Chapter 10

Mithridates, Glaucia, Lazeez and I went through the countryside looking for more Romans the next day. Glaucia saw that no harm was coming to the Romans and helped us to the best of his abilities.

Lazeez had the instincts of a hunter and suggested where to go. He said he was working on the premise that the Romans would go where they thought we could hide easier. Mithridates took the Persian attitude that the young man was just sneaky.

We found isolated groups and we actually gathered them together to be handled more efficiently. One group was led by a dozen horsemen and a century of infantry. We could not lure the horsemen away very far away from their unit and we now looked for a large valley that would hold them all.

Glaucia pointed one out and in an hour we were entering this depression. There were some farms here and Mithridates and Glaucia rode through yelling to the inhabitants to flee. A battle was going to break out soon. I used one of my stingers and this seemed to help a lot.

Thirty minutes later the horsemen galloped into view and a few minutes later the infantry did too. Lazeez was at the other side of the valley and pretended to be me. It was too far away to be sure anyway. The horsemen lead the way and the tired infantry double timed it into our trap.

Mithridates and I had checked the wind carefully and at my signal shot his arrows with mace so the fine liquid would drift over the infantry. My first shot was more difficult because I had to hit the armour on the back of the lead horseman.

When the first arrow flew, the soldiers stopped and brought up their shields. Mithridates kept them busy while I raced after the horsemen. I had to watch the wind because I didn't want the mace affecting me either.

Everybody was suffering from the effects of the chemical but three horsemen were able to attack me. I brought out my katana and a short wooden staff to use as a club.

I raced in on foot and struck the horses when I could but my sword was used mainly for deflecting theirs. The men had the advantage of numbers and of being mounted. The mace was giving them a bit of a problem but not much.

One man fell from his horse and I greeted him with the club. The other two got in each others way and I was able to drop the club long enough to push the man's foot high enough for him to fall on the other side of his horse. Stirrups would have made this much more difficult. Before I could use the club again, I was pushed back by the last man attacking. As I traded blows with the sword, I tried to interface with the man. In half of a minute it was the horse that fell.

This was just in time because I had to now fight the second man on foot. Again I used my ability and the man fell asleep.

The fight was far from over but most of the men could not fight at all. Mithridates used clubs on those that made it to him while I used my ability. Neither of us dared to go close because there would be a lot of mace stirred up.

The Romans were healed if necessary and made too weak to fight. I had them strip and then use water from a well to flush the mace from their skin and eyes. The lungs would just have to wait.

The horses were even in worse shape. They just went to sleep to be washed.

In an hour and a half I had ninety six naked men sitting in a field. They were not able to run never mind fight.

With the soldiers attentive even if they could not do much else I said, "My name is Jón. If you count, you will see two of us. From my point of view I see ninety six Romans soldiers that were fully armed and ready to fight."

Some of the men had to hang their heads in shame. "You should not be worried about the odds though because I had not only Mithridates fighting with me but Woden and Thor." Mithridates simply smiled and stayed with his bow in his hand and an arrow notched.

"Could two men alone do what we had done to nearly a hundred men?" While the men were thinking on this I added, "You are soldiers that are told what to do. Your officers are told what to do by those above them. At the top is your Augustus."

The men didn't know what I was getting at. "Who do you think is more powerful, a man or a god?" This was a rhetorical question and more men looked at the ground. "A man was able to command some of your shield mates to come to my property. They killed my people, took many away as slaves and destroyed what we had worked so hard to build. He was not the Augustus but his orders were followed. I will tell you now that Woden is not pleased with him."

One man that could have been an officer, said, "We had to do what we are commanded. You should not stop us from doing our duty."

"The man that originally gave you those orders was a man that was financing the group of pirates I fought. Lucius Quinctius Flaminius may not even be the one at the top."

"That is a lie. That man is from a very respected family. He would never do such a thing."

"It would be nice if what you say were true but sadly men and families fall on hard times. Some men are born insane and some are made that way later. Do you think I would just kill the man for his crimes? He may deserve it but I think the best course to follows is to expose him to those he wishes to impress."

"That man's family is very strong and not facing any hard times. He would not do that."

"Are you a client of that man?"

The man said nothing so I guess that answered the question. I changed course in my talk and asked about the slaves that had come to the fort and those that had not. There was very little cooperation.

I walked toward the men and used my ability to release the chemicals into their blood. This was the best way of proving that they were dealing with a god or at least his 'Hand'.

