Chapter 16

When the word spread of the upcoming attack, some of my detractors spent more men to rid their religion or city of me. With my guards out warning the populous, I would be easier meat. If the roles were reversed I too would think so.

I had actually left with those giving the warning and waited three quarters of an hour for the attack. It was lucky for Lazeez because he was in the group. I soon found that Lazeez was also a good dancer. When the men started to die silently around him he used his own weapon to take out those near him. I helped him with my bow only once and he got five men on his own.

Soon the stingers were used against them. This damaged nearby property but tended to assist the population to get a move on. We had no casualties in this engagement. By dawn we cleaned up seventy bodies and I wondered where all the fanatics came from. Later I learned that they had been recruited from other cities or were mercenaries.

During first light I was hurrying people on but some refused to go. These were men, for the women were usually much less governed by foolish pride or stupidity. They usually had a means of transport but just refused to go.

The men were gathered and I talked to them. "Woden does not want to see you or your families die just now." My plea did not seem to work but the sudden pain that did not leave did the trick.

The poor had been warned and the same thing was done to the rich. They had the means and some had moved out weeks ago at the behest of Agrippina. My soldiers broke into homes and forced the slaves that were told to remain to go instead. It was this last group that was the worse in a way because they were so used to doing what their master or mistress said.

The senators that plotted against me were just warned. They could make up their own mind or try to be a fifth column. If they stayed like some of the fanatics they would die when the Romans looted their homes. You could not turn off soldiers very well and they were in this for rape and booty.

More reports came in of the legion on its way to the city. From more of my people I learned that more troops were destined for the plains above the city to cut me off. Hours later I learned of a third force coming south to do the same thing.

We made two more sweeps through the city but we could find none. There were more people but they were too hard to find and evict. If they wanted to die then they would get their wish. Six hundred and eighty four clay jars were put through the city. A third were dummies but the enemy would not know which. The only way to do this was to have stored hidden material in strategic locations in advance. This was even more important if I was the one that was going to be held accountable for so many deaths.

Galerius was a good soldier but he did not want to do what I commanded next. He and his men were to stay here until just before the city was circled. I wanted my traps protected but the men safe.

The group that would get here first was from Seleucia. They may try for glory and attack first or wait for everybody to attack together. When I was about to leave Lazeez was dressed and ready to go with me.

"Good morning, Lazeez."

"Good morning, my lord. Are we ready to go now?"

"I am going. You are staying with the guards."

"I can help you."

"You probably could, then I would be worrying about your safety. I have a great many traps to set and I do not want you to bump into them."

"I am not that clumsy."

"I know that but I want to do this alone. You had your fun and now I will have mine."

"I deserve a place with you."

"I will admit to that but I will not allow it. You will put yourself under the orders of Galerius or you will go to sleep now. I need what time I have."

Lazeez looked at Galerius and knew that he was stymied. "I can watch your weapons and your back."

"Yes, you could and you could die." I said the last as I got on my horse. Lazeez took a step and Galerius took two.

I said to both, "I am going to try to do something that may land me in a lot of trouble. It is best for you two be far away from me as you can get. If necessary go to Sapor and ask for sanctuary in my name. Bring him a large square of silk and say that I said he is to soar with the eagles. He will understand."

I did hurry now and raced down the road toward Seleucia. People were on the road and in front of Antioch and I warned them of the coming battle and to avoid Antioch.

Mines were hidden along the way and I put them in place but did not install the trip mechanisms. When the column was in site and no other people running before the troops I turned back and completed the mines. A light cord tripped the timer on the mine, and a slow burning fuse would set off the explosive ten minutes after the cord was snapped.

I climbed the hills near the river without even seeing how well my devices worked. I went north east for six hours and did the same thing with supplies from the pack horses. I had figured that only the road from Seleucia would be used so I hid nothing in this area. It was mostly farmland and it would be difficult anyway.

The first mines should be going off now but I could not hear them. I turned west and headed for a bridge that crossed the Orontes River. It was night by the time I got there. I crossed the river and set a few more explosives then went to the bridge and set the remainder.

On the way I returned to Antioch, I heard some horsemen and got off the road. I waited with stingers ready and a lot of arrows but I saw Lazeez and Galerius.

I yelled to them and they immediately stopped and prepared to fight. They stood down as I got close. They were all smiling.

Before I could say more Lazeez said, "How many did you get?"

"I just set the traps and ran like a frightened hare."

Galerius laughed loudly and Lazeez scowled for a second. I added, "I have no idea. I want them mad at me and busy hunting while I do what needs to be done."

