Agnes Smith SAILING TO BYZANTIUM 857 A.D. The Mediterranean Sea .......... [GM] The crew of the ship is a bit uncouth, like most sailors, but their Muslim sensibilities, and Kemal's forebidding presence, keeps them well-mannered towards you. You catch a few surruptitious leers, but mostly they keep their distance, and address you respectfully when it's necessary for them to speak to you. They are both shocked and amused by your familiarity with sailing; in fact, they are more tolerant of your participating in shipboard activities than Kemal is. "You should stay below decks," Kemal says, as if he's forgotten how you first shared a shipboard voyage with him. Techo is sympathetic, and continues drilling you with your bow, in the morning and evening. With his usual ingenuity, he fashions a tiny raft with a post sticking out of it, out of some of the spare timber the ship carries for repairs. Then he strings it out behind the ship, tethered by a long rope, giving you a floating target to shoot at. He instructs you a little in shooting techniques, but by now you have the basics down, and mostly it is just a matter of practice. Lots and lots of practice, as Techo points out. "Once you know the essentials of handling a bow, you can measure your progress by how many hours, and thousands of arrows, you have expended." Of course you don't have thousands of arrows on board the ship. Even recovering the few that stick in your target, within a couple of days you've used up all but the last few, which you'd like to keep in case you actually need to use them against pirates. One day, as you are putting the Italian peninsula behind you, you hear a commotion on decks. Rushing up, you find Kemal throttling one of the sailors, as the man's comrades try to pry him loose, pleading "Please Master, it was not meant as an offense! Yaman is a good Muslim!" Apparently poor Yaman made some unorthodox comment about the Prophet....perhaps an ignorant speculation, perhaps a ribald sailor's jest. Kemal nearly killed him; Techo grabbed his arm in time to prevent his sword from decapitating the man, but Kemal wrestled free of the older immortal to assault Yaman with his bare hands. Now Techo is crouching a few paces away, looking undecided about intervening physically a second time, while the other sailors try to wrestle the two apart. <><><><><> [Agnes] She enjoys the voyage, and totally ignores Kemal's admonishment about staying below. She takes pleasure in watching the crew work the ship, and learning how it handles. She knows that she would much prefer the sea breeze to be blowing through her hair, but for decorum she keeps to her muslim garb. "Kemal!!! Leave him alone!!" She shouts across at him, as he tries to throttle Yaman. "By what right have you sat as judge and executioner? It is not even if you are captain of the ship!" She strides over towards him, to make sure she gets his attention, shouting at him again if necessary. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal straightens and whips the sailor around, throwing him to the deck, glaring at you in stunned outrage. "Agnes, get below decks!" he commands. Behind him, Yaman puts a hand to his throat as his comrades pull him to his feet, and Techo moves to stand behind you. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I will do no such thing!" she retorts, realising at once that she shouldn't have. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal's eyes blaze. He advances on you and grabs your arm with one hand. "You will go, NOW, by God!" he snarls, in a manner he has never used before with you. His grip is just short of painful. <><><><><> [Agnes] She struggles briefly to try to free herself, and when it is obvious that it is futile, she desists. "Very well," she replies sullenly. When Kemal lets her go, she turns and stalks off, going below deck to the cabin. All sorts of possible options race through her mind, only to be discarded as stupid, or as an abandonment of Antonella. She sits on a chair, facing the door, her hands folded in her lap. She starts to cry. Kemal was not the man she married. <><><><><> [GM] Eventually, the one who comes down to join you is Techo. He looks at your red-rimmed eyes, and sighs, sitting down on a bale opposite the little space you and Kemal share at night. "That isn't Kemal being so harsh, you know. It's Isma'il. Or what remains of Isma'il." "Kemal was remorseful as soon as that episode passed...I could see it. But you know that your husband, even without Isma'il's influence, is not wont to apologize." He taps his fingers on his knee, looking down. "I tell myself not to meddle in other's affairs, but I see a tragedy brewing here, and I am very fond of both of you. I hope, and believe, that this....madness, of Kemal's, will pass eventually. I only hope that he will not have done too many things he finds it difficult to live with afterwards." <><><><><> [Agnes] She looks up at Techo, her eyes still red. "Please, let what you say be true, Techo. Please let Kemal overcome Isma'il's presence." Clasping