Greek Fire

by James Boschert

  Word came back that the Turks had come to sue for peace and that they had tried to persuade the Emperor to abandon his enterprise and negotiate a new treaty. Men chuckled at the news and made jokes at the expense of the rough clad people who had the temerity to try to stop such an army. Talon wondered if scouts had checked the route and seen any evidence of the Turkish army along the way. He feared that their scouts had not been deployed forward far enough to make a difference and his stomach tightened. The gorge would be a very bad place to be ambushed. He said so to Max.

  Max said quietly, “See if the Emperor can be persuaded to send in some scouts. Not to do so would be folly.”

  Talon nodded agreement and turned to Alexios.

  “That is a perfect place for an ambush, Alexios. Are they not going to order a scouting party to go in and check that the Turks are not there already?”

  “I agree with Talon, Alexios. We shouldn’t just go into such a place without making sure first that we do not have a welcoming committee,” Max said.

  “I shall go and ask the generals what they’re going to do,” Alexios said nervously. He clearly did not relish riding up to the exalted group and telling them how they should be conducting their war. Nevertheless he rode forward, pushing through the men and junior officers until he could ride alongside one of the generals. The columns were bunching up on each other’s heels as their commanders, realizing that they were to enter the gorge, were uncertain how to proceed. After some respectful talking and bowing to the emperor, Alexios beckoned to Talon, who with Max moved forward to stop in front of the emperor, who glared at him.

  “You, Sir Talon, with all your vast military experience, you think there might be a problem with going through the gorge?” His tone implied that Talon had been highly presumptuous to suggest such a thing.

  “It is certainly a risk, Sire,” Talon responded carefully. “We should at least make sure the Turks do not hold it.”

  Both General Mavrozomes and Kantakouzenos looked angry, but he was comforted by the approving looks they gave him. Clearly their anger was not directed at him. Mavrozomes slapped his thigh as though exasperated with the conversation he had had with the younger soldiers but held his peace. But now one of the more impetuous officers pushed forward. Talon turned his head to see Pantoleon, who was sitting his horse glaring contemptuously at him.

  “We should push on, Sire. The Turk is on our wings, not in front. This Frank does not know the Turk as we do, and besides, look at the size of our army! Who can stop such an assembly?”

  “Yes, we have seen what the Turks can do on the plains, which isn’t much, so we should push forward, your Holiness,” another piped up.

  Pantoleon smirked and addressed the assembly at large. “Are we going to sit here like women and wait, as this…Templar would wish? Are we not warriors? The Turks are just a tribal rabble compared to our might.”

  Talon placed both hands on his pommel and rested his weight on them for a moment easing his seat in the saddle. He did not bother to answer but faced the Emperor in silence. He could feel Alexios seething by his side.

  It was general Kantakouzenos who responded and his tone was angry. “Your Majesty. It would be good policy and prudent to allow a scouting party to go and check the passes. We do not know what awaits us in there and we have much to lose if we walk into a trap.”

  The Emperor grinned and said, “My generals, I do not think we will have any trouble. We still have a long way to go. But as you are so sure of yourself, Sir Talon,” he laughed and gestured to the gorge, “very well; Alexios Kalothesos, take Sir Talon here with you and you shall lead the scouts into the gorge. We shall wait until you have returned. Take some of my personal guards. Be quick about it, as it is getting late and I wish to be out the other side by nightfall.”

  One of the polished and well-dressed cavalryman who was in attendance whispered behind his hand to his companion in like dress; both were staring at Talon and Alexios. The man laughed, his face contemptuous. They clearly did not think there was anything to be concerned about. Talon stared back at the two young men. They were about his own age but clearly felt superior to a scruffy Frank. They looked away.

  The Emperor turned to his officers. “Generals, we can wait here as there is water aplenty for the men. They can rest by the river and perhaps we can take some respite from those accursed Turkish skirmishers over there.”

  Talon was joined by twenty of the cavalrymen from the personal guard, the kataphracktoi, under a young officer who clearly knew Alexios. They exchanged a curt greeting and then, with a curious glance at Talon, the officer put spurs to his horse and led the way into the steep the gorge.

  It was somewhat cooler once they passed between the huge ramparts of the entrance, a great relief from the heat of the plains they had just left. The river, which Talon had learned was called the Meander, was shallow and became a tight torrent in places with rapids. Talon noted that the hills on either side were steep, high and craggy with bluffs and overhangs that towered over the track along which they were riding. The slopes were too steep to allow a horse to climb and in many places there were dense clusters of stunted trees interspersed with heaps of rocks and large boulders. Alexios rode in front, talking to the young officer. They were not paying much attention to their surroundings, but Talon’s eyes were everywhere and he knew Max, a veteran of skirmishes in Palestine, was watching for any movement in the hills.

  “This is perfect lion country,” Max murmured as he rode alongside. He scratched at his chin—always a sign he was uncomfortable. His fingers made a rasping sound in his beard.

