Jester Leaps In: A Medieval Mystery (28 page)

I
must confess that I have never received such a request,” Father Easias said. “Most of my flock consult me on how to escape from prisons.”

“I have my reasons.”

“A fool with reasons,” he said thoughtfully. “Well, basically there are two ways to go to prison. You could say something nasty about someone important, but since you are now the Emperor’s Fool, you have license to ridicule both high and low. Or, more certainly, you could commit a crime and get caught.”

“Let me clarify,” I said. “I need to get into a specific prison, perform a certain task, and then get out again.”

“Which prison?”

“The Tower of Anemas.”

He sat back and folded his hands.

“I may not be of much help to you here,” he said. “We stay out of Blachernae. We don’t want to rouse the sleeping giant. As long as they can wander their walled-off portion safely, they assume the rest of Constantinople is similarly crime-free.”

“I see.”

“It’s too bad you don’t want to go into the Praetorian prison.
We have a lovely set-up there. The warden pens them in by day, then releases them to loot at night. We all split the take, and the Vigla roam the streets looking for felons who are already locked up. We have the same deal at the Chalke prison. But we can’t get at Anemas. Am I to understand that you have found the man you are looking for?”

“I believe so.”

“And he is currently in the Tower of Anemas?”

“No. But if I am correct, he will be soon.”

“I think that you had better tell me everything.”

To think, of all the people in this city, our greatest ally might be this master of corruption. Yet I needed his help. So, I told him my suspicions. To my relief, they made sense to him.

“There is a simple solution,” he said. “I send my men to kill Simon now.”

“Simple, but not the best solution,” I said. “First, he’s not that easy to kill. Second, if you just kill him at the Rooster, the conspiracy remains intact. He’s just the arrow. We need the men holding the bow. If, on the other hand, we catch him in the attempt, then we have something to take to the authorities.”

“What authorities? Will you make a case to the Emperor?”

“No. He may not care that much. I have an idea on that subject, but I need to live through this first part.”

“Very well. While we’re waiting, I’ll send one of my men to keep an eye on our erring tapster.”

Father Theodore slipped out of the room.

“I am expecting two of my colleagues to join us,” I said.

“Your wife being one, I expect. I heard about her arrival and rapid ascent in the Empress’s retinue. Quite a talented woman.”

“She is.”

“And the other?”

“Thalia, former fool to the Empress.”

“I thought you said she was dead,” he said sharply.

“I did. My apologies.”

“It’s sad when there cannot be complete trust between people,” he said. “However, under the circumstances, you are forgiven. Why do you think Asan was killed?”

“He had an unfortunate habit of poking his nose where it didn’t belong. My guess is that he discovered something about Simon, and tried to use the information to pry some money out of him.”

“And Simon did what anyone would do in response. He killed the lad, and then threw him into your room to divert suspicion from himself.”

“And to throw me off the scent for a while. I thought the killing was meant to be an attempt on one of us.”

Father Theodore returned, escorting two cowled figures.

“The ladies have arrived,” he announced.

The cowls came off to reveal a pair of fools: one, an old lover; the other, my wife.

“My dears,” said Father Esaias, rising and approaching them. “These bare quarters are graced by such loveliness. Mistress Thalia, I am delighted to see you alive.”

“Thank you, Father.”

“And, my lady Aglaia, I have heard so much about you in such a short time that I must kiss your hand in greeting.”

She rolled her eyes at me as he did.

“Actually, we’ve already met,” she said.

“Have we? Surely not. I would have remembered such a charming encounter.”

“What she is saying is that Aglaia was Claudius,” I explained.

Thalia turned to look at her in shock.

“You’re Claudius!” she exclaimed.

“The same, mistress,” said Aglaia in Claudius’s voice. “I suppose that means you won’t want to flirt with me now.”

“And you’re Theo’s wife.”

“It’s Feste, now,” I said. “Please remember that.”

“Nicely done, Apprentice,” said Thalia, looking her over critically. “I couldn’t have managed that disguise. But then, no one could possibly mistake me for a man.”

“What a coincidence,” returned Aglaia sweetly. “I couldn’t manage your disguise. But then, no one could possibly mistake me for a slut.”

