Greek Fire

by James Boschert

  Ever cautious he slid out of bed and drew his sword, then waited as the door opened and a figure slipped into the room. He hoped it was Eugenia; then she whispered his name so he was sure. He replaced his sword and murmured a greeting.

  She wasted no time but took his hand and led him straight to the bed where she proceeded to make love with a passion that left them both gasping. She threw her head back with a long hiss of breath and clawed his back with her nails as she climaxed, causing him to wince with the pain because her nails raked the slash in his side.

  Lying back on the bed Talon caught his breath and wondered about the woman at his side. He gingerly touched the wound that had only just begun to heal and to his dismay found that it was bleeding again. He muttered something about needing to wipe his face and hastened to the bowl where he took a towel and dabbed at the wound. She lay quietly in the dark waiting for him to come back.

  “I have missed you, Talon,” she said as he came back to bed, and she slipped into his arms. “Where did you get that cut? She ran her fingers down the scabbed tissue from the recent wound. Talon hid his surprise that she had noticed and said casually, “It is one of the wounds I garnered during the campaign.”

  “My poor warrior,” she said as she stroked him. “But that was some months ago now, did you not visit a physician to have it seen to?”

  “It was really just a scratch, but it is taking longer than usual to heal,” he said, hoping she would talk about something else.

  They were silent for a while but then she asked a question that startled him. “My mother told me of an incident that happened with one of our neighbors the other day. Did you hear about it?”

  Talon shook his head in the dark. “What incident, when?” A tiny alarm bell sounded in his head.

  “You were here that night, I think. Someone tried to break into our neighbor’s villa, probably to steal something. Not even our houses are safe anymore. Did you hear nothing of it?” Her tone implied that he should have been aware.

  “No, indeed I did not,” Talon lied.

  “That is surprising, as my mother could hardly have kept that gossip from you, I am sure. Did my chatterbox of a little sister not say anything?”

  “Tell me more about this…attempt to break into your neighbor’s house,” he said, leaning on his elbow.

  “Well, I am more often at the palace, as you know, but when I came back the other day Mother mentioned it. She said the senator had come to visit and had told her all about the event. She had asked the guards about it but they said that nothing happened.”

  “Well, what did happen? Was it here or there?” Talon feigned confusion. “I thought that you said the break in occurred in the other villa.” Why, he wondered, was she so interested in that event?

  “Oh, that is because the robbers, or at least one of them, came over our wall and Senator Spartenos came to report it to us. Can you imagine that? Are you sure you did not hear about it? He said that his men and dogs followed the man to this house. I can’t see that our guards would not have seen an intruder unless they were asleep at the time.”

  Talon shrugged in the dark. “Perhaps they were. Did they ever catch the thieves?”

  “No, but there was a disturbance, which is why I am surprised that you did not hear it. You heard nothing?” she insisted.

  “I must have been sleeping like a log, for I heard nothing at all,” he murmured as he leaned over her and kissed her. This time he spent time with her, finally letting her fall into an exhausted sleep.

  He slept very little that night, but as the cock began to crow in the stables he roused her and sent her sleepily on her way. He was left pondering her interest in an incident that her mother had barely mentioned but which Theodora knew all about.

  *****

  Eugenia woke late that morning and stretched like a cat and smiled as she recalled the night before. She looked at her hand that was still stained with blood from when she had touched his side. She was thoughtful for a while, but then realized that it was time to go back to the palace, but first she had a small detour to make.

  Eugenia’s litter was admitted to the house of Senator Spartenos and she alighted at the wide steps leading up to the main entrance hall. This was a far grander house than that of her family and she glanced enviously about her as she walked slowly up the steps. She was greeted by one of the guardsmen, who leered at her. She lifted her chin disdainfully and pretended to ignore the man. Right behind him was a well-dressed eunuch who bowed her in.

  She was shown into the main living room where the senator was standing waiting for her.

  “God’s Blessings to you, my Lady. I was informed that you had come to visit me, my dear. It is a long way to come from the palace. Did you spend the night with your parents?”

  “Gods Blessings, Senator,” Eugenia said respectfully. She did not like the senator but she dared not offend him in any way.

  “What may I do for you?” he asked with a silky edge to his voice.

  “You asked me to report upon anything I heard that might be unusual regarding the incident the other day, Senator” she said.

  “Please call me John. We know one another well enough for that, do we not?’ he said, stepping closer to her.

  Eugenia stepped back a pace and hurried on. “The Knight Templar who stays with us. You wanted to know more of him?”

  “Yes, indeed.” The senator stopped and cocked his head. “Well, what have you to say?”

  “He says he knows nothing of the incident, and yet he was in our villa that night. Even my brother heard something, but the Templar says he heard nothing.”

  “Hmm, a little strange, but not unbelievable.”

  “Yes, but…he has a new wound. It was not there the last time I saw him.”

  The senator gave her a sharp look. “How did…? Ah…how fresh would you say this wound was?”

