Well, here goes nothing :)
Chapter 20 –Hun Invasion Part I of III
"Fire!" Ernak yelled out as he stood beside the White Huns. He walked behind the row of catapults aimed at Zeno's army that had yet to breach Pannonia's borders. Ballistic weapons weren't his style but these Bulgur Huns had a large amount of catapults at their disposal.
The young Hun king saw Romans trying to push through the snow banks as bombs were hurled at them. He growled and ran to the first flank that was guarding the borders.
"Again!" he shouted at the ballistic weapons team behind him. Ernak saw a few Romans flying backwards crashing onto the rocky terrain. A devious smile appeared on his face then he grabbed his bow off his back and climbed to the top of the hill, overseeing the hundreds upon hundreds of Romans.
The White Huns were pushing the Romans back with their shields and those who got inside Pannonia's perimeters they were instantly killed or shot. Ernak pulled back an arrow and aimed at the officers on their horses from afar.
"Roman scum," he muttered and released the arrow at the Roman officer. He saw one of them fall off his horse and a victorious grin graced his lips. He laughed aloud. "Piece of Roman shit!" he yelled and a few Roman officers spun around to glare at him from below the hillside.
Pirro ran up the hill, almost out of breath, he grabbed onto Ernak's arm. "We can't keep doing this, Ernak," he said as his eyebrows furrow deeply.
The Hun king frowned. "I don't want any of those Roman bastards coming into my land! My father's land! I will not let Zeno come into Pannonia again!" he snarled.
Xena's brother nodded. "I understand, but Ernak." He turned the Hun towards the mountains beyond the borders of Pannonia. He pointed to the black mountains covered in snow. "There are more Romans coming." The torch lights lit up the entire mountain side and Ernak saw them marching towards Pannonia coming from the Black Sea.
Ernak's dark eyes narrowed. "Then let them come."
"But...but Ernak!" Pirro gasped. He followed the young king down the hill. "We can't defeat all of them. We need to retreat!"
Ernak spun around, his long hair whipping behind his shoulders in the cold frigid wind. Snow began to fall and icy breath left his lips as his mouth parted. "Retreat?" he hissed and Pirro arched an eyebrow. "Would your sister retreat?" he asked seriously. "Would she? I don't think so! Xena never retreats from anything! That is why she is the best commander in all the Hun tribes!"
"You are not my sister, Ernak and she is not here!" he shouted.
"I am not Xena, you are right about that, but I am more like my father than my brothers ever could be. My father was not called the Scourge of God for nothing. I have watched my people be slaughtered right before my eyes and Xena left for dead. I will not let that happen again!" Ernak shook his head and folded his arms, watching a few Romans run into Pannonia and were soon executed quickly by swift blades driving into their leather armored chests.
Pirro sighed heavily and stood beside him, fearfully watching the Romans march from the mountains towards the border of Pannonia. "We can't keep this up for long. Even you know that. We need another plan."
Ernak nodded, agreeing. He turned to the bright eyed Thracian. A devious smile came to him. "I have an idea but I need all of the oil in Pannonia."
"For what?" Pirro asked.
The king rubbed his scruffy bearded chin and observed the Romans marching in. "Something that I've seen Xena do many times. She may not be here but I know her tactics. She was my commander for awhile after all." He chuckled.
He ran down towards the Bulgur Huns that stood behind the ballistic weapon fleet. "I need all of the oil in this territory!" he shouted as catapults were still being set off. He walked along the line of Bulgur Huns and they stared at him with vehemence.
"All of it! Everything you got!" he shouted and they stood in silence, not budging. "Do as I say or we all die here!" he growled and his eyes looked at these men. "We can be enemies or we can team up and defeat the Romans. They will kill all of you. I don't want to fight with your people anymore. We are the same people! We speak the same language. Have the same customs. Women and children will die if we don't fight back!"
The Bulgur Hun soldiers eyed each other and then turned back to the Pannonian Hun king. Ernak exhaled harshly through his flared nostrils. His hands bone white from the chilling air. The snow began to trickle down harder by the minute.
