Byzantium

He subsided with a growl and contented himself with scrutinizing the gold on display. Hnefi and Gunnar talked openly of how their fingers itched to be close to such riches, and yet unable to steal any for themselves. I might have been embarrassed by this, but as no one else knew what they said, it made no difference.

The emperor, for his part, deigned not to notice his barbaric guests' coarse behaviour. He sat back in his throne, folded his hands over his stomach and closed his eyes. When I thought he must be asleep, he roused himself and said, 'Slave, come here.'

There were no slaves near, that I could see. So it took me by surprise when he raised his hand and beckoned me. 'Forgive me, basileus,' I said, edging a hesitant step forward.

The emperor motioned me nearer, and held out his hand for me to kiss. I did so, and remained standing before him with my eyes downcast-as I had seen the magister do.

'We perceive that you are a learned man,' Basil said. 'How came you to be a slave to these barbarians?'

'Lord emperor, I was on a pilgrimage with my brother monks when our ship was attacked by Sea Wolves.' I explained briefly about surviving the shipwreck and finding the Gaulish village. I concluded, saying, 'The settlement was attacked that same night and I was taken captive.' Indicating the cumtach resting in the box at the foot of the throne, I said, 'The silver book cover offered to you as surety once belonged to us.'

'Indeed?' wondered the emperor. 'And your brother priests? What became of them?'

'Sovereign lord,' I said, 'I wish I knew. As it happens, I hoped the emperor might tell me.'

Basil regarded me with a look of studied amazement. 'We might tell you?' He laughed. 'Although the emperor's knowledge of the events in the empire is exhaustive, it is by no means infinite. Why would a man of your learning imagine that we could provide you with an explanation of so obscure an event?'

'Forgive my presumption, basileus,' I said, 'but the pilgrimage of which I speak was to Constantinople; it was, in fact, to seek audience with yourself, sovereign lord, and present you with a gift both rare and precious.'

'Truly?' The emperor professed himself to be fascinated and commanded me to explain further. 'You have gained the imperial ear, bold priest-at least until the magister returns. Tell us more of this wonderful tale.'

In all my days of captivity, I had never dared think, even in whimsy, that I might stand before the emperor and regale him with the story of my misfortune. But I was keen to learn the fate of my brothers, so up I spoke, casting aside all trepidation. I told the basileus about the abbey at Kells, and the making of the book; I told him about the choosing of the thirteen to make the pilgrimage, the preparations for the trip, and the storm that drove us across the sea and into the Sea Wolves' path. 'I assumed the pilgrimage would continue without me,' I said. 'But unless the emperor tells me he has seen them, I must conclude that my friends turned back, or were killed in the raid as I feared.'

Emperor Basil sat for a moment, thinking, and then said, 'What is your name, priest?'

'Sovereign lord,' I answered, 'I am Aidan mac Cainnech.'

'Aidan,' he said, 'it grieves us to tell you that your brother priests have not arrived in Constantinople. They have not come before us here. Devoutly do we wish it were otherwise, for judging by the cover alone, it would have been a gift worthy of veneration, and a tribute to your monastery's devotion. We are truly sorry.'

The magister sacrum returned just then, and the emperor summoned him. I made to step away, but the emperor said, 'Stay, priest.' So, I remained beside the throne.

'Basileus,' the magister said, 'the komes have returned.'

'They may enter,' allowed Basil, and the magister withdrew. The emperor's smile grew sly as he said, 'Now let us see what breed of vermin we have caught.'

The magister reappeared, leading three young men, all dressed alike: they wore long, close-fitting tunics of yellow and blue with wide sleeves, and yellow breecs with the leggings tucked into the tops of high boots; short, gold-handled swords hung from their belts. The foremost of the three-slender as a sword, with dark hair and fine, sharp features-advanced swiftly to the throne and prostrated himself. 'Rise, Nikos,' said the emperor, recognizing the courtier. 'Rise and declare before this exalted assembly that which you have discovered.'

