Siege

grand, domed ceiling more than one hundred and fifty feet above the floor — the mightiest structure in all of Constantinople. They crossed the nave and entered the maze of hallways leading to the priests' quarters, finally coming to a stop at a simple wooden door. The boy knocked and called out, 'Father Neophytus, there is a…'

'Halias? Is that you?' Neophytus's voice came from the other side of the door. 'Come in.' Halias opened the door and stepped in, followed by Sofia. Neophytus's cell was small and sparsely appointed. The stone floor and walls were bare of decoration. A low bed covered with a single, coarse linen sheet sat against the wall to the right and a simple oak desk to the left. A small chest in the corner was the only other piece of furniture. Neophytus was at the far wall with his back to them. He was tending the fireplace and looked to be burning something. Sofia caught a glimpse of parchment curling in the flame.

'I have a letter for you to deliver,' Neophytus began as he turned to face Halias, then stopped short when he saw Sofia. He recovered after only a moment's pause. 'Ah, Princess Sofia, what an unexpected pleasure,' he said with a forced smile. 'Perhaps we could speak somewhere where you would be more comfortable.' He gestured towards the door. 'My cell is all that I need, but it is not furnished for a princess.'

'No, you do not need to stand on ceremony,' Sofia insisted. 'I only wish to talk, and this room will serve that purpose.'

'Very well,' Neophytus said, wringing his hands. 'Halias, you may wait outside. Princess, please take a seat.' He pulled his one chair out from the desk. He sat on the bed. 'How can I help you, Princess?'

'It is the empress-mother,' Sofia began. 'You were with her a great deal towards the end. I would like to know if she spoke of me, or if she perhaps left anything for me.'

'I am sorry, but she did not leave anything,' he said. His eyes left her briefly, flicking over to the desk. Sofia glanced that way as he continued talking, but saw nothing unusual: an inkwell, a small vial, a pair of gloves, a hunk of bread and a cup. 'But she did speak of you often. She said — and I hope that I do not offend you — she said that she wished you had been born a man.'

Sofia nodded. That sounded like Helena, but it was not what Sofia wanted to hear. 'Did she say anything else? Did she mention my marriage?'

'I am sorry, Princess, but I do not recall that she said anything about your marriage,' Neophytus said. Sofia frowned. 'Wait, now I remember.' Neophytus paused. 'She wished you great happiness. Just before she died, she said that she wished she could have lived to see you married.' Sofia saw his eyes nervously flick to the side. He was not, she noticed, a very good liar. What was he so nervous about?

Then, she saw it. The cup on the table was not just any cup. The small, solid gold cup with scenes from the Passion engraved on the outside had belonged to Helena. She had used it for her private communion. What was Neophytus doing with it? Had he stolen it? That would explain why he was so nervous, but why, then, had he not already sold it? Why steal the cup and then keep it? There was some mystery here.

'Thank you for your kind words,' Sofia told Neophytus as she rose. 'I see that you have the empress-mother's communion cup.' She took it from the desk, and Neophytus put out a hand as if to stop her. 'It was one of her favourite possessions, a gift from her father,' Sofia continued. 'Did the empress-mother ask you to keep it for me?'

'The empress…' Neophytus began, haltingly. 'That is she… After she died she…'

'No matter,' Sofia said. 'I am glad to find it here. It will be a precious keepsake for me. Had you not protected it, it would no doubt have been melted down for the imperial coffers by now. Thank you.' Sofia headed for the door, taking the cup with her. Neophytus jumped up and followed her. He looked ready to wrest the cup from her hand. 'And thank you for all of your kindness, to myself and to Helena. I will leave you in peace now.'

'But you cannot, the cup is…' Neophytus began, and then stopped. 'That is, I hope the cup brings you some comfort, Princess.'

'God keep you, Neophytus.'

'And you, Princess,' Neophytus replied, making the sign of the cross. 'Halias will show you out.'

