Dark Ages Clan Novel 3꞉ Cappadocian by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Format: epub
Published: 2013-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

Part Three: Cairo

Chapter Fourteen

Alexandria 2 September, 1204

Markus Musa Giovanni's journey to Egypt was not filled with the revelations he had hoped. He had expected to glean further secrets from the clay fragment recovered from the Lamia’s ashes. During the nights aboard the ship he’d contracted for the journey—a small Venetian merchant craft hired for an exorbitant sum from the fleet gathering for the Egyptian Crusade—Markus pored over the Lilith shard. He took pains to avoid touching the fragment directly, despite the thrill of attraction he felt from the thing. Having seen how it had warped the Lamia and destroyed one of his own ghostly servitors, Markus was not eager to fall under its influence. Despite weeks spent applying his prodigious intellect and his understanding of the arcane, he found nothing of use. Admitting defeat at last, he had sewn the fragment inside a leather pouch and resigned himself to using more straightforward means to track down the lair of the Lazarenes.

Unfortunately, doing so would take more time—time that he did not have. His journey from Constantinople had been fast, but the threat of the building Egyptian Crusade hung heavy. He wanted to be well on his way toward the Sargon Codex’s hidden home before Egypt was thrown into turmoil by the crusaders’ arrival. Especially if, in fact, Sir Hugh of Clairvaux was gathering his forces to come after the artifact itself. Markus would have a hard enough time liberating the thing from wherever the Lazarenes had hidden it. He did not look forward to facing battle-hardened warriors with the Codex in his possession.

Since the ship had arrived in daylight, Falsinar and Beltramose were responsible for contacting the merchant Alessandro Sforza. Markus had heard of the man only by reputation. A mortal ghoul of one of Markus’s Giovanni cousins, he had been sent to Egypt to act as the family’s contact in the trad ing city of Cairo. With his aid, Markus’s ghouls had found secure lodging for their master and then set about learning the local gossip. They shared their findings with Markus that night. News of a possible crusade against Egypt was a favorite topic, easily overshadowing talk of the Nile’s annual flood, which would reach the delta in a few short months.

“I should not be surprised that news of the crusade arrived here before us, ” Markus said. “There are always faster ships, and the Assamites are said to be able to send messages across great distances. Still, it is all the more urgent now that we find the trail of the Sargon Codex. What of this Sforza? ”

“Pleasant enough and with a solid reputation in the area, " Falsinar replied.

Beltramose nodded his support. “He has been helpful so far without prying about our purpose here. And he seems well versed in the importance of discretion. ”

“Good. He is our best starting point. I will speak with him shortly to see what he has heard about the Lazarenes. ” Beltramose confirmed that Alessandro was agreeable to a visit at any time of the night.

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