The Saracen: The Holy War Read online

  LV

  The woman's shoulders shook, and she rocked back and forth. She couldnot speak. Tilia sat on Sophia's bed holding the sobbing woman in herarms.

  Tilia, calling her Francesca, tried to calm her. Sophia at first hadthought Francesca was a madwoman. Her tunic was torn and rain-wet, herlong black hair not bound up and covered but in wild disarray.

  "You are safe now, piccione," Tilia kept saying. "Calm down and tell uswhat happened." Tilia herself was pale, her wide mouth drawn tight.

  Seeing even Tilia's face grim, Sophia felt a chill of apprehension andan even greater anxiety to know what this was all about.

  "I know I should not come here, Madama. Forgive me. But I did not knowwhat else to do. I walked so far to get here, and I kept getting lost,and I was afraid to ask anyone where Cardinal Ugolini's mansion was."

  "How did you know I was here, Francesca?" Tilia asked.

  "Cassio told me just before--before--" Francesca was convulsed withsobs.

  Tilia turned to Sophia. "I have never seen her like this."

  "Your house is destroyed," said Francesca, choking and gasping andwiping her nose on her sleeve.

  "Destroyed!" Tilia and Sophia stared at each other. A shock of fearswept through Sophia. Already terrified for Daoud, she was now swept bydread for Rachel and pity for Tilia.

  _Any more of this, and I will lose my wits._

  "And they hanged Cassio."

  "Oh, my God!" Tilia screamed.

  Another jolt of terror. Sophia thought of that day in Constantinoplewhen the Franks had run riot, burning whole districts and murderingtownspeople. Was this another such day?

  "And they--and they killed Hector and Claudio and Apollonio and theother menservants."

  "Who did this?" Tilia was on her feet, standing over Francesca,shouting. "Who? Who?"

  Was the whole world turning against them, Sophia wondered. Was it thepodesta's men? The Monaldeschi?

  Francesca put her hands over her face and wept softly for a moment, thencontinued. "The Tartars and that French cardinal who always came withthem. They came with armed men, dozens of them. They were after Rachel."

  _Rachel!_

  The horror of it all was like a spear driven through Sophia's breast.She sat down on her bed as the room went black around her.

  "Oh, no," she heard herself saying. "Oh, not Rachel!" Fear stopped herheart. She slumped on the bed, her hand pressed to her chest.

  "When Cassio tried to stop them, they went mad," said Francesca. "Themen-at-arms killed every man in the house, and they raped all the women.Some of us over and over again. And they tore the house apart and stoleeverything they could carry. What they could not take, they smashed. Andall the while they kept laughing, Madama. They kept laughing."

  Sophia felt bile burning in her throat. If she had to hear any morehorrors, she was going to vomit.

  Tilia sat looking stunned, shaking her head from side to side.

  "What happened to Rachel?" Sophia managed to choke out.

  "She tried to run away. She got out of the house. The white-hairedTartar, the one who beds with her, chased her. He must have caught her,because I heard the cardinal shouting that they had found the one theycame for and they must get on the road or they would be fighting theSienese."

  _Rachel wanted to come here with me this morning_, Sophia thought. _Ifonly I had brought her here, we could have saved her._ She sobbed aloud.Her stomach hurt.

  "May God rot all of them with leprosy," said Tilia. She hugged Francescahard, and then stood up.

  "I must go to my house."

  Going back to Tilia's would not help Rachel, Sophia thought. They hadprobably lost her forever. Despair dragged her down. _Rachel, Rachel!_What were they doing to her?

  "First David is arrested. Now this," she said, tears running steadilydown her cheeks.

  _I had trusted Daoud to foresee danger and guide us through it_, Sophiathought. _And now Daoud--_

  She still did not know whether Daoud was safe, or even still alive.Would the contessa be able to stop whatever was being done to Daoud?That had been quite enough to be terrified about.

  Francesca's tear-reddened eyes widened. "David has been arrested?"Something in her tone told Sophia there had been something betweenFrancesca and David.

  _Of course_, she told herself. _Did you think the man slept alone untilyou gave yourself to him?_

  She and Francesca shared some of the same grief. Sophia wanted toconsole her.

  "Cardinal Ugolini has persuaded the Contessa di Monaldeschi to intercedefor David," Sophia told her, "and the cardinal has gone to the Palazzodel Podesta, hoping to bring David back here again."

  "It may be hours before David is released," said Tilia, raising acautioning hand. "_If_ the podesta does agree. Or he may persuade thecontessa that he was right to arrest David."

  These were the very thoughts that had been tormenting Sophia. She neededto do something.

  "If you want to go to your house, Tilia, I will go with you." Itoccurred to her immediately after she spoke that the streets might bedangerous for both of them. But she could not stand the agony of sittinghere, waiting for the possibility of still worse news.

  "Sophia, you and the cardinal must not be linked to Tilia Caballo'sbordello," said Tilia.

  "I will keep myself hidden," said Sophia.

  Sophia made Francesca comfortable in her own bed, then went down withTilia to the great hall of Ugolini's mansion and sent for Riccardo.

