‘You should try that out on my uncle. He’s keen on anything that’s got a religious slant,’ Hroudland said.
‘Your uncle?’
‘My mother is one of King Carolus’s sisters.’
I had just opened my mouth to respond when I was interrupted by Anseis asking, ‘Is it true that the king is planning a campaign against the Saracens in Hispania, Hroudland?’
‘Not this year. The season’s too late,’ said Hroudland.
‘In the south you can keep an army in the field almost until Christmas,’ observed Berenger.
‘That’s something you should discuss with Gerard,’ said Hroudland looking across at the white-haired older man.
The riddles were forgotten. The conversation veered off into a discussion of how long it would take to raise an army, the speed of its supply train, the correct proportion of archers to foot soldiers to cavalry, the correct tactics for fighting Saracens. As they talked and argued, I learned that the old man Gerard came from the south and that when King Carolus went to war, my fellow royal guests served as officers in his army.
The discussion was bringing back bitter memories of the only battle I had ever fought in, and I excused myself from the table. Osric had returned from the royal stores with an armful of clothes, and I found myself a vacant sleeping cubicle where he laid out my new wardrobe. When he withdrew, I lay down on the cot and closed my eyes. It had been a long day and I was tired. Almost instantly I was asleep.
My twin joined me or, rather, his fetch came to sit on the side of my cot. He looked as he always did when he visited me in my dreams — pensive and calm, not the ghastly corpse of his death. He had aged at the same pace as myself, and sometimes I wondered if I was looking in a mirror, rather than seeing someone who had been dead these past ten years.
For a long time he sat without speaking, occasionally looking around the little alcove. ‘What do you make of them?’ he eventually asked.
As always, I did not reply. There was no need. My brother always answered his own question.
‘Learn what you can about them. Suspect the one you come to trust, and trust the one you suspect.’
Then he stood up and left.
I was awake before sunrise. For a few moments I lay snug in my cubicle, recollecting where I was. Then I rose and dressed quietly in the Frankish costume that Osric had delivered for me — linen undertrousers and shirt under a belted tunic, and woollen leggings held in place by criss-cross garters. Osric had located a pair of laced leather boots of the right size, and only the long cloak in the shape of a double square delayed me. It took some time in the darkness to work out that I should place it over my shoulders so that it hung in front and behind, with a slit on each side.
I walked softly across the room, careful not to wake my new companions, and let myself out. During the night the rain had stopped. The air smelled of dampness and mildew. Only the faintest glow showed where the sun would rise. I made my way cautiously through the shadows, trying to retrace my path to where I had seen the statue of the horse.
I had gone perhaps a hundred paces when I realized that I had lost my way. I decided it would be wiser to wait until the daylight was stronger and I could get my bearings. I stood in silence for some time, watching the buildings gradually take shape out of the darkness. It was a strange sensation to know that I was in the heart of the largest, most powerful kingdom in the western world and had already met its supreme ruler face to face. Yet I knew almost nothing about it. If I was to find my proper place within it, I would have to learn its manners and customs. The prospect excited me.
All of a sudden there came the most hideous scream. It was a cry of such anguish that the hair rose on the back of my neck. Instinctively I reached for my dagger, only to remember that I had left it behind. The source of that terrible scream was very close. Weaponless, I hesitated. Then the ghastly wail came again, even more desperate than before, and I knew I had to intervene. Someone was being attacked and needed urgent help. The screams had come from the far side of a builder’s shed. I took a deep breath and dashed around the corner, my heart pounding, not knowing what I would find. I half-hoped that my sudden appearance might frighten the assailant off his victim, or if I yelled loudly enough to raise the alarm, someone would come to help.
I came skidding around the corner of the hut only to find no one there. There was a large heap of rough-sawn logs and an open muddy space. Pale smears of sawdust showed where the carpenters had been at work. I slithered to a halt, puzzled. The light had strengthened enough to cast faint shadows. Something moved in the gloom, low down beside the timber. I tried to make out what it was, half expecting to see a badly wounded victim lying in the mire. Again nothing. Then out from the shadow strutted a bird. It stood taller than a chicken, with large feet and a small, fine head on a gracefully curved neck. The body was almost the size of a goose and, though it did not waddle, the creature had a stilted, ungainly walk. The tail was very odd. The bird dragged behind it a drooping train of feathers out of all proportion to its size. I was still puzzling about this strange creature when it raised its head and uttered that same spine-chilling, ugly scream. Once again my heart raced, but by then I knew what was in front of me. Near my father’s house had been the ruins of an old Roman villa, once the home of a rich merchant. On its mosaic floor had been depicted all manner of exotic creatures, lions, sea monsters, fish, ducks and. . peacocks.
‘Escaped from the king’s zoo,’ said a voice I recognized, and Alcuin materialized from the shadows, giving me yet another scare that morning. ‘I’m sorry if I startled you. I take a stroll after lauds. It helps clear the mind.’
‘That creature has a shocking call,’ I commented.
‘The voice of the devil, the gait of a thief, and the body of an angel,’ replied Alcuin.
The bird heard our voices, turned towards us and slowly raised its tail into an enormous fan. Straining with effort, for a moment the creature looked as if it would topple forward on its beak. Despite the comic stance, I was impressed. The Roman mosaics had not come near capturing the magnificence of the live display.
‘The hundred eyes of Argos,’ I said.
Alcuin gave me a shrewd glance.
‘Where did you learn that?’
‘A tale my tutor told me at home. He loved the ancient stories,’ I replied.
‘A priest?’
I nodded.
‘He would have done better to tell you that the patterns of the peacock’s fan represent the all-seeing eye of God.’
I decided to tease.
‘And the flesh of the dead peacock doesn’t corrupt? So it mimics the eternal body of Christ.’
Alcuin showed a flash of irritation.
‘Pure myth. If this bird is mauled by one of the king’s hunting dogs, you will find that the body rots just like any other fowl.’
He began herding the peacock across the ground, as if he was a goose girl, and I helped him.
‘What other animals does the king have in his collection?’ I asked.
‘Bears, a leopard or two, cranes, wolves, some monkeys, several types of snake — most of them survive only a year or two before they die.’
‘How do they get here?’
‘Some are brought by hunters who’ve heard of the royal menagerie. The more exotic animals are sent by foreign rulers, as gifts.’
I saw my opening.
‘What about that metal horse, the big statue? Was that a gift?’
‘That came from Italy, from Ravenna. It represents a Roman emperor, Theodosius. Carolus asked for it to be sent to him.’
‘A strange request.’
‘Not really. Theodosios was a Christian emperor in Rome. He spread the word of Christ with his conquests. Carolus sees him as an example.’
I said nothing, wondering whether my dream was of the Roman or the Frank.
The peacock stalked ahead of us, not hurrying. Now it stopped and uttered another of its raucous wails. In response a servant appeared at a run. He must have been one of the keepers of the royal menagerie because he
