ire,
while your enemies are without a head. Join forces with your Ghibellino
allies in northern Italy--Siena, Florence, Pisa, and the rest. Surround
the College of Cardinals and you can force them to elect a pope of your
choice. Or scatter them. Three-fourths of them are needed for the
election of a pope. You might be able to stop the election altogether."

Manfred's back remained turned. Daoud looked at Lorenzo. He could not
read Lorenzo's expression; the Sicilian's mouth was hidden beneath his
grizzled mustache. But Lorenzo shook his head slightly, as if to say
that Daoud was not having the effect he wanted. At that, Daoud felt
himself waver toward despair. He commanded himself to stand firm.

Manfred walked back to the table. He stood before Daoud, his hands still
clasped behind him. His face wore a haunted look. The cheerful
self-confidence Daoud had always seen before was gone.

"The north is a quagmire this time of year."

"For your enemies as well as for you," Daoud said. "And they do
not--yet--have anything like the strength you can muster. You can call
up your vassals here in a few weeks' time. When Charles gets a summons
from the new pope, he will then have to gather his troops in France and
cross the Alps into Italy. By the time he is ready, you could have all
of Italy under your control. And there would be no pope to give
legitimacy to his invasion."

Manfred snorted and turned away. Daoud, Erculio, and Lorenzo watched him
pace.

He came back and said, "No. I do not trust those you call my allies in
the north. They opposed the pope, but neither do they want to be ruled
by me. If I were to try to make myself king of Italy, they would turn
against me."

Probably true, Daoud thought, remembering the reluctance of Lapo di
Stefano, the heir of Siena, to recognize Manfred's kingship over all of
Italy.

Baibars would be in the north like lightning, though. He would welcome
the bad weather, because it would impede his foes while he himself would
simply not _let_ his own troops slow down because of it. And if any of
his allies even thought of betraying him, he would kill them. But that
was Baibars. This king, Daoud remembered, had at first not wanted to
help him with his mission in Orvieto because it might provoke a war.

Manfred, he saw, kept raising objections because he really wanted to be
left alone to enjoy what he had. He showed no interest whatever in
conquering all of Italy. He was the enlightened