I held my breath as the two of them glowered at each other, waiting to see if either would go for a weapon.

Thalia grinned suddenly. “Insult given, insult received,” she said. “You pass, Apprentice. All right, Feste. What’s this all about?”

“I think we had all better sit down,” I said, and we took our places around the table.

“Some wine?” offered Father Esaias.

“I wouldn’t say no,” said Thalia, and he poured for everyone. “But I thought this was a meeting of some urgency.”

“So it is,” I said. “First, we have to discuss your future.”

“Meaning?” asked Thalia.

“Whether or not you are going to have one,” I said.

She started, spilling her wine. Father Theodore was standing behind her, sword at the ready.

“What is this about, Theo?” she asked.

“The time has come for you to make a choice,” I said. “The Guild or your lover.”

“Stan? What does he have to do with any of this?”

“He is part of the group that killed our colleagues.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head furiously. “He couldn’t have done that. He loves me. He saved my life.”

“He may very well love you. He may have saved your life despite having first arranged for your death. Or maybe once you survived the attack, he decided it might be useful to keep you alive in case the Guild sent someone else. You gave him the password. Who knows what else he learned? Did you tell him that Zintziphitzes had overheard the conversation between the conspirators, and could possibly identify their voices?”

She was silent for a long moment, then nodded.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I thought he was helping me.”

An enormous wave of relief passed over me. I had thought that we would end up killing her.

“Zintziphitzes lived on while the other fools were killed,” I said. “But then I made the mistake of sharing what I knew about him with you. And within two days, he was murdered. Which meant that either you killed him, or you told someone who did.”

“The dangers of trusting a lover,” she said. “I guess we both made that mistake, eh, Theo?”

Aglaia stiffened for a moment. I patted her hand, and she relaxed.

“Will you help us now?” I asked her.

“Yes. Name the oath you want me to take, and I will swear it.”

“Swear by Zintziphitzes’ tomb,” I said.

“Then by Zintziphitzes’ tomb, I will do whatever the Guild requires of me.”

“Are we satisfied?” I asked the others. They nodded, Aglaia reluctantly. “Let me tell you what I think is happening. Last year, Isaakios and his daughter, Irene, managed to arrange for the escape of his son, Alexios. Irene no doubt drew upon the resources of her husband, Philip of Swabia. The escape was in early autumn, but the planning must have been going on for some time.

“However, Philip had more than just an interest in reuniting
his wife’s family. He’s one of the powers behind the Crusade that’s gathering in Venice.”

“But what does a Crusade have to do with all of this?” asked Thalia. “They want to liberate the Holy Land.”

“Most of them do. But others see the Crusaders as an available army. The Swabians have had their eyes on this city ever since the last Crusade came through here. The Byzantines treated the Swabians and their allies badly. Philip lost his father, Frederick, and a brother on that journey. He hasn’t forgotten. Once Alexios was in his hands, he had a ready-made cause to rally the troops around: to restore the boy to his rightful position as Emperor.”

“And puppet, of course,” added Father Esaias.

“Of course. But there was one stumbling block. The boy Alexios’s path to the throne was as the heir to Isaakios. But you cannot inherit something until the prior claimant dies. So, Isaakios’s life became forfeit. And if he died in an Imperial prison, then they could add revenge to the boy’s claim of right.

“So, even as the escape was being arranged by Irene, her husband Philip set into motion this conspiracy, using Swabian agents who have been in place since the end of the last Crusade, still loyal to the memory of Frederick Barbarossa. It was necessary for them to have Isaakios transferred to Anemas to rid him of his Varangian protectors, so Stanislaus maneuvered his way from the Empress’s court to the Emperor’s. And it took him this long to convince the Emperor to move his brother. He probably has been suggesting the idea privately to other Imperial advisers, any number of whom might want to rid the world of Isaakios for their own reasons.

“Then Zintziphitzes overheard that fateful conversation. He brought it to the fools, and somehow during their investigation, they made the conspirators aware of them. One of the fools must
have been taken first and tortured to give up the rest. Or maybe the conspirators decided to eliminate all of the fools just to be safe. But they never knew about Zintziphitzes, for he was not part of the Guild.”

