The Mystery of Mohács 1

Preface: In the year 1526, the Ottoman Empire had conquered most of the Balkans and was heading north. At Mohács, a small town in the South of Hungary, the Ottomans inflicted a crushing defeat upon the Christian army led by the young, inexperienced Hungarian king Ludwig. This led to the occupation of Hungary and three years later, the Turks stood in front of the walls of Vienna.

My story, however, will partially take part in our time. Follow me into my first attempt of a time travelling story…

Budapest 2020

»So, you are Dr. Schneider?«

Tabea Schneider did not stir. During the years, she had got used to what she called »the look«. The look had some variations in it, some of them even a bit flattering, but always telling her that she was not like the others.

She had been born and raised in Germany, but since her mother was from Ghana, Tabea was black. Actually, her mother`s genes had been quite dominant and so, there were always situations where people congratulated her for speaking fluent German or asking her where she was from originally.

However, over the years, Tabea had developed a deaf ear to that and had just followed her own way. She had studied history and archeology and gotten her PhD one year before, at the young age of 27. She was good at her profession, but not brilliant, and so, she then had had to face the hardships of finding a good job with her qualifications. At her University, she worked as her professor`s assistant, but she knew that she did not want to end up in a small dusty office at a mediocre town and fighting to make ends meet. And when she had broken up with her boyfriend some months ago, Tabea had decided that she needed a change.

This change had been a scholarship for three months that would allow her to live at Budapest and do research at the University of Budapest. Tabea hadn`t hesitated and so far, hadn`t regretted it. Of course, people considered her even more exotic here, but since she now actually was a stranger, this was okay.

The only problem was that the subject of her works, the situation of women in Renaissance Hungary, wasn`t very productive. After a few weeks, she had written a few dozen pages about it, just enough to justify that she got paid, but there was nothing that hadn`t been written by someone else before. And so, Tabea had decided to do some additional research.

Having a degree allowed her access to the old library where the original manuscripts were kept. That meant, after she had passed the dragon – the old librarian who obviously could not believe that a German PhD could manifest as a tall, black and beautiful young woman.

Tabea spoke just a little Hungarian, but obviously, it was enough to warm the heart of the old woman and so, she found herself surrounded by dimly lit shelves and the specific fragrance of old books. The only inconveniences were the white cotton gloves she had to wear, but of course, Tabea knew that the old parchment books were more than fragile.

»Now, where is the hidden treasure?«

The old library had not yet been fully catalogued and so, only half of the books were in the computer. Tabea knew that row number XI where she was now covered books from the late 15th to the mid-16th century. However, the shelves were almost empty. Tabea remembered that most of them had been brought to the main library, since they were considered national treasures. All that was left were a few shabby books. In addition, only two of them were written in Latin whilst the others were in some medieval Hungarian dialect Tabea couldn`t read at all.

»So, I have a copy of the Malleus Maleficarum and a book about the Siege of Constantinople – two books that have been researched to death decades ago!«

She wanted to go to the next row, but somehow, Tabea felt that there was something waiting for her. It was an indistinct tingling, but it made her step on a stepladder and take a closer look at the nearly empty bookshelves.

»Eeek!«

The stepladder obviously was as old as the books around her. When she was turning around, it suddenly broke and Tabea landed on the dusty floor. She hadn`t hurt herself, but for a few seconds, she remained lying on the floor, listening if she had alarmed the librarian with her clumsy stunt. Then, she saw it.

Under one of the shelves, hidden from view unless someone was as close to the floor as she was currently, she saw something small. Again, Tabea listened if someone came. Then, she carefully pushed her hand into the gap and touched something soft, like burlap.

»Sure, it is just an old rag«, she thought, but she pulled and produced a small sack, covered with dust and looking as if it would rip just from looking too sharp on it. It contained something rectangular, about the size of her hand.

»Now, what do we have here?«

She thought that she could risk ripping the sack and then, she was holding a small book in her hands. It`s cover was made of plain, black leather and Tabea was first shocked when the cover seemed to move. Then, she laughed: it had a small, round metal plate on it, polished so it mirrored her face. The mirror was inside a star with five ends: a pentagram.

