The Strange Round Bird: Or the Poet, the King, and the Mysterious Men in Black

by Eden Unger Bowditch

  A brother may choose a uniform blending humility with a ferocity to guide their guardian position. A brother may be inspired by a hero, like Robin Hood or King Arthur or Boudicea. A brother may find his mantle in the strength of a bear or lion. Or a brother may be moved by a gentle creature, like a rabbit or bird. He may choose to wear the frock and bonnet of a woman. A brother is taught simply this: “Never be deceived by a bonnet. Power comes in many forms.” A new acolyte recently selected D’Artagnan, the musketeer. To each his own.

  Sometimes, more than one brother will find inspiration from the same source. Here, they simply make each interpretation their own. As for a particular hat passed along, from one brother to another, this happens. A worn hat may be passed down to an acolyte from an Order retiree. It is tradition that a brother who lives out his life in service to the end will have the choice. His mantle can be passed down or hung on the wall of the temple at the palace of Suleiman.

  The brothers, once they have been vetted and selected, reside in the small sanctuaries of Suleiman. Some from Italy in Solemano. Some in America. Among other places, Havre de Salomon in France, Süleyman Caisleán in Ireland, Prístav Sulejman in Slovakia, Сулејман Манор in Montenegro. Harbors and palaces in the country of Turkey, in Constantinople, rather, Istanbul, the home of Suleiman and where he lays now.

  In retirement, there is always room, in all of the lands of Suleiman, for the knights to remain. They can marry and live out their years in one of the castles, chateaus, or villages that fell under their protection. In this sense, service is for life. They must never truly depart. The sons of Solemano or young acolytes from Malta receive the finest education in both the arts of the academy and the arts of war, combat, and athletics, as well as farming, cooking, baking, and other crafts.

  In fact, education is also offered to families, other sons and daughters in academic disciplines. The bravest and most competent are selected for service within the brotherhood. Others might work with brothers in Malta or help with generational preparations. This is how the great brothers in the black warrior line continues.

  ROXALENE,

  THE NEFARIOUS KOR,

  AND

  THE SECRET LABORATORY

  OF SULEIMAN

  or The Story of Roxalene

  A king, a slave, and the power to end the world—these are all elements of Roxalene’s story. She was loved with the love of an empire. And it was this love that nearly destroyed the world.

  Suleiman was the most powerful and greatest leader as the emperor of the Ottoman Empire. Under his watch, the empire rose to its greatest heights. But Suleiman had one weakness—the beautiful Roxalene. When she came into his life, he was blind to all other women. Suleiman called her Hürrem Sultanm, which means “Cheerful One,” for she was his cheerful companion. As was customary for his position, he had many consorts in his harem. These were the mothers of his children and the companions who shared his life. He cared for these women as was expected for a man of his position. However, Roxalene (sometimes also written Roxalena) was the only woman he ever loved. And she had the emperor’s heart in the palm of her hand.

  The story of Roxalene is extraordinary. But the woman herself was no less extraordinary. Roxalene had been a slave brought from the Ukraine after a conquest in Russia. It is said that her father had been a clergyman in the church in their homeland. She was very clever and she soon developed a reputation for her storytelling and humor. Word of this interesting slave came to Suleiman’s attention. It is said that he fell desperately in love with her and continued to fall ever deeper in love until a certain madness seemed to overtake him. His poetry and other writing reflect this. Only his son, Mustafa, and Suleiman’s art and science—for he still had a special room in his palace where he would work in gold leaf, write his poetry, and work on his inventions—were his only distractions until Roxalene came and captured his heart.

  All of his art from that time onward seemed to be moved by this love. To Suleiman, she was beauty itself. Roxalene, too, cared for her imperial companion. She loved him too for his brilliance, his beauty, and his power.

  She was no fool, however. Knowing how Suleiman loved her, she wanted to secure her position and the position of her own children with Suleiman, especially their son, Selim. Roxalene demanded that he marry her and make her his legal wife. This would elevate her above the other women in the sultan’s harem. Very few sultans in the history of the Ottoman Empire, at least any since the thirteenth century, had ever married.

