'Row! Row!' William yelled as the fire spread over the Turkish ship, engulfing it. They pulled away to safety, and the burning ship, its tiller aflame and useless, veered into another Turkish ship, setting it afire too. The two ships burned brightly. By their light, William saw the Christian fleet in full retreat and Turkish ships racing out to capture any stragglers. Nearer, just past the burning Turkish ships, William saw a dozen men flailing in the water. A Turkish galley was rowing out to finish them off.
'There!' William told the coxswain. 'Row for those men, and pull hard!' They reached the men and pulled them on board just as arrows from the galley started to fall around them. Longo was not amongst the men. William stood in the stern and scanned the water for him. The coxswain pulled William back down.
'Time to leave, sir!' he shouted, pointing to the approaching galley.
'You're right. Pull for home, men!' William ordered. 'And you,' he said to the rescued men, shivering at the bottom of the boat, 'take the oars. It will warm you.'
They pulled away from the slower galley and were halfway back across the Horn when they came across two men, struggling in the water as they swam towards the Christian shore. A minute later, William helped to haul Tristo and Longo into the boat.
'That's two I owe you,' Tristo said through chattering teeth.
They all three looked across to the far shore where the Turkish harbour lay. The Turkish fleet was almost entirely intact, lit by the light of three burning ships. The Christians had lost at least twice as many ships. The attack had been a disaster. 'They were ready for us,' Longo said.
'Aye,' Tristo agreed. 'There's a rat in this city. Somebody let them know we were coming.'
'We'll never get them out of the harbour now,' Longo said. 'And with the harbour in their hands… We don't have enough men to defend the sea walls and the land walls.'
'So what do we do now?' William asked.
'We send for help,' Longo answered. 'And pray that somebody comes.' Five nights later, la Fortuna was ready to sail. William had been eager to join the expedition, and as much as he feared for the young man's safety, Longo had agreed. After all, William had fought bravely during the attack on the Turkish fleet, and he had saved Longo's life. The least Longo could do was give him this chance for glory, and also a chance to visit his young wife on Chios. He would serve as lieutenant to Phlatanelas, who had volunteered to captain the ship.
The ship could be seen docked alongside a pier in the distance. Under the cover of night, the sides of the ship had been lined with shields like a Turkish warship, and the Turkish colours now flew from the mainmast. Longo spotted William on the deck, giving orders to the crew. Like the rest of them, he was dressed like a Turk in baggy pants, a loose red shirt and a turban.
As Longo and Tristo came on board, William hurried to greet them. Tristo engulfed him in a hug. 'Take care of yourself out there, young pup,' he said, lifting William off the ground. He put him back down and clapped him on the back. 'Stay safe, William.'
Longo stepped forward and clasped William's hand. 'I will be fine,' William said before Longo could begin. 'It's the city that you should be worried about, Longo. Keep it safe until I return.'
'Keep yourself safe,' Longo told William. 'Phlatanelas is a good man; do as he says. And remember, if you see a Turkish ship, run. You're going out to find help, not to defeat the Turks single-handedly.'
William nodded. 'I understand.' He looked across the ship to where the one Turkish member of the crew, Turan, was busy tying off the cable from the tugboat. William lowered his voice. 'This Turan, can we trust him?'
'Not all Turks are our enemies, William,' Longo said. 'His family has lived in Constantinople for generations. This is his home, and he will fight for it as hard as you or I. He speaks Turkish, too, and can interpret for you should you need it.'
'Longo!' Phlatanelas called as he crossed the deck to join them. 'Well met. Thank you again for offering your ship.'
'Of course,' Longo said, clasping the captain's arm. 'Keep her safe, and make Chios your first stop. My men there will be able to tell you where the Venetian ships are, if they are out there at all.'
'I will,' Phlatanelas said. 'And you, hold the city until we get back.' He released Longo's arm and went to the wheel.
Longo turned back to William. 'You should get away without trouble,' he said. 'On a night this dark, the Turks should take you for just another of their warships.' Beneath Longo, the ship had started to move forward, towed out into the Golden Horn. Longo grasped William's hand again and held it. 'Come back safe,' he told William.
'I will, and we will not fail you,' William replied. Then, Longo turned and leapt from the ship to the pier. He watched as the vessel made its slow way out into the estuary. William waved once from the poop deck and then turned to face the sea. Longo watched until first William, and then the entire ship, disappeared into the darkness.
'Never fear,' Tristo said, placing his hand on Longo's shoulder. 'He's a tough little bugger, William is. We'll see him again.'
Chapter 18
Sitt Hatun stood at the window of her bedchamber and looked out over the imperial palace and beyond to the river. In the hazy morning light she could just make out the heavily laden boats setting out to resupply the army at Constantinople. Seeing them, she thought of her trip to Manisa months ago, but then shook the thought from her head. There was no sense in dwelling on past misery. Those times were over. Now she was the bas haseki, mother of the sultan-to-be, with more money and more servants than she needed. She had everything that she desired.
She turned from the window to watch her son. Selim sat in the corner, playing quietly with Bayezid. The two young princes were a study in contrasts. Bayezid, now nearly four years old, was a solidly built, athletic child with fair skin and sandy brown hair. Already, it was clear that he would excel as a hunter and a warrior. Selim, one and a half years Bayezid's junior, was thin and frail, with olive skin and black hair. His face was gentle, but he had Mehmed's intelligent, piercing eyes. Although he was small for his age, Selim already displayed an insatiable curiosity that delighted his tutors.
Sitt Hatun smiled to see them together. Fate worked in strange ways, and none were stranger than this: that the son of Sitt Hatun's most bitter rival should become a regular in her household and the playmate of Selim. Bayezid's visits had grown more and more frequent over the past months, since Sitt Hatun first showed his nurse, Kacha, the secret passage leading from his bedroom to her apartments. Bayezid preferred Sitt Hatun's apartments to those of Gulbehar, and Sitt Hatun could hardly blame him. Kacha told her that Gulbehar often slept until noon, and that she spent much of her day at the hookah smoking hashish. And since Mehmed had left for Constantinople, Gulbehar's tirades, which echoed all the way to Sitt Hatun's chambers, had become an almost daily event. Little wonder that young Bayezid was eager to escape his mother's presence.
At first, Bayezid had come only at night when Gulbehar's household was asleep, but lately he had come in the mornings as well. Kacha covered for the young prince in his absence and hurried to inform Sitt Hatun if Bayezid's mother called for him. Despite herself, Sitt Hatun had grown fond of the child. At first, she had seen the boy merely as a tool to be used against Gulbehar, and had cultivated his friendship in order to turn him against his mother. But now she found that she cared for Bayezid almost as if he were her own son.
Sitt Hatun moved to her bed and sat down to watch Bayezid and Selim. They were playing with a set of carved pieces intended to represent the siege at Constantinople. There were towers, gates and sections of the wall, all of which could be fitted together. In addition, there were dozens of tiny figurines of Christian knights and Turkish soldiers. The entire set was carved from ivory, and the workmanship was exquisite. Mehmed had sent the set to Selim so that he could follow the siege and begin to learn military strategy.