The Betrothed Sister (42 page)

Passing through the city's three southern gates did make her feel more secure. Their children would have protection. Her ladies would be safe. The last gate banged shut behind their wagons, their twelve riders and the limping kulak company that followed in their wake. Their carts rumbled over a wide paved road, past gawking citizens who were pushing barrels through their yard gates and building up sacks filled with sand by their fences. By the curiosity that showed on their faces, Thea could see that they were not sure who she actually was. She had deliberately chosen not to fly her well-known banner with its stork on a blue background. With only a dozen riders to protect her journey she could be attacked out in the woods, taken as prisoner by roving tribesmen and sold for ransom or into slavery.

The great keep itself was situated on the northern side of the town. A high, covered walkway connected it to the city's Oak Bear Tower. It was with a sense of relief that she rode at the head of her cavalcade in through the gates of the wooden-built keep and they had no sooner entered a second courtyard than Princess Anya appeared, accompanied by her steward, Lord Michael, Ivan Ilyich who was the castle's governor, and Padar. Servants followed, bearing copper basins of water and linen cloths so that they could cool their faces and wash their hands before entering the castle.

Gudrun leapt from the wagon and ran to Padar. Ceremony was forgotten in that moment as he held Gudrun close. Though she was not tall, she was a little taller than he. He reached up and kissed her and she bowed her head to reach his mouth. Moments later their small daughters had clambered from their wagon and had surrounded him. Watching Padar forget the presence of the Rus nobility to kiss his wife publicly and Padar's children throw themselves into his arms, Thea's throat constricted. She longed for Vladimir. She bit her lip and, steeling herself to be brave, she acknowledged Padar with smiles. She bowed to Governor Ilyich who suggested that the princess's brother, Edmund, should accompany him to the comfortable chambers he was to occupy. Steward Michael helped settle Harold by taking a soft, damp, linen cloth to wipe the little boy's face and hands. Thea smiled her widest smile as she threw herself into Princess Anya's arms. All ceremony was indeed forgotten in those moments and Thea felt a great relief overwhelm her.

‘Thank the saints, you have arrived safely. Come inside and eat. You must be famished,' Anya said after they had embraced.

Thea found sleeping places within the fortress for her household. She settled her exhausted children and their nurses in a chamber close to her own but Katya was to share her own comfortable chamber. Leaving Katya to unpack their baskets and travelling coffers, Thea hurried down the wooden staircase that kept turning at sharp angles as it descended and searched for Anya. She discovered her in the blue-tiled antechamber with Edmund, just as they were breaking off a meeting with Governor Ilyich, and a general whom she introduced to Thea as Lord Luke.

After he bowed to take his leave, the general said, ‘Should Pereiaslavl come under attack, we can defend it. We have enough grain, meat, milk and water to withstand a siege here until help reaches us.'

‘Should,' Princess Anya said in a clear voice. ‘Even the townspeople are preparing for a siege. The country kulaks have descended on the city today in great numbers to swell its population. Surely you mean, when we are attacked? Loaves of bread will not stop them bringing their ballista and trebuchets to destroy our walls.
'

‘We hope to keep them away from our walls, my lady.'

‘You have not enough men.' She turned to Edmund. ‘Tell them what your scouts have observed. If the Cumans move closer to our city we must be better prepared.'

Thea and Edmund added their concerns to Anya's own. Edmund said that the army out on the Steppe was enormous.

General Luke said, ‘I am waiting for my spies to return. They will estimate their numbers.'

Anya said curtly, ‘I sent a messenger to Kiev days ago and he has not returned. I hope your scouts will keep their distance from the enemy. If they are captured they may be forced to reveal our weaknesses.' She stood and faced her general. ‘So, my lord, we must wait on your decision on our strategy. Make it soon. We may be defending our city within days. I shall send my personal guards into the town to oversee preparations for a siege. They can take an account of what provisions the monasteries have.' She lightly touched Thea's shoulder. ‘Come, Thea, we shall collect Katya and the children. I promised you supper a long time ago.' She glanced at the hour candle. ‘At least two notches of that candle have burned down since. Supper will be served in my terem chambers tonight. Best to keep all as normal as we can. The general has much to discuss with Edmund and with his captains.'

