Venetta, Olivolo sestiere

I knew the place near the Arsenal quite well. Its tall square towers were rising on either side of the massive bronze gates, inspiring an involuntary reverence. Beyond the gate there was a canal where the galleys were brought in, and to the left there was a land passage with Venettian guards on duty from morning to night. A sacred griffin with its head high was carved on the bas-relief above the main entrance, as if the creature was assessing each person whether they were worthy to enter the Holy of Holies of the Republic. The Arsenal was the heart of Venetta, an indication of its sea power. It was really painful to see its ruins.

Hiding my face under the old black mantilla I’d found in Julia’s room, I hurried down the street, skirting the rubble. The stares of passers-by seemed to leave burns on my skin like branding iron. I was afraid that someone would point a finger at me and shout: "There she is, the thief! Grab her!"

"Actually, I could fly here alone," Pulcino said in my head. My faithful feathery companion found me himself last night. I thought he was waiting for us on the felucca, and I almost died of fright when a gull started beating on Julia’s window at dawn.

"Why didn’t you just stay there?"

"I can’t. We need to get answers. I’ll try to find Alessandro, and you look for Manriolo, all right?"

According to Fabrizio’s words all the injured were taken to San Giovanni church, so I headed for the austere three-part facade of the church that rose high above the ruins.

My hands were trembling and I was confused. What if Sandro had been injured?! What if he... no, I couldn’t even think about it. After the gondolier’s story, I just couldn’t hide in Julia’s bedroom anymore and watch the sun streaks move across the scratched parquet floor. Choosing a moment when Julia and Bianca were busy on the dock, I slipped into the kitchen and out the back door. I didn’t meet any of the servants. Lucia and the cook must have run off to look at the ruins. I found the mantilla in the trunk, pulling it out from under a pile of colored rags. It looked like it had belonged to donna Assunta, Julia would never wear such an old thing. I was ashamed to borrow that, yet I had to. I promised myself that I would apologize to my friend the next time I saw her. For some reason, when I had to rob don Sacketti, my conscience didn’t bother me at all!

Two women were talking in front of the church. One of them, with a bundle on her back, had two children. The girl shyly hid her face in the folds of her mother’s skirt. The boy stared at me with his currant-black eyes and a dirty finger in his mouth. The other woman looked like more a nun, all in gray, with a tired sad face. She was patiently explaining something.

"You will be more comfortable in the Palazzo Arsago, which is near Argento. Wait a little. The boatman will be right back to take you there."

"But how... " - the ther woman looked confused. "We, in the manor? Me and my kids?"

"That’s right. Signor di Goro and maître Faletrus ordered to arrange a temporary housing there."

I was about to slip by, unnoticed, but the nun’s last words made me stop. My fingers nervously gripped the heavy bronze doorknob.

"Excuse me," I said, "did Signor di Goro personally order this?"

The gray woman turned to me and smiled.

"We couldn’t help all the injured, so the Council had to look for other options. No one will be left out in the open, so don’t worry. Wait, I’ll get you some water."

"N-no need, thank you."

I came around the corner and leaned against the wall, feeling the roughness of the stone on my back.

What a relief…

Alessandro was alive, thank Madonna! Compared to all the other news, this one really cheered me up.

Soon after that Pulcino found me. He swooped down and brushed my ear with his wing, trying to settle down on my shoulder. I smiled and touched his ruffled feathers.

"My, you do have that glow! What’s happened? I’ve found him, by the way. He’s in the Palazzo Arsago."

"Yes, I already know. What about Manriolo?"

"I was talking about him! He’s wounded and now they keep him in don Arsago’s house. Hes is accused of treason."

The bright colors of the day suddenly dimmed.

"What did you say? Treason?!"

"They say the explosion of a powder warehouse was rigged by a group of people headed by a guy named don Magnasco. The Council decided that Mariola is his accomplice."

