Justinian

MYAKES

Why am I coughing, Brother Elpidios? Being an old man isn't reason enough? Justinian's right: that was a good lesson to learn. He forgot it once, years later, and paid dear for forgetting.

But that's not all. You've been reading a good many days now, Brother. I haven't often heard Justinian shade the truth, but he does here. Aye, we broke through, but to hear him talk about it, it was as easy as smashing up the Sklavenoi. It wasn't like that, not even a little bit. I wish it had been.

The Bulgars' horses were little and scrubby, but they were fast. Their bows shot farther than ours- not a lot, but some. And the leather they wore had been boiled some kind of way, till it was almost as hard as iron. As for the damned Bulgars themselves, they were as tough as you could want. Still are, I guess, come to that.

Does Justinian say how many dead Romans lay on the ground? No, eh? Well, there were plenty. If we hadn't outnumbered the Bulgars, I think they would have beaten us. We made it into Thrace, aye, but we weren't a happy bunch afterwards. Just as well winter came down hard; we went home, the men from the military districts back to Anatolia and the excubitores to Constantinople, and the Bulgars, they stayed home, for which we were all duly grateful, especially, I think, Justinian.