Galerius said solemnly, "I think that is a very dangerous task."

Lazeez said, "What?"

"Do not ask, Lazeez. Innocence may be enough to save your life."

We talked for a few more minutes about how the city was surrounded but very few of the soldiers wanted to enter the open city gates. This was said with a laugh. Apparently some of the explosives slipped from where I left them and they found their way outside the walls.

"I planted all the explosives. I want all of you to remember that."

Galerius went solemn again and nodded his head.

Galerius took my spare horses and I got a bit more food in their stead. I explained about the bridge and how they were supposed to avoid it.

Just then I heard a loud blast perhaps nine kilometres away and Lazeez quipped, "We don't have to worry about it now."

Two kilometres from Antioch I looked at the men that circled the town. Soon more would be coming. In an upthrust of rock I hid my supplies and saddle. This was another of my caches that I had built by my people. In a moment I stripped the reins from the horse and sent a pain to its rump. It would now run for kilometres before it stopped. I just hoped it ran in a straight line.

A legion with the symbol of a boar followed me. They were the one that had to have crossed the bridge. I was safely hidden and a visible jug of sand was nearby. Perhaps they would leave this outcrop alone.

The city was truly besieged. Every once in a while an explosion was heard that would keep the Romans on their toes. There was no enemy for the Romans to fight. I had little trouble getting into the city. I used three arrows but I had many more hidden caches in the city itself.

Soon, more stingers were used on groups of soldiers. When I allowed myself to be seen they gave chase which was interrupted by a hidden explosive.

I must have killed two hundred men by dawn. I stopped then to rest in one of the places prepared. This particular one was where I had originally planted the explosives that killed Quinctius. My people had altered it just a bit and I had water, dried food and even a hole in the ground with a lid.

I was awoken around three in the afternoon by more than the usual number of Romans in the area. The arena was used for an internment camp for those that had not run. There were nearly three hundred people there and some of them were women, children and slaves.

The soldiers were demanding to know where I was. One that appeared in command seemed to be the most insistent. I do not know how he expected them to know. The officer had more than a bit of purple on his robe. He backhanded an old man and when the man whimpered the Roman used his sword.

He called out again for my location and killed two people. Everybody was trying to talk to him but they had no real information. He was angry at my type of attack and his inability to defend himself.

It was after fifteen people died that one of the senators came out and complained about the Roman killing his slaves. The Roman general was still angry and ran the gladius through the man's stomach.

The general was not appeased. I could possibly use my bow but I too would die to no gain. Within ten minutes orders were given and all of the civilians were butchered before my eyes.

I spent the next seven hours thinking of ways to get revenge for this act. It was only after I used the latrine that I knew what might work.

I spent the night as I had the night before. There were few, if any, explosive devices left. The Romans had found them in daylight and disarmed them by trial and error. I had a few more hidden away and sought them out. These were in the lowest part of the town and near the river. I worked for half an hour to make a device that would explode perhaps eight hours from now.

There were lots of things that could go wrong so I set one more as backup in case the first failed. I had gold still hidden in the city but not on my property.

I took one talent of the precious metal and carried the burden to where I had been harassing the Roman officers. I climbed a tall pole and pulled up a rope with the gold tied to the end. Below the gold was a note signed by me saying I would pay a thousand more similar bars of gold in twelve hours if they would leave the city.

When the whip end of the rope was cut I slid down the pole and went to the city walls. It would take an effort to get the gold down and too many would see the precious metal for it to remain a secret. The promise of a thousand more meant that I have a mountain of gold here in the city. There would be a new kind of gold rush.

Outside the walls of the city and close to the mountain I set off my remaining explosives. The wall was breached for almost twenty metres but somehow the upper portion of the wall stayed in place. I had time to move a few rocks by hand but the opening looked good enough for what I intended to do.

I hurried up the ravine leading to the gas well. It was much easier now as I could use some of the sections of completed steps. There were Romans here too and I used my sword or bow and tried to be a quiet as possible.

When I reached the summit, I began digging with my bare hands in the clay and stone. The well was very well capped and it took an hour to get the flow to start. I held my breath and worked in the stream until it got larger then I went for some air then returned. I did not have to do this very much as the natural gas and condensates eroded the soil and they gushed high into the air in a gigantic stream.

The air was gently moving in the general direction of the city but it did not matter. The liquid condensate flowed out of the well and to the trough designed to support the large pipes. It moved quickly then very quickly because the incline was steep. I could not see the end of the trough in the dark well enough. I would be in the flow of the gases given off by the volatile compounds and not be able to go down the steps again.

