Siege

'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.'

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.