  “I agree, but the Turks could well be here and we would not see them if they did not want us to. I think it is perfect Turk country too, Max,” Talon muttered in return. He could feel the sweat cooling down his back under his heavy mail shirt now that they were out of the sun.

  As they rode along a trail that followed the banks of the fast flowing Meander River, occasionally splashing through the water as the trail dipped, he nervously scanned the high slopes above them. In places the gorge was so narrow that only a single cart would be able to pass along the embankment and even then risked losing a wheel. The passage was well used but all along the route there were clusters of boulders and his instincts told him that these would make perfect ambush sites for archers, while high above them he could see even more piles of rocks strewn among clumps of long grass along the hillsides.

  Despite the incessant rasping of crickets there was an ominous feel to the gorge as they climbed the steepening track, and even the two officers in front finally stopped talking. The only other sound became that of the horses’ hooves on the uneven surface and the creak of leather and the rattle of accoutrements attached to their saddles. A man coughed and the sound was amplified by the walls of the gorge. Talon had a queasy feeling that he was a mouse about to walk into a death trap. Max whispered to him, “I feel uncomfortable Talon. There’s something going on here that I do not like.”

  Talon nodded but said nothing. They had to have definitive proof before they could go back and declare it unsafe, but despite all his searching he could not see any sign of movement or people in the rocks above nor ahead of them. They gorge began to widen and they could finally see the opening in the hills that denoted the beginning of the high plains. Talon noted that the grass was dry; it would make a merry fire should someone put a flame to it, he reflected. Now the late summer sun blazed down upon the sweating men and horses. They had been climbing steadily for about an hour but although the mountains were still towering all about them the canyon gave way to foothills and pastures. The officer decided they had gone far enough.

  He turned his horse and headed back the way they had come, and as he passed Talon and Max he gave a condescending smile and said, “You see, Frank, the Emperor was right: we have nothing to fear from this gorge. We should go back and inform His Majesty as quickly as we can. There is nothing here to be afraid of.” His tone was neutral but Talon sensed what he was
implying. The officer muttered something to Alexios, who looked annoyed, and one of the men nearby snickered.

  The officer went on without another glance and even cantered his horse back along the way they had come. All the men wheeled their horses and followed him but for Talon, Max, and Alexios, who watched them go.

  “We might as well join them, Talon,” Alexios said in a resigned tone. “Your idea was correct, it was wise to scout ahead, and we have done so. But now the army must come through.” He moved past them and trotted his horse after the others.

  Talon nodded and again said nothing but glanced at Max, who shrugged.

  “You were right to insist, Talon. Like you, I sense trouble and am almost sure this is a trap, but try as I might I cannot see anything to alarm me. They probably think we are cowards.”

  “There is nothing to be gained by staying here, Max,” Talon said. He was chagrined and felt humiliated by the attitude of the officer, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  They cantered down the slope and reentered the gorge itself. They had about four miles to go back to join the army, and as the Emperor had pointed out, the army had to march through here before nightfall.

  They caught up with the men jogging back down the trail, but both Talon and Max were still very alert and scrutinized every slope and crag above them. They had nearly a mile to go when they heard it: the sound of a rock falling down the north slope. It was not a large rock and could easily have been dislodged by time and weather, but as his eyes darted up to the source of the sound he saw what he had feared. There were men up there who had been too slow to move out of sight.

  “Alexios! Look! Do you see that? There are men up there!” he called ahead.

  “I heard the rock, Talon, but I did not see any men…I do not see them.”

  “There! There are more on the other side! Look!” Max called.

  Now several of the other men had also seen movement on the slopes. They pointed and called to the young officer, who had stopped his horse and was staring intently up the mountain. He too had seen movement. He appeared to be undecided as to what to do. Alexios rode up to him and exchanged urgent words. He nodded and they both pointed up the mountain. The Turks were moving into position for an ambush. There was suddenly a lot of activity on the slopes above them where formerly there had been none.

  “We have to alert the army. This is a trap!” Alexios called back to Talon. There was nothing else to do. Putting spurs to their animals they galloped as a group down the trail heading for the distant opening at the west end where the army was stopped. Talon prayed that the Turks had not closed the trap behind them as they passed earlier.

  But as they rounded one of the sharp bends in the trail and were onto the last half mile they were greeted by a sight that stopped them in their tracks. To their dismay the army was on the march.

  *****

  High above the small contingent of Byzantine cavalry a tight group of Turks crouched among the boulders. Yiğit was among them.

  He had been one of the delegation that had spoken to the Emperor of the vast horde approaching the gorge, and once again he was smarting from the sting of the arrogant rebuff and the contemptuous laughter that had followed them as they left. However he had prepared his men well over the past few days when it became certain that the Byzantine army would come this way. He had hid his men in every possible crevice on both sides of the pass, having them prepare clusters of rocks and boulders in strategic places where they could do the most harm. He peered down at the scouts below now as they galloped off. He swore under his breath and vowed to take the head of the fool who had shown himself before the signal. His men looked at him apprehensively. What would the Byzantine army do now, they wondered out loud. He shook his head but said nothing, praying that they would still come.