Thea felt Anya's firmness and her strength. Despite the pervading tension in the fortress, Anya was organising everyone. She was arranging food and medicines to be carried to the fortress from the monasteries and defences inside the city. Thea could not but feel admiration for her.

After supper, the steward, the city's patriarch, Padar and Edmund met in the cool blue-tiled hall again. To her chagrin Princess Anya was not invited, nor was Thea.

They sent the nurses, children and Katya away so that they could converse in private.

‘This is the way of men. They think we have nothing of value to contribute to a discussion,' Princess Anya said as they walked through the moonlit garden.

Thea sank onto a stone garden seat. She had no sooner sat by a sheltering palm tree than the resident parrot, Signor Tomas, echoed Anya's voice, causing her to jump up.

‘The way of men,' it parroted. ‘The way of men,' it squawked over and again, as if trying to ram the message home. Thea peered up into the palm tree above and covered her ears with her hands. ‘How can you stand that parrot?' she asked, irritated beyond belief.

‘He can be amusing sometimes,' Anya began to apologise. ‘A diplomat brought him to us from Aragon. I shall have him removed.'

She hurried to the doorway that led back into the terem and called for a servant to catch Signor Tomas and shut him up in his cage. For a moment they watched the creature's removal, grateful and annoyed in turn, but relieved to discover laughter as the man enticed Signor Tomas down with a fruit. He placed the bird in a huge cage which two servants carried between them through an archway out of the garden.

‘At least he was quietened by a fig,' Thea remarked. ‘Thank Heaven that bird is gone. Remind me never to keep a parrot.' Anya laughed again and their mood lightened.

Although they had the garden to themselves, they spoke in hushed tones.

‘Will we survive an attack, do you think?' Anya asked. ‘I feel abandoned here and the children …' There were tears in her eyes. She was obviously feeling very stressed. Thea took Anya's hands in her own.

‘I hope so. I don't think Prince Vsevolod suspected that the Cumans were on their way south. Vladimir was anxious, but only a little. He said we would be safe in the fortress if the Cumans raided the countryside. I don't think he expected them to attack the fortress city itself. Surely we can protect ourselves until messengers break through and he sends us reinforcements?'

Anya took her hand away and made a steeple of her hands, leaning her chin on them thoughtfully. ‘
If
messengers reach Kiev.' She glanced up at Thea with a hopeful look in her eyes. ‘We
do
have our own troops, just not enough.'

Thea thought for a while. She jumped up. In the distance she could hear shouts.

‘It is the guard changing, up in the two towers. That is all,' Anya said.

Thea sat down beside Anya again. ‘Thank heaven that is all.'

The night-time scent of lilies and jasmine permeated the garden. For a few heartbeats Thea breathed it in, half-listened to the night and drifted into thought. The evening had now closed protectively about them. Something was occurring to her, a far-fetched thought but she couldn't let go and it refused to leave. It was something Katya had once told her. At last it grew into spoken words. ‘You know, I believe I have an idea.' Thea clasped and unclasped her hands. She leaned over, resting her chin on them. She looked up and turned to face Anya. ‘It is possible we can destroy this enemy completely.'

‘How can we without help from Kiev?'

‘No, listen to me, Anya. We can if we must.'

‘I'm listening.' Anya looked at her quizzically.

‘You know that Katya says her father is on his way …'

Anya broke in, ‘If he is sailing from the Black Sea ports he will be turned back far down the river. The rest of the trading vessels have all been turned back for their safety. How can the merchant possibly help?'

‘She says he knows many secrets.' Thea leaned closer to Anya. ‘Listen, I have been thinking just how. Katya once told me that her father knows the secret of liquid fire. He used to experiment with it. I was thinking how we might avoid a siege if we made it and sent it into the heart of the enemy.'

Anya's eyes opened wide in amazement. ‘How can he know such a secret?'

‘If not the whole secret, he certainly knows something of it. He can make explosions.'

Anya's eyes became as wide as two great ponds. ‘Does Katya know how to make explosions?'

