Portrait of Shade

by Benjamin Ford

  Spiridon nodded as he withdrew a small leather pouch from within the folds of his robes. He unfastened it from his belt and handed it to Eudora, who tipped its contents into the palm of her hand.

  She was astonished to find she held the thick gold-link pendant with the large oval amethyst attached. ‘Your pendant,’ she gasped. ‘You are giving this to me?’

  ‘Indeed I am. You require it to complete your task, and it will be safe in your possession. It can never be taken from you, nor may coercion be used to force you into parting with it. You must give it freely to another, such are the properties of the jewels.’

  ‘I won’t ask how that’s possible, because I don’t think I’ll understand the answer.’

  ‘They exist in this place, but they are from our own dimension. Even I cannot explain it. I just accept it to be so.’

  Eudora slipped the gold chain around her neck, forgetting all modesty as the stepped naked from beneath the silk sheets to admire the pendant’s beauty in a small wall-mounted mirror. ‘It really is a beautiful piece,’ she sighed, ‘as are the ring and especially the amulet.’ She turned to Spiridon. ‘Speaking of which, who has the amulet?’

  ‘My brother made a gift of it to the Sultan some weeks ago.’

  ‘Do you think he will willingly part with it?’

  ‘When you are dressed we shall call on him and see.

  * * *

  Passing on his way to the courtyard for his morning walk, Diocletian heard a female voice that somehow seemed oddly familiar. He pressed his ear to Dušan’s door, straining to hear the conversation within, but the voices were gone. All was silent within Dušan’s chamber, and his vague sense of uneasy recognition disappeared.

  He shook his head and continued on his way, believing he must have been mistaken, but had not walked very far when something made him turn back to Dušan’s chamber. He ducked quickly into another doorway as Spiridon came out, and as he cautiously peered around the doorframe, Diocletian wondered who the woman accompanying his enemy was. She wore a flowing blue silk kaftan, elaborately embroidered with gold stitching, her head concealed by a matching cowl. He could not readily identify her, yet there was something disturbingly familiar about her.

  A lost memory flashed into his mind, unbidden. ‘No!’ he gasped, a new sense of terror enveloping him. ‘It is not possible. It cannot be!’

  As they rounded the corner, Diocletian followed at a discreet distance. He had to know. He had to see the woman’s face. He had to be sure.

  But they were heading for Selim’s quarters, and Diocletian knew he had no hope of getting past the Sultan’s Janissary. He therefore changed tact, heading instead for the catacombs. Cassandra would tell him what he wanted to know.

  If his assumption were right, he would have no alternative than to expedite his plans and act immediately.

  * * *

  She laughs, for she can smell his fear. She can feel his palpable sense of triumph, victory almost within his grasp. She knows success will not be hers this day, and so she lays the foundations for the future. She brings him to her Inner Sanctum.

  * * *

  ‘Dušan, my friend,’ Selim called as Spiridon and Eudora were admitted into his antechamber. ‘What may I do for you?’

  Spiridon stepped to one side and motioned Eudora forward. ‘I have someone here who wishes to meet you, Excellency.’

  Selim gazed appraisingly at Eudora, indicating that she should remove her cowl as more than a flicker of interest illuminated his eyes. ‘Do you have a name, Daughter of the Heavens?’ he asked, moving slowly closer.

  Eudora frowned. ‘Daughter of the Heavens?’

  ‘Beauty such as yours can be forged only in the heavens,’ Selim sighed, his eyes glazed.

  Spiridon and Eudora exchanged momentary glances. As Spiridon motioned her forward slightly, it seemed clear to Eudora that Cassandra had exerted her will over the Sultan, and she concealed her relief. Whilst history might recall her as the Sultan’s concubine, it seemed likely she would be able to achieve her goal without going that far. The man seemed totally enraptured by her very presence. She smiled sweetly. ‘I am known as Theodora,’ she said.

  ‘Queen of Atlantis!’ Selim glanced up at Spiridon. ‘So, you spoke the truth, Spiridon!’

  ‘You must continue to call me Dušan, Excellency. Diocletian – Dion Taine – must not hear you call me by my real name. He must remain convinced that I have not yet returned. He must also not discover Theodora’s presence, which is why I have brought her to you. Your private harem chambers are the most secure place within the Seraglio.’