I was confused: "It’s just nonsense… Is it because he is an Ariminan? But Manriolo even wasn’t at the Arsenal, he was waiting for us on a boat in the Spinalonga Canal. Or maybe he was hiding somewhere from the guards… Anyway, he didn’t go near the powder magazine!"

"But who will confirm this?" Pulcino asked skeptically.

Suddenly I thought of signor Alonzo. It was unlikely that he would go to the Doge’s Palace and tell the Council what he was planning to do that night, but at least he had to confirm Manriolo’s innocence! He could say that he’d sent Manriolo with some tasks.

I shooed Pulcino off my shoulder and put on mantilla again.

"Signor Alonzo! We need to find him right away!"

We ran to the port. Yesterday, while discussing the details of the operation, don Alonzo showed us an old boat, saying that it would be waiting for us at the mouth of the channel if something went wrong. But it wasn’t there now. I went on to where the merchant ships were moored, but the felucca was gone, too. Among all the dozens of people I met, sailors, beggars, haulers, merchants and greengrocers, there wasn’t a sailor from the Primavera.

Finally, having running three times around the wharf, I stopped, completely out of breath. I couldn’t believe signor Alonzo just ran away, leaving Manriolo and me to our fate. Pulcino, who had taken up his place on my shoulder again, looked discontented and furrowed.

"You followed them. Do you remember where Alonzo went after the meeting at Arsenal? Maybe he met anyone else?"

"No, he was just staying with the sailors in a tavern in the port. If you want, I’ll show you. But I warn you, you won’t like it!"

"Hurry! What if he’s still there? "

I had no idea how to make Alonzo prove Manriolo’s innocence, and I was really afraid to show without the document I was looking for, because Carita and I hadn’t managed to steal it, but he was our only hope now! Whatever happened at the gunpowder magazine, Manriolo had nothing to do with it!

The tavern looked miserable. One of those stale places where people come to dissolve their troubles in a mug of cheap liquor and then pour out their hearts to the keeper while he polished his counter with a rag.

By the way, that counter really needed cleaning, although the owner didn’t care a fig about that. He was noisily devouring some fat hot potion from the bowl and it took him a moment or two to understand what I wanted.

"I’m looking for signor capitan," I repeated for the third time. "He’s quite tall, blue-eyed, with a reddish beard. He’s cheerful too. He was here yesterday."

"A captain, you want?" the innkeeper chewed thoughtfully. "Well, wait a minute."

He stepped outside, motioning for me to stay where I was.

My feet were aching from running around the dock, but the heavy, greasy stools didn’t seem to tempting to sit on them. I perched on the edge of the nearest table. It was quiet, very quiet.

Suddenly the peaceful silence was broken by Pulcino’s scream in my head: "Run! He’s dragging the guards here!"

Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to talk to signor Alonzo.

I rushed to the exit, but Pulcino warned me just in time: "You won’t make it! They are already on the way!" Then I darted back and bumped my head, crawling under the counter. A draught blew across my legs. There was a sharp creak as the door opened, and footsteps thumped heavily across the room.

"A girl, you say? Well, where is she?"

The keeper mumbled something which made the guards roar with laughter.

"Comme on, old man. Go and sleep it off!"

I couldn’t stay there forever. If the keeper returned to the bar and saw me…

There was another door behind me, probably leading to the kitchen and back yard. I crept past the crates. Damn it! The door creaked!

"There she is!"

"Take her!"

I kicked the door shut behind me. Such a pity, there was nothing to barricade it. A stew was bubbling in the hearth. It took me a while to find the exit. Finally, I managed to escape to a tiny back yard filled with the bright sun and sickly smell of slops. It seemed that the tavern keeper threw out all the garbage here and did not particularly bother to clean it. I slipped on some offal, pulled myself up, and hung my stomach on the stone fence. Then my foot slipped…

"Don’t let her get away!" someone yelled from behind. There was laughter. Apparently, my dangling legs must have been comical to the guards, but I didn’t feel like laughing at all. In a panic, I made one last effort and… found myself on a street.

