Chapter 19

I stepped back into the room quickly and Patricia said, "What's wrong?"

"I was not as smart as I hoped." I turned to the three men and said, is there another way out of here?"

I got a quick nod from one but I figured that it would be guarded too. It would be also another way for the opposition to gaining access to this area. I could not be in two places at once and I doubted if I could protect even one doorway for long.

I didn't get much thinking in before we all heard a loud authoritarian voice saying, "Jón of Germania, surrender now."

The girls started to cry once more and I did some talking. I had a plan that may work and put it into play within minutes. The three men were sent out one at a time and climbed the steps. My hope was to use them as a living conductor to gain control of the men above. The three men did as I asked but for some reason I could not complete my own task. It was as if I was cut off by a high wall. I had to conclude that the mages were behind this.

In the end, I talked to the girls and Tertius then surrendered. I could not get away and they could burn or starve us out.

Fetters were brought and put my wrists after I had to remove the Roman uniform. Instead of rivets I went first class with padlocks. The girls and Tertius received similar jewellery with a three metre length of chain so we could be attached to some immovable object. None of us went back into the dungeon though and my attempts to reach out and control people was very weak.

One man that was overly brutal to Tertius screamed in pain and clawed at his skin and I left him to his fate. The only reason I could do what I did was because I could touch him and put my full effort behind it. This was my only method to show these men that I was going to protect my family from attack. This was a mistake though for the mages erected an even stronger wall to keep me from gaining control of people's bodies.

I counted seven men that kept separate from the rest. They studied me very intently and I had to do the same to them. They did not look like soldiers so I guess that more had come than what Klement thought.

We were marched off to some destination as I continued to try to gain control of those around me. One of the mages that seemed to be dressed much better than the rest slapped Tertius and said, "Stop what you are doing or the boy will suffer greatly for it. I looked at Tertius' piteous look and cut back the force of my probing while trying to learn all I could about the wall the mages erected. Tertius was too valuable to kill. He was one of four leavers to use against me. I had a feeling that his life had to be risked or we would all die.

It became apparent that we were going to the palace itself. We missed the ornate front door but went in a side door after the women and Tertius were searched again. The people doing this did their job with no undue pain and no erotic delight that I could detect. I was nude except for my purloined Roman boots and my undershorts. The latter was a holdover from my time.

The mage that had threatened Tertius talked to the officer in charge and most of the men that had been at the jail stayed outside. A servant came from inside and he whispered his instructions. Constantius did not like too many armed men near him but apparently was still very afraid of me.

Orders were given and twenty men were detailed with keeping me from doing anything. The girls and Tertius got two men each. One man in each pair took out their pugio and held it in one hand while the other held the loose chain. The commanding officer came to me but stayed metres away. "You are a dangerous man. Do something that threatens our Augustus and your family will suffer for it."

Now it was my turn. I said, "I want you to remember that I am also protected by my god. Think well before you try to use your weapons. Your city is held hostage the way you hold my family. I have something far more dangerous than a dagger. Antioch was an example." The man was worried and did not have the usual Roman bluster. In any case this was the best I could do.

The girls were nervous and so was I for that matter though I tried hard to hide this. I spoke to my family about the status of other family members. I was sure the guard detail wanted us to be quiet but none of those orders were given.

We walked down some narrow halls that were unsuited for the number of people. In a few moments through a convoluted path we came to some wide doors. Guards were at the doors and in a moment we were allowed to enter. I tried to see what this place was like but I was not tall enough yet. My body had grown like an athlete and not vertically. I did see that some of the walls were adorned with beautiful tapestries but it was hard stone behind.

We entered a large audience hall that was now lined with bowmen. I guess they figured that they could kill from a distance and not come under my power. We were stopped in the middle of the room and just waited. I talked to my fellow captives as if we were alone.

A man in the room barked and order, "You will be quiet until the Augustus arrives."

