Free Behind the Veil by Linda Chaikin Page B

for this!” he shouted, his words echoing about the arena.
    Rufus stood motionless as Tancred walked past as a ghostly shadow—approaching Philip’s chariot.
    Philip squinted to see who it was. He looked about wildly. “Guards!”
    Tancred stepped into the torchlight.
    Philip snatched a breath. “ You ? It cannot be. You were enslaved for life, if not dead by now.”
    “The night is full of ghosts. Hear them, Philip? Look about you and see the cheering crowds.”
    “You have gone mad!”
    “Do you not hear the fickle spectators acclaiming your greatness? Philip the noble Byzantine, Emperor!” he mocked.
    Sweat beaded Philip’s brow. His eyes darted to the stands as if he could hear voices.
    “How soon the cheering crowds become a mob,” said Tancred. “The ghosts are now those of loyal and valorous men you deserted in battle. Remember them? The blood of men more noble than you cry out—my cousin Norris, for one.”
    Philip lunged into the chariot, crawling over the seat toward the horse’s reins, but Tancred was swiftly beside him, jerking him back. Philip slid down the rear of the chariot, his breath coming swiftly. “I should have killed you at the palace,” he spat the words.
    Tancred unsheathed his sword. “Now is your opportunity. I give you a better chance than you gave either Norris or me. You also betrayed Helena—to me an unforgiveable treachery. We will duel,” he stated flatly.”
    Philip’s eyes narrowed. He glanced at the glimmer of steel in the torchlight. “Guards!” he shouted. “Demetrious!”
    “The silence mocks you, Philip. You are on you own this time. There are no pawns to carry out your murderous commands. You must stand on your own feet and prove yourself as worthy as a common soldier. You will fight for your life. I have much to settle with you.”
    “Treason!” he shouted into the darkness at Demetrious. “I will have you executed for this!”
    “First, you must execute me,” Tancred stated. “Did you think I would not find you? You played the fool, Philip, when you sent Helena to Kalid at Antioch.”
    “I need not fight you! Why should I? Soon there will be a hundred soldiers out looking for me. When they come, I will have you thrown to the leopards.”
    “Not this time. For once in your life you must answer for yourself. Did you have the courage to face Helena with the truth about holding Nicholas before sending her to Kalid?”
    “Helena chose her fate when she chose you instead of me. Everything I’ve done, I did with her in mind. My rise to power was to be shared with her, but she rejected me—for you, Norman,” he said bitterly. “You were a curse from the time I first laid eyes on you at the Danube.  I should have had you eliminated then.”
    “Cease your self-pity. You left Helena little choice. Did you think she would marry a man who betrayed her mother to Basel and her uncle to Irene?”
    “Neither will you have her, Norman! Kalid has her now! I have taken her from you.”
    “You will reap what you have sown, Philip. Our meeting can only end at your death.”
    “Or yours! If you kill me you will never leave Constantinople alive. You will never escape the edict of the emperor. And if you think me a coward, you will learn otherwise. You wish a duel, you will have one!” He unsheathed his sword and stepped back.
    Tancred drew his blade, coming swiftly to meet Philip’s thrust, turning it aside. Philip came at him with more determination than Tancred thought him capable. Tancred fought off his rush, but Philip’s sword made brief contact, bringing blood to Tancred’s wrist. Tancred countered his blade with several aggressive moves that drove Philip backward onto the arena floor.
    In the torchlight the sweat could be seen beading Philip’s brow as they fought back and forth, the sounds of clashing metal echoing off the walls, filling the night with the certainty of death.
    Tancred spoke contemptuously, “For once, Philip, I commend you. At least