by Susan Wright
"Yes, it’s me, Lexander." I kept giving him water, wishing he would recover faster. "Is there anything I can do to help you?"
He gestured to the water, drinking more. "Where is Renata?" he managed to ask.
"She and the master were arrested by the doj."
"That was your doing, I suppose." Lexander shifted and groaned in pain.
"Are you injured?" I asked.
"No, but it will take some days for the poison to leave my body. The water helps flush it away."
He gradually pieced together what had happened to him. Renata must have dosed his cup at the evening meal a few days ago. Once he was in the cell, he drank the water to survive even though it was drugged as well. "Saaladet must have alerted them about me," he mumbled.
"Lexander, we have to go." Not only were the Cileans approaching, but the doj’s sentries could return at any time. I couldn’t risk having Silvo discover me in Castropiero. Then he would know I had an ulterior motive in denouncing them. I also worried that Renata would somehow break free. The demons were pressing on me urgently; I needed to gather everyone and get out.
Lexander pulled on my hand so he could sit up, swaying with light-headedness. The shock of touching him shot through me.
He grimaced at his own weakness. "Where are we going?"
"The cellar across the lane, if that’s all you can manage. But if you can walk, I have a safer place not too far away. It has a strong door that we can secure."
"I can walk." He leaned on me, trying to find his feet. I had not realized how heavy he was. He had always been careful not to crush me, but now with him slumped onto my shoulders, I felt his full weight.
We got up the steps somehow, and I began to think the cellar would have to do. Lexander could barely put one foot in front of the other. I left him sitting slumped near the side door, then raced upstairs to get Bene.
Eshter woke groggily, on guard.There was an unsheathed sword next to her.
"Eshter, it’s me," I told her. "It’s time for us to go."
Eshter sat up, confused for a moment about where she was. The other slaves were asleep.
"Come on," I insisted. "Wake the others, and make sure to bring all the bedding."
I gently tried to rouse Bene, running my hand through his hair. "Bene, you must get up. How has he been?"
Eshter was leaning over the two sleepy slaves. "I put more balm on his back when it sank in, and he ate some of that almond paste the others found."
"Bene, listen to me," I urged.
He turned his head and smiled when he saw it was me. Then the pain hit. He let out his breath in an agonized rush.
"I know," I told him, feeling dreadful about his wounds. "But we have to leave. You must try to walk."
By the time I got everyone moving, with Bene supported by Eshter and another slave, I was definitely leaning toward the cellar, horribly crowded and damp though it would be.
When the slaves saw Lexander waiting near the door, they started up in alarm, trying to retreat. No wonder— he had not been particularly kind to them as he played his role as Stanbulin assessor.
"What’s he doing here?" Eshter exclaimed fearfully.
I kept them from backing out. "It’s not what you think—Lexander intended to destroy this house. That’s why Renata put him in the cellar."
Bene was nodding and muttering to himself. He must have told Renata everything he knew.
"But . . . he’s a master," Eshter insisted.
Lexander could hardly hold himself up. I couldn’t imagine anything less threatening, but they saw it differently.
"I can explain later. I swear he’s no danger to you. You have to help me." I ordered the young man who wasn’t with Bene to take Lexander’s other side.
The slaves had been conditioned to obey, and the most compliant ones had waited for me while the others had fled. Before I knew it, we had crossed the lane and I decided to try for my spacious chamber in the boardinghouse. I wanted to put distance between us and the frustrated demons in Castropiero.
The slaves down in the cellar were called out, carrying sacks of goods pilfered from the pleasure house. The pregnant girl was wincing and holding her belly, and I feared she would drop the babe right on the street.
I led them through the dark lanes, supporting Lexander as best I could. The houses were tightly shuttered and not a lantern burned. A hush lay over the city as we waited for the Cileans to land.
