Chapter 25 – The Wrath of Queen Tomiri Part II of V
One Month Later
Navaz was in charge of securing the borders with Persia and Scythia. The single stretch of land between Scythia and Armenia was heavily guarded with Gokturks but it was put under surveillance by Tuya, who opted to stay behind in Balaam and help to fight against Queen Tomiri and her army. With everyone gone and already in Pannonia, a month passed and Navaz was beginning to wonder if Tomiri was going to attack at all, but Xena reassured him that the Scythian Queen was not hiding, she was preparing. Marching an entire army around the Caucasus Mountains was no easy feat.
The Sassan Persian Empire also was troublesome and Navaz ordered to blockade the borders so the Shahs could not attack Balaam directly. Although, the border was close to the city of Balaam, it wasn't that close. It was a day's ride away at least, but when they had an army, that was incredibly close –too close in fact.
Xena and Gabrielle stayed in the mainland of the White Hun encampment and entrusted the Magyar army to surround the city and kept few soldiers inland for safety purposes. Gabrielle wrapped the fur coat around herself and stood next to Xena. They both gawked at the mountains ahead and saw Navaz's army of black armored men blocking the entrance towards the kingdom.
Gabrielle was feeling a bit skeptical and worried. Snow was falling lightly early in the morning and the sun had yet to make an appearance. There were no sign of Tomiri's men in the mountains and the Gokturks were hidden in their yurts up in the mountains, but they were not going to attack, not now. Something felt so wrong about this war. Very wrong.
"Xena, I don't know about this. It's too quiet. We've seen no sign of Tomiri and her army. Are you sure they are going around the mountains?" she looked up to the commander.
The dark haired warrior covered her face with a thick scarf and squinted her eyes at the tall mountain peaks. "She will come. I promise you she will."
Gabrielle knew that being an adviser was not easy especially when Xena was on a mission, but this felt so wrong. "I don't think she's going around the mountains like you think she is." She said and the warrior turned, looking down at her with dark eyes and an imminent frown on her face.
"You seriously think that she is going to march an army of thousands through the mountains?" Xena implied how ridiculous that sounded.
Nodding her head, the blonde responded, "I think she isn't coming through the mountains or around them. I think she's already here somewhere."
"Impossible!" Xena scoffed. "We would have spotted her army."
"You said it yourself. She knows this land like back of her hand. She has the advantage, we don't. This isn't right, Xena. We've been preparing for a month. She would have already attacked us but she hasn't. She's hiding somewhere."
Xena sighed and whistled to one of the Magyar men. A group of soldiers ran to her and Gabrielle. "Scout the east border and look for Scythians. If you find anything, report back to me and do not attack. Do not attack, you understand?" she ordered.
They nodded. "Yes, commander."
"We're about to see if your theory is correct, Gabrielle."
In the hidden alcoves in the side of the Caucasus Mountains, General Sparga and a few scouts were buried beneath the snow wearing white and silver armor to hide easily in the thick snow banks. Sparga covered his mouth with a white scarf and saw the White Hun army marching through the mountains in the middle of Gokturk territory.
He turned to the commanding officer behind him. "Go tell the queen that the Huns are coming towards us. Ask if she wants to attack or not," he whispered.
Navaz breathed out heavily and adjusted the fur hat on his head. He eyed all of the mountain peaks and saw a lot of yurts mounted on flat parts of the mountains. Gokturks lived here but they didn't seem to be part of the problem. He sent men to scout out the area for a month now and so far they found nothing.
Zolten rode up to his king and uncovered his face. "We haven't found any Scythians, your majesty. Do you want us to ride back to Balaam?"
"No. We're staying here. They can't be far..." the king rubbed his chin and frowned. "This isn't right."
"Pardon?" Zolten asked.
"Queen Tomiri should have already shown her face. She hasn't and that's what worries me. Keep scouting the mountains. Look for hidden alcoves and report back to me." He ordered and Zolten rode off to alert the other soldiers.
Scythian Queen Tomiri was stationed at the top of one of the mountains, laying down in the snow dressed in a white cloak and armor. She narrowed her eyes when she saw the Hun army searching the mountains for hidden areas.
