bared. I held my breath, but Dee turned around with a flourish.
He held the goblet at an angle to show the inner surface. It glowed with the brightness of pure gold. The nobles started whispering to each other, leaning forward to see the gilded interior.
‘Some might think: magic, sorcery, witchcraft,’ he intoned.
With each word, the atmosphere in the room stilled further.
Dee continued. ‘But, this, your Majesty, my lords, is natural science. A few drops of a rare alchemical, shared with me by the goldsmiths of Venice, is placed in water, and a pinch of salt is added. The gold, hidden in the liquor, is forced out by the purifying action of the salt and gilds any surface it touches.’
Dee offered the cup to the king who, after a moment, took it. Few others would hold the cup. Clearly, the idea of sorcery was still in their heads.
Some sense of self-preservation made me look around, perhaps a draught was coming from the doorway. A man stood there, leaning against the wall, his dark eyes intent on Dee. His cloak was wet, and covered his dress down to his Italian-style leather boots.
The king leaned back in his chair and smiled. He had a long face, with a strong nose and a weak chin, partly concealed behind his beard. ‘My men tell me that you summoned a circle of flame on the road, which burned without wood. Was that science also?’
Dee bowed. ‘That, your Majesty, is a trick I learned from an Arab on the southern coast of France, an expert in natural science.’ The lies rolled off his tongue.
The man against the wall stepped forward, lifted back his hood, and reached for the cup.
‘Natural science?’ His black beard was close-cropped and framed his mouth, which flashed with even teeth when he grinned. ‘When I hear of flames with no wood, I think of the inferno of hell, and the trickery of demons.’
He placed the cup back on the table. I noticed the Magyars had closed ranks even more, and were staring at the man with a mixture of contempt and fear.
Dee’s voice was serene. ‘No demons, sir, but a secret formula known to the Arabs since Emperor Leo the Wise.’
‘As described in the Tactica ?’ The man bowed to the king, placing his hands inside the sleeves of his cloak. ‘A book of military strategies, your Majesty. I believe the doctor refers to some formula for Greek fire, much used in the Byzantine era.’
Dee smiled at the man, and bowed. ‘You have the advantage of me, sir.’
The man bowed back like a courtier. ‘The name of the great scholar and alchemist Doctor Dee has reached all the courts of Europe.’ He held his hands aloft, and turned in my direction. ‘And young Master Kelley, who speaks with angels.’ This time his voice had an edge of irony. I stood, nevertheless, and bowed low.
‘Your servant, sir,’ I ventured, in my best Latin. ‘How may we address you, my lord?’
He turned to Dee, again flashing that mouthful of white teeth.
‘I am Reichsritter Johann Konrad von Schönborn.’
A knight of the Holy Roman Empire, in this mongrel court of Lutherans, Catholics and pagan gypsies. He swung his cloak off his shoulders in a flourish, revealing scarlet robes underneath, and a crucifix swinging against his embroidered breast.
‘But you may call me Father Konrad, his Holiness’s representative from the Vatican.’
I felt a shudder run across my shoulders. Istvan had invited the Inquisition.
Chapter 9
‘What do you mean, you were dead?’
Jack had been able to drag a struggling Sadie into the warmth of the living room. The teenager had woken more alert this morning, and was installed on one of the two sofas. She seemed less afraid and more defiant now she had a little energy. Jack had no doubt she was looking for an opportunity to escape. Sadie had passed out briefly as she was carried between the circles of the priest hole and the lounge, but was now glowering over a tumbler of herbal decoction. Jack had made buttered toast, the bribe she had offered for choking
He held the goblet at an angle to show the inner surface. It glowed with the brightness of pure gold. The nobles started whispering to each other, leaning forward to see the gilded interior.
‘Some might think: magic, sorcery, witchcraft,’ he intoned.
With each word, the atmosphere in the room stilled further.
Dee continued. ‘But, this, your Majesty, my lords, is natural science. A few drops of a rare alchemical, shared with me by the goldsmiths of Venice, is placed in water, and a pinch of salt is added. The gold, hidden in the liquor, is forced out by the purifying action of the salt and gilds any surface it touches.’
Dee offered the cup to the king who, after a moment, took it. Few others would hold the cup. Clearly, the idea of sorcery was still in their heads.
Some sense of self-preservation made me look around, perhaps a draught was coming from the doorway. A man stood there, leaning against the wall, his dark eyes intent on Dee. His cloak was wet, and covered his dress down to his Italian-style leather boots.
The king leaned back in his chair and smiled. He had a long face, with a strong nose and a weak chin, partly concealed behind his beard. ‘My men tell me that you summoned a circle of flame on the road, which burned without wood. Was that science also?’
Dee bowed. ‘That, your Majesty, is a trick I learned from an Arab on the southern coast of France, an expert in natural science.’ The lies rolled off his tongue.
The man against the wall stepped forward, lifted back his hood, and reached for the cup.
‘Natural science?’ His black beard was close-cropped and framed his mouth, which flashed with even teeth when he grinned. ‘When I hear of flames with no wood, I think of the inferno of hell, and the trickery of demons.’
He placed the cup back on the table. I noticed the Magyars had closed ranks even more, and were staring at the man with a mixture of contempt and fear.
Dee’s voice was serene. ‘No demons, sir, but a secret formula known to the Arabs since Emperor Leo the Wise.’
‘As described in the Tactica ?’ The man bowed to the king, placing his hands inside the sleeves of his cloak. ‘A book of military strategies, your Majesty. I believe the doctor refers to some formula for Greek fire, much used in the Byzantine era.’
Dee smiled at the man, and bowed. ‘You have the advantage of me, sir.’
The man bowed back like a courtier. ‘The name of the great scholar and alchemist Doctor Dee has reached all the courts of Europe.’ He held his hands aloft, and turned in my direction. ‘And young Master Kelley, who speaks with angels.’ This time his voice had an edge of irony. I stood, nevertheless, and bowed low.
‘Your servant, sir,’ I ventured, in my best Latin. ‘How may we address you, my lord?’
He turned to Dee, again flashing that mouthful of white teeth.
‘I am Reichsritter Johann Konrad von Schönborn.’
A knight of the Holy Roman Empire, in this mongrel court of Lutherans, Catholics and pagan gypsies. He swung his cloak off his shoulders in a flourish, revealing scarlet robes underneath, and a crucifix swinging against his embroidered breast.
‘But you may call me Father Konrad, his Holiness’s representative from the Vatican.’
I felt a shudder run across my shoulders. Istvan had invited the Inquisition.
Chapter 9
‘What do you mean, you were dead?’
Jack had been able to drag a struggling Sadie into the warmth of the living room. The teenager had woken more alert this morning, and was installed on one of the two sofas. She seemed less afraid and more defiant now she had a little energy. Jack had no doubt she was looking for an opportunity to escape. Sadie had passed out briefly as she was carried between the circles of the priest hole and the lounge, but was now glowering over a tumbler of herbal decoction. Jack had made buttered toast, the bribe she had offered for choking
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