Preys and Predators 3" Love Binds Family Destroy Chapter 1-2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Jimmy Loong 

September 2025

 

1.

The land stretch of Bulgaria then was as breathtaking as it was for generations. Traders ply routes from the West to the East regions. It was mapped by one traveller, named Marco Polo, but his route was partially by sea, and some traders took the overland route across Bulgaria to the Ottoman Empire. It was risky, but the many stops along the routes allowed them to trade their wares and to accumulate new wares. They will store the bought wares there or have them shipped by sea lanes. It was the trader’s life then.

Bulgaria occupied the territory between the Black Sea, the Danube, and Stara Planina, including a part of eastern Macedonia, Belgrade, and the valley of the Morava. It also extended to Wallachia under Tsar Kaloyan (1197–1207) and waged wars on the Byzantine Empire and (after 1204) on the Knights of the Fourth Crusade, conquering large parts of Thrace, the Rhodopes, Bohemia, and Moldavia, as well as the whole of Macedonia. The empire grew under the next ruler, Ivan Asen II (1218–1241), occupying Belgrade and Albania.

Ivan Asen II had a reputation as a wise and humane ruler and opened relations with the Catholic West, especially Venice and Genoa, to reduce the influence of the Byzantines over his country. Tarnovo became a major economic and religious centre, the “Third Rome”, with the decline of Constantinople.

Soon after the death of Asen II, political instability continued to grow, and Bulgaria gradually began to lose territory. This led to a peasant rebellion led by the swineherd Ivaylo, who eventually managed to defeat the Tsar's forces and ascend the throne.

A weakened 14th-century Bulgaria faced a new threat from the south, the Ottoman Turks, who crossed into Europe in 1354. By 1371, factional divisions between the feudal landlords and the spread of Bogomilism had caused the Second Bulgarian Empire to split into three small tsardoms—Vidin, Tarnovo, and Karvuna—and several semi-independent principalities that fought among themselves and with Byzantines, Hungarians, Serbs, Venetians, and Genoese.

The Ottomans faced little resistance from these divided and weak Bulgarian states. In 1362, they captured Philippopolis (Plovdiv), and in 1382, they took Sofia. The Ottomans then turned their attention to the Serbs, whom they routed at Kosovo Polje in 1389. In 1393, the Ottomans occupied Tarnovo after a three-month siege. In 1396, the Tsardom of Vidin was also invaded, bringing the Second Bulgarian Empire and Bulgarian independence to an end.

With this, the Ottomans finally subjugated and occupied Bulgaria. A Polish-Hungarian crusade commanded by Władysław III of Poland set out to free Bulgaria and the Balkans in 1444, but the Turks emerged victorious at the battle of Varna. Turkish authorities destroyed most of the medieval Bulgarian fortresses to prevent rebellions.

It was from here that the tale was to begin.

Lord Dante Montague, in his late thirties, had travelled by horseback on the traders’ routes; the earliest was with his father, the Lord of the Montague family. He was a trader like the generations before him; he sat on his father’s side while the negotiations on the prices to be paid were taking place. His father was shrewd in the bargains, and the level of the voices does not denote conflicts but mutual disagreement on the bargains.

“Everyone has a price, my son.” The young Lord was told. “It is what you are willing to sacrifice for it.”

The Montague caravans, numbering two dozen, are handled by the servants and guarded by the forty-armed mercenaries; they are regarded as such for the coins that determined their loyalty. The Lord held his own personal guards, loyal recruits of the family who stood by their lord’s side for years. They numbered a dozen and were led by Abram of Montague, personal guard to the Lord, who once served with the Venetian army. He is a renowned swordsman and ruthless in his command.

The traders tried to travel in groups; the bigger they are, the better protected they will be from the bandits on their travels. The stretch of Bulgaria under the occupation by the Ottoman Empire was still plagued by bandits. The Ottoman Empire army was stretched thin there, but the traders over the generations had never been frayed by the threats along the routes.

“If we are to cower in the cities, we will face a drought on our wares, and profits will be low. We will take the caravan and fill it full, with our fighting skills to be our protection of it.”

Hence, the caravans were to travel in groups.

“The Polos are staying back.” Reynard rode to the front of the caravan’s line. He approached the Lord there.

“They are, for they are still haggling on the price. Old Piotr is not an easy man to negotiate with. I much prefer the Ottomans to those Wallachians.” Lord Dante Montague smiled. He had taken over five trips on the route since he was ten years of age. He had dealt with Old Piotr twice and did the deal only once.

