Byzantium

'Quiet!' he said, pushing me back with the rod. 'I have certain friends.'

One of the scholarii took an interest in the exchange between Justin and me, and started towards us. 'Trouble there?' he called.

'It is nothing!' Justin replied over his shoulder. 'This fellow is drunk. I am dealing with him.' Pushing me again, he said, 'Hear me, Aidan: the komes knows about this.'

'The komes…Nikos?'

'The one who helped trap the quaestor, yes,' Justin answered. 'My friend said Nikos met with them twice- the last time was on the day they left. That is all I could discover.' He looked around quickly. 'I must go. I will try to learn more if I can.'

The chief guard called again. The other soldiers were already moving off. 'Trust no one, Aidan,' said Justin, stepping quickly away from me. 'Beware Nikos-he has very powerful friends. He is dangerous. Stay far away from him.'

I made to thank him and bid him farewell, but he was already running along the narrow street to join the other soldiers. I turned and made my way back to where Didimus and the Danes were waiting. I pushed through the crowd, thinking: They are alive! My friends are alive! At least most of them are alive, and they reached Constantinople after all.

'That was the warrior from the gate,' Gunnar said as I joined them. 'The one you were looking for?'

'Yes, that was the one.'

'And he told you what you wanted to know?'

'Yes,' I said tersely. I did not care to discuss it further-certainly not with Sea Wolves who were the cause of the ruined pilgrimage, and all the other troubles in my life. Instead, I turned and strode along the street. 'Come,' I said, 'we must hurry if we want to be at the quay when the bread arrives.'

'Heya!' agreed Gunnar. 'The sooner we collect the winnings, the happier I will be.'

'Didimus,' I called, 'lead us back to the ships. Quickly, now! We do not wish to miss Constantius.'

'Most fortunate of men are you,' cried the little boatman cheerfully, 'for you are in the company of one who anticipates your every whim. I have already thought of this, and I have devised a special route to take you. No boat this time, yet, never fear, we will reach the harbour before the sun sets.'

True to his word, Didimus brought us to the harbour just as the sun sank below the western hills. 'You see!' he said. 'There is your ship, here are you, and the sun is only setting. And now I must go home to my supper. I bid you fare well, my friends. I will be leaving you now. If I have been of service to you, I am happy. I need nothing more.' Smiling in anticipation of his reward, he added, 'Naturally, if people wish to show their appreciation…'

'You have done us good service, Didimus,' I told him. 'For that we are grateful.'

Turning to Gunnar, I explained that we must pay the boatman for his help, reminding him that without Didimus, we would not have been able to win the wager.

'Say no more,' replied Gunnar expansively, 'I am feeling generous.' Opening his leather bag, he produced a handful of nomismi and began counting them out.

Didimus's face fell when he saw the coins. Nudging Gunnar, I said, 'Truly, he has been a very great help.'

From among the coins Gunnar selected a silver denarius, and held it out to Didimus. The boatman's smile instantly returned. 'May God Himself bless you richly, my friends!' he gasped, snatching the coin and tucking it quickly out of sight. Seizing my hand, he raised it to his lips and kissed it. Then he kissed Gunnar's hand as well, and departed, saying, 'Next time you need a guide, call on Didimus, and you will have the best guide in all Byzantium, never fear!'

'Farewell,' I called. Didimus quickly disappeared among the workers and boatmen making their way to the city, and we hurried to the place where the longship was still moored to the quayside.

We had just reached the ship and were about to go aboard when we heard Hnefi call out, 'Ho! It is no use hiding. We have seen you.'

'Heya,' replied Gunnar affably. 'And I see you have found your way back to the ship. That is a triumph for you, Hnefi. You must be very pleased.'

'If I am pleased,' said Hnefi, strolling up as if he owned the harbour, 'it is because I see you standing there empty-handed. You should have stayed with us.' Some of the other Sea Wolves arrived, staggering slightly, and looking dazzled by the day's experience.

'I see that you have found a drinking hall,' Gunnar observed. 'No doubt the ol has helped ease the sting of your defeat.'

'Wine!' cried Hnefi. 'We have been drinking wine-and that in celebration of our victory! I will take my silver now.'

Some of the Danes aboard ship gathered at the rail to observe this exchange. They called to their shipmates below and were told of the wager between Gunnar and Hnefi over the bread.

'I wonder at you, Hnefi,' Gunnar replied, shaking his head sadly. 'It must be that you have forgotten the most important part of the wager. I am looking, but I do not see the bread.'

'Are you blind, man?' replied Hnefi. 'Open your eyes.'

So saying, he turned and called a signal to the remaining five Sea Wolves of his party just then straggling up. I saw that they were bearing large cloth bags on their backs. At their leader's signal, they came to where we were standing, and slung their bags to the quay. 'Behold!' cried Hnefi, opening the nearest bag. Thrusting his hand inside, he produced a small brown loaf. 'I give you bread.'

Gunnar stepped to the sack and peered inside; it was indeed full of small brown loaves. 'It is bread,' confirmed Gunnar. 'But I am wondering how you obtained it.'

The Sea Wolves on the quay and those aboard ship began clamouring for the wager to be settled. As I suspected, numerous additional wagers had been struck, and now the winners wanted their take.

'I do not understand,' Gunnar said, shaking his head. 'How did they do it?'

We were not to wonder long, however, for at that moment, there came a shout from the quay. I turned to see Constantius the baker, pushing a cart loaded high with fresh bread in big, round fragrant loaves. Behind him a young man pushed a second cart filled equally high. 'Here!' he shouted. 'Here you are! I have found you.'

He forced the cart through the midst of the barbarians, hollering at them to make way. 'Just as I promised,' he declared in a loud voice, 'I have brought the politikoi. 'Do not worry,' I said, 'I am a man of my word.' And now you see, eh? I was telling the truth. I am an honest man. Here is your bread.'

I thanked him, and said, 'These Danes do not understand your speech. If you will allow me, I will tell them what you are saying.'

'By all means, you must do that. Let understanding increase.'

To Hnefi and the others, I said, 'As you see, Constantius here has brought the bread allowance-and not half only, but the whole of it.'

'Heya,' he agreed confidently, 'it is a shame for you that he arrived too late.'

'How so?' challenged Gunnar. 'You see the bread before you.'

'We brought bread also, and we arrived with it before you,' Hnefi replied. 'Therefore I have won the wager.'

'That is by no means certain,' said Gunnar. 'I do not know what it is that you have brought in those bags of yours, but it is not the bread we were sent to fetch.'

'You know it is bread!' charged Hnefi. 'You have seen it with your own eyes.'

King Harald arrived at the rail and demanded to know why so many men were standing idle when there were provisions waiting to be brought aboard ship. Hnefi quickly explained about the wager, adding, 'As it happens, I have won. But this worthless Dane refuses to admit his defeat and pay me my winnings.'

'Is this so?' asked the king.

'I do refuse, Jarl Harald,' answered a defiant Gunnar, 'for it is not my custom to pay when I win a wager. I pay only when I lose. Hnefi insists on having it the other way, I think.'

This response delighted the onlooking Sea Wolves, many of whom laughed, and began cheering for him.

'What is all this commotion?' wondered a bemused Constantius, finding himself surrounded by barbarians in full cry.

While I explained the dispute, the king made his way to the quay to settle the argument himself. 'Clearly, you cannot both have won this wager,' opined Harald judiciously. 'One of you has won, and the other has lost. That is