The area around the well got cold as the propane, butane and their isomers spewed from the well and flowed down the trough until they picked up enough heat to turn into a gas and flow over and through the hole in the wall and then into the city.

It occurred to me that a torch could set this all off and I hastily got away from the well and watched from much higher on the mountain. Men were moving around in the daylight now. Some were holding rags over their faces. I could not see where I placed the gold but now there were many more men within the walls. They were even getting in each other's way. A lot of excavating seemed to be more important than finding me.

The well had spewed for hours and it came close to the time when the explosion was to occur. There was a large hole in the ground now. I tipped over the rock and then the clay to fill the crevice that had been placed here in case of an emergency.

I risked fifteen more minutes throwing in more rock to pack the clay then left at a run for the open areas of the land I was supposed to own. In three kilometres I started to descend to a lower level when I felt an earthquake. I held onto a nearby tree that grew fifty metres below the plain above.

The top of the tree suddenly moved to one side and I could feel the strain on the trunk. Pressure built up and I had to open my mouth wide to equalise the pressure within me. The noise came next but the earthquake had not ended. Rocks rolled down the incline and hit me or my armour. The pressure built to a maximum then slowly diminished.

I moved to the lower side of the tree very quickly and held once more. Seconds later the wind returned but from the other direction. It tried to lift the tree up the slope and onto the plain. The pressure increased and so did the wind until it too subsided. Rock, pebbles, dirt and everything imaginable started to fall for a long time.

The tree had lost branches but none had fallen on me. Some had hit the slope and gone over or slid down when the wind dropped. I waited five minutes after the debris stopped falling before turning around and going back toward Antioch.

In the distance I saw mature trees that had been uprooted. A thick pall of smoke went far into the sky and spread out. It looked like the mushroom cloud I was always afraid to see. Fires were on the slopes of the mountain and it was hard to get close to even view the city.

A kilometre away, there had been no trees so there was no fire. I picked this area to look down. The city was no longer there. The thick masonry walls were blown outward. I could not see a single house that had more than one partial wall standing. There were fires below but they were small as if most of the fuel had already been burnt. In the distance I saw a ring of fire that extended to perhaps eight kilometres. I could not see further because of the smoke.

Some time later I came to the conclusion that I had to move. I picked up my bow and quivers and started to walk to Seleucia. It rained that night and it fit my mood. The fire behind me had not gone out but perhaps the rain would help.

It was not until the next day that I came upon a farm that I saw the first human. They saw that I was well armed but alone. They also must have seen that I was not going to hurt them because they let me into their home.

Even before they asked my name one man said, "What happened yesterday?"

This was one of the few answers I was prepared for. "Woden saw a Roman general butchering innocent people in an effort to find me. When he had killed all three hundred people, Woden called Thor to him and said, 'Destroy the Romans in Antioch.'

"Thor bowed to his father and said, 'Yes father.' Thor drew forth his hammer and held it up to the sun. The gleaming hammer absorbed all of the power that the sun had to give for many minutes. Thor then walked through the dimensions to come to our land. He looked far down at Antioch with distaste. He brought back his hand and threw his hammer at the city. As the hammer sped on its way it got larger and larger.

"The hammer had spread out to be miles wide when it hit the city. The Romans even miles away were hit by a wall of flame and cast for more miles in every direction. Fire spread everywhere and shook the mountain to its very root."

The man and his family had wide eyes and he could only whisper, "Who are you?"

"Jón, the Hand of Woden."

I was given food, lodging and a chance to rest. My words had gone on before me. I paid for my meals by healing the ill. The next day I continued my trek. When I passed people they did not run but did something worse. They got on their knees and just stared at me.

I was in a daze most of the time though. I had done something that I felt beyond dirty. I told myself I had justification but my basic nature rebelled at this.

When I came to a town I found people had made garlands of late blooming flowers. They made arbours of vines and cleaned up the usual mess I would see. The people had their best clothing on and it was all clean. The children were in the front with crowns of vines on their heads.

I stopped for a bit to eat and drink then called the people to me. I repeated what I had said about the fate of Antioch. I slept then somehow and when I woke up the people were still there. I healed those that needed it and bestowed a blessing on everybody.

I came out of the mountains and found the roads lined with people. It was kilometres long and I could not see the end because of the twists and turns. There were people of every race and social position. There were legionnaires too but they were spread out among the civilians.

My hand or head moved once in a while as if greeting the next hundred metres of humanity. I was on the road for well over an hour and I still saw no end of people. I came near Seleucia later that afternoon. If anything the crowds were thicker before the walls.

