Byzantium

67

Since our presence in Trebizond was impossible to hide, I attempted to make our appearance both brief and unassuming. We would linger in the city only so long as it took to provision the ships. Once aboard, we would sail immediately-thereby thwarting any interference from the duplicitous magister and his unseen minions. Accordingly, I held counsel with Jarl Harald to discuss how this might be accomplished.

"Before anyone knows to stop us, we will be gone," Harald said confidently; he had regained his former bluff manner, if not his entire strength. The Danes are a sturdy race; hardship seems only to make them stronger. Harald and his men had recovered from the privations of slavery wonderfully well; they were almost completely restored and eager as I was to return to Constantinople. "I will go to the harbour and make the necessary preparations. When I send word, you come and we will sail at once."

"What if the ships are not there anymore?" I asked. Never once did Harald display the slightest doubt, but insisted his ships would still be waiting for his return and that the crews would be ready. While I wondered at his simple faith, he laughed at my unbelief.

"You will see," Harald said, and chose men to go with him. They were soon lost in the early-morning bustle and crush of people making their way into the city. Meanwhile, I explained our plans to Faysal. "What if his ships are not there any longer?" Faysal wondered, scanning the crowded road uneasily.

"Harald says his men would starve to death before they would abandon their king."

"They are so loyal, these Wolves of the Sea?"

We settled ourselves outside the city gates to wait, hoping Harald's trust in his men was not woefully misplaced. The king had been absent a long time, after all. But before the sun had passed midday, one of the Danes returned. "The ships are soon sea-ready. Jarl Harald says come to the harbour now."

Trebizond appeared exactly as we had left it; nothing had changed-which surprised me somewhat, for I felt a lifetime had passed since I had last threaded my way through the narrow streets to the harbour. This time, however, I was painfully aware of the attention we were attracting, and feared that the city's soldiers would appear at any moment to challenge us; but we passed unhindered, and proceeded directly to the wharf where the four longships lay at anchor.

Once there, we were greeted warmly by the Danes, forty-four in all, who had stayed behind. Gunnar stood on the quayside with happy tears streaming down his face, while his friends pounded him joyfully on the back. Sure, I too was overcome by the sight of Tolar and Thorkel and the rest, looking much the same as the day we had left them on the wharf. While the world had turned through its three seasons they had stood at their duty and guarded the dragon-headed ships against the expectation of their king's imminent return: an exemplary feat of pure childlike faith.

The Sea Wolves' jubilation at the appearance of their king and comrades was nothing beside their amazement at the wealth the Jarl brought with him. Their rejoicing, however, was soon swallowed in the feverish rush to board everyone and set off. We were, of course, forced to abandon the horses and camels; Faysal chose three men to stay behind and look after the animals, charging them to establish camp outside the walls and await the amir's return.

"They are so loyal, these rafiq?" I asked, turning his question back on him.

"Allah willing, they will wait until their beards grow to touch the ground," he replied.

"And then?"

"They will shave, and wait some more."

What with his crew so brutally decimated, Harald no longer commanded enough Sea Wolves to man four ships, and had been forced to the onerous expediency of hiring seamen to help man the ships-Greek fishermen, mostly, who agreed to go to Constantinople where they could find work on other ships. He hired fifty-three, and would have taken more, but there were no more to be had at any price.

As soon as the last water cask was lashed to its companions, and the last of the rafiq scrambled aboard, the Sea Wolves took up their long oars and pushed away from the wharf. As the wind was favourable, Harald ordered the handsome red-and-white banded sails to be raised while the ships were still in harbour. Although such practice was certain to draw the harbour master's condemnation, the jarl cared nothing for that, thinking only to get away as swiftly as possible. Thus, in less time than it takes to tell it, the four longships sped from Trebizond like wild geese loosed after lengthy captivity.

Harald, glad to be his own master once more, took his place at the sternpost and commanded Thorkel, the pilot, to steer a course that kept us far from sight of land. I asked him if this unaccustomed caution arose from fear of Sarazen pirates, but he spat and said, "The emperor owes me much silver for my pains, and the sooner we reach Miklagard, the sooner I will be paid."

I could but marvel at the audacity of the man. Even after all that had happened, he still considered himself in the emperor's employ, and meant to collect his wages. Nor had he forgotten the debt Nikos owed him-an account he meant to collect in blood.