  Selim agreed readily. ‘Indeed, you are most welcome to share in my hospitality, my dear,’ he muttered, his mind already formulating plans for the future. This woman would be a great asset indeed, providing she could corroborate her identity: a marriage of the great Ottoman Empire to the legendary Atlantis would create the most powerful dynastic empire in the world.

  Oh, the prestige it would bring him, revealing to the entire world that he knew the whereabouts of Atlantis – and that he was to marry its Queen!

  His eyes gleamed lustfully at the thoughts.

  Theodora would make the perfect wife, but he knew he would have to tread with inordinate care, otherwise his own greed and avarice would destroy his plans.

  The Sultan was not as repellent as Eudora had feared, though he was not what she would term handsome. She had to admit, though, that despite his be-whiskered face, most of the other rumours she had read about Selim appeared unfounded. He seemed intelligent and quite sensitive really, and he clearly had a great deal of paternal affection for the boy, Dušan. Perhaps he was not the megalomaniacal drunkard about whom she had read.

  She knew what must be done, and though not particularly looking forward to the prospect, she still held on to the belief that she could achieve it without debasing herself.

  She bowed low. ‘I humbly thank you, Excellency, for your most generous hospitality.’

  Spiridon turned to the Sultan. ‘Excellency, if I might take my leave of you? I must find my brother.’

  Selim frowned. ‘Your brother has still not returned?’

  Spiridon shook his head. ‘I fear the worst, Excellency. I must consult once more with Cassandra. ‘

  ‘Is that wise?’ Still Selim had not set eyes upon the Great Visionary, for which he was grateful. He believed more strongly than ever in the rumours concerning her powers, and he had not failed to notice that the two people who had survived a meeting with the Seer were Dion Taine and Dušan.

  ‘She is all seeing. She will know what has happened to Konstantin. Fear not, Excellency, I shall be quite safe.’

  ‘You should take two of my guards.’

  Spiridon held up a hand. ‘No, Excellency, I must make this journey alone.’

  ‘As you wish, my friend. Take care.’

  Realising he was dismissed, Spiridon turned to Eudora. ‘I shall return,’ he said, reaching out to kiss the back of her hand. He turned it over and kissed the palm as well. He lowered his voice. ‘And when I do, perhaps your task shall be complete.’

  Gently caressing his cheek, Eudora smiled. ‘Perhaps it will!’

  As Spiridon departed he glanced over his shoulder to smile reassuringly at Eudora, and when he stepped through the doors leading from the antechamber, two of Selim’s guards closed the doors, sealing Eudora in with the Sultan.

  Selim moved to the low stone seat in front of the window, placing his posterior almost ceremoniously upon the soft cushion. He motioned for Eudora to come and sit before him. ‘So, it is just the two of us,’ he said, his eyes flashing dangerously. ‘I do not believe you to be the Queen of Atlantis. If you are, pray forgive my ignorance. But you do not behave as a Sovereign would.’

  Eudora sighed as she settled on the cushions spread over the floor. ‘You truly are astute, Excellency. You are correct. I am not the Queen of Atlantis. I am Theodora Dieudonné, and I am from the future.’

  ‘More falsehoods?’
/>   ‘No, I really am from what you would consider to be a future time.’

  ‘How is this possible? You will explain yourself, or I shall have you executed whether you be a friend to Dušan or not!’

  Tears sprang into Eudora’s eyes. ‘Do you not believe me, Excellency?’

  Selim thought for a moment. Many strange things had happened in recent weeks. As unlikely as it sounded, perhaps she was telling the truth. He was displeased to have any ambition to marry the Queen of Atlantis be dashed so abruptly, but he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. He could still make her one of his concubines… her beauty certainly was not in question. ‘Continue with your story. I shall at least listen.’

  Eudora took a deep breath, not sure how much of the truth she should reveal. ‘You are aware that both Dušan and Dion Taine are possessed by other spirits?’

  Selim nodded. ‘That much I do believe.’