"Take that order and stuff it up your ass."

The man got very angry but thought better of doing something about it. Trying to lock horns with me now would leave me dead or my antagonists. Since he could not exercise his power he shut up. I continued to talk to my family and even pointed out some of the nice features of the room.

I added, "There were some train stations that were much larger though. thousands of people would enter the room and wait for the time for their train to pull in. It was usually quite busy. The floors were done better but they had machines that worked much more accurately than a man's hand. We also had many more types of material at our disposal."

Looking in Tertius' direction I asked, "How are your engines coming Tertius?"

"Ah... we have seven started but only three more finished. We made them big like you wanted. We were making more track than you thought we could. We only laid track on our property though. You said that you would get paid in a lot of land for each mile of track we laid."

"Did you get any practice building bridges for the trains?"

"Only small ones," he said simply.

"What about the Enterprise?"

"That was completed months ago. She sailed up and down the river for a while. We had a hard time to keep tourists off the ship. It ran aground a few times but it was only mud. The ship handled well in the sea too and Rufus uses it for fishing just like your barge."

"Does it work?"

"Not too well. It is too high at the stern. The ship is very stable and even more so when it had a full load of cargo."

"What cargo?"

"Kitchenware mostly and the shipment went to Lutetia."

"Did you put all the equipment on the deck that I wanted?"

"Yes we did and then added more."

I had to smile at this because the only person that would be dealing in cannon would be Clovis or some of his officers. "Did a list get to you about what I need here?"

Before he could reply some ornate doors opened and another detail of armed men came out and a few seconds later a man in a toga. He looked a lot like the visage I had seen on the coins. The relationship to Julian was obvious. He had some nasty burns that had not yet healed properly and his hair was much shorter than the usual Roman style.

The soldiers around us shifted as well so the Augustus could see us. Everybody in the room then got to one knee and the man holding my chain tried to get me to do the same thing. He couldn't do it.

We were quiet now and watched the man as he climbed the dias to an ornate throne. The Praetorian Guard that came with him surrounded the chair. When this happened, the bowmen behind shifted to keep us in their sights. In a voice much like Julian's, the man said, "The Hand of Woden does not seem so powerful now."

I just looked at the man as if judging him. The mages were working harder now because I could not get very far outside of my own body.

In a moment Constantius said, "You have nothing to say?"

"You didn't ask a question until now. The term powerful is relative. If you mean you and me personally then I am much more powerful. If you mean the might of the Roman Empire then you are stronger than me personally but when I call upon the power of the gods, I am afraid you will not measure up."

"I could kill you now."

"You very well may be able to do that. You risk turning Constantinople into another Antioch though. I doubt if Woden would command Thor to destroy all of the empire for what one man does."

"I am told that you are powerless now. We also think that you are nothing but a magician."

"Ask your lackeys if there is a cruel soldier screaming in pain still. This happened after I said I would surrender and the mages took over. As for being a magician, ask if any mage could do what has been done."

Constantius looked at one man and he hurried over and whispered in the Augustus' ear. "That may be so but you cannot do anything now."

"One of your fools told me to be quiet. He was bright enough to not push the matter. He risked the city and all the lives within the walls. The gamble was not worth the risk. We can find out the truth but none of us may be alive to say who was right."

"Are you saying my people are mistaken?"

"They are holding me back from the way I can manipulate the bodies of those that require healing or death. I have not tried very hard to overcome their resistance yet. I did want to talk to you first."

"You could have talked before."

"Romans usually have honour. You asked for me to come to talk to you but you gave no assurances that I could leave. This shows that you are honourable because you did not give your word. It also means that you would not allow me to leave again. You would not have accepted an invitation like that if our roles were reversed. Why should I have done so?"

"You presume a lot. I am the Augustus."

"I am the only son of Clovis, King of the Frisians. People speak their minds to me without threat. Why is it that you rely on an office to justify yourself? You are a good man or a poor one by being a man not a leader."