When we finally made it to my room on the canal, and the bar was dropped on the door behind us, I let out my breath. With ten of us inside, we were a tight fit. But the slaves put the blankets on the floor, giving Bene the bed with Eshter to watch over him. The mother-to-be fell asleep instantly as her friend fussed over her. At least she wouldn’t have the babe this night.
I settled Lexander by the window, then unlatched the shutters and swung them wide open. The moon had set, leaving only blackness. The water was as dark as the sky, with the waves reflecting the stars in rippled streaks. I dipped my fingertips, almost afraid to find out our fate.
But I felt nothing. I had been drained dry, too exhausted to understand the scattered images, a nightmare of blood and battle that leaped from one horrid sight to the next, distorted and incoherent.
"I have nothing left to give," I murmured.
Out of the darkness, Lexander spoke. "I’d say you’ve given enough, Marja."
I couldn’t see him, but I could feel him close by. I closed the shutters and barred them, hoping they would not have to withstand a Cilean attack.
Lexander helped steady me when I sat down beside him. I realized he was feeling stronger.
His voice was low so the slaves couldn’t hear. "During my brief moments of sanity in that cell, I hoped you would save me. I knew you could, if only you found out before they shipped me off to Stanbulin."
"Even then I would have come after you," I whispered. "I wouldn’t let them take you."
"I’m fortunate that you are so capable."
I wished I could see his face. "You tried to halt me at every step."
He drew a deep breath. "No longer, Marja. I’ll do whatever I can to help you. But clearly you can triumph on your own."
By the time I awoke the next day, the city was abuzz with the news. The Cilean fleet had come within sight of Veneto at daybreak. Panic had consumed the city as their sails appeared.
But strangely, the ships had come no closer. The winds had gradually pushed them away, until they disappeared over the horizon. The home fleet sped back to protect Veneto and the tips of their masts were reassuring in the distance as they patrolled the waters.
I knew the Cileans might prevail with the sea spirits eventually, but for the moment the Otherworld had sided with Veneto.
Most of the slaves were gone when I awoke, along with much of the salvaged goods. The pregnant girl had left with the others, probably because of Lexander. I couldn’t blame them. They weren’t sure what he would do once he fully regained his senses.
I took the remaining two slaves into the streets with me, leaving Eshter to watch over Bene as she did so well, and Lexander to recline in the open window. He was more alert but still tended to lose his balance when he tried to walk.
We paid an exorbitant amount for food. Shipping was disrupted by the lurking Cilean fleet. I refused to go anywhere near the pleasure house.
That night, the other two slaves sneaked away. I heard them go, but thought it was their own concern. We discovered in the morning that they had taken the rest of the coins and silver plate, leaving only Eshter’s sword behind. Eshter was the sole remaining Castropiero slave.
"I’m sorry you didn’t get your fair share," I told her.
"It’s no matter." Eshter glanced at Lexander as if unsure if she should speak her mind in his presence. But Lexander had been most humble and ordinary in their discussions, allaying her fears. His obviously weakened state called out her nurturing instincts, and she brought him water and helped him to the privy just as she did with Bene.
Bene was lying in the bed, still in pain but awake. "What are we going to do now?"
"I must see the doj," I declared.
Lexander’s lips thinned. Of all my patrons, Domen Silvo had come closest to tapping the depths of my compliant spirit. Lexander must have seen that in him and instinctively known that I had given myself to him in every way. Except for my heart.
"He’ll be glad to see me," I continued. "I’m sure he’ll reward me with enough so you can go wherever you want." I knew nothing about Eshter but her name, yet I had trusted her to care for Bene. "Perhaps you’d like to return to your family?"
Eshter was already shaking her head, and judging from the look on Bene’s face, he wasn’t interested in going back to Frankish lands.
"You could live here," I suggested. "Veneto is the finest city I’ve seen."
Bene gave me a grin, only a shadow of his usual glee. "I want to stay with you, Marja."
I could see Lexander from the corner of my eye. "I’m going to find another pleasure house."
"There’s a house in the Sea of Isles," B ene said eagerly. "I heard the master talking about it."
