41 In a Tatar Basket

"Saddat went with the Tatars to catch the prisoners, and you tell the people to be ready. Hide knives in your shoes, wineskins and grenades in your clothes. Let our people pretend to be despairing, pray aloud and ask God for help. It has to look real." (MC)

"I understand, but we have to have some time to get to know the camp, where there are tents, horses, fires and prisoners ... If there are 10 thousand Tatars, there will be even more horses, probably 15 or 20 thousand." (Cyryl)

"We will have two hours for this, use them well ... give orders to people and then let them go to sleep, tomorrow we will have a difficult day" (MC)

Hours later, Saddat returned, leading the prisoners of war, women, children and men ... in the morning we will join these prisoners and wait until evening.

(School in Tarnów POV)

"As you already know the basics of reading and writing, today in the lesson we will read "Teutonic Knights"... Jasiek, you first." (Teacher)

"In Tyniec, in the inn "Pod Lutym Turem", belonging to the abbey, several people sat listening to the story of a soldier who, coming from distant lands, told them about the adventures he had experienced during the war and during his travels. The man was bearded, in his prime..." (Jasiek)

"Well, you can sit down. Jasiek read us the first chapter. Do you know what this novel is about?" (Teacher)

"War"

"Knights"

"There are dragons in it?"

The students' voices were heard in the classroom.

"There are no dragons, although a Polish noblewoman has challenged a knight from Lorraine that if he kills a dragon, she will become his wife." (Teacher)

"He defeated the dragon?" (Jasiek)

"No, the noblewoman told the servants to make a dragon out of hay, and the next morning the knight went to fight him ... it was a joke on her part. But that's not what I asked, do you know what this novel is about?" (Teacher)

There was silence in the classroom.

"You haven't paid any attention to the text Jasiek was reading ... We'll start from the beginning. Who we are and where we come from ... pay more attention to the lesson, Prince Jazłowiecki pays for your education, he gave you a chance for a better future, so don't waste it." (Teacher)

(End POV)

We were walking in a column with our hands tied, Tatars were riding next to us ... women and children were crying, people were praying, from time to time one of Saddata's people used a whip to keep prisoners in line or to quicken their pace. However, the hour was already late, and the darkness caused people to stumble, fall and collide with each other.

After walking a dozen or so kilometers, we got to the camp. Saddat rode up to the guarding Tatars, exchanged a few sentences with them, and after a while we headed deeper into the camp. I did not expect problems at this stage, Saddat and his people were Tatars, the camp had ten thousand people, so not everyone knew everyone, and the Tatar hordes as nomads often act independently of each other.

We were taken to a place where other prisoners were staying, at that moment there were not many of them yet, no more than two thousand people ... sometimes the Tatars kidnapped ten thousand or more people, and then most of them were sold in the Ottoman Empire, similarly happened in Africa. Where some tribes caught others to sell them to Turkish slavery ... I have to admit that although it was morally wrong, it was a profitable business. As long as there is a demand for goods, there will always be a supplier ... I even intended to use it in the future.

Behind me I heard Cyril's whisper that snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Lord, the horses are in two clearings on either side of the camp, the chief's tent is in the center, there are not many fires, but they are large." (Cyryl)

"Well, start freeing prisoners discreetly, if they want to be free they have to fight even if they have to fight with their bare hands." (MC)

"Many of them will die ..." (Cyryl)

"Here or in Turkey what a difference ... they will at least draw attention away from us." (MC)

Cyryl gave a signal to our people, who began to untie the ropes and take out the hidden knives ... some of them had three or four hidden blades and distributed them to the freed prisoners, and they released the others ... it was getting too loud for my taste.

"Attack." (MC)

But before we attacked, we heard the sound of an explosion, then another, then another, we saw fires explode, embers, burning pieces of wood, stones and pieces of metal ... another explosion, then another. I figured Saddata's people were throwing grenades into or near the fires.

Prisoners began to flee in different directions, some attacked the Tatars with their bare hands or with anything that could have been used as a weapon. We split into several groups and headed towards the tents, my people took out the wineskins and poured the contents wherever they could, on people, animals, tents, even on the ground, one spark was enough.

Greek fire did not burn well, but that was not its charm, when enemy tried to extinguish it with water, the flames intensified ... it was an unpleasant surprise for our opponents. With every moment the chaos grew, my people started throwing grenades in different directions, some turned out to be duds, but most took a heavy toll among the Tatars, the wounded fell to the ground pierced by pieces of metal... a similar fate befell the horses, wounded, disoriented, scared... just like people, they ran away in different directions, bumping into each other, on people, sometimes trampling them.

We slowly approached the center of the camp where the Khan Temir tent was located, Saddata's people joined us, so we didn't meet that much resistance. Sometimes one or two Tatars blocked our way, but they were quickly killed, we took their weapons and armed ourselves.