by A. L. Knorr
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. I highly doubted Dante missing Nico had anything to do with friendship or brotherly love. He missed the only supernatural in his father’s employ. Dante had so wanted to be a mage that he gave himself a fake mage mark, a tattoo.
“When the young one left the table and walked away, the older one stayed and ordered breakfast. When he was finished, he went in the opposite direction. My son followed him, but not very well, because the old magus turned on him and demanded to know what he wanted.”
Enzo paused here for another coughing session and a drink, leaving me nearly writhing with impatience. Senor Barberini was slow and pedestrian in his speech. It was enough to drive one mad.
“Dante told him the truth, not about who he is, in case this magus belonged to one of our enemies, but that he loves the magi and desired to become one of them. The older magus grew angry and told my son to go away, but Dante did not.”
“He’s nothing if not tenacious,” I muttered sourly.
“Si, é vero. Dante proposed a deal. In exchange for helping him acquire a fire, perhaps even the younger magus’s fire, he could pay a lot of money. He took a great risk offering this, making an assumption that the magi were not loyal to one another, but Dante is not risk averse, as you know. However, money did not interest the magus, but when my son brought up the fact that he once knew a magus and that he’d inherited some interesting artifacts, this older magus became interested.”
My skin felt oddly cold, even as my fire licked up and down my spine.
“After the magus agreed, my son promised to bring the parchment to him and give him time to discover for himself its authenticity. After that, he would help Dante get his fire.” The corners of Enzo’s lips quivered at this, in fear or anger, I couldn’t tell.
Heart beating as rapidly as a bird’s, I cleared my throat. “Let me see if I understand. After this agreement was struck, Dante returned to Venice, collected the parchment, filled you in on the situation and then left against your command?”
Enzo nodded. “Si. Esattamente.”
“He has returned to Naples with the parchment, he will allow N–this older mage to inspect it, and if he’s happy with it, the older mage will facilitate the passing of the younger mage’s fire over to your son?”
“I can’t speak to whose fire Dante expects to acquire, that is speculation. It is also possible the parchment will be of no interest to the magus and he will not agree, but it is just as possible that they will strike a bargain. I am afraid for my son’s life and want him to abandon this plan and come home. Even if he was to receive a fire successfully, you and I both know what his next step will be.”
I nodded. “He’ll attempt a Burning.”
“And you and I both know that he will not survive that. So I want you to bring him home before he gets to a place where he can try it. Do this, and you will fulfill your promise. You will owe me nothing and I will never approach Isaia or his family. You have my word, and all of your expenses will be covered.”
The room fell into a heavy silence as I tried not to think about how Enzo had given me his word that he wouldn’t bother Elda, and yet he had. An antique clock on Basil’s shelf of oddities ticked quietly along, watchful but unaffected by the tension.
My voice came out reedy. “And if I fail?”
Fear filled Enzo’s brown eyes again, giving them a glassy sheen. His brows slanted down over his tired gaze. “Then I may be short my only son, and you will find that the next assignment is much more difficult.”
“I told you I didn’t want to break any laws.”
Enzo waved a hand. “It is up to you how you reach success in this matter. In my view—and I am the one who says whether you have succeeded or not in this task—my son at home in Venezia, safe and alive, is the goal. Make this happen and you will be released. You never have to see me or Dante again. Do you agree?”
I glanced at Basil, who remained unhelpfully impassive, then back at the don. As far as I could see, I hadn’t much choice in the matter, and I had my own reasons for wanting to go to Naples now, anyway. “I agree.”
“Bene.” Enzo thumped his cane on the floor twice, as if to seal the deal. “I will have Karim send you Dante’s contact information, cell number and email address. I’m afraid he has not told me where he is staying in Naples. He knows his padre is not above having someone pluck him from his bed in the middle of the night.” He lifted a brow in question. “Presuming you do not have these details already?”
I couldn’t stop a bark of indignant laughter at the idea of keeping Dante’s contact information in my phone after what he’d done to me.
Enzo smiled and shrugged. “Young women do strange things. Many of them are very attracted to dangerous and impulsive men like my son. If you are an anomaly among your kind, I congratulation you.”
“Thanks,” I said, my tone thick with derision. “But it would be helpful to know where he is staying in Naples. He may not agree to meet with me and if I can’t track him down in person, this task may have already failed.”
Enzo pulled out his handkerchief and dabbed at the corners of his mouth, nodding. “If and when Karim has that information, he will send it to you. How soon can you fly? I can offer you the use of a plane and one of our villas in centro historico.” He tucked the handkerchief away. “I hope you mark how good I am to my employees. Whatever resources I can give you, I will.”
That was not such a subtle way of suggesting that should I be successful, I could take Nicodemo’s place on Enzo’s roster, if I was interested. I was not and never would be, but I didn’t feel the need to rub it in his face.
Enzo got to his feet, leaning heavily on his cane. “Can you be at the airport later today? You can fly with me to Venice, and my pilot will carry you on to Napoli.”
