‘We do. Their methods are rather different, of course.’ She had often thought of herself as one gifted with the far sight. But here, in the dusty lands of the south, she had been proven deaf and blind.

‘No doubt. Tell me, is Erlan—’

‘He’s gone to do his duty,’ she said.

‘Good, good,’ he muttered. He sucked in a deep sigh and dismissed the guard with a wave of his hand. ‘You were right in that other matter, it seems. Katāros has vanished. I thought you safer here with me, and we have no time to find him just now. But we will, I promise you. And we will deal with the wretch as he deserves.’ He beckoned her forward. ‘But first we have more pressing matters. Come.’

He moved aside so that she could see out between the battlements to the south-east. Gerutha lingered at a respectful distance behind them. ‘We saw the new fleet arrive,’ Lilla said. ‘Then it turned away. We didn’t know why.’

‘Perhaps they heard what awaits them in the straits.’ He smiled drily. ‘They sailed past that point there, you see, to Chalcedon. We counted four hundred ships.’

‘Four hundred? And all war-ships?’

‘Most. Transports and war-galleys, also cargo ships, no doubt laden with Egyptian grain. God willing, Maslama will never taste a grain of it,’ he added.

‘Will you deploy your fire-ships?’

‘Patience, Lady, patience. Things must develop first.’ He pointed west. ‘Maslama’s forces began their attack against the land walls some hours ago.’

‘Yet you are here. Aren’t you concerned?’

‘Our men on the walls can hold them for now. But I have a surprise coming for my old friend.’ He glanced back over the rooftops of the palace at the falling sun. ‘Soon.’

‘Basíleus!’ cried a nearby guard. ‘Sails to the south!’

That way, the sun was on its slow descent, sending light bouncing over the glassy waves of the Marmara. Lilla had to shield her eyes from the dazzle and then, slowly, she watched the horizon fragment into smaller pieces. Out of the golden blur she saw ten sails, then twenty, then more, until dozens of ships filled the approach to the straits.

‘They’ll turn away as well.’ Leo’s chest was pressed tight against the stone in his excitement.

She was about to ask him how he knew this when she heard her own name cried behind her. She turned to see Princess Anna mounting the last step onto the platform. Despite the girl’s robes, she ran to Lilla and threw her arms around her, engulfing her in a cloud of perfume. ‘My poor sister! I heard about the terrible trials you have suffered. You poor, poor thing.’ She sounded as if she might burst into tears herself, then suddenly she pulled away and her face was beaming. ‘And still you’re as beautiful as ever!’ As if that were the sum of the whole matter.