Votive

by Karen Brooks

  At first he didn’t understand why he had to learn all these things; they might be useful for the brief time he was in Serenissima, but he belonged in the Limen now – what use would they be to him here? Especially since few Riders engaged in such exercises. When he expressed this to Katina, she turned on him.

  ‘You think a real Bond Rider belongs in the Limen alone? No! Our existence here was only ever meant to be a means to an end. It gave us time to prepare our minds and bodies so we could fulfil our Bonds, carry out our oaths. You’ve already sensed how easy it is to lose sight of that, that the Limen hastens forgetfulness of what we once were. What you will learn is that while some may try to forget their Bonds – it’s impossible. They sit here,’ she said, thumping her breastbone, ‘like an undigested meal, an everlasting ache, a constant reminder of what we pledged. Only some of us work hard to ignore it and even –’ her eyes scanned Settlement, piercing the drifting clouds of vapour, noting the Riders attending to their tack, braiding each others’ hair, engaged in quiet conversation ‘– delude themselves into believing they can.’ Her lip curled in disgust. ‘Well, training keeps us focused, reminds us of what we came here to do – as well as what we sacrificed for the privilege.’ She held her dagger level with his face. ‘And don’t you forget that, Dante.’ She pointed into the fog-bound distance. ‘Our real purpose is beyond the Limen – back in Serenissima.’ She stared at him with steely eyes – her look forbidding the questions she knew he longed to ask, denying him a reply.

  Instead, he nodded solemnly. ‘Well, what are you waiting for?’ he said, and with a smile raised his daggers. With a growl of approval, Katina launched herself at him. She’d drawn no blood that time or in any fight since.

  The sound of hooves on stone brought Dante back to the present. The marshes had ended; the horses began to climb a shale embankment, slipping on the loose, flat rocks.

  ‘How much further?’ asked Dante, urging Argento forward with his knees. They seemed to be riding forever.

  Katina called over her shoulder. ‘Not much. We’re almost there.’ Without warning, she kicked Birrichino into a canter and reached the top of the rise. Dante quickly followed.

  As they topped a second low-lying hill, the mist parted and there, rising into the firmament, was the Limen.

  Dante had never really seen it before, and for a moment it took his breath away. As they rode closer, he tried to work out its composition. It was as if the mist that surrounded them had gathered into one place, been infused with silver light and formed an enormous wall – one without beginning or end. It was simply there. Rather than being solid, it was constantly shifting, which gave it the appearance of both fragility and fluidity. Dante knew it was neither. It was a barrier like no other: it divided worlds, people, lives – in time and space.

  Katina cantered alongside it for a while before drawing Birrichino to a halt by a group of boulders arranged in a linear fashion that had been daubed with white paint. They’d passed a couple of groupings like that on their journey – markers, Dante thought, but for what, he couldn’t be sure. He pulled up alongside Katina, stretching down to pat Argento’s neck. His eyes were still fixed on the Limen. The horses, he noted, were unfazed; they stood still, heads held high, steam rolling from their nostrils.

  ‘It’s … huge,’ he said, trying to gauge how far the Limen extended, at a loss for appropriate words.

  ‘Oh, it’s a great deal more than that,’ said Katina. She shot him a small smile. ‘But I understand what you’re saying. It’s hard to comprehend, isn’t it?’

  Dante nodded and turned to her. ‘Is that how you know where to cross?’ He pointed to the row of marked stones.

  ‘Sì. This tells me that we’re close to the Pledge Stone of Casa di Maggiore.’

  ‘Why are we crossing here?’

  ‘Because …’ Katina hesitated. ‘Because it’s easier for you.’

  ‘Me?’ Dante gave an uncertain laugh. ‘You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll be all right. Anyway, I’ve got you to lead the way.’

  Katina met his eyes for the first time since they left Settlement. ‘No, Dante. I’m afraid you don’t.’

  A chill clutched his body. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘I … I’m not coming with you. I’m staying here.’