The tented platform behind the mast, where Harald was wont to keep his treasure, became the amir's sickbed. As soon as we departed the harbour, I went to see how he fared. Faysal and Ddewi had hung the amir's sling between the mast and one of the supports of the platform; Sadiq lay covered only by a cloth of the lightest material. He seemed peacefully asleep, and if not for the white band swathing his head instead of his customary turban, he might merely have been a man taking a well-deserved rest.

"There is little change," Kazimain informed me when I asked. She appeared haggard, her eyes dull and her skin pallid; her lips were dry and cracked. The journey and its consequent demands of caring for her stricken kinsman had used her cruelly.

"Has he woken?"

Not trusting her voice, she merely shook her head.

"The worst is behind us," I said, trying to comfort her. "He can rest for a time now-at least until we reach Constantinople."

At this, Ddewi raised his head and regarded me with interest. "How long?" he asked. The question, though simple, surprised me; it was the first time I had heard him speak since escaping the mines.

"No fewer than twelve days," I answered. "Thorkel says if the wind stays fair, we shall make good time."

"Twelve days," he mused, returning his gaze to the amir's unmoving form. "That is good."

Kazimain noticed my look of mild surprise, and smiled. "Yes," she said, "he speaks now. No doubt, you have been too busy to notice."

"I am sorry, Kazimain. If I have seemed preoccupied, it is not-"

"Shhh," she soothed. "I did not speak so to rebuke you, my love. I know your thoughts are elsewhere."

She returned to her duty, and I curled myself into the curve of the bow to take a nap. No sooner had I closed my eyes, however, than Harald's bellow roused me. "That one may be trouble," he said, pointing to a square red sail visible against the buff-coloured hills. Another ship with a blue-and-white striped sail could be seen moving eastward along the coast, following the established sea path.

"Perhaps he will turn aside when he reaches deeper water," I suggested.

"Perhaps," agreed Harald doubtfully. "We must keep our eyes on him, I think. He is very fast, that one."

The red ship did not turn into the sea lane when he reached deep water; he proceeded on steadily, following our wake, seemingly content to hold back as the distant hills dwindled behind us. Harald read this as a bad omen. "He is waiting until we are out of sight of land," Harald said. "Then he will make his move. We have a little time yet to prepare."

Signalling to the other three ships, Harald brought them nearer so that we sailed more closely together. He ordered all the provisions to be lashed down and secured, and for weapons to be placed at the ready. The Sea Wolves placed their shields along the rails, which served to raise the sides of the ships and so better protect those inside. Spears were set upright in the leather oar holders between the shields, ready at hand.

My brother monks saw the activity and asked what it meant. I told them about the red ship, saying, "Harald thinks they may be pirates."

"I think he is right," Dugal agreed. "The ship that attacked us on the way to Trebizond had red sails, too."

"We will pray to God for deliverance," Bryn said staunchly. Dugal regarded the spears thoughtfully.

"You would be better employed," I advised, "praying to the wind that it does not fail."

The red ship drew ever nearer-until we could see the narrow prow plainly above the sea swell. Then she slackened her pace to match our own, hanging back what seemed a respectful distance, her master exercising obvious caution. "What does he want, this one?" mused Harald aloud, cupping his hands to his eyes to shield them from the sun-glare. "Why does he wait?"

"Perhaps," I suggested, "he is simply a merchant who wishes to travel in our company."

"And perhaps he is waiting for his friends," the jarl replied contemptuously. "We are four against one, after all."

By day's end the red ship had come no closer, neither had she altered her course by so much as a hair. She kept her distance through the night, and when morning came the red sail was still in place. With the dawn came a more forceful breeze, blowing out of the southwest. Thinking to increase the distance between ourselves and the red ship, Harald altered the course slightly to take advantage of the fresh wind.

The longships leapt forward at once, and very soon the red ship was seen to be growing smaller. "We are leaving them behind!" shouted Dugal. "Praise God!"

Faysal was of the same opinion and looked upon the dwindling red sail as an auspicious sign. I could not help noticing, however, that none of the Sea Wolves shared this optimistic view. Not even when the strange ship disappeared from view completely, did they relax their vigilance. Since they were masters of seacraft and warfare, I allowed my mood to be guided by their example, and remained wary.

Harald's manoeuvre gained us a space of peace-at least, once the sail disappeared we did not see the red ship again the rest of that day, nor the following night. All day long, we anxiously scanned the horizon for any sign of the red ship, but saw nothing. It seemed that the monk's prayers had done their work.

Night was far gone when the moon finally rose, and Harald sent a man up the mast to watch the horizon. I dozed at the prow, half-awake, listening for the warning cry from the mast-top. It came at dawn, when the Sea Wolf called down from his perch that he saw the red once more. We gathered at the rail and gazed into the dawn-misted distance, waiting to sight the tell-tale spot on the horizon.

