Chapter 25

"Another of my noblemen is dead," King Manuel murmured almost to himself, "and we are no closer to finding that mad man than we were two days ago. What are we to do?"

It was early morning and the King of Portugal had been woken by his chamberlain well before the rest of the palace had begun to stir. The king looked tired and exhausted. He stood in his nightshirt and looked out the window of his chamber onto the grounds below it while his chamberlain reported the latest news in the search for Don Hugo de Cordoba, the missing Spanish ambassador. What the chamberlain had to report was not welcomed.

"Majesty," the chamberlain muttered apologetically, "we are trying as best we can in our search for the man. Unfortunately the man is proving to be very clever and incredibly resourceful."

"So you keep telling me, you old fool," the king sighed in reply. "However you tell me, this does not please me at all. We know that Don Hugo is clever and resourceful. We've known that for years now and I accept that. I do not accept the fact that my men are less clever and resourceful. I've given you a job to find the man and to bring him before me to stand accused and to face my justice. Why do you keep failing me?"

"Majesty," the chamberlain whimpered in reply, "these matters take time. The men of the city watch are searching every tavern and brothel in the city for the man and your royal guardsmen are patrolling the streets both during the day and the night in the hopes of catching Don Hugo abroad. We are trying our best."

"And you are failing miserably," the king said in rebuke, turning his gaze upon his chamberlain. "Instead of capturing the man and presenting him to me, you wake me at this ungodly hour to tell me that the Count de Cordoba has killed another of my noblemen. What do you have to say about that?"

"It is regrettable, your Majesty," the chamberlain declared softly, "but something that we could not prevent. Don Hugo obviously has an agenda and we do not know who he will strike next or how he will do it. There is nothing more that we can do except to be vigilant at all times."

"Bah!" the king replied dismissively, glaring even more intensely at his chamberlain than he had a moment before. "There is indeed more that you could do besides remaining vigilant you old fool. It is obvious that Don Hugo is on a vendetta. The men that he has killed these last two days were obviously conspiring with him in some plot. That plot was either against my throne and crown or it was against the thrones of Spain. In truth it does not matter. What matters is that Don Hugo must have trusted these men to act in his favour when matters turned against him and they did not. They chose to betray him and to protect themselves from any possible fallout that might evolve out of Don Hugo's downfall. Having been betrayed, Don Hugo is taking his revenge and he is proving himself to be very capable at it. He has killed two men within their own villas and no one knows how Don Hugo has done this and how he has gotten away. All that is known is that the man has branded each of his victims as a Judas leaving thirty pieces of silver with each of his victims. It is a strong message to those that he has not reached as of yet."

"It is indeed your Majesty," the chamberlain agreed in a low voice, "but I do not see how that helps us find him. He kills quickly and quietly and he is gone before anyone can catch him. What can we do about this?"

"We can offer a pardon," the king growled back in reply.

"A pardon for Don Hugo?" the chamberlain gasped aloud, his eyes widening with disbelief.

"No you foolish old man," the king scoffed with annoyance in the tone of his voice. "We will not pardon Don Hugo for his crimes. His actions are foul and I will see justice done before I send his body back to Spain."

"Then who should we pardon, your Majesty?" the bewildered chamberlain asked.

"The plotters and the schemers that Don Hugo has branded traitors," the king replied bluntly. "You will make it known today in my court that any man who comes forward and confesses his sins to me, describing what plots and schemes that he and Don Hugo were united in, and who forswears an oath to lay aside those plots and schemes and to vow loyalty to my crown will receive the protection of my court and my guard. If but one man comes forward and tells all, we will be that much closer to capturing Don Hugo and bringing him to ground."

"How so Majesty?" the chamberlain asked in a hesitant voice.

"By God's mercy spare me your dimwitted questions fool and think for yourself," the king snapped back in frustration. "Do you not see what will happen if just one man comes forward and tells all? With luck the man will name others and in doing so we will learn who the Count de Cordoba was in league with. Knowing the names of his compatriots will tell us who his intended victims might be. We will use that knowledge to watch over the men and to capture the villain in the act. We will also arrest any who we learn about in our endeavours who do not come forward and confess. They and their Houses will pay for their treasons if they chose not to accept my mercy. Make certain that all know that as well when you make known my offer. It will help motivate those now living in fear to come forth and speak before they are betrayed by others. Now go and send me my Master of the Bedchambers. I need to finish my toilet and prepare myself for the day."