  ‘But … the trial. The Elders said …’

  ‘I know what the Elders said.’ Katina raised her voice to stop his questions. ‘I know my sentence was to leave the Limen, but things have changed, Dante. There’s a great deal you don’t know – that I still don’t know, but which we both have to find out. That we need to know in order to fulfil our Obbligare Doppio. There’s also much I have to tell you.’ She seemed to retreat in on herself.

  Dante waited. Sensing his impatience, Argento began to get restless. ‘Should I dismount?’ he asked finally.

  ‘No, no. That’s not necessary.’ Katina took a deep breath and, in a soft steady voice, told him everything Elder Maggiore had imparted to her when he visited her in the cell.

  ‘Tallow is to destroy the pledge stones?’ he exclaimed, when Katina arrived at that point in her retelling. Argento was startled by his master’s tone, and Dante had to pull hard on the reins to get her back under control. ‘Why? Why would the Estrattore want her to do that? I don’t understand.’

  Katina shrugged. ‘Revenge? To prove to Serenissima that the Doge made a mistake in allowing Roma and the Great Patriarch to dictate beliefs and exile, let alone kill the Estrattore? To demonstrate their power; to annihilate the Bond Riders? I don’t know.’

  Dante thought for a moment, his brow furrowed. ‘We didn’t openly discuss Estrattore while I was growing up, but we did tell stories about them around the fireplace, the table – Nonno Renzo and Zia Gaia used to whisper tales to me when they’d tuck me into bed as well. They may have just been stories, but I thought the Estrattore were different. You know, beyond something like revenge.’ He paused. ‘I thought they were more thoughtful and gentle; more like …’ He searched for the right words. ‘Tallow.’

  ‘They were,’ said Katina, her face softening in memory. ‘The stories you were told are probably closer to what used to be the truth than you know.’

  ‘Used to be?’

  ‘They’ve been gone for a long time, Dante. What happened to them was … evil. You can’t walk away from that unscathed, not really. Then there’s this place.’ She waved her arm around. ‘It changes people. It distorts everything, eventually. In the end, we all fade to grey.’

  ‘You haven’t,’ said Dante suddenly, twisting towards her.

  Katina’s eyes widened and she was about to protest but stopped herself. ‘Grazie. But I had, Dante. Until I was asked to go to Serenissima and train Tallow – I was just like the others. Caught up in my half-life here, ignoring the call of my Bond, believing that what we did was important, that it had meaning. And now I have you and the Obbligare Doppio to remind me that there is so much more. Others are not so lucky. I can see how the Estrattore might have changed; they feel everything so deeply – joy, sorrow, anger, happiness. You didn’t know them, didn’t know what life was like with them …’

  ‘What was it like?’ asked Dane softly.

  Katina laughed sadly. ‘It was so long ago, Dante, but I remember a world where faith was not something used to instil fear in people, but to encourage love and understanding. Oh,’ she said, holding up her hand, ‘don’t get me wrong, it didn’t always work – in the end, we’re only human after all. We still had troubles, and petty politics and all the things you expect in a rich, bustling country, but we also had a means to control excess – of emotion, of feeling. Of helping those who needed it whether they knew it or not.’

  ‘That was the Estrattore?

  ‘Sì. That was how most of them chose to use their gifts.’

  ‘Tallow did that,’ said Dante. ‘She helped us – she helped everyone during the Morto Assiderato. She saved lives, she brought happiness and hope when there was none.’

 
Katina’s eyes became glassy. ‘Sì, that’s what most of them did in my time too. There were some – there are always some –’ she half-laughed ruefully ‘– who abused their power, but even then, the others would intervene and quell those who would make … trouble. That’s how I remember them – they tried to bring stability whenever we were at risk of losing it.’

  ‘Perhaps they will again?’ said Dante hopefully.

  ‘Perhaps,’ agreed Katina. ‘That’s what we have to try and do – give them the chance, give us all the chance to change. To restore hope and faith in a world that has so very little.’

  There was nothing but the breathing of the horses and the swirl of the Limen. Minutes passed.

  ‘What must we do? What must I do? Tell me.’ Dante reached across and placed his hand over Katina’s where it rested on the pommel. ‘I am glad you’re not coming. That you have chosen to live.’