»A book of witchcraft? That must be a joke!«

Tabea knew that in ancient time, people had believed in sorcery and witchcraft, but of course, the so called magic books were little more than curiosities. She opened the book and then, she felt a shiver run down her spine.

On the page she had opened, there was a drawing of a woman – a naked woman, tied to the floor inside yet another pentagram. But what made Tabea gasp was the accuracy of the drawing. It almost looked like a black and white photography and the frightful eyes of the girl, looking even bigger for she had a cloth tied over her mouth, seemed to look directly at her.

Tabea looked at the text, but again, it was old Hungarian. From what she knew, she could tell that the book was some 500 years old and that both the text and the drawing did not look much younger. Obviously, it described some creepy ritual, maybe to call a demon or Satan himself.

Such books were, as she knew, searched by crazy collectors and could be worth some 500 to 2000 €. However, that was not the reason why Tabea hid the book deep inside her handbag.

As an archeologist, Tabea hated those people who stole antiques, but this time, she broke her own rules. Once she knew what the book was all about, she would of course hand it back – but now, she just wanted to have that little secret for herself.

Quickly, she brushed the dust from her clothes and forced herself to wait for another hour before she went back for the librarian`s desk, telling him she had not found what she had been looking for. Then, Tabea returned to her small one room flat and prepared what she knew she would need now: her computer with an online dictionary for old Hungarian and her notebook. Perhaps, she could translate enough to know what it was all about and then decide what to do with it.

She put the book on her small table and almost miraculously, it opened on the page where she had looked last. For a moment, it seemed to Tabea as if the tied up girl had moved, but then, she blinked and laughed at herself.

»If my professor could see me now!«

She scrolled to the start and found that there were more pictures in it. The first showed the face of a pretty girl. She had a strong resemblance to the bound and gagged person and under the drawing, a name was written:

»Ilona!«

When Tabea whispered that name, she could not believe her eyes: for the fraction of a second, the picture seemed to have come to life. She blinked and stared at the drawing. Now, it looked again as it had been, an accurate portrait, but nothing more. And yet, Tabea now knew somehow that Ilona had bright red hair – together with a pale skin, a few freckles around her nose and green eyes.

»Just my imagination! I need a coffee!«

Tabea prepared an espresso before she took the book once again. The picture still looked as it should, a black and white ink painting, slightly faded from its age. She now was sure that she had just guessed the hair color and so, her mind had added the pale skin and green eyes typically for redheads.

She turned the page and again, she had to oppress a scream. Between the next two pages, a stray of hair had been embedded – bright red and slightly curly, just as she had imagined that of Ilona would be.

»I that`s her diary?«, Tabea thought, scrolling forward. For a few pages, there was just text, together with what looked like mathematic formulas. Then, she could see another drawing. It was Ilona again, taking a bath in a pond or river. In the front, there were a few branches, indicating that the unknown painter had watched her from a cover. Tabea smiled: this book had not belonged to Ilona herself, but to someone that would nowadays be called a stalker.

»Perhaps, he found the courage to tell her he loved her«, she thought with a fake sigh, but then, she remembered the picture she had seen first: Ilona bound and gagged inside a pentagram. So, this was either the diary of a guy with some vivid imagination – or a documentary of a medieval crime!

The picture was again very accurate. Tabea could even see that it had been cold in the water, given the fact her nipples were hard and erect. Somehow, she now felt like a stalker herself, though Ilona was dead for a few hundred years. Quickly, she scrolled for the next picture.

It was rather decent, showing Ilona dressed in a nightgown and sleeping. But suddenly, Tabea shuddered. Something told her that this seemingly innocent image showed the moment before a crime – the second before someone would throw himself upon the girl and would clamp his hand over her mouth. She could almost hear her faint moaning and feel her fear as her attacker overpowered her, binding and gagging her to get her to his lair.

Tabea had never been faint of heart or too romantic. So, she tried to laugh away her thoughts, but there was still a feeling of uneasiness. Involuntarily, she looked for the door and window and then, she got up and checked if both were closed.

