"Here we go." I shrugged indifferently and sat down on the chest, trying to unfasten my veil.

"I really don't know what you mean, auntie. Has the sun gone to your head?"

Her trembling finger, all covered with old brown spots, suddenly appeared in front of my nose.

"You're not Julia. She was as spoiled and naughty as her mother! Oh, I remember her engagement ceremony very well! That mad girl tore off her dress and screamed that Ricardo could drag her to the young Count just like that!"

I couldn't help but smile. That's my Julia!

"I had plenty of time to think about it at the convent. I've changed, auntie."

"You could trick that stupid boy but don't even think of tricking me! A man could make the Brent turn back than change that hot temper of hers. Did Ricardo find you? Are you colluding? Where's Julia?"

I raised my voice.

"You've gone too far, auntie. I'm not a little girl anymore, and I'm not going to listen to this nonsense! Now I ask you to leave. I need to stay alone and pray. And I promise I'll pray for your disturbed mind as well."

The words completely escape my aunt. He cheeks blushed bright red as she turned her back and slammed the door. I heard the lock clack. If you wish it, auntie. I'd feel even more at ease. Didn't want anyone to disturb me in the next few hours. I didn't worry about my pray rest, though. In fact, I wasn't going to pray at all. But my magic needed a great deal of concentration.

I made sure that the door was really locked and no one was peeping through the keyhole. Then I returned to my place on the clothes chest, closed my eyes and tried to distinguish a distant husky voice of Pulchino in my head. Little by little I could see the stone quay, green water and white splashes of seagulls over the waves.

That was what we called chiamata − a link, a connection, to be precise. Not everyone possessed this gift – extremely dangerous yet really honorable power. Many noble families sent their daughters to a convent in the hope that the fasting and prayers would inspire the ability to feel. For some reason, young girls were more likely to have it. That gift had nothing to do neither with mannaro, who could take any shape they wanted, nor with the turnskin, who lose themselves every time the moon turned into a perfect circle.

My body was still in the room but in my mind I could fly over the whole city with my feathery friend as if I could borrow its seagull-eye and quick wings.

Thanks to Pulcino, I were able to see the places I couldn't even dream about: magnificent sunsets over the ocean, secluded aquamarine-blue lagoons and scattered beads of the islands from high up in the sky. Before Julia came to the convent, Pulcino was my only friend. We'd never been apart since the day I found a frail little bird on the dock. And I would never let anyone restrict his freedom.

"Let's not dwell on the past, shall we?"

Pulchino's mocking voice plucked me from a dark stuffy room into a deep-blue sky. His wings carried me along the canal past Argento and on to signor Granacci's house. As I circled the tiled roof, I saw Ricardo standing with that man-with-a-scar on the spiral staircase that led to the patio. They were both arguing. About what, I wonder?

"Do you want to kill two birds with one stone?" Pulchino asked with a bit of sarcasm – which he has learnt from his sharp-tongued human sister. Well, he was right. Now it was more important to follow the Count. Luckily, he was about to get into their huge gilded gondola. Enrique was gesticulating by his side. Both looked excited. Were they talking about me?

"Poor thing, she's changed a lot!" Enrique went on paying no attention to a seagull on the stern. "When we first met two years ago, she was full of hope and... life! You should have heard her laugh – she made the whole house fill with joy. The moment I saw her I realized that we were soul mates..."

"And that's why you proposed her the same day, right?"

"Yes, and I thought she was happy! But the next day she told me that we should never meet again and returned the ring. I had no idea what I did wrong. Really, it's easier to catch a cloud than to understand a woman!"

"Luckily for us, the nuns on Terra dei Miracolo set her straight."

Enrique shook his head.

"I'd say they sucked the life out of her. You can't expect anything else – I bet they don't even have a grass-blade in their gloomy yard. That was definitely a bad idea to send her there before a wedding."

"Nowise," don Asago grinned. "That was very sensible. Just wait a bit longer, my boy, and you'll appreciate the pleasure of having a quiet, submissive wife. Besides, the nuns had taught her something really useful. My men told me that Julia has a gift. Which is rare nowadays."

"I didn't choose my wife for her magical power," Enrique's voice broke.

"She has no value but that gift!" the Count raised his voice. "Don't think I'm interested in being related to that family, especially with that rascal Ricardo? But Julia's gift can make you the most respected person in the whole Venetta. For that I gave you my blessing so don't be silly!"

A sharp squall pierced the air just above their heads. High in the sky Enrique could see a sunlit silhouette of a seagull disappear among the clouds.