  There was never a need since sultans could have any woman they chose and as many as they wanted. They had harems full of women who bore them children. For a sultan to be required to share some power with a wife was historically undesirable. Suleiman, however, would have done anything for his beautiful Roxalene. He gladly put on a public celebration of their union that was heard about throughout Europe and the Ottoman world.

  Roxalene had great plans for her own position, as well as strong opinions of how she wanted certain things to be done in the palace. She soon became a powerful force in her husband’s court. She wanted to move into a position that helped her demonstrate her power. This was a challenging time for Suleiman. His vizier was his lifelong friend whom he trusted without question. This did not sit well with Roxalene. Negative rumors arose about Suleiman’s childhood friend, Makbul, and they led to the man’s execution.

  It was then that Roxalene recommended the appointment of Rüstem Pasha Opuković, who secretly promised to help propel her own son to power. What Suleiman did not know was the promise Roxalene had already given Rüstem. As governor, Rüstem urged Roxalene to offer her daughter to him as a union of strength. In exchange, he would help Roxalene further her ambitions.

  One more demand from Rüstem was the hardest for Suleiman to accept. Roxalene insisted that Rüstem be offered the hand of their daughter, Mihirimah Sultan. Suleiman did not want to give his daughter away, for she was dear to him, not to mention a trusted voice and a wise helper. But, again, he faithfully followed his wife’s advice and accepted this union. Rüstem Pasha Opuković would then more easily move into his role as vizier.

  The Nefarious Kor

  In addition to his own place in court, Rüstem Pasha Opuković brought with him his “cousin,” though no formal documentation exists for their relation. Rüstem suggested that Kotlic Moklutuk Ram, known as Kor, be Roxalene’s own advisor. Suleiman accepted this arrangement because it made his wife happy. He would later remember a cold shiver running down his spine when he looked at his vizier standing side by side with Kor. Was it something in their eyes or in their smirk? But he questioned his own judgment. He was still deeply shaken by the apparent betrayal of his friend, Makbul.

  Kor stepped into his position as if it had been waiting for him. Soon, he was never far from his queen’s side, never far from a whisper of dark encouragement in her ear. His words were like the eggs of a serpent. No power was too great for Roxalene, no wall too strong to be broken down, and no man’s life too important to be spared.

  With Kor as her advisor, Roxalene changed. She turned from supporting her husband to building power for herself. She gained additional power when Suleiman’s vizier was removed, and she then began to plot the removal of Suleiman’s beloved son and heir, Mustafa. The young man was almost of age and stood to inherit the throne from his father.

  She listened to the plans laid out by Kor. Of Kor, little is written. But what there is consists of odd things about him that disturbed people close to Suleiman and was passed on to Roxalene. In many private diaries and journals from the time, there are references to Kor’s appearance. All seem to indicate that he had small dark eyes and, some claim, only half of a moustache on his lip.

  Kor seemed to be setting the stage for Roxalene’s taking over. With the promise of power for young Selim, Roxalene was able to shed the warmth she felt for Mustafa. Kor convinced her that the older boy, who was so beloved by his father, was all that stood between her and ultimate power. Kor fed her d
reams of splendor in which she was at the helm and her boy king followed her wishes. And, so, the dark plans were set.

  Roxalene and Kor devised a web of lies to eliminate Mustafa. They began to set in motion a plot to move Selim into Mustafa’s place as heir to the throne. Roxalene would appoint Kor as chief advisor to Selim. Kor, it seems, had plans to remain as puppet master with sinister intent.

  Suleiman had begun to think of him as the fiendish, nefarious force tearing apart his marriage. The emperor would later refer to him only as “The Nefarious Kor.” Roxalene was blinded by her thirst for power and, at the heart of it, her jealousy for time he spent working on his science and invention, something she knew nothing about. Like a vulture, Kor was able to move in and feast on this discord and help it to grow.

