“This uncle of yours is not an uncle by marriage, is he?” Asked Nikola as he moved a single dragon over the area where the horses of Xiongnu and Scythia were kept when they weren’t being in use. They heard a pained roar in the distance and Nikola tsked.

“Darn their scorpions and their darn archers. How did they always get the dragons in the eyes? At this rate I am only feeding the defenders!” Some paper figurines moved by themselves on the table and Nikola placed Victor and his squad of Aoyin in front of the charging cavalry. A large boom sounded from outside and Thos looked at the tent’s exit with worry.

“You didn’t answer my question, Thos.” Said Nikola as he once again made an attempt to move a dragon towards the horses. He only needed one good fire going in the hay and the horses would bolt. Then Nikola would be free to retrieve as many as he could.

“He is my father’s brother.” Said Thos, not knowing why Nikola was asking him such a thing.

“Good, stand still while I get a lock of your hair.” Thos’ hand shot towards his ponytail. Nikola saw this and exhaled loudly.

“I need a little bit for the curse to take hold. Stand still.” He repeated and took out a nasty looking dagger. A big cluster of hair later and Nikola called for one of the soldiers outside of the tent to come in.

“Bring me a Scythian prisoner of war. If you find one looking like this boy, then all the better.” Nikola pointed at Thos and the soldier examined him to remember his face. Then he was off.

“What is the curse going to be like?” Asked Thos, suddenly worried that the curse was going to spread to him too. For why else did the mage needed someone who looked like him?

“Oh, just a little something on the beaten path. Weak limbs, blood that won’t clot, allergy to horses.”

“You can kill my uncle with the allergy alone.” Said Thos. For a Scythian the horse was his greatest weapon. And his uncle was one of the best riders in the whole of Scythia. He won’t abandon his horse.

“I can cause him discomfort with the allergy alone. Your uncle is a creature of pride. He will charge when he grows weak as I would show him a fake retreat. When he dies of his own weakness I will charge with the army.” Said Nikola as he moved a heard of Aoyin towards the front gate of Zhao Xin Town, then he hid some Wuzhiqi to follow them.

Just as he had planned the figurines of the Aoyin became punctured and he heard a shout that the front gates of the town were opening so the defenders could get the meat. Then, just as the first figurine was slowly dragged within the town’s limits Nikola pushed the Wuzhiqi to force snow to block the gate. Ice pierced the wood and snow filled the entrance. That was one gate down. If they wanted to reopen it, they would need to dig through the snow. But as they did so they wouldn’t notice the moles digging beneath the gate.

“General Nikola…” Came from a happy soldier. Nikola waved him off.

“I know. The rats have one less hole from which they can get out. Get back to your post, good man.” The soldier saluted and left. Thos was now standing by the table, touching one of the dragon figurines.

“Do you want to try?” Asked Nikola as he eyed the boy. “These are not toys, however. They are real beasts and they tear into real people. But if you move them they will attack at your command.”

Thos gulped. He knew that this was not a game, but the desire to impress his future father-in-law was strong.

“You are trying to burn this section of the town.” Said Thos, pointing at the walls behind which the horses stood. “Why?”

“They keep their reserve horses there. A Commander of mine counted more than five thousand. If the siege goes on they will butcher them for meat. Or they will put the civilians on them and force them on a mad charge. Even the children of Xiongnu know how to shoot a bow while on horseback and Bartu Chanyu is a cruel piece of work. He will definitely go with the second option.”

“If dragon fire doesn’t work why not create something else?” Asked Thos. He was given a piece of paper.

“Go ahead and fold it in the shape you mean.”

“I can’t make a Medusa.” Blushed Thos and he gave the paper back. Nikola thought about summoning the woman but she could turn him to stone and then his immortality wouldn’t matter.

“Try using what I have created.” Said Nikola as he placed the boy at the head of the table.

Thos stared at the monkey figurines that were still locked in fighting with the defenders of the snowed in gate. He had them climb the snow and spill into the town.

“Are you sure? There will be a lot more casualties this way, Thos.” Said Nikola next to him. Already they could hear screaming coming from the town. Thos moved the monkeys further up the table and stopped them when they reached the carving of a large well. He had them freeze the water inside and smash the well’s walls.

“Main water supply, eh? You do know that people will live in this town even when I move on?” Asked Nikola and Thos looked at him with confusion.

“You are outnumbered and you are holding your human army back. It must take a lot of you to create and control this many beasts, or you wouldn’t be this careful. The town can’t be saved.” Finished the boy and Nikola blinked at him.

“And why is that?” He asked. After the disaster of Longcheng he had wanted to show Zhao Xin Town some mercy.

“Because going past this town Xiongnu is much more densely populated. It has more cities and some of them neighbor different tribes that are invested in Xiongnu’s survival. Tribes that teach their children how to fight as adults too. If you make enough examples of cities early on then they will start to surrender to you instead of fighting. A decisive battle against the Chanyu and my uncle here can win you the war.”

