, reflected little spots of pale green light
on his cheeks. He shook his head.

"Green, the color I love best in all the world. The color of hope." He
encircled it with thumb and forefinger. "Look, Lorenzo, I cannot get my
fingers around it. I am amazed that your master is willing to part with
such a wonder. How did he come by it?"

"It has been through many hands, Sire," said Daoud. "It once belonged to
Emir Fakr ad-Din, who commanded the army of Egypt when King Louis
invaded our land."

"To think Baibars let you take this emerald from him, and you came all
this way from Alexandria with it and delivered it to me. And Baibars
trusted you."

"As he trusts you, Sire," Daoud put in quickly.

"_You_ are like a falcon, are you not?" said Manfred, smiling into
Daoud's eyes. "Released to fly far afield for your sultan."

Manfred strode to Daoud suddenly and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let
it be done as your master wishes, then. The trader from Trebizond will
go to Orvieto with my help."

A surge of joy sprang up within Daoud and almost burst past his lips. He
bowed, his heart pounding.

_God be thanked!_

Manfred said, "We must see about turning this jewel of yours into gold
coins. Or smaller jewels. They would be easier to carry than gold."
Manfred looked lovingly at the emerald again, then carefully dropped it
into his belt pouch and smiled at Daoud.

"You should not go alone into the Papal States, David. You may have
studied Europe from afar, but you do not know Italy firsthand. Lorenzo
here shall go with you. I trust Lorenzo to travel far and secretly in my
service, even as your master trusts you."

Celino sighed. Daoud and Celino eyed each other.

Daoud began searching for ways to dissuade Manfred. A short while
earlier he and Celino had been trying to kill each other. And Celino
would be putting Manfred's interests first, not those of Islam.

Obviously aware of his hesitation, Manfred took his arm. "Listen to me,
Mameluke. You will be wise to accept every bit of help that is offered
to you. I have powerful allies in northern Italy, in Florence, Pisa,
Siena, and other cities. But you do not know them and they do not know
you. Lorenzo speaks for me. He knows who the key Ghibellini are in the
north, and they know him. Do not object to taking him with you."

Manfred would not let him go, Daoud realized, unless Celino went with
him. And the argument that Celino could put him in touch with the
Ghibellini of