»I am behaving like the damsel in a horror movie!«, she scolded herself. She held a black belt in Karate and was a sportive woman, 5`8`` and though not muscular, she was athletic. If anyone would try something on her, he would sure regret it!

In the book, more formulas and some strange arcane symbols followed before she once again reached the picture of the trussed up Ilona. Tabea almost feared to turn the page. She didn`t want to see an image of the girl dead. But on the next page, there were just a few letters that ended in a zigzag line – as if someone had interrupted the author whilst writing.

»Let`s just hope it was Ilona`s fiancé who rescued her from her abductor!«

She turned back for the beginning and tried to translate the text. However, Tabea`s Hungarian was just good enough to ask for a direction or to order a drink without insulting the waiter and this was a 500 years old dialect. Even with the dictionary, she could not get much sense in what was written inside the book. The only thing she clearly understood was »Mohács«. The small town where the Ottomans had defeated the Hungarians in 1526.

She was no expert in military history, but she knew that the Turks had feigned a retreat, luring the advancing army into a trap and almost annihilating it. The Hungarian king had drowned whilst trying to escape and most of the soldiers had been slaughtered, sunk in the swamps or had been captured and enslaved.

»Poor Ilona! Even if you got rescued from your abductor, you perhaps ended up in a harem in Constantinople!«

Though she usually wasn`t sentimental, she brushed over the painted face.

»Aaahh!«

As if she had burnt her fingers, Tabea twitched back. For a moment, she had felt Ilona, had felt the smooth, warm skin of her cheek!

Tabea jumped up and walked up and down her room, forcing herself to calm down again. Then, reluctantly, she reached for the book again. Now, the page felt as it should, just like old parchment. However, the material was slightly rough – no way she could have thought that this feel could have been the skin of a young woman!

Panting, Tabea flipped to the side where Ilona was bathing and once again tested what would happen if she touched the painting. She felt nothing but sheer parchment and was about to giggle over her own superstition when she saw that her finger was about an inch away from Ilona`s body. Slowly, she pushed it forward.

Again, she felt skin, smooth and slightly cold. The skin of a woman slightly freezing in the cool water. Tabea even felt goose bumps under her fingertips.

The illusion only lasted for a second or so, but when a trembling Tabea looked at her fingers, she could see that the tips were moist. Not from sweat, but because she had just touched the bathing girl!

»What the hell is this, Ilona?«, she whispered and almost waited for the drawn girl to look up to her. Nothing happened and so, Tabea tried to check out the third picture.

This time, the impression was even more intense. Tabea could not see anything on the picture, but she could feel the girl`s warm skin and her breath, could hear her slightly move in her sleep. She even smelled perfume, mixed with sweat. And then, she felt another presence. The presence of an approaching man, ready to sneak over to interrupt the innocent sleep. Tabea increased her grip to warn the girl, but when she tried that, the illusion vanished.

Now, Tabea had to pause again. She had always considered herself as strong and rational, but this was something supernatural. And she had always denied such things in the past. But now, she had this strange illustrated book that seemed to be some kind of portal.

Being a reasonable scientist, Tabea now went for her magnifying glass and carefully examined the book and the pages. A possible explanation could be that the parchment had been prepared with some hallucinogen, causing the reader to see things that weren`t there. Such drugs had been in use since ancient times – but would such a powder or cream have survived for hundreds of years without losing its power?

The book didn`t show any traces of any substance and it also just smelled like old leather. Tabea took a deep breath.

»So, there are no drugs involved. I just discovered a real magic book!«

She giggled, but stopped when she feared she could burst out into hysterical laughter. Then, she once more took the magnifying glass and gave the pictures a closer look. The richness in detail was amazing. It was really as if she was looking at a black and white photo. When Tabea looked at the enlarged face of the bound and gagged girl, felt her pleading eyes stare at her, above the tight cloth covering her lower face. Ilona`s cheeks slightly bulged, implying her mouth had been thoroughly stuffed. Again, a specific fragrance reached Tabea`s nose – the smell of fear.

»What can I do to help you, Ilona?«

She knew she had said that loud and despite the fact that she still knew she was talking to a 500 years old drawing, Tabea now tried find an answer to that question.

