Disclaimer: same as chapter 1.
Author's notes:
- Hi everybody! Sorry for the long delay, but I haven't been able to buy a laptop computer yet so I am typing wherever I can. I hope you've had a fantastic summertime! ;-)
- An artificer is a military mechanic (in French, the word is "artificier"). In the 12th century, an engineer is someone who makes siege engines. It is explained in the DVD Director's cut version of the movie that Balian, on top of his own trade as a blacksmith, has learned artificer and engineer skills during a war in France.
- "Nightshade" is another name for the Belladonna plant.
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Chapter 8: The desperate man
(King Baldwin's IV palace, night)
To any passerby, the gauntly silhouette creeping along the palace's corridors decorated with interlaced polychrome tiles could easily be mistaken for a low-level employee, like a shy servant or a nervous groom. The man was walking in quick, short steps as if he wanted to run but was too aware of his luxurious surroundings to do it. His frantic eyes were looking in every direction and he jumped at the sound of the most innocuous noise.
Because Jacques de Vitry was neither a servant nor a groom: he was a clumsy spy and assassin, with two botched murder attempts under his belt and the wrath of his former patron at his heels.
Guy de Lusignan had sent one of his servants to the Templar Order's headquarters in the evening to fetch him and bring him to the palace. The summoning was officially to "talk about the situation" but the spy had known better than believe that euphemism. His blood had turned into ice in his veins at the idea to meet Guy de Lusignan after his two consecutive failures! He had tried to coax the well-built servant to accept a cup of wine, but the man had grabbed him by the arm in an iron-like grip before Jacques de Vitry ever had the time to poison the drink with the nightshade powder he kept on him in a pouch, at all times.
The spy had known better than to call out for his Templar brothers; with the risk of unwanted explanations, his Grand Master Gérard de Ridefort would have tossed him out like last week's garbage without any second thoughts! So he had to "willingly" follow the emissary until they had reached the palace's entrances and crossed the main court, always crowded with courtiers, horses and servants.
Fortunately, the attention of the servant had been distracted by the sight of a beautiful lady-in-waiting passing by, making the occasion Jacques de Vitry had been praying the Devil for; as soon as the pressure on his arm had loosened up a little, he had bolted to disappear in the gloomy rooms, unknowingly holding to his "Shadow Man" nickname Almaric had given him.
The servant couldn't sound the alarm without bringing Guy de Lusignan's dissatisfaction over his own head, and de Vitry had been able to hide inside the palace. He had used pillars, closets, statues and furniture to keep himself out of view like in a desperate game of hide-and-seek. At first, he had thought he was just delaying his doom, but de Lusignan's man hadn't showed up for hours now, making the spy even more nervous. Had Jerusalem's would-be king called off the hunt, or was it a ruse to make him do a fatal mistake?
The sound of footsteps coming towards him made Jacques de Vitry's heart jump in his throat. Shaking like a leaf, he rushed toward a black marble pillar and hid behind it, just in time to see two servants clad in white from head to toes and walking along the corridors. One was grey-bearded, while the other one was young enough to be his adolescent grandson. They were talking quietly between themselves but the spy's keen ears could easily pick up their conversation.
"Our king's dying, you say?" asked the young servant.
"Truth is!" replied his older counterpart. "Our dear Baldwin IV will not live out the night. His last expedition to Kerak's castle has cost him his poor health."
Both men sighed, and Jacques de Vitry thought his stomach would empty its contents on the tiled floor. Who in the world could mourn the passing of a stinking leper? Leave it to the plebeians to pity one of God's most wrenched and foul-smelling creatures!
He heard the young servant asking: "So the new king of Jerusalem will be young Prince Baldwin?"
"Aye, there is no other heir to the throne. The child will be crowned very soon; Patriarch Heraclius has already given orders to prepare for the ceremony. Princess Sibylla will be his regent and Lord de Lusignan his protector."
Jacques de Vitry smiled at this sudden good fortune: he was saved! With the child's crowning, Guy de Lusignan would regain his status as the most important lord of Jerusalem. He was, after all, the wedded husband of Princess Sibylla and the stepfather of Prince Baldwin: nothing could stop him to become the power behind the throne! Haloed by his renewed glory, Guy de Lusignan would forget about his clumsy spy and Jacques de Vitry could return to the shadows where he belonged.
Another sigh, and then the adolescent servant asked: "What's troubling you, my friend?"
