The Stratigos of Dark Magic

The Emperor's Racer's oars splashed the ocean water. Numerous men rowed with great skill, their bodies strengthened from years of this. Sails unfurled. A great wind blew into them, propelling the dromon further onward.

Ganzaya stumbled as the ship rocked in the sea. He felt vomit well up in his stomach and made his way to the side of the deck. It was lined with shields.

Grabbing onto the wall that kept people from falling overboard, Ganzaya stabilized himself. It lessened his nausea. However, he still felt that he would throw up at any moment.

Stratigos Theodora saw the Ulv and considered doing something. Then, she saw a sight that surprised her.

Demetrius approached Ganzaya. The boy stood perfectly straight. A look of sympathy passed through his face before he pushed it down, replacing it with a scowl.

"It seems you are seasick," Demetrius said.

"I've never been on a ship before, despotēs," Ganzaya replied. "This is nothing like riding a horse."

His face started turning green.

"You're handling sea sickness wrong," Demetrius stated.

He grabbed Ganzaya and yanked him up. Shock covered the Steppe Nomad's face at the sudden movement, but he moved with Demetrius. The Stratigos carried him over to one of the ship's beams.

"Hold onto that tight," Demetrius instructed.

Ganzaya did as he was told.

"Keep your head upright. Do not move it. Just stay clinging onto the beam," the Stratigos said.

"Thank you, despotēs. Is there anything else I should do?" Ganzaya asked.

Demetrius walked over to a barrel. He opened it and pulled out a pomegranate. Then, the boy grabbed a bag of seeds and brought it over to Ganzaya.

"First, do not mistake my actions for kindness. I merely need you in top shape in case we're attacked. Next, eat this pomegranate," Demetrius commanded.

Ganzaya took a bite out of it. A grimace crossed his face.

"It's very bitter," the Ulv said.

"Yes. Bitter fruits will help with seasickness. Also, take these seeds," Demetrius replied.

He then handed Ganzaya a bag of seeds. The Ulv took it in his other hand while taking another bite out of the pomegranate. It was difficult for him to manage this while still clinging onto the beam, but Ganzaya pulled it off.

"Eat these seeds when you've finished the pomegranate. They will make you belch. That will ease your nausea," Demetrius stated.

"Thank you, despotēs," Ganzaya replied.

"There is a doctor on board this ship. If you throw up, the doctor will prepare an elixir to help with your seasickness when your stomach's settled down," the Stratigos said.

A weak smile crossed Ganzaya's face. He ate another part of the pomegranate before speaking again.

"You Remens know a lot about seasickness," Ganzaya stated.

"Of course, we do. You can't have a coastal empire without mastering the seas. Only a fool would dare challenge us on it. The Varangians tried a few hundred years ago, and they learned their lesson the hard way. Now, only a few pirates and city-states dare to."

The Ulv nodded.

"Impressive. It seems that you've mastered the sea even greater than my people mastered the steppe."

Demetrius nodded.

"It's good that Ganzaya's started to realize the greatness of the Remen Empire. Or at least that he's decided to kiss our asses. Either one will serve him well," Demetrius thought before speaking. "Thank you. If you need any more bitter fruit or seeds, talk to the sailors. They will give you some."

Demetrius walked away, moving towards the other side of the ship. Stratigos Theodora went over to him and started stepping alongside him.

"What are you doing, Stratigos Theodora?" Demetrius asked.

"Is it wrong for one general to want to talk to another?" she replied.

"We should have nothing to talk about," he said.

Theodora nodded.

"You are right," she stated. "But I don't like you, and I don't like your family. So, I might as well annoy you."

"The feeling is mutual, except I'd prefer it if we avoided each other," Demetrius replied.

Theodora gave him a small smile.

"Well, I wouldn't want either of us to get bored over this voyage. We have to entertain ourselves somehow, and you already declared me your rival," she said.

"Could you forget about that?" Demetrius asked.

"No," Theodora answered. "And I will not forget about those things you said last night."

"Dammit. I don't want to talk to her about that. I need to change the subject," the boy thought.

With a grimace, Demetrius stopped in his tracks. He turned and looked out over the sea. A herd of seagulls flew overhead, and a dolphin leaped into the air.