  Katina placed her other hand over his and squeezed it hard. ‘Sì, but now you must go into Serenissima alone, Dante. You must learn what you can, find out where Tallow is and what she’s doing.’ She choked back a laugh. ‘I’ve no doubt she’ll be up to something. It’s in her nature. I only hope that whatever she’s doing, she isn’t hurting herself.’

  ‘What about you?’

  She patted his hand one last time and then let it go. Dante sat back up in the saddle. ‘I’m to wait here for a friend. I have my own task to fulfil.’ Katina pursed her lips.

  ‘Very well,’ said Dante, blowing out his breath noisily. He knew there was no point questioning her further. ‘I see. Where do I go, then?’

  ‘To the Tailors Quartiere – the Pledge Stone of Casa di Maggiore is the closest one to that quartiere. Go to the Taverna di Segretezza. It’s run by a Signor Vestire. He’s a good man. They’re discreet there, accustomed to me, to Bond Riders. From there, you’ll be able to use the skills you’ve learnt in here to find Tallow. Use the taverna as a base, listen rather than ask questions, follow any leads, no matter how spurious, and search high and low. Try not to draw attention to yourself, do you understand? Once you find her, observe her. Do not make contact with her.’

  Dante stared at her for a moment. ‘But I thought –’ he began.

  ‘No buts, Dante. This is not negotiable. For Tallow’s sake, you cannot let her know that you are watching. She must not see you. If she did … well. It would influence her in a way in which we no longer have a right. Not at the moment. Trust me, Dante. Please. For all our sakes.’

  Arguments and protests contorted Dante’s face as he struggled to accept Katina’s commands, to understand her reasoning.

  ‘Molto bene,’ he said. ‘For Tallow’s sake, I will stay out of sight.’

  Katina grunted. ‘It is up to you to make sure she’s safe. We cannot bring her here against her will, nor can we let her put herself at risk. You will have to use your judgement. If at any point you feel she’s in grave danger, don’t hesitate to act. When you no longer have a choice, bring her here into the Limen.’

  ‘Then what happens?’

  ‘I am not sure … yet,’ admitted Katina. ‘That is part of what I have to find out.’

  Dante nodded gravely. ‘I see.’

  ‘Do you? Because, by the gods, I am not sure I do.’

  Dante couldn’t help it – he laughed. Katina’s eyes crinkled. ‘No, I don’t really. But it felt better saying that.’ He slapped the hilt of his sword. ‘I will do what I am told. Watch her and make sure she is unharmed. Hopefully, you will discover our next step before I am forced to do what I must in order to protect her.’

  ‘Bene. Another thing – once you’re on the other side, Dante, back in Serenissima, the urge to contact your family will be strong. But you must resist, do you understand? You will cause them pain if you should walk back into their lives after all this time. Not only that, but you’ll place them in great danger.’

  ‘Danger?’

  ‘Sì. Our networks tell us that there’ve been many arrests in your quartiere.’

  Dante’s heart lurched. ‘Why?’

  ‘Why?’ Katina threw her hand up in the air. ‘Do you think that what Tallow was, what she did, would go unnoticed? The drama on the bridge was the talk of Serenissima – according to what Elder Maggiore told me, it still is. It attracted the attention of the authorities. That which they feared most has finally happened. An Estrattore has been seen – worse, she’s lived among them. Can you imagine how the Doge, how the Church reacted to that? As far as they’re concerned, three hundred years of worshipping the one God has come to nothing. They realise how shaky their foundations are if all it takes to undermine them is one Estrattore. They’re furious – and they are also terrified. They understand now how tenuous their hold on the popolani really is and they’re lashing out.’ She paused and looked uneasy. ‘Those who hid her, who knew what she was and said nothing, are being punished.’ She looked deep into Dante’s eyes. Her silver flecks gleamed in the dull light.

  ‘Who exactly are you talking about? Tell me.’ Dread hardened the coldness that filled his chest, turning it to ice.

  ‘I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Dante, and now, but your grandfather. He –’

  Dante held up his hand in front of her face. His dark eyes were metal. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. Every heartbeat was painful.

  ‘When? Who’s responsible?’

