Eventually, I spy a black opening in a sandy rock face. It’s nearly concealed by long grass and climbing vines. I change direction and, arriving, pull the vines aside.
Standing at the entrance, I blink a few times so my eyes can adjust to the darkness. I see scraps of dusty old fabric and a selection of battered earthenware pots. Demons with tarnished-coin scales rest against them, sleepy with time. They can muster only the will to scrape their claws along the dirt floor. If any hermit lives here, he’s absent. I step inside. In the far corner, I see an upright collection of scrolls. Some, like the pots, are attached to the lethargic demons. Piles of timber have been hidden, pushed against the cave’s rear walls.
‘Well,’ Thanatos says, unexpectedly beside me. ‘Look what we’ve found. Timber for that siege tower. You’ve got what you want. I told you I’d show you how I can help.’
That shadow was Thanatos? ‘I don’t need your help,’ I tell him. ‘I didn’t ask for this. I don’t owe you anything.’
‘I have a way of getting what I want. I can wait a long time. We can work well together, young Conte.’
Suzan
When we meet after vespers to walk to the wedding, I thread my arm through Luca’s. Since he came back to camp with news of timber to build the siege tower, he’s been avoiding me. We can’t be together—but I don’t like the new distance between us. ‘Friends?’ I ask.
He smiles stiffly.
‘Everyone is talking about you,’ I add. ‘Pleased you found the timber. They’ve had it carted to camp already and some of them are starting to build.’
‘Thanatos found it. I don’t know what his price will be.’
Mattiolas and Serafina aren’t far away. Her tunic looks white against the bonfire, her pale hair dressed around her head like a crown. Mattiolas holds her hand. They have created a makeshift altar from an upturned cart.
‘You’re here.’ Mattiolas smiles at Luca and me.
We stand beside him. Brother Bonaccorso, leaning on his sturdy walking stick, draws the sign of the cross in the air near the bride and groom. ‘Though we have many fears for the future I’m happy to be part of this blessed occasion,’ he begins.
Then, with the exchange of a few short vows, Serafina and Mattiolas are married.
After the ceremony, we drink wine from our precious, limited stores and dance around the fire. For one night, the city walls are just a dark-gold backdrop, occasionally visible between trees silhouetted in the firelight. Brother Bonaccorso, mumbling that an old man needs his sleep, leaves the party. In the morning, he tells us, he plans on retreating to a monastery until after the invasion.
Mattiolas and Serafina look happy in a way that I’ve never seen before. Luca pulls me towards him and I feel the warmth of his body against mine as we sway and reel in time with the pipes and drums of musicians who have come from all over the camp to celebrate the union.
‘You’re happy?’ I ask Luca.
He smiles, looking down at me. ‘I’m dancing with the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.’
I close my eyes, trying to force away the dread I feel when he calls me beautiful. The ugly nun. I’m more comfortable with that.
Luca holds me away.
‘Suzan? Can we go somewhere now, and be alone?’ His voice is plaintive.
To have my own desire matched by his sends a thrill through me. I’m tempted, dizzy, sickened. But…
‘Luca! Life can’t be like this for me!’
Luca pushes me slightly away and runs his fingers through his hair. ‘Do you mean because you were in a convent? Because you took vows? Women have been released from vows before. All it takes is determination…’
I catch my breath. I can hardly speak. I must stop him going on like this. I lean my face against his chest. It’s wonderful, to be close like this. It can’t last.
‘Luca, I’ve never made vows.’
Luca leans closer. He reaches for my hand. I look at our intertwined fingers and then at his warm eyes.
He leans forwards and kisses me.
Startled, I move so quickly I nearly fall. Luca catches me in his arms, his breath warm on my cheeks, my lips, his lips closing over mine again. Gently at first, then not gently. And I kiss him back. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and lean my body against his.
His lips are slightly dry, his open mouth moist, his breath quickening. I wind my fingers into his hair and hold on to him as closely as I can. Eventually he loosens his grip and, as I open my eyes, I feel as though I’m returning from another world.
