When it was time to go to the party, the sun had already coloured the sky and water in different shades of coral-pink, magenta and fuscia rose. The hard facades of the houses looked warm and sleepy in the dusk. The darkness in the canals turned emerald-black, while the tops of the roofs glittered with melted amber. The whole city was falling into sleep, waiting for its bright enchanting dreams to come.
Vague figures of servants lit the torches in front of the houses. The wind brought to us the smell of charred orange wood and soft melody of the lute. I was trying to keep myself warm by wrapping into a marten coat. Ricardo was sitting thoughtfully with his head on his fist, staring at the water in silence. He didn't say a word the whole way.
Don Arsago's mansion was gleaming in the dusk like decoration for the play with me playing the main part. We could hear the music and voices from the upper rooms. I`d already got used to luxury of Grannacci`s house, but the Count`s palace struck me with its magnificence and gloomy outlook. It really looked like Triton`s castle, full of lights, mystery and treasures.
There were big vases in the corners, all in the shape of white alabaster octopuses. Istrian stone was used for the floor tiles, smooth and shiny like water. Fountain-like columns of milky-pale glass rose to the ceiling where grotesque jellyfish and sea anemones were stretching their tentacles from the gilded crown molding. I turned my head and froze under the cold blank gaze of a shark whose dead head was grinning from the crooks on the wall.
Suddenly I could feel that someone was staring at me from the darkness. But there was no one in the hall except me. Ricardo left ahead and the doormen were meeting another gondola with new guests. What a strange feeling…
There was a big mural on the far wall with a battle scene. The painter splashed it with scarlet-red and crimson spots of bloody faces, ripped up throats and eely guts under the feet of balked horses. Obviously, don Arsago loved that kind of paintings. I guessed that the mural could be devoted to one of his ancestors` great deeds. As for me, I felt nothing but nausea. And yet I couldn`t look away from it. All I did, was to take one small step back, then another…
“Julia?”
I shuddered. Ricardo's tall figure appeared on the stairs.
“Let`s go. The guests are waiting.”
Thanks to my brother, I finally could break the dark gloomy spell of the mural and hurried after Ricardo. And I could bet that a small shadow rushed from the corner into a dark passage under the stairs. Child's footsteps, here, in this house?
My heart was pounding and I had to stop to catch my breath. No, I definitely didn`t like that mansion a bit.
***
I could still see the crimson splashes of battle in front of my eyes when we came into a big dining room full of people. My brother immediately pulled me into the corner where you could see all the guests.
“Let me tell you about some important people here. You don`t want to lose your face, do you? Well, first of all, I need to introduce you to Donna Arsago,” he pointed to a feeble-looking woman who looked as pale as a ghost. Donna Arsago was talking to another lady, her exact opposite: buxom and bright, dressed to the nines, talking rapidly, with her teeth and jewels gleaming assertively in the candlelight.
“...Don Arsago doesn't give a damn about her, so don't worry if she doesn't like you, but you still have to pay her respects,” my brother instructed me. “Now, that black-haired beauty next to the Countess is Joanna Sacketti. She used to be the Count`s lover. Now she hates him with all her heart like any scorned woman, yet she would never admit it to anyone. And that fox-like signor with pointed beard – see, over there, in the black beret, − is her husband. Former senator Giacomo Sacketti.”
"Don Arsago invited him as well?" I wondered. "Doesn`t he know that his wife…”
“He knows everything.” Ricardo interrupted. “Everybody does. But God forbid you even to hint at it! Their daughter, Inez, is also here. Do you see the blonde quiet girl behind Joanna? That`s her. She is very different from her mother, you know – always so modest and silent. But I wouldn't trust her if I were you. Still waters run deep.”
“And who is that tall girl in a red dress?” I asked with curiosity.
The girl who caught my attention stood out from the other guests with her bright gown and especially with her free and confident manner of speaking.
“Oh, that`s Bianca. Bianca Sanudo…”
I didn`t like the dreamy note in his voice at all.
“Her father is don Arsago's manager. People are whispering that signor Sanudo has given away for the last several years, and that his daughter checks accounting books for him. But when don Arsago heard about it, he only laughed and said to the snitches that he would entrust all his fortune to such a sensible girl.”
