by Lowe, Anna
Fiorina’s cheeks went red. “Including killing my father?”
Ismerelda waved a hand. “That was never part of the plan. Tiberio took things too far.”
Cara prowled closer. “Then what exactly was the plan?”
Ercole added his glare to Cara’s. “Yes. What was the plan?”
Arturo snorted. “Let me venture a guess. You didn’t just plan to kill Fabricio, but the whole family — even your own sister and nephew. All except Fiorina, who you would raise as your own so you could manipulate her the way you’ve been trying to now.”
“Ridiculous.” Ismerelda looked around desperately, only to gradually realize she wasn’t fooling anyone. “I… We… I mean… It was Tiberio, not me.”
“First, you accused my own grandson. Now, you accuse Tiberio. When will you admit the truth?” Arturo barked.
Never, Ismerelda’s eyes blazed.
“And what about that kidnapping attempt at the ball?” Cara demanded.
For the first time, Ismerelda’s eyes flickered with confusion rather than lies. “That wasn’t me.”
The way she said it implied she was admitting to the rest, but Cara let that slide. “Who was it, then?”
Ismerelda searched the crowd, hoping for some ally to rally behind her, but no one spoke up. Then she pursed her lips and went silent, tapping her lips.
Cara wanted to shake her. What new plot was Ismerelda cooking up now?
Chapter Twenty-Three
A heavy silence fell over the crowd, and Cara was tempted to shake the truth out of Ismerelda.
“Who was it?” Tony growled.
Theo rolled his shoulders and glowered, backing him up.
Ismerelda looked at Ercole. “All right. I’ll tell you — in exchange for a full pardon.”
“A pardon?” Rocco prowled forward. “After everything you’ve done to Fiorina and her family?”
Ercole studied Ismerelda for a long time before replying. Finally, he crossed his arms. “If your information proves true, I will consider a pardon. If not—” his voice dropped in warning “—there will be no clemency for you.”
Ismerelda paled under her thick layer of makeup. No wonder, Cara decided — Ismerelda loved ruling the roost and living the good life. Any punishment Ercole might decide on — prison, impoverishment, or the loss of her social standing — would deal her a bitter blow.
Ismerelda’s chest rose and fell before she finally spoke. “A few months ago, I was contacted by an outside party. A woman who claimed to be a French countess…”
Cara saw Tony stiffen. He’d mentioned a suspicious foreigner at the party, but the woman had disappeared shortly thereafter, and Theo’s attempts to track her down had all come to dead ends.
“She made me an offer,” Ismerelda continued.
“What kind of offer?” Tony growled.
Ismerelda shrugged. “The details aren’t important.”
“Not important?” Rocco barked.
Fiorina put a hand on his arm. “The details could be important, Zia. Please.”
Cara looked at the young woman. Time and again, she’d assumed Fiorina lacked mystical powers. But, wow. Maybe Fiorina did have the makings of a Fire Maiden after all — at least when it came to patience and diplomacy.
Ismerelda fingered the hem of her gown, and Cara barely held back the words on the tip of her tongue. Yeah, think it over, lady. You could lose that fine dress, your digs in the palace, and a hell of a lot more if you don’t play along.
“Let me guess,” Tony rumbled. “Jacqueline d’Girnay.”
Ismerelda’s chin jerked up. “How did you know?” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Unless you were working with her…”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake…” Cara threw up her hands.
But Fiorina kept her cool. “The details, Zia. Please.”
“Yes. The details. Now,” Ercole warned.
Ismerelda looked toward her men, but it was clear they were no longer buying her tall tales. They might have been duped into going after Cara and Tony to protect Fiorina, but only because their allegiance was with Venice’s Fire Maiden.
Cara gulped. That meant her now.
Ismerelda’s shoulders slumped, and she finally admitted all. “She called herself Julienne de Marbot, but I discovered her true name — Jacqueline d’Girnay.”
Tony and Theo exchanged wary looks that said their fears had been confirmed.
“The very dragon who conspired with the Lombardi clan in Paris and Scotland,” Tony growled.
“And her motives?” Ercole demanded.