My heart did a roll. “I would prefer a little more time to prepare. My family is expecting me in Canada, I will have to update them, and I would also like some time to do a little research.”
“Time is not your friend right now, signora,” Enzo replied, almost gently. “I have a car outside. You should take the opportunity to ride with me. No?”
Feeling like steam might blow from my ears from the sheer pressure of the situation, I scrambled inwardly, though Enzo was right. Still, I was completely unprepared and desperately wanted to discuss the situation with Basil. “Let’s meet in the middle. I need a couple of hours to pack. Can you send a car for me at six?”
“As you like.” Enzo nodded, fishing two cards out of his pocket he set them on Basil’s desk then turned for the door.
“Did Dante tell you the name of these mages?” Basil asked, getting to the door before Enzo and pulling it open for the older man.
“Dante knows me well. Give me too much information and I will take control. I do not know them by name.”
Basil watched the don pass into the hall and followed him out, possibly to make sure the elderly Signor Barberini didn’t fall down the steps.
I watched them leave, wondering. If Enzo knew who Dante was getting involved with, he probably would have sent a hitman instead.
Two
Speculations
I trailed behind Basil and Enzo as the don made his way down the stairs, rocking from side to side and bumping against the paneling from time to time. He couldn’t be much older than sixty-five but he moved like he was in his eighties. If it was just stress from what Dante was up to, then what they said must be true: stress is a silent killer.
Basil held the front doors open and Enzo crossed the gravel to the waiting car, a medium-sized SUV with no apparent branding visible anywhere. Sliding into the rear seat, he tapped the edge of his cane on the window. The motor turned over and Enzo gave us a final nod as the car rolled away to tackle the hill leading up to the road.
Basil and I returned to the front foyer.
“That was interesting.” He adjusted his glasses and gestured to one of the nearby sofas. “I’m hesitant to ask just how dangerous this missio
n will be, and whether your family knows about this deal you made.”
Sinking into the sofa, I nodded. “They do know. I told them everything not long after I returned home from Venice. I had to tell them how I knew about Arcturus, and I couldn’t explain how I got the fire without telling them about Isaia, Dante and Enzo. But they won’t be expecting the debt to be repaid so soon. I—we—thought Enzo would let me finish school first, at a bare minimum. Letting me hit my mid-twenties would make even more sense, but I guess Dante’s actions forced Enzo’s hand.”
“Do you think you can succeed?” Basil asked. “Without force, I mean.”
I realized as I studied the headmaster at a closer range, that his brow was shining with a thin layer of sweat. It was in both his nature and his occupation to want to protect students, although he knew he couldn’t forbid me to uphold my end of the bargain. But now I could see the headmaster was dismayed by the whole thing.
“I don’t know,” I said, answering honestly. “Dante and I didn’t exactly part as friends, so it’s not like I have rapport going for me. He’s a lot like Ryan in his single-mindedness, only...” I paused, not sure if I should continue.
“Only what?”
“Only, Dante is worse than Ryan. Ryan is crafty and manipulative, but he was still raised by decent people, especially his mom. According to Gage, Angelica always kept them on the straight and narrow. But Dante is willing to kill to get what he wants. He doesn’t care who he hurts.”
Basil’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I’m having an idea but I’m hesitant to share it, because I’m not sure I can come through on it.”
I found a smile. “Clearly you’re going to share it, otherwise you wouldn’t have mentioned it at all.”
He nodded and cleared his throat. “Yes, but I don’t want you hanging any hopes on it, not until I can speak to the Agency. I’d like to see if I can get an asset reassigned to help you. Best case, I’d ask to have them take over your task and get it done in record time without Enzo any the wiser. Worst case, they would assist you as silent backup, only there in case of emergency.”
My heart gave a grateful pulse and some of the feeling of fishing-line tightening around my chest loosened. Even if Basil couldn’t come through, I loved that he would try.
“Enzo did say that I could use any means needed to achieve the goal, but I have to be careful. I don’t trust him. I wouldn’t want us to get Dante safely home only to have the don claim I still owed him because I didn’t execute the task myself.”
Basil’s brows pinched. “Do you think he would do that?”
I chewed my lip. “He didn’t get to where he is by being honest and law-abiding, so yes, he might do that, incurring my wrath be damned. He also gave me his word that he would never bother Elda, but then he contacted her anyway. Even if you can get me help, it has to appear as though I’m doing the lion’s share of the work. Enzo might have people watching.”
The headmaster stared at me in horrified wonder. “You are far too young to be so cynical, but I suppose it happens when we are taken advantage of, no matter our age. And I think it’s wise not to trust him.”
“Are you as certain as I am that the magi Dante ran in to were Ryan and Nero?” I got up to pace. My thighs were quivering with nervous energy.
“I wasn’t certain until Enzo mentioned the parchment. I believe we are safe to assume that’s who Dante is dealing with.”
“Why would the parchment make you certain?”
Basil’s lips formed a flat line for a moment. “I’m not permitted to say.”