"Look at that dolphin. Isn't it a magnificent fish?" Demetrius forced a smile.

"I only care about how fish taste, and I don't like the taste of dolphins," Theodora said.

She then looked right into Demetrius' eyes.

"Now, back onto topic, there is something in particular I want to annoy you about," she stated.

"Why can't she just leave me alone?" Demetrius thought before speaking. "What is it?"

"You helped that barbarian mercenary of yours," Theodora stood in a dignified manner. "I would not expect that from a Kallergis."

Demetrius scoffed.

"If we are attacked by pirates or barbarians, I need him to be able to fight," he said.

"Then why not just order a sailor to help him with his seasickness? You could have done that," Theodora stated.

"I was bored and had nothing better to do," Demetrius lied before thinking. "Please just accept this."

Skepticism overcame Theodora's eyes. However, she gave Demetrius a dignified smile.

"Stratigos Demetrius, I do not want to hate you. You seem different from most Kallergis," she started.

"Well, I want you to hate me. And I might seem different from the rest of my family, but I am the same as them," Demetrius interrupted her.

Annoyance flowed through his body.

"Then why don't we compete at something? Perhaps if I lose to you, I'll hate you more?" Theodora suggested.

"She has a point," Demetrius thought.

"What do you want to compete in?" he asked.

"There's a barbarian game called chess. It came from the East, and I heard it helps train people in strategy," Theodora explained.

Demetrius' eye twitched.

"I know what chess is," he said. "You'd have to be a commoner, an idiot, or a barbarian from the steppe to not. And I have no interest in playing a barbarian game."

Anger flashed through him. Demetrius stormed off. Theodora sighed, leaning back on the ship's wall.

"I thought for sure that no one would have told Demetrius about chess. Who could possibly want to play any game with a Kallergis?" she wondered.

Then, a thought came to Theodora.

"Though, I did hear my parents complaining about Caesar Basil being close to a Kallergis. Perhaps..."

Her eyes turned to Ganzaya, who was eating the seeds Demetrius gave him. The Ulv burped. Theodora approached him with a dignified stride.

"Barbarian mercenary," she said.

He started to turn his head towards her.

"Do not turn your head. That will just make your seasickness worse," Theodora reminded him.

Ganzaya stopped moving.

"Thank you. I would have turned on instinct otherwise," he stated. "Are you a sailor or the other Stratigos Demetrius mentioned? I can't get a good look at you from here."

"I am Stratigos Theodora Tagaris," she introduced herself with a slight bow and hand over her chest.

"Should I call you despotēs, like I call Stratigos Demetrius? You are higher ranking than I am, but I was hired by Stratigos Demetrius."

Theodora nodded, not that Ganzaya could see it well.

"Yes. If you are talking to someone with a higher social status than you, you address them as despotēs," she instructed.

"Thank you for telling me, despotēs," Ganzaya said.

Theodora moved so that he could better see her. She surveyed the Ulv up and down, her hands behind her back.

"Tell me, barbarian, how did Stratigos Demetrius hire you?" the girl asked.

"He was fighting a tribe that wiped out my tribe. And when Stratigos Demetrius saw me in battle, he was so impressed that he recruited me," Ganzaya answered.

"I am not sure how much Demetrius wants her to know. Politics can be messy, and I have no idea if we can trust this girl," he thought.

Theodora's inner monologue was different.

"Caesar Basil has foreign bodyguards. If Stratigos Demetrius is the Kallergis who's close to him, Caesar Basil might have given him the idea. I wish I paid more attention to politics. When I get back home, I will apologize to my parents for never visiting the court with them."

Ganzaya saw Theodora open her mouth.

"I should avoid more questions from her," the Ulv thought before talking fast. "How did a woman like you become a general? I mean no offense. There were a few queens who commanded armies in the steppe's history. But from what I understand, the Remen Empire is a less harsh place than the steppe. There shouldn't be any need for women to fight here."

Theodora chuckled, pulled out one of her hands, and waved it.

"It is fine. I understand. You are correct that the Remen Empire is less harsh than your lands or anywhere barbarians are from. Our Basileus ensures peace and prosperity within the Empire. We are a center of trade. And our armies are the best in the world. Compared to everyone else, we live lives of luxury. The only women who fight are magicians like me. Most women would be horrified if someone told them they should fight," Theodora explained.