Her commanding officer climbed up to the top of the mountain and breathed heavily. "My queen..." he began and she lifted her head, glaring at the young officer. "The General asks if you want us to attack or not. The Huns are coming near our first group in the west side of the mountains."
"No. Do not attack or our position will be given away. Have the men retreat from their positions and come back to our stronghold on the peaks. We will allow the Persian brothers to attack Balaam first on the eastern border. The Huns have no idea about the alliance I've made with the Shahs." She smiled and stood, walking back to her horse.
"When will we attack instead of laying dormant?" he asked as he watched her mount her dark horse.
"When I say!" she hissed and rode off with her elite soldiers back to their camp on the top of the mountain.
Later that evening Xena, Gabrielle and Navaz were gathered in the conference room hovering over the table with the large map sprawled in front of them. Xena threw her hat on the table and growled, glaring at the map.
Navaz sighed heavily and shook his head. "I don't understand this."
Gabrielle nodded. "Tomiri should have attacked already. I know she is here somewhere."
"We searched all of the mountainous areas but we couldn't find anything except Gokturk yurts. If she is here then she is good at hiding," he looked over at Xena. "What do you think?"
"This is a trap," Xena gathered and pointed to the mountains. "There are several areas where they could be hiding. She knows this area better than all of us. If she really is here then we can't wait for her to attack us."
Gabrielle frowned and tapped her cheek. "What do you propose we should do then? We can't go on like this, waiting for days until she decides to attack. The soldiers are becoming restless waiting outside day after day in the cold."
Navaz agreed and circled a section of the mountains that lead right into Balaam. "This area is heavily guarded by my men. I told them to report back to me if they find anything, but we know that Tomiri is hiding."
"Mountain soldiers," Xena said and the king and adviser eyed her curiously. "She isn't going to bring her entire army through the mountains. It's too dangerous and they would be spotted instantly. She doesn't have a lot of men with her if she's hiding. She's not stupid and knows how to use the mountains to her advantage."
"So, what does that mean? We go back and search the mountains for the millionth time?" Gabrielle asked, folding her arms.
Xena shook her head and a malicious smile appeared on her face. "No, we're going to blow up the mountains."
Navaz's eyes widened. "Excuse me? Gokturks live there. If we blow up their territory we will start a war with them too!"
"What do you suggest then? We either blow up the mountains to save thousands of lives or allow her to invade and we lose everything. Think realistically, Navaz. You can't save everybody," she said and narrowed her eyebrows at the young king.
Gabrielle interrupted, "I think we should ask Anastasius for help. We gave him the position of emperor. Now it is his turn to return the favor."
"Good idea, Gabrielle," Xena smiled. "You write the emperor a letter asking for aid."
"So, what are we going to use to blow up the mountains?" Navaz asked and saw the look in his commander's eyes. Dangerous. Sly and conniving. "You do realize we're going to start an avalanche if we do this."
Xena smiled. "Precisely. Then she won't be able to pass through the mountains any more. We have catapults. We'll use those before sunrise. If Gabrielle is right about this and the queen is hiding then we can wipe out her spies with a few bombs. It's a great plan. What do you say?" her eyes grew with excitement and Navaz arched an eyebrow.
"I trust you that's all I'm going to say..." he turned and walked out of the room.
Now with Navaz out of the room Gabrielle inched closer to her partner and also commander. "You are willingly to destroy another nation's territory to get rid of Queen Tomiri?" she asked barely above a whisper.
Xena turned and saw the concern and worry in the blonde's eyes. "This is war, Gabrielle. If Tomiri wants to come here and destroy us then we have to be ready to lose a lot of people in the process even if it means destroying Gokturk territory."
"Can't we get them to safety?" she offered some hope in this situation.
"If we go in and move the Gokturks then we will give away our plan. If Tomiri is close by and I believe that she is, then we need to blow up the mountains so she can't come into Balaam. I don't want to kill innocent people but Gokturks are far from innocent people. They are worse than Visigoths." She sighed.
Gabrielle frowned. "But we haven't had any problems with the Goths for over ten years since Attila died."
Xena smiled and tapped her fingers on the large parchment map. "They have no desire to attack Hun territory anymore. They are busy fighting with Odoacer and his Roman army trying to invade Gaul."
