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Anno Domini 828,January-12
''So, one hundred and twenty thousand…'' I said as I looked over the ledgers where the accounting of profits and expenses after the raid had been recorded, also having to take into account the share owed to the emperor.
As irritating as that thirty percent of the loot was, I had to hand it over. Failing to do so would be handing ammunition to any idiot who wanted to make my life difficult. All it would take was for them to find a single discrepancy, and I would be finished.
''I don't understand why we have to pay him… he did nothing,'' Lysander said, clenching his teeth.
''It's the law. And if we don't pay, we're branded as traitors. If I'm seen as a traitor, I'll have the imperial army at my gates, because they'll think I'm aiming for the throne. And unfortunately, I don't have allies at the imperial court to cover my back. Believe me, if I did, this wouldn't be happening. I'm certain many other commanders don't even declare their loot,'' I replied, closing the book.
''All right. Do you have plans for all this budget that arrived like a miracle from our lord?'' Lysander asked with interest.
''I'm going to distribute thirty thousand nomismata among everyone. That should be about three gold coins and some silver for each of my men and for all the Varangians who took part. I need them to stay motivated. Though the Varangians clearly came out very well. Between slaves and loot, many of them must have become quite wealthy,'' I said, recalling the bulging purses they had carried off.
''Well… that's not a bad thing. More Varangians will probably want to take part now that we have more warships. Twenty dromons and fifty Sarakenoi vessels, smaller and with lighter crews. Even so, we still need men. I've seen what a good Varangian captain can do with his crew,'' Lysander said thoughtfully.
''Yes. As long as we have them on our side, we're safe. As enemies… better not to think about it. How did things go with the young Varangians you were supposed to teach Greek?'' I asked as I began reviewing which industries I could expand based on the profits.
''Well. I trained a group of thirty, as you asked. Though some of them are already asking about the promised work and complaining that they learned Greek for nothing,'' Lysander replied.
''Things were delayed, but their work is ready now. We have more than enough materials to begin, so I'll probably put them to work today. Bring me the jarls if you can. If they're coming every day, we need to talk to them and find out what they want. I hope they're not trying to preserve their noble rule,'' I said calmly.
''I'll go call them,'' Lysander replied.
''And bring me the Varangians who can speak and read Greek, please,'' I added as I stood up and began walking toward the printing house.
The place was covered in dust, which was understandable. There was only one key that opened the lock, and I had it, so it was normal that no one entered very often.
Without wasting time, I waited outside the fortress. I watched as several large Varangians arrived, stopping to look at me for a few seconds.
I waited until they had all arrived and, once they were gathered, I signaled for them to follow me inside the fortress. I stopped and turned to face them.
''All right. It's simple. Two gold coins a month, more than the warriors of your people earn. The condition is that you swear that everything you see dies with you. You cannot tell anyone, not even your families. If you want the work, you must swear it by the All-Father. I will be the one to release you from the secret. You may not copy, imitate, or sell the idea, nor do anything that harms me. You come, you work, you do your duty, and nothing more,'' I said, staring directly at the young Varangians.
''What are we going to do?'' one of them asked.
''I can only tell you one thing if you accept. You won't do anything dishonorable, but you will fill your pockets,'' I replied calmly.
They exchanged glances. It didn't take long for one of them to kneel, and the rest followed almost immediately. They began to recite a kind of oath, naming Odin as witness to their word and promising to keep the secret from everyone.
When they had all finished the oath, I opened the door and showed them the printing press.
''All right, this is where you'll work. It's a printing press. It makes books. What you have to do is read the books I give you and copy them page by page using these metal molds. They're easy to handle, since they can be joined with other pieces to form words. The idea is to copy the entire page and, using this paper and ink, do the work,'' I said, pointing to the press as I began to demonstrate the process.
''With this, you coat the iron molds evenly with ink, without leaving excess drops. Once the molds are set and inked, you place the sheet of paper on top and apply pressure using this lever that lowers the press. You press, then lift it. See? The sheet comes out with all the words you arranged,'' I explained, removing the page from the press and showing it to the Varangians.
''Ah… that's it?'' one of the Varangians asked, raising his hand, clear doubt on his face.
''After that, you organize the sheets. You use glue made from cow bones and horns and bind the pages of the book to one of these goat-leather covers. Normally they're sewn, but that takes time, and here we need to work fast. We want to produce as many books as possible—not necessarily the most expensive ones, but volume,'' I said, showing all the parts of the process.
''But… my… uh… jarl… two gold coins just for that?'' one asked, raising an eyebrow.
''Yes. You can read Greek. That's a rare skill. Worth learning to read, wasn't it? Now you'll earn well and fill your pockets doing simple work,'' I replied with a smile.
''All right, coordinate among yourselves to divide the work. Here's the book you're to copy. The idea is that each page you assemble is repeated many times. When everything is ready, those at the end of the process will have a lot to do, and the cycle will repeat again and again,'' I said as I handed them the Bible so they could begin.
Without wasting time, they split into groups. Some began reading the pages and dictating what needed to be placed in the molds, while others assembled the words and set them in the press.
Quickly, the first fifteen pages of the book began to be placed into the press. Ink was spread across the iron molds, and the sheets were laid on top, waiting for the moment of pressure.