'Basileus,' answered the man named Nikos, when he had regained his feet, 'it would seem that our quaestor has been a very industrious man, and richly blessed of God in all his dealings.'

'Enlighten us further.' The emperor turned his gaze from the courtier to the worried visage of the harbour master.

Komes Nikos, a dark-haired young man with keen black eyes in a smooth, handsome face, held out his hands and two of the courtiers who had entered with him advanced bearing a large earthen jar. Nikos took the jar, raised it, and held it aloft. 'With God and these men as my witnesses, this jar was found in the home of Quaestor Antonius, lord and emperor,' he announced, his voice trembling slightly with the effort, for the jar appeared heavy. 'With your permission, basileus.'

Basil nodded, and Nikos let the jar fall. The pottery vessel struck the polished marble floor and smashed into splinters, releasing a cascade of gold and silver; hundreds of gold solidi and silver denarii splashed onto the floor.

Nikos, stooped, filled his hands with the coins, and let them spill from his fingers. 'It would seem our estimable quaestor is either a most frugal man, or a most dishonest one. I am intrigued, emperor.' He regarded the ashen-faced quaestor. 'I would know how he acquired such wealth.'

'Quaestor Antonius,' called the emperor, 'come forward and explain how you came by these riches. For we are persuaded that a man with a salary of two solidi a year could never hoard so much. Perhaps you sold property?' suggested Basil reasonably. 'Perhaps you wagered on a race? Perhaps the Greens have given you the festival money for safe-keeping?'

Antonius stared sullenly at the money on the floor. 'You had no right,' he muttered to the courtier.

'By decree of the emperor, I was given the right,' replied Nikos succinctly. His manner was that of a man enjoying himself with immense satisfaction, and immense restraint.

'We are waiting, Quaestor Antonius,' said the emperor, raising his voice. 'How did you come by this money? We require an answer.'

Antonius, looking shaken and afraid, nevertheless raised his head. 'Sovereign lord, the money which was found in my house is the inheritance of my family. It came into my possession with the death of my father, eight years ago.'

'You certainly come from a very wealthy family, Quaestor Antonius,' observed Nikos, his tone insinuating and accusing. 'By the look of that pile, your father must have owned half of Pera.'

'My father was a shrewd man of business,' allowed Antonius. 'It is well known. Ask anyone who had dealings with him.'

'Shrewd indeed,' said Nikos, stooping again to the heap of coins. He withdrew a handful. 'It seems he must have saved much for the future-and well into the future. See here!' He held up a gold coin. 'This solidus was struck only last year. And this one the year before. In fact,' he sifted through the coins in his hand, examining them closely, 'as I look at them, I cannot see any older than three years. Yet, you say they came to you eight years ago.'

'I have been changing them-old for new,' Antonius replied smugly. 'I prefer new coins; they have a more uniform weight.'

The slippery quaestor appeared to be wriggling away. His explanation, though hardly believable, was at least plausible; and, more importantly, there seemed to be no way of disproving it. Sure, he had anticipated this day a thousand times and had devised his story well.

I looked at the coins on the floor, and saw the silver cumtach of Colum Cille in the thieving quaestor's hands. The silver! 'Sovereign lord,' I said, surprising even myself with my suddenness, 'if I may speak.'

The emperor nodded slowly, his eyes on the quaestor.

'There are silver coins among the gold. Perhaps they might be examined as well.' So saying, I bent down and stretched my hand towards the heap of coins.

Komes Nikos stopped me; taking hold of my wrist, he said, 'Allow me to assist you, friend.' Though he spoke politely, his grip on my wrist was uncompromising, and there was no friendship in his eyes.

I withdrew, allowing the courtier to sort through the pile, picking out the silver denarii. In a moment, he had retrieved a handful, and then turned to me. 'There are not so many silver as gold,' he said, 'but a fair few. What is your interest in them?'