I faced Lexander squarely. "Do you know this house?"
"Yes, Tomaz was once master of House Allonis, on the island of Tremiti."
"Then that’s where I’m going. What about you, Lexander?"
He hesitated. "I must go to Stanbulin to strike directly against Saaladet. That’s the master house where slaves are evaluated before being shipped to my people," he explained to Bene and Eshter. "It will throw the houses into chaos if I can bring down Saaladet."
I knew where Stanbulin was located, having seen it on Etien’s maps. "You have to go through the Sea of Isles to get there. Will you help me liberate the slaves of Allonis first?"
"I’ll help you," Bene offered, with Eshter agreeing, "Yes, take me with you."
"If that is your wish," I told them.
Lexander turned away; he clearly intended to go alone to challenge the masters in Saaladet. But he was reluctant to let us take on a house without him.
"It would be better if we worked together," I said quietly.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Lexander finally asked Bene and Eshter. "They may have heard about me and will be watching for us."
"We have to try," Bene said stoutly. Eshter looked uneasy, but she nodded.
So Lexander agreed. He didn’t say a word as I prepared to go see the doj.
The doj’s anteroom was buzzing and the sentries took me directly in without announcing me. The doj broke into a smile, holding his arms wide. "It happened just as you said it would, Marja."
He hugged me close in front of his councilors, which startled me more than anything else he had done. It was a gesture of pure affection.
"The current was too much for them," the doj explained. "At last word, their fleet is retreating. Though I won’t hold too much stock in that. We’re readying a dozen more ships of war, newly purchased to join our defenses."
He led me through the side door into the spiral stairway so he could speak without his councilors overhearing. "You made the difference, Marja. Those ignorant fools in there claim it was tidal forces at work, but I know the sea. I’ve never seen her turn like that." He tucked a velvet pouch into my hand. It clinked with heavy coins. "You deserve every bit of my gratitude."
That was one thing I had come for. "And your enemies?"
His expression hardened. "The Cileans will live to rue the day they set their sights on Veneto. The Castropiero folk are being questioned, but they are reluctant to confess their secrets. When I am done with them, they will be executed. Their house and chattel were confiscated this morning. I will succor no spies in this city."
With that, I was done in Veneto.
He put his hand to my waist, making me tingle with anticipation. "You can wait in my private chambers, Marja. When I’m done here, we can celebrate our victory."
The doj was finally offering his trust in me, but I was reminded of the Frankish shipmaster. I had disliked running away from him, and intended that it should be different with the doj.
I sadly shook my head, trying to smile. "I’m sorry, but I must leave now."
His eyes narrowed. "Why?"
"You agreed from the beginning that I was free to come and go. I will return, but I don’t know when that day will be."
"Day?" he asked. At my nod, he realized what I meant. "You mean to leave the city altogether."
"I go where I am called." I reached out to touch his arm. "I’m sorry to have to leave you. I love your city and I will see you always through the sea spirits. They will watch over you as long as you are true to them."
Doubt wavered over his face, as he considered how he could bind me to him. But I had been careful to remain beyond his control. "And if I say no?" he demanded.
I smiled sadly, knowing I didn’t have to say it out loud—it would destroy everything we had shared.
He let out a pained laugh. "To have finally found such a woman, only to lose you! ’Tis most unfair of you to ask it."
I was touched and clasped his hand, but I could not bring myself to kiss him. I was afraid the passion would ignite between us. His eyes were anguished, and I don’t believe it was simply regret for what I so freely gave him. He had been honest with me, and that meant much to him.
"Farewell," I whispered, slipping down the steps. At the curve I glanced up. He nodded stiffly, making no effort to stop me.
22
"This is my reward for helping the doj repel the Cileans." I poured the dozen gold coins from the purse into my palm. They slid together sensuously. "We can leave immediately."
Lexander pushed himself up. "Are you in danger?"
