Noble Talenidis stood atop the fortress wall and stared hard at the mighty Turkish fleet. He knew, as did his brave generals, that if even half those vessels and the dozens of warriors each carried reached the fortress gates their haven, their city, their sanctuary from a mad world would crumble like sandcastles before the rising tide.

“Father, there is still time to accept Emperor Dracon’s offer. He does not wish to sit upon our throne, merely believe he commands the man who does. There is no honor in a senseless death.”

King Talenidis did not answer his son. He had long ago given up any hope that a man could be salvaged from the spineless child his wife had reared. Talenidis remained silent until the prince either tired of making useless pleas, or as the king suspected, grew more afraid of the advancing fleet, and had gone running to his mother to join her in fleeing the city.

“In all the wars and battles I have fought at home and in distant lands, I have never felt such failure as I do when I look upon my son. Was it all really worth it, Ahcrecius?” the king asked his general.

The old man who was blind in one eye, stood next to his friend and king staring up at the great man. He had never fathered a child, he hoped, and found himself at a loss for words that would comfort his Lord. In the end the old general did what he’d always done when faced without a diplomatic solution. He told the truth.

“My lord, your son is an ass, and his mother is also an ass, just with a huge perfectly shaped ass,” Talenidis eyed his friend, “begging your pardon, sire, but if she didn’t we would not be having this conversation.”

King Talenidis continued to look down at his short friend of countless years and then he laughed. He laughed long and he laughed hard. Pretty soon everyone within earshot of them joined in.

“She does have a great ass, sire,” Loyal Euripacleas, the chief engineer added, rubbing tears of joy from his eyes.

“Yes, my friends, I would have to agree, my Queen has always had at least one good quality.”

“Two, if you use both hands,” another general added, causing the men to burst into laughter again.

It was a good tension reliever and the king was happy for it. He knew his plan was one that had never been tried, and his men drew their confidence from him. They understood they faced certain death and their wives, a lifetime of slavery at best, if the King’s plan failed. Standing tall against doomsday was no small feat for the bravest of men.

“Sire, the enemy fleet will make landfall within the hour.” Talenidis nodded to his scout and dismissed the man to join his family. His services would not be needed for what was to come.

The hour did not pass in silence. Talenidis checked and rechecked every facet of his plan. Runners were dispatched along the box canyon leading to the fortress wall. Their kingdom was a small one, made rich only by what they earned through trade on the sea, and now where the sea once brought life it has delivered death.

“Has the ground been saturated with it, Euripacleas?”

“From the shore to the wall, my King; the men have also positioned the catapults along the mountain and only await your order.”

“Landfall, Landfall!” As one the men turned their eyes shoreward. It was an awesome sight.

Somehow, the Turks managed to put all their ships to shore at one time. Men, horses and war wagons streamed from the wooden ships like water bursting through a hull.

Soon the very ground under the king’s feet shook with the thunderous marching of the enemy’s mad rush up the canyon. Talenidis marveled at their size and speed, and gave a silent prayer to the gods.

“Sire, it looks like most of their troops are in the canyon. They’ll be at our walls in minutes.”

“Yes, my friend, it is time.” He turned to his men, and drew his sword. “Once more into the fray, once more to the gods we pray. By Zeus’ will we shall win this day. Let no man abandon another. Fight for your lands, your wives and for the man beside you, for on this day, he is your brother.”

 As the men roared their approval and built up their courage, Talenidis pointed his sword at the charging army.

“Archers, light them up,” he shouted

“Ho!” In unison dozens of arrows burst into flames.

“Arm the catapults.”

“Ho!” Huge balls were set ablaze on the devices lining the mountain tops leading to the shore.
In the canyon below some of the invaders looked up at the fires overhead. Many pulled shields from the backs and hoisted them over their heads.

“Fire!”

At his word the blue skies became yellow.  Talenidis held his breath as the arrows and missiles flew through the air. When the first struck a shield the invaders cheered, but when one hit the ground, screams filled the air. What was once strange flaky black and yellowish sandy ground soon became flaming fields of death. Horses trampled men and men climbed over whatever they could all in a desperate scramble to escape the flames and return to the ships, but there was no escape. The catapults hit their targets with deadly accuracy. The Turks’ mighty wooden ships were only so much tinder for the oil, coal and sulfur filled missiles.

The sailors fought valiantly to save their ships, but the more water they poured on the flames, the hotter they became. They had never before encountered a fire such as this, and knew not how to stop it.
****

The devil's fire, the men called it, lasted well into the night and didn’t begin to subside until the dawn.  Of the one fifty ships that landed only three managed to escape total destruction, and those three were badly damaged. They stood little hope of crossing the sea.

The following day, a weary King Talenidis walked the scorched earth with his son. Everywhere they stepped nothing remained except bits of molten metal and sand turned into glass.

“I…I don’t believe it, father. How did you do this?”

The King turned to his son and saw a shadow of himself in the boy’s face. “I did not do this. The brave men we protect did this. They accomplished this because they did not give in to fear, because they cared more for their loved ones than themselves. They did this terrible thing because sometimes courage is all that stands between freedom and the slaver’s yoke.  I pray one day you will come to understand that.”

The King turned and left the young prince alone to ponder his words. As he approached the fortress gates he wondered if he was too old to remarry and start again.

“Next time I shall look for more than a great ass. She must have huge tits as well.” He passed through the gates laughing at the insanity of man.