"The king wanted another man to protect young Baldwin… Balian d'Ibelin. A man with an undisputed reputation of courage, loyalty and chivalry; qualities that most of our knights are sadly missing! His name is widespread across the Holy Land and I daresay he has gained allies among the Saracens and enemies within these palatial walls."
"Isn't he the hero who has saved a beautiful Saracen lady from Lord de Châtillon?" asked the youngster in an excited tone, like a child begging for a story.
"That's right, and it had cost de Châtillon his head. Alas, Lord d'Ibelin has refused King Baldwin's proposal of his sister's hand! We would have a real man to lead the army and protect our young prince and his mother from all of our enemies. But he couldn't accept to become Princess Sibylla's new husband at the price of… the permanent removal of Lord de Lusignan."
"Why didn't he accept?" argued the adolescent. "I would have! Lord de Lusignan is a scoundrel!"
"HUSH, lad!" scolded the old servant. "Remember where you are!"
Jacques de Vitry blanched with rage. Servants who dared insulting their future sovereign? Those mice-like beings needed to learn their proper places! If he had enough courage, he would forget his own predicament and slain these servants.
"To answer your question, lad," continued the older man in a quieter tone, "Lord d'Ibelin didn't accept because he has too much conscience for politics. Now, come. We have some chores to do…"
The rest of the servants' conversation was lost to the spy as they walked away, but Jacques de Vitry had heard enough.
The death of Baldwin IV would entail Guy de Lusignan's rise of power, there could be any doubts about it. This imminent political turnover was giving Jacques de Vitry two options: he could either go back to his miserable life at the Templar Order as a low-level Brother, or he could kill Balian d'Ibelin to finally earn his future king's favor.
Going back to the safety of the Templar Order was tempting. De Vitry's nerves were still raw from his two failed attempts and he hadn't come off unscathed. He had a broken left arm, thanks to the baron of Ibelin's combativeness, and painful bruises all over his body, thanks to Almaric's grip and the stones thrown at him by the market's customers and merchants. A part of him wished to crawl back to his dingy room and lick his wounds, but that would imply to forget about Guy de Lusignan's gold and consideration.
Jacques de Vitry had more pride than intelligence, and he was also desperate: for the life of him he couldn't picture himself renouncing to an opportunity of gaining an easy fortune. He had spent countless years living in the mud, behind important people's boots, and he yearned for the gold-induced respect he had felt deserving since he was a teenager.
"Besides," madly thought Jacques de Vitry, "It is Ibelin's fault if I have gotten injured and if the palace's servants are bad-mouthing Guy de Lusignan!"
These misplaced vows of vengeance quickly dismissed the worries induced by his own precarious situation and the spy looked around: there was nobody in sight. He left the sanctuary of the black marble pillar to stroll around the corridors, carefully avoiding the lightened torches, his eyes and ears on the alert. He had to get out of the palace and think of a new plan to kill Balian d'Ibelin!
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(King Baldwin's IV palace, later that night)
Jacques de Vitry was hiding in one of the palace's formal gardens. Exotic plants of all sorts were disposed on differing levels, between two narrow pathways paved with glazed ceramic tiles and forming a cross-like design. A marble-carved fountain was standing at their intersection, and there were decorative benches standing all along the four open-aired corridors encircling the garden. By day, the plants and the permanent gurgling of water were soothing the minds of strollers who wanted to enjoy some peace and quiet and at night, the roofless inner space offered the added beauty of the starry sky.
But for Jacques de Vitry, this garden was nothing more than a hideout. He was crouching under a thick jasmine shrub which offered him a good protection against prying eyes and he hoped he could wait until morning to slip out of the palace and plot a new assassination attempt against Lord Ibelin. Servants and guards were coming and going quietly along the corridors, looking subdued and expecting the inevitable call from the Chamberlain announcing the death of King Baldwin IV. All of them knew it was just a matter of time…
The spy was himself feeling sleepy, when the sound of voices approaching his hiding place made his heart jump in fright. De Vitry looked around in a panic and his eyes widened even more as he realized two men were walking side-by-side on one of the garden's pathways and coming right to him. One was Lord Tiberias, Marshal of Jerusalem, and the other one was… none than Balian d'Ibelin, his prey!
"I am glad you have accepted the new duties the king has put into your hands, Balian," said Tiberias with that gruff, rough tone of voice that characterized him. "Your experience as an artificer and engineer will be invaluable to plan strategic fighting if this kingdom ever comes to war."