Being interested in history and archeology since she had been a child, Tabea had seen several movies that presented time travel – highly unrealistic, but nevertheless sometimes also highly entertaining stories about some contemporary dudes mixing up King Arthur`s round table or the Salem witch trials. Even as a girl, Tabea had laughed at the very idea, but now, it seemed that she was on the edge of a quite similar adventure.

»Well then, no one ever called me a coward. Black Warrior Princess to the rescue, Ilona!«

For a few seconds, she imagined how some medieval Satanist would look if she burst into his secret ritual – a tall black woman, dressed in a tight jeans and a white tank top. Perhaps, he would scream and run away and she could be the heroine of the day.

Again, her eyes fell on Ilona. The girl, writhing in her bonds for centuries, looked back on her. This was not just a joke! This girl was real – or at least, she had been real at her time! And now, she at least should have the goddamn courtesy of trying to rescue her!

In the movies, the heroes usually found an artifact or a door that could be activated by a spell or something like that, but here, the gap between the centuries seemed to have opened quite randomly. At one point, it had just been normal drawings and then, suddenly, she had been able to touch Ilona.

Sure, the answer was hidden somewhere in the book, but there was no spell, written in red ink and underlined, or some other hint. And translating the text on her own was almost impossible. Tabea spoke a few sentences in Hungarian, but she knew hardly anything about the grammar. In addition, this was not the contemporary language. It was as if someone who could speak a little French would take a dictionary and try to translate the works of Cicero.

»If I get anything wrong, I might as well land in ancient Egypt or turn into a frog!«

Having accepted the sheer existence of magic, this joke sounded a little less funny in her ears. She sat down, closing her eyes and massaging her temples – when suddenly, she found the solution!

The contact had been stronger when she had believed that there was something else than old book pages. Once she had tried to analyze it rationally, the book had been just a book.

»If my professor could see me now, he would laugh at me!«

However, Tabea now opened the page with Ilona`s portrait on it. She closed her eyes, imagining the girl in front of her inner eye. Following a spontaneous idea, she picked the stray of hair and put it into her left, feeling it while the fingers of her right felt for the drawing.

She gasped as she once again felt some smooth skin, but she forced herself to keep her eyes closed and explored Ilona`s face. Her fingers brushed over her cheek, touched her small nose and felt her soft lips. The skin was warm and she could feel Ilona`s breath, but otherwise, the girl seemed unaware of Tabea`s hand. For some seconds, she caressed her face. Then, she abruptly opened her eyes, only to see nothing but a drawing.

In slow motion, Tabea brought her fingers to her nose. It was as faint as a breeze, but they smelled a bit – different. Panting and feeling sweat on her forehead, Tabea forced herself to calm down before she scrolled for the second picture.

As Tabea closed her eyes and touched for the page, she expected her fingers to wave through the air. After all, the picture had been drawn from the distance, unlike the portrait. However, she almost immediately felt some moist, cool skin again. Squeezing her eyes shut and breathing heavily, Tabea let her fingers wander over the other`s body and suddenly, she felt something soft and rounded. She felt further and her hand now cupped a medium-sized, well-shaped breast. Now, she sensed the girl`s body warmth and even her heartbeat. Her index finger touched a hardened nipple and she involuntarily pressed a bit harder.

»Oohh!«

For a second, Tabea thought that Ilona had sighed, but then, she realized it had been herself. This breast felt so real, and this time, she could even feel a slight reaction. The warmth increased and she could sense the blood pulsate through the veins, the heartbeat accelerate – the girl enjoying being caressed.

Tabea suddenly remembered her ex-boyfriend who had sometimes caressed her whilst she had been still sleeping, trying to be so tender she would not wake up. And sometimes, he had managed to slightly arouse her before she had opened her eyes. Tabea felt a slight tingling in her own breasts and without really knowing what she was doing, she bent forward and took Ilona`s nipple between her lips.

