for one purpose, to
prevent the forming of an alliance between Christians and Tartars."

Manfred looked surprised, and stared intently at Daoud. "Tartars? Those
barbarians who invaded Europe--how long ago, Lorenzo?"

Lorenzo frowned. "Over twenty years, Sire."

Daoud said, "Fifty years ago they were nothing. A scattering of
herdsmen, like the Bedouin. Now they are the most powerful people on
earth."

Manfred nodded. "Yes, I remember now. When they rode into Poland and
Hungary I was just a boy. Everyone was in terror of them. Their emperor
sent letters to all the monarchs of Europe demanding that they
surrender. He contemptuously offered them positions in his court." He
grinned at Daoud. "My father showed me the letter he was sending back.
If Tartar emperor succeeded in conquering Europe, my father said, he
would be well qualified to serve as his falconer."

Daoud inclined his head. "Your family's love of falconry is well known
to your admirers in the lands of Islam. My lord the sultan considers you
an old friend and hopes that you will see fit to help him in his time of
need."

Manfred held out his hands, palms up. "If I can."

"Now the Tartars have fallen upon the lands of Islam," Daoud said. "They
have conquered Persia. They have a hundred thousand mounted warriors in
the field, and allies and auxiliaries. They have leveled our holy city
of Baghdad, destroyed it utterly, and killed every man, woman, and child
who lived there, even the Commander of the Faithful, our caliph himself.
These are no fanciful tales, Sire. I have fought against the Tartars. I
have seen with my own eyes the ashes of Baghdad and the heaps of its
dead."

The scene of desolation arose in his mind as it had so many times
before, the gray plain where a city had been, the unbelievable sight of
a landscape strewn with rotting, headless corpses as far as the eye
could see. To put it out of his mind, he hurried on with what he had to
say.

"Now their armies advance through Syria, threatening the realm of my
lord, the Sultan of Cairo. We have had word that Hulagu Khan, commander
of the Tartar armies in Persia, has sent two high-ranking emissaries to
the pope. They are sailing across the Middle Sea now, from the island of
Cyprus to Venice. Hulagu Khan wants to form an alliance with the
Christian rulers of Europe to attack us from both directions at once,
east and west. Our whole people, our whole Muslim faith, could be
utterly wiped out."