The Walls of Byzantium (13 page)

Alexis wondered when the garrison would first see their approach. He spurred his horse faster and turned in the saddle to signal for his companions to do the same. It was vital that they gave the garrison commander as little time to think as possible.

The fortress was getting closer now and Alexis looked up at its battlements, shielding his eyes from the sun. Then he saw a puff of white smoke balloon into the sky and, a second later, a crack like thunder echoed like a shockwave across the plain. It was difficult to see across the distance but Alexis was certain that he’d seen the flash of sun on metal.

Cannon
.

Was that why the Mamonases were so reluctant to give up their castle? Was it because they wanted to test their cannon there? And if they did, why did the Despot not know anything about it?

Who are the cannon for?

On the walls of the Castle of Geraki, Richard Mamonas narrowed his eyes to better see the small party of horsemen racing across the plain as if the very devil was behind them.

‘Is there a flag?’ he asked an officer by his side.

‘No, sir, and they’re riding too low in the saddle to see their hauberks. But they’re coming from the direction of Mistra. Would you like us to intercept them? I could send a party, but we’ll have to move quickly. They’re almost at our gates.’

‘Send forty mounted crossbowmen with someone you trust,’ ordered Mamonas. ‘Whoever they are, I don’t want them in the castle. Understood?’

Minutes later, the forty crossbowmen were assembled in the square of the castle and were ready to ride. The huge doors were slowly being winched open and more archers were mounting the battlements around the castle gate to provide support if needed.

The captain of the party was about to issue orders when there was a shout from the direction of the keep. Richard Mamonas was striding across the square, buckling on his sword as he came.

‘You may stand down, Julius. I will lead this one myself.’

Out on the plain, Alexis had just signalled the order for his men to sit up in their saddles, and twenty Palaiologian crests, the two-headed eagle of Byzantium, came into the view of the garrison watching them from the battlements.

Up ahead, he could see the castle doors slowly rolling open and the first of a troop of horsemen canter out to meet them. Except for the man in front, all were carrying crossbows.

How many of them were there? Alexis counted thirty, then forty riders. They were outnumbered two to one.

The lead rider reined in his horse as he approached Alexis and, at a signal, his troop fanned out to form a crescent around the Albanians. Then they stopped and lifted their crossbows into the aim. Forty catches were unlocked.

Alexis recognised the man in front of him from the wedding. He knew him to be a Mamonas and racked his memory for a name.

‘Richard Mamonas at your service,’ said the man helpfully, bowing from the saddle. ‘And you are Alexis Laskaris. I believe we met at my cousin’s wedding to your sister.’

‘Of course. It is a pleasure to meet you again. I come on the orders of our Despot.’ Alexis paused and looked around him, smiling carefully. ‘The wedding you most graciously remember me from was, I was led to understand, the mark of a new friendship between our two cities. Was the news perhaps not passed on to your men?’

Richard Mamonas patted the air beside him and forty crossbows were lowered. But they remained unlocked.

‘Excellent!’ beamed Alexis. ‘Now perhaps we might discuss this business of the Despot’s inside the castle? It’s hot out on this plain and I am croaking for some wine.’

But Mamonas didn’t move and nor did any of his troop. Alexis heard muttering from the men behind him and he held up his hand. Then he moved his horse closer to Richard’s. He leant forward in his saddle and spoke softly, the smile still on his face.

‘Mamonas, I mean to enter this castle. I am doing so on the orders of the Despot …
your
despot, in case you’d forgotten. Now please move aside.’

But Richard Mamonas didn’t. ‘I’m sorry but I cannot allow that to happen. I have very clear orders from the Archon.’

Alexis looked surprised. ‘And who rules the Despotate of Mistra, Richard, your archon or our despot?’

There was silence. The two men locked gazes, and there was no compromise in their eyes. Alexis tried another tack. He kept his voice low.

‘Is it the soldiers?’ he asked. ‘If it’s my escort that’s troubling you then I can leave them outside.’

Still no response.

Alexis cocked his head on one side as if he were considering something. Then he threw back his head and laughed.

‘Of course!’ he said, slapping his thigh. ‘Of course! It’s the cannon! But the Despot will be delighted when I tell him. They’ll be so useful against the Turk. I assume that’s what they’re for, aren’t they?’

For the first time, Richard Mamonas looked uncomfortable. Someone said something behind him. The garrison soldiers had assumed that the cannon were to be used against the Turks and it came as a surprise to learn that the Despot knew nothing about them.

Alexis decided to press home the advantage. He backed his horse away from Mamonas and addressed the garrison soldiers directly.