When they recovered, most got on their knees as if I was the god. "Get up please. You may kneel to Woden if you wish but he does not require this. I am just his Hand. I am weak but perhaps still strong enough to do what he commands me to do."

The answers came easier now, especially when I asked one individual or another. The officer tried to stop the men from talking. I gave him pain from a distance of a metre and said, "Woden is a forgiving god. You have to learn that your parton is not the good man that you think he is." The man did not hear but the words were meant for his men anyway.

The officer fell over but could not move or even scream out. After fifteen seconds I stopped this and continued my questioning of the other men.

When I got as much as I could get, I began to heal the men of their ills and gave them back more of their strength as well as the complimentary jolt of joy.

"Get water and wash your armour and clothing. There is a substance on it that you know a lot about now. Woden was merciful and this does not kill."

I went to the horses and got them up and had the men wash them once more.

The officer was next and he had still not recovered from his few seconds of excruciating pain. When I got close he flinched noticeable. I said in a calm voice, "I will not hurt you more unless you do something to deserve it. I think loyalty is a very good attribute. You protected your patron's name and everybody heard that. I have loyalty as well to my clients and came here to rescue them. Loyalty is like faith. This is a good but it has to be tempered with rational thought."

It was difficult but the man got out, "He is not bad. He helped me."

"This kind of discussion I can tolerate. All men are a mixture of bad and good. You have seen me angry and you have suffered from it. I love my family and want to protect them. In fact, I want to help everybody that is alive today and will be born in centuries to come. Your patron may have some good qualities but the fact is that he sent men to attack me and they killed and enslaved my people."

"You must have threatened him somehow."

"I think that is the case too. Pirates attacked me and I protected myself. There were hundreds of pirates and many ships for just our small vessel. The pirates were not after any ship that passed but they were after me.

"I am offering the world a kinder religion and many new ideas. One or more of these concepts must have upset Lucius Quinctius.

"Quinctius shows his darker side when he works with pirates. We all know how pirates rob and kill. That makes the person that controls them as guilty as the men that do the acts.

"Quinctius may possibly be forced into this position. His commander may have ordered him to do this. Quinctius may himself be a client much like you, and forced this way into dealing with the pirates. Another possibility is that he may be blackmailed into doing this. The fact still remains that he has done as I said."

"He can't do that. He's a good man."

"Then you have to seek out the evidence and weigh it yourself. If he is guilty then you have to consider if you want him to be your patron or not."

When the clothing was done the men put it on to dry. They now had possession of their weapons but none of them even drew a knife.

"Six miles north east of here you will find more of your legion. They are weaker than you are now. Link up with them first then all of you can go back to the fort tomorrow. As of now I have killed none of you that came to capture me. That may change if you disobey." I looked at the officer and he eventually nodded his head in acceptance.

Mithridates and I rendezvoused with Glaucia and Lazeez. Both young men were excited. Glaucia said solemnly, "Thank you for not killing them. They are good men."

"They probably are. They just need to be commanded by another man that is good. One powerful man to take control of an army of good men can do a great deal of harm."

We searched the countryside again. There were a lot of men still out hunting us but they were in smaller groups. I had to smile because this left the fort nearly bare of defenders.

"I think we should pick up our weapons and go back to Koufonisi now."

The trip back to the city took much longer than it should because we had to avoid the patrols. I wanted them to continue searching us out in the countryside and not back in the city.

The city gates were shut when we got near. "Glaucia, do you know of an easier way in?"

"There is one gate that is hidden by a large building. If you can attack the men or put them to sleep then nobody will notice. You still have to get into the fort though."

"Lead us there please."

It took nearly twenty minutes. We had to go the long way around the walled town. There was nobody on the battlements at any place we looked. I got off my horse and shed some of the weapons I would not need. Here the wall was in poor shape. This made for more handgrips but it crumbled under my fingers. The wall was only ten metres high but it took a long time to gain the top.

I heard two people inside the wall and below exhale loudly. After listening more I knew that there was nobody near and I climbed over the parapet and crouched against the wall to hide my silhouette. The stairs were not close. I found men together and talking or sleeping when they should be on watch. I didn't disturb them.

A small guard house had three men that were talking and drinking. I did not want to alert the men on the wall of trouble so I could not burst in and fight the men. The door was open and so was an opening to let in more cooling air. The only solution would be to shed more of my weapons and go in as quick as I could.