  “He claimed it was from the campaign, but that was months ago now. I did not believe him and he tried to talk about something else. I think he knows more than he is saying.”

  The senator noted her hesitant tone and said, “Do not tell me that your Frank is beginning to get under your skin my dear?” His sneer was barely concealed.

  She blushed with anger but said nothing other than to glare at him and bite her tongue. He stared hard at her. “I do not care if you rut with the Frank, Eugenia, but do not forget that it is I who tells you what to do. Your relationship with the prince is not known to anyone except me and you would do well not to try anything rash. Remember the consequences of that. A whore, even an aristocratic one, has a limited future.” He came even closer and took her lower face in his hard fingers. “I might even feel like a payment or two myself.”

  She twisted her face away from his hard grip and put a hand up to feel the marks he had left behind.

  “But you did well coming to me about this. There is certainly something going on here, which I intend to discover. You may go now. Be sure to say nothing to anyone about this visit,” he said, briskly dismissing her.

  Eugenia left hastily, tears welling in her eyes, feeling humiliated. There was nothing she could do, as the senator had pointed out, but she hated him for it.

  *****

  At dawn on the next day the crew roused themselves and began to make preparations to cast off. Talon woke to the sound of bare feet stamping about on the deck above and orders shouted by Henry and his two lieutenants, Guy and Nigel. He decided he was not going to get any more sleep so he threw off his coverings and got up from the pallet. He left Max still huddled under a blanket in the other bed and made his way up on deck. Henry greeted him from the steering oar where he was supervising the ship’s guidance. Guy was down in the now cluttered waist of the ship with the rowers and the crew who were about to raise the sail while Nigel was in the bows seeing to the casting off of the ropes that had held them to the wharf for three very busy days.

  As they drew away Makarios and his scribes arrived and stood watching from the quayside. Talon
was surprised and delighted to see a litter being carried along the waterfront. As soon as it was placed on the ground by the sweating slaves Alexios was helped out of the litter to stand upright with the aid of a stick. Theodora jumped out and began to shout and wave her arms wildly. She danced up and down and then turned to her brother and hugged him. Then she stood with her brother’s arm about her shoulders waving goodbye. Talon waved back with a strange feeling inside him as he watched his friends and heard the faint words, “God speed and safe journey.”

  While the ship turned in the wide waters of Prosphorion harbor he pointed up at to the masthead. A banner that Theodora and her mother had presented to Talon was snapping in the breeze. The lion’s paw on a gold background and the ship of gold upon azure with a diagonal line dividing them was proudly flying from the highest point on the vessel for all to see. Talon had decided he liked the banner, but he would have them make a small but significant change to it when he came back. There was something missing.

  Henry shouted to Guy to raise the second sail and begin the rowing, and they sped through the open gate and out into the swell of the Golden Horn. They still had the Marmara Sea and the Hellespont to negotiate but they were finally on their way. Talon stared back at his friends, waving from time to time until they were lost in the mist rising off the waters.

  *****

  It took a week of sailing for them to make the journey to the island of Rhodes. Once clear of the Hellespont, Henry had sailed within sight of the coastline during the day, anchoring at night in some sheltered bay. He did not want to be far out to sea at this time of year, for storms were gathering in the west. Out in open water they might get caught unawares, unable to find suitable shelter in time as the storms were sudden and harsh at this time of year. Apart from one long rainy day, which they spent in the confines of a secure cove, the weather was dry with a good wind to keep them moving south. As Henry pointed out to Talon as he chaffed at the time it was taking, a Genoese tub would have taken a month to get this far. Their ship was ideal for an enterprise of this nature. Its speed was a huge advantage, even if they could not take on an equivalent cargo.

  On the eighth day and they set off once more with the sun’s rays glittering off the calm waters of the sea. Seagulls and other sea birds that Talon could not name dipped and rose as they fished, and there were only a few clouds in the sky to keep Henry’s attention. It was only a matter of hours before the long line of an island was sighted by the lookouts posted at the top of the masts and Henry conferred with his crew. He included Giorgios in the discussion. They were certain it was the island of Rhodes and Giorgios indicated to Henry that he should take a more easterly course that would bring them to the town of Rodos, which rested on the easternmost point of the island.

  “I have not been here for the last two years now, but I am sure that our agent Isaias will still be in Rodos,” he told Talon, who was standing next to him watching the crew at work. In truth Talon could not have told where they were and asked Henry to show him on the charts. Henry pointed to the bottom of the big lump of land which he said represented Byzantium and showed him where the island of Rhodes was with respect to others with Greek names.

  “Giorgios says that this island was taken by the Turks and then retaken by the Byzantines,” Talon told Henry.

  “True enough, Talon. We have seen no Saracen ships in our travels recently. I think the Byzantine navy rules these seas at present.” Henry sounded comfortable.