Alas, when it came into view, it was not one ship only this time; it was two. The call came down from the mast lookout: "Two ships! I see two!"

We leaned over the rail, each holding his breath, straining for a glimpse. In a little while, we were able to confirm the lookout's observation: two sails-one ahead, and one slightly behind and to the right of the first-emerged from the sea haze. As midday approached, it became clear that they pursued a course directly towards us. By evening, despite Harald Bull-Roar's best efforts, they had gained on us.

"They are done with waiting," Gunnar mused, his face glowing in the last of a golden dusk. He and Tolar, inseparable now that they were reunited, had come to stand beside me as I looked out at the relentlessly approaching vessels. "Now they will catch us if they can."

"Can we outrun them?" I asked.

"Nay," Gunnar said, shaking his head slowly. "That is what we have been trying to do all day. They are very fast, these small ships." He looked at the pirate vessels, now running a short way to the west of our close-clustered fleet. "But never fear, Aeddan," he added reassuringly, "we still outnumber them. If they try to attack, we can easily divide them. It is a difficult thing to board four longships at once, I think-even for Arab pirates."

Forced to bow to the Sea Wolves' superior wisdom, I thought to inform Kazimain of our position, and was surprised when Ddewi emerged to summon me. "The amir has awakened," he said, smiling with quiet excitement. "He is asking for you."

"Indeed?" Following Ddewi into the tented enclosure, I found the amir talking quietly to Kazimain. The days aboard ship had been good for him, it seemed. He had been able to sleep in peace without being continually jostled by horses and awakened at every turn.

"Greetings, Lord Sadiq!" I exclaimed upon entering, "I am glad to see you awake. Ddewi tells me you are feeling better."

"Truly," he replied. "Allah willing, I shall soon feel strong enough to take up my sword and do battle with the sea raiders."

"Ah, that is why I came," I said, settling myself just inside the entrance; Kazimain and Ddewi shifted aside to allow me room to sit, "but I see you have heard already."

"The walls of my palace are cloth," he said, raising a hand limply to the tented enclosure; "it would have been more surprising if I had not heard." He paused, and licked his lips. Ddewi, alert to his needs, instantly produced a cup of water; the amir waved it aside. When he spoke again, his voice was soft, but his gaze direct. "The attack-when will it come?"

"The Danes do not think the raiders will try to take us at night," I replied. "It is likely they will wait until tomorrow."

"That, I fear, is too soon for me," the amir said with a slight, dry smile. The skin stretched across his cheekbones was pale as parchment and very thin. "Tell these pirates they must wait a little longer if they wish to fight the Lion of Samarra."

"Of course, Lord Sadiq, I shall tell them at first opportunity. In any case, Harald thinks it will be a disappointing battle. He is confident that two ships of raiders cannot defeat four longships of Sea Wolves."

"Tell your King Harald that overconfidence is a pernicious enemy," the amir advised. "The raiders know themselves outnumbered, and still they come. Does this not speak a word of caution to you?"

Kazimain leaned forward, placing her hand on Sadiq's shoulder. "Uncle, speak no more. Rest now."

"Well," I said lightly, "if the wind holds good we may outrun them after all." Rising to leave, I promised to come and see him again soon.

"Tell King Harald what I said," the amir urged as I withdrew.

"I will tell him."

Kazimain followed me out, and we made our way to the prow where we could speak more easily without being overheard. "He is getting better," she said, quiet insistence giving her a determined air. "Ddewi hopes he will be ready to walk again soon." She paused, looking out at the flat milk-blue horizon. Her brow furrowed, but whether in thought or worry, I could not tell, so waited for her to speak again. In a moment, she turned to me and said, "What will happen when we reach Byzantium?"

"I fear we will have more than enough trouble just getting there," I indicated the double set of red sails, still coursing off to the west, closer now, "without worrying what comes after."

"What do you want to happen?" she persisted.

"I want everything to be like it was," I began. "I want-"

I was cut off by Harald's sudden cry. "Down sail!" he bellowed. "To oars!"

Sure, his roar shook the very mast to its quivering top. Suddenly, everyone was scrambling to the rowing benches. Glancing seaward, I saw what had alarmed Harald: the red ships had abruptly changed course and were now charging straight at us.

I ran to Harald's side where he stood gripping the rail as if it was a spear. "The waiting is over," he said. "Now the fighting begins."