her hands together, she continues, "I so hope you are right, Techo, I so hope you are right." She stands, and walks towards him. "If it comes to it, do you mind if I say that you invited me back on deck?" <><><><><> [GM] Techo smiles wryly. "I suppose. I would hate to be drawn into your marital disputes...but the situation is unusual, and frankly, Kemal needs someone to moderate his behavior a bit. Usually that responsibility falls to me, since I am the only one who can get away with it, especially in his present state." "You have also had a considerable moderating influence on him." He smiles, then goes back up to the top deck. Kemal does not come down all that afternoon. You're getting a little hungry, and afraid he might intend to leave you down here alone all night- punishment many Muslims might inflict on their disobedient wives, but not something Kemal would normally do- when the hatch opens, and your husband stands in the moonlight. "Agnes, would you come up here, please?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She stands, and quietly makes her way on deck to stand beside Kemal. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal has wrapped up some food, and put it on a wooden tray. He offers it to you, clearing his throat and saying "I should have come down to join you for dinner. But I was still...very angry." He pauses, awkwardly, then looks out across the waves. "We have not talked much about where we will go after rescuing Antonella. Of course you're right that she may not wish to stay with me. If she is ready to survive on her own, I suppose there will be no choice but to let her do as she will." "With or without her, however.... once you spoke of wishing to see the great cities of the Orient with me. The pyramids, the Holy Land, Baghdad and al-Dimashq." "Do you still wish that?" <><><><><> [Agnes] She takes the plate from him, and sits down with her back to the gunwale. She eats slowly as she listens to him. "I am worried, Kemal, worried that since your last fight you are not the man I once knew." She studies her plate of food as she talks, avoiding looking at him. "You know that I am as stubborn as you, you have always known that. But you have never flown into a rage like you did here. You frightened me." She looks up at him. "I still wish you to take me to see the cities of the orient. I can cope with your anger, but please don't frighten me by being so very different from the Kemal I know." She gives him a smile, and eats some more of her food. "Have you eaten?" <><><><><> [GM] "I did not mean to frighten you." Kemal also avoids meeting your eyes. He moves closer, and sits down next to you. "No, I have not eaten. I was not hungry." He watches you eating for a minute, then says "Perhaps I was angrier than you have seen me before. But I did not hurt you....I would never hurt you." He takes the wrist he seized so violently earlier, as if to assure himself that he did not hurt you. "All of us change over time, though sometimes we are in danger of not changing enough. Or so says Techo. I *am* the man you met thirty years ago in Aquitaine, when we almost dueled. And the man who bought you as a slave in Palermo, and married you in Tunis. I could not have predicted any of those things. Have I changed? I don't know. But the place you hold in my heart has not changed." <><><><><> [Agnes] She lets him take her wrist, and puts her plate down, off to the side. She takes a hold of his hand, gently squeezing it. "I hope you haven't changed, Kemal. But I do worry about you. The thing about the duels is that neither of the combatants will have been defeated before - so one of them will be falsely confident." She hugs him. "Maybe I'm just being a stupid woman and worrying too much about you. I can't help it" <><><><><> [GM] Kemal laughs, reassuringly like his old self. "I do not think you are a stupid woman," he says, and kisses you on your mouth. The next few days are much more pleasant. There is still an edge to your husband, just enough to remind you that he's not quite right, but he makes an effort to be more patient, and more pleasant to you. The Muslim crew, however, remains frightened of him, and you catch Techo studying him with a solemn expression now and then. Your ship skirts around Sicily, and enters the Ionian Sea. Having evaded encounters with Muslims corsairs, there is only the Byzantine navy to worry about now. But the small ship approaches Greece without interference, skirts around the coast, and makes to land at a tiny port on the southern edge of the Peloponnese. Techo and Kemal speak of the short overland trip to Sparta, which is about a day's ride inland. "The Byzantines rule, but older customs dominate the Peloponnese," Techo says. "There are quite a few immortals who have settled here, and most of them are old. The adventurous or the politically ambitious ones go to Constantinople, those who want to be left alone dwell in Greece." "Philip doesn't behave like a man who wants to be left alone," Kemal retorts. "Philip is an exception." Techo