The acolyte was waiting for her in the hallway. 'Halias,' Sofia enquired as they walked side by side back to the narthex, 'do you often deliver letters for Father Neophytus?'

'Yes.' The boy nodded.

'Might I ask to whom?' Halias hesitated. 'I am simply curious,' Sofia said, stepping close as she put her hand on the boy's arm.

Halias flushed red. 'M-many people,' he managed. 'The empress-mother, Patriarch Mammas, Father Gennadius.'

Gennadius. Sofia had not known that Neophytus was connected to the monk. 'Thank you, Halias,' Sofia said, releasing the boy's arm.

As she rode back to the palace in her carriage, Sofia raised Helena's cup to her nose. It smelled of almonds. Odd, she thought. She ran a finger along the bottom of the cup and placed it in her mouth, but she tasted nothing unusual, only the faint bittersweet tang of wine residue. That evening Sofia grew nauseous and then vomited repeatedly late into the night, long after her stomach had emptied out all its contents. Finally, exhausted, she lapsed into a fevered sleep. She dreamed of Helena's golden communion cup, its rim blazing red. In the dream, she took the cup and drank from it, only to find that it was filled with blood. Neophytus appeared and told her to drink her fill. The dream ended as she drained the cup, blood spilling down her cheeks. When she awoke, the cup sat on her bedside table, where she had left it. She fumbled for the cup, knocking it over. To her relief, it was empty. Sofia shuddered and turned away, but the dream stayed with her.

The next morning she awoke with a thundering headache, her limbs heavy and tired. She felt certain that her dream had been a message and that she knew its meaning: the cup was poisoned. That was the explanation for her illness and for Helena's untimely death. And if Helena had been poisoned, then there could be only one man responsible. Not Neophytus: he had nothing to gain from Helena's death. No, it had to have been Gennadius.

Confirming her suspicions would not be easy. She would have to blackmail Neophytus to get to Gennadius, and she could not do that on her own. There was only one person to whom she could turn: Lucas Notaras, her husband-to-be. Constantine had decreed that they would marry in September, and as her fiance, Notaras was the only man other than her confessor that Sofia was allowed to receive. She wrote a quick message, requesting that he present himself at her quarters the following morning. Involving Notaras was risky, she knew. He was a proud opponent of union and an ally of Gennadius. Still, he was her only hope if she were to avenge Helena's death.

The next day Notaras arrived punctually at her chambers. 'Princess Sofia, I am pleasantly surprised by your invitation,' he said with a bow. 'To what do I owe this honour?'

'I must speak with you about matters of some importance,' she told him. 'We must speak in private.'

'In private, Princess?' Notaras asked with a rakish smile.

'Yes, we will speak in the garden.' Notaras nodded and followed her to a small rose garden in the palace courtyard. There they could talk in private under the watchful eyes of Sofia's maid. They began to walk the gravel path around the garden, and when Sofia was certain that no one was within earshot, she spoke in a low voice. 'I need your help.'

'By all means, Princess.'

'I know that you are supporting Gennadius's bid to replace Mammas as patriarch,' Sofia said. 'You must cut whatever ties you have with him. Gennadius is dangerous.'

'What do you mean, dangerous?'

Sofia stopped. 'What I tell you now, you must swear to tell no one,' she said. Notaras hesitated. 'I promise that it will not compromise your honour.'

'Very well then, I swear it.'

'Good,' Sofia said. 'I believe that I have discovered the cause of the empress-mother's death.'

'The empress-mother? She was sick for months. She died of old age.'

'No, she was poisoned,' Sofia said and continued walking.

'Who told you that?' Notaras demanded as he caught up to her. He did not express surprise.

'No one told me.' Sophia took the golden communion cup from a small bag that she was carrying and handed it to him. 'This was Helena's communion cup. I believe that her confessor, Father Neophytus, used it to poison her.'

Notaras was wary. 'What makes you think that?'

'Smell it.'

'It smells of almonds.'