I stopped abruptly and repeated my version of what had happened in Antioch. When I finished the short monologue I said in a louder voice, "I am Jón, the Hand of Woden." Five minutes later I walked to the gates and repeated my monologue once more.

Four more times I stopped and gave my rendition until I was at the home of the Legate that had visited me. He was alive and knelt on one knee before his house. His head was down as I approached.

In a quiet voice I said, "Arise. It is not fitting to bow to me. Bow to Woden or the gods if those gods require it."

The Legate arose but would not meet my eye. I said, "Tell me of the Roman losses."

"My lord, we can only guess. We are finding men far from the city. Some were burnt to a cinder while others were simply naked. There were a few that actually lived. They were twenty miles away when a ball of fire that reached into the heavens engulfed the town. In the blink of an eye the pillar grew in breadth and ate everyone it came in contact with. People were thrown from their mounts even at that distance. We think that three full strength legions perished that day. This will be nearly eighteen thousand soldiers and five thousand immunes, slaves and visitors."

I simply said, "Woden is powerful."

The man repeated the phrase and then so did the rest of the crowd took this as a chant. The three words followed me for hours as I walked through town and toward where KhAvar and MehrAk were supposed to be housed.

Along the way I found some of my men and had them walk their mounts behind me. As I went further on, more and more of those I had sent from Antioch followed behind.

Later I saw the two girls but they did not run to me like I wanted. When I got close I simply stopped and said to KhAvar, "Do you wish to come with me again?"

She was very frightened and looked up at me and said, "You are a god."

"KhAvar, never say that again. I am just a man that happens to be the Hand of Woden. There is nothing different than a few weeks ago. I have killed many more when I was in Germania. Why is this different?"

"You destroyed a city in a second. No man could do that."

"I did not do this," I lied. "Woden commanded this to happen and it happened. Will you walk by my side?"

"If you want me I will do this."

"I only want you if you wish this on your own. I am a man that needs a woman. If I am so different in your eyes, then it is best that you say so now."

It took a while then she said, "You are more than a man but I can love the man within you."

"Then join me."

KhAvar smiled then the grin grew wide and she jumped at me then stopped as if I was sacred. I moved quickly and held her to me as if she had done this. I gave her a good kiss with a surge of endorphins. She had to be held until she came to her senses and I set her onto her feet.

MehrAk was right behind KhAvar and I said, "Will you join our family?"

She too gave me a big smile and jumped into my arms. She too got the same type of kiss and had to be held by KhAvar and me.

I slept in the room that had been given to my two girls. The girls still thought I was Devine for a while, that was until I got control of their bodies. They didn't think too much then and just reacted.

The family that housed us wanted to give us the use of the entire home and they would live in the stable. I had to correct them too.

The next day I had emissaries from all over coming to see me. One was even from Sapor. There was nowhere to talk in private so we talked as if there were thousands of ears around us. There were that many at least and word went up the line like a telegraph of what was seen and heard.

I found that the emissary came in a ship and I enquired, "Would you take me onto the sea for a few hours. I like the feel of the waves."

"I would love to. When would you like to go?"

The man did not seem to be that intense so I said, "Let me talk to a few more people and we can go tomorrow at an hour after dawn."

"That is to my liking too. I enjoy the dawn especially from the sea."

The next to be admitted were the Zoroastrian priests. I told them what had happened but coached my reasoning as Woden's way of fighting an evil thing. The priests wholeheartedly sided with me when considering the slaughter of innocents. The use of fire though was seen as sacred because it had been used to clean even if it destroyed.

There was a large group of Christians and I met them in full view of the public. Instead of being nasty I went pious on them first. I learned that some of their superiors had disappeared and were presumed dead in the fuel air explosion.

I went by my own book and treated the members of another religion like brothers. The only time I slipped a bit was when I said, "There was a lot of unpleasantness in Antioch by those of some religions that would rather fight than think rationally. It is a shame that they had to die."

"They did not die when Thor's hammer fell?"

"They were dead long before that. Perhaps we can talk about those men at later talks when we have more time to relax."

The leader said, "I would like that."

There were over a hundred eyewitnesses to the FAE being employed. All of them were close enough that it could not be hushed up or altered too much. The now dead visitors were in many groups but they were all within the ring that would kill instantly.

I hopped that one of the men would be Constantius but he had some great luck on his side. He had left camp earlier than usual. Three quarters of the men with him had died but he survived because he had been swimming and was actually underwater when the fireball came. He had almost died of asphyxiation and then drowning. He was the healthiest survivor of his group.