"As you command Majesty," the chamberlain intoned formally as he prepared to depart the king's bedchamber, "I will obey."

Pedro stood upon the poop deck of the Hawk and waited in silence while a royal barge was rowed out from the shore. The Hawk was now anchored safely in the grand harbour of Lisbon. The vessel and the ships in its company had been met at sea by a Portuguese warship. The captain of that vessel had made it clear that the Hawk and the other vessels should follow it back to Lisbon. Naturally Pedro had not refused.

The harbour was busy. There were several other vessels anchored there other than those under Pedro's command. Pedro noted that there were two other warships present in the harbour besides the vessel that had escorted him home. From the look of it, the ships were preparing to put out to sea. Pedro also noted that the San Fernando was tied up near the mouth of the Tagus River as were the two ships that Pedro had sent in the company of Captain Barceló back to Lisbon. He was happy to see that. He was however curious about the fact that a second Spanish royal galley was tied up opposite the San Fernando. It made Pedro pause and wonder what had happened in Lisbon over the last few days. Concern crossed his face as he pondered that question.

Don Diego de Montoya had talked. Pedro had turned the man over to Ishmael and Hector after the battle with the pirates. Pedro had given them but two orders. The first was to make the man talk and the second was to keep him alive so that Don Diego could confess the sins of his master and his own to the King of Portugal. Both tasks proved easy to achieve. As it turned out Don Diego was not a stupid man. He did try to barter with Ishmael and Hector but he failed. The man had tried to trade the knowledge of what had happened to Pedro's cousins in exchange for his freedom. That attempt failed dramatically when Ishmael demonstrated to Don Diego the error of his reasoning. After that one stern rebuke Don Diego came to understand that death was the least of his worries and that Ishmael and Hector knew how to inflict more pain than the man could tolerate. Once that fact took root in Don Diego's mind he became quite the conversationalist. By the end of the voyage, intelligence flowed from his lips like water from a jug.

Thus Pedro knew about the Condor being summoned back to Madrid to answer questions from the king and queen of Spain. He also knew that the Condor had rejected surrendering to the Spanish government and the men that they had sent to escort him home. Pedro wondered if the craft tied up beside the San Fernando was the craft that had been sent for Don Hugo de Cordoba. He also wondered if the man was in chains already. Deep inside him Pedro hoped not. He truly wanted to see the man fall for the crimes he had committed against his family. It would be anticlimactic if he had already been taken.

A royal barge was being rowed out from the shore and towards the Hawk. From where Pedro stood he could see that the man aboard the barge was an older gentleman, dressed in the finery of a palace courtier. Beyond that he could not tell who it was. With the man was a small escort of royal guards. There were only four but to Pedro that was more than etiquette required. The sight of the armed men caused Pedro to frown with even greater concern that he had frowned a moment ago.

"Prepare to receive a guest," Pedro called down to his coxswain. The man was standing in the middle of the main deck of the Hawk. At that moment he was busy overseeing the striking of the sails and the securing of the Hawk from sea. The coxswain turned and acknowledged his captain's words with a wave of his hand and a shout. He then called for a pair of deck hands to help him out. Quickly the coxswain and the two sailors removed a portion of the portside railing. Then the coxswain stood back and watched as the two hands rigged a short rope ladder where the railing had been, dropping its length down the side of the Hawk. It took but a few minutes to finish. By that time the royal barge was at its halfway point between the shore and the Hawk. While the men laboured Pedro called for Ishmael to attend him.

"My lord," Ishmael muttered as he came to a halt before Pedro, "how may I serve you?"

Ishmael was decked out for a fight. When the Portuguese warship had intercepted the Hawk and the other vessels in the Hawk's company, the man had thrown on his armour and he had prepared himself for a fight. He hadn't disarmed himself between then and now and his bearing spoke loudly that he was ready to fight if matters came to that. Pedro silently hoped it would not.

"We are about to receive company, my good soldier," Pedro said in a low voice. As he did he placed a hand on Ishmael's shoulder and turned him to look in the direction of the approaching barge. "I don't know the man sitting amidships in that craft but he is dressed in some very expensive finery and I am certain that he is coming from the king. I do not want any problems with the man, however I will not submit to his authority without guarantees for my ships and my men. Muster your guardsmen and post them as a guard of honour when the man comes aboard. It will flatter the man and hopefully it will show our strength in this situation. I will await him in my cabin."