frowns. "If we should encounter any other immortals, Kemal, it would be best to avoid antagonizing them. Most will recognize me, but you may....make them nervous." "Then let them stay out of our way!" Kemal snaps, bundling your gear as you all prepare to disembark. <><><><><> [Agnes] She savours the times when Kemal seems like his old self, and appreciates his efforts to be patient. When it seems a bad time, she takes to sitting on deck, watching the crew at work, the sea, and the land slipping by. As they approach the small port, she wonders if her meagre knowledge of Greek is actually going to do her any good, or whether it as far from what they speak as classical Latin from the current language of the Romans. All ponderings about languages fly from her mind as she hears Kemal snap at Techo. She had thought of leaving the ship as a European, but the tension in the air makes her decide to remain veiled, at least until away from the other muslims. She smiled at the incongruity of it. Outwardly she looked like a demure muslim wife, and yet under her robes she was wearing her chain and a sword, and being every bit the 'barbarian' traveller. in the nd she decides to maintain the appearance of the dutiful wife if only to avoid trouble with the other immortals that Kemal and Techo kept alluding to. <><><><><> [GM] It is well that you remain demure outwardly, as Kemal's mood grows more wrathful as you approach the ancient city of Sparta. You've never heard him be short with his mentor before, but he is almost rude to Techo several times. The ancient immortal tells you about Sparta's customs, back in the days when Rome was a village of mud huts and Greece was a mighty empire (or more correctly, a mighty collection of petty kingdoms that could unite in opposition to a common threat, as Techo relates it.) "They were the greatest warriors of their age," Techo says. "The legendary Spartan military efficiency is admired to this day. Yet few who saw what Sparta was like back in her glory days considered her admirable. That military prowess came at the expense of art and culture; they valued nothing that didn't contribute to their ability to expand and conquer. Spartan men could ONLY be soldiers, there were no other occupations for them. All other jobs were performed by slaves, or by women." "Women in Sparta had greater freedom than has ever been seen since. They were trained to fight too, and they were allowed to own property, and they could enjoy the very few luxuries that were available in that grim city. But they also had only one real reason for existing; to produce more soldiers. The Spartans were so obsessed with procreation that an absentee husband was considered legally dead, and a man who could not produce children gave his wife license to sleep with as many men as were necessary for her to become pregnant." "Abominable heathen practices!" Kemal sneers. "All people practiced heathen customs, many of them abominable, in the old days," Techo retorts, almost becoming annoyed at last with Kemal's attitude. "And I can't say that a lot of the customs in practice today are much better." "The point," he says, turning back to you, "is that Philip's mentor was a Spartan. He instilled his old-fashioned Spartan values in Philip, and while Philip later became a professed Christian," there is a slight, ironic stress when he says 'professed', "I don't think he ever really changed in his attitudes. Alexander certainly had no use for women, and Philip's never had much interest in them either, except for casual recreation. Which makes me wonder why he went out of his way to take Antonella." Kemal grits his teeth, but Techo continues. "He certainly can't expect Antonella to produce heirs for him, and she's not likely to become a great warrior; Philip would have taken on a male fledgling if he wanted to mold a new soldier." "Obviously his motive is simple lust," Kemal growls. "Perhaps he wanted a woman who will always be young and beautiful." "Perhaps," Techo says. He looks thoughtful. "I don't know, though. He can certainly have his fill of mortal women, whenever he gets the urge. Keeping a woman around just as a bedmate wouldn't fit Philip's personality. I would think he'd tire of her quickly." "It won't matter, once I take his head." Techo has no reply to that. His blunt speculations have obviously riled Kemal, and now you ride on in silence. <><><><><> [Agnes] She listens attentively to Techo, as she always did. Techo always seemed to know something about everything, and she genuinely liked to hear what he had to tell. She ignores her husband's interjections, which she manages to do without offending him - probably because she is still veiled and robed. She decides to fill the silence, despite the fact that Kemal might get upset. "Techo? Might Philip be in alliance with someone else, for who he might have taken Antonella, either mortal or immortal? Or might he be using her as a pawn in some grand game? " A feeling of foreboding wells up inside her. "Might this be some elaborate