  The Secret Laboratory of Suleiman

  (and What Grew There)

  Although his love for his wife had not lessened, Suleiman became truly focused on the greatest of his inventions, which took enormous amounts of his time. As he prepared to protect his own future, he did not realize that his Roxalene planned to bring it eventually to an end. Betrayal was about to break the heart of the man who had raised the power of an empire.

  Suleiman gradually grew unhappy about his wife, but he was absorbed in the thrill of his amazing invention and the work necessary to protect it. He hired Mimar Sinan, an architect, to design a great laboratory. A hundred craftsmen were to build the laboratory, according to Sinnan’s plans. Each craftsman would know only a portion of the design. Keeping pieces apart was how Suleiman felt safest. No one knew exactly what they were building. Soon, he would bring it all together and there would be a home for the brilliant invention he called Il Magna.

  It is clear, from all that is written, that it was not the hubris, the pride, of a great leader that drove Suleiman. It was not personal wealth or power that made Il Magna the focus of his life. Suleiman believed that such an invention could bring glory to his kingdom. The world would come to respect the Ottomans, and Suleiman could bring enlightenment to his savage empire. His kingdom would prove its intellectual power and culture as the equal of the rich minds of Europe, or greater.

  Roxalene did not understand. She did not understand the idea of the greater good. She had come from slavery and loss and built her own life around being the most powerful woman in the Ottoman Empire. She understood the climb of personal success. Why did her husband want to do so much for the people he ruled? Why work so hard in secret on something that did not directly bring him reward and fame? And took time from his wife? Was she not most important?

  To her, Suleiman tried to explain why the invention was so vital, for generations to come, for every citizen, rich and poor. He tried to explain why he spent so many hours with Sinan, the architect. But this only made her furious. None of his excuses explained why he wanted to spend time away from her. But she did understand that what he had equaled power. She understood that to show the Europeans that the Ottomans were not an empire of savages would mean an even greater fortune for the Empire. This would benefit her baby son, Selim, when he took the throne. Suleiman dismissed the worry he felt when she spoke of Selim, for he knew it was Mustafa who would rule, not the spoilt boy who wanted only what would bring him immediate pleasure and never did anything to show kindness to others or to improve his mind.

  Suleiman went to Malta to find the men who would become The Brothers in Black. When Suleiman was ready to share his plans with his seven-man team of scientists, he sent brothers to the seven to transport them and their tools. The scientists—Maharaja Hemu Rajesh Khan Vigyanveta, Amina Omorfi Zakia, Sheriff Bannak O-sze Mbatu Salaam, Veritée Caitin Becquerel, Vespucci Canto, and Vincitore Sagas—all agreed to come to his fantastic laboratory.

  The only sign of the laboratory was the elegant glass tower, built to specifications, in the center of a beautiful field of poppies. This tower, however, would never lead to the secret laboratory. Suleiman knew that a laboratory holding such an immense treasure would need to be much more secret than a glass tower in full view. As Roxalene stood beside her husband, Kor scrutinized the field as if plans were being made for him alone. This worried the sultan. He ordered the doors of the tower to be shut. He changed the tunnels that led to the laboratory and, instead, had the tunnel from the tower lead back to the palace. He placed a guard there with the mandate of arresting anyone who tried to enter. Suleiman had confided his concerns to his son, Mustafa. Mustafa said, “Do not be so critical, Father. Your wife has faith in her advisor.” Mustafa searched for the good in everyone. He simply could not see evil or deception. But Mustafa was only twenty and, like his father, his head was full of poetry. Mustafa was gentle. He could never see ill will.

  Suleiman, however, saw clearly. He observed the servant behaving as if he was her husband. The king tried to dismiss his own feelings as those of a jealous lover, but he felt more than simple jealousy. Suleiman felt a stone in his belly. He had not trusted Kor from the moment the man had arrived, suspecting that he had come for purposes other than to serving the queen.

