they saw as harmful to their cause.

This did not surprise me because the Jews were the same way and the men were called 'assassins' as a corruption of the word hashish. On further questioning the man admitted to using the ergot. I knew that it was mostly from the ergot on rye that made them high. The fungus produced some very active alkaloids and were much like LSD. This I had once put forward as the reason that the religion started. I had been ostracised for a long time about that. The truth was that many religions used drugs to induce visions.

It seemed that the main headquarters was in Antioch. This was also where Julian in the other time would start out. The Senate in Antioch was very much influenced by the Christians as this was one of the only places at one time that they could operate openly from.

The man was taken away but not before I said, "The man will die soon. It will either be from one of your men being paid to do so or from some poisoned water or food."

"He has already told you what you want to know."

"The others do not know that."

The commander looked at my bloodied clothing and the mark on my armour but was very amazed at how my wound was already healing. He said, "You are lucky they did not use poison on their blades."

"I think so too."

The next day I went back to the market but now I had six men in armour walking with me. The men I talked to yesterday were more hesitant to talk to me today. It may be that they feared that they may get hit in the crossfire or they did not like my new company.

I was now more anxious to get out of the city. It was not so much militant Christians but the same could be said for all other religions. Even believers in the old gods would be upset with me. The Frisian priests of Woden were that way. Later, they could see that I was not quite taking away their believers but just altering their viewpoint. This also meant that the priests had to learn the new facts and they did in a round about way.

Constantius II would send a summons soon and I would not be in a good position to defy it. Now was not the time to show that I was working on my own.

A ship came into the harbour and a man at the port was quick to find me.

"My lord, a Persian ship has come into the harbour with cotton."

I asked, "From Persia?"

"No my lord. They would be seized. It is from Mesopotamia but the crew are all Persians."

I handed the man a handful of asses and he happily left me to think. Gennadius was with me and said, "Do you want me to find out about the captain and crew my lord?"

"You better get changed first. You look too much like you belong with me." I got a smile and he hurried off after telling the rest of the men to be even more vigilant.

I continued being a tourist but I usually had a man at my back and both sides. I did not like this but I wanted to be alive to continue my plan.

It was hours later and back in our apartment that Gennadius returned. He had a big smile so I produced one myself. "My lord, the man is Persian and comes from Cappadocia. I know that there are many powerful men there. He is not a Christian though."

This was northern Turkey and just south east of us across the Black Sea. This was disputed land and was more under the sway of King Sapor II than Constantius.

Gennadius spent nearly five minutes talking about all he found and what he felt at the meeting. I said, "I think I will have to meet the man."

Later that afternoon I had another sermon on what Woden expected of us and how to treat those with different beliefs and religions. Captain Mithridates was one of the men specifically invited to come so he could witness the healings.

Men came forward to talk about what they had witnessed in previous sermons and how the patients were improving. Men with cataracts and children with deformities were all shown as being healed.

There were still many children that were in need of some help but again most of this could not be seen until the child fully recovered. Lesions, boils and open sores were cured before an hour was up but they were still not fully healed.

Mithridates was brought forward with a scar on his face. I said, "Do you wish to have this scar removed?"

"You can do that too?"

"The scar will go but that side of your face will still not be like the other. It will be much closer though. The healthy skin will be pink and burn easy in the sun."

He gave me a gap-toothed smile and I called out, "Woden, lend me your strength. A man with a scar is beseeching you to remove his disfigurement. Let your power flow through me and into this man that may one day look up to you in love."

The captain got a shot of endorphins as if Woden had touched him. Mithridates sagged under the jolt but was held erect by the acolytes that knew what to expect. I began to tell his body what to do but the result would take a few weeks to complete or much quicker with a more treatments.

I treated one more man with three missing fingers. It looked like he was one of Mithridates' crew members. "Woden, will you help this man feed his family by giving him three new fingers? He needs them to work on his ship and to protect his family and friends. This took a while longer but he too felt a surge of pleasure flow through his body before I actually began to work.

In another hour I was too tired to continue. The acolytes read from the two books, the passages I wanted mentioned. They usually dealt with forgiveness of past wrongs, if a man had really reformed.

We had our supper at the fort, eating what the soldiers would eat. I was invited to many homes but I wanted to be with the soldiers to show some solidarity. Later I slipped out with Gennadius and two more men to find Mithridates. The captain was inside a wine shop when Gennadius found him. No words were mentioned but the captain soon followed Gennadius outside.