He had wandered around and found only death until he walked out past the lethal limits and found the remnants of his legions. The next day he was on a ship and headed for Constantinople.

I could not get the man directly but I asked many of the people why Roman legions had come after me. Everybody was eager to dump any blame on a scapegoat and Constantius got the short end of the stick.

The Legate too played my game because there were few people to protect him. If I wished his death then he would die even if it took a thousand people to do it. This was just a crazy era and men were jumping at any religion that was showing some signs of explaining what the world was all about.

The next morning, I wanted to take KhAvar and MehrAk with me to the docks. KhAvar was reluctant to go until I said I wanted her there with me. She looked very depressed and got ready as if going to her death. I did not know what was wrong.

I found the emissary, Afrasiab ready for us. The man looked on the women with distaste then took a second look at KhAvar.

In rapid fire Pahlavi, Afrasiab asked KhAvar for her name.

She was quite upset now and held onto my arm and said, "KhAvar,"

"Your whole name girl?"

The name came out very long and I started to worry because the names were familiar to me.

Afrasiab stated in a calm voice, "Why did you not call your uncle or your mother?"

KhAvar looked at me with tears in her eyes and I said calmly, "Sweetheart, you are not going to change in my mind. I love you now and I will love you later."

She did not look at Afrasiab, but said to me, "When our ship was attacked by the pirates I knew that we would lose. I was being sent away to be married and I did not want this. I also did not want to bring dishonour on my uncle's house. I decided to be just a maid. I would then be a slave and one day die. Everybody would think I had died in the attack. Our ship was sinking and I managed to get into the clothes of my maid.

"I was the only survivor. The captain... the captain raped me many times and then beat me because the ship had sunk and he could not get much of my dowery. I pretended to be my maid but I could not take her name. I used one of mine, but a minor one."

I said incredulously, "You are one of AsA's daughters?"

"Yes."

"I met your mother and your uncle. They are my friends. Why didn't you tell me the truth?"

"You loved me, for being me, and I loved you. One day we would go to Germania, and you would forget about Persia. My mother would live with the knowledge that one of her daughters was dead even though it was not true. I would give you sons and daughters and there was no need of me being dragged off."

"Who would drag you off?"

"They had promised me to another."

"Do you think I would let anybody take you away from me?"

It took a moment for this to sink in and then I received a small smile from her.

I turned to Afrasiab and said, "KhAvar will stay with me unless she chooses to leave. She may visit her relatives and they may visit us at any time. When she has my children they will be mine."

Afrasiab seemed to be a little frightened and said hastily, "I am disputing nothing. My king will be overjoyed to hear that his favourite niece is alive. His sister, AsA, will weep with tears of joy for days. Does this mean though that you accept her as your wife without a dowery."

"Your king is well aware that I can have only one wife. I also love a Roman woman. KhAvar and Patricia will bear my children. I will not favour one child over another and I will not favour one woman over another. No woman will be my wife in name but my god will know that I love both."

MehrAk got close to me and touched my forearm. I looked down at her pleading eyes and added, "I guess I have one concubine too."

This was not as good as a wife but MehrAk smiled anyway. I did love her but not the same as Patricia or KhAvar.

We never left the mooring but there were few people around. Persian bows were known to keep many people away.

We spent hours talking on the ship. I got to learn a lot about KhAvar's youth. She was good at stitchery and that was perhaps why her uncle liked the coat I had worn.

MehrAk huddled close to KhAvar now because she saw how she was once a lowly merchant's daughter to a slave but now she was only a friend and lover to somebody in the royal family.

It was later that I heard that Sapor had located some of the minerals I wanted. I was given a beautiful map with the symbols painted on with a delicate brush.

I asked, "What happened to the men that lead the Romans back to your king?"

"The men still live. They have joined the other Romans in teaching our people the Roman language. We have learned to like your numbers too. They can do such wonderful tricks that I have not seen with our numbers or with the Roman."

"What of the Romans that were chasing them?"

"My king had a considerable army nearby. You may not have known that but he did not know you at the time and you did not know him. The Romans were led into a trap and my king allowed them to live. They were wise and only a few wished for death."

"That is good to hear."

Seleucia apparently became a very popular place to be. I took over Quinctius' home in the city, and held court from there. The property was larger than the one in Antioch by perhaps ten percent. The house too was a bit larger.

Galerius had left men here when he left to see me and everything was safe. My spies had worked out of this location when they watched the port. MehrAk knew all about the beds as was eager to show us what she knew. The girls shifted slowly to what they were but never did completely. They saw that death was always near me but also at my beck and call.