“And your proof will be if Simon shows up in Anemas to assassinate Isaakios,” said Aglaia.

“Yes. I mean to be in there to stop him. Which brings us back to how I can manage that.”

Thalia laughed suddenly.

“It’s simple,” she said. “You’re the Emperor’s fool. Have him send you in to entertain the prisoners. It will be an act of charity that will assuage his guilty soul.”

We looked around at each other.

“That will work,” agreed Father Esaias. “But you will have only the one opportunity. If you have the wrong day, then it will be hard for you to get back in on short notice.”

“Which is where you come in,” I said to Thalia.

“How?” she asked.

“Find out from Stanislaus when the deed is to be done,” I said.

She gave me a hard stare.

“You mean, sleep with him and get it out of him that way,” she said bitterly.

“You’ve been sleeping with him,” I pointed out impatiently, “for a few years, now.”

“But this is different, and you know it,” she snapped. “This isn’t pleasure anymore. But that’s all right with you, isn’t it? That’s what I’ve become—Thalia, the Guild Whore.”

“Don’t you understand?” I shouted. “This isn’t about you. There is an invasion coming! A bloody war that could kill thousands and lay the empire to waste!”

She sat in silence, stunned. I took a deep breath and continued.

“But if we keep Isaakios alive and take away the boy’s claim to the throne, then that may be the one thing that can stop the war. Everyone in the Guild has done horrible things for the sake of peace. Why should this be any different?”

“You don’t have to sleep with him,” Aglaia said softly to Thalia. I turned to look at her. “You can get the information another way. Given what he’s done to you, and to your friends, I wouldn’t waste any more time on him. Get him alone, get him undressed, then hit him with something hard and tie him up.”

“And then?”

“I’ve been told you carry four knives,” said Aglaia. “Use all of them.”

Thalia looked at her, and smiled slowly. It was the coldest smile I have ever seen in my life.

Father Melchior came in and whispered something to Father Esaias.

“Simon’s not at the Rooster,” Esaias informed us. “His belongings have been cleared out. Someone else is tending bar and cooking for him, but he doesn’t know where Simon went.”

“Gone to ground,” I said. “Probably already in Blachernae somewhere.”

“I’ll be back in the morning,” said Thalia. “I’ll have the information.”

She left.

“I have to go, too,” said Aglaia.

“One of my men will escort you to Blachernae,” said Father Esaias. “And I’m having another follow Thalia, just to be safe. I am now going to turn my back for a moment so that the two of you may embrace.”

He stood and contemplated a bust of Homer by the fireplace.

“Good night, Apprentice,” I said, and I kissed her.

“What terrible things will I be doing for the Guild, I wonder?” she asked.

“None tonight,” I said.

She left.

“Would you rather stay here tonight?” offered Esaias. “It’s the safest place in the city for you.”

“No, I’ll go back to the Rooster,” I said. “I want to keep up appearances in case anyone wants to check up on me.”

“Very well,” he said. “But Stephanos will be watching your door, and more of my men will be guarding the Rooster.”

“Thank you. I’m putting you to a lot of bother.”

“It’s no bother,” he said, and I could see him smiling under the cowl. “We’re up at night, anyway.”

I woke before dawn. When I opened my door, Stephanos was standing in the hallway, watching the stairs. He nodded to me politely as I passed him, then went into his room to sleep. I walked outside to see the sun rise, but clouds blocked it from view. I did my stretching and tumbling exercises, the same routine that they taught me at the Guildhall so many years ago. The left leg was limber, but warned me of an oncoming storm. As if I needed to be told.

Father Esaias was up and about when I arrived at Saint Stephen’s. A tray of bread, still warm from the oven, was on the table, and he motioned me to help myself. A good fool makes sure that he eats, no matter what, so I forced myself to swallow some.

There was a rap on the panel, and Father Melchior brought in Thalia. She sat down wordlessly and helped herself to a goblet of wine, which she gulped in a second. She refilled it, then held it in salute to me.

“To the Guild,” she said, and finished it off.

I waited.