"Nobody speaks to me that way."

"Then you are a fool..." My chain was yanked and it was not metaphorically. I pulled against it and continued, "a fool if you will not listen to everything that has to be said. Sophists will smile and tell you what you want to hear even as you go down a dangerous path where the truth is needed."

"You are the one on a dangerous path. You push hard for me to do what you claim you want to avoid."

"I claim to want peace and a gradual change to a gentler society."

"Your ideas would destroy us. We have too many enemies and our people are already too soft."

"You need a strong army and a thoughtful population. This is not something I read about but I lived in that kind of society for over fifty years. It is not perfect but it is better than what we have now."

"By your own words, you are a Frisian. What right do you have to meddle in Roman affairs?"

"There are many rights but the strongest is the command of my god."

"Your god is not the god of Rome."

"Not yet but in two or three years Wodenists will outnumber Christians and in a few more we will count the barbarians and the Persians among our number."

"I should kill you now then."

"Not a Christian thing to do, is it?"

"It may not be but it may be what is right."

The control on me slipped just a bit as the better dressed mage said, "You should kill him now. He is a threat to all we stand for and what we are trying to do."

Constantius addressed the man. "You are right but there is the prospect of him becoming a martyr to his cause."

The man was now angry and said, "Our Lord, Jesus of Nazareth was a martyr and so were his apostles. This man is a heretic and leads the people away from the true path."

I had to laugh and the men glared at me as my chain was yanked again. "Your Christ was a man that was born after man knew of Woden. Christ fought Judaism and was called a heretic by the people he preached to."

The mage was angry and said, "The Jews will learn to regret this."

"You have tried that for hundreds of years but you have not suppressed the Jew's religion. I see it the same way Christianity was suppressed and how it grew stronger because of the conflict."

The mage turned to Constantius for assistance and Constantius said, "He may well get what he seeks but it is the peoples' perceptions that have to be prepared."

It looked like Constantius was a spin doctor too but then again he was the top ranking politician in the world. He could only mean that he planned on having me killed when I could be shown in a bad light. I doubted if he could do this considering the number of miracles that many thousands had seen with their own eyes and not just told about. Even now there were sermons given by those that were spreading the word. This would not stop, and like other religions the priests will keep up the talk so he could be fed and pampered.

Constantius looked at me and I just smiled. He said, "You do not seem afraid."

"Christianity has had three and a half centuries to develop. Wodenism is already at that point. You cannot suppress the religion by discrediting me. You may kill me if Woden allows it but in a few years the effect will be the same."

"We will see if this is true or not." He turned to the man guarding us and said, "Take them away to the rooms I have prepared for them."

I managed to turn and smile at the women and at Tertius, but I was not happy at this. I knew we would not be going to the suites set aside for visiting dignitaries.

We were hustled to the basement. Constantius had some special rooms here for guests too. My chain was pulled upward on a winch and my feet hung off the floor. Fetters were put on my ankles and these too were secured to the stonework.

I heard my fellow captives put in cells but they were not put on the wall. I knew because I would have heard the screams.

I did not get any privacy in any case because three of the mages stayed in the cell with me and just watched me. There was a lot of pain in my wrists and I controlled it a bit and tried to reroute blood.

With nothing better to do, I continued on my quest to find a way around what the mages were preventing. I worked slowly but I think they were aware of what I was doing and actively countered my moves. The mages were not just acting defensively either and I found I had to fend them off too.

In the other cells I could hear the girls crying but there was nothing I could do about it. I was happy that they were not screaming as they were being molested.

A pair of sentries came by every ten minutes and they were told by one of the mages, "He is still trying to gain control."

Hours later the mages were relieved by three other mages but the one well dressed man didn't show up. I did not feel pain because I chose to keep it under control. I thought about dropping my cloak that hid my position but somehow I felt that this was a bad idea. I kept this in place and continued to work on the minds of those around me. I was not learning much except what would not work but that was still useful.