trap?" <><><><><> [GM] Unexpectedly, Kemal and Techo share a look. They've been reminded of something by what you said, and once again you are not privy to their secrets. "It could be," Techo says reluctantly. "But Philip is not a gamesman. He understands politics well enough, but if he had a real interest in them, or in temporal influence, he'd be in Constantinople, not Sparta. He is interested only in himself." "My hunch is that taking Antonella was an act of ego." He pulls his cloak around himself tighter as a drizzle starts to fall. "She would only be a thing to him. He'd treat her as a prize possession, but when he runs out of patience...." Kemal looks away. "We should have returned sooner," he says quietly, and spurs his horse to go faster. <><><><><> [Agnes] She spurs her horse to keep up. "What are you not telling me?" she shouts after them. "Tell me!" Thoughts of galloping ahead of them race through her mind, but reality sets in when she realises that she doesn't know where she is going, only that she is following Kemal and Techo. <><><><><> [GM] Kemal looks surprised, and Techo paces alongside you. "I only didn't wish to voice my fear that Philip could have taken Antonella's head by now," Techo says. "I...I don't *think* he would, but I'm not sure just how depraved he may truly be" "We were gone too long, and I should not have left Antonella in your care," Kemal says. He doesn't look as if he meant this to be an indictment of you, but his face bears the harsh expression more characteristic of the stranger that sometimes occupies his body than the husband you knew. "Ancient immortals do sometimes play games with younger ones," Techo says placatingly. "I don't think this thing with Philip and Antonella is one of them, though." <><><><><> [Agnes] This was no time to worry about Kemal's internal struggles, she tells herself. "Well, let's hurry up and get there!" she says, and spurs her horse faster, not really knowing where 'there' is. <><><><><> [GM] By late evening, the main road leading into Sparta is visible ahead. Though the sun has almost set, Kemal wants to continue on, and that does seem the sensible thing to do. You could be there in less than an hour. Techo, however, wants to stop for the night at an inn. Kemal argues with him, but Techo prevails. Ultimately, strong-willed as he is, Kemal still bows to the wishes of his mentor. When you look ready to raise objections yourself, Techo whispers in Frankish "Please, wait." As you've done for most of your journey, you and Kemal take one room at the small Greek inn, and Techo takes another. Just before you retire for the night with your husband, Techo murmurs in passing, "Slip away if you can, after Kemal falls asleep....we need to talk." <><><><><> [Agnes] She is about to protest to Techo when he forestalls her with his request. That night she waits until Kemal is sound asleep, and slips out of bed. She pulls on her chain-mail, buckles on her sword-belt and puts her robes on top. She sets the rest of her stuff by the door, veils, and steps out into the hall. Quietly shutting the door to her room she steps over and taps on Techo's. <><><><><> [GM] Techo gently snatches your wrist before you tap on his door; he was standing in the shadows only an arms' length away, but you didn't notice him. He puts a finger to his lips and leads you outside. The Greek countryside is pretty in the moonlight, if rather desolate. Techo looks around, then says quietly, "Agnes, have you thought about what will happen when Kemal reaches Sparta." He faces you. "If he meets Philip, it's inevitable that they will duel. Both of them will be eager for it. And then one of two things will happen. Philip will win, or Kemal will win." "If Kemal wins...he is already being affected by Ishmael's Quickening. Philip is even older and more powerful than Ishmael was. I don't know if the effects would be cumulative, but I'd say there's certainly a danger of it. It might destroy any hopes of Kemal returning to his old self." <><><><><> [Agnes] She feels her knees weaken as Techo speaks. "Nooo..." she whimpers. "I must stop this, Techo." "Tell me where to go and I will speak with Philip. Maybe he is not so driven as to seek out a duel." I cannot bear to think of the outcome." <><><><><> [GM] Techo sighs. "I doubt you'll be able to talk Philip out of a duel. If one or both of us goes to meet him, it's probably best if we don't let him know Kemal is anywhere around." "The problem is in keeping Kemal away. I don't think my powers of persuasion will be adequate to convince him to stay here while I go have a friendly chat with Philip." "On the other hand, if Philip isn't willing to relinquish Antonella, Kemal might be the only person who can make him." <><><><><> [Agnes] "But, Techo," she whispers, "won't Philip be suspicious if you go looking for Antonella? He probably expects me to turn up one day." "Or do you think that I would be better at delaying Kemal here? I'd rather seek out Antonella." <><><><><> [GM] "He might be," Techo agrees reluctantly. "But I think it