As I made my fourth journey I caught the sound of a distant tumult, the shouts of war, the screams of agony, and above them all the well-remembered cry of "_Valhalla! Valhalla! Victory or Valhalla!_"
I halted where I was and felt the blood rush into my wasted cheeks. The Northmen, my Northmen, were in the palace! It was at this that Martina had hinted. Yet in so vast a place what chance was there that they would ever find me, and how, being blind, could I find them? Well, at least my voice was left to me, and I would lift it.
So with all my strength I cried aloud, "Olaf Red-Sword is here! To Olaf, men of the North!"
Thrice I cried. I heard folk running, not to me, but from me, doubtless those whose whispers had reached my ears.
I thought of trying to follow them, but the soft and gentle hand, which was like to that of a woman, once more clasped mine and held me where I was, suffering me to move no single inch. So there I stood, even after the hand had loosed me again, for it seemed to me that there was something most strange in this business.
Presently another sound arose, the sound of the Northmen pouring towards the hall, for feet clanged louder and louder down the marble corridors.
More, they had met those who were running from the hall, for now these fled back before them. They were in the hall, for a cry of horror, mingled with rage, broke from their lips.
""Tis Olaf," said one, "Olaf blinded, and, by Thor, see where he stands!"
Then Jodd"s voice roared out,
"Move not, Olaf; move not, or you die."
Another voice, that of Martina, broke in, "Silence, you fool, or you"ll frighten him and make him fall. Silence all, and leave him to me!"
Then quiet fell upon the place; it seemed that even the pursued grew quiet, and I heard the rustle of a woman"s dress drawing towards me.
Next instant a soft hand took my own, just such a hand as not long ago had seemed to guide and hold me, and Martina"s voice said,
"Follow where I lead, Olaf."
So I followed eight or ten paces. Then Martina threw her arms about me and burst into wild laughter. Someone caught her away; next moment two hair-clad lips kissed me on the brow and the mighty voice of Jodd shouted,
"Thanks be to all the G.o.ds, dwell they in the north or in the south! We have saved you! Know you where you stood, Olaf? On the brink of a pit, the very brink, and beneath is a fall of a hundred feet to where the waters of the Bosphorus wash among the rocks. Oh! understand this pretty Grecian game. They, good Christian folk, would not have your blood upon their souls, and therefore they caused you to walk to your own death.
Well, they shall be dosed with the draught they brewed.
"Bring them hither, comrades, bring them one by one, these devils who could sit to watch a blind man walk to his doom to make their sport.
Ah! whom have we here? Why, by Thor! "tis the lawyer knave, he who was president of the court that tried you, and was angry because you did not salute him. Well, lawyer, the wheel has gone round. We Northmen are in possession of the palace and the Armenian legions are gathered at its gates and do but wait for Constantine the Emperor to enter and take the empire and its crown. They"ll be here anon, lawyer, but you understand, having a certain life to save, for word had been brought to us of your pretty doings, that we were forced to strike before the signal, and struck not in vain. Now we"ll fill in the tedious time with a trial of our own. See here, I am president of the court, seated in this fine chair, and these six to right and left are my companion judges, while you seven who were judges are now prisoners. You know the crime with which you are charged, so there"s no need to set it out. Your defence, lawyer, and be swift with it."
"Oh! sir," said the man in a trembling voice, "what we did to the General Olaf we were ordered to do by one who may not be named."
"You"d best find the name, lawyer, for were it that of a G.o.d we Northmen would hear it."
"Well, then, by the Augusta herself. She wished the death of the n.o.ble Michael, or Olaf, but having become superst.i.tious about the matter, would not have his blood directly on her hands. Therefore she bethought her of this plan. He was ordered to be brought into the place you see, which is known as the Hall of the Pit, that in old days was used by certain b.l.o.o.d.y-minded emperors to rid them of their enemies. The central pavement swings upon a hinge. At a touch it opens, and he who has thought it sound and walked thereon, when darkness comes is lost, since he falls upon the rocks far below, and at high tide the water takes him."
"Yes, yes, we understand the game, lawyer, for there yawns the open pit.
But have you aught more to say?"
"Nothing, sir, nothing, save that we only did what we were driven to do.
Moreover, no harm has come of it, since whenever the n.o.ble general came to the edge of the opened pit, although he was blind, he halted and went off to right or left as though someone drew him out of danger."
"Well, then, cruel and unjust judges, who could gather to mock at the murder of a blinded man that you had trapped to his doom----"
"Sir," broke in one of them, "it was not we who tried to trap him; it was those jailers who stand there. They told the general that he might exercise himself by walking up and down the hall."
"Is that true, Olaf?" asked Jodd.
"Yes," I answered, "it is true that the two jailers who brought me here did tell me this, though whether those men are present I cannot say."
"Very good," said Jodd. "Add them to the other prisoners, who by their own showing heard them set the snare and did not warn the victim. Now, murderers all, this is the sentence of the court upon you: That you salute the General Olaf and confess your wickedness to him."
So they saluted me, kneeling, and kissing my feet, and one and all made confession of their crime.
"Enough," I said, "I pardon them who are but tools. Pray to G.o.d that He may do as much."