  He often looked back at how Kor’s presence came about. Rüstem Pasha Opuković, his governor, had become vizier and brought Kor with him. How had Rüstem Pasha Opuković suddenly taken this position? How had Suleiman agreed to let this man marry his daughter? The sudden dismissal of three other advisors and the sudden death of the fourth had raised suspicions. But Suleiman had been so absorbed in his work, he had let this (and much more) pass. That said, he never fully confided in Rüstem Pasha Opuković, as one would confide in a vizier. He trusted him only when it came to affairs of state. He told Rüstem Pasha Opuković nothing of Il Magna, even though the man continued to insinuate himself in Suleiman’s discussions.

  Then, from Suleiman’s throne room, documents went missing. Suleiman suspected Kor the thief and, upon searching, the sultan found the documents in Kor’s chambers. Thankfully, these were only partial blueprints of one section of the laboratory. But Suleiman now recognized that Kor was wise to the secret plans. The thief may not have seen the whole design for thelaboratory, but he had seen enough to tempt him to steal more. Suleiman decided not to confront him. He knew he would never get the truth from Kor. The man always seemed to have a lie on his lips. Only the mad desire for power was visible on Kor’s face.

  Instead, the sultan would fool the thief. Suleiman quickly changed some of the wording on the stolen plans. He deftly altered a few sketches, now showing routes and rooms where there were none. He replaced the stolen plans and left the thief to lose himself in a maze that didn’t exist. Let Kor try to find the laboratory now.

  The tower was only the first deception. From then on, Suleiman decided to lay out the false plans and allow them to be stolen. After that, all aspects of the laboratory would be constructed in total secrecy.

  So he began to redraft. Without telling his wife, and telling only Sinan the architect, Suleiman made other changes. It would take a thousand workers to complete the structure but, assured Sinan, it could be done and the secrets kept. The architect drew up plans with mazes and false passages that would rival those of the ancient Egyptian tomb builders of the Middle Kingdom. He built turning floors and revolving walls. He turned tunnels into false passages that led to nothing.

  All the while, though, the stone grew in the sultan’s stomach. He didn’t want to build a wall between himself and his Roxalene. That had not been part of the plan. But, guided by painful distrust, he kept the truth from his wife so that it would be safe from her advisor. With every deception he crafted to deceive Kor, Suleiman felt he was moving farther from his love. And yet, he knew he had no choice.

  So elaborate were the secret plans that he grew certain that the invention of Il Magna would remain safe and hidden. No one, by accident or with nefarious intent, would ever make his way through its passages except for Suleiman’s trusted few. No robber, thief, or advisor could steal the world’s most dangerous invention.

  Within weeks of the laboratory’s completion, The Brot
hers in Black led the procession. Elephants, boats, and horses arrived at the palace, carrying upon them the greatest minds of the world, as well as all of the materials the inventors brought to build their invention. Suleiman stood at the top of the steps to greet his visitors. His wife stood at his side and, beside her, was Kor. In the words of Suleiman, “I begged her, speaking in a near silence to my Rossa, ‘I asked you to keep that man from coming today,’ and she turned to me with stone in her eyes and said, ‘I will go nowhere without him,’ and I found this was true. I, Suleiman, king and ruler, could never speak with my wife without the beady-eyed Kor around.”

  Thus, Suleiman insisted that his wife and her advisor stay behind as he led the team to their new laboratory. Roxalene went off in a fury, but Suleiman knew it had to be. A thousand workers had created pieces of this place and the pieces had all been put together. It was a fantastic invention itself. He reveled in Kor’s frustration and soured at Roxalene’s angry looks, but he did not want Kor or Roxalene to know exactly where the laboratory was being built.

  When the scientists arrived, Kor and Roxalene were dismissed. Deaf to Roxalene’s pleas, Suleiman waited to be sure Kor and his mistress were safely inside the palace. It was then that he invited his guests to join him, to see the greatest laboratory in the world. Beyond the tower in the field was the true entrance to the labyrinth that led to the laboratory. Surprised, the scientists followed Suleiman past the tower to a place in the field where there was no structure. Suleiman smiled. This was the first defense.