would be easier for you to keep Kemal here by telling him I wanted to scout ahead alone than it will be for me to keep him here after telling him that you went to face Philip alone." "Still, you would be a better choice to approach Philip....though it could be dangerous. He didn't kill you last time, but there's no guarantee he won't reconsider this time." "I'd have to detour Kemal somehow, while you seperate from us. You know he wouldn't be very agreeable to letting you go off alone even when he's in one of his more....reasonable moods." <><><><><> [Agnes] "Good. It is decided then. Where am I going? Just keep going into Sparta and follow my nose?" She listens to his reply and then goes to retrieve her stuff from just inside the door to her room, before making her way to the stable. <><><><><> [GM] "Umm....." Like so many men before, even Techo is a bit taken aback as he suddenly realizes you just got your way without him knowing he'd agreed to it.... "Agnes, did you hear what I said? Philip might take your head, and Kemal and I won't be there. You don't imagine when you arrive he's going to say 'Oh, of course Antonella can go with you, I've been waiting for you to show up and take her off my hands', do you?" In the face of your continued determination, he sighs and says "In all likelihood, he'll be a regular at one of the gymnasiums, if he doesn't actually own one." He gives you directions to the part of the city where they are most likely to be found. "Promise me you *won't* challenge him, Agnes, not even for Antonella's sake. Not even if he promises to release her in exchange for your head, for instance. Kemal will never forgive me, and he'll certainly go challenge Philip himself immediately, and then he'll suffer one of the fates I described earlier....and Antonella will lose both of you." "Now, I have to figure out what I'm going to do with Kemal. I may have the more dangerous job." He smiles wryly, before turning away and leaving you to go saddle your horse. <><><><><> [Agnes] "I'm sure it work out all right in the end, Techo" she had replied. She wasn't so sure now, but was just as determined as she cantered along the road through the darkness, heading for Sparta. Her muslim garb was in the bedroll, and her chainmail chinked lightly in time with the horse's motion. Her hair blew free in the wind. "I'm coming, Antonella." she said quietly. <><><><><> [GM] You arrive at the gates of Sparta just after dawn. The Byzantine soldiers (actually Greek soldiers, but in Imperial livery) stop you and ask you a lot of questions. An unchaperoned, armored woman doesn't often ride into Sparta; the Greeks are not as restrictive as the Muslims, but you quickly learn that the East is still much more conservative than the West. The officer at the gates finally passes you through, after taking a substantial bribe, but you're sure they've noted your face. And it's obvious that you'll have to adopt more unassuming garb, or so will everyone else who sees you. <><><><><> [Agnes] Once inside the city, she sighs, takes her robe back out from the bedroll and puts it back on over her chainmail, pushing back the coif so that it is obscured by folds of cloth. She urges on the horse again and at a walk heads towards the middle of the city. Once there, she'll ask about the location of gambling houses. <><><><><> [GM] It takes a while to locate a gambling den; your Greek is poor and never before practiced in actual conversation, you have little knowledge of such establishments even in more familiar territory, and everyone you ask is startled to hear a woman inquiring about gambling. Eventually, you follow half-hearted leads to a very rough section of town. This is obviously the sort of place where gamblers can be found, probably in any tavern you might enter. But it's also obvious that the only women to be found here are the sorts of women you don't want to be mistaken for. <><><><><> [Agnes] She rides slowly in one circuit of the area, trying to sense the quickening, but also deciding whether or not Philip would actually come to these establishments. In the end she decides not, wheels her horse, and heads back to the better parts of the city to enquire after bathing houses and fitness training establishments. <><><><><> [GM] You don't sense the Quickening in this quarter. You leave just as a few of the locals seem to be taking an undue amount of interest in you. Back in the better part of town, you're directed to the riverside area, which is the neighborhood Techo said the gymnastika would be found. <><><><><> [Agnes] She slowly guides her horse through the streets, intending to circle the area and then criss cross it to see if she can feel the quickening. She has no intention of getting off her horse. After all, leaving quickly might still be necessary. <><><><><> [GM] After about half an hour of circling the area, you pass by a particularly large gymnastikum, made of new marble, sitting directly in front of the river. Here, you sense the Quickening. <><><><><> [Agnes] She draws her horse to a halt, facing