"Do you think the king has been wise to nominate a man like me?" asked Balian's quiet voice.
"Balian, you are far too modest! By God, every time we speak together you remind me of Godfrey. The king couldn't find a better protector than you, a man who is both honorable and skilled in warfare. No, lad, you above all the other knights are worthy of your new title: Balian d'Ibelin, Leader of Jerusalem's armies!"
Jacques de Vitry could hardly believe his own ears: the Ibelin bastard had been named Head of the Christian army by the dying king? But what about…
"What about Guy, Tiberias?" Balian's voice rose again. "Do you think he will accept my new position?"
"De Lusignan will swallow his rage and keep his mouth shut, if he knows what's good for him!" grumbled Tiberias. "He and his Templar accomplices are in disfavor since the execution of Reynald de Châtillon, and de Lusignan got very close to be jailed himself for open treason against the crown! As for his influence within the army, I can tell you right now that any foot soldier would rather follow a leader who knows his job than a bloodthirsty idiot who would provoke a massacre for his own glory. And foot soldiers are far more numerous than knights among the ranks, much to Guy's chagrin!"
"But he is still commander of the Templars' forces of the kingdom. He has their support, and the Patriarch's."
"And you, lad, have the support of the rest of the army, as well as mine, the Hospitalers', Sibylla's, and the high regard of Salah al-Dìn himself. Don't sell yourself short, Balian. You have allies among good men and in troubled times, that is much more important than the spite of the privileged."
Both men seated on a tiled bench nearby the jasmine shrub, and Jacques de Vitry was paralyzed in fear. Tiberias and Ibelin were a few feet from him! He could be discovered any time!
But his mind was also madly whirling with the possibilities offered by the proximity of his prey. The young baron d'Ibelin, so close to him…
A young servant came over to offer wine cups on a silver-engraved platter, and the two men eagerly accepted them. At the sight of the drinks, Jacques de Vitry suddenly remembered his forceful invitation to the palace this morning, and his own attempt to use a deadly mixture of nightshade and wine on Guy de Lusignan's well-built servant …
The nightshade powder…
"Guy is muzzled for now, lad," continued Tiberias after taking a gulp of wine. "He'll cling to his title of Prince Consort like a leech, because it is his only mean to avoid prison and disgrace, but he'll soon realize it will be his only political role. At least the people of Jerusalem won't suffer from his well-known inability to lead the army. We have now a possibility to renew the peace concluded with Salah al-Dìn after the coronation of young Baldwin, since Sibylla is eager to maintain her brother's governing ideals."
"I pray she will never surrender to Guy's blackmail over her son," sighed Balian. "As Regent, she can give him the command of the armies if he promises her the allegiance of his armed forces to Prince Baldwin, and it would lead to a catastrophe."
"It's true. But I reckon you and I are match enough for Guy!"
Balian half-smiled and lifted the cup to his lips, when a noise was heard coming from one for the open-aired corridors forming the garden. Both men left their cups on the bench and stood up to see what was happening, unknowingly turning their backs to the Shadow Man.
That was the occasion Jacques de Vitry had been waiting for. In a flash, he reached his hand out of the jasmine shrub's branches to pour the nightshade powder into Balian's drinking cup. His soundless actions had lasted for less than a few seconds and no one had noticed the faint rustle of the jasmine leaves.
Back in the safety of his hiding place, the spy could barely contain his joy. Balian d'Ibelin would be dead in a few hours and no physician in the world could help him! With nightshade, death was inevitable… and it was not a pleasant way to leave this world. Guy de Lusignan would be so pleased to learn his archenemy was finally gone! For a brief instant, Jacques de Vitry envisioned himself leaving Jerusalem in the brink of war to go back to France, rich beyond words, his lifelong dream!
Then, Tiberias' gruff voice rose again and de Vitry snapped out of his reverie when he heard the Marshal of Jerusalem asking: "Brother Michael? What brings you…?"
Behind the jasmine leaves, the spy's eyes widened in bewilderment as he saw a Hospitaler monk, blond-haired and clad in a dark robe, running down the ceramic-tiled pathway and coming right to him like a charging elephant. Without a word, the Hospitaler pushed the young baron aside and grabbed Balian's wine cup just to fling its contents right into the jasmine shrub!