What strangeness! I’m still here. Everything has changed, and nothing has. The moon is rising. An owl hoots. A whispering breeze blows up a phantom of desert sand. I can’t let this happen, but also, I can’t stop it.
‘Luca. There’s something I need to tell you.’
He leans closer, as though to kiss me again. His body is warm, his heartbeat fierce. I turn my face away.
‘My father’s love for my mother killed him.’
‘What are you talking about?’
I lead him by the hand to his tent and to the book. I show him the pictures and read the words. ‘I can’t let you love me. You saw my mother. You know it’s true.’
Gently, he closes the book. ‘Is this what’s kept you so distant all this time?’
I don’t know what to say.
‘You can’t stop me loving you!’ he continues. ‘Whatever will happen, will happen. I love you. It’s too late. You just have to trust me.’
He kisses me again, more passionately, and he isn’t hurt.
Perhaps we can do this. Perhaps.
We rejoin the dancing. Luca swings me closer. I don’t know if it’s the music or my tumbling emotions that make me dizzy. Luca is right. If he loves me anyway, then the risk is already taken.
The music pauses. Despite the bonfire, bright lights are visible a bowshot’s length away. The drummer beats once, twice. And a rumour reaches me, carried on the same kind of wave that brought the news that Jerusalem had finally been spotted. Pilgrim speaks to pilgrim, ear turns to mouth, words are passed along.
‘A saviour has been spotted!’ a young wedding guest tells me.
‘The great Cardinal Dragonus Ramberti—’ someone says.
‘Monsignor,’ Luca corrects, an expression of frustration crossing his face. ‘He died before he was made Cardinal.’
‘He did,’ the young knight agrees. ‘That’s what we’re saying. He’s back! A new saviour! Ramberti has returned from the dead.’
CHAPTER 21
The final sevennight
OUTSIDE JERUSALEM
Suzan
Luca and I step away from each other. My eyes must be as wide as his.
‘Ramberti is back?’ Luca grabs the young knight by the shoulders. ‘It’s not possible! He’s dead! He was buried in Antioch! I saw it myself!’
‘It’s a sign!’ The knight looks delighted. ‘God is pleased we’ve made it this far. He wants us to continue.’
Luca shoves the young knight away from him. ‘Ramberti gave you this message?’
‘Of course, sir.’ The young knight brushes off his tunic and straightens his shoulders. Now he’s beyond Luca’s reach, resentment bleaches his features. ‘Well, not me. I heard it from someone who heard it from someone. But who else would dare speak of resurrection?’
‘That’s right,’ Luca growls. ‘Who else?’
Luca strides to the Princes’ large silver pavilion. I struggle to keep up. From all around the camp, people approach, eager for a glimpse of the resurrected priest.
‘Luca!’ I insist. ‘Luca! What are you doing?’
He shakes his head, but doesn’t stop. ‘He can’t do this.’
‘Luca!’
He walks faster.
I run. I twist until I’m in front of him. ‘Luca!’
‘What?’
‘You’re in a trance. Stop for a moment. What are you doing?’
‘He can’t do this.’
‘You can’t cont
rol him, Luca. He’ll have planned this return for ages. We’re more likely to defeat him if we take time to think first.’
Luca gazes at me. Moonlight catches his face. He looks very distressed, and sincere.
I want to kiss him again. And I don’t. What clearer sign could I have of the danger of loving him than having his mortal enemy return from the dead the first time I give in to temptation and kiss him?
He scowls. But I can see from his changing expression that he knows I’m right.
‘There’s nothing you can do right now,’ I tell him. ‘Come with me, Luca. Back to your tent.’
He follows me, reluctantly. We sit by a small campfire.
‘Ramberti could have faked his death,’ Luca says. ‘It was sudden. His coffin was closed. But how did he get here?’
I speak slowly, thinking while the words form. ‘Maybe he was carried by his cronies. Or he could have walked, disguised as a beggar.’
‘That parchment he has,’ Luca says. ‘We need to see it.’
‘Why?’ I ask. ‘Didn’t you say it looked like something from your book? Like a copy?’
‘Yes. But a copy…don’t you see? The book changes. Other books don’t. That’s what makes my book special. The copy probably doesn’t change. We can use it to work out what Ramberti knows. What Thanatos knows. Exactly what they plan.’