  ‘A while ago. It was the Cardinale. He’s capturing those he believes harboured Tallow and who are withholding information. Your grandfather … he was publicly executed, on Nobiles’ Rise. Others are dispatched, quickly, quietly, without ceremony. But the popolani know. They’re afraid, but not so afraid yet that they talk. This will work both for and against you.’ Katina spoke slowly. ‘The Cardinale’s desperate to locate Tallow; so desperate, he will take any measure. Serenissima is not the place you once knew.’

  Dante drew his breath in sharply and threw back his head. He wanted to scream at the mist, cut it with his weapons. Nonno Renzo! No. No. No.

  He took some deep breaths, trying to regain equilibrium.

  ‘All right,’ he said hoarsely. ‘I keep searching for Tallow and, when I find her I watch unless she is danger. If I judge the threat is too great, I bring her to you?’

  ‘Sì. Go to the Pledge Stone of Casa di Maggiore. Touch it and wait for me. I will come, wherever I am. Hopefully, you will not have to do that. I will learn what I need in here, then I will find you in Tailors Quartiere. But I fear if I am to see this through, then I will have to stay in the Limen.’

  Dante’s mouth became a grim line. ‘Of course, you must. But why are we bringing Tallow here? Surely, if the Estrattore are after her, then we’re making it easier for them. Shouldn’t we just take her straight to the Elders or find another, safer place to take her?’

  ‘The Elders!’ barked Katina. ‘No. They cannot be allowed to have her either.’

  ‘Why do you say that? I thought the Bond Riders wanted to protect her? To have her restore their souls so they can return to Serenissima, to the real world, a real life? I thought that was what you wanted?’

  ‘Me? Sì. I do. But there are powerful others who do not.’

  ‘Elder Maggiore told you this?’

  ‘Sì. He told me everything I am now telling you.’

  ‘Can he be trusted?’

  Katina wrestled with her response. ‘I believe him.’

  ‘Then that’s good enough for me.’

  Katina shot him a grateful smile. ‘He told me they would use her. Oh, they want her to draw their souls out of the pledge stones in order to make them whole again, but not with the intention of returning to Serenissima.’

  Dante weighed Katina’s words. Around him, the mist swirled and parted. He thought for a long while. Beneath him, Argento searched for grass. ‘If they don’t want to return, what do they want?’ he asked finally.

  Katina straightened in her saddle. ‘According to Elder Maggiore, the majority of the Elders want to create a new society here,
in the Limen. A race of semi-immortals. A new order that will exist alongside Serenissima, a power to be reckoned with.’

  Dante’s eyes widened. ‘By God! And they would use Tallow to accomplish this?’

  ‘Like a rag. They will force her to release their souls from the pledge stones – every single one. Such a task would be too much for one Estrattore, let alone Tallow. It would kill her.’

  Dante thought his head was going to explode. He gazed at the shifting border, his need to cross suddenly greater, to get to Tallow before anyone else could. ‘Then we must make sure that neither the Bond Riders nor the Estrattore get their hands on her. But I still don’t understand why we need to bring her here – it seems to me that the Limen is dangerous for Tallow.’

  Katina leant over in the saddle and clutched Dante’s shoulder. ‘Everywhere is dangerous for her. But at least in here, I have the advantage – you have an advantage. And we’ll take that for now. Until we can formulate a plan for keeping her safe and allowing her the time to understand what it is she has to do.’

  ‘And what is that?’

  ‘That is for Tallow to decide.’

  Dante inhaled deeply and exhaled. ‘Molto bene. Then we will make sure she is able to do that.’

  ‘That, amico mio, is my intention. That’s the nature of our Obbligare Doppio. You wanted to know what it was? What pledge I made on our behalf? It’s simple. I pledged us both to the child of the prophecy. That’s all. And that child is Tallow – the one who will restore balance, bring light into a world growing increasingly dark.’ She gripped his hand more tightly. ‘I know you care for her – deeply.’ She turned his hand over and ran a finger over the glove, over the place where the scar of his Bond nestled. ‘I put my faith in you and your love for her. I know I did the right thing.’

  ‘What will you do while I’m in Serenissima?’