"I will bring him to you when he comes aboard," Ishmael replied with a smile. "As for the rest it shall be done."

With that Ishmael turned and headed off to rally his men. It wasn't a hard task as they had already been mustered under the overhang of the poop deck. While Ishmael tended to that, Pedro took one last look at the approaching craft and then he turned his attention to Hector who was still standing off to one side watching over Pedro. With a smile Pedro spoke to him.

"Let us go below Hector," Pedro told the old soldier, "and prepare ourselves for our visitor. We need make a good impression on him when we meet. I'm certain that the man thinks highly of himself. Perhaps I can find something as pretty to wear below."

"I doubt it my lord," Hector replied with a thin, dismissive chuckle. "But we will do our best to help you out. After you, Captain. The craft is almost upon us."

With that Hector waved Pedro off the poop deck and then he followed close behind him. Silently the two men went into the aft-castle and to Dom Pedro's cabin. There Pedro removed his leather armour and he threw aside his linen shirt. Quickly he put on a lace shirt that Hector pulled out of a sea chest. Then he threw on a padded velvet doublet. He had just finished dressing when a hard rap at his cabin door alerted him to the arrival of his company. A moment later, in response to Pedro's call to enter, the door opened and Ishmael ushered in the visitor.

"Dom Pedro de la Vega," Ishmael intoned formally once inside the small cabin, "May I present Dom Carlos de Pombal, Secretary to his majesty, King Manuel of Portugal."

Dom Carlos was a man several years older than Pedro. He could not be called old yet but he certainly was older. His dark hair was wavy, his moustache and beard were neatly trimmed. The man was slightly shorter in stature and more opulent in proportions. He wore a fine shirt with lace at the collar and cuff and a doublet of velvet and silk that was intricately layered. His boots shone with a lustre that showed that the man had not walked far in them. At his hip he wore a sword. The pommel of the blade sparkled with a precious gem.

"Dom Carlos," Pedro murmured politely in reply, bowing his head formally in the direction of the man.

"Dom Carlos," Ishmael went on before the other man could mutter a reply, "may I present his Excellency the Count de Alvarez."

That gave the man pause for a second or two. His eyes widened for a second and then his face coloured. In the end the man bowed formally to Pedro.

"Excellency," Dom Carlos murmured softly in greetings, "I am honoured that you have received me. I wasn't aware that you knew of your uncle's death."

"I have been informed of it and many other matters," Pedro informed the man, keeping his voice and manner even when he spoke to him. "That is why I am here in Lisbon. There are issues that need attending to and I intend to see that those issues are resolved to my satisfaction."

"Very so, Excellency," Dom Carlos declared with a sharp inhale of breath, "and I am certain that you will do a fine job of it, however before you do tend to those issues there are other matters that require your attention. His majesty the King of Portugal has summoned you to attend him at his court."

"Upon what business does the king desire my presence?" Pedro asked the man bluntly.

Pedro's question startled the man. His visage turned red and his mouth opened to chide Pedro for his insolence but he didn't do it. Instead his eyes took in the sight of Hector standing behind Pedro holding a drawn pistol. He also quickly remembered that Ishmael was standing directly beside him and that the swarthy captain of the guard was armed as well. Taking a deep breath instead of speaking rashly, Dom Carlos chose his words carefully before answering Pedro's question.

"Excellency," Dom Carlos began with care, "I am not privy to the king's business and would never dream to question him on his desires. The king has ordered me here and I have obeyed that order as it is my duty to do so. My orders call for me to escort you to the palace and nothing else. Still I will say that much has occurred in the past week or so here at court and in the city of Lisbon that may be directly connected with you. I do know that Spanish gentlemen have presented themselves at court and that they speak well of you. Perhaps the king wishes to speak to you about that."

"Perhaps," Pedro muttered in reply before continuing on, "and perhaps not. Tell me Dom Carlos, what news do you have of the Spanish ambassador, Don Hugo de Cordoba? Is he still here in Lisbon?"

"Excellency," Dom Carlos replied in a lowered voice, "the answer to that question is complicated. I can however admit that the gentleman is no longer the ambassador of Spain. He has been replaced by Don Frederique de Gambaro, the Count de Madera. The gentleman presented his papers to the Lord Chamberlain yesterday morning."