The two went down an alley to another street and behind a house the two men came to me. Mithridates didn't seem to be too worried. I would have been in his place. He asked me, "My lord, what may I do for you?"

"I want to meet your king. This requires me to know where he is. I need transportation for my men, myself and all my belongings."

The captain thought for a moment and asked, "What do you want with my king?"

There was no reason for him to know but I had to give him some information or I would get nowhere. "King Sapor II is fighting both Rome and many other enemies. I want to talk to him about peace with the Roman Empire and the destruction of his enemies."

"Are you a representative of Constantius?"

"That is for your king to hear. I have told you my wishes. Are you able to provide transportation to where your king may be?"

The man seemed to think then said, "I can do this for you."

We talked about money now and the use of his entire ship. I didn't want him stopping at ports along the way where Constantius' men may find me. All I found out is that he may be near Syria at the moment.

The next morning my entourage purchased provisions and sent them to the ship while I thanked the commander of the fort for his hospitality. The man tried to keep me for a few more days but I think this was just his way of being polite.

The Black Sea had very little tide and we made a hurried exit. The commander came to see me off and happily said that the captive was still alive.

"What will happen to him now?"

"He tried to murder you. I do not think the magistrate will let him live."

"Ask for clemency in my name. If he is sold as a slave, it will be his people that either kill or purchase him."

The man smiled and said, "Then I should have people bid high to see how far they will go."

"They will think it cheaper to just kill him."

"I do too but I will keep him very safe."

There were a lot more people coming to see me off. This is what I wanted to avoid but it didn't look possible. I had a small sermon and did what I could for the few that came to see me. I did hurry to the ship though because we would be here forever if I did not get moving.

Mithridates gave me his destination only after we were on our way. He said Syria but it was not Antioch. The trip I estimated to be about 2,500 to 3,000 kilometres and should take three to four weeks to complete.

I got the men to relax and remove their armour because there were few people around. I was proved wrong. Two hours later a ship mainly powered by rowers surged forward. I had a box of stingers nearby but the ship continued right past. This could be an innocent or not so innocent courier. It could also be one of the groups opposed to me and what I was trying to do. I just hoped that they would think I was going to see Constantius instead of going right by.

It took three days to get to the Bosporus. I had never been here before and found the land, homes and view enchanting. I knew there were bridges in the future but there were none here now. Ferries served this purpose now as well as in the future.

We came to a Roman checkpoint but we were now in dirty clothing to hide our identities. Our weapons and armour hidden below. Mithridates slipped the leader a few silver coins and we continued on our way.

Constantinople was the largest city I had seen so far. It was also bright and open apart from the large wall surrounding it. This had saved the city many times but not always. I was able to see inside, because the city was built on a hill and I could see above the wall.

It was only an hour after that we were on the Sea of Marmara and headed for the Dardanelles. We reached this area nearly a day later only because Mithridates took advantage of the favourable wind and the light of the stars.

Again we got through with just a bribe instead of a search. The land here though was even more beautiful in its way. Towns were seen from the deck because the buildings were all built on the sides of the hills facing the channel.

Our time was spent learning to speak the language of our hosts. I got a chance to do some additional writing on my next book. I treated more of the crew to my healing and the crew could see that their captain's face was slowly changing. The flesh had not been put back in the position it should be but it was now rearranging only because I was here to make it so.

Sailors being sailors had a lot of diseases but thankfully there was no plague.

Fifteen days after setting out, we pulled into Crete to get more food and water. Mithridates was happy with our time but I knew that I could have made much better with Patricia even with only her sails. Mithridates did not have the ability to tack far off the wind and his hull was not shaped for efficiency.

We went out for the night even though it looked like rain. I had time for one sermon, some readings from the books and a few healings. Some of the men came back at dawn or stayed on the ship through the storm that lashed the island. This was a vacation for my men as much as for me. The only venue they had a chance to adequately see were the wineshops and the brothels.

I talked to Mithridates during the storm about how his ship should have been constructed and he nodded his head in agreement. He learned that my ship was larger than his and what it could carry with and without a full barge towed behind it. He was unbelieving at first but I explained away all of the finer details.

He liked the idea of being in the shelter of the wheelhouse instead of being in the weather at the tiller. Some ships had a protection for the man on the steering oars from the elements but was open in the front and the rear. I worked with him to find ways of improving his own ship with as little disruption as possible.

