Gates of Greed

This historical graphic “R” rated novelette centers on the war in 1583 when fifty thousand Ottoman soldiers prepare to attack Persians defending the city fortress of Derbent. This lucrative citadel, located on the shores of the Caspian Sea, sits astride the Silk Routs of the Russian steppes to the north and the arid southern lands, collecting tolls from passing caravans. In a battle known afterward as the Battle of Torches, commander Azim and his battalion have the secret mission of launching a surprise attack on the western end of the massive fort during the early morning of the third day of the Ottoman assault. Their objective is to seize and open a gate that allows ten thousand of their fellow warriors to enter the fortress as a flanking maneuver. Azim, however, is distracted. Five years earlier, he led an army group to the Kupa River on the Balkan Peninsula. Celibacy was the corps rule at the time. He broke the abstention from sexual intercourse with Maria, a beautiful peasant woman, forcing her cooperation by threating to kill her young child. Now, he often dreams of her naked figure, the color of her eyes, the total command he possessed, and the fulfilling knowledge, if illogical, that they conceived a son. He dreams of returning to the Kupa River after the current battle and bringing Maria and his son to Istanbul-the boy to become a warrior like him, she to service Azim’s needs, if he survives the upcoming battle.