Ganzaya wanted to nod, but he remembered that he wasn't supposed to move his head.

"I saw what Stratigos Demetrius could do. His magic is incredibly potent," he said.

"Stratigos Demetrius is weak," Theodora replied.

Shock coated Ganzaya's entire body. He felt a wave of nausea. The Ulv couldn't tell if it was from seasickness or sheer terror. Ganzaya shivered at the idea that anyone could call someone who could stop a rain of arrows with ease weak.

"Dark Magicians always are at the start. Most of them don't get any real power until they're in their 20s or 30s. There is something about their magic that makes it take a while to get strong. Don't bother asking what it is. Out of all the magician families, the Kallergis are the most secretive," Theodora continued.

Ganzaya did not want to think about that any longer.

"A warrior is different than a general. There is a lot more to commanding an army than just fighting. How did you get that position?" he asked.

Theodora grabbed a barrel and pulled it over. She sat on it, her right leg crossed over her left.

"As a magician, I was always considered eligible for the position of Stratigos. I never expected to get that position, though, because I never paid much attention to politics. Ironically enough, that caught Caesar Basil's interest," Theodora said.

"The prince..." Ganzaya started.

"Caesar. We do not use barbarian titles here," she interrupted him.

"The Caesar was interested in a general who did not care about politics? That is strange."

Theodora nodded.

"I thought the same, but Caesar Basil told me that he would prefer it if his generals focused more on doing their jobs than playing politics. He said he would do his best to handle the politics for us."

"And he just gave you the position?" Ganzaya questioned.

Theodora chuckled.

"Of course not. Caesar Basil is not a fool. First, we had a few rounds of chess. As expected of Basil, he won most of the games, but he was happy the few times I won. In fact, he seemed to be happier to lose than to win," she said.

"He must have been happy to have a great upcoming strategist," Ganzaya stated.

"It wasn't that," Theodora shook her head. "Caesar Basil rarely loses at any games and has almost never lost a training match. After all, people in power tend to not take losing well."

Sudden understanding flowed through the Ulv.

"My Khan was undefeated at chess. Even people who were better than him could not defeat him. Or that's what they said. No one dared defeat the Khan," Ganzaya said.

"The same is true with Caesar Basil, and he hates it. No one is willing to give him a good challenge because he is the heir to and co-ruler of the Remen Empire," Theodora explained.

A slight sadness came over her.

"I hope he finds more people who don't just let him win," Theodora then refocused. "After we played chess, Caesar Basil and I discussed strategy. When he had an understanding of the talent I had, he trained me in logistics, strategy, and tactics. When Caesar Basil decided I was ready, he made me a Stratigos."

Ganzaya pondered a moment before speaking.

"Please do not be offended by this, but Stratigos Demetrius told me that he found you...carousing."

Theodora's teeth clenched.

"Did he say anything else?" she asked.

"He said you were a virgin because you would never dishonor your family," Ganzaya answered.

Shock blasted through Theodora. She maintained a dignified stance despite that.

"Stratigos Demetrius said that to this barbarian? I understand that he would not divulge magical secrets, but I did not expect Demetrius to say something that complimentary," Theodora thought.

"Did Caesar Basil show any interest in you...romantically?" Ganzaya wondered, choosing his words with care.

"That would have been very inappropriate," she replied. "Caesar Basil's still a child. He hasn't grown a beard yet. I, on the other hand, am a grown woman."

"How old are you?"

"I am 15."

Ganzaya stroked his beard.

"And how old is Caesar Basil?" he asked.

"He is 15," Theodora answered.

"And yet, you are an adult, and he is a child."

"Yes. Caesar Basil does not have a beard yet. I do not know how you barbarians determine adulthood, but in the Remen Empire, men are grown when they have full beards."

"Stratigos Demetrius said something like that," Ganzaya recalled.

"I am certain he did," Theodora replied.

The Ulv turned inward.

"This woman reminds me of Western princes that met my Khan for diplomacy. Her mannerisms and speech are a lot like them. I'll have to keep that to myself. The greatest warrior of the Ulvs is no fool, and I know that a Reman would take being compared to anyone who isn't a Reman as an insult," Ganzaya thought.