“Bah!” retorted Michele. “Have you not enough gold, Pepe?” He sipped his wine, and looked at his friend shrewdly over the edge of the goblet. “What we have now, my friend, is better than gold. Who do you suppose I will send to our new territories, to Acre and Jerusalem and Tyre? To rebuild Rhodes? It will be you, my brother, Giovanni Barbagio… It will be our families who will have a mill and a market in every town. It is the great Venetian families who will serve as magistrates and governors. It is we who will have land. More land than you can fathom.” He grinned at his friend.
“I see that you do not yet comprehend. Ah, it is to be expected, you have not traveled to the Aegean, to the Holy Lands. But so you shall. I will, I believe, appoint you as the Overseer of these islands we have recently conquered. Then you will perceive things differently, I’ll wager! And you will see why we have need of the funds that the plunder will provide.” He drained his cup and set it on the hearth. Dandolo stood and bowed.
“Come, let us dine. My wife has arranged quite a feast for us, and we shall toast once again to Venice and her might.” They headed toward the sound of merry voices down the long hallway as they exited the study.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Born and raised in Rockledge, Florida, Jennings spent her early years reading anything she could get her hands on, when she wasn’t spending time in and on the water. She won a prize in the 6th grade for her writing.
Jennings attended the University of Tampa, graduating with a B.A. in Political Science, and almost enough credits for B.A.s in both English and History. She spent time over the years doing various kinds of script doctoring, business writing, editing, and teaching writing, but mostly having and raising her family, homeschooling her children, owning and running a business with her husband, and starting a non-profit to Uganda.
Thanks to a crazy idea called NaNoWriMo, Jennings got back into creative writing in 2011 and hasn’t stopped since. She’s written three novels and a screenplay, with more ideas on the drawing board. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband, a political writer, and two children, and travels extensively.
Web: www.jenningswright.com
Email: [email protected]
Solomon's Throne Page 29
