Chapter 562: The Approaching Civil War
"Oh, my love, my dear Giovanni..."
"Dominus custodiet te Dominus protectio tua super manum dexteram tuam..."
"per diem sol non percutiet te neque luna per noctem..."
"Dominus custodiet te ab omni malo custodiat animam tuam..."
"Dominus custodiat exitum tuum et introitum tuum amodo et usque in aeternum..."
*(Psalms 121: 5-8)
Overwhelmed by worriedness, Therma began praying for her man just seconds after Giovanni left.
As mentioned, she is not ignorant towards the current statues of the government, she knows about the incoming potential civil war that is in the city between the two sides, and she knows what a dangerous situation her husband has tossed himself in. Therma lifted the curtains up, hoping to see where her husband is, but Giovanni is out of sight.
"Stop the chariot!" Therma ordered the driver, hoping to persuade her husband to leave this city.
But the chariot continued moving, as if the driver did not hear Therma’s order.
Anxiety turned into anger, as Therma gave a knock at the walls of the chariot. "I said stop the chariot! Stop! Stop this damn vehicle, don’t you hear my order?"
Therma wiped open the curtains in front separating the cabin and the driver, but to her horror, or maybe surprise, the charioteer is not the one whom she is familiar with, instead it is Mauro.
"I am sorry Madame." Mauro finally replied. "I believe that you are seeking for your charioteer, but I am sorry that he might not be able to report for work today."
"Why are you here Mauro." Therma asked in an agitated tone. "Aren’t, you supposed to guard my husband by his sides? Why are you over here? Why! And stop this chariot!"
"I..." Mauro lowered his head for a moment, but immediately recovered his body posture to continue looking at the road. "I have been discharged from the service by the commander, just this morning..."
Therma is appalled. "Discharged? Discharged from the service? Then what is your title now?"
"Lord Giustiniani has assigned me as your bodyguard for a month, and he told me that I am free to choose my future path once one month has passed, counting from today onwards."
Therma could no longer spit a single word out of her mouth, as her entire mind is getting burnt by the amount of information thrusting into her head just like she is being stricken by a lightening bolt. Without further hesitation she pushed the door of the carriage with all of her strength, only to find out that they have somehow managed to install a lock on the gate when she did not notice, she tried kicking it open but it is to no avail too, filled with desperation she yelled towards Mauro. "Let me out! I would never leave this city! Let me out!"
The boy casually sleeping by the side just now, who is completely unaware of what just happened, started shedding years seeing his mother in such a state.
"I am sorry Madame, but that is the one only thing I am not allowed to do." Mauro replied as he whipped his mount even harder to accelerate the chariot.
"Then tell me, what is the meaning of this? Why is there a need to send me out of the city? I do not get it, why! Tell me Mauro, why!"
Mauro answered in a dim tone. "Because we have received intel from a reliable source, that both sides desperately need the support of the army, and since they are unable to get commander Giovanni’s support via means of bribery or corruption, then they are going to do it through force. Of course, they cannot just go inside the camp and kidnap him forcing him to sign his military order, but they can, and they are indeed planning to, accomplish it through other similar means..."
"You mean they are going to..." Therma’s face turned pale as she realised what Mauro is about to say, she turned to her child by the side, still crying, hugged her son tightly and she too started shedding tears. The little Giovanni who has entirely no idea what is going on since just now stopped crying as he sensed the fear and fright in his mom’s heart and gave his mother a few pats on her shoulder trying to comfort her as much as he can.
The chariot continued moving towards the harbour, disappearing under the cover of the darkness of the night.
...
"The lady and the child have departed from the city on the designated ship."
Giovanni went back to George Sphrantzes’ estate the next day after witnessing the ship depart with his own eyes.
"We are stuck in a very difficult position general." The old George said with a stern look on his face. "Demetrios has acquired information that you have sent your family away, and he has started spreading his men to every single corner of the city contacting with various officials and courtiers in charge of different posts. So, this is where he spent the majority of his embezzled money in... And he has decided to make full use of them now."
Giovanni laid out the map of Constantinople on the table before him and pointed at the garrison of Saint John and mentioned. "I have a troop here watching over the defenses of the Golden Horn, roughly a Kentarchia in size. They can storm the palace of Demetrios at any time on my command."
Upon hearing this the old George Sphrantzes rolled his eyes and jeered at his naïve son in law. "Do you really think that Demetrios and his gang will always keep a blind eye on a threat so deadly close to them?"
"I..."
"Look, son." George pointed towards himself. "If I am Demetrios, the first batch of people that I will attempt to bribe and corrupt, shall be those guards and troopers around my estate! And when the time comes, I shall definitely send an emissary to ask for their support, if not I shall expose to the senate about all their sinful deeds, and what comes next for them can only be nonother than trials in front of the people, right in the center of the Forum!"