My swords were laid gently on the stones and then all the rest except my k-bar and a short staff. I even removed my boots and put them to one side. I got back a few more metres and listened for any danger. I ran very quickly and almost flew through the open doorway. All of the men were facing the doorway to feel the cool breeze coming in. I was among them even before they could react.

The staff hit one man on the neck and my foot hit another in the chest. My shoulder took the third man in the chest too and all of them fell to the floor. My feet and staff struck at the points I had studied for many years when training to fight.

I was not even breathing hard. The men were not even soldiers but civilians. I guess the commander of the fort was saving his own men. We had made little noise. The men wore no armour and only had the usual short knife at their waist.

While healing the injuries I just inflicted, I listened for men that may have been alerted by the sound of our passage. After a few minutes I put the three in a comfortable position as if they had decided to sleep instead of stand watch.

After donning both boots and weapons I went to a small door in one of the main doors and used a key that was hanging on the wall of the guard house. The door squeaked at being opened and I got close and took some of the weight off the hinges and continued to open the door.

It was difficult to get a horse through the opening and we had to unpack the ones we wished to accompany us. Glaucia took the remainder of the horses away because I did not want him to be seen with us. It may all turn out alright but the young man could also be persecuted if not prosecuted for what he had done.

The two packhorses were loaded once more and the door shut. We had made noise, horses and packs had come in and still nobody had given the alarm. Lazeez whispered, "People always used to sneak certain things into the city at night. If you hear or see this you just look the other way."

I had to appraise Lazeez' education now in light of this new information. His people or traders in general had to be very conscious of how to get in and especially out of tight places.

There were few people out on the streets. The horses were unshod but still made a lot of noise. I expected the watch to find us but nobody did except a few drunks.

The fort was not so calm though. There were fires outside the walls and men on the battlements. They did not seem to be too worried and I had to guess that they were doing this only on orders of a worried officer.

I said in a whisper from an alley, "We need to get rid of the horses, hide our weapons and then I need a diversion."

Lazeez quickly said, "There are always many stables in a city this size. We can pay for the horses and store your things there."

"That sounds like a good idea."

Mithridates smiled and he added, "And I know where a stable is."

The two left with all the horses. My own weapons were nearby along with some mace and stingers. It was nearly an hour later that the two returned and I had started to worry that they had been caught after ten minutes.

Mithridates whispered, "We had to talk to the watch. I paid them to guide us to the stables so that we would not be robbed."

"Are the weapons safe?"

"As safe as anything I guess. I paid a stable hand to watch them but I didn't give much money or say how valuable they were. You have that wire lock on each of the cases and I just said I would castrate him if the boxes were opened."

"Coming from you, I think that would be enough."

Lazeez said, "We thought about two drunks fighting. When the watch comes they leave. You will have your diversion."

"That could work but find where you are going to run to before you actually have to run."

Lazeez smiled and said, "I have known that since I was very small."

"Was your father really just a trader?"

"He was a very good trader. His son has just learned a lot."

I found a fair place to scale the walls. There was even a small personnel door nearby which could be very useful. I just waited for a commotion. It took a while for the curious to venture near and I think it was the scream of fire in the distance that did it.

The brick here was not good either. It didn't crumble as much when I gripped it. Part way up the wall a brick crumbled and I had to hold on with one hand as the debris fall to the ground. The noise was loud and I was sure somebody would come and investigate.

My foot found purchase and then my other hand. I heard footsteps and hurried recklessly upward. Instead of pausing to look, I was over the edge and waited in the castellations.

I heard the footsteps pause below and waited for the alarm that somebody had seen me. At the same time footsteps were coming along the parapet. The man below moved and I threw myself over the edge and hung on. I was able to work my way down a few centimetres when the sentry above passed.

When I gained the top of the wall once more, I looked for the ladder or steps. I had a split second to make a decision and sprang from my perch toward the steps. I made it to a bend in the stairway that was in deeper shadow and listened as the sentries continued their rounds.

With my hearing at maximum, I peeked around the corner. One man came to a wall and turned around the way soldiers had done and will do for thousands of years. I hurried down the next flight of stairs then one more until I was in the shadows on the ground.

There was a solid door here and I listened. Inside were many men breathing slowly. Some were snoring. The door I found was unlocked and I entered and closed it behind me.

