Venetta, Count Arsago’s old house

What a gloomy house! Julia thought to herself, looking around the dim, echoing hall of the palazzo that had once belonged to the Count Arsago. Carved columns glittered coldly, tall stone vases carved in the shape of gigantic octopuses sank into the shadows at the corners. A real underwater kingdom. Not surprising since its owner thought he could rule the sea.

The house smelled of dampness and desolation. No one had lived there for more than a year. Soon after Lorenzo Arsago’s funeral his widow moved to a country villa before entering local convent. Enrique, the only son and heir, purchased a new house near don Sacketti’s palazzo after having married his daughter Ines. None of them were eager to return to the old family nest, which brought back so many ugly shadows of the past.

As she climbed the stairs, Julia wondered where the secret entrance to the crypt might be. Maybe it was right under her feet! Julia shivered. It seemed to her that she could feel a heavy smell rising from below, as if don Arsago’s body, swollen with poison, was still lying in a terrible dungeon. The woman involuntarily covered her belly with her hand, as if trying to protect her unborn child, and quickened her pace to keep up with the others.

She and Bianca had come to help Ines sort out the rest of the things and take some of them to the newlyweds’ and Joanna’s house. "There are some nice carpets and some clothes upstairs," said Bianca, who was the most thrifty of them. "I’ve put everything in the chests, but you’d better look for yourself."

Don Sacketti was going to present the empty palace to signor di Goro as a reward for his gallant service on the islands. Dogaressa Joanna, who had always liked Enrique, allowed herself to remark:

"Of course, signor di Goro is a noble man, and he’s really useful for the Republic as he managed to drive the Tarchies away from our forts, but still I find such gift disrespectful to the late don Arsago and to poor Enrique as well!"

However, Вonna Joanna only dared to grumble when her dearest husband was not around, so no one paid really took her words seriously. Julia only shrugged and thought to herself, that it was very unlikely for signor di Goro to appreciate the gift as he’d been through such a horror, trying to protect his patron from the sea creature. From this point of view, don Sacketti’s gift looked more like a refined mockery than a reward!

Julia had nothing against Alessandro. He had been Ricardo’s companion since childhood and knew him like no one else. Well, sometimes he came up with a very untimely insight, but that from was an excusable flaw. One was for sure: her brother’s close friend didn’t deserve to live in such a gloomy house, where eyeless shadows stared at you from every corner, and the silence weighed down as if the rotten soul of don Arsago had not fallen into hell (which Julia quietly hoped), but was hiding somewhere nearby, still doing its evil deeds. I’ll have to give Ricardo a hint to invite Alessandro to stay with us while he’s in town, she thought.

The rooms on the second floor looked grotesquely stripped without the furniture, and the windows, devoid of curtains, were bare and empty. The noise from the Grand Canal rushed into the room as Bianca opened one of them to let some air. Compared to the seething energy of the street, Arsago’s house seemed dead, deader than an old dusty tapestry left on the wall. Julia’s eye caught a glimpse of mold on the plaster, and she flinched when one of the spots suddenly appeared to be a snarling mouth. Or was it just her imagination?

"It’s a good view from here," said Bianca, who never believed in ghosts or anything superficial. "Are you sure you won’t miss it?"

Ines shook her head indifferently:

"I don’t need this palace. Its stucco and frescoes in the hall give me creeps! Enrique and I are happy in our own house!"

Julia saw a knowing grin cross Bianca’s face. We are happy, happy, really happy together… As if Ines was trying really hard to erase the memory of her days at the palazzo from her memory, and most importantly, from Enrique’s. Julia never asked what had happened here last spring, because it was assumed that she, too, had witnessed it. Although it was Francesca who was playing her role back then.

Poor Francesca! she thought to herself. I wonder how she lived in this creepy cold tomb!

Perhaps she was underestimating what Francesca had done for her. For the first time, Julia felt a twinge of guilt. She shouldn’t have let Francesca go, shouldn’t have let that rascal Manriolo’s take care of her, though her husband seemed to trust him a lot. As soon as Roberto returns, she thought, I shall ask him to find them. And they will all move to Ariminum and live happily ever after…

Julia knew how to wall herself from the problems. One just needed to believe in the good, and then it will come true!