The taste of it made her twitch back and open her eyes. Trembling, she stared at the drawing that now once again looked as it should. Tabea reached for her lips and felt as if she could still taste the other woman. Then, she looked at the picture again. Since the book had the size of a hand, it was small and Ilona`s breasts weren`t bigger than coins. However, she seemed to have noticed something and reached for her magnifying glass.

»Oh! My! God!«

On the girl`s left breast, close to her nipple, she could now see a shadow. It hadn`t been there before and she knew one thing for sure: had this been a colored picture, the shadow would have had the exact color of Tabea`s lipstick.

»Wow! I just kissed the breast of another woman! A woman presumably dead for 450 years and that is depicted on an ink drawing!«

Her mind refused to accept it, but this was what she had just experienced. Tabea jumped up for her small kitchenette and took her bottle of Gin from the drawer. She didn`t bother to mix it with something or to even put it in a glass, she just opened the bottle and took a deep sip before she leaned against the wall, staring at the small book as if it was a deadly tarantula.

Taking another sip of Gin, Tabea tried to calm down. Since this wasn`t rational at all, she tried to think of what the heroes of time travelling films would have done.

In each of these movies, one of the guys had sooner or later warned about never altering the past. And so, the heroes usually were busy either doing exactly that – or trying to get the changes undone they had inflicted by their time travel.

On the other hand, there was this girl, helplessly bound and gagged. Perhaps, she was about to be sacrificed or just raped by their kidnappers. So, Tabea decided to at least try to help Ilona. She looked at the bottle of »Bombay Sapphire«, still more than half filled.

»All right, I will give it one try. Just one! And if nothing happens, I will burn the book, empty that bottle and forget about everything!«

Tabea nodded to herself and opened the book on the page that showed Ilona trussed up. She flexed her muscles, took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Then, she slowly reached forward.

Her fingers touched some uneven rock before she could feel some naked human flesh. The girl twitched and now, Tabea was sure that she heard a muffled cry. Groping around, she found that she had touched an arm. It was now or never! Collecting her strength, Tabea tightened her grip around Ilona`s arm. Then, she pulled and let herself fall backwards.

With a dull crack, Tabea landed on the floor, feeling that something heavy was resting upon her. She opened her eyes and there, lying on top of her belly, was a girl. A real girl, in full color and size. Tabea lifted her upper body a bit and stared on Ilona, still naked, bound and gagged, who now looked at her, too.

»Mhhrrrmmmm! Uuhhmmmmph!«

Frantically screaming through her gag, the girl squirmed and gazing at Tabea with eyes like saucers, she tried to crawl backwards. Tabea, still puzzled about what was going on, tried to get up and raised her hand. She rummaged through her rather small knowledge of Hungarian words and gasped:

»Ilona! Me friend! Quiet, please!«

She tried to sound friendly, but in her current state of mind, she just stammered and Ilona still moaned and writhed in panic. When Tabea made a move towards her, the girl`s eyes twisted and with a croak, she fainted.

Staggering, Tabea came to her feet, staring with disbelief at the bound and gagged girl to her feet. Still, a part of her hoped that any moment, she would wake up from her nightmare or that at least, the supernatural appearance would disappear.

She sensed a smell and could see a growing puddle on her floor: obviously, the unconscious girl had lost control over her bladder.

»So, either this is the first peeing illusion I`ve ever heard of – or this is all real!«

Tabea got distracted by a faint rustling and she spun around to the table. There, the book was still lying. Driven by curiosity, she bent forward and could see that the picture had changed. The dungeon and the pentagram were still there, but Ilona had vanished.

Suddenly, she felt afraid of the book`s sheer presence. Tabea grabbed a dishcloth, threw it over the book and wrapped it into the cloth. Then, not capable of clear thinking, she tore open the door of her fridge and opened the freezer`s lid. Hastily, she stuffed the bundle inside, slammed the door shut and leaned against the door with her back, almost waiting for some evil presence trying to get out.

However, everything remained calm and now, she heard a faint moaning. Ilona had awakened from her swoon and now was again squirming and mewing with fear.