  Hand in hand, Sophia holding a lighted candle, the two women made theirway through the tunnel that led to the potterymaker's shop.

  Riccardo met them with another hired cart, like the one that had takenthem from Tilia's to the cardinal's this morning. This was a coveredcart full of big urns of olive oil. The air, much cooler than before thestorm, felt refreshing on Sophia's face. Getting into the cart, Sophialooked up and saw big black clouds rolling across the sky, their roundededges outlined by the red light of the setting sun.

  The cart, pulled by an old draft horse, bumped over cobblestones andsplashed through puddles. Tilia and Sophia sat on a bench behindRiccardo, under the cart's canvas cover, so they could not be seen fromthe street. All around them Sophia heard church bells ringing for theAngelus. She could close her eyes for a moment and imagine she washearing the bells of the three hundred churches of Constantinople. Shelonged to be in the Polis again, among civilized people.

  _That is why I am here, is it not? To keep the barbarians here, and awayfrom there._

  She saw torchlight ahead. This was Tilia's street, farther up a hillthat slowed down the elderly horse.

  From this distance the house looked undamaged, but what was that hangingabove the door?

  "Merciful God!" Sophia whispered.

  She saw the body of a man suspended from a rope tied to the balconyabove the doorway.

  "Oh, God," said Tilia. "Oh, poor, poor Cassio." She dabbed at her eyeswith the sleeve of her gown.

  Now, by the torchlight, Sophia could see several men, dressed in theyellow and blue of the commune, gathered in front of the house. Thepodesta's watchmen.

  The street was full of common folk, who had to back up to give the cartroom to move forward. As it approached the front door, one of thepodesta's men raised a hand to stop it.

  "I will be right back," Tilia said, squeezing Sophia's arm. Sheclambered out of the cart with Riccardo's help. Riccardo tied the cartto a hitching post on the side of the street.

  Tying her scarf across her face, Sophia watched from inside the cart.The man who had stopped the horse barred Tilia again as she startedtoward her house. He was a slender, middle-aged man with a prominentarch to his nose and heavy-lidded eyes. Riccardo moved toward him, butTilia put her hand on the servant's arm. Tilia would not want thecardinal's man brawling with an officer of the watch.

  "I am Tilia Caballo, and this is my house," she said in a commandingvoice. "How long have you been here?"

  What a brave woman Tilia was, Sophia thought. Could she herself fa
ce anofficer of the watch and speak to him sternly like that?

  "Since the hour of None, Madama. The podesta was here, but he had toleave."

  "And what are you doing? Just standing about? Have you left that poorman's body to hang there since mid-afternoon, where women and childrencould see it? Take him down at once. Are you not Christians? How can youtreat the dead with such disrespect?"

  In the midst of her own horror, Sophia took comfort from Tilia's displayof strength, and wondered how the stout little woman felt inside.

  Sophia had hated her at times, and still thought Tilia had done ahorrible wrong to Rachel. But what she felt for her now was mostlyadmiration.

  After all, all of them were equally guilty of what had happened toRachel. The blame should not fall on Tilia alone.

  The beak-nosed officer called orders to others nearby. But hisexpression as he turned back to Tilia was surly.

  "There might be some question about whether _he_ was a Christian,Madama. This is, after all, a house of ill repute."

  "Ill _repute_!" Tilia blustered. "This is--this was--the handsomesthouse of pleasure in Orvieto. And our patrons occupied the very highestlevels in the Church. You would be wise to have a care how you speak ofmy house."

  Sophia felt herself smiling. Amazing, when there was so much to weepover.

  "Would I?" The officer thrust his nose at Tilia. "Perhaps you can tellme why such a splendid bordello with such fine customers needed atorture chamber in the cellar? Or why you had to keep piccioni on theroof?"

  Sophia's body went cold. If they found out those were carrier pigeonsand where they went, the trouble here might be deep indeed.

  "So that is what you have been doing!" Tilia stormed. "Looting my home!And how much did you steal after the Tartars left? And no doubtharassing my ladies, as if they had not been through enough already. Andleaving my Cassio to swing from a rope. My God, there has been murder,kidnapping, rape, and theft done here, and you prattle of piccioni. Whathave you done about catching the _bestioni_ who did this?"

  Now the officer did look intimidated. "Madama, we are not certain whodid these things--"

  "Not certain!" Tilia shook her fist at him. "Everyone in Orvieto knowswho did this. It was the French cardinal, Paulus de Verceuil, and theTartar ambassadors to the pope. Why are you here, standing about likefools, when you could be pursuing them and bringing them to justice?"

  The French, thought Sophia. If Simon had been here, would he haveallowed this to happen? She felt a twinge of guilt, remembering that shehad betrayed Daoud by not telling him where Simon was going.

  "What you tell us is but hearsay, Madama."

  "Hearsay! Every lady in that house is a witness."

  "In any case, those you accuse are beyond our reach."

  "Because you _let_ them get beyond your reach," Tilia retorted. "Oh, youfeckless man! Let me by."

  And then Sophia was alone in the cart and frightened, because she knewshe was surrounded by the podesta's men and by townspeople who mightwell be hostile. For reassurance she smoothed the scarf over her noseand mouth and patted the small dagger that hung at her belt, concealedunder her outer tunic.

