‘Your Majesty, I am Raymond, Count of Toulouse. Does that mean that your army will not be joining our march on Jerusalem?’
‘My Lord Count, my job is to use my army to guard your rear and help with the evacuation of the sick and wounded. I will man a heavily armed supply line for the entire length of your journey and duration of your stay; a force consisting of many thousands of men.’
Raymond of Toulouse, clearly disconcerted, was about to challenge the Emperor when Stephen of Blois sank to his knees, eager to take the oath. Others quickly followed, leaving Raymond isolated. He eventually agreed to the Emperor’s terms, except for the clause about the sovereignty of Christian fiefdoms. Realizing that it could be dealt with at another time, Alexius nodded his agreement and the oath-taking began for all of us.
During the protracted ceremony, I noticed Estrith smiling at young Bertrand and, once again, I felt the pangs of jealousy.
A little later, Estrith suddenly tugged my arm and whispered in my ear. ‘Look, hanging from the Emperor’s belt. Is it possible?’
Alexius had leaned over to talk to his wife, exposing something attached to his belt and hanging just below his golden jacket. I also recognized it immediately. It was Hereward’s now legendary amulet, the Talisman of Truth.
‘Not now!’
Estrith wanted me to approach the Emperor there and then, and I had to repeat myself three times before she relented.
‘The Emperor has just pulled off an amazing political coup; it’s the work of a genius. We must let the dust settle.’
At the end of the oath-taking, an army of stewards emerged carrying outrageous gifts for everyone. There were caskets of gold and silver coin, bales of silk, jewellery, carved ivory, jade, carpets — the favours just went on appearing, as if conjured by a magician.
For several days afterwards, yet more presents were delivered to the camps of the Crusaders as each contingent’s leadership was invited to the palace in turn to meet Alexius in person. The Emperor briefed them about the general strategy and subtle tactics of the war against the Muslims, as well as the details of his plan for the taking of Jerusalem.
Robert’s exalted status among the Latin Princes meant we were quite near the top of the Emperor’s list and only had a few days to wait for our appointment. Even so, it was difficult to get Sweyn and Adela to agree to wait until the audience before pursuing the tantalizing subject of the object we had seen hanging from the imperial belt.
Meanwhile, my envy for Bertrand’s good fortune in being the man lucky enough to send a tremor through Estrith’s elegant timbers again got the better of me when she and I were next alone together.
‘I assume the presence of the young ascetic with the morals of a stud bull means your abbess’s veil has slipped again?’
Estrith’s response was typically forthright.
‘Edgar, are you protecting me now? Or lecturing me?’
‘I’m sorry, that wasn’t fair.’
My apology appeared to take the sting out of my earlier taunt, and Estrith continued with more restraint and some hesitation.
‘We have spent a couple of nights together, but… if you must know… there will be no more trysts with Bertrand.’
‘Why?’
‘Apart from the fact that you’re right — he’s an empty-headed hypocrite — his passions extend a little too far for my tastes. He wanted… well… let’s just say, I’m not feeling very wholesome at the moment.’
‘I understand. It will not be mentioned again.’
I felt so sorry for Estrith; she had so many gifts and was so generous of spirit. All she wanted was to express herself, but the strange world we lived in made that so difficult for her.
Once again, I thought for a moment about how things might have been different between us. I convinced myself that, were I to become her husband, I would let her spread her wings and fly.
But as soon as those thoughts came into my head, I dismissed them.
That time had passed.
26. Talisman of Truth
The thought of meeting the Emperor of Byzantium in person was nerve-racking at the best of times, but with the added anticipation of what the discovery of the Talisman might mean, we approached the imperial dais feeling somewhat tense.
The great gilt throne, topped by the empire’s fabled double-headed eagle, was empty when we arrived, but the sudden snap of the guards coming to attention signalled the entrance of the man whose lineage allowed him to wear the imperial purple of Rome. We all knelt; Robert and I were allowed to kiss his ring, a cameo of exquisite delicacy bearing the same imperial eagle.
Robert made the introductions. The Emperor was understandably intrigued by a female knight and a sister of the Church — all the other women he had met had been the kin of Crusader lords. He was particularly concerned about Estrith’s status.
‘Madam, Muslims are very honourable men, especially towards noblewomen, but they may be less than worthy in their treatment of women who choose to travel alone. You may be more vulnerable than you realize.’
‘Your Majesty, you are generous in thinking of my safety, but we are bound to one another as brethren; where one goes, we all go.’
‘Very well, but I beseech you to take care, and your menfolk to look out for these two ladies.’
I could sense Adela stiffen next to me and I nudged her knee with mine to encourage her to hold her tongue, but it did not have the desired effect.
She clasped the hilt of her sword and straightened herself.
‘Majesty, we will all take care of Estrith.’
The Emperor looked annoyed at first — few people as lowly as a knight, particularly the oddity of a knight in female form, would have spoken directly to him before — but he soon smiled.
‘How fascinating; I would like to learn more, but I have matters to discuss.’
He then went through the details of the campaign as he saw it, outlining the specifics of the logistical support he planned and giving us the benefit of his vast combat experience against the Muslim armies. Worryingly, it soon became clear that he was already frustrated at the attitude of several of the more forthright Crusaders.
When he had finished, we thanked him profusely for his guidance and wisdom.
Robert then broached the subject we had waited so patiently to raise.
‘Your Majesty, Prince Edgar begs your indulgence; he has a question for you.’
‘Of course.’
‘Majesty, you wear an amulet on your belt. We think it is something we recognize, an object of great importance to us.’
‘I think you must be mistaken; it is a charm I bought many years ago from a trader in oriental treasures. It is from the lands far to the east.’
Once again, Adela had the temerity to speak up. I made to stop her, but the Emperor gestured for her to continue.
‘Your Majesty, the stone contains the image of the Devil and his familiars, entombed by a splash of the blood of Christ. It is called the Talisman of Truth. The last time I saw it, it was being worn by Estrith’s father, Hereward of Bourne. He and his wife, Torfida of the Wildwood, were the Talisman’s guardians.’
‘I’m sorry to disappoint you; this is a very different amulet, nothing like the one you describe. It is amber, but has no images in it, just a few trapped insects.’