“Power, of course.” Ismerelda sniffed as if that didn’t mirror her own aspirations. “She was under the delusion that she might seize control of Venice, but she needed my assistance.”
“An insider,” Tony muttered in disgust.
“Exactly.” Ismerelda’s tone said she deplored the idea as much as he did. “She wanted my help to gain access to my beloved niece and wheedle her way to power.”
“You don’t say…” Cara said dryly.
“Of course, I wanted nothing to do with that, so I refused…”
Cara clenched her fists. Wow. What kind of delusional world did Ismerelda inhabit?
“In any case, Jacqueline fled when her plan was thwarted.” Ismerelda sniffed as if she would have done a better job kidnapping Fiorina.
“And you never thought to report this?” Ercole growled.
“Why would I? The Frenchwoman gave no indication of enacting that plot on her own.”
There it was again — that delusional, everyone needs me to succeed in their plans world view.
“You were wrong.” Rocco’s voice was dangerously low.
“How could I know?”
Cara nearly laughed and said, You could have looked in a mirror and recognized what you and Jacqueline have in common. But there was no use — Ismerelda was blind to her own shortcomings.
“Basta.” Rocco lunged toward Ismerelda. “I’ve had it with her lies.”
Tony and Theo wrestled him back, while Ercole raised his hands.
“This young man might be headstrong, but he is right. We’ve heard enough.” He turned to the crowd. “Are we agreed? This woman deserves far worse, but my word is my word. She will be stripped of her titles and accounts. From this day forward, she is forever banished from Venice. What say you?”
Everyone nodded heartily.
Ismerelda shrank back. “No! You can’t… You wouldn’t…” Then she turned toward Fiorina. “Please. Be reasonable.”
Fiorina’s voice shook, but she stood steady. “I think Ercole’s suggestion is very reasonable.”
“Life in prison would be more reasonable,” Rocco snarled. “And execution would be even better. This woman is a traitor.”
Fiorina’s throat bobbed, and she shook her head. “I don’t want her dead or in prison. All I want is to never see her again.”
“Well put,” Ercole murmured, regarding Fiorina with newfound respect. Then he snapped his fingers at a guard. “Give this woman an hour to collect her personal effects, then escort her out of the city.”
“But where will I go?” Ismerelda pleaded. “I’ll be ruined.”
Cara held back a snort. You make your bed, you sleep in it, witch.
Ercole put it more tactfully. “I’m sure you’ll think of something. Now then…” He motioned to the guards. They didn’t exactly drag Ismerelda away, but they did form a phalanx around her and shuffle toward the door. Ismerelda protested with every step down the stairs and out into the street.
“How dare you? Have you no mercy? I demand—”
Mercifully, the door thumped shut, cutting off her demands.
Fiorina lowered herself into a chair, trembling. Rocco knelt beside her, holding her hand. And whew — Cara could relate.
But she couldn’t let her guard down yet. Not with Ercole pinning her with that calculating gaze.
What? she wanted to ask. But she knew what, and frankly, she was in no rush to address that
topic.
Luckily, the door flew open again, and another woman stormed in. Cara tensed, then relaxed when she recognized the voice booming up the stairs. It was Grazia, who breezed into the council chamber moments later.
“Drat. I seem to have missed the good part.” She grinned at Cara. “Never mind. You can fill me in later.” Then she flashed an innocent smile at Ercole. “There, there, Ercole. Don’t mind me. Go on.”
Ercole scowled at the interruption then made a show of calling the room to order.
“Allora. That brings us to the most pressing matter.” He bent into the tiniest possible bow — about as much as his pride allowed, Cara figured. “You. Venice’s true Fire Maiden.”
Grazia beamed like she’d known all along.
“Um, yes,” Cara managed. “About that…”
“How can we be sure?” someone from the crowd asked.
Arturo snorted. “I knew the moment I saw her.”
Cara stared. He did?
To her surprise, Grazia grinned and stepped over. “Allow me to provide additional evidence.” She pulled a piece of jewelry from her pocket — the topaz she’d lent Cara for the masked ball. “The Arcosani stone.” The moment Grazia pushed the honey-colored stone into Cara’s hand, light blazed from it, casting Cara’s skin in a golden glow.