"You may pardon here, Olaf," said Jodd, "and your G.o.d may pardon hereafter, but we, the Northmen, do not pardon. Blindfold those men and bind their arms. Now," went on Jodd after a pause, "their turn has come to show us sport. Run, friends, run, for swords are behind you. Can you not feel them?"
The rest may be guessed. Within a few minutes the seven judges and the two jailers had vanished from the world. No hand came to save _them_ from the cruel rocks and the waters that seethed a hundred feet below that dreadful chamber.
This fantastic, savage vengeance was a thing dreadful to hear; what it must have been to see I can only guess. I know that I wished I might have fled from it and that I pleaded with Jodd for mercy on these men.
But neither he nor his companions would listen to me.
"What mercy had they on you?" he cried. "Let them drink from their own cup."
"Let them drink from their own cup!" roared his companions, and then broke into a roar of laughter as one of the false judges, feeling s.p.a.ce before him, leapt, leapt short, and with a shriek departed for ever.
It was over. I heard someone enter the hall and whisper in Jodd"s ear; heard his answer also.
"Let her be brought hither," he said. "For the rest, bid the captains hold Stauracius and the others fast. If there is any sign of stir against us, cut their throats, advising them that this will be done should they allow trouble to arise. Do not fire the palace unless I give the word, for it would be a pity to burn so fine a building. It is those who dwell in it who should be burned; but doubtless Constantine will see to that. Collect the richest of the booty, that which is most portable, and let it be carried to our quarters in the baggage carts. See that these things are done quickly, before the Armenians get their hands into the bag. I"ll be with you soon; but if the Emperor Constantine should arrive first, tell him that all has gone well, better than he hoped, indeed, and pray him to come hither, where we may take counsel."
The messenger went. Jodd and some of the Northmen began to consult together, and Martina led me aside.
"Tell me what has chanced, Martina," I asked, "for I am bewildered."
"A revolution, that is all, Olaf. Jodd and the Northmen are the point of the spear, its handle is Constantine, and the hands that hold it are the Armenians. It has been very well done. Some of the guards who remained were bribed, others frightened away. Only a few fought, and of them the Northmen made short work. Irene and her ministers were fooled. They thought the blow would not fall for a week or more, if at all, since the Empress believed that she had appeased Constantine by her promises. I"ll tell you more later."
"How did you find me, Martina, and in time?"
"Oh! Olaf, it is a terrible story. Almost I swoon again to think of it.
It was thus: Irene discovered that I had visited you in your cell; she grew suspicious of me. This morning I was seized and ordered to surrender the signet; but first I had heard that they planned your death to-day, not a sentence of banishment and murder afar off, as I told you.
My last act before I was taken was to dispatch a trusted messenger to Jodd and the Northmen, telling them that if they would save you alive they must strike at once, and not to-night, as had been arranged. Within thirty seconds after he had left my side the eunuchs had me and took me to my chamber, where they barred me in. A while later the Augusta came raging like a lioness. She accused me of treachery, and when I denied it struck me in the face. Look, here are the marks of the jewels on her hands. Oh, alas! what said I? You cannot see. She had learned that the lady Heliodore had escaped her, and that I had some hand in her escape.
She vowed that I, your G.o.d-mother, was your lover, and as this is a crime against the Church, promised me that after other sufferings I should be burned alive in the Hippodrome before all the people. Lastly she said this, "Know that your Olaf of whom you are so fond dies within an hour and thus: He will be taken to the Hall of the Pit and there given leave to walk till the judges come. Being blind, you may guess where he will walk. Before this door is unlocked again I tell you he"ll be but a heap of splintered bones. Aye, you may start and weep; but save your tears for yourself," and she called me a foul name. "I have got you fast at length, you night-prowling cat, and G.o.d Himself cannot give you strength to stretch out your hand and guide this accursed Olaf from the edge of the Pit of Death."
""G.o.d alone knows what He can do, Augusta," I answered, for the words seemed to be put into my lips.
"Then she cursed and struck me again, and so left me barred in my chamber.
"When she had gone I flung myself upon my knees and prayed to G.o.d to save you, Olaf, since I was helpless; prayed as I had never prayed before. Praying thus, I think that I fell into a swoon, for my agony was more than I could bear, and in the swoon I dreamed. I dreamed that I stood in this place, where till now I have never been before. I saw the judges, the jailers, and a few others watching from that gallery. I saw you walk along the hall towards the great open pit. Then I seemed to glide to you and take your hand and guide you round the pit. And, Olaf, this happened thrice. Afterwards came a tumult while you were on the very edge of the pit and I held you, not suffering you to stir. Then in rushed the Northmen and I with them. Yes, standing there with you upon the edge of the pit, I saw myself and the Northmen rush into the hall."
"Martina," I whispered, "a hand that seemed to be a woman"s did guide me thrice round the edge of the pit, and did hold me almost until you and the Northmen rushed in."
"Oh! G.o.d is great!" she gasped. "G.o.d is very great, and to Him I give thanks. But hearken to the end of the tale. I awoke from my swoon and heard noise without, and above it the Northmen"s cry of victory. They had scaled the palace walls or broken in the gates--as yet I know not which--they were on the terrace driving the Greek guards before them. I ran to the window-place and there below me saw Jodd. I screamed till he heard me.