"We are not Bulgur Huns or White Huns or Pannonian Huns or Atlyn Huns or Ashina Huns. We are Huns. Now, if you don't want to join us and fight then you can leave and I will make sure to banish you from every Hun tribe in our nation." Ernak said finally, hoping that would get the soldiers to side with him.
The Bulgur Hun soldiers nodded at him and Ernak smiled brightly. "May God praise you all. Now, I need every single barrel of oil in Pannonia. Bring them to the border and I will be waiting for you." He demanded and everyone dispersed to find the barrels.
Pirro crossed his arms and walked up to Ernak. "What are you going to do with the oil?" he asked curiously. He hadn't seen his elder sister in so long and he certainly never saw her in battle.
Ernak arched his thick dark eyebrow as he glared at the Roman army approaching faster and faster.
"We're going to light this fucking place on fire. Roast the Roman pigs." He nodded slowly and spat on the ground in disgust.
Three days into the journey to Constantinople Navaz lead his army to the destination that Xena told him to go. This was uncharted territory for him. He had never been to the Caspian Sea territories either but Xena suggested they set up camp there because it was in between Armenia and Constantinople. The perfect spot to escape to, but Navaz was nervous approaching these Huns. He had never left the Caucasus before and to be honest, he hadn't needed to even after his father died. He often made trips to Persia but that was as far as he went.
The White Hun army approached the border of the Akitziri Hun tribe. A tall, pale faced Hun with dark almond eyes stopped them from entering the tribe's land.
"Who are you and why have you come to the Caspian Sea?" the guard asked and pointed his javelin at the White Hun king.
Navaz frowned and uncovered his face, exposing his dark beard and fair features. "I am King Khushnavaz from the Kingdom of Balaam. I have come here to station my army for an excursion."
The Akitiziri Hun frowned and looked at the huge army behind the young king. "You are too young to be the king of Balaam."
"My father died years ago. I am the son of my father and mother ,Tuya Khatun. Will you allow us to camp in your territory or not?" Navaz asked, growing impatient with this Hun.
Xena rolled her eyes and trotted ahead, ripping the scarf off her face, exposing herself to the Hun guards blocking the entrance to the Akitiziri territory. "Enough with the formalities. Let us in or else." She threatened.
The Hun smirked. "And who are you?"
She lifted her chin proudly, "Xena, Commander of Armenia and Pannonia. Former Commander of Attila." She said and the man's eyes widened in fear.
"Xena..." the Akitiziri Hun's mouth gaped and he lowered his eyes. "I heard you were dead."
"Well, I'm not. Let us into the camp or I'll have words with your Bey." She said and he whistled to the other guards to allow the army to pass through the border.
She trotted beyond the border and into the Hun tribe encampment nonchalantly. Navaz sat on his horse wide-eyed and Gabrielle smirked and rode up next to the shocked king. "She sure has a way with words, doesn't she?" she teased.
Navaz frowned, feeling a bit humiliated by Xena and going over his head. These people didn't take him seriously but feared Xena. Everyone feared her, even the Huns from other lands feared her. "Yes...she does." He scowled and trotted inside.
"This is Xena's old tribe you know," Gabrielle whispered. She saw the look of malice in the young king's eyes. "She hasn't been here in many years but obviously she left her mark on them." She said and he ignored her and quickened his pace, riding behind Xena. She frowned and kicked her horse, riding ahead.
Immediately, courtesy of the Bey of the Caspian Sea tribes, offered Navaz, Gabrielle and Xena yurts to reside in during their stay. When everyone saw Xena riding into the tribe they gawked at her as if they had seen a ghost and some were still living there from when Xena took over the tribe and had that look of fear instilled in them.
Gabrielle and Xena sat inside a large yurt with a map laid out on the floor. Xena bit into an apple and frowned at the map. "We need to find the cisterns inside Constantinople. That way we can get easy access to the water supply throughout the city."
"I know where the cisterns are," Gabrielle said. She pointed to the city and made a circle on the outskirts. "It's not easy to get to them. We will need a diversion to get inside. Zeno has guards posted everywhere throughout the city. We will be spotted instantly."