Her hand warmed, and while the sensation was strangely familiar, Cara nearly thrust it back at Grazia. “Whoa. Wait. It didn’t do that before.”
Grazia arched an eyebrow. “No?”
“Well, it flickered a little, but that could have been a reflection.”
Grazia took it back and moved it from side to side. “No reflection. Not for me, not for anyone else. Except Fiorina, perhaps. Will you try it, dear?”
When Fiorina took it, the facets of the stone sparkled a little. They disappeared when she handed it to Grazia, but when Grazia pressed the topaz back into Cara’s hand, it lit brilliantly again.
“The Arcosani stone,” someone whispered.
“Fire Maiden,” another of the Guardians murmured.
“Yes, the Arcosani stone.” Grazia nodded. “A treasure that dates back to the earliest days of our fair city. Brought to Venice in 1295 and spelled by the great witch Constanza as a gift to the daughter of Liviana, our first Fire Maiden. She passed it on to her daughter, who passed it on to her daughter, and so on through the centuries.”
Cara looked up, stunned, when Grazia went on. “When Violeta fled Venice, she left this gem with my mother for safekeeping. It was to be returned to its rightful owner if ever she appeared.” Grazia touched Cara on the shoulder and gave a tiny bow. “And thus, I deliver it to you, our rightful Fire Maiden.” Then Grazia looked around the room. “Does anyone here require further proof?”
Everyone shook their heads. And Cara couldn’t blame them, what with that golden light streaming out between her fingers.
“I don’t understand,” she managed at last. “It wasn’t this bright before.”
“Oh, it recognized you, but it didn’t react as strongly because you hadn’t yet freed that secret part of yourself.”
Cara gulped. Secret was right — so secret, she hadn’t even known. And her great-grandmother hadn’t revealed much. Only that one time…
Someday, you will fly. You will do your ancestors proud.
Cara took a deep breath. She hoped she had.
“You must assume your duties immediately,” Ercole said, wasting no time. “There’s the architectural committee, the subcommittee on visitor affairs, the working group for the preservation of public parks…”
Cara shot Tony a desperate look.
You don’t have to do any of that, he whispered in her mind.
Arturo had assured her of that too, in their discussion the previous night. Apparently, a Fire Maiden wasn’t actually required to do much. She could live in a palace and attend parties if she damn well pleased. Apparently, the very presence of a Fire Maiden was enough to revive the ancient spells that protected the city from strife and further decay.
Cara ground her teeth. There was no way she was going to coast through life on a free ride. She wanted to contribute like the most legendary Fire Maidens had in their day. But attending mind-numbing meetings didn’t really tick that box.
“…the outreach committee, the standardization committee….”
Theo shot her a look that said, I can have you and Tony out of here on my yacht in no time. Just say the word.
The more Ercole rambled on, the more tempted Cara was to take Theo up on his offer.
“I’m not sure any of that is really Cara’s thing,” Fiorina interjected.
Cara shot her a grateful look. Funny, how the tables turned. Now, Fiorina was coming to her rescue, instead of the other way around.
At first, Ercole appeared annoyed. Then his eyes lit up at the prospect of one less person meddling in affairs he preferred to run himself. “You’re right. That’s all very demanding. No need to overwork yourself.”
Cara rolled her eyes. She loved to work — on meaningful projects of her choice.
“You can join any committee you wish.” Ercole went on. “Or no committees at all. That would be fine.”
Fiorina cut in again, using her most diplomatic tone. “May I suggest a solution?”
Ercole frowned as if to say, There’s no problem, so we don’t need a solution. Just do as I say.
Cara bobbed her head. “What do you have in mind?”
Grazia prompted Fiorina with an encouraging nod.
“Well…” Fiorina started, slowly gathering steam. “I’ve finally gotten the hang of things here. Who’s on each committee, what’s been accomplished, and what’s next. Maybe I could act as, well…” She looked around, suddenly shy. “An assistant, in a way.”
