A few days later Silvio visited his older brother at his workplace. Sebastiano had his own office, however small, at the city hall. He wasn't a really important member of the government of London, in fact, he was more like a glorified assistant than anything else, but he was okay with that. As he often said, climbing the ladder took time. And he wanted to climb it all the way to the top.

Silvio never truly understood this. Sebastiano was an ambitious man, with big plans, but the reason wasn't clear. Helping people? Those people who were still treating them like second grade citizens, even though they both lived there since they were little kids? Making the city a better place… For who? For those who would condescendingly compliment their English, saying it was pretty good for a foreigner? No, Silvio could not understand why Sebastiano bothered with trying to help. He was happy having a restaurant and throwing everyone out who tried to be rude to him or his staff. He really didn't want much more from life. Maybe just one more thing.

'I'm telling you, Sil, you gotta let it go,' said Sebastiano. 'It isn't worth it.'

'Aren't they wronged your woman, Sebastiano?' asked Silvio.

They were sitting in the windowless, small office, with some pasta Silvio brought from his restaurant.

'Montgomery is a loud nobody,' shrugged Sebastiano. 'The whole family is just an empty name and an empty rank. And nothing would make Patrick happier than knowing you are still angry about what he said, days later. Let it go, brother.'

Silvio reached under his long coat and took out a wrapped up newspaper.

'Read this,' he said, opening the paper at the right page.

Sebastiano obeyed. The article was an opinion on immigration, published anonymously. It was strongly contra-oriented, using the "violent and lazy Carano family, which was incapable of assimilating and proudly declining every principle that made Britain great" as a famous bad example.

Sebastiano threw the paper into the garbage and scoffed.

'So what, Montgomery took a cheap shot. He wasn't even man enough to publish it under his name.'

'He says our children will drain this country dry, that they will be parasites praying on the government… Because not one Carano, nor any other immigrants ever did an honest day of work, ever, apart from getting a part-time job in a coffee shop where they don't have to learn English and living on allowance money the government should be spending on British people,' he drew quotation marks in the air with his fingers.

Sebastiano's cheerful face darkened and he sighed.

'Yes, this is shameful, attacking one's children, but what do you want to do? Writing an answer, another article? It's a never-ending battle, Sil. Let it go.'

'I had something else in mind… You remember what Dad always said, some people only understand a certain language…'

'No,' shook Sebastiano his head. 'Those days are over. We don't do that anymore. You are a father now, Silvio! Not a stupid teenager.'

'Exactly!' said Silvio. 'I'm a father. And I don't want my son to grow up in a country where people like Patrick Montgomery can publish a dirty article like that.'

'That is why I am trying to get into a position from where I can make a difference,' explained Sebastiano passionately.

'It won't work. Not until Montgomery and his kind are out there, fearlessly spreading hate against us… Let's show them fear, Sebastiano. So our children never have to know what it is.'

Sebastiano sighed and pushed the pasta away. It got cold anyway.

'Luna would kill me…' he murmured.

'She doesn't have to know about it,' said Silvio. 'She quit when she got pregnant and it's okay, a mother should be with her children. But we are men, brother… Listen. There will be a party to which Patrick Montgomery is invited. I know when and where, I say we wait for him outside and show him hell. He will think twice before he insults our children again.'

'It's a party, Silvio. People don't go to parties alone. He will have his wife with him. And I wouldn't be surprised if that goddamn Maxwell would wait for him in the car.'

'Maybe, maybe not,' shrugged Silvio. 'We won't know if we won't try.'

Sebastiano ran his palm over his tightly tied hair.

'I don't know… Patrick is a powerful sorcerer. Without Luna…'

'So we find some help!' rolled his eyes Silvio. 'Remember Davide? He used to work for Dad, strong as an oak…'

'And old, he must be at least 50 now,' pointed out Sebastiano.

'Then Giorgio, he is young…'

'He isn't a sorcerer,' said Sebastiano.

'No, but he is one of those, what do you call it… Halfling. Magic doesn't work on him.'

'Which means if he gets injured, we cannot help him… Silvio, I'm telling you, this is madness. Just let it go, please. I'm begging now.'

Silvio stood up, pushing his chair backwards violently. On his face anger and disgust mixed.

'You used to be brave, brother. Back in the day you'd be the one leading us into the fight. What happened to you?'

'Luna happened to me, Sil, and Jenna. We are not young men anymore, you must understand. We cannot fight. We have too much to lose. Think about your wife. About your son. What if you get jailed? Or worse, killed? Teodore would have to grow up without a father. Do you want that kind of life for your son?'