"I don't know about this but I trust you." Gabrielle rubbed her arm, looking at the daunting map before her. She couldn't help but feel very nervous about the Scythians invading. Hopefully, Tomiri would stay away from Pannonia and other Hun lands. If they were lucky, the destruction of the mountains would deter Tomiri and her army for good and buy everyone some time. But how much time is the real question.
The women occupied the infamous Adame of Attila in Pannonia while the men stayed in yurts outside in the rest of the territory. There were hardly any women in the land since everyone left for Armenia almost two years ago. The Bulgur women had harsh feelings for the Pannonian women living in the reclaimed land by the two sons of Attila. Ernak was told by Navaz to govern the land on his own accord since he was king before Zeno came in and ransacked the place.
Dengi, still a prince of Pannonia, son of Attila, was appointed by his younger brother to be the governor of Pannonia, which was unheard of. Attila had a court that was disbanded by Dengizich when Ellac died in battle. Now, the Bulgur Huns and Pannonian Huns were forced to live together since the Bulgurs couldn't go back to Thracian territory of fear that Odoacer would invade that area next. He was already after Gaul which now belonged to the Visigoths, one of the enemies of Attila.
The three women, Kreka, Anastasia and Leila stayed in the Adame by themselves in the women's quarters and the area that once belonged to Kreka when she was queen of the land. Ernak and his brother stayed in the other quarters on the far side of the Adame.
Being in Pannonia for only a couple of weeks was difficult because the women feared the Bulgurs would revolt and begin to fight against Ernak and Dengi like they did before. Kreka once had faith in her sons to restore Pannonia but now she was not so sure. Anastasia on the other hand, put complete faith in Ernak to bring Pannonia back to the way it was when he was king. Pannonia would be great again and belong to the rightful owners once more. Although, sharing the land with the Bulgurs was going to be tasking and tricky.
Anastasia and Kreka were busy cleaning up the women's quarters and it looked like it hadn't been touched in over a year. Kreka coughed as she blew dust off of a large vanity set. "Those savages," she muttered and pushed over a chair and it broke in several pieces, she yelped.
"We should just throw everything out of this room," Ana suggested. "We can bring in new furniture. Besides, who knows what Basil did in this room with several women."
Kreka cringed. "Don't even remind me." She picked up a few pieces of jewelry and threw it into a box. Lifting her eyes she saw Leila sitting by the window, watching the Bulgur men huddled in a circle with Ernak and Dengizich, talking together.
"Leila!" she called and the young Caucasian women turned around swiftly. "Are you going to gawk out the window like a little child or help us?" her eyes darkened.
Leila smiled nervously and hopped off the window ledge to help clear the area. She eyed the queen and saw her moving around tapestries and clothing. "Where is Arielle?" she asked.
Ana turned and set one of the tapestries into a large box. "In the next room, sleeping." She smiled softly and Leila nodded then continued to aid Kreka with the numerous amounts of jewelry. "We can't clear this room by ourselves. We should find some servants to take care of the Adame."
The khatun groaned and rose from the floor, rubbing her back. "And where would we find servants, Anastasia? The Bulgur women?"
Ana shrugged her shoulders. "Why not? It would give you a chance to get to know them better. I'm sure these people aren't that bad."
Kreka scoffed and folded her arms, looking at the young queen. "You do realize that these people are from your mother's motherland, do you not?"
Leila gasped and Ana rolled her eyes. "Your mother is from Thrace?"
"Yes, she is. But these people are nothing like the people that my mother lived with. They don't even like her!"
"That's because they don't know she is from their land, Anastasia." Kreka said and eyed Leila's shocked face, a little bit amused by her reaction.
"So what are you saying? I should tell them my mother is from their land?" Ana implied.
Kreka nodded. "They might like you more if you tell them that."
Ernak knocked on the door, shielding his eyes. "You ladies dressed?" he asked with a sly grin.
"Yes, Ernak," Ana said and he opened his eyes, walking into the room.
