Ilario, the Stone Golem (44 page)

‘We need to trust him.’

‘
Trust?
’ Rekhmire’ limped across the cabin and stood before me. The

short stick let him walk only with a swivelling limp.

This close, he smelled of the Alexandrine spices kept in his clothes

chest, and that different male sweat I had become used to in

Constantinople.

‘You can’t trust a slave. You should know this.’

217

I glared. ‘We need him on our side, or Videric will have him back, one

way or another!’

It was not necessary to add that, spending months in our company,

Carrasco will have learned too much of what we plan to do.

Exasperated, Rekhmire’ snapped, ‘You know there’s no trust between

slave and master!’

‘No.’ I pushed the stool back squarely onto all its legs, and found

myself reaching out to the Egyptian’s large hands. ‘But sometimes it

begins there.’

A dark ruddy colour showed on his neck, growing to stain him at

cheek and brow.

It took me a moment to realise that I saw Rekhmire’ blushing.

‘I – that is – well—’ He opened his hands to me as if we had done it a

hundred times before.

His grip felt warm and strong.

‘
Some
slaves,’ he muttered, remarkably apologetically.

I couldn’t help a cheerful barb in return. ‘I might rescue Ramiro

Carrasco de Luis; you needn’t act as if I’m about to marry him!’

‘Just as well, I think.’ Rekhmire’ stared at our hands. ‘Marrying three

times in the same year
might
be considered excessive.’

‘This must be why Ty-ameny values your opinion so much, book-

buyer – how keenly you see into a matter!’

He snorted.

I released Rekhmire’’s hands, stooping to rescue board and tinted

paper.

‘I’ll draw you, too,’ I added, ‘if you’re jealous of that.’

The Egyptian stilled for a moment. He shot me a look. ‘I’m

transparent to you, evidently.’

Rekhmire’ did not smile, but somehow warmth suffused his expres-

sion.

‘I confess I would be curious to see the results of a sketch. But we

should speak with Zheng He first, and settle how long he’s prepared to

give us at Taraco.’

‘Long enough, I hope.’ I swept my hair back, tied it with a leather

thong, and re-buckled the thin leather belt (all I currently wore of my

Iberian clothing) over an Alexandrine tunic.

The ship is surely large enough to cause panic. Is large enough,

certainly, that I have felt no fear of the sea while aboard – as if I were not

on a ship at all, but a wooden island.

Rekhmire’’s head tilted, speculatively. ‘I estimate the crew of this ship

at between four and a half and five thousand Chin-men.’

‘And there are the weapons.’

It was necessary to look up, given the inches of difference in our

heights. Three parts of a year together: I read him so much more easily

than I do Carrasco.

218

And
now
I
see
we
have
been
thinking
on
parallel
lines
these
last
few
days.

‘I’m concerned,’ I said.

He nodded.

I voiced it, nonetheless. ‘However long we’re here – how much of a

panic there is, when we appear off the coast of Taraco – we need King

Rodrigo to recall Videric. And . . . is this going to be enough?’

219

3

A sound like ripping paper tensed all the muscles of my shoulders and

spine.

The rockets of Chin soared up from the launcher into the night sky.

Lights exploded.

‘
Kek
and
Keket!
’

‘Amen!’

Rekhmire’ put his hand up between his face and the luminous sky and

squinted. I rubbed the after-impressions of brilliance out of my eyes;

night vision entirely gone. I could make out nothing of the deck, the

rigging, the creaking sails, the crawling waves so far beneath the rail.

Seven bright lights sank down towards the blackness that was the coast

close to Taraco.

So
near
and
I
can
see
nothing
of
it!

I left home – for want of a better word – in August, in the sign of Leo,

Now the Twins rule the night sky. Two months short of a year. And it

feels at the same time no time, and an age. I might have stepped out of

the palace yesterday, or in the days of the Caesars and Barcas.

Rekhmire’’s arm brushed against mine, his skin warm. ‘I can only

imagine what the Royal Mathematicians would have done if the Admiral

had demonstrated these at Alexandria.’

I grinned. ‘Swarmed the ship, I think. If they had to swim to it!’

Anonymous figures jostled me in the dark, the crew moving around to

reload the launcher and send another shower of fire into the sky.

‘I see no explosion where they land. But there may be some part of the

weapon not yet used, if they only signal. I wonder . . . ’

The dark shapes of Attila and Tottola were at my shoulder. I could all

but feel them speculating if Zheng He would sell the secrets of such

weapons.

Not even to the Lion of Castile, I thought.

What I could see now of Admiral Zheng He, stroking his beard in the

lightning-coloured illumination, showed a man with the expression of a

civilised commander sending out a warning to barbarians.

I turned blindly in the direction of the cabins. ‘I imagine King Rodrigo

knows we’re here by now.’

There had been fishing boats in view since we sighted the Balearic

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Islands. If their captains hadn’t raised every sail to race to the mainland

and be paid for their information, I would be astounded.

King Rodrigo Sanguerra would first hold his few warships in reserve –

and now this monstrous vessel cleared the horizon, he would send them

up the coast or down it, but certainly out of our way.

I added, ‘We should make final plans, as much as we can.’

Rekhmire’’s hand gaining support from my shoulder, we steered a way

to the war-junk’s stern. The cabin held a welcome familiarity in the

golden lantern-light, that put gleams of gilding on cabinets and low

tables, and soft dark shadows in corners. Scattered Egyptian cushions

surrounded one of the tables, on which there were plates of food.

