POPE CLEMENS VII PART 2
The Pope’s skill with negotiations had enabled him to prepare for a war such as this. The unprovoked conflict with the Holy See stirred much anger within Italy and beyond. To this end Milan found itself facing Sicily, Manuta, Savoy and the Swiss Federation. This formidable force, though divided, soon came into play.
However, the key problem was that the Pope’s army, smaller than that of Milan, was not in Rome when the war started. A rebellion in Urbino had meant it was more than a hundred miles away in rough terrain when battle begun. Added to this was a reluctance by the Pope himself (who accompanied the army) to engage the invades in battle.
Thus, despite having eight thousand troops to the Milanese ten thousand, there was no battle. A man of peace, and some would say timidity, the Pope’s army remained in Ancona as Rome was besieged!
xxx
The Via Aurelia led from the Port of Rome to the city. Talena had come this way when she first arrived, and had admired how beautiful it was in winter. Now it was autumn almost two years later, and the road was surrounded by trees and peaceful streams. It really was a scenic, picturesque landscape, soured slightly by the prospect of invaders.
As she rode, not really paying attention to where she was going, she heard the sound of horses coming from behind her. Turning, she saw a force of lightly equipped cavalry bearing the Papal insignia. Though Talena knew the main army was still on the other side of the mountains, scouts and light parties had been dispatched to scout the enemy’s approach.
Talena prepared herself for the usual annoying questions that would be asked. In deference to the fact that she was in the fifteenth century rather than the twenty eighth she wore long trousers, a hat and had concealed her hair and gender as much as possible. It was still amazing how many people were fooled.
These soldiers didn’t even stop to ask questions, but rode past cautiously. Talena followed, interested by their caution. She had seen no sign of enemy troops, but that did not mean they weren’t here.
Then, with appalling swiftness the Papal troops were attacked. From behind hedges and trees marksmen with crossbows fired a lethal volley. The scream of horses and men filled the air, and the drawing of swords presaged the melee about to happen.
Talena, for her part, was riding an untrained mare, and as the sounds of butchery filled the air the horse reared and bolted. Unfortunately it decided to bolt directly off the road and as it fell into the drainage ditch near it Talena fell off in a most undignified way. The cobbled highway rushed to meet her and smacked hard into it while her horse limped off.
Getting to her feet, she saw that the Milanese ambushers had dealt with the Papal troops except for one man who had ridden back down the road. Talena looked down at herself and saw that her flimsy disguise was mostly gone, and that the men had seen her. Fortunately the cuts and scrapes from the fall had healed and stopped hurting. Right at the moment she was kind of glad about that.
“You! Girl! Stay where you are!” one of the soldiers called, gesturing to his comrades. There were at least five men visible, but likely more. Talena realised they must have ridden to this spot, dismounted, and waited for a patrol to come through.
Talena turned to retreat, unwilling to press her luck against so many armed men. Unfortunately, two of them had mounted, and rode after her. At first Talena was able to avoid them, but a blow from the flat of a sword stunned her long enough for the rest of the band to catch up with her.
“Now, girl, you be nice to us, and we’ll be nice to you,” one of them leered. He seemed to be in charge, and seemed a villainous looking man. Unlike her home era, soldiers of this time were virtually unpaid and untrained, having to live off whatever they could loot or steal.
Talena tried to pull away, but there were four of them to hold her still.
“Take her over there, men. I’ll come and deal with her in a moment....”
It didn’t take much imagination to guess what he wanted to do, and Talena tried to break free or kick one of her attackers, but even she could not break free from four at once.
However, as Talena was manhandled off the road the drainage ditch that had caused her horse to throw her now came to her aid. A section of the embankment gave way, and Talena’s right hand was momentarily freed. In that instant her instincts and training moved her hand like lightning. Behind her back she had a sharp knife concealed. She’d not had to use while she’d been in Italy, but now it became very important indeed.
One of the Milanese soldiers never saw it coming, and the knife got in under his chin, just like she had been taught in the marines. Turning, she was able to stab a second man in the shoulder where he had no armour. It had all happened in seconds.
Now Talena faced two men, both surprised, and she used the second of time offered to seize a mace from the dead man, and used it to fend them off.
By now the leader of the party had seen that something was amiss and ordered his crossbowmen to fire. Arrows whipped past Talena, and one hit her in the leg, driving right through her unprotected limb and protruding on the far side. Talena sagged slightly, but then she reached down and pulled the quarrel from her leg by the head. It was, her training told her, a stupid thing to do. Removing an object without being able to stem the bleeding was suicide.
But as she forced the bolt out, hissing with pain as she did, she saw the wound closing by itself, like magic.
While this had been happening, the man wounded in the shoulder had taken his sword up and now attacked from her flank. Talena only just avoided the first swipe, but fell backwards, and as he cut down at her, she raised her forearm up to shield the blow.
This too was a stupid move, and she knew it. A medieval sword was razor sharp, and quite capable of cutting through an unprotected arm and down into the body beyond. However, this time the sword smacked down...and stopped. Talena’s arm had been forced down towards her face, and there was blood from the cut, but the bone had neither broken, nor been marked.
To say that Talena was annoyed was an understatement. She was also terrified, bewildered and running on adrenaline. Taking up her mace she hit her attacker across the face so hard that she could see his jaw break.
From behind her back she brought out her pistol, aimed and fired. The bullet went right where she wanted it to – into the ambush leader’s groin.
As the sound of the shot echoed off the trees, Talena looked at the stunned Milanese who were retreating from her like she was some infernal creature.
“I’ve got eight more rounds, now get!” she shouted in her native language. She was too stunned to try and remember Middle Italian.
They got the message, even if they didn’t understand her. In seconds she was alone aside from the two men she had killed and the leader who had been left curled in a ball on the road.
Talena took up the man’s sword and held it over him, deciding what she should do. Finally, more to prevent excess suffering she used the sword to finish him off. It was what she was trained to do, and though part of her wanted to make him suffer, she wasn’t that sort of person.
xxx
(Voice log of Captain Talena Mazari, 14161121.)
I saw the main army marching from the north down towards Rome and I took cover in the trees. I can’t get back into the city, and I don’t think I want to. I’ll head over to the Papal army that’s supposedly on the other side of the mountains.
I’m just thinking about what happened yesterday. That sword should have cut my arm off. I’ve wondered how far this regeneration thing would go, but now I have a better idea. Does that make me immortal? I don’t really want to find out, to be honest.
I’m kind of ashamed I shot that guy. I should try and limit what I do with future knowledge. But hell, I don’t take that from anyone. I guess all I can do is wait and see what’s happens. I guess Rome will be besieged. I hope Sanchez is alright....
The siege of Rome eventually ended after over eight months. It was not, all things considered, a true siege, more of a blockade. The Milanese respected the city, and did not press an attack on the city, nor loot it when it surrendered. And in all this time the Pope’s army remained barely a hundred miles away, and did nothing to aid or assist the defenders. Even after the siege they remained, now with an army as large as the Milanese, distant. To many of the Pope’s generals this was intolerable.
However, despite the Pope’s unwillingness to fight, the end of the war was near at hand regardless....