  She heard a creaking noise above her and looked out to see the podesta'smen hauling Cassio's body up to the balcony. Tilia, she thought, wastaking charge. Left to themselves, the watchmen would probably have justcut the rope and let the poor man's corpse fall to the ground.

  Sophia thought of Rachel, helpless, carried off by the Tartar, andDaoud, equally helpless, in the Palazzo del Podesta. She had no ideawhat was happening to either of them, and horrors filled her mind. Herhands twisted together, her fingers crushing one another, and shestarted to cry again.

  Tilia was crying, too, when she came back and Riccardo helped her climbinto the carriage. She could not speak for a time, and Sophia sat withher arm around Tilia's quaking shoulders. It was for this, thoughtSophia, she had come. The only way she could help Tilia was to be withher and to comfort her. And in doing so she comforted herself.

  After a while Tilia gave a great sigh. "I held Cassio in my arms for atime. I washed his poor face, which I could barely recognize. What hurtsmost is that all those people, those men and those women, were loyal tome, and I was not there when they suffered this awful thing." She wipedher eyes with the sleeve of her green silk dress and looked sadly atSophia.

  Feeling Tilia's pain for her people, Sophia liked her all the more.

  "The Tartars' men probably would have killed you if you had been there."

  "To be sure. I would have provoked them to it as Cassio did. I would nothave let them take Rachel without a fight." She gripped the crossresting on her bosom, and Sophia remembered Daoud saying it held apoisoned blade. "Well, my poor men will have good burials. I have beenvery generous to the little church of San Severo in the valley south ofhere, and now the pastor can repay my kindness by burying the seven whodied here. They may not have been good Christians, or Christians at all,but at least in a churchyard they will lie in peace. The women who arehurt badly will go to the Hospital of Santa Clara. And I must hireguards to protect the house. My ladies do not want to stay there. I donot blame them, but there is no other roof to shelter them just now,and with guards they will be safe enough. Anyway, those murderers aregone. I will come back and stay with them when I have done everythingthere is to do."

  Sophia smiled at Tilia in admiration. She was hurt, but fought the painby getting on with what needed to be done.

  _If only there were more I could do. For Rachel. For Daoud._

  Tilia kept shaking her head. "They took everything of value. ThankFortune, most of my money is on deposit with the Lombards. But thechests I kept in my room are gone, and there were bags of gold coins inthem. One chest was Rachel's."

  Sophia's heart sank further at that news. Now Rachel had not even goldto make up for all that had been done to her.

  "The dirty ladroni," Tilia went on. "That Tartar and the other one, andthe cardinal--all of them had such merry times in my house. How couldthey do this to me?"

  "The Tartars are simply doing as Tartars do," said Sophia. "They takewhat they want, and they kill anyone who tries to stop them. As for thecardinal, he is a Frank, and if you had seen what the Franks did to mycity, you would not be surprised at this." She felt helpless. How couldwhat she was saying possibly comfort Tilia?

  Tilia struck the heel of her hand against her forehead. "How stupid Iwas! When John the Tartar said he wanted to take Rachel to Perugia withhim, I should have known he would not accept my refusal. I should havebeen prepared for this."

  Sophia, remembering how Rachel had begged to leave Tilia's house withher that morning, spoke sharply before she could stop herself.

  "As it was, you kept Rachel safe for him until he was ready to takeher."

  Tilia gasped. "That is very unfair."

  Now Sophia was deeply angry with herself. She had already decided thatwhat had happened to Rachel should not be blamed on Tilia. And she wastrying--or should be trying--to comfort her. Her cruel Greek tongue hadgot the better of her.

  Sophia was about to apologize when a shout from outside stopped her.

  "The mistress of the whores' house is in this cart. I saw her get intoit."

  "Now she sees how God punishes fornicators."

  "We should never have let her move into our street."

  "Let her get her house and all of her filth out of here."

  Sophia shrank back into the cart, her heart quaking. She had seen mobstear people to pieces.

  She said, "Tilia, that crowd frightens me, and the podesta's men may notbe much protection. Let us get out of here, please."

  "I will show you what I think of that crowd," said Tilia. She pushed herway to the front of the cart and stood beside Riccardo with her hands onher hips. Sophia could see people gathered, white faces in themoonlight, red faces in the torchlight.

  "Ignoranti!" Tilia shouted. "Fannulloni! My house is the best on yourstreet. The rest is one big, foul quintana. Where were you idlers
whenmy men were murdered and my women were raped by a gang of foreigners?Home pissing in your pants, eh? Brave Orvietans you are. Get out of myway."

  Sophia heard a muttering from the crowd, but no one tried to answerTilia. Sophia shook her head.

  _If I live to be a hundred, I don't think I could ever face down a moblike that._

  Tilia turned to Riccardo, whose broad shoulders beside her had lentforce to her words. "Drive on."

  The cart rolled forward, and the people fell back, squeezing against thehousefronts to let it by. Sophia, devastated, sagged back against agreat earthenware olive oil jar. She was too worn out even to cryanymore.