Constantine nodded. 'Then let us hope that the sultan's offer is not a ruse.'
There was a knock on the door, and it opened. Dalmata stepped through. 'Grand Vizier Halil Pasha,' he pronounced.
Halil entered the council chambers and bowed low before the emperor. 'Thank you for receiving me, Your Excellency,' he said.
'You are most welcome in my city,' Constantine replied. Halil bowed again. Constantine gestured towards Sphrantzes, who rose and bowed. 'This is George Sphrantzes, my most trusted advisor, who I believe you have met.'
'A pleasure to see you again, Vizier,' Sphrantzes said to Halil.
'And this,' Constantine continued, 'is Signor Giustiniani, the commander of the city's defences.'
Longo rose but did not speak. He stood stiffly, jaw clenched and his hand on his sword as his mind filled with painful memories. Standing before him was the man that he had hunted all these years, the man who had murdered his family.
'Signor Giustiniani?' Sphrantzes asked, but Longo barely heard him over the blood pounding in his temples. He felt oddly detached from the world, as if his rage had somehow severed the link between his body and his soul.
When Longo spoke, his voice was quiet and hard. 'It is a pleasure to see you again, Halil Pasha. I have looked forward to this meeting for a long time.'
'My apologies, but I do not recognize you. We have met before?'
'We have indeed.' Longo drew his sword.
'What treachery is this!' Halil exclaimed, backing away into the corner.
'I was only a child, living near Salonika,' Longo continued, ignoring Halil's protest. He took a step towards the grand vizier. 'You burned my home and killed my brother. You took me captive and forced me into the janissaries. You had my parents gutted and left for the wolves.' Longo took another step and raised his sword.
Constantine stepped between the two men. 'Think of what you are doing!' He hissed. 'This is our one chance at peace. If you kill him, then we may well all die.'
Longo paused. He had devoted his life to the death of this one man. How could he simply let him go? What did it matter what happened afterwards so long as Halil was dead? Longo looked at the grand vizier, cringing in the corner. 'You do not understand,' he told Constantine. He pushed past the emperor and strode to Halil, who shrank back and raised his hands in a futile attempt to protect himself.
'He is a madman!' Halil cried. 'Somebody stop him!'
But there was no one to stop him. Longo raised his sword high, but then paused. An image of Sofia had flashed into his mind, an image of her as she had looked last night. He had sworn then that he would never leave her. He had sworn that he would protect her. If he killed Halil, then he would not just be sacrificing Sofia, but all of Constantinople. Longo lowered his sword. 'Count yourself lucky,' he told Halil. 'And pray that we never meet again.' He sheathed his sword and headed for the door.
'I remember you, now,' Halil said, stopping Longo in the doorway. Halil had straightened himself and regained his aloof demeanour. 'Enforcing devshirme in Salonika was a nasty business. I made examples of so many people. But I remember you, in particular.' Halil fingered the long scar running down his cheek. 'I could have had you killed for what you did to me that day. You owe me your life.'
Longo stood unmoving in the doorway for a moment, his head bowed. Then he raised his head and looked Halil in the eyes. 'I owe you nothing,' he spat and strode from the room. He left the palace and then kept walking, mounting the land wall and heading south towards the Sea of Marmora, some two miles off. But no matter how fast he walked, he could not outpace the memories that tormented him: his family's home in Greece; the thatch roof on fire; his brother cut down by janissaries as he struggled in vain to defend Longo; and most painful of all, his mother's face as he had last seen her. Despite all her pain, her eyes had still been alert and focused. She had looked right at Longo, silently pleading for help, for vengeance.
Longo came to a halt atop the Golden Gate and turned to face the distant Turkish camp, his hands gripping the rough stone of the tower battlement so hard that it hurt. But he hardly registered the pain; he was thinking of all the years that he had trained, of all the Turks he had killed, all so that he could avenge his parents. Now he had finally found their killer, and he had let him live. There were more important things than revenge. He knew that now.
Longo released the battlement and turned away from the Turkish army, letting his eyes follow the walls as they ran down to the Sea of Marmora, which sparkled under a cloudless sky. As he gazed out at the waters below, he spotted a lone Turkish ship tacking towards the Acropolis and the Golden Horn beyond. Longo looked more closely. He recognized that ship. It was la Fortuna!
As la Fortuna neared the Acropolis, a pair of Turkish warships set out to intercept it. La Fortuna sailed straight for them and then slowed, allowing the Turkish ships to come alongside. Longo expected Turkish sailors to storm aboard la Fortuna any second, but after a moment, the ship sailed on, unmolested. Its disguise had worked. William had returned. Longo was waiting at the dock long before la Fortuna arrived. Tristo had joined him, and a crowd had gathered on the sea walls to welcome the ship. The people cheered as the vessel slid into its place alongside the pier. William leaped down from the side of the ship before it was even moored.
Tristo stepped forward and engulfed William in a powerful hug. 'Welcome back, young pup. I knew you'd make it.'
'If you squeeze him any harder, he may not survive the welcome,' Longo said with a smile and stepped forward to embrace William. 'We missed you. Now, what news do you bring?'
'The good news first,' William said. 'Tristo, you are to be a father. Maria is with child.'
Tristo's eyebrows arched. 'A father?' he said softly. Then he grinned and slapped William on the back. 'A father!' he roared. 'I just hope the little bugger is mine.'
Longo laughed. 'Congratulations, old friend.' He turned back to William. 'And your other news?'
'Phlatanelas is dead. On our way out, we had to fight past a Turkish ship blocking the Dardanelles Straight.' William eyed the crowd. 'The rest of my news is worse still. Perhaps we had best discuss it inside.'
Longo nodded. 'I will take you to the emperor.'
Longo led William to a pair of horses. They mounted and rode for the palace to the renewed cheering of the crowd. They arrived in the great hall to find the emperor waiting for them.
'Thank God you have come,' Constantine said as William and Longo approached. 'What news do you bring? Are there more ships on the way?'
'I am sorry, My Lord, but no more help is coming from the West,' William said. 'The Venetians sit in Crete, but they refuse to move until they receive official orders from Venice. I fear the orders will take months to arrive.'
'But the pope called for a crusade!' Constantine said. 'Surely someone has answered the call.'
'We found no other ships willing to come to our aid,' William said. 'I am sorry, My Lord.'
'And what of my brothers, Demetrius and Thomas?'
William shook his head. 'Demetrius refused to see me. Thomas at least offered grain. I took as much as my ship's hold would carry.'
'You have done well, William,' Constantine said, although his slumping shoulders betrayed his disappointment. 'Now, I must return to my meeting with the vizier. Let us pray for peace, gentlemen.'
Chapter 21
William awoke to the sound of yelling. He rose and went to the window, tiptoeing so as not to wake Tristo, who shared his room. He looked out, and in the pre-dawn light he could see a man running down the street, crying out loudly as he went. All along the street men and women were stepping out of their homes, forming an excited crowd. Some people cried to the heavens, while others began to weep. Several women fainted.