  ‘Diocletian is the spirit who inhabits the body of Dion Taine. He is extremely dangerous. Not long from now he will trap Spiridon’s spirit in a painting, and this you must not prevent. Everything hangs in the balance, for it is because Spiridon’s spirit is trapped that I have been able to return to this time to complete his mission for him.’

  ‘You have come to defeat this Diocletian?’

  Eudora nodded. ‘Once his host body is dead I can return whence I came with his spirit, and those whom you love will be restored to you.’

  Selim’s eyes lit up. ‘Dušan shall be as he once was?’

  Eudora nodded again. ‘It shall be so.’

  The Sultan sat forward eagerly. ‘I would give anything to have my friend back by my side. Might a small token of my generosity perhaps suffice?’ He indicated the pendant she wore around her neck. ‘I have just the thing to go with that, my dear.’ He unfastened the sleeve of his robes, revealing the amulet secured to his wrist. Removing it, he placed it on Eudora’s right arm, pushing it up until it was wedged securely on her upper arm. ‘Think of this as payment in advance for ridding us of this Diocletian and for restoring Dušan. Be warned; if you have lied to me, rest assured you shall not live!’

  Eudora smiled. ‘Have no fear. All shall be as it once was.’

  * * *

  As he approached the secret entrance that led down to the catacombs, Spiridon knew in his heart that Diocletian had eliminated Constantine. He realised it could have been only a matter of time before it happened, yet still a great sadness weighed upon his heart, knowing he would have no opportunity to say farewell to his brother.

  ‘No matter,’ he whispered as he lifted the tapestry to reveal the hidden door. ‘I shall be his next victim, and I shall be reunited with Constantine in the next life.’ It was an immutable certainty that he would die at the hands of Diocletian, but he knew he must do everything within his power to ensure the success of Theodora’s task.

  Spiridon reached for the secret catch to open the door, but as he did so, the door swung open and Diocletian appeared.

  They faced one another, silent with shock. Spiridon backed away slightly as Diocletian stared deep into his eyes, realising the time had come to cease the pretence. ‘What have you done with Constantine, Diocletian?’

  Diocletian let the secret door shut behind him as he advanced on his adversary. He threw back his head and laughed. ‘So, you realise the folly of your deception at last, Spiridon. This time I shall be the victor! Constantine is dead, and you shall be next!’

  ‘Perhaps, but it does not end here, Diocletian. You might kill me, but our battle is far from over. We shall live again in another lifetime. You know that.’

  ‘I think not! You have tried to deceive me before, but the Great Visionary has given me the gift of her powers.’

  Spiridon instinctively knew this to be no idle boast. Cassandra must know what she is doing, he thought. I trust in her, as I trust in Theodora.

  He turned and ran, the sounds of Diocletian’s laughter echoing hollowly down the corridor behind him. ‘Run, Spiridon, run, much good shall it do you. There is no place for you to hide. I can find you wherever you go.’

  And in the blinking of an eye, Diocletian vanished.

  * * *

  She smiles, sensing the time fast approaches. She waves her hand at Makdil, who vanishes from her side; she has no further use for his services as Custodian. In her brazier, she sees her two Observers; she waves her hand through the flames, freeing them from their bonds of servitude. She summons her handmaidens, Galina and Isis, who stand mutely before her; she tells them that their time in this world is over and that they shall one day be reborn. They die on the spot as she waves her hand before them.

  She opens her other hand and looks upon the amethyst ring.

  Diocletian, vain fool that he has become, has graciously given her the ring as a gift in payment for use of her powers to be rid of Spiridon. She smiles. All goes as has been ordained.

  She stands and vanishes from her inner sanctum. She has the power for one final task before handing the ring to its rightful owner.

  * * *

  Spiridon approached his chambers at a run, skidding to a halt as a figure materialised before him. He was relieved to find it was Cassandra. She glided towards him as if in a trance, and held onto both his hands tightly. He felt a spark of energy flow through her fingers to him, and instantly felt three objects encircle various parts of his body. He instinctively knew them to be the amulet, the pendant and the ring.

  Cassandra stepped back, smiled at him and ducked into a doorway as footsteps approached. ‘You know what to do,’ she whispered. ‘Be brave, and be bold!’