"Whoa, this place looks like shit." He kicked over a broken chair and eyed his mother. "I've sent Dengi on a mission to negotiate with the Atlyn Huns to unite under one nation. If their Bey agrees then I will go to the Onogurs and Akitziri to ask for their allegiance as well."
Kreka's eyes widened, surprised to hear that her son was willing to go ahead and unite all the tribes under one nation like his father once did before he died. "You are going to recreate the Hun Empire?" she asked with a bit of skepticism.
He smiled and nodded. "We are stronger in numbers. We should be working together, not against each other. I will need your tribe to unite with us, mother."
"But the Ashina tribes are so far from here," Ana commented and Leila stood in the middle of everyone, completely oblivious to this. She had been living in a bubble her whole life. She had no idea there were so many Hun tribes.
"Precisely. If they show their allegiance to me and Pannonia we will grow in number. I will need to send a letter to the Nezaks too. Also, I want to liberate the Khazar Huns from Persia. They are trapped in Persian territory and can't leave because of the Shahs. They can relocate to Armenia since it's nearby. What do you say? Good idea, right?" he smiled, placing his hands on his hips proudly.
All the women gawked at him with wide eyes and the room tensed with a long silent pause.
He wasn't going to let this mood of the women sway him from his plans. "I'll need some help from your husband, Ana." He said and she arched an eyebrow and gave him an incredulous look. A look he had seen from Xena several times.
He added, "instead of separating the tribes, I believe everyone should be a Pannonian Hun. They will be called Pannonian-Avars –supporters of the great Hun Nation!" he cheered. "Great plan, huh?"
Kreka cleared her throat and stepped forward, very close to her eager son. "And how exactly are you going to convince the arrogant Beys of all these tribes to submit to you?"
Placing his hands on her shoulders, he smiled. "Mother. I'm not going to make them submit. I want them to join me peacefully. I won't force them to join the Pannonia Empire –"
"Pannonia Empire?!" Ana interjected.
"Well...yeah?" he frowned. "You could be my political adviser, Ana!" he smiled and her mouth gaped. "You're great at talking to people. You could convince the Beys to join us. I will follow in my father's footsteps and make this empire great again. You'll see."
"For one," Kreka began and eyed her son's dark eyes, "you shouldn't call it the Pannonia Empire. They will never join you."
He sighed. "Fine, fine. Hun Empire but everyone will be a Pannonian under my laws. You'll see, it's going to be great if the gods will it." he winked and slowly backed away. "I'll let you ladies get back to what you're doing. I have many things I need to do." He turned and waltzed out of the room.
Anastasia and Kreka turned to share a knowing look with each other. Meanwhile, Leila was standing in the middle of the two women, star-struck.
"You're actually going to let him go through with this plan?" Ana asked.
"He is the king. I can't stop him from doing anything." Kreka sighed and picked up the box of jewelry and frowned at the girl. "Leila! Take the large box and bring it to the foyer. Anastasia isn't to lift anything while she's here."
Leila nodded and picked up on the boxes. "Right, of course, khatun." She dipped her eyes and hurried out of the room.
Anastasia smirked. "Kreka. Be nice to her. She is going to be your daughter in-law."
"She's like a gazelle that is too curious for her own good. Is it as if she has lived in a yurt her entire life." She sighed and took one good look at the mess around her. "Perhaps we should make use of some Bulgur women after all..."
Xena walked behind a line of twenty catapults and they already hit the mountain with one round of bombs. Although, that didn't seem to do much. Snow fell from the mountain tops but it didn't seem to do a lot of damage. It was dark outside still but morning light would come soon enough.
"Fire again," she instructed and walked back to the front line. The men loaded the catapults again for the second round.
Gabrielle stood at a fair distance behind Xena carefully eyeing the mountains. She frowned and walked forward. In the darkness she spotted a black horse riding along the mountain side with a horde of men behind.
She pointed to the west mountain. "Tomiri!" she yelled and Xena whipped her head around and there she saw the Scythian Queen riding down the mountain on a man-made trail.
Xena growled, "aim for the west mountain!" she yelled.
Gabrielle took a few steps and covered her ears right before the catapults were set off. She felt something grab her ankle and she gasped. Looking down she saw a gloved hand and another, pop out from beneath the thick snow. "Xena!" she yelled and drew her sword, stabbing the soldier in the snow.
