Chapter 45: They Are Coming

"I should have chopped off his old goat head with a butcher knife for this!"

Constantine slashed and swept across a table in his room, filled with rage as he curses the Mega Doux Loukas Notaras in Greek vulgarities, totally unlike an emperor. Before him kneels the supposed 'beggar' whom Loukas just gave money to the previous week.

"What does he want? Who he thinks he is? Going in and out enemy territory? Meeting with the Grand Vizier of the Ottomans? What does he have in mind? Depose me? Kill me? Revolt?" Constantine walks around in circles, face reddish in colour enraged by the news he just acquired.

The 'beggar' or the emperor's spy does not dare to answer. Other courtiers and servants at the side dare not utter a single breathe, trembling in fear.

"Germanus! Tell me!" Constantine suddenly pointed to the Prefect of Constantinople. "What does your master want!"

Germanus' knees softened instantly and kneeled down with his forehead on the ground. "Your majesty I don't know! I don't know a thing! I am just…"

Constantine grew increasingly moody and agitated at any presence of Loukas' influence. He waved his hands and yelled. "Lock him up!" The emperor yelled at the imperial guards by the doors. "I said lock this man up!"

The guards immediately sprung into action and took away Germanus dragging him through the floor, while the emperor continued raging behind like an exasperated tiger biting his teeth. "Trial him! Beat him! Use whatever you can! Force him to open his mouth!"

The cries of Germanus pleading for guilt and claiming he is innocent faded away, Constantine sat back on the throne panting and massaging his side of the head. His old problem of Migraine has grew increasingly intense recently that sometimes make him suffer for hours.

Andronikos Laskaris watched his brother Germanus Laskaris got dragged away, hesitated for a while, tried to move out of the line to plead mercy for his brother, but is stopped by George Sphrantzes as the latter grabbed him by his coats' hem and shook his head silently, signalling that it is best not to disturb the emperor when he is still agitated as it might lead to even worse consequences.

After a while, Constantine re-opened his eyes and mumbled monotonously. "You, boy, don't be afraid… go find Issac Phrangopoulos, and claim your reward."

"I am tired today, court dismissed."

"Long live the emperor!"

"Long live the emperor!"

All courtiers dispersed but George Sphrantzes and Andronikos Laskaris decided to stay behind standing. After a while, he approached the still raging emperor and bowed. "Your majesty…"

Constantine, seeing it is George Sphrantzes, a man he can trust, closed his eyes and asked. "What do you have to say, George."

"I have heard of a bizarre riddle from those Persian traders in the city the other day, I think they are referring to something but I cant decipher the story for my?"

Constantine smirked. "What kind of riddle can baffle the greatest scholar in the city… Fine, let me hear about it."

"The riddle goes like this… It is said that there is a kind of snake in Persia called Urarachnoides, as it ages and grows, its old skin becomes too tight for them, so they need to conduct a ritual called ecdysis to shed away the old skin rubbing itself against rough rocky terrain, which is a painfully long process. However, usually they also make perfect targets for hawks who would take the chance to prey upon the snake fighting its own skin, and make the snake its sumptuous dinner… thus the Urarachnoides snakes will only shed its skin in a safe environment free from predators."

George Sphrantzes finished his long riddle and then questioned. "May you explain to me what the meaning of the riddle is, your majesty?"

Constantine studied the riddle for a while, and then burst into laughter. "Ah my friend, George, you are trying to tell me it is not the time to 'shed away the old skin' now when the 'eagle' outside the walls are waving its claws upon us, we should wait for another time when it is safe, right?"

"I am glad that you understood the riddle, your majesty."

Constantine laughed for a while and sighed. "Fine, I get it, we shall settle with the external threat first before dealing with the internal strife."

"A wise decision, your majesty. So, about Germanus…"

"Release him." Constantine responded with an unconcerned face. "He is just a pawn of Loukas, what harm can he do? But send him to Morea…" Constantine took a glance at Andronikos. " And you shall take the position of your brother as the Prefect of the city, Andronikos."

The later immediately kneeled down thanking the mercy and generosity of the emperor.

After Andronikos left, George bowed again and made another proposal. "I suggest that we must try to weaken the Mega Doux's faction by buffing the other forces in the city, re-establish the balance of power in the city, make sure that we have a trustworthy armed force always by our side, your majesty."

"You mean those Genoese?"

"Yes, since the Mega Doux despise their presence, we can take advantage of this and bestow them with the Basileus' kindness, then we will have their vivid support against the Mega Doux…"

Constantine stood up, holding his double-headed eagle sceptre, tidied his royal purple cloak, and paced himself to the stained glass full of Orthodoxy icons, pondered for a while and replied. "Yes, it is the suitable time to buff them up now."

"You mean…"

"Yes… read this." Constantine grabbed a piece of report from his chest and passed it to George Sphrantzes. The latter took the report from the emperor and found out that the report is already crumpled.

He frowned and unfolded the report, but soon after he read the first few lines he gaped in shock and fear, with his eyes staring at the emperor in horror that he did not even realise he dropped the report on the ground.

"Basileus…" George stuttered.

"The Ottomans are coming…?"