The street was narrow and short, with absolutely no place to hide. I dashed between two signors in brown doublets and ran down to the dock, straight into a fisherman’s boat. He was a small man, almost a dwarf, but with sinewy, strong hands. When I appeared, he grabbed the side of the boat and swore at me. Then he looked up, and I froze still. Those sharp little eyes…

"What a surprise!" Scarpa laughed. A werefish-pesquator, he used to be don Arsago’s jester once.

"And I was wondering if that was your smell I felt yesterday."

I didn’t answer but shoved him the oars at instead.

"Take me out of here, now!"

"What the…?"

However, when Scarpa glanced at the wharf, he changed his mind very quickly and even tossed me a piece of dirty canvas.

"Here, cover yourself. Look at yourself – eyes like a wild cat!

Crouching under the canvas, I shivered at the thought that the guards might have delayed our boat. I could tell from the screams ashore that they were still looking for me. Gradually subsided as we reached the middle of the channel and went to the lagoon.

***

It was only when the voices were finally behind me that I dared to crawl out into the light. The placid waters of the lagoon stretched out around us. There was silence except for short bursts of paddle and mocking cries of seagulls. The city glittered like a golden band in the distance. Its panorama was partially obscured by the high Cape of Spinalonga, covered with green velvet trees. Soon the boat came to a muddy shore of a small island, with nothing but reeds and patches of rusty grass on the sand dunes. It reminded of the one where I and Carita met yesterday. All the small uninhabited islands in the lagoon looked similar like stone twins.

"We’re here," Scarpa said, grinning with anticipation.

I jumped right into the water and hurried to the shore while my companion was busy with the boat.

I should have brought an oar! I thought with belated regret. The dry rustle of the reeds seemed to be laughing at my poor fate. The island was no more than two hundred paces long. There was nowhere to hide. In the distance, on a low hill, the ruins of a stone barn could be seen. Not good enough to defend myself against a werefish, but maybe I could find there a couple of stones?

The reeds crunched behind me.

"Hide and seek!"

I ran faster, cursing my boots as they sank into the sand. The island seemed to grip my legs. I was all sweat when I finally ran into the barn. It was stuffy in here. The roof, covered with rotten reeds, had holes here and there, and the dark room was slanted by streaks of light. I crept cautiously along the wall. Where was that dwarf hiding? If only I could find a stick!

Suddenly I could hear someone’s laugh and two bright red dots lit up in the dark corner.

"Stay back!" I blurted, pressing my back against the rocks. "Don’t move or I might turn you into something worse than a stinky jester!"

I didn’t think my words would be enough to frighten him, but it was worth a try. There was a rustle under the leaky roof, which made me shudder. Were there rats?

Don’t be a fool, I told myself. The main danger now is the pesquator. Where is he, by the way?

A short laugh scratched my nerves.

"All right, I won’t eat you today. You’re lucky I’m full!"

The dusty rays outlined the figure of Scarpa, still in human form, to my relief. The dwarf was as tall as my shoulder. As long as he stayed in this form, I could handle him. The sun streaked his face so fancifully that you couldn’t tell if he was mocking or angry. I almost jumped back as something warm and flickering fell on my shoulder.

"Pulcino! "

Scarpa suddenly backed away, looking quite embarrassed. What was wrong with him? Was he afraid of a seagull?

However, everything became clear as paurozo’s pale webbed fingers with strong claws appeared in the narrow crack of the window. Carita moved as silently as a snake, and she was just as dangerous. Now I understood why Scarpa lost his interest in me.

"Let’s call a truce, at least for this evening, shall we?" I suggested, trying to sound as firm as I could. No one objected. However, Scarpa and Carita exchanged glances which almost set fire to the barn.

I hurried outside. A black fire pit was found near the ruins, so I could suggest that the island occasionally gave shelter to local fishermen. I hoped none of them were planning to spend the night here tonight!

