‘We must persuade him, and quickly,’ said Blackstone. ‘I believe Bertrand du Guesclin will ride from Burgos and cut us off near Salamanca. Another army stands between us and the south.’ He let the news sink in. ‘You cannot get back to Granada and if you ride north with us, there is no place for Moors in northern Spain. You’ll be hunted down. You and your men should stay here in Seville and strike a bargain with Henry of Trastámara. He will use you to negotiate a peace with Granada.’

‘Sir Thomas, my people conquered and ruled Spain hundreds of years ago and when the Christian armies came together they pushed us south to the sea. My Lord Don Pedro already has a treaty with the Emirate. I am proof of that. Many of us will die for this King.’ He smiled. ‘Would it surprise you to know that you were to be abandoned here while we led him across the Portuguese border and then back into Granada? You were to fight the rearguard and die while we escaped.’

Blackstone remembered Velasquita’s prophecy. ‘What makes you confide in me now?’

‘The man I sent to bring you here is my young brother. You saved his life that day against the French. We are both in your debt.’

‘Then see the horses get safely to my men. Tell Sir Gilbert to ready them and we’ll ride north and take this King of yours to safety whether he wants it or not.’

‘How?’

‘Where is the Lady Velasquita?’

*

Blackstone made his way into the Patio del Yeso through the intricately carved arches of the colonnade. The small courtyard’s gardens flanked a rectangular pool where Velasquita sat dangling her feet in the water. She did not turn around when Blackstone entered beneath the arches and stood watching her for a moment.

‘Do you hear the swarm outside the walls, Thomas?’ she said. ‘Discontent will soon become a roar.’

Blackstone wondered if she had seen him approach but realized she could not have from where she sat. Glancing around at the colonnade he realized that al-Hakam’s voice might have carried along the corridors when he told Blackstone where she was. But that was unlikely given the distance. No matter how he tried to explain the woman’s abilities to himself the answer always came back to her having second sight. She turned and smiled. The garden was half shaded as the sun settled lower in the sky. He looked up at the double storey walls surrounding the courtyard. The garden was a refuge from both heat and cold. In the height of summer the colonnade and walls would give shade and in winter the sun would bless the enclosure with warmth.

He walked to where she sat. ‘This is my private place. I bathe here in summer. I swim naked while he watches.’ She raised her face to the window on the upper storey.