All of a sudden, the first printed sheets began to come out. There were some errors, but they were tolerable. The molds were inked again and the process was repeated several times. While some applied the ink and placed the sheets, others operated the press, and one Varangian began to organize the pages, stacking them in small numbered baskets.
In this way, by copying the same pages dozens of times, they would have more than enough work. A Bible had close to three hundred pages, and there was a large number of additional books, so work would not be lacking.
''When you have the first batch and it turns out well, bring it to me. I don't care if you make mistakes during the process, but the one you hand over to me must be identical to this one,'' I said, pointing to the original book as I returned to my office, satisfied to know that soon we would have many books to sell.
Upon arriving at my office, I found Sigurd and the members of my hird, who seemed to have been looking for me.
As I sat down in my chair, they positioned themselves around me. Lysander, upon seeing me, stepped out and returned shortly afterward, followed by a group of Varangians carrying my armor—brigandines covered with bear or wolf pelts, and each wearing one of my swords at their belt.
''Greetings, friends of the northern sea. I hope the voyage was…'' I hesitated for a moment over whether to wish them a violent or a peaceful journey, ''…to your liking,'' I said calmly.
''Well met, jarl of the Grikkjar. We arrived several moons ago, drawn by the words of the merchant Hakon. From what I see, you hold him in high esteem, if one of his own protects you as part of your hird,'' he said in a composed tone, pointing at Sigurd.
''That is how I understand it, jarls of Svearike. I am glad you chose to come to my lands and settle. So speak plainly. Why do you require my audience at this time?'' I asked, looking at both of them.
''We have been surprised by the warmth of the climate. The land is fertile, the animals strong and fat, and the seas rich with the gifts of Njord. The reason we come before you, as the great jarl of this land, is to request authorization to raid the ships of your enemies. We have warriors and drakkars, and upon hearing of your deeds, we wished to join in the glory,'' said the first Varangian jarl.
''Oh… I see. I'm afraid that for the moment that request will have to wait. It is one thing for me to do so, as I have authorization, and quite another for you to do it. I will try to speak and obtain permission so that I may allow you to act. I hope to have an answer soon. Is there anything else you wish to request?'' I replied with a slight smile.
''For my part, great jarl, I thank you for granting us fertile lands, which I admit are of great quality. But my people have asked me to speak on their behalf. We have lived by the sea for generations. Farming was never one of our strengths, and we depend on animals. To settle here, we had to sell our livestock, and here all local livestock is your property. I would like to request two things: to exchange our lands for lands on the coast, and to be allowed to buy your animals,'' said the second jarl.
''Oh, I see. That is feasible. We can discuss it. Give me a moment,'' I said as I searched for the maps. ''Here is Hierapytna. It is an abandoned fishing village near the lands that were given to you, if I'm not mistaken, in Lasithi. I had planned to build a city there, but all my efforts were focused on Heraklion. I can settle you there along with a group of Romans to begin laying the foundations of the area. The land will be yours, provided you commit to contributing in the manner I indicate,'' I explained, showing them the map.
''Does it have to be alongside Romans?'' one of them asked, with clear annoyance.
''It does. It is important that you learn to live alongside those who open their doors to you. In time, we will have more in common than differences, or so I hope. And as for the animals, of course. I will be glad to sell you some heads of livestock so that you may have your own herds,'' I replied calmly.
''Thank you, great jarl. We hope you receive news soon from your konungr and that we may return to the sea to spill the blood of your enemies,'' said the second jarl.
They looked at each other for a few seconds and then withdrew.
As soon as they were gone, I felt more at ease. They had apparently understood quite well that they would not govern themselves. I had thought they might come to demand rights or privileges, but nothing of the sort happened, which was good news.
''Well, it seems everything went well for the moment,'' I said, looking at Sigurd.
''Yes… the problem will be when some jarl arrives who believes he can drive you out of here by force,'' Sigurd replied.
''He would have to pass through Constantinople first. That would be quite difficult if his intention is to take Crete,'' I replied with a smile.
''Let's hope my father arrives soon. I want to show him things I brought back from Africa. I think he'll like them very much,'' Sigurd said, nodding.
''Yes. In any case, we still have to go to the capital to deliver the loot and report the end of the campaign. They might assign us to Sicily if they deem it necessary. Let's hope not, because honestly I want to continue fostering Crete's growth personally rather than leaving someone else in charge—especially now,'' I said, stretching.
''Pah… having to travel just to throw yourself on the floor after killing people left and right isn't the most glorious thing one can do,'' Sigurd replied.
''It will be short. We'll travel by dromon, deliver their share, and leave. Or we might stay to inspect the churches, see if there are more youths we can bring back. With all the extra gold I have, I can consider founding small fortified coastal towns. That would give our navy more bases to operate from and better secure the area,'' I replied, thinking of new foundations.
''What Constantinople has in abundance are orphans, my strategos,'' Lysander said.
''Indeed. Ah, by the way, Lysander—if I'm not here and you have to pay wages to those thirty Varangians, pay them two nomismata and ask them no questions about anything,'' I said as I walked toward the exit, since it was time to head for the harbor.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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