the entrance to the gymnastikum, and waits. Whoever it is that is inside probably wouldn't appreciate her just walking in - always assuming the doorman let her. So she decides she'll give him a quarter of an hour to become curious, before she tries anything provocative. She sits on her horse watching the entrance, and waits. <><><><><> [GM] Nobody comes out to confront you during the quarter of an hour. However, several men do enter from the street, giving you curious glances, and you see a boy come to the entrance, look around, including at you, and then go back inside. <><><><><> [Agnes] She continues to sit on her horse, keeping an eye on the entrance, but also looking around to see what is going on about her. She is fairly confident that it will be Philip inside, but of course she has, as usual, absolutely no evidence upon which to base this conviction. She waits to see who turns up. The sensation of the quickening is going to get to them eventually. <><><><><> [GM] Or it might get to you first. No one who is obviously immortal and obviously looking for you comes outside. Whoever is within, whether it's Philip or someone else, seems willing to wait you out. And they are inside, while you are a strange woman sitting on a horse, opposite a men's gymanistikum, attracting more attention as time goes by. <><><><><> [Agnes] She starts to fret. The notion of just riding in crosses her mind, but she quickly discounts it. Being the centre of attention as it was is discomforting enough, never mind really bringing things down upon her. She looks round the street for an alternative waiting position, a taverna, an inn, a stable, anywhere that will allow her to have reason to remain in one place without attracting attention. She will not give up in what is obviously becoming a battle of wills. <><><><><> [GM] There are some stables at the other end of the street, and a few small food vendors set up under awnings, probably benefitting from business from the gym. Wherever you sit, someone is likely to notice, though; there just don't seem to be a lot of women wandering around unchaperoned in Sparta. <><><><><> [Agnes] She guides her horse over to the stables. She waits for someone to come out, and speaks to them from the saddle. "I wish for my horse to be stabled, for today, and possibly overnight. How much will it cost? I am also seeking a man named 'Phillip'" She describes him, adding, "I had thought that he might frequent the Gymnastikum over the way. Have you seen such a man?" <><><><><> [GM] The man quotes you a very high price to stable your horses. He shrugs when you ask about Philip, and seems disinclined to talk to you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She looks down at him. When he quotes his price, she leans over the far side of the horse and spits. "You obviously have no need of my custom then," she replies. She wheels her horse, and walks it over to the nearest street vendor, dismounting to examine his wares. <><><><><> [GM] The vendor looks at you curiously, but offers you some cheap jewelry, and a few baskets. Meanwhile, people continue going in and out of the gym, but no one emerges to confront you. <><><><><> [Agnes] She spends a while examining the goods, but with no real intention to buy. Then she moves along to the next vendor, to see what he has to offer, and then the next. <><><><><> [GM] Eventually, the day drags on to late afternoon, with the Quickening still buzzing. A few of the men you've seen outside might be ones you've seen earlier, but you can't be sure. <><><><><> [Agnes] She decides that enough is enough, mounts up, and rides away into the city, towards the better part of the town, to see if she can sense any other immortals. She can see absolutely no point in getting lynched by Phillip's henchmen. <><><><><> [GM] After riding around through town, you do not sense any other immortals. Of course there's no way to be sure of finding someone in just a day, since you can't access every area. It is getting towards evening, and Techo might be able to keep Kemal out of Sparta until tomorrow, but they could be arriving tonight. <><><><><> [Agnes] She sighs to herself and looks for guesthouse with a stable. "Maybe she'll have another chance tomorrow," she tells herself She tries not to think of Kemal's reaction. She decides that it would have turned out better if Phillip hadn't been so stubborn. <><><><><> [GM] You manage to rent a room in a guesthouse and stable, and find it advisable to stay in your room rather than face the other guests, who will speculate about your status, and possibly harrass you. Shortly after you fall asleep, the Quickening wakes you up. <><><><><> [Agnes] She awakes at the quickening. She leaps up and out of bed, rushing over to the door to check that it is still barred. Then she starts to pull on some clothes - just enough to be comfortable once she pulls on the chainmail. She is fairly confident that this will be Kemal - but then again, it might not. There was certainly one Spartan immortal that she'd stirred