It must be well past dawn when the watch was changed again. I was tired from all the mental activity but it was preferable to sleep in this case.

It was about time for the sentries but this time there were many more footsteps. Four soldiers came in then the well dressed mage and finally some large men I figured were used to torture people. It was not that they were in a Hollywood outfit that tipped me off but in the tools that they brought with them.

The mage asked the others, "How hard had his efforts been to overcome our block?"

One of the men said, "He used little of his power. He was trying to find a chink in our block but we also worked to overcome his block. It looked like neither of us got very far."

The man looked at me and said, "Who taught you to put up a shield?"

"Who are you anyways?"

"Tell me or I will have your wives tortured."

"You would do that anyway when I did not do the next thing that you said. Are you prepared to die?"

"I can torture you instead."

"My god can protect me if that is his wish or not. People still die when Woden is suitably angered."

"You use magic just like us. You are just much better at this. Tell us what you know and we may find a place with us."

"Is that what you want?"

"Our Augustus wants the secret of your healing and of your weapons."

"Was it magic that caused the total destruction of Antioch? Was it a healing?"

"I do not know how you did that but there had to be a way. I heard that you have weapons from your future that could destroy a city like that."

"The weapon you are talking about would leave a poison that would linger for many years and kill long after the blast. Thor's hammer was very clean."

"Clean?"

"No lingering poison."

"Ahhh..." The man looked at me with a smile now and said, "Constantius wishes you to witness some executions. He will not let me kill you but I am allowed to make sure you do not use your hands. You are a very dangerous man even without magic. It may also help us overcome your block."

I did not know what he meant but he directed one of the men to come near me. He put some of his tools down but not before he allowed me to see them. They were the crude but effective implements of his trade. I was worried now and took away all of the feeling so that I was numb all over.

I said to the man, "Your tools look effective but do not have the fine detail that quality parts would have. You could have purchased much better equipment from my factories."

The man smiled and me and said, "These work very well. I will have to show you."

The mage yelled out, "Enough. Do it."

The torturer smiled and pulled out a short handled hammer of about two kilos. He said casually as he caressed the hammer. "I am going to break your arm. I am told that the god of the Christians will protect me from your god. I am curious enough to try this."

I did not see a way out of this and just studied the arm that was closer to the man.

The mage yelled at the other reluctant man to take his place and this man was much less sure of himself but he too brought out his hammer. The first torturer played with me as if he were a major league baseball player. Both men though worked as a team.

When the time came for the strike they both swung on cue. I knew there would be no pain but it was still going to cause a lot of damage that I may not be able to repair before it was needed.

The metal struck. The pain came through and I felt my toes hit the floor. The mages had a good grip on me and I reached out instinctively for power to heal myself. I found the power from somewhere. I directed it to the damaged tissues and to control the pain. Last time I could hide in my own little world while what was left of Jón's mind dealt with the pain. I could not do that this time.

I pushed down as if I were pushing myself further from the floor and it took a moment for the caveman in me to realise that this was of no use. I still stood on my toes to hold my weight.

When I looked around I saw the mages studying me. The leader said, "You handled that very well. I have seen many people receive much less and scream, plea and finally go unconscious."

"From your smile I think that you enjoy that."

"Among just us, I think you are right. I would do more, much more but Constantius wants you able to walk." He turned to the guards and yelled, "Get him down. We have to go."

Three men pulled on the chain holding me up while two men rushed in to support my weight. This seemed to displease the mage but it was done quickly and he didn't have time to stop it. It was hard to stand on my own feet once more and pain seeped through as my arms were able to come down in front of me.

I had a chance to see the blood splattered skin but very little of it had flowed down my arms. Both forearms were broken and both bones in each arm. I relaxed the muscles that normally contracted at this time and tried to juggle the vectors to get the bones realigned.