Chapter 30: Big Eye to Small Eye

Antonius and his fleet approached the fortress with his fleet in darkness. He has already sealed and had full control of the strait, stopping all passing ships, and even sinking some ships flying Ottoman colours to prevent them from leaking the information that the Roman navy is out in action.

The fleet moves itself flexibly in the dark blue waters of Bosporus straits under the cover of crescent light and pitch-dark sky, like a spectre haunting the waters. The ships are completely silent, with mouth of all sailors firmly shut and all light under heavy restrictions, in contrast to the vibrant Ottoman camps, which is having a feast, as a psychological tactic to let the Romans in the fortress succumb to extreme hunger.

Out in the Bosporus straits, the fleet creeps upon the fortress. Its commander, Antonius, observes the Ottoman camp with his par of narrowed cold eyes, like that of a snake closely observing its prey, waiting for the best time to strike.

Antonius is waiting for something.

After much planning, he called the leader of his Varangians, Yuri, and asked him. "Yuri, you and your men are the most familiar with the hydrology and geography here…. tell me Yuri, is there any place that is deep watered with less boulders in the straits?"

Yuri and other men immediately realised what their commander is up to, he hesitated for a moment and answered. "No, your highness, I can only recall the golden horn being the only place suitable for harbouring."

"I see."

"…"

Antonius continued asking. "Then, can we set the Ottoman camp with fire, like what we did last time?"

Francesco bowed and replied. "Sir, we do not have that kind of projectile that can shoot that far, neither are we quipped with any catapults on our ships."

"I see."

"My friend…" Abdullah stepped forward and sighed. "I know you are a man that likes adventure…but there are always some other opportunities of adventure for you, but I can guarantee you it is not today…"

Abdullah placed his hands-on Antonius' shoulders and continued, looking at the directions of the Ottoman camp. "You will get an adventure to test your Varangians and marines another day… but for now, we need to cultivate our strength, train our troops, build more ships, and wait for Orban to make his 'projectile that can blow down the walls. In other words,… we are not ready for direct combat yet."

Antonius remained silent for a while before finally nodding his head in approval. He then tossed the wooden fishing rod into water, released all the fish he just caught, clapped his hands and re-summoned Yuri.

"Yuri, I want you and your men to land on shores by the Southern gate of that fortress over there, then our signaller will inform our men on those walls on the gate… then, fill the walls with crude and gun powder, escort all the men onto the boats, light the fuse and detonator, then get the hell out of there… understood?"

"Yes."

"Good." Antonius gave Yuri a pat on his shoulders. "Now go, don't disappoint me boy."

…

The Varangians and marines paddled towards the shores under the cover of darkness, leaving nothing but a trace of marks on the water surface.

The overall operation is successful, until they came across one problem. There is no one responding to their light signals, and the gate did not open. This soon brought an edgy element to Yuri and his men, they signalled repeatedly, but there are no men on the walls replying to their signals.

Yuri, being the bold one, decided to take matters into his own hands. He picked up a pebble stone, and using his mighty arm strength, tossed it over the walls into the fortress. The rest of his men saw this and soon began tossing pebble stones into the fortress like their commander, while the signal man hastily went to signal repeatedly.

Finally, someone showed up on the keep of the walls. However, not with a reply signal or some warm greetings and a jug of mead, but with a loaded crossbow in his hands.

It took them quite a while again before settling the misunderstanding quietly, and they were led into the gates. They immediately got busy inside the fortress, digging holes, filling it with black gun powder and Baku crude oil. While the injured and those high priority are left on the ships first, paddled towards the main fleet stopping right in the centre of the Bosporus, while the abled men with strength re-picked up their weapons just in case they need to defend themselves.

While those who are severely injured beyond rescue, they are left sleeping in the tents under the walls, maybe forever.

Constantine, Giovanni and Loukas are among the first to return to the fleet. Upon seeing Constantine, Antonius nodded silently, and Constantine nodded back, both in complete silence, as Constantine then gulps down a flask filled with fresh water, looking completely not like an Emperor.

Loukas got completely ignored.

While Giovanni had to be carried all the way on a cloth stretcher, still slightly unconscious in high fever from the wound of the arrow. Antonius paced himself slowly to not wake him up biting his lips, looked at his face and the arrow with a complicated emotion, and then whispered inaudibly to others.

"I told you I will come to save the merry man's arse when Merryman is in deep shite troubles."

Giovanni slowly awakened a bit in his unconsciousness after hearing Antonius' words, and saw his face, thinking he is still in a dream, Giovanni laughed and coughed a bit, then hissed a bit as the laugh torn his wounds, and replied.

"I never doubted it, my brother…"

…

Meanwhile, Yuri is still trying to clean up what is left of the fortress, as he stumbled across the warehouse and half-built kitchen.

He went inside with a bunch of men to search if there are any other Roman soldiers left stranded in this place, as he explores this place, he heard some strange cracking sound under a pile of wooden planks. Alarms started ringing in his mind as he immediately asked his men to stay on alert, as he is afraid there might be a viper hidden beneath those planks. Yuri approached cautiously, moved away the planks with his battle axes, but he worried too much, he found no snakes beneath the planks.

Instead, a head in turban popped out of a hole on the ground.

The two heads stared at each other, big eyes to small eyes.

O`'O ------- (0.0)