“The Capulets are here,” Abram told his lord. “They are smaller than ours; eight caravans and …… I counted twenty guards.”

“The Capulets are lean on their spending. They will do their association with any caravans to consolidate their strengths.” Lord Dante Montague saw the other Lord riding towards him.

“Hush your tongue, Abram. He approaches. He rides with his guard, Reynard.” Lord Dante Montague pulled the reins on his horse to move it in the other direction.

“Hail, Lord Capulet. Are you traveling with us?” Lord Dante Montague knew the other well. Their families had been rivals in trade at Venice and Genoa. No love was spared between them for the best buyer, but they remained friends on the routes.

“Aye, Dante Montague. I am to see Mehmed II. I was told you are going there.” Lord Gencio Capulet addressed the other by name. He was not a novice on the route, having done two before in his lifetime. He was about the same age as the other lord, but he took on his father’s business later in life. He was a scholar who spent his time teaching philosophy to the younger scholars.

“What do you want to sell this round, Gencio? Your thick volumes on the ……”

“Astronomy is of interest to the Sultan. I am to gift him some of my works. And of course, the fine Venetian silks, and ……” Gencio cut in and, in turn, was cut off by the other lord.

“I have with me the wines, olive oil, and some of Genoa's best spices from the southern continent.”

“I am sure Mehmet II has his own spices from the Far East.” Gencio smiled. “I am sure you are to trade for his jewels.”

The rare stones were valued highly in Genoa, and the Ottoman was one good source.

“Are you to join me?” Lord Dante Montague raised the question.

“If you are Mehmet II, then I am.” Gencio smiled. “However, you are not, but a fellow Genoa. That I can also share my meat.”

It was how they put aside their differences to travel together.

 

 

2.

 

“Tell me, Gencio. I heard you are getting a wife.” Lord Dante Montague asked. They had stopped at the bottom of some hills to evade their fires being seen from afar. It was a practice taught to the traders. Open land with the fire burning could be seen from a distance. Predators will pay a visit then.

“Me? I am not sure where you got your news.” The other Lord laughed. It was their third stop to rest and eat their meals. Riding for over a day in the hot sun tires the riders and their mounts. Reynard had seen to the perimeters, organizing the guards, and secured the caravans for the night. The Capulets have their own guards, but it was supervised by the Lord in the arrangement.

“News travels fast in Venice. It may be the waters there. It flowed faster than our oars.” The Lord Dante Montague laughed. “When I was to be wedded, the other family had already prepared the feast. I was not prepared, and who I was to wed was untold to me.”

Dante Montague's betrothed wife was brief. She died while giving birth to a stillborn. He was away and only told of their deaths when he returned to Venice. It was one season past soon after when he moved to Genoa, and he found no grief then. He had hardly known his wife; his conjugal visits were few, and he had doubted the child was his. Words were spoken, but no one dared to tell him in person. There had been rumours.

“I am not unsure of whom. It was arranged by my mother and her cousin, and another cousin. God, I could be marrying another Capulet. Maybe they learned from the Egyptians. The pharaoh married his own sister.”

“That is good, Gencio. You do not need to know her better. She probably knew of you from when you were young.” The Lord of Montague laughed. “Me? I am to learn how she talks and walks.”

“Probably, but when I make love to her, I will be …….” Dante hesitated.

“Hey, it is just another fuck. You turned her around, and she looked the same as the others. You just must match your thrusts and be done.” Both men laughed and drank their wine.

Sleep came easily with food and drinks, and it was waking up that dragged their body.

It may be so, but when the waking was to the yells of alarm, the body stood up faster, and hands reached for the swords.

“Bandits!” The call reverted at the camp. The lords held out their swords. The schiavona is a type of Venetian basket-hilted broadsword, popular then and known for its robust blade and intricate guard, designed for both cutting and thrusting. The personal guards rallied to the Lord and surrounded him.

“Half of you to the caravans. That is their purpose.” Lord Dante Montague called out. “The rest, follow me to the caravans.”

Abram was there at the caravans organizing the mercenaries. He saw the Capulets’ guards had formed a cordon on their caravans. Some were armed with crossbows, and they were notched to shoot anyone unfriendly. He saw the bandits charging towards them. He could not make out the numbers with the morning dawn lighting the bandits. The bandits chose to charge from the east, with the sun behind them, camouflaging their numbers.

“Pick your rider,” Abram called out. “Kill without mercy.”

Abram held the Venetian blade and the round shield on his left arm.  