It was about the house… Those gloomy rooms were really getting on her nerves. Julia wondered why Bianca and Ines were still lingering there? All the things were packed – let’s just call the servants and leave this place!

A scarlet cloak of ruffled velvet with a fur border lay on top of it caught her eye. Julia rushed to the chest and all her painful thoughts disappeared at once.

"Oh, Madonna, how lovely!" she said so loudly that Bianca and Ines both stopped talking and turned to look at her.

Julia pulled the cloak out and shook off the dust. The fabric was soft and it looked so nice on her. Ines was really lucky to have such beauty in her wardrobe! Even if Enrique weren’t too keen on his new wife, he obviously didn’t spare any money for her clothes. Julia wished her brother were as generous and caring, but every time she tried to drag Ricardo into a clothes store, he pretended to be deaf and dumb!

"Oh, this one? It’s yours, don’t you remember?" Ines said with a smile. You liked it so much that I decided to give it to you".

Bianca coughed and frowned, but Julia didn’t notice, completely fascinated by her new clothes. Just imagine, this beautiful cloak now belonged to her! Oh, she would look great in the evening when they went for a promenade!

Her sister-in-law’s harsh voice mercilessly pulled her out of her sweet dreams.

"Julie, I think there’s a longboat coming for things. Will you go and check it, please?"

Julia groaned to herself and gasped, placing her hand on her belly. That Bianca was too demanding to her and always spoiled the fun!

"I’m afraid, you’d better go yourself," she said faintly. In recent months, Julia had deftly learned how to use her pregnancy to manipulate people around her. And avoid some unpleasant tasks, as well.

"All right," Bianca said dryly. "I’ll go."

As she draped the cloak over her shoulders, Julia could barely keep from smiling. After the first month, when she’d thought she was going to die of nausea, the baby didn’t bother her at all. But now everything was going so well! But for the baby she would have had to return to Ariminum and spend her days with her mother-in-law. Venetta, of course, was much more fun! Ricardo hardly ever bothered her with his lectures. Of course, she was not a fool and realized that her behavior caused him a lot of trouble. However, he didn’t have the nerve to turn his pregnant sister out of the door, even if of her Ariminan. This is all the fault of the Senate with its incomprehensible rules and laws!

Ines suddenly suggested:

"Let’s go and look at the other rooms!"

"What for?" Julia said listlessly, listening Bianca’s footsteps fading below. "It’s still the same. Dusty, damp and empty everywhere."

If I had it my way, I would burn this house to ashes!

"When you were staying with Donna Arsago last spring, we shared a bedroom, remember? Let’s go and see."

Ines’s eyes lit up with a new excitement. Julia caressed the fur on the edge of her cloak. Crimson velvet folds flowed down her figure like fire. It was inconvenient to refuse after such a generous gift... Although it is unclear why on earth Ines decided to wander around the house?

Reluctantly, she followed her friend. Ines, her silken skirts rustling, flew forward, until she stopped abruptly in front of one of the rooms and opened the double doors.

Julia peered inside cautiously. But it was just a common bedroom. The same desolation with the windows bare and two carved beds against the walls with their canopies taken away. At the back of the room there was a cabinet of dark, almost black wood, with two doors at the bottom and many small drawers. It looked as out of place here as a single tombstone in the middle of a field. There was nothing else to look at. Ines, however, seemed scared. She was almost shivering, clutching her elbows. Her eyes glittered painfully.

"Every time we lit a fire, we still got wet spots on the walls, remember?" she whispered. "And I propped the closet doors with a chair at night. In the dark, it seemed to me that they were about to open, and a ball of vile tentacles would fall out on the floor… Remember?"

"Poor Francesca!" Julia thought again, but now even more than the desolate room, she was afraid of the evil light in Ines’s eyes. Once, in Ariminum, she and Roberto were staying with a signor who kept a menagerie. There was a lynx sitting in one of the cages, watching Julia with the same unblinking gaze. So creepy!

"Of course, I remember," she said, nodding hastily. "I think Bianca’s calling us, isn’t she?"

"I hated you then," Ines went on, as dispassionately as if she were talking about the weather. "Because Enrique was supposed to marry you…"

"Well, that’s a thing of the past," Julia interrupted, her lips twitching into a smile. "You don’t have to worry now!"