‘I asked her that question years ago when she was talking of it. She knows the ingredients her father has used for liquid fire. I think not his formula, however.'

‘That is the point, you see.' Anya sighed. ‘Many know the ingredients but not the formula. Then there is the method of dispensing such a weapon, even if her father does know the formula. And we would have to have those ingredients here in the fortress or nearby. Even so, it would be much too dangerous. If that explosive mixture hits water we could destroy
ourselves
.'

‘It does not have to hit water!' Thea exclaimed, clutching onto Anya's arm with excitement at a new thought. ‘It can work if we fire it from the water
at
the enemy. We can fire it before they get a chance to cross our bridges and lay siege to us.' She clutched Anya's arm even harder. ‘If we entice the enemy south beyond the bridges, we can use fire against them. I am sure we can. We can send it out from the ships and make them flee. Our horsemen could come down from the north bridge and attack them from behind. They will
want
to cross the bridges. We must make them think the south bridge is not so well protected and tempt them towards it. There is a valley cutting into the hills from the east bank of the river just beyond the water gate. I saw it today as we rode from the south-west.'

Anya replied, ‘Trap them in the eastern valley!' She laughed. ‘What a strategist you are. It is a good plan and it sounds simple. Perhaps it is too simple.' An owl hooted. Anya looked beyond the trees towards the tower. ‘That is a good omen. The wisdom of owls, that was thrice it hooted, I believe,' Anya said, glancing up towards the top of the terem tower. Looking back at Thea again, she said, ‘You may have something here. A part of our cavalry and infantry would draw them down the river. The other part would need to encircle them once they began to flee. There would be much noise and terrible smoke.' She voiced another objection. ‘Our horses would panic and toss their riders.'

‘Our throwers can mask their horses. A flask of water and a damp cloth will do that. They must stay back once they hurl the fire at the enemy.'

‘The riders hurl the fire?' Anya looked surprised.

‘Yes, they
can
. It has been done that way in ancient battles. My father spoke of them. They hurl it in pots. They ignite a taper from the pot first and then they throw it into the enemy. Assuming we can make the liquid fire and get it into clay pots, we aim accurately and from as much distance as it will allow because if we do not, we destroy ourselves as well as the enemy.'

Anya said, ‘It is best if
we
destroy
them
first and only a small number need to use the fire pots. We have some amongst our horsemen who can outride the Cumans' best riders, but not many.' She thought for a moment. ‘But we must try. Let us find Katya and ask her to make a list of ingredients.' Anya rose from the bench. ‘We have told the cargo ships to wait in Miskenk or return to Byzantium. Dimitri may be amongst the ships in Miskenk, just down river, out of immediate danger.'

Thea felt more positive than she had since her arrival in Pereiaslavl. ‘It is possible that he is still on the river,' she said.

‘Then we must find him. I know of a smith called Peter who understands alchemy. Vsevolod always says that Peter forges the greatest swords. He has spoken of how he thought he could turn base metal into gold if he could work out a formula. Maybe he can make our fire.'

‘There is no need for alchemy, just the right formula. There is no magic in this.'

‘I shall send a scout down river to search for Katya's father. Padar did say he saw him in Byzantium as he was setting out. Padar said he was on his way, close behind his own vessel.'

‘Katya will be pleased at that news.'

‘The Cuman army is still miles away to the east. With good fortune he will be here by mid-morning.' Anya's eyes shone with hope. ‘Come, let us see if we can collect up the right ingredients.' She hurried Thea along the garden pathway. ‘We shall speak to Katya and then you must get some sleep. You have been travelling all day. Besides, you are too far with child not to need rest. Does he move?'

‘
She
,' Thea said. ‘I am going to have a girl. I think she is moving now.' Thea placed Anya's hand on her belly.

‘She is full of hope and life.' She drew Thea close and linked arms. ‘Just like her mother. For the sake of our children, we will destroy our enemies.' She glanced up at the sickle moon that hung high in the sky. ‘The Moon Goddess is for us as well,' Anya said smiling. ‘And maybe my husband will bring us a large army.'