Jacques de Vitry yelled in horror as the poisonous wine was showered all over his face. Tiberias unsheathed his sword at the sound of the scream and plunged his hand into the branches to extirpate the trembling man from his hideout by his scruffy neck.
"You swine!" yelled Jerusalem's Marshal while holding his sword right at de Vitry's throat. "What are you doing in here, spying on us?!"
Balian also drew his father's sword from its scabbard and pointed it at the spy's stomach, with a look in his eyes that was clearly saying: move and die. Then Balian's attention came upon the gauntly man's face: in spite of the wine dripping from it, the skin pale in terror and the jaws shaking uncontrollably from chattering teeth, it had an air of déjà vu.
"KNIGHTS! TO ME!" called out Tiberias in a thundering voice, and men-in-arms wearing the blue and golden colors of his household instantly invaded the once-peaceful garden, holding lightened torches and their swords on the ready. As soon as they spotted their lord Tiberias and Balian pointing their weapons to a shabby, gauntly-face man, two of the knights grabbed the suspect by the arms and immobilized him.
"Answer me, you whoreson!" growled Tiberias. "What were you doing in this garden?"
Balian glanced at Brother Michael and he could see the monk's usual easy smile had vanished from his lips, and his sky-blue eyes were darker than a thunderstorm's clouds. Then he looked again at the spy's face and got confirmation of his growing doubts. He had seen this man standing at the edge of his bedroom's balustrade and also fleeing the market after Balian had almost been killed by falling roof tiles.
"My Lord Tiberias, this is the Shadow Man… The one who had tried to kill me twice." said Balian.
A deadly silence fell on the garden. Tiberias looked at the young baron in surprise, and then glared at Jacques de Vitry with such a ferocious look the spy whimpered in fear. He was trembling so hard his captors had a hard time to keep their hold on him!
"Who is your master, worm?" asked Tiberias with a low, dangerous voice. "Who ordered you to kill Lord Ibelin?"
Jacques de Vitry was violently shaking like a man stricken with fever. His fear was so great he couldn't utter a word, and his desperation prevented him to imagine a single explanation about his presence in the royal palace's gardens. The Hospitaler monk picked up the wine cup discarded on the ground and sniffed its remaining contents.
"Nightshade", said Brother Michael after a while. "That's a deadly poison, without any known antidote."
Tiberias seemed to be ready to skewer Jacques de Vitry on the spot, but Balian stopped him by putting a restraining hand on the Marshal's arm.
"Please, my Lord, we need to know who had ordered the murder."
The older man growled like a lion on the hunt, and then he suddenly smashed his sword's hilt on the spy's jaw, knocking the man's out cold instantly. Jacques de Vitry went limp like an empty sack of flour and Tiberias gave orders to his knights to keep the prisoner under lock and key at their master's city house, with strict instructions that no one should speak to him. The knights dragged the unconscious man out of the garden and took the directions of the stables, where they would find a horse to tie up Jacques de Vitry on its saddle and thus preventing any escape attempt.
Only when the spy got out of Tiberias' sight did the Marshal of Jerusalem dared to lower his sword. He reached out for his drink, and then thought better of it and knocked the wine cup over the garden's plants.
"That knave! He'll talk after I'm done with him, I assure you!"
"You won't even have to use torture, my Lord Tiberias," said Brother Michael. "He's not the kind of man who is gutsy enough to take the name of his master to his grave. Just threaten him with forceful means of interrogation and he'll speak at once!"
Balian looked at the Hospitaler in amazement: "Brother… How did you know the assassin was hiding in this garden? How did you know he had planned to poison the wine?"
Brother Michael had his amused expression back, as well as his laughing eyes. It seemed like the departure of Jacques de Vitry had lifted a shadow from the monk's face. He smiled kindly at the young baron before answering:
"You are important to this city and its people, Balian. More important than you can imagine…"
The Hospitaler bowed his head towards Jerusalem's Marshal, and then quietly walked away on the garden's pathway as if he didn't have a worry in the world. Nothing in his gait could reveal that he had just prevented an assassination attempt or that a spy had been found in the palace of King Baldwin IV. Soon, he disappeared from sight, swallowed by the night's darkness.
Both Balian and Tiberias watched him until the Hospitaler was gone, and then the Marshal of Jerusalem sighed and said:
"Why do I get the feeling that monk is always enjoying a private joke?"
TBC…