  The Turks did not have long to wait. One of the men further down the steep slopes and in a good position to see the entrance stood up and waved back at them. Incredible though it seemed, the enemy was marching into the trap. Yiğit could barely believe his luck. Now he would have his revenge for all those humiliating days spent in that vast city being treated like an ignorant peasant by those pretty peacocks with their condescending attitude to his people. He clapped one of his men on the shoulder. His grin was ferocious.

  *****

  The trail was full of infantry marching in good order toward them. Alexios hauled his horse to a stop and yelled at the men in front to halt, calling out that the Turks had the heights above them. He pointed back up the trail and waved his arms, pointing up the slopes.

  An officer rode over to him and there was a heated exchange. Alexios and the young scout officer were pointing back up the trail and were arguing insistently. The officer, who seemed to be senior, stared up the trail, but as Talon approached he heard the man say, “The Emperor grew tired of waiting and ordered the army forward. I cannot halt my men now. We will see what happens. It might just be some villagers who plan mischief. We can march past them without casualties.”

  Alexios was clearly frustrated and now alarmed. He turned to Talon and asked, “Did you hear that, Talon?”

  “Yes I did. The only thing we can do is to try to warn His Majesty and the generals. If it is in earnest the infantry will be halted and the army can withdraw before too much damage has been done. God help us all if he insists on proceeding.”

  But it was not so easy to move past the tramping infantry; they packed the trail from side to side leaving almost no room for horses going in the opposite direction to push past. In the end Talon led the way by taking to the river, his horse splashing through the shallows. The others followed.

  Still more bad news greeted them just after the first division of the vanguard had marched past. It appeared that the rest of the army was following close on their heels. The leader of this division was none other than Baldwin of Antioch and most of his soldiers were either men from Antioch or Frankish and German mercenaries. They wore familiar chain armor and rode big horses. Many of the Franks carried lances, axes and huge swords. Baldwin was impatient. He glowered when Alexios again explained what they had seen and insisted upon continuing up the road hard on the heels of the vanguard.

  They came upon the center of the army just about to enter the gorge and Talon saw the clique of senior officers in the middle of the moving mass of men and baggage carts and huge siege engines all heading slowly for the entrance of the gorge. The Emperor paused long enough to listen to the respectful report offered by Alexios and the officer, casting a glance at Talon as they were speaking, but he shook his head in an irritated manner and dismissed them with a gesture.

  Alexios withdrew after a deep bow from the waist and joined Talon as they in turn joined the moving throng that was marching into the gorge.

  “What did you tell him?” Talon asked.

  Alexios looked stunned but answered, “I told him what we had seen and that we should be cautious.”

  “What did he say to you?” Max asked.

  “He told me that his army was the largest this country had seen for many years and that a few Turks perched on a hilltop were not worth waiting for. ‘We will brush them aside if they cause any trouble. The infantry can clear the hills of them as they go. That is what they are there for,’ he said. That swine Panto’ almost accused me of cowardice. I could have struck him dead for that.” Alexios was fuming.

  Talon gave a resigned nod and said, “We are committed then. There is a trap about to be sprung and we are the mice walking into it.”

  Alexios shrugged. “We have no choice now but to see what fate has in store for us. We have done our duty.” His tone was dismal.

  Max drew close to Talon. “This is not even our fight, Talon. Why did the Emperor order you to come? I wish that you had been able to refuse.”

  “It might have cost my life and possibly yours had I refused, Max. Besides, we were instructed by Sir Guy to keep an eye on things. But next time I shall be careful whom I knock off his horse when in a game.
Stay close and let’s see if we can protect Alexios but…I have a terrible feeling that there are many more Turks up there than we saw.”

  “So do I! God protect us, because these fools do not have any sense at all,” Max said under his breath. His grizzled features were grim as he loosened his sword in its scabbard and hitched his shield around to cover his front. Talon hauled his bow out of its sheath under his left thigh and took out an arrow. He shifted his light shield on his forearm to a more comfortable position. He felt a familiar tension in his stomach.

  They joined the mass of cavalry and baggage wagons that labored up the winding track. Instead of the former silence it was now all noise as the drovers shouted and whips cracked and the oxen heaved at their huge loads, the iron shod wheels grinding deep grooves into the dry path, churning the already arid track to a fine dust that rose in choking clouds to torment the men and horses following behind. Once again they entered the cool mouth of the canyon, its menacing crags towering over the winding mass of men, horses and slowly moving wagons. They were followed by the rearguard under an experienced general named Kontostephanos whom Talon had met and liked while on the march. His men were well disciplined and fully capable of holding off the irritating Turkish cavalry who followed the army from behind. They moved painfully slowly up the trail for another mile.

  Talon tried to think what he would do if there were an ambush. He pondered gloomily what might happen once the bulk of the army was well into the pass. Would the Turks seal both ends and then slowly cut them to pieces? He began to wonder if it had been his imagination and if indeed the people they had seen on the slopes had actually been the Turkish army or just villagers seeking safety and watching them from on high.