»Ilona, me friend!«

Now, she at least sounded more calmly and her brain began to work again. She tried her best in using Latin:

»Ego amica! Tu es-«

However, her knowledge of classical languages was meant for reading old documents, not for having small talk. So, Tabea tried to just show her good nature by smiling at Ilona and presenting her her open palms.

»All right, Ilona! I will do you no harm! I will just free you now, you get me?«

Slowly and trying to seem as less threatening as possible, she bent down to the trembling girl. She reached for the knot of her gag, but before she started to pick on it, she said pleadingly:

»Please, don`t scream! Quietas! Silentium!«

She held the girl`s head, gently and tried her best to sound friendly. And really, Ilona stopped moaning and nodded slightly.

The knots of the gag were bothersome to undo and so, Tabea just yanked down the cloth, only to reveal a second one that had been tied tightly between the girl`s lips, holding a big wad of packing behind her teeth.

»Soon, you will be free, Ilona! I am your friend! I am Tabea! Ta-be-a!«

She managed to loosen the cleave gag and then, she helped Ilona to spit out the wet rag from her mouth. The girl panted and some drool dripped from her lips. Then, her eyes widened and she took a deep breath to scream.

»No, please! Ilona! Silentium!«

She put her index finger on the girl`s lips, the other on her own.

»Pssst!«

Ilona croaked and for a few seconds, Tabea could see how hard she had to fight down her screaming reflex. But then, she let out a fluttering breath and suddenly started to sob.

»Yeah, that`s right, let it all out, girl!«

Trying not to touch the puddle of urine, Tabea bent forward and took the girl in her arms, caressing her shoulders and waiting until Ilona sniffled and looked at her with tearful and frightened eyes. She stammered something Tabea could not understand. And though she felt a bit like in an old Tarzan movie, she repeatedly pointed at herself and Ilona, saying their respective names.

»Ta-be-a!«, Ilona suddenly croaked. Tabea nodded and smiled. Then, she got up and reached for her kitchen scissors. A knife would have done better, but Tabea did not want to scare the girl any more than necessary.

Once her arms and legs were free, Ilona slung her arms around her legs, staring at Tabea. She went for her small bathroom and came back with a soaked washcloth and a towel. With a smile, she reached it to the girl and indeed, she took it. Discreetly, Tabea turned away when Ilona cleaned herself a bit and rummaged through her cupboard.

»Here! I`m afraid that`s the only piece of garment I have that won`t confuse you.«

Since she was only here for a few months, Tabea had not brought her bathrobe with her, but at least, she had one nightgown. She preferred to sleep in just her panties, but it had been a present of her ex-boyfriend and so, she had taken the garment with her out of sentimentality.

The flimsy nightgown had spaghetti straps and barely covered Ilona`s thighs, though the petite girl was hardly taller than 5`1``. But obviously, she considered it better than being stark naked and now, Tabea could see some gratitude in her eyes.

»Are you thirsty?«

Tabea accompanied her question with a gesture and Ilona nodded. She took a glass and when she turned on the water, Ilona gasped and stared at the tap.

»Well, that will not be the only thing that will confuse you, Ilona!«

She reached the glass to the girl. When she saw her still reluctant, she took a small sip herself before offering the glass again. This time, Ilona drank. Tabea took the bottle of Gin and allowed herself another drink, directly from the bottle.

»Don`t think I am an alcoholic, but rescuing girls from your time is not my daily business!«

Ilona just looked at her questioningly. Not knowing what to do, Tabea reached her the bottle. To her surprise, Ilona drank. She coughed and her lips cringed, but she took another sip before putting the bottle down with a sigh.

»Well, at least, we have one thing in common! Now, as soon as we have found a way of communicating, we have a lot to talk about!«

She reached for the Gin, but Ilona now took a third sip. Tabea giggled involuntarily.

»Wow, it seems time travelling really makes thirsty!«

Now, a shy smile appeared on Ilona`s face. Just for a moment, but it showed Tabea that at least, her new friend was no longer seeing a thread in her. She thought that it would be better to stop drinking on empty stomach now, when she suddenly heard steps from the corridor. A few moments later, someone knocked, determined, but still in a polite manner.

»Dr. Schneider, may we disturb you for a few minutes, please?«

***