'If I die, I hope my son grows up to be the kind of man who understands why I had to stand up against Montgomery and everything he stands for… Who can understand that there are more important things than someone's comfort,' he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and put it down onto Sebastiano's desk. 'This is the time and place. I hope I will see my brother, watching my back, when I go to teach a lesson to that racist prick…'

And with that, he left the tiny office. Sebastiano shook his head and tidied up after their lunch. Silvio simply just couldn't understand, he thought. It's just not how people solved problems in a modern society. Saying violence can be a solution is the same as saying the powerful should rule… What would the country, or the world become if people like Patrick Montgomery could make the rules? It was terrible to even think about it.

On the other hand… Silvio is his little brother. He does have to watch his back… What a terrible, terrible situation.

'Are you okay, my love?' asked Luna at dinner that night. 'You seem distracted.'

Sebastiano looked around. His food was half-eaten but he didn't remember eating it. Jenna already left the table and was now watching TV in the living room. She must have found a Rune again, because she switched between a cartoon and some cooking program by blinking, without the remote control. Looked like she couldn't decide which one she was more interested in. Sebastiano smiled.

'Nothing, really. Just work,' he lied. He knew that Luna would be against Silvio's idea, and he really didn't want to know if that was because she was worried about him, or because she didn't want to see Montgomery being hurt. He suspected that a little bit of both and that didn't help with his mood.

Luna and Sebastiano were married for almost seven years now, and all of their biggest fights were because of Sebastiano's jealousy. Nobody, not even Sebastiano himself ever doubted that Luna could do better: she was smart, witty, beautiful and a very capable sorceress. She left a promising demon hunter career behind to become a mother, and a nobleman to become Sebastiano's wife. Well, no, that wasn't exactly true: Luna and Patrick were never actually together. In fact, by the time they met Patrick already had a wife and two kids, but that didn't stop him from asking Luna out. Repeatedly. The woman never said yes, but she later confessed to Sebastiano that she was tempted: Patrick was a handsome, interesting and charismatic man. She started to date a Carano, just to show Patrick, who became obsessed with her, that how deeply she wasn't interested in him. She even took part in the family war and met Patrick several times on the battlefield, which usually meant a back alley or some pub. Their fights were always fun, probably because of the tension between them.

Luna's plan worked out a little too well, and soon she fell in love with the Carano boy. Sebastiano was everything that Patrick wasn't: gentle, funny, caring, good-hearted. He hated Patrick and the whole Montgomery family, but apart from that, he was a simple and good man. It was really easy to love him. She was already pregnant when they got married, not a whole year later. From then on, Luna wasn't willing to fight anymore, not with the Montgomery family and not for money. She became a full-time mom, something she couldn't imagine being just a year or two ago. Despite all odds, she was happy. She missed a good hunt, but she loved her daughter, her husband, and the occasional friendly Duel-games she played with her friends were enough to calm her once too hot manners.

'I'm sure you will figure out how to fix it, whatever it is,' said Luna with a nice little smile. She never really asked details about Sebastiano's job, because she found it unbearably boring. Sure, she knew what her husband did was important, that he wanted to help people and that was one of the reasons she loved him, but she really didn't want to know the details.

'Yeah, yeah,' said Sebastiano distinctly.

They continued to eat. Luna told him about her day, which wasn't that action-packed either, but she was a born storyteller and she could always make the man smile. Even now, Sebastiano could forget about the whole Montgomery-thing while he listened to the woman's story about how Jenna made the entire staff of the supermarket fall in love with her.

'She can be very sweet when there is a chance of getting some chocolate,' smiled Luna. 'It's a shame it all goes away once she got it.'

Sebastiano chuckled and looked at her daughter through the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room. Jenna looked at some jumping teddy bears on the TV with her huge brown eyes opened wide.

'I've seen the article Patrick wrote,' Luna said once they finished their food, taking a sip from her wine glass.

'Oh?' said Sebastiano carefully. 'What did you think about it?'

Luna waved.

'It was really below the belt, don't you think? I was surprised the paper even published it, nothing but insults.'

'The general editor is friends with the old Montgomery,' explained Sebastiano.

'Oh, so that's why,' shrugged Luna. 'Anyway, I hope you aren't planning on answering? You know it would be pointless.'

'So you think I should just let it slide? He offended Jenna, Luna. He attacked a child who cannot even answer yet.'

'That defines him, yes. It does not have to define you, Sebastiano, said Luna. 'Please, just let it go.'

Sebastiano said he would, but he wasn't sure whether he was honest or not. Shortly after that Jenna dozed off on the couch, and Luna went to tuck her in while Sebastiano did the dishes. Luna was right. Montgomery simply just didn't worth the effort. He was nothing but a washed-up has-been, someone desperately clinging to his name and to the illusion that he was still important. While he, Sebastiano had a bigger office, a better post almost every year. He really shouldn't bother, he had everything Montgomery could only dream about. Literally everything.

Yet, he felt that little sting of anger. Silvio, however hot-headed and passionate he tended to be, was right, too. Sometimes a man just couldn't allow certain things to happen. And Patrick Montgomery was indeed the kind of person who could only learn from pain.