‘Your guards aren’t up to much if one man overpowered four of them.’
‘Well, he marched into the emperor’s tent through an entire army, didn’t he? They didn’t stop him. I needed warning. I only found out what he’d done by the back door. Thank God I have friends in this palace.’
‘This is the sorcerer?’
‘Yes, the Varangian.’
That surprised Loys. He had been told the sorcerer was an Arab. Perhaps there was another one. Or perhaps — as seemed more likely — rumour had turned the deranged Norseman into an Arab somewhere between Meliotos and the doorkeeper who had spoken to Loys.
‘And what did he do to the emperor?’
‘Threatened to kill him.’
‘Why?’
‘Well, you tell me. He’s a wolfman of the wilds — why do they do anything?’
A wolfman? The figure on the hillside had mentioned someone like that and speculated he might have something to do with the strange occurrences. Was that the same person who had attacked the emperor? The chamberlain had simply called him a savage and dismissed the danger he’d posed.
‘No, you tell me. I will then judge your blame in this matter.’
‘I’m not to blame.’
‘The sorcerer escaped somehow. Someone must be.’
Meletios was deathly pale now.
‘I am an official, no more, an official who has done his best. I was given an impossible task — to restrain a highly dangerous prisoner without proper warning and-’
‘Meletios, we all have difficult tasks.’ Loys smiled. ‘My task is difficult. Make it easier and I will do my best to make sure you do not suffer for what you have done. Why did the sorcerer go to the emperor?’
‘To kill him, I thought. Others say he came to warn him. Look, I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I can see the writing on the wall. I know which way this is going and where the blame will be dumped. Me.’
Loys wondered why the chamberlain had not seen fit to inform him a sorcerer had had direct contact with the emperor. How could he dismiss a man who had breached the imperial tent as a mere lunatic?
‘Where is the sorcerer now?’
‘Well, he hasn’t got out of the Numera, I know that much. He’d have to get past four sets of guards to do that, and we might be lax but we’re not that lax.’
Loys breathed in. Here was his first solid clue connecting the emperor with dark forces. A sorcerer had confronted the emperor. But the chamberlain had seen fit to play it down. Why? And did he really think Loys wouldn’t find out? Perhaps he genuinely believed the sorcerer to be unconnected with the magical attack on the emperor and the darkening of the sky.
‘Have you searched for this man?’
‘Of course, but he’s gone into the lower tunnels. There are so many and the men are too scared to go down there. The chamberlain sent four down but they never came back.’
‘And no one’s mentioned this?’
‘They told us to keep quiet.’ The man’s eyes widened. ‘But you knew all this. I mean, you’re the chamberlain’s man. I’m not revealing secrets here. It was your office that gave the order.’
Loys said nothing again. He wanted Meletios to feel uncomfortable.
‘What happened to the men?’
‘I don’t know. Those tunnels are winding and full of ghosts. They got lost; the wolfman got them; they’re still down there. Who knows? Not my men. Not my problem.’
‘It’s your problem that you lost the wolfman.’
‘Yes.’
‘So you can do me a favour.’
‘What?’
‘You can help me look for him.’
‘I haven’t got any men who would be willing to do that.’
‘Why not?’
‘People have seen things in the tunnels.’
‘What?’
‘Ghosts.’
‘Men’s fears can conjure phantoms from the dark where there are none. You will search the tunnels and bring the wolfman to me within the week.’
‘I cannot do that. The chamberlain himself could not make my men do that. He rules according to the law and has no power to command it. The Hetaereian generals wouldn’t allow it. That’s why we used mercenaries.’
‘I will visit tomorrow and you will escort me. Either that or I will have you imprisoned in your own dungeon. Am I clear?’
The man said nothing, just stared.
‘Am I clear?’
‘You are clear. But you will find it hard to get men to go with you. You could get lost and never be heard of again.’
‘It’s possible to get lost and never be heard of again just walking out of the palace. Losing a prisoner of the emperor is treason. And you know the penalty for that.’
Meletios swallowed, opened his mouth and let out a loud pant like an exhausted dog.
‘If you insist on coming, then I will have no choice but to escort you,’ he said.
‘Fine, then tomorrow.’
‘Yes.’
‘And one thing. It is not politic the world knows about this. Do you have the name of a prisoner I could pretend to interview?’
‘I’ve got a thousand of ’em,’ said Meletios.
‘Good, then put the word about that I’m coming to interview some unfortunate of your prison,’ said Loys.
‘Yes, lord,’ said Meletios, which Loys thought was overdoing it.
Loys moved the fan to dismiss the man. When he had gone, the scholar put his head into his hands.
Beatrice came out from behind the screen. ‘You put yourself in great danger.’
He smiled. ‘A noble man disdains to show fear. Isn’t that what you told me? I have the option to go — I don’t have to. It was just the way the questioning went. Do you think it’s wise?’
‘I think it sounds dangerous. But to do nothing is dangerous too. You must be seen to be making progress so it’s necessary and it’s politic to look for the truth. Only when you glimpse it can you assess if you need to walk towards it or away. Styliane implied…’
Her voice trailed away. She didn’t have to finish her sentence and it might have been dangerous to do so.
The lady had hinted her brother had something to do with the curse that attended the emperor and the town, even unwillingly. And she had suggested Loys might be vulnerable. So if Loys gained possession of the truth he would at least have either a weapon against the chamberlain or he would know how to construct a convincing lie to please the great man. The figure on the hillside — if that was the chamberlain — had mentioned the wolfman and had clearly been puzzled by him. If Loys could offer an explanation that might raise the chamberlain’s respect for him. Did he want the favour of a magician? Well, Loys had killed, hadn’t he? Kissing a pagan’s sandals was a small sin when held against that.
There were good reasons for a visit to the Numera: it would show he needed to be taken seriously, that things could not be hidden from him. And if he came near the truth…
‘I hope a hunt for the wolfman might see me removed from the investigation,’ said Loys. ‘The chamberlain doesn’t want me to know about him or he would have told me. If it looks as though I might turn up something embarrassing then perhaps he will release me from this task.’
‘And then what? Back to the lighthouse quarter?’
Loys shook his head. ‘The chamberlain cannot have me fail. That becomes his failure. No, I think that if