Mithridates talked to me about the giant grain carrying ships that could only sail in the calm waters of the Mediterranean. They were slow and unstable and we talked about how to improve them. Mithridates liked the idea of the much larger keel when I mentioned that it was like a giant fin.

Early the next morning we set off once again. The weather was still overcast but looked like it would improve later. We were now heading almost due east toward Cyprus. Mithridates didn't like staying far from shore if he could help it.

The next day we passed a large island. We stayed well away but we were told this would be the last we saw of land for seven or eight more days. It was less than an hour later that one of the sailors called our attention to a large ships with oarsmen pulling hard to intercept us.

Mithridates turned white and called for every man to arm themselves.

I asked, "Who are they?"

"Pirates. You better put your armour on but I think we will die anyway."

The lookout called again and this time I stood on the rail. I saw another ship like the first and then perhaps two more but smaller. On a hunch I looked to our starboard side and saw two more of the smaller craft approaching.

My own men hurried to put on their armour and so did I. I ordered six boxes of stingers brought out of storage and one of mace. All the time I was wondering how to defeat this many pirates.

I turned to Mithridates when armed and said, "I do not like pirates. Send your men below. They are not protected like we are. There is no sense them dying for nothing. All I want you to do is get me close to the first ship so I can board her. The rest of the ships we will have to take on one at a time."

Mithridates gave me a dumb look and had to say, "You want to attack that ship then the rest? There must be a hundred rowers and maybe up to sixty marines on the ship."

"Did you not hear of how I treated the Roman Legions that attacked our land? The Gauls suffered even more losses. An attack is actually better for us. I do not want to frighten you but one more ship like this is approaching along with four smaller ships."

Mithridates started to shake and I held his shoulder and let some endorphins flow through his body. I said, "The gods are with us. You will see that I have the power of Thor's hammer very soon."

Mithridates slowly recovered and then nodded his head. I gave him his orders while his men hid below decks. There was protection here because there was a deck over the rowers to stack deck cargo. I spent the last few minutes telling my own men what to do and added, "You are wearing armour. If you slip into the ocean you will not have time to remove it before drowning. I want you with me later, so be careful."

The first ship cut ahead of us and stopped in our path. Mithridates cut his speed like so many other ships would have done before. We had enough time to aim towards the stern of the ship. The ship was truly long. It must have been nearly thirty five metres in length. This was a major warship not something that a pirate would use.

At fifteen metres, arrows rained down on us but we too had drawn bows. We used regular arrows now and took out those that opposed us. A great many arrows came our way until the survivors decided to stay behind the rail or their shields.

The second ship came close and then turned to the side to give us a broadside. I had stingers ready because I didn't want their underwater prow to sink us. Apparently they wanted us alive or just our cargo.

It was becoming difficult to walk the deck because of the number of arrows. The smaller ships got close and they too started to fire on us. We took out about a hundred men but it was only when they started to fire our own arrows back at us and puncture our armour that I started to use the stingers.

The first explosion stopped everybody that was shooting because the noise was something they had never heard before. My own men were the same way even though they had been told.

I started to fire above the rowers at the ship in front of us. I put a stinger every four metres then quickly worked on the smaller ships because they would be the ones that could more easily get away.

My best archers had one stinger each and they started to do as I had ordered before the battle broke out. The ship beside us now was stung six times and I resorted to using the regular arrows once more.

Two ships tried to limp away and I went back to stingers for a moment. We used up all of our arrows and some of those that had been fired at us. Return fire had diminished to almost none but we continued to fire. They asked for no quarter and I was not prepared to give any if they asked.

Much later I found that nobody showed their faces and I got Mithridates to move us forward quickly. I was at the bow and the abrupt stop almost knocked me into the ocean.

It took only a few seconds but I was able to climb through the wreckage and gain the deck. I had not only my sword and knife but a wooden bat which I hoped would be less fatal if the need arose. I didn't plan on using it much.

The deck had blood all over it and parts of men scattered with it. I moved quickly to take out the few that were getting up. I didn't want my own people hampered by men with swords as they tried to gain the deck.

When two reinforcements gained the deck, I left to take care of the few living pirates. I was able to use the club for three or four minutes before I had to resort to the sword. It took only a few minutes before the men started to throw down their swords and beg for mercy.

It took only another moment before all of them were doing the same thing.