  He guided them along the rugged coastline of the island, passing many fishing vessels out plying their trade. A pod of what seemed to be large fish with grey colored skin that resembled the strange looking creatures on the chart gamboled alongside the ship for a few fascinating minutes and then disappeared into the azure depths of the sea. They had seen these before on their way north, but Talon was still fascinated by these large dark forms that drove through the water effortlessly watching him with their knowledgeable eyes. Guy wanted to spear one for fresh meat, but the creatures had vanished as though they heard him before he could fetch weapons. There were other fish that appeared to fly for brief moments, and then they too disappeared.

  As far as Talon was concerned they had lived quite well and had no need to kill for any reason. They had brought chickens and pigs aboard for fresh meat and at night the men had fished, sometimes bringing aboard huge sleek fish with silver skins and pointed noses and crescent moon shaped tails. Dmitri called them Thunnos and said these were the same fish that they had seen on the wharves of Prosphorion Harbor being salted and smoked. The meat had been delicious when cooked over a fire on the beach.

  They rounded a sharp cape and headed down the coast seeking the harbor of Rodos. They had to row now as the ship was driving into the wind. Henry had Nigel bring the sails down and set the crew to work, pulling hard at the oars. It was backbreaking labor but eventually they began to see the signs of a city. Perched on a hill overlooking a natural harbor was what looked like a temple, and near to that a fortification. Below these constructions were a cluster of buildings nestling against the hillside protected from the weather by the natural loop of the bay and fortifications that protected the entrance.

  Henry with Giorgios and Dmitri at his side guided the ship to a place in the middle of the bay where they dropped anchor with a loud splash. The gulls screamed and dived into the glass-clear waters, while the sounds of activity on the quayside came clearly to their ears. Nevertheless, there was a hush within the confines of the low stony hills that surrounded them. The town was not large but the harbor was busy.

  Talon noted that there were two large dromons in the harbor that seemed to be Byzantine ships of war. The familiar banner fluttered idly on both masts.

  “Those are Greek ships,” Giorgios confirmed as he came up and observed the direction of Talon’s gaze. “They are probably here to protect this harbor from the Turkish and Arab pirates. They come and go, but today they seem to be taking a rest from their onerous duties.” His tone was sarcastic. Talon grinned.

  “What is going on over there?” Talon pointed at the beach where there was a lot of activity. He could see the frames of what appeared to be the beginnings of large boats.

  “These people make ships. This ship could even have been made here. There is another town on the other end of the island that is larger and makes even more. The Venetians and the Genoese come here for their vessels, as do the Greeks.”

  “Will our cargo have what they are looking for? Will they buy from us?” Talon asked. His responsibilities weighed heavily upon him, making him apprehensive now that they were finally here.

  “Look about you, Sir Talon. Do these hills look as though they produce silk? Do they look rich with olive trees? Yes, there are some olives here, but more importantly we have spices and they have none. Let us hope that they have much gold and are willing to part with it!” He chuckled and rubbed his hands together with anticipation.

  “First we must deal with the officials, don’t forget,” Dmitri said as he joined them, his tone dry. “They will want their cut.”

  “What have they done to earn it?” Talon asked.

  “Nothing! But we will not sell a bale of anything if we do not oil their slippery hands. Look, here comes a customs official now. By God, but they do not waste any time, do they! Like flies.”

  There was indeed a boat pulling out toward them. The by now familiar form of a eunuch dressed in rich clothing was seated at the back being pulled by four lusty rowers; he was accompanied by a scribe and two soldiers.

  “We must be very polite to him as he represents the empire, and above all make sure that he does not realize the full extent of our cargo,” Giorgios said. “With your permission, Sir Talon, I shall meet him and we can go to your cabin to discuss things?” he asked diffidently.

  Talon nodded and told Henry to stand the crew down until they might be needed. The official was helped aboard by Dmitri and Nigel, who despite being on his best behavior still looked villainous with his lank blond
hair and deep set, slightly mad looking eyes. Once aboard, the official’s sharp, experienced gaze swept the ship taking in every detail.

  Giorgios greeted the official in Greek in such an oily manner that Talon shot him a surprised look. This was not the easy going, quiet and assured man with whom he had just spent a week. But he did not interfere as Giorgios unctuously bowed the man and his scribe along the deck and into the cabin. His voice was even higher pitched than usual, and he affected a manner that was distinctly feminine.

  The cabin was just a space with pallets in corners and a low table that squatted in the middle. They squeezed into the cramped space, which even Talon could tell was beginning to smell of too much occupancy. The official wrinkled his nose but did not comment when Giorgios brushed by him—far too closely, but he did not seem to mind. He demanded to see their manifest, which Giorgios produced with a flourish and an elaborate bow. It was a large document that Makarios had shown Talon before rolling it up and handing it to Giorgios while they had been in Constantinople.

  “This is the document that you show the officials,” he had said with his usual deadpan voice. “You do not show them the real manifest. Giorgios will show you how it is done.”

  The lead stamps and the colored wax with signet stamps and beautiful calligraphy would have impressed any normal person, but this official seemed unimpressed. He ordered the scribe to take notes and then demanded to hear about the cargo from them, the agents they would be dealing with, and how long they intended to remain in harbor.