  Spiridon acted upon impulse. He entered his chambers, and then closed the door firmly behind him, bolting it securely. He sensed movement to the left of him, but moved too late.

  Diocletian lunged at him, impaling him with one of Dušan’s own scimitars, twisting it savagely and laughing in insane exultation as Spiridon collapsed to the floor, dead.

  A sudden loud banging on the door interrupted his moment of triumph. ‘Open up, Diocletian!’

  He recognised the Sultan’s voice with irritation. He would have to act fast, but it seemed Spiridon might have been correct.

  I must face the fact that I am to die in this life, but Spiridon’s spirit shall be safe within the painting. When my time of rebirth comes, then I shall have my final revenge!

  He raised his hands high and began intoning the dark magic. Outside the sky darkened and thunder rumbled; the ground quaked, shaking ornaments and cushions from their resting places, but Diocletian ignored everything, focussing on Spiridon’s corpse and the painting.

  A purple aura enveloped both Spiridon’s body and the painting, and as the Sultan’s guards broke down the door and crowded into the room, they watched mesmerised as Spiridon’s spirit was seemingly ripped screaming from his dead body. There was a rush of air as the screaming purple figure hurtled through the air past their startled eyes to disappear into the painting.

  The painting stopped glowing, the sky returned to its usual blue, and as the ground stopped quaking, Diocletian turned to gloat at the gathered people, but could only watch wordlessly as Selim stepped forward with his jewelled scimitar drawn. It was over before Diocletian knew what had happened, and he crumpled to the floor beside Spiridon’s body, his throat slit.

  Eudora, who had hovered in the doorway, stepped into the room, aghast at the carnage. She had not realised Spiridon’s physical body would be so savagely slaughtered. How could she keep her word to the Sultan now? Dušan would not be restored to him after all.

  She had failed. She had not obtained the ring. Miserably she started to sob, but was astonished when someone pushed her out of the way. She looked up to see who was so eager to gain entry to Spiridon’s chambers, and gasped when she saw Cassandra.

  ‘Everything is as it should be,’ Cassandra said with a sigh.

  ‘How can it be?’ snapped Eudora. ‘Spiridon’s dead, and I haven’t got the ring!’

  Cassandra held
out her left hand, and Eudora was surprised to see the ring lying there in the Seer’s upturned palm. ‘This is my gift for you, Theodora,’ she said. ‘Take it and be gone from this place. Return to Spiridon’s side so you might save the future from Diocletian’s wrath!’

  Eudora took the ring and put it on, hugging Cassandra with gratitude. She faced Selim. ‘Dušan will be returned to life, but not in this time. I am sorry.’

  She turned away from him before he could say anything, and took a flying leap at the painting, which dissolved around her and devoured her.

  * * *

  Eudora was relieved when she felt the painting dissolve around her, and she knew the task had been a success. There was no longer any doubt in her mind that she had been told the truth.

  Spiridon awaited her. He steadied her as she flew through the air, and she halted in rippling puddles of swirling multi-hued paint eddies without actually touching them.

  ‘Why didn’t you tell me?’ she asked as she touched his cheek sadly. ‘Is that all we are to have, one night of exquisite passion?’

  Spiridon caressed the back of her hand tenderly. ‘Yes, my Queen, until we are reunited in Atlantis, which is why our quest is doubly important.’

  ‘Well my mission has been accomplished!’ Eudora said as she revealed the three Power Jewels. She inspected the chain of the pendant around her neck. ‘Look!’ she cried as she showed Spiridon the couple of twisted links in the chain. ‘This is the same pendant that I received for my eighteenth birthday! The chain was like that when I received it. Because it was an antique, I never had it fixed. It added to its charm, and I always wondered how it happened.’

  ‘Are you any wiser for your excursion into the past?’ asked Spiridon.

  Eudora shook her head. ‘It didn’t occur while I was in Constantinople. Perhaps it happened before you left Atlantis?’

  Spiridon shrugged. ‘I do not recall it being damaged while in my possession, and when I brought it from Atlantis it was in perfect condition. It must have been damaged some time after that.’

  ‘So, where’s the other you then?’