by A. L. Knorr
I heard the creak of the door in the hallway and as quickly as flicking a light switch, I extinguished the light. The room fell into shadow. I waited, but no one came in.
As the moments ticked by, I became aware of a hardening within me. It felt as though my innards were forming a layer of something, like a callous, only stronger. Thoughts of volcanic rock came to mind, once hot and flowing, it soon becomes still and hard. I threw the cover back and exposed my left leg, pulling my foot up close to myself. I looked at the magus mark.
It too had changed. Instead of being freckle-brown it was now charcoal-black. I ran my thumb over it. A strong desire swept through me to find someone else, anyone else who had this mark. I needed to know more about what I was. Who had I become? How many others were there? My mind flashed back to what Elda had said about there being scrolls from Alexandria about fire magi, but that the scrolls had likely been destroyed in the great fire. What if they hadn't been destroyed?
My musings were interrupted when the door to my bedroom opened and Raf poked his head in. I covered my leg with the sheet.
"You're awake." He examined me as he approached. "You look..." he paused. "You look really good. You made quite a recovery." He sat on the side of my bed. "Gave me a real scare."
Federica poked her head in next.
"You're awake," she said, parroting Raf. She entered the room, looking hesitant. "How are you feeling?"
Suspicion whispered at the edge of my mind. I still didn't fully know the part Fed had played in all of this. "I suppose I should thank you?"
She crossed her arms over her stomach like she was cold. "I snuck my phone into the bathroom and called Raf."
"He was never going to burn you, was he," I said, my smoky voice flat.
"Well, aside from this," she held up a lock of singed hair. “No."
Betrayal and anger roiled in my belly, but I was grimly satisfied to see that the fire did not leap to life at the barest emotion. "How did you get me out of there without him noticing?"
"Raf confronted him."
I looked at Raf. "That's it? You just called him a bully and he stood aside?"
"Well, not exactly," he said.
It was then that I noticed the shadow of a bruise on his cheekbone. My heart melted as our eyes connected. I reached up and put a hand on his cheek, my throat tight.
He put a hand over mine and gave me a lopsided grin. "You should see the other guy."
My lips twisted in a smile and my vision blurred a little.
"But I'm more interested in talking about you," Raf said. "When we found you, you were too hot to touch and you were smoking like a chimney fire. I'm shocked you survived. What did he do to you?"
"She didn't tell you?" I looked from Raf to Fed.
Fed shook her head. "It's not my secret to tell."
I gave her a hard look. Keeping my secret was not going to be enough to make me trust her. I’d never trust her again. I had never been betrayed the way she’d betrayed me. She dropped her eyes.
"Please, put me out of my misery," Raf said. "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I'm not sure I'll ever sleep well again."
I looked at his questioning face. The room went quiet and a few moments ticked by as I thought about how to explain it.
"You remember Nic?" I finally asked.
"I always thought he was one of a kind," Fed said, quietly. She kept her eyes on the carpet.
"You thought Nic was a one of a kind what?" Raf asked.
Fed’s eyes flicked to me and back down, but she didn’t answer.
"He was a fire magus," I said. "And so am I."
A few heartbeats passed.
"Sounds like something from Dungeons & Dragons," Raf said.
"Show him the mark. I assume you have one?" Fed suggested.
I pulled the blanket back from my left leg. I pointed to the tiny mark on my toe.
Fed’s curiosity overtook her shame as she leaned in to peer at the mark. ”Huh, so they don't always appear in the same place. Nic's was here." She touched the outside of her wrist. "Dante got a tattoo there because he thought it was so cool, and he wanted to be just like Uncle Nic." Her voice was laced with derision.
Raf took my foot in his hand and turned it so the mark was exposed to the light. "Looks like a little fireball. I didn't know you had a tattoo."
"It's not a tattoo," Fed explained. "It's a natural phenomenon. A fire magus is supernatural, someone who can control fire."
"I wouldn't have put it that way, since most times it feels like it controls me."
