Adora Read Free Page A

At the final end of this journey waited her bridegroom, the sultan. Theadora dreaded it. Despite her mother’s reassurances she could not rid herself of Helena’s evil words, and she was frightened. She did not reveal it, however. She would neither give Helena the satisfaction nor grieve her mother further.
    The tower of the Fifth Military Gate loomed above them, and Zoe fumbled in her robes for their pass. It had been signed by a Byzantine general within the city—a man friendly to John Cantacuzene. Zoe checked to be sure that the girls’ faces were covered by their heavy black head veiling. “Remember,” she warned them, “keep your eyes lowered at all times, your hands hidden in the sleeves of your robes, and speak not! Helena, I know that you have reached an age where young men fascinate you, but remember that nuns are not interested in men. If you flirt, if you attract attention, we will be captured. You will never get to be empress then, so mind my words.”
    A moment later came the challenge, “Halt! Who goes there?” A young soldier blocked their way.
    They stopped. Zoe said, “Sister Irene of St. Barbara’s Convent. My two assistants and I are bound outside the walls to help a woman in labor. Here is my pass.”
    The guard glanced briefly at the parchment, then said, “My captain will see you in the guardroom, good sister. You and your nuns may pass through my checkpoint,” and he pointed the way up the steps of the tower to a landing with a door.
    They climbed the unrailed stone steps slowly, clinging in the strong wind, to the side of the tower. Once Helena slipped, and she whimpered in fright. Theadora grasped her older sister and shoved her to her feet. Finally they reached their goal. Pushing the door open, they entered the guardroom.
    The captain took the parchment from Zoe’s slim white hand.
    “Are you a doctor?” he asked. In Byzantium it was not unusual for women to be doctors.
    “Yes, captain.”
    “Would you look at one of my men? I think he may have broken a bone in his wrist today in a fall.”
    “Of course, captain,” said Zoe kindly, and with more assurance than she felt. “But might I do so on my return? Your man’s case is not desperate, and the woman we go to attend is the young wife of a childless old merchant. The gentleman has always been
very
generous to St. Barbara’s, and his anxiety is great.”
    Theadora listened in utter amazement. Zoe’s voice was calm, and her story plausible. At that moment Theadora’s respect for her mother increased a hundredfold.
    “He is in pain, sister,” said the captain.
    Zoe drew a small box from her robes and shook out two small gilded pills. “Have your man take these,” she said. “It will ease his pain, and he will sleep until I return.”
    “My thanks, good sister. Trooper Basil! Escort the doctor and her nuns out the moat postern.” Saluting neatly, the captain bade them a safe journey.
    Silently they followed the soldier down several flights of stairs into a long stone corridor, the walls of which were wet and green with slime. It was damp and bone-chilling cold in the tunnel. The corridor was lit at intervals by smoking pitch torches stuck into rusting iron wall holders.
    “Where are we?” asked Zoe of their guide.
    “Beneath the walls, sister,” came the reply. “I’ll let you out a small postern gate on the other side of the moat.”
    “We pass beneath the moat?”
    “Aye, sister,” he grinned at her. “Just a couple of feet of dirt and a few tiles between us and nearly a sea of water!”
    Plodding along behind her mother, Theadora felt a swelling of panic in her chest, but she bravely fought it down.Beside her, a white-faced Helena was barely breathing.
That’s all we need
, thought Theadora,
Helena fainting!
She reached out and pinched her older sister hard. Helena gasped and shot her a venomous look, but the color began to creep back into her face.
    Ahead of them was a small door set into the wall. The