Longo stopped on the Blachernae wall where it crested the hill overlooking the Golden Horn. In the middle of the calm waters of the Horn lay another source of worry: a partially completed floating bridge that advanced from the far, Turkish-controlled shore of the Horn towards the sea walls on the Christian side. Built from wide planks lashed over the hulls of ships, with dozens of huge barrels placed in the gaps between, the bridge looked strong enough to support hundreds of men and perhaps even cannons. As of now, it reached only halfway across the waters of the Horn, but once the bridge was completed, the sultan's armies could threaten the sea walls. Longo needed no reminder that when Constantinople had fallen to the Latin crusaders in 1203, the attack had come against the sea walls. He would have to move more men, men he could not spare, to protect those walls.
Longo was distracted from his grim thoughts by Paolo Bocchiardo, the commander of this section of the wall. 'Longo, there you are,' Paolo called. 'Have you noticed the cannons? They've stopped.'
He was right. For the first time since the siege began, the Turkish cannons had fallen silent. 'No cannons, yet there is no sign of an attack. What does this mean?' Longo asked.
'That is what I came to tell you,' Paolo said, grinning. 'There has been a messenger from the Turks. They say that the sultan wants to discuss peace!' Late the next night, Longo stood at the window of Sofia's bedroom and gazed up at the heavens, where the full moon was slowly disappearing in a spectacular eclipse. The uneclipsed edge seemed to glow brighter as it shrank into a smaller and smaller sliver of light. 'It's beautiful,' he said to Sofia. 'You should come and look.'
Sofia stayed on her bed. 'It is a bad omen,' she said. 'They say that when Constantine the Great first founded the city, there was an eclipse. He predicted that the city would not fall until there was another eclipse to extinguish his glory.'
Longo laughed. 'Surely you do not believe such things.'
'No, but it is an old prophecy, and many people do believe it. They will see only disaster in your pretty moon.'
'Why such dark thoughts?' Longo asked. 'There is hope at last. The siege is going well, and any day now help should arrive from Italy. Mehmed knows this. That is why he is sending his grand vizier to negotiate a peace.'
'Perhaps he only seeks to buy time to prepare for another assault.'
Longo moved to the bed and pulled Sofia close to him. 'Smile,' he said. 'The worst is over. Perhaps this eclipse is a good omen.'
'But you do not believe in omens.' Sofia turned to look Longo in the eyes. 'When the siege is over, what will become of us?'
'What do you mean?'
'The emperor will never agree to our marriage. He values your service, but you are only a minor noble, Longo. And there will be dozens of new alliances that he can cement through my marriage.'
'Do you need his permission?' Longo asked.
'I am a princess, Longo, I too have responsibilities. If I do not fulfil them, then I will be nothing.'
'No, not nothing,' he replied. 'You will be my wife, and if that means that we are not welcome in Constantinople, so be it. I swear that I will never leave your side so long as I live. We can live on Chios. It will be a good life.'
'You would save the empire, only to flee it? Protect the emperor, only to steal a princess?'
'If it means winning you, then yes. And you, will you come with me?'
'Of course.' Sofia embraced Longo, and they held each other tight. Finally, Sofia drew away. 'You should go,' she said. 'With the eclipse the streets are dark. There will be no better time to leave.'
Longo sighed and rose from the bed. 'Very well.' He pulled on his boots and then belted his sword around his waist. 'I shall return as soon as I am able.' He kissed Sofia, then headed for the secret passage.
'Longo,' Sofia called, stopping Longo just before he disappeared into the dark passageway. She rose from the bed and went to him. 'There is something that I need to tell you. It is about Notaras.'
'What? I thought that he had agreed to say nothing about us to the emperor.'
'It is not my reputation that I am worried about,' Sofia said. 'You must be careful of Notaras. He came back here the night he found out about us. There's something not right with him now. I fear he will do something foolish.'
'I will keep an eye on him,' Longo said and slipped into the secret passageway. The streets of Constantinople were so dark that Longo could only dimly make out the outline of the houses around him as he walked the short distance from the palace to his palazzo. There was a hush in the air, and he could clearly hear the gentle rustle of leaves coming from a stand of trees in the walled courtyard he was passing. Somewhere ahead of him a dog barked furiously and then suddenly stopped.
Longo was crossing through a small square when he thought he heard footsteps behind him. He turned but saw nothing. Nevertheless, he kept his hand on his sword as he continued. Longo left the square and entered a narrow, dark passageway that wound towards the palazzo. He had only gone a dozen feet when he heard a rock bouncing across the street behind him. He drew his sword and turned, but the passage behind him was empty. 'Is anybody there?' he called out. He waited, but there was no answer. Then, behind him, he heard another noise: the almost imperceptible hiss of steel sliding past leather. Longo spun around just as a dagger flashed by his head and embedded itself in the wall behind him. Overhead, the eclipse had begun to pass, and the passageway was now growing lighter. Longo squinted and could just make out the dim outline of a man dressed in black disappearing down the alley. He had not seen the man's face, but he could guess who it was: the Spanish assassin.
Longo pulled the dagger from the wall and then made his way back to the palazzo without further incident. Tristo was up late gambling, and he rose in alarm when he saw Longo enter with sword and dagger in hand. 'What happened? Are you all right?'
'Fine… just,' Longo replied. 'The Spanish assassin attacked me moments ago. I was lucky not to receive his dagger in my back.' He handed the knife to Tristo, who smelled it.
'The blade is poisoned.'
'It seems this assassin is determined to finish his job. I wonder how much Paolo Grimaldi is paying him,' Longo said. 'I want guards posted at the palazzo at night. And Tristo, keep your ears open. There are not so many Spaniards in the city. See if you can find him.' The next morning Longo met with Constantine and Sphrantzes in the palace council room. The grand vizier was to come to the city under a flag of truce to discuss the terms of a peace between the Turks and Christians, and Constantine had asked Longo to attend the negotiations. Sphrantzes and Longo sat, while Constantine paced the room.
'Do you believe this talk of peace?' Constantine asked them. 'I fear this may only be another of the sultan's tricks to distract us while he prepares some fresh devilry.'
'Whether the sultan truly seeks peace is beside the point,' Sphrantzes said. 'We must take him at his word. The question is: what are we willing to sacrifice to obtain peace? Increased tribute to the sultan is certain, as is an expanded Turkish quarter. But are we willing to sacrifice our Black Sea provinces? The Morea even?'
'I long for peace, but I do not wish to save Constantinople only to lose my empire,' Constantine said. 'I would rather fight, so long as we stand a chance. What say you, Longo? Can we hold the walls if the sultan's demands are too great?'
'I do not know, My Lord,' Longo replied. 'The men are hungry and tired. Every day they grow weaker. We desperately need reinforcements. If the Turks attack now, it will be a close-fought battle. I cannot predict the outcome, but I will tell you this: no price is too great to pay for peace.'