Paul Doherty - The Book of Fires

‘Because you hunt the Ignifer, and he, Sir John,’ Nicephorus took a sip of ale, neatly wiping the white froth from his moustache, ‘either holds the secret of Greek fire or is close to someone who does. Mark the Greek’s manuscript contains many secrets, different formulas, correct measurements of what elements are needed. The Ignifer must have these.’ He sipped again. ‘Though I solemnly assure you, whoever it is should be most careful. You English have a saying: “It is dangerous to play with fire” – Greek fire in particular. It has a power you sometimes can’t control.’

‘And Black Beaumont never gave it back to you?’

‘Oh, yes, he did.’

‘What?’

‘Black Beaumont sold what he stole to Greek envoys a few years after his return to England.’

Athelstan sat down. ‘So you have it already?’

‘It’s back with my masters in the great city – that’s why we left Black Beaumont alone for a while. However, our spies here kept him under close watch. They reported something rather strange. How occasionally Sir Walter would go on journeys all by himself. He’d leave on horseback with a sumpter pony.’

‘To some deserted wasteland to experiment with different fires?’

‘In a word, yes. Beaumont sold the manuscript back to us and settled down in London to live high on the hog. The Secretissimi in the great city continued to watch him. After all, a man who steals will steal again. We discovered his secret journeys, we saw the flashes of fire and, before you ask, did he steal two copies of “The Book of Fires”? No! Beaumont had the original copied and, knowing Sir Walter as we do, the clerk or scrivener responsible did not live long afterwards.’

‘We’ve learnt,’ Athelstan declared,’ that Beaumont would make sly references to how this secret manuscript’s whereabouts would be a revelation to all, that it was safe on the island of Patmos.’

‘Yes, we discovered the same.’ Nicephorus put his tankard down. ‘We have spied, coaxed and threatened everyone we thought could help us and, believe me my friends, the list is long. Lady Isolda, Falke, Buckholt, Sir Henry; Parson Garman who, as a mercenary, served abroad under the name Saint-Croix: Vanner, whose corpse you have recently discovered, as well as other servants and retainers at Firecrest Manor. We cannot understand Beaumont’s jest except, of course, St John the Evangelist wrote the last book of the Bible, the Apocalypse, the Book of Revelation, whilst in exile on the island of Patmos.’

‘Of course,’ Athelstan breathed. ‘How stupid of me.’

‘Now, the Book of Revelation,’ Nicephorus continued, ‘talks about the Parousia, the Second Coming of Christ, the end of all things when the world will be destroyed by fire. Beaumont might have been referring to the power and possibilities of Greek fire, except,’ he held up a gauntleted hand, ‘Beaumont actually visited Patmos. Once he’d stolen the book, he escaped through Asia. We know he deserted most of his company in the desert outside Izmir. He and a group of henchmen then fled across the Middle Sea. They reached Patmos.’ Nicephorus sketched a cross over his heart. ‘I swear by the Holy Face only Black Beaumont left Patmos alive. The remains of his companions, nothing more than burnt, tangled blackened bone and scraps of flesh, were found high in the mountains. It took weeks before the governor could establish that these were the mortal remains of the English mercenaries who had landed on the island a few months earlier. Scraps of clothing, discarded weapons,’ he shrugged, ‘but, of course, once again, Black Beaumont had slipped away without leaving any evidence that he had anything to with what, murder? A dreadful accident? Attack by some other group?’

‘Satan’s tits!’ Cranston whispered. ‘I suspect it was murder. Black Beaumont was an assassin. He had a night-shrouded soul, a felon who should have been hanged high.’

‘What do you think happened?’ Athelstan asked.

‘Oh, Beaumont drugged his companions and used his skill to concoct Greek fire and burnt their bodies,’ Nicephorus smiled thinly, ‘or at least some of them.’

‘Did one escape?’ Athelstan asked. ‘Could this be our Ignifer?’

‘Ah, the Fire Bearer. You realize that Beaumont’s Luciferi had officers of different ranks. Some of these would have the title of Ignifer, being directly responsible for loosing the cannon or the hollow tubes through which Greek fire or any such flame can be shot. The Ignifer would also be responsible for loading and directing the trebuchets and catapults with fiery missiles. The mercenary Saint-Croix, known to you as Parson Garman, held the post of Ignifer, a high-ranking officer and quite a ruthless one.’

‘So Garman is the Ignifer?’

‘Brother Athelstan, he could well be. He may have played a leading part in the attack on my lord of Gaunt’s barges. I understand the liquid used was of the same genus as Greek fire.’

‘You have met Garman?’ Athelstan asked.

‘Yes. All he’ll say is that the past is the past and he is nothing more than a lowly prison chaplain.’

‘I received the distinct impression,’ Athelstan declared, ‘that Garman did not have “The Book of Fires”, though he could have had extracts and formulas. We do not know what Parson Garman conceals from his past or what he has acquired since his return to England.’

‘Master Nicephorus,’ Cranston intervened, ‘according to you, Beaumont returned to England. He copied “The Book of Fires” and sold some of its secrets to the Crown and perhaps to others abroad. You negotiated the return of the original in return for what?’

‘Treasure, mercantile information, trading concessions and, yes, we suspected he may have made a copy either of the entire book or those sections of value.’

‘How long after his return to England did he agree to sell?’

‘Oh, about five years. My predecessors agreed on a price but insisted we pay in instalments. Payments,’ he added, ‘you will not find in Beaumont’s receipt books but went directly to his trading ventures. Then,’ Nicephorus leaned forward, tapping the table, ‘about a year ago he eventually confessed he did have a copy. He had the impudence to assert that he kept it as a pledge of our good faith. We replied that we also suspected that he had continued to sell its secrets abroad. It’s now common knowledge that the Hanse merchants in the Baltic have recently overhauled their armaments, weaponry and ships – their crews have become more skilled in the use of cannon as well as more powerful powder and fiery missiles. Beaumont, in fact, sold the secrets he kept in a piecemeal fashion, little by little both here and abroad.’ The Greek shrugged. ‘We have traitors in the great city, officers in the Imperial army who sell secrets. All the Secretissimi can do is block the flow and catch the drip for as long as we can.’

‘And what did Beaumont want in return?’ Athelstan asked.

‘We met him in the city. Beaumont agreed to hand over the copy in return for the following: the murders of the Lady Isolda and Parson Garman.’

Cranston whistled under his breath.

‘And one more.’ Nicephorus stirred on his stool. ‘Rievaulx.’

‘Rievaulx?’ Athelstan queried.

‘One of Black Beaumont’s henchmen in the Luciferi,’ Nicephorus replied. ‘We never mentioned what we had discovered on Patmos. Beaumont eventually did. He maintained he left his company to go down to one of the villages to buy supplies. He stayed to roister and wench. On his return he found five of his companions must have been drugged or killed, their corpses burnt. He believed the sixth man, Rievaulx, had fled. Now whether Rievaulx was part of the murderous assault on the other five, Beaumont could not say.’