Xena frowned and felt two hands grab her ankles. She unsheathed her sword and stabbed the man under the snow. "What is this..." she grumbled and pulled out the soldier from under her. "Persians." She ran far from the snow banks close to the mountains and Gabrielle followed shortly.
"Get off the hill!" she yelled and she saw Persians emerge from the snow in large numbers. She skid to a stop and gasped. Crying out loudly she drove the blade into the Persian's chest and he fell to his knees.
Navaz and a few of his men that were scouting the east border were riding furiously back into Balaam. He eyed Gabrielle and grabbed her arm, hoisting her on his horse abruptly. "There's Persians in the snow!" she yelled and he guided the horse to the left, evading the hidden Persians.
"Oh I know!" he said, then added, "don't look back."
Instinctively, she turned her head and saw a horde of black horsemen riding behind them down the hillside and her eyes widened in fear. A sea of black filling the snowy terrain had to be the scariest sight she had ever seen in her life. Nobody was prepared for this invasion. This was an ambush.
Xena kicked down a Persian soldier and felt the soil shake beneath her. She looked up and saw the entire Sassan army riding down the hill from the eastern border. "Son of a bitch," she muttered and ran to grab the nearest horse. She saw Navaz and Gabrielle ride right past her.
She rode up beside Navaz and he swiftly turned his head. "What do we do now?!" he yelled.
"We use a Roman strategy." She said and he gave her a confused look. "Use the brake through strategy. Gabrielle knows it!" she rode off to the left and he kept riding forward.
"Go to the right," Gabrielle instructed and Navaz shook his head but did as told and rode to the right. She waved her hand to the Magyars on horseback and they followed them. "Now, turn around and go back."
"What?!" he yelled.
"Just do it!" she growled and he turned his horse, leading the Magyars and his own men behind him right into the thick of the Persian army heading right for them. She eyed Xena from the opposite side and saw she was doing the same thing, leading the men right towards the Persians. Come on, Xena, I need the signal.
Xena looked over and waved her hand to Gabrielle and she smiled. "Okay now go to your right," she tapped Navaz's shoulder and he steered himself and the army to the right. He saw Xena riding towards him with the other half of the army. He felt like he was making a giant circle for no reason and the Persians were coming closer and closer. Only about two hundred yards away now, he guessed.
"Now, cut through the center and ride forward away from the Persians!" she said and he did as told and was met with Xena again riding next to him.
Xena smiled at the nervous king. "Halt your men!" she said and he held up his hand with a bemused expression. The men behind him halted their horses and she turned around on her horse. Both sides, the one Xena lead and the other he lead, were now in two large semi circles, facing outward towards the Persian army.
Navaz turned around and the Persians were still riding in and they were standing stagnant. "Now what?" he turned to his commander.
"We leave two flanks in the front of the semi circles. On my signal, we charge through the center and split up. You go left and I go right. We guide the army to enclose the Persians inside a big circle."
"What is it with you and these circles?" he mused.
"It's a tactic I learned when I worked in Rome. It works, trust me. It's very effective." She smiled and covered her face with a scarf, leaving her eyes open to see the Persians charging right at them. "It's a trap strategy."
One hundred fifty yards.
"Xena..."
One hundred yards.
Eighty yards.
"Now!" she yelled and charged forward, riding through the narrow path in between the Hun army. Gabrielle slapped the back of Navaz's shoulder and told him to ride. He followed Xena and split off to the left like she told him to. Each half of the back flanks followed them, riding around the Persian army, confusing them and creating a huge circle around them on both sides. Trapping them in the middle.
Queen Tomiri stood beside Shah Peroz, watching the Huns entrap the Persian army. She frowned and folded her arms. "Fascinating." She remarked. "A Roman strategy used by Huns. I am quite surprised."
"How do they know the Roman military tactics?" he groaned and watched Xena riding around and crossed paths with Navaz and now she was on the other side with the army, not attacking, but creating a diversion.
The Shah witnessed his men being slaughtered from the inside and there was nowhere to run because they were being blockaded by Huns. They were literally trapped in a circle. There were also archers from outside the large circle shooting at his army. There wasn't enough room to spread out and fight. The Huns had them at their hands and knees.