Xena nodded. "I will create a diversion with Navaz and you can lead a group of men into the cisterns with the powdered opium." She instructed and the blonde adviser agreed to the plan. "When you pour the opium into the water supply, you need to escape the city. We need another group on the opposite of the exit of the cisterns so you can ride out without being caught."
"There are four exits inside the cistern tunnels. Two on the west, one on the east and another on the north side. If we go out of the north exit we'll be heading towards the Black Sea."
The commander groaned as she chewed on the apple slice, gawking at the map of the holy city. "Go east then towards Pontus and regroup there. We don't need a lot of men for this job. The rest of the army should stay here in Akitiziri territory."
"How...long does it take for the opium to take effect?" Gabrielle asked.
"Not long, especially when it's mixed with water. One more thing, you need to make sure the water is boiling or the powder will not dissolve. It will turn into a black tar and the Romans won't drink it." Xena mentioned.
The adviser nodded. "This is going to take longer than I thought. I will have to go inside the cisterns first to boil the water and then pour the powder in it," she sighed. "Right?"
"Right," Xena said and smiled gazing at her golden haired partner. "Gabrielle," she spoke softly and her partner lifted her eyes. "You are the best thing in my life. I never thought you would be working alongside with me like this."
Gabrielle's cheeks flushed as an overwhelming sense of warmth invaded her body. "I'm not going to let you take on Zeno by yourself, Xena. He is as much my enemy as he is yours. He took you away from me for an entire year. I thought you were dead. You promised never to leave me."
Xena's head hung and she set down the half eaten apple slice on the plate. "And I never did."
The poet turned adviser and maybe even warrior some might say, took the commander's hand in hers. Together they stared into each other's eyes. "I never had time to mourn you, Xena. And I'm glad that I never did. A part of me knew that you were alive and I doubted myself sometimes. I should have never doubted that you were alive. Don't ever leave me again."
"Oh, I promise," Xena's smile engulfed her entire face and she kissed the blonde's hand.
Navaz walked into the yurt and Gabrielle's hand slipped away from Xena's. Both of them sheepishly hid their smiles from the young king. He cleared his throat and pointed to the map. "Did you two come up with a feasible plan?" he asked.
Xena nodded. "Yes. Gabrielle is going to the cisterns to distribute the opium powder into the water supply. You and I are going to create a diversion outside, but we need to be discreet otherwise this plan isn't going to work."
He hummed to himself and sat down on the floor in between the two women. He drug his finger across the map of Constantinople. "How can we be discreet about this? We look nothing like Romans."
"This is a coup, Navaz. We are here to eradicate Zeno and put Anastasius on the throne. We aren't here to slaughter thousands of Romans but if we need to, we can. We have enough men to obliterate his entire holy army!" she growled. "Zeno sent his best men to fight against Ernak in Pannonia. He left the city heavily unguarded which gives us the advantage. If Anastasius kept his word about keeping this coup a secret from Zeno then we will win. And we can go back to Balaam."
"It seems you have this all figured out," he commented in a snide tone.
Gabrielle frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
He shot her a glare and Xena clenched her fists. "You devised this entire plan without my consent. Both of you."
"Navaz, I am your commander. That is what commanders do. You trust me, right?" Xena spoke in a calm tone, as calm as she could possibly be.
He stood. "It's not that I don't trust you, Xena. You humiliated me in front of those Akitiziri Huns. You undermined my authority as king. I am above you, don't you forget that."
Xena rose to face the young king. "You were still a baby when I conquered this territory, Navaz. And you were a child when I raided all of the Hun tribes and invaded Visigoth territory with Attila by my side. I am twice your age and I have the twice experience. In my eyes, you are still a child and you are too naive to be a king."
"Xena!" Gabrielle gasped and grabbed the warrior's arm.
Navaz's eyes grew at the audacity of this woman, his wife's mother, his mother in-law and commander. "How dare you!" he spat and took a step closer, barely a breath from her face. She lifted her chin, staring into his irate dark eyes.
"I am not your mother in-law in times of war, Navaz. I am your commander and your best ally. Don't make me become your enemy. You wouldn't like that. Attila did not benefit from it either." She smiled crookedly and felt his breath escaping his nostrils against her cheek. "I destroyed Pannonia when Attila denounced me. I burned everything. And you know what he did?" her eyes grew wild. "Come on, ask me."