‘I suppose so…’
‘At least it wasn’t buried with him in Antioch. He’ll have it with him.’ He gazes at me.
I yawn. It’s been a very long day. In all ways, I am completely exhausted. ‘Luca, I need to sleep.’
He moves towards me. I turn away. ‘Good night.’
Luca
Thanatos is furious. He slips through the night, calling just to me. ‘Luca de Falconi! Luca! We will discuss this now. We’re allies whether you want it or not!’ Unless he wills it, no one else will hear him.
Suzan has retreated to her own tent. Mattiolas and Serafina are luckier than me. They’ve left to enjoy their wedding night in a part of the camp where no one knows them.
Reaching my tent, Thanatos continues, ‘That mortal Ramberti needs a lesson…’
He’s right about that. Anger at Ramberti and confusion about Suzan were keeping me awake anyway. I pick up my pouch, uncertain of what the night might bring, and step out to meet him.
‘Thanatos.’ I keep my voice low. I don’t want people thinking I’m mad, out here talking to myself.
Thanatos glides towards me, his apparently heavy footsteps making no impression on the dirt. ‘Ramberti knew about the Holy Lance,’ he thunders. ‘He’ll learn not to try tricking me.’
‘Try?’ I whisper harshly. ‘He did more than try. You thought he was dead.’
Thanatos pauses and stares at me. ‘I knew his death was flavourless. That can happen when someone has already sold their soul. But I’ve never been mistaken about you, Luca de Falconi. The falcon who carries the Book of Whispers. I want you to help me punish him.’
I am the falcon. This is what Percy called me back in Constantinople. My father was the falcon before me. The book itself predicted that we’d take it to Jerusalem. Ramberti killed him.
I shake my head at Thanatos. ‘I need to have my own revenge.’
‘You mean kill him?’ There’s a glint in his eye. He wants Ramberti’s death. It would be a victory for him.
I pause. For the first time since Ramberti murdered my father, I wonder if revenge needs to mean killing him. I don’t want to be in the service of Thanatos. ‘I don’t need to discuss my plans with you.’
‘Maybe you’re a coward, Luca de Falconi.’
‘I don’t care what you think.’
‘Well, well.’ He stares into the distance. ‘I can find other ways to deal with Ramberti.’
He leaves, his fury barely repressed.
Other ways? I pull the helm from my pouch and, sliding it over my head, follow Thanatos to a large tent where Ramberti’s green and silver banner, perhaps recovered from someone’s souvenir stash, flies from the centre pole. The guards don’t see Thanatos, so he enters easily. They don’t see me either. Beneath my helm, I am as invisible as a demon.
The tent is furnished in Ramberti’s familiar grand style. There’s his cabinet with the large parchment Bible that he has three men carry when we move. Bringing it here from Antioch must have been at his instruction. The fake death that inspired stories of his resurrection was planned. Ramberti himself looks very comfortable, sitting at his table, staring at a map of Jerusalem. Until Thanatos kicks over one of his chairs.
Ramberti turns and looks Thanatos in the eye. Thanatos must have chosen that moment to become visible to him.
‘I knew you weren’t really dead,’ Thanatos says.
Ramberti raises one eyebrow. ‘You acted like a believer.’
‘I’m watching you play your mortal game. I’m curious about just what you think you’ll win.’
‘You know what I want.’
‘I know the deal we made,’ Thanatos says. ‘I trust that you still do. You want to be King of Jerusalem. I need to perform my rite.’
Ramberti taps a many-ringed finger on the map. Demons dance all around him. He watches none but Thanatos. ‘We both want Jerusalem. Fortunately, we want to possess it in different ways.’
‘Our goals are still compatible.’ Thanatos swishes his dark robes to one side as he slides into the seat opposite Ramberti. ‘Remember, neither of us wins unless we’re over the walls during this moon. You, and the falcon and the book. Your… resurrecting behaviour is a distraction. You need to speed the Princes along.’
