supreme ruler. Twelve archbishops and twenty bishops administer to the spiritual welfare of the ruler’s subjects. A river called Physon flows into his realm from Eden. Along this river is a clear fountain with miraculous properties. Anyone who drinks of its waters will be restored to youth and vigour.’
Vallon suppressed a smile. ‘Cosmas was mortally ill. Did he hope to bathe in the fountain of eternal youth?’
‘I don’t know about that, but he told me that if he’d obtained the documents, he would have sold them to finance a voyage to Prester John’s court.’
‘More than one document, you say.’
‘Yes, sir. The other is a gospel whose existence has been long suspected, but not confirmed until now — the Gospel of St Thomas.’
Vallon levitated from his stool. ‘The Gospel of St Thomas.’
‘Including the Secret Sayings of Jesus, recorded in his lifetime.’
Vallon scratched his head. ‘Does the world need another gospel?’
‘Cosmas told me that this one is of inestimable importance. Scholars believe that the four Biblical gospels were written by followers of the apostles, long after their deaths. But the St Thomas gospel was written in his own lifetime, dictated in his own words. Imagine — a first-hand account of Jesus’s life by one of his closest disciples. Let me read you the opening verses.’
Hero opened the secret drawer and extracted a sheet of parchment. ‘The gospel’s written in old Greek. Walter allowed Cosmas to read some of it and transcribe the first page. This is how it begins:
The words resonated in Vallon’s head. His skin prickled. ‘You said that Cosmas intended to sell the documents.’
‘Not merely for personal gain. In the year of my birth, Rome and Constantinople broke off relations in a dispute over which is the head and mother of the Churches. Cosmas hoped that Prester John’s offer of an alliance against the enemies of Christendom might help mend the schism. Cosmas also had other calculations. In his lifetime he’s seen political power slip from Constantinople to Rome. Although Byzantium is the richer empire, her territories are small and isolated, while Rome’s ecclesiastical jurisdiction extends throughout Europe. He believed that if Constantinople possessed the Gospel of St Thomas, it would strengthen the patriarch’s hand in his dealings with the pope.’
Church politics meant nothing to Vallon. For him it was enough that he believed in God, prayed more or less daily, and wasn’t surprised or disappointed when his prayers went unanswered.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Cosmas swore me to secrecy. He knew nothing about you except that you were a mercenary. He thought you might steal the letter and sell it in Rome. In his last few days he wasn’t in his proper state of mind.’
‘Did he expect you to continue the quest on your own?’
Hero hung his head. ‘At first I was honoured to be given the task. That excitement didn’t last long. Once I’d considered what the mission would involve, I knew it was beyond me. I wanted to tell you, but with every passing day it became more difficult to confess my deception. I feared your anger. I thought you’d punish me by driving me away.’
‘What were you going to do with the information?’
‘Hold it close until we’d completed our journey to England. I hoped that Olbec would reward us for bringing him news of his son. I didn’t know that Walter had exaggerated his family’s wealth or concealed Drogo’s existence. My intention once we’d parted company was to return to Italy and hand the letter over to the patriarch in Sicily.’
‘All without a word to me.’
Hero averted his face. ‘Punish me as you see fit. If you cast me away again, it would be no more than I deserve.’
Vallon leaned forward. ‘Hero, I guarded you safe throughout our long journey. For your sake I risked my life, endured cold, hunger and exhaustion.’ He stabbed a finger. ‘By all rights, in all honour, I should kill you.’
Hero’s eyes bolted. ‘Yes, sir. My treachery is unforgivable.’
Vallon stared at him. ‘What a fool you are.’ He kicked the stool over. ‘What a fool am I!’ He paced around the room. ‘In any other circumstances I would have known that Cosmas wouldn’t be travelling to England without some secret motive. The reason I didn’t was that my mind was clouded by grief.’ Vallon stopped, face darkening, and pointed a trembling finger. ‘You simpered and flattered.’ Vallon pitched his voice high. ‘“Oh, sir, you are strong and I am weak. Please help me.”’ Vallon whirled and braced his hands each side of the window.
Hero began to sob. ‘I know you were troubled in mind and are troubled still.’
Vallon’s vision cleared. He looked out into the garden. A carpet of mist had lapped up from the river and ducks quacked in the murk. He drew a shaky breath and straightened up. ‘What are the documents worth?’
‘Whatever price you ask. Enough gold to keep you comfortable for life. A duke’s title and estate. But first you have to get your hands on them, and I think that will be impossible.’
‘Why?’
‘It’s as Aaron said. A voyage to Norway and then a journey through Rus and across the Black Sea. Sir, even an army couldn’t complete such an epic undertaking.’
Vallon turned. ‘A group of determined individuals can travel further and faster than any army. Cosmas proved that. You told me that he journeyed to the ends of the world and didn’t even carry arms.’
‘Yes, sir. But Cosmas was exceptional.’
‘Does Walter know what the documents are worth?’
‘He knows they’re valuable, but doesn’t understand wherein their value lies. He can’t read and his circumstances make it impossible for him to make a translation.’
Vallon stared into the night, a vast enterprise beginning to take shape in his mind. ‘Go to bed.’
‘Sir?’
‘Go to bed. I need to think.’
‘Are you done with me, or is this merely a suspension of punishment?’
‘I won’t punish you. Your conscience may have saved our lives. If you hadn’t shown up at Aaron’s house, we’d be kicking our heels for the next month.’
‘Does that mean I can stay?’
‘Perhaps that
‘As you will it.’
‘Nothing can be set in motion until we have the money. Until then, I don’t want you to stray beyond the house. Tell no one about the documents.’
A long pause. ‘I almost confided in Richard. It was a burden too great to bear.’
‘Now you share it with me. Keep it that way.’
Hero’s feet dragged as he left the room.
Vallon put up a hand. ‘On second thoughts, you might as well make yourself of service.’
‘Whatever you command.’
‘Get all the rest you can. The day after tomorrow, go to Lynn and find the Norwegian. Take Raul and Wayland. It will probably be a wasted journey, but it will keep the three of you out of mischief.’
When Hero had gone, Vallon stood at the window gazing at the moon. He shivered. It wasn’t the dank river air that brought him out in goosebumps. He’d embarked on the journey as an act of penance, but now he had a nobler purpose — one ordained by heaven. Appointed to show the way, Cosmas had said, that dark all-seeing eye fixed on him. Vallon dropped to his knees and raised his hands in prayer.
‘Dear Lord, thank you for giving me this task. I’ll pursue it with all my might, and if I succeed, then by Your grace and if it pleases You, redeem me of my grievous sins.’
Moonlight sharpened his profile, etched deep shadows on his face. It was late. He closed the shutters, lay down on his bed and for the first time in months slept like a baby.