I began to talk. I explained about the fire at the tabacchi and how Isaia had pushed the fire into me, how he'd only have been able to pass it on if he was dying. I explained how Dante had some crazy scheme to sic me on his enemies. And finally, how Fed had invited me to the villa and Dante had trapped me there. Fed's eyes dropped to the floor. Raf's eyes darted to Fed, but I couldn't read his expression. When I finished, we sat in silence for a long time.
"You probably shouldn't go home," Fed said, finally. "If I were you, I would leave a note for the Baseggios and get on the first plane out of here."
"What about Elda and Isaia? He sent men to Gallipoli. He made it sound like he'd hurt them if I didn't do what he wanted. The only thing that makes me think that he might be bluffing is that Enzo has a favour to call from Elda..." I stopped myself from going further.
"For when Cristiano was kidnapped," Fed finished for me.
"You know about that, too?"
"I do. I was pretty young when it happened, but I remember the day Elda came to the villa. I didn't know who she was, but she was really upset, so I eavesdropped on her conversation with Enzo. After she left, Enzo sent Nic to take care of it. I never saw her again after that. I had no idea that Isaia was Nic's kid. Now it makes sense why Enzo hasn't called in his favour, yet."
"Why does it make sense?" I asked.
"Because, it means Enzo is just going to wait until Isaia gets a little older. If he's got the fire, he'll take him in and… What’s the word.” She snapped her fingers. “Indoctrinate him."
"He'd actually take a kid from his mother?"
"Not necessarily. Enzo is smarter than that. It would be more his style to demand Isaia spend a few hours a week with him for five or eight years or something. He'd slowly gain his trust and lure him with all kinds of perks. Eventually, Isaia will want to work for him. He'll become part of the family, just like Nic was. Enzo has never been able to replace Nic. This is the perfect opportunity to do it. He'll bide his time. I've never known a more patient man. Elda is right to be afraid."
I shuddered. I couldn't let that happen. "Do you know if Dante told Enzo about me?"
"I have no idea," Fed said, crossing her arms. "I didn't know you were a magus until yesterday. If I had to guess, I would say no because he wanted you for himself, maybe even to overthrow his dad. Who knows with this family—we are so dysfunctional it's not funny."
“You’re not kidding,” I said under my breath and shot a glare at Fed.
"May I please see it?" Raf asked, speaking for the first time. "I feel like I can't listen anymore until I see it."
I looked from one expectant face to the other. Feeling mildly like a trick pony, I held up my right palm and lit a fire. It flickered like a little campfire -- white at the center and blue on the edges. There was no pain. Holding the fire felt completely different than it used to. It no longer felt like a conscious thing inside me. It felt like it was mine, part of me.
Raf jumped back from the bed, the flame reflected in his eyes. He said something in Italian that I was sure wasn't gentlemanly. I closed my hand and extinguished the flame.
"It's impressive," Fed said to Raf. "But it costs her. The fire hurts its host. Dante was trying to convince me that we were actually helping Saxony by forcing her to give him the fire. Is it true?" she asked me.
"About the pain? Yes," I admitted. I threw back the covers and stood up slowly. The tenderness had already faded. The hard callous feelin
g had grown, and I was feeling stronger by the second. I didn't voice this new sensation. For some reason, I didn't want to give Fed the satisfaction of knowing that the torture had somehow turned out in my favour.
Fed held a hand out to me in case I needed steadying.
I ignored her hand.
She turned away, but not before I saw the hurt in her eyes. "I washed your clothes for you, they smelled like smoke. I'll get them. Are you sure you're feeling well enough to get up?" Fed made her way toward the door, and paused with her hand on the doorknob. She kept her back to me.
"Well if being hungry enough to eat a vat of spaghetti means I'm feeling better then I'm doing just great. I'm a little sore, but I'm fine. I'm ready to get up."
Fed nodded and left the room.
