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"He was an able emperor," Alexis said diplomatically. After a pause, he added, "But a difficult friend."

Arslan made a sound of agreement. "So were most of the emperors I met."

"Like when you were in Saladin's court?" Alexis guessed, and Arslan nodded. "Did you meet Baldwin?"

"No, but he wasn't well. I did send him medicine recipes at Saladin's urging, but nothing seemed to work permanently," Arslan replied, sadness in his eyes.

"Baldwin was a good man. Or at least tried to be."

"He was. Saladin always saw him as a worthy adversary and respected him for it."

Alexis smiled into his wine. It was a rare pleasure, this easy camaraderie of two men of absurd age exchanging the stories of their lives.

The people they had spoken of in the last two minutes would have been the center of any historian's career. They dropped them lightly, in passing, because they had been there, and knew that these titans had been men with their flaws like any other.

"I designed the Eos's hold to be able to contain the catacomb library," Alexis said, getting the subject back on track. "I've been working on the design in the back of my head ever since the Franks first began to lose their heads over Jerusalem. It became urgent when Innocent called the crusade. I laid the keel months ago and had the mast stepped in January. I told Nereus about it only when I was leaving, so she knew she couldn't talk me out of it. "

"Did anyone else in Venice know what you were actually going to do with this ship?" Arslan asked.

Alexis considered it for a while. "I think they all suspected what I was thinking, but only Nereus came poking about. She told me I would find something I didn't expect. The other magicians understand why I need to do some things, so they didn't waste their breath arguing with me."

Arslan laughed again. "They love you enough to let you go even though you are a madman to try and carry out such a thing over books?"

"I have been a madman over worse things," Alexis admitted with a smirk.

"I have no doubt. Despite the foolishness of it, I love the audacity." Arslan rubbed his hands together. "Now, tell me how we get the books out. You can't carry a thousand manuscripts up through the Basilica Cistern in one night."

"It's one thousand six hundred and forty-three, by my count, but I'll verify as we pack," Alexis replied. Arslan gave him an impatient look. "Don't worry. We won't carry them. I'll teach you another Atlantean trick. You won't be able to do it without me because it requires an anchor. Together, we can move the entire contents of the library with a single spell."

"In one go, and we won't lose anything?" Arslan demanded in disbelief. "It must be a brilliant trick, magician."

"We won't lose anything, I swear. The cedar shelves have an older magic in them than you might think. Each shelf knows what it contains and has its own small appetite to stay with its contents. We'll move the shelves, not the books. The books will come because they are on the shelves, and they will all settle into my hold because I've prepared a space for them that is a kinder home than any they have ever known."

Arslan looked at him for a long moment. "You, my friend, have the capacity for incredible trouble."

"So I've been told," Alexis replied and drained his wine. "We do it tonight because the cistern won't be patrolled. If we wait longer, it will be locked down because news should start flooding into the city that the fleet is getting closer."

"I take it Andronikos and the key are first," Arslan said and put down his empty cup.

"Just before midnight, when Andronikos will be at home with his cats."

Arslan cocked a brow at him. "And how do you know that?"

"He's sixty and a librarian," Alexis replied with a wide grin. "Of course he has cats."

They stood on the deck, drinking wine as the sun rose, and watched Galata wake up. The bakers had begun the morning bread, and the smell of yeast and woodsmoke wafted down over the quay.

"Alexis, did you really only come for the Library and a few extra trinkets?" Arslan said.

"Why would you ask that?"

Arslan tapped the side of his temple. "I can see the balance in your soul."

"Dear gods, please don't tell me what state it is in. A man's soul is his own business," Alexis complained. "Especially one as old as mine."

Arslan shook his head. "You misunderstand me. I only meant that your soul is troubled. There's something else here, isn't there?"

Alexis ran a hand over his face in annoyance. He should have expected another immortal to be nosy. They all were to a fault because the only way to tolerate immortality was to dig into the secrets of the world, all in search of something new.