‘Perhaps they’re going fast enough for me,’ Ramberti says. ‘Perhaps there are others of your kind who can help me. I’ve met Sir Percy. He’s one of you. He has that glow.’
Thanatos is dismissive. ‘He’s a prankster. He won’t help you because there’s nothing he wants in return. I can be of service to you.’
‘How?’
‘I can tell you about the Book of Whispers.’
Ramberti looks unimpressed. ‘I know about it, and I’ve already done enough for you. I let that irritating de Falconi boy live, much against my own inclination. I let him keep carrying that book his father left me. Because you asked. All you’ve given me in return is a piece of parchment.’
Thanatos becomes angry and gives off more sheen than normal. ‘You wouldn’t have the book if I hadn’t told you about it. And that parchment is ancient. Nearly as old as me. It gives you the same information as the book, except in a language you can read.’
‘That gift served your needs more than mine. Your new star explosion. Your prediction about when a spell in Temple Knoll would work. All for you. I even poisoned my guard when you were hungry.’
I suck in my breath.
Thanatos peers in my direction, puzzled. I’m still invisible. The dead guard, back in Constantinople, I think. Ramberti poisoned him, for Thanatos.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere has changed.
‘I still have information you can use. The book is far more detailed than the parchment,’ Thanatos says. ‘I know someone who can read it.’
‘Someone can read it?’ Ramberti demands. ‘Who?’
‘You’ll speed the Princes?’
‘Tell me who can read the book and yes, I will.’
‘It’s the girl. Suzan.’
‘The ugly nun?’
Thanatos laughs. ‘She’s not as ugly as you think. And yes, she can read the book. It’s written in her mother’s language.’
Suzan
Staring at the place in my tent where Serafina used to sleep, I wonder if I’ll ever get used to being on my own. Earlier tonight, for just a little while, a future with Luca seemed possible. A kiss seemed good and right and worth risking anything for. But straight away, we learned of Ramberti’s return. Luca is a danger to himself around his old enemy. And what further proof could I have of my own curse than for Ramberti to return just then?
‘Suzan! Suzan!’
I stan
d, startled. I hadn’t expected to hear him until morning but it’s Luca’s voice, like I conjured him out of my longing and imagination. But no Luca.
Then a rustling sound, and Luca is near me, his enchanted helm hanging from one hand. He raises a finger to his lips. ‘Shhh.’
‘What is it?’ I whisper.
Luca reaches for my largest bag and tosses random things into it. ‘Get your pouch. The bow. We need to leave. You need to hide.’
I take the bag from him and pull out the soiled tunic he put there, replacing it with clean things and a hooded cloak. ‘Hide? Why?’
‘I’ll explain in a moment. First I need to go to my own tent. I need to get my things too.’
‘Luca, I don’t understand.’
He wipes a strand of hair from his eyes. ‘Ramberti is looking for us. And Thanatos wants the book. Can you hear that?’
I listen carefully. Some distance away, voices are raised. People demanding answers, pushing through crowds of sleepy pilgrims.
‘Ramberti’s people?’ I ask.
Luca nods. ‘Wear that cloak. Cover your face with your hood. Don’t walk too quickly. Don’t make people suspicious. Go to the well.’
He pulls the helm back over his head. Mist obscures him. The loud voices are closer now.
‘The well.’ Luca’s voice sounds like a harsh wind.
I lower my hood over my eyes as I slip out of my tent. I concentrate on my feet as I walk away. Behind me, the men’s voices are growing into a shout.
‘Over here!’
I keep to the shadows of other tents until I reach the well. An elderly knight in discoloured armour stands guard. ‘I wouldn’t drink the water, Sister. It’s been poisoned.’
‘Can that be?’ I disguise my voice. ‘I drank here yesterday.’
The elderly knight shrugs. ‘You can try it if you’re brave enough, but I’ve seen two whole families wiped out this night.’
‘Move around the camp,’ Luca’s voice says, nearby.
The elderly knight jumps, startled. Luca is still invisible. He didn’t speak quietly enough.
I keep walking. Another set of footsteps crunches through the pebbles beside me. Luca. ‘To the siege-tower site,’ he says.
The Book of Whispers Page 26
