Daoud was momentarily surprised, then angry. He had expected that Manfred would cooperate with him. If the young king vacillated, Daoud might have journeyed from Egypt to Italy for nothing. And then a ripple of fear crept up his spine. If he failed to persuade Manfred, the Tartars might destroy the world he had come to love and believe in. _God, help me to stop them. I must not go back to El Kahira a failure._ He must choose his words with care. He was dealing here with a king, and one did not argue with kings. Better to ask questions than offer arguments. "Does not the pope wish even now to take your throne from you, Sire?" he said. "How can matters between you and him be any worse?" Manfred nodded. "True, Pope Urban keeps offering my crown to this prince and that, claiming that I had no right to inherit it from my father. And that he had no right to have it in the first place." Manfred bit his lip, and the light pink of his cheeks reddened. "But only the French are powerful enough to take it from me. And King Louis of France is kindly disposed to me and will not permit any of his great barons to make war on me. I rely on Louis's continued goodwill." "But the man who wants to join with the Tartars to annihilate Islam is that same King Louis of France," Daoud said. "France, as you said, is the only kingdom with the power to help the pope dethrone you. Should the pope decide against allying with the Tartars, King Louis will continue to prohibit his subjects from joining the pope's war against you. Help me, and you come between King Louis and the pope." "Intrigue requires gold," said Manfred. "Does your master expect me to pay for your activities?" "What I have brought with me will pay for all," Daoud replied. He unbuckled his belt and undid the laces that held his hose tight around his waist. Celino moved closer, tense, ready in case Daoud should reach for a weapon. Daoud slipped his fingers into the breeches he wore under his hose and found the bag tied to the drawstring. "What is the man doing?" said Manfred with a wondering smile. Celino shook his head. Daoud pulled out a bag of heavy red silk, full and round with what it held. He felt a childlike delight in mystifying the two men. "Pay me from your royal treasury what this is worth," said Daoud, "and I shall have gold enough for all I need to do." He pulled apart the mouth of the silk bag and drew out of it a globe of green fire. He held it out to Manfred. Celino gasped. Daoud was gratified at their wonderment. "Are you not afraid I will steal this from you and dump you in an unmarked grave?" said Manfred with a bright grin. "The Hohenstaufen family have been friends of the sultans of Egypt since your father's day," said Daoud. "We have learned to trust you." "Just listen to that, Lorenzo," said Manfred. "The Saracens think better of me than the pope does."