He groaned. "What?"
"He reinstated me as his commander to fight against the Romans. He trusted me even though I destroyed the very place I too, called home. So you see, Navaz, you should listen to me. I know more than you. Attila and I weren't just allies, we were friends. Don't work against me or you will not last another year as king." She turned and sat back down on the floor then sipped her wine.
He balled his fists and glared at Xena then turned to the placid Gabrielle standing, not knowing what to do.
Xena kept her eyes on the map, ignoring the fuming king beside her. "You will never be a great king until you recognize that I am your friend. Anastasia is not just your wife, but your queen. She is also your friend and you don't listen to each other. I suggest you prioritize yourself. Until then, I will talk to you in the morning." She said and he stormed out of the yurt.
Gabrielle rubbed her scalp and then turned to Xena whom was sitting quietly, sipping her wine like nothing just happened here. "Xena...what on earth possessed you to say those things to him?"
The commander shrugged a shoulder. "He needs to get off his high horse, Gabrielle. He is too caught up in the idea of being the next great Hun king that he forgets he needs to earn that title. He isn't going to earn that by fighting with me. He doesn't know how to work in a team. He's a spoiled king, babied by his mother his entire life. He needs to fight against the enemy not me."
Ditron ran up to Ernak as dawn approached. They had fended off the Romans for two days now and a few Bulgur Huns as well as White Huns, lost their lives. The bodies were set inside a large pit to be set to fire as soon as this plan was to be carried out.
"We surrounded the entire border with the oil like you asked." He spoke to the Hun king.
Ernak squinted his eyes and saw the Roman army camped out far from the border, regrouping. Last night was brutal for everyone. There were hundreds of Roman corpses lined on the border of Pannonia. "Good. What about the field? Is it covered as well?" he asked.
Ditron nodded. "Yes, it is. The Bulgurs just finished pouring the oil onto the field between our camps." He said and Ernak rubbed his chin. "You're really going to set this place up into flames aren't you?"
The son of Attila turned to Xena's brother with an eager smile. "Pannonia is my home and was founded by my grandfather. I won't let my motherland be overthrown again. Not by anyone, especially not Roman pigs."
Pirro joined his brother and Ernak. "The Romans are marching towards us." He said and Ernak whipped his head around to see the army coming to the border. "When do we light the oil?"
"When I give the signal." Ernak said and Ditron ran off to alert the archers inside the border of the plan. Pirro folded his arms and shook his head.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Relax, Pirro. I've seen your sister do this many times. It works, trust me." Ernak watched the Roman army coming towards his beloved homeland. "One hundred yards," he muttered. Keeping his eyes on the Romans, not moving an inch, he glared at the arrogant officers on their horses riding in on a slow trot.
"Fifty yards..." his smile grew.
Pirro was starting to become worried as the Romans came closer and closer. "Ernak..."
"Forty..." Ernak felt his heart racing as the officers gaped into his eyes. "Bastards."
"What the fuck. Do something!" Pirro exclaimed.
Ernak's eyes grew wild. "Now! Now! Light the oil!" he shouted and Ditron turned to the archers, pointing to the field. He ran away from the border. The archers on top of the hill shot flaming arrows into the field and the entire snowy plains burst into flames.
The Romans, shocked at first, stood still as the soil engulfed in a hellfire on earth. The soldiers on the field screamed in agony as their flesh burned into a black tar. Dropping their weapons, some began retreating, though there was no escape. Three acres of land were set on fire outside the border of Pannonia. The Roman officers on horseback tried to escape but the horses reared on their hind legs and rode off through the burning snow banks.
Ernak laughed as he watched the Romans burning and their skin bubbling slowly. He ran to the ballistic weapon fleet. "Light the catapults!" he shouted and the Bulgur Huns began loading the catapults.
Some Romans were able to escape the fire and ran towards the border. Ditron yelled from across the field. "Ernak!" he pointed to the Romans running towards the border.