‘All of you know that, by the terms of the recent treaty drawn up between the Despot and Archon, this castle is to be handed over to the Despot’s command. You know this because the terms were displayed in your city’s square. I am here to take that command.’

He looked slowly along the line of the men, all of whose eyes were fixed on his. ‘I know that you are soldiers of the Archon, but your first loyalty is to your emperor in Constantinople and to his brother who rules here in this despotate. Our common
enemy is the Turk. And if we want to remain Christian and to stop our families from being sold into slavery, then we can no longer fight between ourselves. We must unite behind our despot.’

Richard Mamonas looked at his soldiers. Some had lowered their crossbows and all were listening intently.

But Alexis wasn’t finished. ‘I am now going to ride my horse through that gate. And when I’m inside, I will order the lowering of the Mamonas flag and the raising of that of the rightful ruler of this castle: the Despot.’

His eyes swept over the men again. ‘If any of you wants to stop me, you have only to pull a trigger. But if you pull that trigger, then our land will be plunged into another civil war and the Turks will rejoice. The choice is yours.’

There was complete silence. Even the Albanians, most of whom spoke no Greek, knew that something important was about to happen.

Alexis kicked his horse and rode slowly past Richard Mamonas, who moved sideways to let him pass. He began to ride towards the gate.

Then Mamonas looked up at the battlements and gave an imperceptible nod.

There was the sound of released bowstring and the blur of an arrow in flight. Alexis Laskaris fell from his horse to the ground.

In an instant, Richard Mamonas had leapt from his horse and had run to where Alexis was lying. It was an expert shot and the arrow was embedded deep in his lower neck, above the rim of his cuirass. Blood was oozing from either side of the shaft. He knelt beside him. He looked up. ‘Who fired that shot?’ he shouted. ‘Bring me the man who fired that shot!’

Alexis was white with agony and had rivulets of sweat coursing down his cheeks. His breathing was laboured but he was trying to say something.

‘Don’t speak,’ said Mamonas gently. ‘The arrow is deep. But I dare not move it lest you die from the shock. We must get you to a surgeon.’

He stood up at the sound of approaching footsteps to see an archer being dragged forward between two guards. ‘Did you fire that shot?’

The archer looked confused. ‘Yes, lord, but—’

He never finished the sentence because Mamonas stepped forward, drew his dagger and plunged it into the man’s heart.

‘Take the body away and bury it,’ he said.

Thirty miles away, Anna was sitting in her bedroom at the palace, trying to read. She had a headache.

She seemed always to be getting headaches these days, which was strange since she’d rarely had them before. She supposed that it might be because she was taking so little exercise. She was used to riding out daily but here, whenever she’d asked, some excuse had been found as to why she couldn’t.

At least she hadn’t had to meet her husband again. After that terrible night, she’d been moved to a different room. She hadn’t seen Damian for months.

There was a knock on her door. Anna hurried to open it.

It was Zoe and she was alone. She looked up and down the corridor before coming in. She walked over to the bed and sat on it. She leant forward and took Anna’s hands. ‘Something has happened,’ she said. ‘It’s Alexis. He’s been hurt.’

Anna felt faint and her knees nearly gave way. She uttered a little groan. ‘Hurt?’ she asked weakly. ‘How hurt?’

‘Badly,’ said Zoe. ‘He was shot by an arrow.’

The room seemed to spin around her and Anna had to hold on to the bedpost to stop from falling. ‘What … what happened?’

‘I’m not certain. It seems there’s been some sort of action at Geraki Castle. My father and brother were hearing of it from a messenger. The door was open.’ She paused, taking hold of Anna’s shoulders and drawing her to her breast. But Anna pulled away.

‘Where is he, Zoe? I must go to him. Will you help me?’

‘Of course,’ replied Zoe. ‘I am your friend. Geraki is a two-hour ride if you go fast. But you must leave quickly. My father won’t want this news to get out.’

Zoe helped Anna change into clothes suitable for riding, opened the door carefully and led her down the corridor to a small side door at the end. ‘This is a staircase the servants use,’ she whispered. ‘It leads down to the kitchens and you can leave by the rubbish door. There are no guards on it. Then you must make your way down to the stables. The rest is up to you.’

The stables were dark when Anna reached them and seemed unguarded. She couldn’t believe her luck. Perhaps the soldiers had sneaked off to some tavern in the nearby Cretan quarter.

She lifted the heavy latch of the big oak doors and pulled them open. Their noise startled some of the horses and Anna hushed them. The moon outside gave her enough light to see a row of stalls in each of which stood a horse, looking at her. Her eyes travelled along them until she saw her palfrey. She’d heard that it had recovered from the accident. She’d take the palfrey.