Raf and I looked at each other. He spoke first. "She's torn up about what happened, Saxony. She felt like she didn't have a choice. She's made an enemy of Dante. The worst thing you can do in that family is betray your own."
The old Saxony would have made a concession for her. But the new Saxony felt harder not only physically, but emotionally, too.
"There is always a choice," I replied. The hedge in my voice was foreign even to my own ears. Even though she'd done the right thing in the end, I had lost respect for Fed. Our friendship was over.
"That may be," Raf answered, "but try not to judge her too harshly. It's not been easy for her, growing up in that family."
I nodded. "I'm sure."
"What are you going to do? I can't help but think that you should just get out of here," he said, concern darkening his eyes.
"Trying to get rid of me so soon?" I joked.
He didn't smile. "I thought you were going to die, Saxony. I was going crazy trying to figure out what to do. I'm glad you're okay but, Madonna. A fire magus? I feel like I slipped into a different world."
He hadn't reached out to touch me since he'd seen the fire in my palm. Was it just in my head, or was he standing further back from me than usual? And why shouldn't he? I was probably terrifying to him.
Fed returned with my clothes and put them on the bed. "I made lunch. Come down when you're ready."
Raf followed her to the door and closed it behind him with one last look at me. I couldn't place his expression. Was he afraid? Mystified? Repulsed? Awed? All of the above? I shook the guessing game away; I didn't have time to worry about what he thought.
I pulled on my clothing, folded the nightshirt, and left it on the bed. My thoughts turned to Isaia and my hands shook with worry. Were there men watching the Baseggios even now? How could I convince Dante to call off his dogs without giving him what he wanted?
I left the room and found the stairwell. The wooden staircase broadened as it descended. Paintings covered the wooden paneling, and gauzy curtains blew gently from the window at the landing. I followed the sound of clanking dishes through a parlour which looked like it hadn't changed in a hundred years, and into a kitchen. Fed was spooning pasta onto three plates.
Raf poured water into three glasses at the table, which was tucked into a semi-circular turret. The windows overlooked a canal. Taxi boats and gondolas floated by.
"I thought you lived on Murano?" I asked as Raf pulled out a chair for me. I sat as Fed brought plates of pasta to the table.
"This is my grandparents' place," answered Raf. "They go to Capri every summer and give me the key so I can water the plants."
"Beautiful villa," I murmured.
"Thanks." He and Fed sat down in front of their plates.
The three of us ate in somber silence. I turned things over in my mind as we ate. I was the first to speak. "Fed, do you know if Dante actually sent men to Gallipoli?"
Her face melted with real regret. "I don't know for sure. I'm sorry, I should have asked him when he still trusted me. As it is, I'm not sure I can ever show my face in Dante's presence again."
I chewed thoughtfully. Fed had her own consequences to deal with, whatever they were. My mind was full of Isaia.
The formless, smoky shape of an idea began to solidify in my mind.
Thirty-Seven
“I have to go back." I put down my fork. Fed stopped talking mid-sentence. Raf looked at me over his wineglass, swallowed hard, and put his glass down.
"Where? To Dante?" he asked.
"No, not to Dante. To Enzo."
"Why would you do that?" Fed’s eyes widened.
"Well, I can't just run away." I pushed my chair back and stood. "The sooner I deal with this, the better. I don't see any other options better than going straight to the source, do you?" I took my plate to the kitchen sink, shovelled the last of the gnocchi into my mouth, and barely chewed before I swallowed it down.
"Yes. Get on a plane and get out of here. I mean, much as I don't want to see you go, I'd rather see you safe," Raf said, his brows drawn together.
"And what happens to the Baseggios then?" I rinsed my plate and stacked it in the dish rack. The problem was clear: when Enzo came to call Elda’s debt, would Elda manage to convince him that Isaia was no longer a magus? It was highly doubtful. A mother would do anything to protect her child. What might Enzo do to Isaia to determine whether or not the boy had the fire? After what I'd been through with Dante, I shivered to think of Enzo and Isaia even being in the same room together.
