Obsessed with coin, Provost Guidus Salvatore had been branded ‘Fiscus,’ ‘moneybag.’ by his rivals. In time, the fifty-year-old man came to regard the slight as a badge of honor. He was meticulous statesman with the power of the purse. He was intimately familiar with the regents and administrators of banks and guilds across Europe. For eight fruitful seasons, he had been Gherardus Fabbro’s gatekeeper of trade… He was an eminent person.
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
Guidus Salvatore was not a character I ever envisioned existing until I got deeper into developing The Crystal Crux Series.
I knew early on I wanted a letter delivered to Pero from the Court of Parthenope but to just invent a nondescript character seemed rather dull.
As I developed motivations for other characters, I realized I needed something immediate and tangible for Gherardus’ son, Talento, to desire.
I had already made Talento a creeper behind the scenes kind of guy with a network of spies and close ties to the Church, but I wanted to bring him out into the light a little more, show him seeking a position of power since he doesn’t really have one.
Talento desires the provost position, the position that handles the kingdom’s purse and negotiates and finalizes treaties. A position of great power and responsibility.
A position Talento is wholly unsuited for.
But, because Talento is Parthenope’s ambassador to Rome and the bishops, Gherardus has to sacrifice one of his most intelligent, efficient and useful minds in the kingdom.
And yet today the eminent man was humbled. He was an errand boy squirming on a pine bench in the Great Hall of Capua with a leather satchel on his belt.
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
Guidus knows this is beneath him. This is a job suited to a nondescript courier.
Gherardus, however, tried to blow wind in his sails and pump him up for this insulting task.
“You are the perfect man for the job,” Gherardus had gushed to Guidus not two days earlier. “You must convey this important posting to Capua. The other members of my court are not to be trusted. They despise Pero and I am deeply ashamed of them.”
Guidus couldn’t recall Gherardus ever expressing shame about anything his court members had done before.
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
Guidus doesn’t know why he’s really being sent to Capua. He has trusted Gherardus for eight years now. He doesn’t consider there to be anything devious afoot. It’s just a simple correspondance after all.
“For the sake of Parthenope and Campania, as well as a favor to me,’ he nearly laughed saying it, ‘deliver this sealed writ to Capua. Once the pledge had been fulfilled, enjoy a sabbatical. I hear Capua can be rather nice this time of year.”
‘That’s a lie,’ Guidus thought crossly, not liking this conversation at all. ‘Capua is backwater, an antebellum hamlet beyond its former glory. No one chooses to visit Capua in August.”
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
Please don’t be upset with me if you are from Capua. I took some artistic license here and decided to present Capua in 1198 as less than hospitable to vacationers. I pointed to the Isle of Capri as the place people wanted to go to relax, if invited and allowed.
Far across the hall near the entrance, as far from his person as Guidus could place them, sat the two young men who had accompanied him. Strenna and Fabio were under direct orders from their commander, Rugerius Fabbro. In Guidus’ disregarded opinion, the foul-mouthed sergeants were an unnecessary precaution. The old north road between Parthenope and Capua was perfectly safe. He would have preferred to complete this bothersome task alone. It was embarrassing enough without witnesses.
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
A couple of things to note here.
I had imagined various methods of getting saboteurs inside the keep, but this seemed the best and least obvious direction to go.
Why would anyone suspect these two young, foul-mouthed sergeants had nefarious motives for escorting Guidus to Capua? The road that stands between the two cities is safe for travel. Still, Gherardus would want some precautions for his eminent man, wouldn’t he?
Whatever the reasons, Guidus doesn’t like them and wishes they weren’t here.
Guidus gets up occasionally from the pine bench to stretch his legs and pace about the hall, checking out the drab decorations, staring out into the distance from one of the open archways.
Guidus is getting hungry and frustrated.
Judging by the sun, Guidus reasoned it was past midday. Four long hours wasted.
‘Where the hell is he?’
Excerpt – The Crystal Crux Series: Betrayal
The ‘he’ of course is Pero de Alava.
In the next installment, we will learn more about what becomes of their meeting.
Until next time, stay inspired and keep reading!
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