"Ignite the oil on the border!" Ernak yelled at the archers.
Shooting flaming arrows on the rim of oil that encompassed the entirety of the Pannonian territory on fire. It created a ring of fire around the area and Ernak smiled. The Romans quickly began backing away from the roaring five foot tall flames surrounding the Hun tribe border.
Ernak grabbed a crossbow and shot a runaway Roman that was coming towards him. "Burn in Hellfire!" he yelled with a big grin on his face. He shot another arrow at a Roman soldier approaching the border. "I need bowmen!" he yelled and ran back inside the enclosed perimeter.
Pirro ran along with Ernak to the sword legion in the back behind everyone else. "How long will that fire be alive for?!"
Ernak quickened his pace. "Well into the evening if we're lucky!" he stopped at the swordsmen that were waiting patiently. "Go guard the south forest. Make sure no Romans come in through that way." He said and the White Huns ran towards the forest.
He jumped onto his horse and Pirro gasped. "Where are you going?!"
"To the Roman camp," Ernak said.
Pirro shook his head and mounted a horse. "I'm coming with you." He unsheathed his sword and both smiled at each other.
Xena lead a small group of thirty men to Pontus. Now they were in Roman territory and needed to extra careful that they were not seen. She turned to Navaz. "Stay here. Gabrielle and I will go inside the city to scout around."
Navaz frowned. "I am not allowed to come with you?"
"You are a king, Navaz. I can't let you die. Believe it or not, your life is more important than mine." She kicked her horse and Gabrielle rode behind her as everyone stayed behind in the small area of Pontus.
Inside the city, Xena and Gabrielle wore hooded cloaks as they walked through the alleyway together. Xena eyed all of the citizens and there were too many innocent lives here. Gabrielle trailed behind her so she could get a good look at her surroundings just in case Romans popped up.
"Do you see anything?" Gabrielle whispered.
"No," Xena said and she spotted elite Romans walking around clad in their black leather armor. "There," she nudged her head and Gabrielle peered behind her shoulder. "Noblemen. Zeno's soldiers are not far." She smirked and walked ahead.
"Xena?" Gabrielle groaned and reluctantly followed her. "We're supposed to scout, not get caught."
"Relax, Gabrielle. I know what I'm doing." Xena turned the corner so she could listen to the noblemen talking in a group together.
"Emperor Zeno sent out four legions to Pannonia," one nobleman said. Xena's eyes widened at that. Gabrielle clung to her arm and listened intently to the elderly men speak freely out in the open.
"Those Huns will never stop fighting Rome. Odoacer is riding out to Balaam. I hear the Caucasus Huns rival those Huns of Attila."
Xena gasped and turned to Gabrielle. "Odoacer is going to Balaam," she whispered.
Gabrielle's stomach knotted at the news. "Do you think he's going to attack?"
"Why else would he go?!" Xena hissed then grabbed her adviser's arm and lead them to another alleyway far away from prying eyes and ears. "The Magyar army is still there but it's not enough men to fend off Odoacer."
Gabrielle nodded. "We can't warn them. By the time they get our message it will be too late. What are we going to do?" she clamped her hands together, panting heavily, becoming more nervous than she had ever been.
With the entire White Hun army near the Caspian Sea and Pontus and also in Pannonia, Balaam was not guarded very well. The Magyar army was good enough but nobody was there to command the army, except a few elite guards that stayed behind to watch the Adame while Navaz was away. The only thing Xena could think about was her daughter and she would kill anyone that came close to Anastasia. She wasn't there to protect her and there was nothing she could do about it.
"Kreka." She said and Gabrielle eyed her curiously. "She's the only person there that knows how to command an army."
Gabrielle shook her head. "Xena. She hasn't been in the field since Ellac died. That was almost eleven years ago."
"They don't call her the Barbarian Queen for nothing, Gabrielle." Xena sighed and felt her heart racing and her stomach churn. She was starting to feel nauseous. "She will know what to do. I hope." She turned and saw the noblemen leave the area and then a slew of guards came out.
Grabbing Gabrielle's arm, they took off. "Come on, we have to get back to the others!"
Navaz saw Xena and Gabrielle riding back and he folded his arms. "Well?"