It was a surprise to everyone when Ines suddenly expressed a desire to become Enrique’s wife. He was so shocked by his father’s death that he didn’t notice anything around him. Ines had actually proposed to him herself. Julia and Bianca had discussed her behavior more than once and found it slightly abnormal. Enrique might be nice enough - Julia remembered that she had fallen in love with him when they met, even before her mother had told her the family secret that bound them together - but he wasn’t good enough to make her lose her mind over him!

However, Ines was always a little strange. A little withdrawn, aloof, her head in the clouds. Nobody knew what kind of fantasies she had in her head…

What if she stabs me with a knife to get rid of her husband’s fiancée! Julia thought to herself, completely startled. Why is Bianca not here when you need her?

The sharp clang of the portcullis that opened the entrance to the wharf seemed heavenly music to her ears.

"I’ll go and help Bianca!" she stormed out of the bedroom and almost ran down the stairs, though the doctor had warned her against such exertions.

From the wharf came the sounds of splashing water, the merry voices of servants and porters, occasionally interrupted by Bianca Granacci’s commands. After the wary silence of the empty rooms, these sounds seemed so reassuringly familiar! Catching her breath, Julia hurried to meet them, eager to get out of the musty atmosphere and into the bright sun. No, I won’t set my foot here again! she thought. You can go mad if you stay in these walls long enough!

***

Venetta, the Doge’s Palace

As he stepped out of the Courtroom into the sunlit courtyard, Alessandro breathed a sigh of relief. The verbal duel he had just had with the quirky don Sacketti in the presence of the other senators was as tense as a pirate skirmish. The corsairs were even easier to deal with than floundering in the political intrigues of Venetta.

He walked slowly down the wide stone staircase. From the square came the distant hum of voices; under the arcades that ran along the walls, money changers and bankers hid from the sun. Business life in Venetta, as always, was in full swing. Alessandro congratulated himself on getting the Senate to send a large armed ship with gunpowder and supplies to the fortresses on Kandy, Alberino and Kerkyra. Footsteps echoed in the gallery behind them. It was Ricardo, of course. His friend caught up with him and clapped him on the shoulder:

"Congratulations! Your speech was great!"

"I hope so," Sandro said shortly.

Today’s report on the situation in the eastern seas had took him two nights to prepare. Well, he wasn’t good at speeches at all! He used to think that a good sword was a much more effective means of persuasion. Unfortunately, this didn’t work in Venetta.

Alessandro glanced at the gilded hilt of the sword the Doge had given him. He also decided to reward Sandro for his service by bestowing the Palazzo Arsago on the Grand Canal. Alessandro had to bow and thank him, even though he promised in his mind that he would never set foot in that damned house again. The glint of gems on the hilt was blinding. Personally, he would have preferred to get another ship filled to the rail with gunpowder, but alas, such a gift from the Senate was even a higher rarity. It would be good if his speech about the terrible condition of the fortresses would at least make them think about the situation properly. Don Sacketti looked as if he had eaten a bag of sour plums. Still, he had enough self-control to rise from the high chair and announce in a heartfelt voice the solemn memorial service in the Cathedral, in honor of all the soldiers who had cost their lives to protect the borders of the Republic.

"If you had sent help earlier, you wouldn’t have had to honor so many dead people now!" Alessandro thought, trying to hide his anger. The new Doge, with his insinuating manner and long nose like a galley’s spire, really irritated him.

"I’m glad you had the sense to give up your title!" Ricardo continued to chatter. "Although the Duke of Alberino would have fitted you perfectly!"

Indeed, all he needed was a title.

"I will defend our strongholds from the sea, and even lead the fleet if necessary. But I’m not ready to spend all day on the beach, dealing with endless complaints and lawsuits."

"So you’re just sorry to leave the sea?" Ricardo said grimly. "I thought you saw the trick. The island of Alberino is too far away. Six hundred leagues, no less."

"Five hundred and fifty," Alessandro corrected without thinking.

"Even so, it’s still far away. When the Tarchies swoop down on the island like locusts, I’m afraid don Sacketti will only helplessly flap his hands away and wish you good luck from the study window! It is unlikely that he will send a galley fleet to your rescue!"