Reynard was also busy killing. He wiped the blood off his blade on the dead bandit’s shirt. The bandit had on a simple blouse with the skirt design called the fustanella, and some wore the straw slippers. It was their blade that intrigued Abram, the kilij, the blade made of patterned welded high-carbon crucible steel, generally with long, slightly curved blades with one sharp edge. It was a weapon of the janissary mounted on the horses, for when they charged, they would slash with the sword at their enemy. The curvature makes it easier to deliver the powerful cuts.

A hundred bandits descended on the caravans; half were mounted on horses, while the others were on foot, having hidden in the cracks of the hill. The ones mounted were mostly ex-akinji; the mounted carried swords, lances, shields, battle axes, and maces as well, so that in a field of combat, they could face the enemy first and fight melee. Unpaid, they lived and operated as raiders on the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, subsisting on plunder. They were the first to charge before the other units of the Ottoman Empire. The others were a compilation of peasants or serfs, as they were called then, and some mercenaries looking to get a share of the plunder.

A hundred was a huge number, but the caravan was a treasure trove, seen and heard in the market, to contain jewels bound for the palace.

The bandits’ riders were met by the armed mercenaries; bows and arrows were released to halt the attack. Some held the crossbows, and the heavier arrows were shot at close range. Dozens of riders and their horses went down, and the ones not dead charged on their feet. Shields were raised, and the melee began.

Reynard, armed with one blade in each hand, was at the forefront, and he took his first bandit with the thrust of the right blade into the left waist, and then he drew out his blade to thrust once more into the left shoulder. He kicked away the dying bandit and stepped towards the next in line. It was the training he had under his father, who was a condottiere, the commander of mercenary companies.  

Condottiero in medieval Italian means 'contractor,' and condotta is the contract by which the condottieri put themselves in the service of a city or lord. The condottiero had been in service for many generations, but in the past few years, the influence waned, and Reynard was reduced to serving his family honour by leading the caravans.

“Stay at your positions, serfs,” Reynard called out to the caravan handlers. He knew that they would get into the battle, but their lack of skills in fighting was not welcomed. They are armed with makeshift spears or lances and a dagger at their waist, but without armour on their chest, they were easy prey.

“Aargh….” A serf called out when he was slashed on the right shoulder. Reynard rushed over and killed the bandit with a double thrust into the back. He kicked away the dead bandit and looked to the serf.

“Get back in line. You may still live.” Reynard then turned to the melee ahead of him. They were equal in fighting skills; the bandits were driven by their greed for plunder, and the mercenaries were there to earn their coins. It was balanced, but Reynard wanted the winning edge.

It arrived when Reynard saw the riders approaching.

“Janissaries!” The cries went out. They were members of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman sultan's household troops. They were the first modern standing army and perhaps the first infantry force in the world to be equipped with firearms, adopted during the reign of Murad II. Janissaries began as an elite corps made up through the devşirme system of child levy enslavement, by which indigenous European Christian boys, chiefly from the Balkans, were taken, levied, subjected to forced circumcision, and forced conversion to Islam, and incorporated into the Ottoman army.  They became famed for internal cohesion cemented by strict discipline and order. Unlike typical slaves, they were paid regular salaries.

Forbidden to marry before the age of 40 or engage in trade, their complete loyalty to the Ottoman sultan was expected.

The Janissaries were expert archers, but they began adopting firearms as soon as such became available during the 1440s. The siege of Vienna in 1529 confirmed the reputation of their engineers, e.g., sappers and miners. In melee combat, they used axes and kilijs.

They rode in formation and attacked the flank of the bandits. Their skills were displayed in the melee, with the Janissaries attacking in pairs, slashing at the enemy from the sides, and then pairing up for the next. The axes were swung like pendulums at the necks while the kilijs took off the threat of the arms.

“Retreat!” The bandits called out, and they scattered. The ones that were slower to react were met by deadly slashes.

Reynard halted his men to regroup at the caravans. He saw the Montagues had also done the same. They are cautious too, for the value of the caravans may drive any to revolt or be the deadlier bandit.

“I am Boluk Bashi Tarmak, of the Fifth Regiment. I was assigned to bring you back to the city.” The Janissary officer dressed in a combination of rich fabrics on their tunics and pants with the thick boots, elaborate headwear called the bork, distinctive chest armor, and the two kilijs on the waist belt. There were two hundred of them in the command of the Boluk Basi.

“The Sultan had concern for your safety and assigned us to escort you.” The officer sat up on the saddle and looked to the guards. “I was in time to save you.”

