gle emerald I traded to King Manfred for
these smaller stones. There was beauty. A few at a time, these can be
turned into gold."

She looked into his eyes. She took him more seriously now, he thought.
He was not just some strange Muslim whose rashness might get her killed.
He was a source of wealth.

"They must be sold carefully, or their sudden appearance will be
noticed," she said. "After all, even the princes of the Church would
have to stretch their purses for these."

"I have it in mind to buy princes of the Church, not to sell jewelry to
them."

"We can sell some of these gems to the Templars. They have enormous
wealth and they are very discreet."

Noting that she had said "we," Daoud smiled at the thought of those
ferocious enemies of the Mamelukes, the Knights Templar, helping to
provide the financing that would weaken their foothold in Islamic lands.

"Now," he said, "do you think we can accomplish something to keep
Tartars and Christians apart?"

"Yes--something. Used wisely, these jewels--or their worth in gold--will
gain you influence among the men around the pope. You might even pry a
few of the French cardinals loose from their loyalty to King Louis."

Daoud began scooping up the stones and funneling them into the hidden
pocket of his belt. "You must help me to use them wisely."

"Exactly what do you have in mind?" she asked, her eyes fixed on the
jewels as they disappeared.

"I expect Cardinal Ugolini to take some of the gold and use it to build
a strong party in Orvieto that will oppose the alliance." He eyed her,
trying to see into her heart. "Can he manage such a thing?"

"Oh, Adelberto is an old hand at intrigue. How else do you suppose he
got to be a cardinal? Indeed, he is the camerlengo for the College of
Cardinals."

"What does that mean?" Daoud asked as he buckled his belt.

"He acts as a kind of chancellor to the pope, making announcements,
calling the College together, conducting ceremonies--that sort of
thing."

Daoud nodded. "Good. It is my hope that he can use this money to draw
cardinals and Church officials to him, one way or another. And they will
join together to turn the pope against the Tartars."

"With all the money those jewels will bring, you can indeed create such
a faction, but I don't know what effect it will have on the pope. The
Tartars offer the pope a chance to wipe out Islam once and for all."

"Yes, and then after that the Tartars will wipe out Christia