Three men were left here and I got back on our ship and headed to the other warship. Here there were less survivors and those interested in dying were given the chance.

Again three men were left and we went to the remaining four ships. These had less protection and many more dead and dying.

We were in control of the small damaged fleet. I went into the lower decks and found some very frightened slaves chained to their oars. We also found about fourteen more men hiding below and these were dragged to the decks and bound.

Mithridates breathlessly came up beside me and said, "I do not believe it. None of you are badly hurt and you have captured six ships with probably five hundred men."

I turned to see that all of Mithridates crew were all here with us so I said, "They were afraid of facing you too and there looks to be about only two hundred and thirty to two hundred and sixty pirates."

He just gaped at me and I smiled and said, "Do you want to go looking for more?"

He turned white so I guess he didn't.

The surviving pirates were all stripped to get rid of hidden weapons. They were bound and put at the stern of the ship the first ship because that one was damaged less than the rest.

I went down the stinking decks and did what I could to reassure those I found. There were still some dead here too and I could do nothing about it.

The bodies were put on decks and so were the injured slaves. The last group were very worried because this usually meant that they were thrown into the sea to drown.

I spoke in my Latin and limited Persian to reassure them a bit more. Two more men died but the rest were healing and should survive.

Mindful of death and disease I gave a quick service for the dead and they went into the sea with a stone from the ballast at the bottom of the ships. This had to be done six times and then water had to be used to sluice the decks.

My body and mind were fatigued but I forced myself to go below once more. I said to the slaves, "My name is Jón of Germania. I do not like slavery and most if not all of you are going to be freed." I had to leave myself some room to move in this but the men were all dumfounded.

Mithridates said the same thing in Persian and then I spoke in German. This was done on both decks and I got the men to say their names, nationalities and where they came from. Three quarters were native to this area. Others went to the remaining ships and they carried my message.

Mithridates had his own men start to bring the uninjured pirates to the ship I was now on. They were assessed and sent below to man the oars that were now vacant. The penalty now for attack on these men was death even if the pirates deserved it.

Our crew was split up among the ships to keep order and to direct my commands. Our ship was tied astern and the slave rowers began to do their jobs as the ship slowly went forward then made a slow turn to come to land.

The captain of this ship and the two highest officers were dead but I was able to question some of the others. Apparently somebody had paid to have us attacked, our property seized and all of us put to death and our bodies cast into the sea. Even the ship was to be set afire and destroyed. The ship worked out of an island a half day from here and they had been waiting here for us.

Once the answers started coming then all the rest were eager to tell me all that they knew. What I did find interesting was that the ship had left recently and it was supposedly going to Constantinople. The mark of the cross was on the ship in two places.

I got names and descriptions but I could not do much about it at the moment. It struck me as odd that the people with the gold did not stay to claim the goods I had. The number of ships and men sent against me showed that they were very leery of attacking me.

The course was now set for the home base of the pirates. We took our time because we were not in that much of a need to hurry. I went through the captain's quarters and found maps, documents, hidden places with jewels and gold as well as a strong box. I even had the key that had been around the captain's neck.

I went back to questioning the pirates as they worked on the oars to clear up some of the points. The pirates were financed by somebody rich and important. There was no mention of names but I worked on the pirates all the time to get their boss's identity. All I got was an apparent underling. It looked like some of the dead could have provided better answers.

The slaves were brought in one at a time and questioned more readily with my men and Mithridates trying to catch them in lies. Quite a few men claimed to be innocent of their original crimes but usually recanted in a moment to tell the truth about their past.

Some were deserters from one army or another but others were men that had been captured when a city was sacked. It was a long process and I only got through part of the three hundred and seventy two surviving slaves.

By the time we got to the base, I had a layout of the town and even a method of taking the municipality.

We anchored off the island and I went to each of the ships and told the slaves what I was going to do. This would allow them a chance to escape with our numbers low but I also promised to bring them home. They had not heard of me but they had seen firsthand how I had saved some of them.

Mithridates and his men watched my little fleet as my own armoured men went across the island on a path that was only fit for goats. It was near dawn when we gained the wall of the town with a grappling hook and some rope.

Once a small door was opened we all got in. We split up into four groups and took a barracks that was nearly empty, while the other three went to find the watch and any of the guards that should have been watching for us. Some of our own men stayed to do this duty in case some managed to get by us.

"I want some living people to answer questions." The men were quiet but nodded.