"And what has become of Don Hugo?" Pedro asked pointedly. "Has he already returned to Spain?"

"I regret to say that I do not know the answer to that question, Dom Pedro," Dom Carlos replied with a heavy sigh, becoming less formal with Pedro as he spoke. "The man has disappeared."

"He has what?" Pedro exclaimed with no restraint. "How could he have disappeared?"

"Again that is a question that I do not know the answer to Dom Pedro," Dom Carlos admitted. "I know what is said at court but that is it. The rumours are that Don Hugo is familiar to the secret passageways that lie beneath the streets and villas of Lisbon. I have heard that he fled his official residence via one such passageway and that he has continued to use them to escape detection. Regrettably I am not involved in the search for the man so I have no further information for you. Perhaps the king could tell you more."

"Perhaps the king could do that," Pedro admitted with a sigh of resignation, "but I will not know that unless I accompany you to the palace and present myself to the king as commanded."

"This is very true Dom Pedro," Dom Carlos acknowledged with a thin smile of satisfaction upon his lips.

"And those are your only orders that you carry Dom Carlos?" Pedro asked the man bluntly. "My ships are free to secure from sea and my men allowed to disperse ashore to see to their families or their pleasures as be their desires?"

"Excellency," Dom Carlos replied formally, "I have no orders concerning the disposition of your ships or crew. I have only the command to escort you to the king."

"Then we will do that and with pleasure, my Lord Secretary," Pedro responded in equal formality. "I will join you in your craft and return to shore with you. I will however be accompanied by my own entourage."

"Indeed Excellency," Dom Carlos muttered with curiosity showing in his eyes, "and who might your entourage consist of that they should attend you in the presence of the king."

"They are friends that have witnessed the villainy of Don Hugo," Pedro informed Dom Carlos coldly, "and they are prisoners taken during actions perpetrated against my House and the King of Portugal who have agreed to give testimony against the Condor. I am certain that the king will be interested in meeting them."

"I think you might be correct, Dom Pedro," Dom Carlos said in agreement. "Shall we go?"

"Announcing Dom Pedro de la Vega," the court usher cried out upon Pedro's arrival at the court an hour and some later, "the Count de Alvarez."

The hall leading to the king's audience chamber was packed. Everyone who was anyone at the court was standing around chatting and waiting. When the usher cried out they all fell silent. Pedro ignored them. Behind him strode Dom Carlos de Pombal and his escort of royal guardsmen. Behind them came Bartholomew, Ishmael, and Hector. Trailing everyone was a small guard from the Hawk and the prisoners they were escorting. On Pedro's arm walked Sister Abigail. She was dressed in her habit. People murmured softly as the walked by but none ventured to acknowledge their presence. Pedro did not care.

"Majesty," the Chamberlain stated loudly when Pedro and his company reached the entrance of the king's audience chamber, "Dom Pedro de la Vega, Count de Alvarez ... and his guests."

The last part was spoken hesitantly by the older man. His eyes had widened greatly upon seeing Sister Abigail and then the train of people following Dom Carlos and his men. Still he made certain to acknowledge their presence before the king.

"Dom Pedro," the King of Portugal murmured in response, nodding solemnly towards Pedro as he did. "I see you know of your uncle's demise. I also see that you have claimed the honour of your House, though I have yet to bestow them upon you. A misunderstanding I am certain considering your youth and the fact you are infrequent in attending my court."

"Forgive me Majesty if I have offended you and your court," Pedro responded courteously, though with a voice edged with steel, "but I have made no mistake in claiming what is rightfully mine. Here beneath my doublet I bear a letter from my late father. It was signed by his hand just a little over a month ago and it has been attested to by witnesses, some of whom are with me this day. My father declared me his only heir and the heir to his rights as a nobleman of Portugal. He knew of the death of his brother, my uncle Dom Roberto de la Vega and unto me he gave his titles, honours, and his wealth. By my father's hand I am the Count de Alvarez."

"Your father has been missing and presumed dead for over a year," the king declared sternly, eyeing Pedro as he spoke. "You tell me now that he was alive and has completed a will that names you legally his heir. Show me the paper."

Pedro quickly handed the document that he was carrying to the Lord Chamberlain who had scurried forward to take it from him. The Lord Chamberlain then presented it to the king to read. The king read it quickly while the court waited in silence.