Cara nearly clapped in relief. “That would be great!”
But Ercole frowned. “An assistant?”
Fiorina nodded. “Yes. So our Fire Maiden can direct her energy to the work she’s most effective at.”
“A Fire Maiden can protect her city in many ways,” Grazia agreed.
Ercole furrowed his brow. “Such as?”
Cara jumped in there. “What I’ve already been doing. Protecting the lagoon. That’s my way of serving Venice. Nothing is more fundamental to this city’s future.”
Ercole wrinkled his nose. “Trudging around in the mud is hardly an appropriate occupation for a Fire Maiden.”
Cara crossed her arms and muttered, “Now I’m starting to understand why my great-grandmother left.”
Ercole stuck up his hands quickly. “Of course, every organization must change with the times…”
“We definitely need to change with the times.” Fiorina nodded, buttering up Ercole. “Good idea.”
Ercole preened like a rooster.
Cara sighed. Men. They were all the same.
Tony cleared his throat. We are?
She laughed. No. Not you. Not Arturo… All right, already. Not all men. Just some.
“Of course, that makes you more indispensable than ever,” Grazia assured Ercole. “Our Fire Maiden needs you at the helm here while she’s out in the trenches, so to speak.” Then she winked at Cara and whispered, That will keep him out of your hair, and you out of his. Okay with you?
Okay? Cara could have hugged Grazia. It was perfect.
“True,” Ercole mused without the slightest hint of modesty. “I do have a wealth of experience.”
“Absolutely indispensable,” Grazia cooed.
Cara rolled her eyes, but hey. It was working.
“Well, then…” Ercole looked more pleased with himself by the moment. “Are we agreed?”
A dozen voices murmured in agreement, and the deal was sealed.
“What about other dangers facing our fair city?” someone pointed out.
Ercole frowned. “What dangers? Ismerelda has been banished.”
Tony shook his head. “She may be, but there are other foes to be wary of.”
Ercole sniffed. “I t
hought you said you eliminated the leader of the Lombardi clan, and that they were unlikely to return.”
“Unlikely, but not impossible,” Tony said. “What worries me more are the forces that will try to fill the vacuum left in their wake.”
“Jacqueline,” Theo muttered.
Tony nodded. “She escaped us in Scotland, then tried her luck here. She’ll try again.”
Ercole shrugged. “Let her try. We have our Fire Maiden now.”
“We might, but other regions do not.” Tony locked eyes with Theo.
Cara bit her lip. Would Greece be Jacqueline’s next target?
Ercole didn’t seem too concerned, but Theo’s gaze darkened as he looked southeast.
“Fine.” Ercole waved at an assistant. “Make a note to start a new committee.”
Before Cara could speak — or more likely, shout in frustration — Fiorina spoke up.
“I have another suggestion.”
“You don’t say,” Ercole muttered.
She nodded, growing ever more confident. “First, we can’t overlook the heroes who made all this possible.”
Ercole hurried into a nod as if he hadn’t overlooked exactly that.
“Of course not.” Grazia grinned at Rocco, Arturo, Tony, and Theo. “Without these good men, Fiorina wouldn’t have escaped her attackers. And without them, our Fire Maiden might have been killed.”
Ercole shrugged. “They’re Guerrieri. That’s what they do.”
Cara’s blood boiled. Guerrieri — the warriors tasked with protecting Venice’s not-always-grateful elite. Well, that was one change she would make, for sure.
“That’s exactly why they should be appreciated,” she pointed out.
Ercole’s face went blank, as if to ask, Why?
Meanwhile, Tony sighed as if to say, Don’t bother. Some things never change.
Cara nearly stamped a foot. That would be her second mission as a Fire Maiden — putting an end to Guardian elitism.
Fiorina’s eyes twinkled. Exactly what I was thinking.
And just like that, the idea went from an eventually kind of thing to now in Cara’s mind, and she stepped to Fiorina’s side.
“Of course, Fiorina will need protection, and I will too.” Okay, that was laying it on a little thick, but hell. She wasn’t above stretching the truth.