"I did the doj a great service," I retorted. "He has a high regard for me. But you’re at risk, Lexander. The doj took Renata and Tomaz into custody. He would likely interrogate you, as well, if he had the chance."
Lexander retreated to don a pleated felt cap to hide his smooth head. With his torn and dirty clothing, he no longer looked like a master of Castropiero.
Lexander and I went to the wharfs along the main channel, where the merchants of eastern shipping docked. At my request, the olfs were accustomed to watching this area for the arrival of the winged ship from Stanbulin. Lexander also knew it well from his time as master of Castropiero. He had brought his slaves here twice a year to send them to Saaladet.
Everything had changed between us, leaving us both unbalanced. Lexander was cautious, watching every move I made. He never touched me or offered me his arm. There was an awkward constraint between us when we spoke. He acted as if he didn’t know me, and he was carefully determining how best to deal with me. At night, we slept next to each other but never entwined as we used to.
With Bene, on the other hand, Lexander was quite gentle. He took care of him, and Bene delighted in his attention. In their short time together, they had developed a real rapport. Bene relied on him—and me—with utter faith and trust. It reminded me of how I used to be with Lexander. But I wanted Bene to rely on himself.
It felt as if there was too much left unsaid between me and Lexander. So I concentrated on our departure from Veneto, resolving to deal with everything else later. Lexander bargained for our passage to the isles with several shipmasters, switching dialects as needed. Chance had it that there was a ship that could take passengers leaving the next day that would pass through the Sea of Isles. For a good price, the shipmaster was willing to take us to Tremiti Island.
We decided to sleep onboard that night, and returned to fetch Bene and Eshter. I hired a palanquin to carry Bene, and once we reached the ship, Eshter bustled around, settling him in the snug cabin.
I lingered on deck gazing at the water city. I felt such a pang on leaving Veneto that it caught me by surprise. This was not my home, just as Helluland was not my home, but both places were special to me. I knew I would return someday.
"Marja, shouldn’t you come inside?" Lexander stayed
in the shadow by the door to the cabin.
"Why?" I was leaning on the rail admiring the gold flecks in the water cast by the lowering sun. The buildings floated serenely, with the sea mist softening every line and reflection.
"The doj does not release his treasures so easily."
"I won’t let the doj stop me," I assured him.
"I wish I had your confidence." When I turned with a frown, his voice lowered. "There’s the doj now. You mustn’t be seen speaking with me."
Domen Silvo was striding up the dock. He had two sentries with him, and they crossed their spears to stand watch. The shipmaster emerged from his cabin as the doj climbed onboard, bidding his ruler a flustered welcome.
My breath caught. It would take but one word from the doj and I would be thrown in a cell along with the others.
Lexander was crouching down in the shadow of the ladder of the sterncastle. If the doj recognized him, we were all doomed.
I smiled in greeting as Silvo glanced around at the startled crew. "Are they treating you with respect, Marja?"
"Certainly, thanks to your generosity. Bene and I are being cared for well."
"Bene?" Silvo asked, without attempting to feign surprise. He was well informed that I had arrived here with a palanquin and several other people.
"Bene is my traveling companion. Would you like to meet him?" I led Silvo directly to the cabin. Lexander tried to wave me off, but I was not deterred.
As we entered, I announced, "Bene, this is our benefactor, Domen Silvo, the Doj of Veneto."
My eyes adjusted to the gloom to see Bene wincing as he tried to sit up, alarmed beyond all comprehension. Eshter backed into a dark corner, where her face couldn’t be seen. She had chosen the most demure dress that the slaves had stolen from Renata, and I was certain the doj wouldn’t recognize her as a Castropiero slave.
I hurried to Bene’s side. "Lie back down." Over my shoulder, I told the doj, "He’s been beaten badly. But this kind woman has been helping me care for him."
Bene’s white face and the sudden sheen on his brow from his effort was not missed by the doj. "Forgive me for not rising," Bene mumbled.
