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Authors: Linda Chaikin
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small but strategic port of St. Symeon was located near Antioch, and a main road led from the dock to the gates of the fortified city.
“That is my destination also,” Tancred told him.
“A Genoese fleet will leave soon. And you? A man of your breeding will undoubtedly fare well. What do you seek at Constantinople?”
“Lady Helena Lysander. She may now be in the custody of Philip the Noble.” Or married to Philip or Prince Kalid at Antioch….
The smooth dark brows arched in wonder. Again he measured Tancred. “You play with very high stakes.”
“The prize is well worth the risk.”
“A man to admire sits before me. If I can be of help, you have merely to ask.”
“There is something,” Tancred said. “I have enemies in the city as you already know. I cannot risk being seen and reported to Philip or Irene. I and Bardas would take refuge in the Genoese quarter.”
“Then you and your servant will be my guests,” Rainald offered. “It will be some time before the fleet sets sail for St. Symeon. Philip will not easily find you.”
Behind the Veil / The Royal Pavilions boo k3 / Linda Chaikin
Chapte r 7
Return to Constantinople
Alone in the fashionable rooms that Rainald had provided, Tancred opened a window which looked directly onto the cloistered quarter of wealthy Genoese merchants. Beyond the walls that ran along the seaward side of the quarter, the wharves and quays were crowded with seamen’s houses on pilings over the water. The city within a city was built near a triangular point of land that opened onto the mouth of the Bosporus. Ships from all the known ports could be seen moving from the open sea, and through the strait of the four-mile-long horn.
Across the Bosporus, dark under gathering clouds, lay the hills of Asia. Nicaea was there, recently under Byzantine rule, and farther east beyond the mountains the great city of Antioch was under siege by the western princes.
The problem now facing Tancred was immense. To confront Philip in his own arena was to place himself once more to great risk. Philip’s grand ambitions drove him to stoop to most any level for political esteem and position. His pride had awakened an insatiable drive for power, no doubt influenced by his mother Irene, who at times exhibited—what seemed to Tancred—behavior bordering on insanity. As for Helena, the worst may have befallen her since he’d last seen her at the summer house.
Rufus came to mind as a critical source of information. Somehow he must be contacted with a message. Captain Rainald’s unexpected return provided the opportunity Tancred needed. Emperor Alexius was to receive a group of Genoese to discuss the need to take the port of St. Symeon in order to open up a supply route for the western armies.
“With a bribe, I might somehow get a message to this bodyguard friend of yours named Rufus,” Rainald suggested.
During the days of waiting, Tancred moved about the Genoese quarter, cautious not to remain in one place for long. If only his faithful Moorish friend, Hakeem, were here! Tancred had not heard from him since he had sent him ahead to Antioch. Could anything have befallen him at the hands of either Mosul or Kalid? Kalid did not know Hakeem by sight, but Mosul knew him well.
The streets were full of spies; Tancred could trust no one. Even confiding in Rainald was a risk, but one he must take. So far, the Genoese captain had done nothing to warrant suspicion, and Tancred needed an ally. As for Bardas, clothed as a monk, he was continually on watch in the gardens around the Sacred Palace searching for any hint that Helena remained in her chambers under the control of Irene and Philip.
Several more days passed before Rainald met with the emperor. Tancred was in disguise, waiting in the public stables, moving among the stalls of fine-blooded horses, and examining the chariots. A slave came toward him leading an Arabian mare, sleek
“That is my destination also,” Tancred told him.
“A Genoese fleet will leave soon. And you? A man of your breeding will undoubtedly fare well. What do you seek at Constantinople?”
“Lady Helena Lysander. She may now be in the custody of Philip the Noble.” Or married to Philip or Prince Kalid at Antioch….
The smooth dark brows arched in wonder. Again he measured Tancred. “You play with very high stakes.”
“The prize is well worth the risk.”
“A man to admire sits before me. If I can be of help, you have merely to ask.”
“There is something,” Tancred said. “I have enemies in the city as you already know. I cannot risk being seen and reported to Philip or Irene. I and Bardas would take refuge in the Genoese quarter.”
“Then you and your servant will be my guests,” Rainald offered. “It will be some time before the fleet sets sail for St. Symeon. Philip will not easily find you.”
Behind the Veil / The Royal Pavilions boo k3 / Linda Chaikin
Chapte r 7
Return to Constantinople
Alone in the fashionable rooms that Rainald had provided, Tancred opened a window which looked directly onto the cloistered quarter of wealthy Genoese merchants. Beyond the walls that ran along the seaward side of the quarter, the wharves and quays were crowded with seamen’s houses on pilings over the water. The city within a city was built near a triangular point of land that opened onto the mouth of the Bosporus. Ships from all the known ports could be seen moving from the open sea, and through the strait of the four-mile-long horn.
Across the Bosporus, dark under gathering clouds, lay the hills of Asia. Nicaea was there, recently under Byzantine rule, and farther east beyond the mountains the great city of Antioch was under siege by the western princes.
The problem now facing Tancred was immense. To confront Philip in his own arena was to place himself once more to great risk. Philip’s grand ambitions drove him to stoop to most any level for political esteem and position. His pride had awakened an insatiable drive for power, no doubt influenced by his mother Irene, who at times exhibited—what seemed to Tancred—behavior bordering on insanity. As for Helena, the worst may have befallen her since he’d last seen her at the summer house.
Rufus came to mind as a critical source of information. Somehow he must be contacted with a message. Captain Rainald’s unexpected return provided the opportunity Tancred needed. Emperor Alexius was to receive a group of Genoese to discuss the need to take the port of St. Symeon in order to open up a supply route for the western armies.
“With a bribe, I might somehow get a message to this bodyguard friend of yours named Rufus,” Rainald suggested.
During the days of waiting, Tancred moved about the Genoese quarter, cautious not to remain in one place for long. If only his faithful Moorish friend, Hakeem, were here! Tancred had not heard from him since he had sent him ahead to Antioch. Could anything have befallen him at the hands of either Mosul or Kalid? Kalid did not know Hakeem by sight, but Mosul knew him well.
The streets were full of spies; Tancred could trust no one. Even confiding in Rainald was a risk, but one he must take. So far, the Genoese captain had done nothing to warrant suspicion, and Tancred needed an ally. As for Bardas, clothed as a monk, he was continually on watch in the gardens around the Sacred Palace searching for any hint that Helena remained in her chambers under the control of Irene and Philip.
Several more days passed before Rainald met with the emperor. Tancred was in disguise, waiting in the public stables, moving among the stalls of fine-blooded horses, and examining the chariots. A slave came toward him leading an Arabian mare, sleek
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