The pride of the janissary will not admit to his delay in arriving.  He was not delayed but took off on an errand of his own. He had escorted a rich landowner to the fertile valley and was delayed. If that was reported to the sultan, he would be punished, and had ridden hard to meet the caravans. “

“Thank you, Boluk Bashi Tarmak, of the Fifth Regiment. We will need some time to …… collect the wounded and bury the dead.” The Lord of Montague looked to the complement of guards.

“You may do so, but hurry. We are to ride on soon.” The Boluk Bashi made his demand.

It was a quick count of the dead: fourteen to be exact, with another fifteen wounded, but five will not make the ride to the city. The ones who survived were given their moments to regroup and pillage the valuables of the dead, including the bandits. Any items worth a coin were collected and stored on the caravans.

The Janissaries watched from the side and did not partake in the plunder. They are paid by the Sultan with a salary, and their real plunder was at the conquered cities.

The caravans took to the journey soon after the dead were buried, while the bandits were left to the predators to devour. They marched on with sighs of relief that they were escorted by the Janissaries.

“Gencio, we were lucky to have the Sultan concerned about us.” Lord Dante Montague smiled. “But how did he know?”

“I may have a hand in it. I did send words to the Sultan that I was bringing to him the jewels valued by him.” The Lord of Capulet smiled. “The eye of the desert; the Empress Stones. They come in a pair, one red and the other black.”

“You bastard!” Lord Dante Montague glared at the other. “You bought the jewel from the Saharans while I was negotiating. And then they stopped.”

“All is fair in the trade.” Gencio laughed. “I offered them a good price and added to it; the fifty serfs they could trade on the return to the dry lands.”

“Serfs? They were Nubians, I presumed.” The Lord of Capulet was known to trade in slaves from the dark continent. It was frowned on by the Montagues.

“Yes, they dug up the stones and will be of use to the Saharans to dig more. If they could find the mine again.”

The mine was rumoured to have collapsed after the dig. The mine was deemed unapproachable to the locals since then.

“Gencio, the jewel was one of the rare ones. The Nubians may not find another.” Lord Dante Montague looked to the escort they had acquired. “I …….”

“Dante, I lost some good men to get the jewel, too.” The Lord of Capulet motioned to Reynard and his guards. “We doubled the numbers before the snatch.”

“And I may have lost the trade here.” Lord Dante Montague was upset.

“Do not be unhappy, Dante. There are many other buyers for your wares.” The Lord of Capulet smiled. “We are brothers in trade.”

Lord Dante Montague kept his silence. Lord Gencio Capulet was a good friend, but at times, he felt that betrayal lay in that man. He was not to be trusted to honour his words.

“My Lord, we shall reach the city by nightfall tomorrow,” Reynard reported. “The men are weary and ……”

“We will camp here tonight. Tomorrow, we will make haste and be there by late afternoon. I long to see the Sultan and share his love for lamb.” Lord Dante Montague smiled.

“The Janissaries want to ride on.” Reynard expressed his real concern. “The Boluk Bashi ……”

“He may ride on to announce our arrival. His failure to protect us will depend on his behaviour.” Lord Dante Montague looked at the Janissary officer leading the caravans. “Tell him we will camp here tonight. Do not take any abuse from him, or he will be reported to the sultan.”

The Boluk Bashi was unhappy, but he knew that the trader held a friendship with the Sultan. He was obliged to follow the orders. His men were unhappy, for they wanted to go back to camp to trade their plunder, but the discipline was instilled in them to follow their commander.

The caravans arrived just before dusk, and a feast was underway then. The Boluk Bashi had sent scouts to alert the palace, and the Sultan was delighted. He was more than delighted when he saw the gift from the Lord of Capulet. Lord Dante Montague was sidelined, and Lord Gencio Capulet took himself to enjoy the splendour of the palace. He chanced upon a young lad then by the garden.

“Who are you?” Lord Gencio Capulet looked at the young man who was dressed in a loose tunic and skirt, seated by the pond. He does not look like an Ottoman lad.

“I am Vlad Tepes. I am a Wallachian.” The lad looked at the trader. Lord Gencio Capulet was familiar with seeing the few nationalities there, mostly hostages of the Sultan. The kingdoms, small and easily intimidated by the Ottomans, pledged their oath of allegiance to the Sultan. It was customary for the ones sworn to serve to send one or two of their sons to the palace to be treated as hostages or, in better words, guests.

“Who are you?” The lad asked.