Tomiri's upper lip quivered. "Call a retreat," she ordered.
"A retreat?!" Peroz snarled.
"Retreat or lose all of your men!" she said and he snapped his fingers to the horn sounders behind him and they sounded the retreat signal. She wagged her head and walked off. "Huns..."
"Where are you going?" he called out as she mounted her horse.
She smirked at the young Shah. "To my tent to devise another plan. Care to join me?" she gave him a wink and a seductive smile then rode off with her elite men.
Xena saw the Persians retreating and stumbling over one another trying to reach their horses. She raised her hand high in the air. "Hold your fire!" she yelled to the archers behind her.
Navaz rode up beside her with Gabrielle strapped behind him. "They're retreating," he smiled, feeling somewhat accomplished.
"They'll be back," Gabrielle noted as she saw many dead Persians lying in the snow. "Tomiri and the Persians are going to come up with a new plan to attack again."
The king sighed. Victorious moment crushed in an instant. "When will they attack again?"
Xena frowned and ripped the scarf off her face. "Could be tomorrow. Could be days. Could be a week."
"A week?" he said with disbelief.
"They were caught off guard," she said and eyed Gabrielle nervously. "And so were we."
Gabrielle averted her gaze to the wounded Magyars and Huns in the battlefield. "We need to help them." She hopped off Navaz's horse and ran over to the injured soldiers.
Xena nodded. "Have every able bodied man tend to the wounded in a secure area. And burn the Persian corpses." She turned and clicked her tongue to ride off back to the Adame.
Navaz turned, "where are you going?!"
"To devise a new plan." She said with a dark frown then took off.
The morning came and went faster than everyone realized. The Persian army was camped out on the hill. They were close enough to see but far enough so they couldn't be attacked. Afternoon would soon turn to the night sky and Xena was inside the Adame's office –the king's office –conducting a new strategy to combat the Persians and Tomiri.
Gabrielle walked into the office, wiping her bloodied hands on a cloth. Xena didn't even bother to lift her head as she was moving wooden totems across the map, eyeing the map as if it was a true battlefield.
"The wounded are stitched and sewn up. A few of the men have broken limbs and can't fight but are willing to go and fight again," she smiled softly.
"Hm," Xena answered curtly and moved one of the "Hun" totems across the map. "Nope," she shook her head and crossed off one of her plans from her long list of strategic tactics written on a piece of paper.
Gabrielle rounded the table and came to Xena's side, overseeing the map and several totems. Obviously the silver pieces were the Persians and the brown were Huns. "Have you got a plan?"
"Not yet." Xena groaned and plopped down in the chair, running her hand across her face. "I should have seen that coming."
"Xena," the blonde sat down beside the commander. "You didn't know that was going to happen. None of us knew."
"Tomiri sided with the Persians. It's so obvious. Scythia and Persia have always been friends. How could I have been so blind?" Xena frowned and rubbed her chin as her eyes were fixated on the map that continued to taunt her for hours.
"Well, now we know why we couldn't spot any of her men. She doesn't have her army here at all. She's using the Persian army to her own advantage." Gabrielle said and saw Xena was completely focused, not listening. "Xena?"
The commander waved her hand. "Yeah, I heard you." She leaned forward and moved the Persian totems to the far east on the map of Balaam. "She's going to wipe out the Persian army and then use her own army against us."
"She's going to betray the Shahs?"
Xena nodded. "She's just using them. Don't you see, Gabrielle?" a smile appeared on her lips. "She's trying to wipe everyone out. Not just us. She wants everyone gone and the Persians are too greedy for power to see what is happening right before...their..." she frowned and moved the totems across to Scythia, "eyes."
She stood up abruptly and Gabrielle lifted her chin. "I know what to do." She said and her smile grew. "We're going to bomb the Persian camp."
Gabrielle frowned and rose from the chair. "That's your big plan? Bomb their camp?"
Xena nodded. "Yes. We bomb them from afar in the middle of the night. We'll send in men to sneak through their camp and assassinate the Shah. They will be too distracted by the catapults to notice the assassins."