“You speak like someone my age.” Said Nikola as a soldier burst into the tent with a Scythian who resembled Thos. Blond hair and brown eyes and even the same jaw.

“Cousin!” Screamed Thos and he abandoned the figurines. They were soon encircled and only one of them ran back towards the gate, but Thos wasn’t paying any attention.

“Soldier, you are dismissed.” The soldier left the man, a boy really, behind and Thos stepped before him. A dagger in hand he was ready to protect his aunt’s son.

“You spoke big when it was my resources you were sacrificing.” Said Nikola, approaching the two boys with Thos’ hair clutched in his hand. “Do you want your throne, little boy?”

“Not if the price is Nekun’s life!” Screamed Thos, ready to charge.

“He won’t die if he is smart.” Said Nikola as he went as close as the dagger allowed him.

“Thos? You are in league with this devil?” Asked Nekun and Thos tried to shake his head. Tried being the keyword and he was grabbed during the moment he was distracted and flung back to the table, ropes wrapping themselves around him.

“I have no time for the foolishness of children. You are Nekun? Do you wish to become the next Chanyu of Xiongnu?” Asked Nikola. Greed shone into the boy’s eyes and he nodded. Thos watched with wide eyes as his cousin wasn’t making any moves to free him.

“Then take this hair and repeat after me.” Said Nikola passing Nekun the hair. The boy griped it as if it was a treasure.

I promise to take the strength of your limbs for your treachery.

I promise to make your blood flow unending for your treachery.

I promise to take away your best weapon and give you weakness for your treachery.

Nekun repeated all this and Nikola opened the tent flap for him.

“You will deliver this hair to your uncle and tell him I have Thos. It is important that he touches it. If you betray me I will kill a hundred Scythian warriors and place a curse on your whole family.”

Nekun paled and he ran out of the tent in the direction of his uncle’s camp. Back inside the tent Nikola untied Thos and the boy went to pick his fallen dagger.

“You can’t do anything to me with this toothpick.” Said Nikola as he was back at the table, moving figurines to cover Victor’s retreat. “Take my dagger. Consider it a gift.” Said Nikola as he took the twisted dagger from his belt and he tossed it to Thos who caught it just before it embedded itself in his arm.

“That could have hurt me!” Snapped the child as he gripped the new dagger, wielding both weapons at once and calculating the distance he needed to cover in order to dig them into Nikola’s chest.

“Come over here and help me plan. Victor should be here any moment.” Said Nikola and the rustling of the tent’s fabric was the only warning they got before a monkey came inside.

“Why are you trying to kill me?!” Demanded the monkey. It was heavily wounded and it’s tail’s end was cut.

“Thos here wanted a decisive battle for us.” Said Nikola as he pointed at the child. The monkey, Victor, bared his teeth at the boy.

“Charge the walls yourself then, stupid brat. What are my orders?” Asked Victor, turning to Nikola again.

“Rest for now. Did you get all the wells?” Asked Nikola and Thos paled. There had been more than one well there? Did these people have their entire water supply at the same spot?

“I did. They are all frozen solid and wrecked. I take it you will stop feeding the people inside the walls with dragons?” Asked Victor. What use were his shock teams if the Emerald Emperor supplied the defenders with enough meat that they feasted every night?

“Without water the town is going to open the gates soon. And if people try to be smart and boil water then I will just lower the temperature further. They don’t have an unlimited supply of wood. In fact, that is precisely what I will do. Victor, bring me some Xiongnu prisoners of war. About ten should be enough.”

“I used to be a leader of my people…” Began Victor but Nikola just waved him off.

“And now you are my catspaw. Be happy that I don’t send you against your fellow Wuzhiqi anymore. Now go.”

Thos went to the table and stared at the destroyed carving where the wells were. He took a dragon figurine and held it over the walls.

“What are you doing, Thos?” Asked Nikola, more amused than anything. The boy wouldn’t win anything if he sided with Xiongnu now.

“Diversion. Would you be so kind as to order a group of Aoyin to ram into the west gate? It is near the wealthier area. At least the carvings there look fancier.”

Nikola decided to let it play out as Thos maneuvered the dragon this way and that. Small human figurines shot paper arrows at it but Thos made it roar but not shot fire. From all the attempts of Nikola the boy had learned that if the dragon shot fire then it had to stop midair and that made it vulnerable.

“Now a dragon towards the horses again, make it cover for a group of Wuzhiqi.” Said the boy. Nikola smiled, already seeing where this plan was going to go.

“And for the final push make ten dragons fly over the snowed in gate, towards the market of the town.” Said Thos and he watched in wonder as Nikola levitated ten dragon figurines towards the market. But he didn’t order them to breath fire. They landed in the civilian sector as the defenders were stretched thin. Then slowly, as if there was a resistance, the north gate opened.

Nikola took an engraved ivory horn and blew it. It was finally time for his human army to charge.