I turned in time to see Fed and Raf look at each other, but neither of them answered.
"Where can I find Enzo?"
Fed shook her head. "I don't think that's going to go well for you. I know you're a magus and all that, but Enzo worked with one for longer than I've been alive. He'll know how to get the upper hand."
"I'm just going to talk to him like a civilized person, that's all. You can either help me or not, but I'll find him myself if I have to."
Raf and Fed looked at each other again. Raf crossed his arms over his chest like he was hugging himself.
"I'll take you," said Fed.
Thirty-Eight
Fed and I stared at the wall of ivy before us. The greenery was broken only by a wide metal gate made of intricate iron curls. Somewhere within these walls, a crime boss worked and lived.
"Do you want to come in with me?"
"I don't think I'm ready for that," she said, wringing her hands. She turned to face me. "Saxony, I am sorry that I let Dante use me to trap you. I was very weak. I've never been strong, and I'm not too proud to admit that I'm still terrified. But, I want you to know that..." She took a juddering breath. "I want you to know that even though I'll never have the power that you have, I've been inspired by your courage. I'll think of you if… when I face Dante."
"Why don't you come in and talk to Enzo, too?"
She shook her head. "For you, it makes sense. For me, it would only make things worse."
"So you will face Dante? I thought maybe you were preparing to move to Hungary or something," I joked. I only half meant it to be funny. Fed’s betrayal of me still stung, and secretly, I really did think she was being cowardly.
A bitter smile twisted her lips. "Don't think it hasn't crossed my mind. But then, I'd always be running. For better or worse, this is my family. I think I have to face it."
"Good luck, Fed." I didn’t smile, but I held out my hand.
She took it, knowing that this was our goodbye. "You too, Saxony."
She walked back the way we'd come.
I approached the gates. A silver panel with a selection of buttons gleamed out from the leafy ivy. Each one had a label, but each label was in Italian. One of them said 'sicurezza,' which looked like it might translate as 'security.' I took a deep breath and pushed the button.
Almost immediately a male voice answered, "Prego?"
"Uh..." I began. Off to a good start. "Parla inglese?"
There was a pause and then, "Yes, go ahead please."
Wow, so polite.
"I need to speak with Enzo, please."
After another pause, the voice said, "You're early."
It took me a moment to recover afte
r that one. "Mi scusi, I don't have an appointment."
"What is it regarding?"
"It is a sensitive nature. For Enzo's ears only." I winced—I sounded like a James Bond character.
There was a longer pause. "One moment."
I waited outside the gate, working on my calm and collected face. I flared the fire inside from dead to alive, just for the comfort it gave me. It was my security blanket. Time passed. Five minutes. Ten minutes. I grew antsy.
It's just a tactic, Saxony. He's letting you know who's boss.
Wait, am I overthinking this? Maybe the dude who controls the gate is just having a bad time in the bathroom.
I sat on the concrete lip in front of the gate. Another five minutes passed and I grew agitated. I got to my feet and was just reaching up toward the same button to give the sicurezza a piece of my mind when the voice returned, making me jump.
"Stand back, please."
I stepped back from the gate and the sheet metal door behind the bars swung open. A familiar man appeared.
“Karim?” I craned my neck up to look the bald hulk in his babyface.
“Saxony?” He wasn't smiling but he looked friendly enough.
"I didn't recognize your voice.”
"That wasn't me, that was Luca. What's this about needing to talk to Enzo?" He hadn't opened the barred gate yet.
"It's important. Please, Karim? I need to speak to him urgently. He'll want to talk to me, I promise."
"What could Enzo possibly want with you? No offence intended, but you're not his usual kind of company, pretty as you are.“
Something about the statement annoyed me. "No? How about now?" I put my hand through the bars and lit five small blue flames from the ends of my fingertips. If I was going to expose myself to Enzo, what would the point be of hiding myself from Karim? He'd find out sooner or later.