“He should have been more careful with the words,” I said grimly. “I don't think that signora Bianca is very thrifty. Her silk dress alone is worth two hundred ducats at the least, not to mention the jewellery!”
“Listen to yourself, sister. Are you jealous?” Ricardo`s grin made me sigh and look at my own dress. Dark blue silk, simple and modest. No jewellery except long onyx rosary, not a single curl of hair to be seen from under a thick veil. That outfit wasn`t very different from the one I had to wear at the convent. But even so my presence at that party could be considered indecent because of the mourning. What`s more, donna Assunta put such a terrible make up on my face that even a dead person would seem more lively and healthy than me. I guess, she kept hating me behind my back. That look would make all the guests think that I was at death`s door myself and would join my beloved mother very soon
“Hmm, and what on earth is he doing here?” Ricardo muttered to himself. I followed his gaze and saw a thick, dark-haired man with a haughty bony face and prominent eyes. “That man`s name is Fallieri, he`s one of the nouveau riches. They never got along with the Count...”
I had heard of a discord between the “new” and “old” Venetian nobles. At that moment signor Falliery was definitely in the middle of a heated debate with the Count.
“You are wrong. Venetta is not the Queen of the sea, not anymore," Falieri urged, with his face as red as a lobster. “Those golden days are all in the past now. Basta! It's time for the Golden Griffin to get ashore. Those damned Tarches invaded our fortresses on the way to Canaan and so we lost the access to the Eastern part of the Middle sea! What`s more, since the Lositanians discovered the sea route to Bharat, the centre of trade shifted permanently to the North. Don`t you see? We have nothing to do at the sea anymore!
“I can`t believe you`re serious, signor Falliery!” Joanna Sacketti broke in with a smile, definitely for the sole purpose of drawing everyone`s attention to herself. “Will Kashmi and Magadha stop trading with us? Then how shall we do without their beautiful shawls and silks?”
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Don Falliery sullenly turned away from her. Joanna`s sweetest smile didn`t seem to make any effect on him at all.
“Instead of trying your luck at the distant shores, you should pay more attention to the trade on the continent,” he continued. “It's time to turn our ships into barns and wine presses, to plow farms and to invest into terra firma…”
“But first we need to sign a peace agreement with the League of Four, as well as with the northern duchies,” don Arsago said irritably, indicating that the dispute had gone on too long. “What's the point of investing into lands we risk to lose any time?”
The topic of Venetta's fate faded away when a long procession of servants brought in various dishes and the Countess invited everyone to the meal.
Once again, I was surprised by Venetian extravagance. Just one dinner like that would be enough for our convent to live through the whole month. My head was spinning from all kinds of game, pyramids of ham and sausage, pungent sauces in little sauce boats etc. There was a great range of aromas ranging from gravy and fresh bread to delicate hints of daffodil and violet wreaths on the tablecloth. Icy-silver buckets sparkled with pale gold monfiore and green-yellow trentino with its tart and fresh taste.
The guests really came alive at the sight of the food. Except for donna Joanna, who kept silent, with her full lips pursed in resentment and her plumpy cheeks red with anger. Inez, sitting next to her mother, was whispering something softly in her ear.
Enrique sat next to me but I barely said a couple of words to him – which made that passionate boy sulk and sit with a long face. Well, whatever it takes. I didn`t have time to worry about such trifles. All my attention was focused on a small elderly man, signor Faletrus, who was the Count`s doctor and astrologer – the last one was right on time. I needed to talk to him – in private, of course. Though I had no idea how to find the right time. And even more, how to avoid sharp-sighted signor di Goro, who was also invited that night. Luckily enough, he was sitting on the other side of the table, so we couldn`t even see each other behind the glossy faces of the guests. And that was nice too.
Alas, Ricardo was sitting too far as well. Before I knew it, my brother was paying attentions to his sweet signora Bianca. I`d never seen Rico being so courteous and bold at the same time. But all his efforts and charms shattered against that icy-cold fortress of utter indifference. Actually, I felt a bit sorry for my brother. Why are men so fascinated about such spoilt ladies with knife-sharp tongues? Besides, I noticed that signorita Bianca`s ashy-blonde hair and mermaid-green eyes looked too pale compared to the bright flame of her scarlet dress.
Someone called my name. I shuddered and noticed that everyone was looking at me with strange cheesy smiles.