up, and perhaps this was him. She wanted to be ready for that circumstance. Once the mail was on, and her sword belt buckled, she moved to the window to look out, and to listen, to see what was going on. <><><><><> [GM] You only realize someone is coming up the stairs when you hear them creak slightly. Techo, perhaps, moving stealthily as usual. Except that Techo probably wouldn't have even made a creak- You've just slipped on your chainmail when the door bursts inwards, the heavy wooden bolt splintering like a dry branch. Philip, dressed in a dark tunic with a cowl, puts his foot down and steps through. No one human should have been able to kick in the door with one blow like that. "Hello Agnes," he says conversationally, in Latin. His sword is already in his hand, and he raises it to point it at your throat, though he's still a few feet away. "Sit down, and take your hand off your swordhilt unless you want to lose your head." With his left hand, he reaches for the battered door and shoves it back against the frame. <><><><><> [Agnes] She takes her hand away from the hilt and sits back down on the bed. "Hello, Philip," she replies in Latin. "Wouldn't it have been easier for you to come out and see my at the Gymnastikum, or have one of you men send me a message rather than sneak about breaking up inns? I only wanted to ask you where Antonella is, and how she is doing." <><><><><> [GM] "Why didn't you come inside?" he retorts. "It's my city, I'm not about to walk outside to speak to you on the street." He sits down opposite you, looking quite relaxed. "Only interested in Antonella, were you? Were you just planning to skulk about until you saw her? Or did you bring your infidel husband with you?" He smiles, unpleasantly. <><><><><> [Agnes] "You sent no-one out to invite me in. I wasn't going to barge in like some boor. And anyway, I doubt if your staff would have let me." "As it happens, I came to Sparta alone, and given that you didn't appear to want to talk to me, I was going to start looking for Antonella, and asking about her whereabouts. If that mean that I would leave Sparta, then I would have done. Otherwise I would have been compelled to stay and search more carefully. After all, I have no real idea where she might have gone, or conversely where you might hide her." "So? Is she here? Is her training finished? What did you teach her?" <><><><><> [GM] Philip almost smirks, laying his sword across his knee, but still holding the hilt. "She's gone," he says, and watches your expression with wry amusement. "She left years ago. Looking for you, I believe." <><><><><> [Agnes] The blood drains from her face. "No." She struggles to regain her composure. "When did she leave? Did she say where she was going?" The awful thought crosses her mind that right up to the last minute in Aquitaine she had planned and made no secret of heading for Wessex .... Antonella would have gone that way. She would never have turned south towards the Pyrrennese. "I'm sorry, Philip. I am being rude. Thank you for telling me that." <><><><><> [GM] "She left two years after I brought her here." Six years. She left Philip six years ago. "No, she didn't tell me where she was going. I assume she went looking for you." He looks at you for a moment, as if considering something, then says "She probably went to Athens first. There is another immortal there who may have helped her." He rises. You hear some voices outside, possibly the innkeeper, wondering who is kicking his doors in. "I presume you will be leaving Sparta tomorrow, then?" This time his tone is hard and flat, and you know he's not really asking a question. <><><><><> [Agnes] "Yes. I shall be leaving tomorrow," she replies, and she watches him leave. <><><><><> [GM] He nods, and walks out. A minute later, the Quickening fades. <><><><><> [Agnes] She supposes that she ought to have said that Kemal and Techo would be arriving, but was glad she hadn't. She tells herself that she hadn't lied to him, nor even really avoided his questions. She told herself that it was time to leave. She packed her things, leaving on her armour and paid the inn-keeper for the room and the door. She got him to sign a piece of paper that indicated that she had paid all her bills and wasn't absconding, and then packed her horse. She pulled on her black robes and shawl and made her way to the gate where she entered, fully expecting to have to bribe her way out of the city. <><><><><> [GM] It does take a bribe, and some fast-talking, to get past the city guards at night. At least one of them almost prevents you from leaving, expressing genuine (and understandable) concern about a woman going outside the walls at night. But a few coins and a convincing story finally gets him to reluctantly open the gate for you to leave. Along the road to the inn where you left Kemal and Techo, you encounter one of the reasons for concern- as you ride along, someone leaps out of the darkness at the side of the road and grabs you, trying to drag you off your horse. A particularly brave, or