I helped Rekhmire’ sit; he swore under his breath – and aloud, as

Ramiro Carrasco came out of the inner cabin, Onorata rocking in his

arms.

I padded across to touch her warm, dozing face. ‘Did the noise wake

her?’

‘For a while.’ His tone was low. ‘But she sleeps again, mistress. Master.

Ah – shall I take her back to her cradle?’

I stroked Onorata’s fine hair, that had grown a wispy matt black. Her

eyelids screwed shut; her small sleeping mouth opened in a yawn, and

she made contented noises.

Not desiring to miss this moment of her being angelic – since I had

quite enough of her other moods – I reached to take her solid small body

into my arms. ‘I’ll settle her. You wait here.’

In the inner room, I put her down infinitely carefully; on her back in

the cradle as Ty-ameny’s nurses had advised me. I nodded to Tottola

and Attila, as Tottola settled himself on his palliasse, and Attila took up

his sword to guard the outer doors.

I
did
not
begin
my
life
under
armed
guard
.

And I desire to make certain that she doesn’t need to – as soon as ever

I can.

Walking back into the main cabin, I encountered raised voices, and

snarled, ‘Quiet!’ in an intense whisper. ‘Don’t wake her!’

The two men fell silent as I sat by the low table. Ramiro Carrasco

looked at me from under his shaggy hair, and knelt down beside and

behind me.

‘You will have him present?’ Rekhmire’ spoke with the utmost polite

mildness.

I would sooner he shouted.

‘He was Aldra Videric’s man. We need to ask him questions.’ I

reached for a plate, unsure of what was before me. Stodgy clumps of

white stuff, like maggots, nevertheless tasted reasonably bland. I poked

among it with my fingers, removing sharp pickles. ‘I know you don’t

trust Ramiro Carrasco—’

Rekhmire’ arched a brow, all Alexandrine civility.

221

I
wish
I
might
slap
him!

‘Very well.’ I passed a dirty plate back to Carrasco. ‘I’ll call you when I

need you.’

As the door closed behind Carrasco, Rekhmire’ took up a small

translucent bowl, eating with a quick-fingered hunger that surprised me.

Between bites, he said, ‘Tell me reasons why – this ship may not be

enough?’

My hunger vanished.

I counted factors off on my fingers.

‘The opposition faction at Rodrigo’s court are right, in fact. Even if for

the wrong reason. Videric
did
endanger the country. He has robbed it of

stability. They see that as stemming from the scandal—’ I didn’t look up

at the Egyptian. ‘—which caused Carthage to be able to slap the King’s

wrist, and demand that Videric should be set aside as First Minister. I

know the nobles of Taraco. Even with the threat of something the size

of this war-junk, there’ll be some hot-heads who think it’s one ship, they

can capture it or destroy it.’

Rekhmire’ smiled his familiar hidden amusement. It failed to amuse

me.

I crossed my legs in the fashion of Carthage, and reached for the wine.

‘On the other hand . . . We go ashore, we explain this to Rodrigo, and I

promise you the King will find every way possible to make it work!

Because
he
will want Aldra Videric back.’

If I could have kept bitterness from my voice, I would have added,

Whether
or
not
Videric
tried
to
kill
his
freak
offspring
.

He remains the man that Rodrigo needs to see standing beside his

throne.

‘Is this—’ I gestured around at the cabin walls, and by implication the

vast ship itself. ‘—enough to make men forget last year’s scandal?’

Rekhmire’ tipped his bowl towards me in acknowledgement. ‘I’ve

asked the Admiral to permit no contact with the land. He’ll anchor here

offshore. We go in and speak to your King. That way the ship remains

an unknown threat, and more persuasive.’

‘Zheng He is determined to let no man aboard?’

Attila’s voice interrupted, from the shadows by the door. ‘Boats will

come out; they’ll sell fruit, wine, whores if they can. The captain and

officers can’t watch all their men all the time.’

I put my cup down. ‘Then I guarantee that within forty-eight hours,

Videric and half the counts and dukes of Rodrigo’s court will know about

the ship’s weapons, and anything else here on board.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Attila reassured. ‘Lord Honorius warned us you’d be in

danger; we’ll see you safe.’

There was a silence, in which I heard Carrasco’s movements in the

inner cabins, and the wind blew one of the shutters open. Standing and

222

crossing the deck to latch it shut, I caught a face full of the wind off the

land.

Instantly, the scents brought back the colonnades of Rodrigo’s court.

As if I stood there, in the palace that has been home to me from the age

of fifteen.

But
now
I
have
travelled.

My fingers fumbled the latch; I swore and finally got the shutter

fastened.

‘Bear this in mind,’ I warned. ‘It’s as likely to be an assassin looking for

Carrasco, as one looking for me. We need Carrasco alive.’

In the shadows, I could not see if Attila disapproved, but he nodded

obedience.

‘Let’s not forget the most important weapon in any soldier’s arsenal,

sir – ma’am.’

It seemed unfair to deprive him of something he’d evidently practised

with company after company of armed men. ‘And what would that be?’

‘Dumb luck!’

I snorted. Even Rekhmire’ smiled.

‘So. The first move.’ I sent a prompting look at the Egyptian.

‘Our first move,’ Rekhmire’ said ponderously, ‘is that you do not go

ashore.’

I opened my mouth and Rekhmire’ snatched two porcelain bowls and