I sat down and tried to think clear. I couldn’t go back to Julia, of course. What if they thought Julia was an accomplice too? After all, Luigi Manriolo used to be her husband’s servant...

The nameless island was located in the northern part of the lagoon, so if you looked towards the city, you could see the outline of the Sestiere Olivolo in the distance. As dusk fell over the lagoon, torches were lit one by one, looking like golden sparks in the dark or candles on an altar, lit in memory of those who died that night…

Paurozo went hunting, giving Scarpa one more murderous look. Her upper lip puckered, revealing a row of strong teeth, which made pesquator move back.

All I had with me was a piece of pie with pecorino (sheep cheese), which I’d bought hastily on the pier. I chewed it without any appetite. Pulcino picked up the crumbs from a flat stone that had been polished to a perfect smoothness by the waves. I was very thirsty but had no water. And I was even more worrying for Manriolo. Venettian justice had no mercy to those who was challenging the state power.

"I need to talk to Alessandro."

I think I was lost in my own thoughts since I accidentally said it out loud. Scarpa brightened up at once.

"Oh, really? Then I’d love to see you squirm in prison!"

The thought of the dreadful dungeons sent a shiver down my spine. But what was to be done? Manriolo was badly wounded and wouldn’t be able to defend himself. That was all signor Alonzo’s fault! A dirty rat, who sneaked out of town and left us clean up the mess!

I looked back at the flickering lights of Olivolo. As in my dream, Alessandro and I were separated by a wide, dark stretch of water. Since last night, it has, figuratively speaking, become much wider. Who’d like to help a political criminal?

Pulcino looked also really anxious, but he didn’t try to dissuade me.

"Last time don Alessandro almost died because of your reticence. The sooner he finds out, the better!"

Did I tell you that Pulcino could have successfully replaced the voice of conscience? I really had nothing to say. Even Paurozo, who was busy with the catch, threw me a fish, probably feeling sympathy too.

"...If it’s high treason, the interrogators are allowed to use torture," Scarpa said knowingly. "Anyone can talk when they tie their hands over their heads and stretch them on the rack until their joints crack! And then there are ticks. Or a red-hot poker. Those with weaker nerves start talking as soon as they see her in front of their faces!"

"Oh, shut up!" I yelled and threw a fish at him.

Scarpa fell on ground, turned into fish again, scooped up the handout together with a handful of sand and plopped into the water, sending up a fountain of spray. I didn’t even have time to blink! Only a pile of stinking clothes remained on the beach.

I wiped the water off my face and thought that it had taken him much more time and effort to transform last time. Obviously, Scarpa had made a lot of progress since then! Maybe that was what he wanted to show: that if it really wanted to eat me, Carita wouldn’t have had the time to rescue me!"

Paurozo hissed and gave me a reproachful look. "Why waste a good fish on this creature?!" I could read in her eyes.

I’m sorry. It’s just that when he chews, he keeps his mouth shut!" I said angrily.

"While he’s gone, let’s discuss the details," Pulcino suggested reasonably. "Alessandro spends a lot of time in the Palazzo Arsago, where they set up the infirmary. Didn’t you know that don Sacketti gave him this house as a reward?"

"Damn him. For that one act, don Sacketti deserves to be robbed!"

"Signor di Goro will definitely be there tomorrow. There’s always a crowd around the house. Someone is looking for the healers, lost relatives or shelter… It won’t be difficult to get inside."

"Then I shall go. Thank you, Pulcino!"

"I can do you one more favor if you want." The gull waved its beak in disgust at the clothes lying on the stones. "Do you want me to get a flint to burn this stuff? It stinks all over the island, you can’t even sleep!"

Although pesquatoro unwittingly saved us last year and helped me out a lot today, Pulcino had absolutely no warm feelings for him.

"Leave it. Thanks to Scarpa, we have a boat now. Don’t make him angry."

We decided that I would go to the count’s mansion first thing in the morning.