desperate, footpad. He only manages to cling to your waist, and then grunts in surprise, realizing he's accosted someone wearing chainmail. Your horse starts, and almost throws you off. <><><><><> [Agnes] She tries to keep control of the horse as he main concern, and to stay on it. She opts not to scream for help - it is likely to attract more brigands. When the initial surprise has passed, she tries to elbow her attacker in the face, whist at the same time spurring her horse to move faster. She hopes that realising that he is going to have to cling to someone on a cantering horse makes her assailant change his mind before she has to draw her dagger and persuade him some more. <><><><><> [GM] The brigand grunts, yelps when you elbow him in the face, and as your horse canters faster, begins cursing. Eventually he loses his grip and tumbles back onto the road, where you leave him behind. If only all brigands were so easily gotten rid of. <><><><><> [Agnes] She continues at the canter, heading for the inn where she left Kemal and Techo. <><><><><> [GM] You feel the Quickening, indicating that Kemal and Techo are still there. Kemal emerges quickly, Techo following him. Kemal appears angry, and immediately demands "What in Allah's name were you thinking, foolish woman! Riding off alone! Without asking or even telling me!" <><><><><> [Agnes] "I am quite capable of looking after myself, thank you very much. You should know - you trained me." She sits on her horse looking at Kemal, trying to calm herself down and not get into an argument. "Antonella is not in Sparta. She went looking for me a few years ago." <><><><><> [GM] Kemal strides forward, eyes flashing, and grabs your arm. For a moment you think he might drag you off your horse. Then he seems to reconsider, and lets his hand drop. He steps back and looks up at you with a mixture of irritation and surprise. "She's left Sparta?" He looks at Techo, and back at you. "Did you encounter Philip? Did he tell you where she went?" <><><><><> [Agnes] Once Kemal has let go, she dismounts. "Yes, I met Philip. It was he who told me that Antonella had left. He had no particular reason to lie to me - and I believe him." She shrugs, "I would guess that she headed for Wessex, as that was where I had intended to go when I last saw her." <><><><><> [GM] "Wessex." Kemal walks a few steps, and turns around. "That is in Britain, is it not?" He looks quite perturbed. "And do you know how long ago she left?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "Wessex is in Britain. It is at the southern end, whilst I come from the north." "Philip suggested that it was more than two years since she had left." She embraces Kemal. "Oh Kemal, she has been out on her own looking for me all this time, and it is my fault that she hasn't found me because I went a different way. We have to find her!" <><><><><> [GM] Kemal nods, putting an arm around you, looking distracted. "Yes, we must find her." He frowns. "But I do not think I can go to Britain." Which is true; few Britons have ever seen a Saracen, but with his foreign looks and manner, Kemal could hardly expect anything but a hostile reception anywhere in Britain. He would have to disguise himself or hide somehow, and especially in his current state of mind, his pride isn't likely to allow that. <><><><><> [Agnes] She looks up at him. "Kemal, my love. I have to find her, to make sure she is alright. She will keep looking until she finds me, I know, and I am not there to be found." She looks over at Techo. "Techo, which is the safest way to Britain from here? Back the way we came?" <><><><><> [GM] Techo nods slowly, while Kemal clenches his teeth. "By ship....and few ships sail directly from the Emirate to Britain. We'll have to either pay smugglers a small fortune, or go all the way back to Carolinga to get a ship for Londoninium." You can sense the tension in Kemal's frame. He turns to Techo and says "Master....could you not go to Wessex yourself, and bring Antonella to us in Ifriquiya?" <><><><><> [Agnes] "But Kemal, that would be like sending out someone to bring home a naughty girl. If I were she, and that happened, I'd ask, 'If they want me to come back so badly, why didn't one of them come for me themselves!'" She shakes her head. "That won't work. I will have to go for her myself." <><><><><> [GM] Kemal opens his mouth, then closes it. "I suppose you are right," he says, turning away. Techo nods. "We may as well get started, then. Obviously, there's no need for us to continue on to Sparta ourselves-" he pauses, watching Kemal carefully, but Kemal doesn't argue, so with a slight sigh of relief, Techo continues, "so, let's be off at sunrise." He smiles at you sympathetically; all this way for nothing, only to return with Kemal in a sourer mood than ever, and soon to be separated from you again. <><><><><> [Agnes] She puts on a brave face, and follows. "At least we know where she was heading ... " she comments to no-one in particular as she takes her horse to the stable, readying herself for an early start.