The place stank of poor hygiene. I was going to just pass through when I thought better. I reached out and succeeded in getting the nearest soldier to stay asleep. In five minutes I got half of the men in the room. Slipping across the aisle I did the same thing again.

Some of the noncoms had rooms nearby and I managed to get them too without an alarm being sounded.

With this area clear, I went back outside and found the door that lead out of the fort. There was a large lock in the door and two oak beams for insurance.

Lockpicking was one of the courses I was taught as a child but this one would be a challenge. It was not in the lock's ingenuity but because it took so much force to turn the key even if it was the right one for the lock.

From the edge of my boot, I took out some tools. I had to use two of the tools after bending them a bit. They were hard steel too. I had to force the cylinders around the inside of the lock three full revolutions before the lock opened.

The beams were massive but I could pick them up with my improved body. I just didn't want to do this now when the beams displacement would be noted.

I put away the tools and kept in the shadows as much as I could until I got to officer country. There were two guards at one door but I could not take them because there were always people from the courtyard or the parapet that would hear or see the altercation. High above and in the dark was a barred opening.

With no better choice, I climbed the stone. This was better in that it did not crumble but the stones were large and I had to pull myself up with one hand then reach far overhead for the next grip.

I listened from the edge of the opening. There were men on the grounds still talking and footsteps but the room had only a few people breathing quietly. Glass was exceedingly rare and shutters were usually used to keep out the rain. I reached up and grasped one of the vertical bars and then another.

I gained the narrow ledge while standing on my knees. The iron was old but thick. I pulled apart and felt the rust break away from the metal and fall. There was a tinkling noise but it was not loud. Finally I could get it no more with the leverage I had. It was also not wide enough yet.

My foot came up and pushed gently on one bar while I adjusted my grip. In a moment my other foot joined my first and I was resting horizontally. I pulled and pushed as hard as I could and I heard the metal being pulled from the stonework.

I eased off quickly when the effort I needed got less. When I got back to my knees I saw a bar almost ready to pull free. There was also room enough now for me to get in. My swords and other weapons rested on the sill as I slipped through the bars. As I was getting through I figured that Lazeez would have done a better job than me no matter what he said.

When I stood on the floor, I listened once more for the sound of breathing but found one that was much more rapid. The heart rate was quicker too.

I left the weapons and ran for the bed. I saw a frightened woman looking my way and a sleeping man. I landed on top of the man and used my elbow to strike his sternum. My other hand pulled the neck of the woman close to the man and her mouth to his chest.

Both were struggling now but I held on until I could get both to loose complete control of their bodies. It was my nose that made me look a second time. I pulled the woman around so I could get a good look at her. She was one of my people taken from Berytus.

I whispered, "I'm Jón. I am going to let you speak now but you cannot yell or run around."

She could not even nod so I gave back her control. The first thing she did was wrap her arms around me and start to cry. I let her do this for a minute then said, "You have to let me go so I can rescue all of you." This still took a minute before the message sank in.

The woman had not stopped blubbering but I guess this was permissible in her case.

I wanted answers and I needed them now. The woman would help but she would not know what I wanted to know. I said, "Stay still now. I have to summon some of Woden's strength."

The woman stopped crying and I let the man feel pain like he had not felt before. After fifteen seconds I stopped and got the woman out of the bed and onto a small stool. "Sit here while the man recovers."

"What... what did you do?"

"He felt pain worse than any mortal man has ever felt before. I do not like doing this but it is better than killing outright."

"Kill him, kill all of them."

"That is for Woden to decide, not you."

The woman was suitably chastised and I went to the man. It took a long time until the man came back to his senses. I gave him control of his voice to a limited extent and I said, "If you did not hear me before, I am Jón of Germania. The pain you felt was for a quarter of a minute. Either you tell the truth when I ask or the pain doubles each time. Do you understand?"

The man just nodded. I asked, "Who is in charge of this fort?"

I got a weak and hesitant, "I am."

"That is fortunate. What is your name and rank?"

"Manius Dexius Aquilinus Teretina; I am the Legatus Legionis."

"Hello, Manius. I am currently trying to keep from killing a lot of Romans. You are one of those men. Lucius Quinctius, I hear, gives you orders. Tell me exactly what they were."

There was some hesitation but this was not sensitive information, at least not from his viewpoint. "I was to arrest you. He charged you with stealing his gold, slaves, ships and other property."