They both halted their steeds and Xena hopped off the horse and took the hood off her head. "The place is not heavily guarded," she said. Gabrielle dismounted her horse and eyed Xena and frowned sadly at the king. "We need to move closer to Constantinople. It's about three days ride from here. We'll take ten horses and hide out in Mysia. It's only a few miles from Constantinople."
Navaz nodded, agreeing to the plan then furrowed his eyebrows. "When will we go to Troy?"
Xena sighed. "We have to spike the water supply first. Once we know the Romans are affected then we transfer the entire army to Troy and go from there. The effect isn't going to last long. Only a day or two."
He scoffed. "Then why bother with it?!"
"Because," she clenched her jaw, "we need to distract the army so we can lead our five hundred men into Troy! We can't just take a huge army out in the open and expect not to be caught. Don't be ridiculous." She said and saw the young king's eyes widen, feeling insulted once again. "I've done this before. Nobody is in Troy right now as far as I know."
"And if there is?" he asked calmly.
Gabrielle approached the two. "Then we kill everyone in our path. Troy is a neutral zone. It doesn't belong to the Romans."
Xena nodded at her partner and gave her a brief smile before turning back to Navaz. "We leave by nightfall and we stay on the outskirts of every city until we reach Constantinople. Understand?"
He relented. "Yes. I will go tell everyone the plan." He curtly smiled and turned to talk to his men.
Gabrielle grabbed Xena's arm, pulling her aside. "You didn't tell him about Odoacer," she whispered.
"I need him focused, Gabrielle. I can't have him worrying about Anastasia right now."
"He has a right to worry. I'm worried too. Balaam is not guarded well!" she hissed.
Xena nodded and placed her hand on the blonde to calm her. "I know, but we can't think about that right now. If my instincts are correct, Kreka will command the Magyars against Odoacer."
"And if you're wrong?"
"Let's hope I'm not," Xena turned and eyed Navaz as he spoke to his thirty men. "Come on. We should be with everyone else." She walked off and Gabrielle sighed heavily, feeling a sense of evil approaching them at every corner. She didn't like this plan anymore and she definitely didn't like that Odoacer was heading towards Balaam either.
Zeno looked to Selan. "What news do you bring for me about the Pannonian swine?" he asked.
The adviser nervously approached the emperor with a low gaze. "Sir, the son of Attila destroyed three of your legions." He said and Zeno rose from his throne and began laughing. "Sir?"
"You must be joking. A little boy destroyed three out of four of my legions?" Zeno chuckled and Selan stared at him seriously.
"I am not jesting, your highness. Apologies," Selan bowed his head.
"God damnit!" Zeno shouted to the ceiling. "How? How did that little fuck destroy my legions?!" he grabbed Selan's throat, choking him lightly with a firm grip.
Selan croaked and averted his gaze from Zeno's harsh glare. "Fire...a lot of fire!" he said and Zeno released him. He rubbed his throat and took a couple of steps backward from the irate Roman.
"I see." Zeno walked to the window. His palace overlooking the Black Sea. "Well," he smiled, "no matter. Odoacer is riding out to Balaam as we speak and when he arrives, I hope to be rid of the Hun queen." He turned to Selan. "She is with child, yes?" he asked to make sure and the adviser nodded. "Even better. Wipe out Xena's line altogether."
"Sir, won't that be difficult if Xena is in Balaam?" Selan asked.
Zeno smiled deviously. "I know for a fact that she is not in Balaam, Selan. My governor is in Pannonia. He spotted Navaz's army heading towards the Caspian Sea." He sighed and rubbed his chin pensively. "Now, why would they be going to the Caspian Sea?" he wondered.
"Perhaps they are gathering all the tribes to rise against you, sir." Selan suggested.
"Perhaps." The emperor sighed deeply and snapped his fingers at his servant to fetch more wine. "Have Anastasius retreat and go to the Caspian Sea tribes at once. I will wait for his reply. Pannonia is of no concern to me anymore. I will attack that territory –the heart of the Huns –again another day."
"Yes, emperor." Selan bowed and quickly left the throne chamber.