"Assassins. This isn't your normal strategy, Xena. I'm a little shocked."
"We must try new things, right?" Xena grinned and wrapped her arm around her petite partner. "By the time Anastasius receives our letter it might be too late."
Gabrielle sighed. "At least he'll be aware of what's going on. We don't know how long this is going to last. Should we send a letter to Pannonia to let them know what's happening?"
Xena shook her head. "No. I don't want any communication with them. I don't want Tomiri finding out that Anastasia is not here. She is insane but she's smart."
Kreka invited a group of Bulgur women into the Adame and was trying to explain to them that they could work in the Adame, but they continued staring at her blankly. She was beginning to realize that these women didn't understand what she was saying.
She pinched the bridge of her nose and decided to take a different approach. "Temizlemek," she said and the women arched their eyebrows and looked to each other. "Binayi temizle." She said and growled. "Oh for god's sake!"
Anastasia walked up to see a very frustrated woman and a group of Bulgur women. "What's going on here?"
"I'm trying to tell them to clean the Adame but they don't understand what I'm saying!" Kreka folded her arms, glaring at the confused women.
Ana frowned and stepped forward. "Dilimizi konusuyor musun?" she asked if anyone spoke their language and the women stared at her with doe-eyes. "Hunlu? Latince?"
"I've already tried that."
The women continued gawking at her and she turned to Kreka. "I don't think these women are Huns. They don't understand anything I am saying."
"Really? I didn't notice." Kreka rolled her eyes and exhaled exaggeratedly.
A woman spoke up in a soft voice. "Mesr..." she said.
"What?" Kreka frowned, leaning down towards the young woman.
"We..." the woman held her arm around to the women behind her, "from...Mesr."
Kreka eyed Ana. "Where the hell is that?"
"Egypt. These women are Egyptian," Ana said and then looked at the young women, couldn't have been no older than she was. "Why do Bulgurs have Egyptians in their custody?"
"They must be slaves but Huns don't keep slaves," Kreka frowned, thinking of how awful these people were. She was glad that they were back in Pannonia. "Savages. What are we supposed to do with them now? They can't understand a word we are saying."
Anastasia smiled. "We will teach them." She walked forward, grabbing one of the woman's hands.
"Are there any real Bulgur women here then? Or are these women all slaves?" Kreka asked, wondering what really went on in Pannonia during their long absence. And really, she wasn't sure if she wanted to know.
"We can find out," Ana brushed by the slave women and walked outside. "You!" she pointed at a young Bulgur, probably a few years older than her own son. She walked down the stairs, lifting her dress. The teenager panicked and began backing away.
"Stay!" she ordered and he froze. "These women are Egyptian slaves. Are all the women here from Egypt?" He shook his head and was almost afraid to answer her. He knew exactly who she was and feared her. "Well, out with it boy. Tell me."
His hands shook as his nerves began to overcome him. "The...Bey bought...them."
Her eyes grew with fury and shock. "From who?" she asked and his head dipped. "Who?!"
The boy winced. "The Romans! He bought the women from the Romans!" he put his hands close to his face. "Don't hurt me."
She scoffed. "I'm not going to hit you. Get out of here." She shooed him away and he ran back to his home. "Those sick bastards," she muttered.
Kreka came to join her and saw the boy running to a yurt on the other side of the encampment. "What did he say?"
"The Romans sold these women to Basil." Ana pursed her lips and now looked at all the Bulgur men differently. She saw a huddle of women outside, sewing together. She was now skeptical of all the women here and wondered if they were truly Huns or if they were slaves. "We don't have slaves in our tribes."
Csaba walked out of the Adame, holding his crying baby sister in his arms. "Mom!" he yelled out and Anastasia turned around. "I need help!" he had the look of fear and panic in his eyes.
She sighed. "I'll be right there just go back inside," she said and he trailed back into the Adame. She turned to Kreka. "Talk to the other women. Find out if they are Huns or not then report back to me." She whispered then hastily made her way to rescue her son from his babysitting task she gave him.
Kreka turned to the Egyptian women behind her and smirked. "Come with me," she ordered and they stood frozen. "Come..." she waved her fingers and slowly they descended down the steps.