Alessandro shrugged:

"We have managed to fight back so far."

Here, in a square surrounded by blinding white stone walls that trembled slightly in the hot haze, he suddenly remembered the gentle green hills of Alberino and the pine forests of the island of Kandy, like dark crowns setting off the turquoise sea. On its north-western bank, the ramparts of Chania loomed menacingly, its round broad towers warning, don’t even try to attack! In Kandy there was even a private shipyard to repair the galleys and cover them for the winter. This made the island less dependent on the Venettan Arsenal. Although these islands had long been Venetta’s, they were used to making it on their own, without the Doge’s orders. The paw of the sacred Golden Gryphon rarely reached their shores...

Francesca would have loved it, Alessandro thought suddenly. And frowned. Stop daydreaming, you fool! Tryto find her first!

"What makes me most happy is that the Senate has agreed to send a merchant with an escort to the islands. We need to hurry the people in the Arsenal. Let’s get the ship moving before Sacketti changes his mind!"

"I should have asked for three," Ricardo joked. "Three ships! This is the main rule of negotiations: ask for more, and then the Senate will be happy to agree to less!"

"I wish I’d thought of that sooner. Why on earth do all the good thoughts always come too late?!"

Ricardo didn’t smile this time, though.

"Be careful with don Sacketti, my friend."

They went out to the Piazzetta, where the heat was driven away by a fresh wind from the sea. The top of the Campanile rose high above the flat roofs. The gondolas, like elongated black shoes with curved noses, swayed gently in the heavy swell. Closer to the edge of the square stood two columns on which proud griffins unfurled their wings. As if cut into the blue sky, they sternly surveyed the city from under the clouds.

"The Doge will not leave you alone now," Ricardo insisted. "After your speech in the congregation, even a fool would think, that to promote Union with the Tarchies now would be stupid. Sacketti will hold a grudge. You’ve ruined all his plans!"

"Actually, I haven’t noticed that our Doge’s policy has been approved by the citizens. Most senators just keep their mouths shut not to lose their titles."

"Of course! The old noblemen are like political weathervanes, responsive to every breath coming from Atturo and the Northern lands. They won’t take any risks. Don Sacketti relies on the support of merchants and guilds, who will be the first to be forced to open their wallets if we start a new war".

He chuckled:

"I bet that if the emissaries of the League of Four were present today, don Sacketti would be much more modest! That’s a good point, by the way. Do you want to take a business trip to Mediolan while I’ll be checking out the situation here in the city?"

"Mediolan?" Ricardo looked genuinely surprised. "What for?"

"You will find Geronimo Farusi, the Count of Oneily. He has a lot of influence in the League. I was lucky enough to do him a favor recently, so he owes me. I’ll write him a letter, and you can finish the rest. I’ll need all your merchant skills and connections there. Try to sell him a peace agreement with Venetta."

Ricardo even whistled:

"It won’t be so easy!"

"But if it works out, it will be the greates achievement of your trading career, do you see what I mean? The Tarchies and the Jazir pirates whom they patronize are as much a hindrance to the League on the seas as they are to us. I think Farusi will agree to come. And together, we can persuade Sacketti to sign a peace treaty."

After a long silence, Ricardo chuckled and shook his head.

"Well, it might work. I’ll think about it. Actually, I have my trump card too… If the Count agrees, we will return in two or three weeks. Try not to get yourself killed in the meantime."

Alessandro didn’t answer. An unusual smell of anticipation wafted up from the sea. He listened... and only came to himself when Ricardo nudged him in the side.

"Hey, are you listening?"

Meeting his friend’s distant gaze, Ricardo looked away, his face changed. Not that feeling again...

Alessandro laughed and looked a bit embarrassed.

"It comes over me like a faint on a sick man. Do not pay attention. When you spend a month at sea in a frail shell, it seems you can’t live without it at all!"

At the pier where the gondolas were parked, they parted. Alessandro went to the Arsenal, and Ricardo had to prepare for the long journey to Mediolan. However, as they left the square, Alessandro looked back once more. Today’s wind smelled as if it wanted to announce something. The sea was obviously preparing some kind of surprise for Venetta.