Chrysopolis Nights

Constantinople, 1452. The Byzantine Empire, once a beacon of civilization, now teeters on the brink of collapse under the encroaching Ottoman shadow. Fear hangs heavy in the air, a palpable presence amidst the crumbling mosaics and the whispers of conspiracy. Leo, a former Varangian guard haunted by a past betrayal, navigates this treacherous world as an investigator. His latest case, the ritualistic murder of a renowned courtesan named Elara, plunges him into a vortex of intrigue far deeper than he could have imagined. Elara, famed for her emerald eyes and powerful connections, is found drowned in the Golden Horn, a fragmented icon clutched in her hand – an icon that mirrors the pendant Leo wears in memory of his lost sister. Empress Zoe, her motivations shrouded in mystery, commissions Leo to uncover the truth, a task as dangerous as it is vital. Leo's investigation leads him into the heart of Constantinople's underbelly, a labyrinthine world of secrets and shadows. He encounters a cast of characters as complex and dangerous as the city itself: Alexios, the imperial eunuch whose whispers shape destinies; Theodora, a seeress burdened by visions of the city's fiery demise; and Basilios, a merchant prince whose silk trade masks a lucrative traffic in stolen relics. An uneasy alliance forms with Anna, a sharp-witted scribe banished from the imperial library, whose knowledge of secret passages and coded manuscripts proves indispensable, but whose piercing gaze suggests a shared history with Leo, a past he desperately tries to bury. As Leo delves deeper, he uncovers a conspiracy far older and more sinister than he could have imagined – a clandestine society known as the Chrysostomoi, manipulating emperors and events for centuries to hasten the empire’s downfall. Their weapon: an ancient ritual capable of unleashing a power that could shatter Constantinople’s very foundations. The stakes become terrifyingly personal when Anna is abducted by the Chrysostomoi, her life inextricably linked to their apocalyptic ritual. With the Ottoman army at the gates, Leo must race against time to unravel the conspiracy and save Anna. He descends into the hidden catacombs beneath the city, a realm of sulfurous air and forgotten chants, where he confronts not only the conspirators but also the ghosts of his past. As Constantinople burns, mirroring the seeress’s chilling prophecies, Leo must make a heart-wrenching choice that will determine not only his fate but the fate of the city itself. He must choose between the darkness that has consumed him and the flickering embers of justice in a world teetering on the brink of collapse. In *Chrysopolis Nights*, Jessamine Lee weaves a spellbinding tale of conspiracy, betrayal, and resilience in the face of unimaginable loss.