Narses. To Balban: "What have you done, you damned fool?"
Balban glared.
"That's none of your concern, Narses!" he snapped.
Then, frowning at his feet, he asked yet again:
"Why is the floor shaking?"
Narses sneered.
"I take it you've never faced a charge of cataphracts in full armor?" he demanded. "That's what you're feeling, fool. Several hundred tons of approaching death and destruction."
Balban goggled at him.
"What are you talking about? We're in the middle of Constantinople!"
Narses sighed, looked over at Ajatasutra. The assassin, through tight lips, said: "He ordered Antonina's murder."
"Marvelous," muttered Narses. "Just marvelous."
The eunuch began lowering himself down the ladder. Very quickly. His voice came from below: "You're not in Constantinople now, Balban. You're in Thrace."
A smashing sound came from outside the villa. After a second, Balban realized that it was the outer gate. Shattering.
Shattered.
A scream. Cut short. Another. Another. Another. All the screams were cut short, but Balban recognized the voices. His Malwa guards. Dying.
Dead.
Ajatasutra sprang to the door of the salon and stared down the corridor leading to the villa's main entrance. A moment later, there came a splintering crash.
He leapt back into the room and slammed shut the door.
"That," he announced, "was a lance driving through the main door."
Balban hesitated no longer. He scrambled down the ladder after Narses. Before his head sank below the level of the floor he heard a rolling series of thunderous noises. Doors and windows being shattered. By the time he reached the small tunnel fifteen feet down, he could already hear the screams echoing through the entire villa. The rest of the Malwa mission resident in the villa were being butchered.
Ajatasutra took the time to close the closet door before he started down the ladder. As best he could, feeling his way in the darkness, he tried to position the
Balban glared.
"That's none of your concern, Narses!" he snapped.
Then, frowning at his feet, he asked yet again:
"Why is the floor shaking?"
Narses sneered.
"I take it you've never faced a charge of cataphracts in full armor?" he demanded. "That's what you're feeling, fool. Several hundred tons of approaching death and destruction."
Balban goggled at him.
"What are you talking about? We're in the middle of Constantinople!"
Narses sighed, looked over at Ajatasutra. The assassin, through tight lips, said: "He ordered Antonina's murder."
"Marvelous," muttered Narses. "Just marvelous."
The eunuch began lowering himself down the ladder. Very quickly. His voice came from below: "You're not in Constantinople now, Balban. You're in Thrace."
A smashing sound came from outside the villa. After a second, Balban realized that it was the outer gate. Shattering.
Shattered.
A scream. Cut short. Another. Another. Another. All the screams were cut short, but Balban recognized the voices. His Malwa guards. Dying.
Dead.
Ajatasutra sprang to the door of the salon and stared down the corridor leading to the villa's main entrance. A moment later, there came a splintering crash.
He leapt back into the room and slammed shut the door.
"That," he announced, "was a lance driving through the main door."
Balban hesitated no longer. He scrambled down the ladder after Narses. Before his head sank below the level of the floor he heard a rolling series of thunderous noises. Doors and windows being shattered. By the time he reached the small tunnel fifteen feet down, he could already hear the screams echoing through the entire villa. The rest of the Malwa mission resident in the villa were being butchered.
Ajatasutra took the time to close the closet door before he started down the ladder. As best he could, feeling his way in the darkness, he tried to position the