I turned to gape at him, pausing my trek around the ottomans.
He put up a hand as though to fend me off. “Not because I don’t want to tell you, but because it’s the Agency’s intel and until they give you some kind of security clearance, I can’t say anything more.”
I brightened at the suggestion. “Can you get me security clearance?”
Basil shrugged. “I’ve no idea. It might be tricky just getting you an asset. It depends on what missions they have going and their priorities. When fires went out back in March, we lost several agents and have not managed to replace them. They’re running short-handed. That said, they’ve been watching Nero for years and have compiled quite a dossier on him. All without ever finding out where he lives, incredibly.”
I gaped at Basil. “If the agency has so much intel, why haven’t they taken him into custody?”
“You mean for the murder of my brother?” Basil slid his spectacles up his nose. “They never gathered enough solid evidence linking Nero to Bellamy’s death. Nero is sly. Very careful.”
I sank onto an ottoman, dumbfounded. “In all these years? You mean to tell me they can watch Nero go about his business, buying street food or going to concerts, and they’ve never been able to arrest him?”
“I’m afraid so, although I don’t think Nero attends many concerts,” Basil replied with a wry twist of his lips.
I almost asked if that infuriated Basil, in spite of his calm appearance, but it was a stupid question. Of course it did. Bellamy had been killed in the eighties, so although Basil had had a long time to adjust to the reality of what had happened to his brother, it had to eat him up inside. It would if it had been my brother. I wondered if Basil had ever attempted to get revenge outside the agency’s knowledge, then dismissed the idea. He was too much a stickler for procedure.
We sat in silence for a minute, my mind turning like a top.
“Do you think Nero can facilitate a plenary endowment?” I asked.
“From Ryan to Dante, you mean?” Basil asked.
I nodded.
Basil frowned. “I’m not convinced Nero could make such a thing happen.”
“Because Ryan is Burned?”
“Yes. I do think a Burned mage’s fire can be given, but I also think the process would take days and would be extremely difficult. But I’m not so confident it could ever be taken by force.”
I worked my lower lip with my teeth, thinking. “When Dante tried to take my fire, he was relying on the pain being too great for me to bear, that I would willingly give it to him in exchange for water. But Ryan would never give away what he had worked so hard to amplify, even under duress.”
“True. But we have little understanding of the mechanics. The agency has no record of fire being either given or coerced out of a Burned mage. Who would be strong enough to do such a thing? Nero is Burned, but even he wouldn’t be strong enough to force Ryan to do anything against his will.”
I agreed, but there were also many unknowns. Maybe we were wrong about what Dante wanted from Nero. We knew he wanted fire, was desperate for it, but there could be many factors at play of which we were unaware.
My thoughts circled back to Gage, and then to my family, who were waiting for news about when I’d be landing in Halifax. I had to bring them all up to speed before I left for Naples. Even though I’d flown to Venice by myself at the age of sixteen, and had been excited to have some freedom and independence, I was having major nerves about getting on a flight to Italy with Enzo. This time I wasn’t going to babysit some cute kids, I was going into known danger to rescue an old enemy from a new one.
“See if you can swing me some backup then, would you?” I asked Basil with a nervous smile. “I’d better get on the phone and pack a bag.”
“I’ll do what I can. You have my word.” Basil stood.
“Thanks. Can I leave my stuff in my old room?”
“Of course. You don’t even have to ask, though you’ll have to move it all to the second-year’s wing for the new school year.”
I nodded. “No problem.”
“You’ll see me before you leave, yes? I may not have an answer by then, but I would like to see you off regardless. I’ll give you my private mobile number so we stay in touch.”
I agreed and headed to my room as Basil went back to his office.
Part of me wanted to laugh about the exchange we’d had over my stuff having to be moved to the second-
year’s wing. I was about to become the youngest, least-experienced and most unwilling participant in a game that had a lot of unknowns and a lot of moving parts. His confidence that this would all work out and my second-year at the academy would begin without delay or hiccup warmed and comforted me.
When I got back to my room, I sent a text to the group chat I shared with Georjayna and Targa, asking if we could have a three-way video call sometime soon. Georjie texted back that she was in downtown Blackmouth at a noisy café, but she could be back up at the castle and in a quiet room within the hour.
While I waited for Targa to answer, I sent a text to my parents. It was still early morning in Saltford, but both of them were early risers. Mom responded immediately—as was usual for her—reporting that my dad was in the shower but would be able to talk in fifteen minutes.
Targa’s response came in just after Mom’s, saying that she was in the middle of a meeting at the shipping office and wouldn’t be free for another hour and forty-five minutes.
I sent a message to Gage that we needed to talk, but knew he wouldn’t receive it until he’d landed later today. Then I rapid-texted Georjie and Targa, solidifying our time to talk.
Phone in hand, I made my way to the first-year’s lounge to grab a coffee. I’d have to make an order online for real food and eat it between the call with my folks and the call with my friends.