“…now a special gift for the engagement of our children. I hope that signorita Julia will accept this little gift to honor her beauty and her talent!”
Amid congratulations and toasts Enrique put his hand on mine and squeezed my fingers gently. I felt lost and confused. A gift? What kind of gift? They were not going to marry us right now, were they?!
A couple of servants dragged a huge box the size of a palanquin. I wondered what it could be and even got a bit of excited. But as soon as the bright cloth was pulled off, my anticipation went up in smoke. “The gift” was a big cage. And behind its metal bars I could see a creature crouched on the dirty floor.
My close friendship with Pulcino inspired me with a keen hatred of all kinds of cages. And I couldn`t imagine why the Count decided to honour me with that smelly ugly thing.
In the meantime, the slimy body stirred and suddenly sprang forward. Its grey paws with webbed fingers gripped the bars, causing the whole cage to tremble and making the guests jump on their seats. The servants recoiled in disgust as a bald oblong head rose above the sloped shoulders. That creature had sunken cheeks and an ugly crusty slit instead of a mouth. The yellow dots of its eyes began to glow with rage. Finally, I could recognize paurozo, a rocky howler. For goodness sake, what was I supposed to do with it?
The Count`s servants had definitely made a good job. It was terribly hard to hunt paurozo, which used to inhabit distant reefs near Dito and were totally hated by the local fishermen. Then they seemed to be extinct – thank God! Those creatures were extremely cunning. When there was no fish left in the lagoon, hungry paurozos tried to get closer to the villages. One of them could englut the whole catch of the day – and if the creature was really hungry or had to feed its babies, then the owner himself could become a dessert too. Paurozo looked like a huge frog covered with disgusting brown slime. But it was as quick as flash and went right for the victim`s throat like a dog. They were called howlers because of their songs – long one-note howling in the mist, unexpectedly beautiful and fascinating. No one could ever resist that call which made the fishermen let down their guards and forward the boat directly to a lonely island nearby…
When the person finally came to his senses in an hour or two, the paddles were gone, and so was the fish. And sometimes mutilated bodies were found as well from time to time – those who didn`t catch enough fish to pay for their lives.
So, I`d say that a rocky howler was a bit strange engagement gift, unless…
Unless they wanted to test me.
A quick glance at the Count confirmed my suspicions. Many senators knew that Jiulia Granacci was a chiamata and thus could control any living creature on the earth. Maybe they had some doubts about me – whether donna Assunta spread some gossips or signor di Goro had shared some of his suspicions with the Count, I didn`t know. But here I was, standing in front of the cage with a monster, and everyone was looking at me with their cold calculating smiles. I tried to find Alessandro`s face. Was he also gloating? But no, he looked pale and even gave me an anxious gaze.
“I`m afraid tonight is not the right time to demonstrate chiamata`s art, signor. That would be too dangerous…” Alessandro said. But the Count didn`t want to hear.
"Come on, that creature was caught two days ago, it can hardly breathe.”
Even a sea monster shouldn`t have been bullied like that. I came closer and could hear Ricardo`s reassuring voice behind my back.
“Don`t worry, she`ll be fine. My sister will never quail in front of a toad. She`s Granacci, after all.”
A couple of yellow unblinking eyes stared at me from behind the bars and my head almost burst from that burning anger of monster`s. Its dark consciousness was swirling in front of my eyes like a cloud of poisoned smoke. But somewhere deep in her big round eyes I could feel a longing for life. It didn`t want to die.
“Easy,” I said and tried to get through to it. The monster furiously opened its dry mouth with razor-sharp teeth. “Don`t be afraid. I won`t hurt you.”
“Show it, sister!” Ricardo said. His voice distracted paurozo for a little while. Just a second or two – but that was enough for me to catch the invisible leash.
“Bring two buckets of water, now!” I said to the servants. “It mustn`t be kept like that, don`t you see? It`s dying!”
Though rock howlers can remain on land for some time, this one must have spent about two days without water. And that made it even more angry!
The servants were really alert. Two wooden buckets full to the brim flopped down beside the cage. I was about to ask one of the servants to help me with the water, but the man had already run away. Coward. Now I had to do everything by myself.
“If you want to drink, stand still and don't move.”
Very slowly, trying not to make any sudden movements, I unlocked the cage and slipped the bucket inside. The creature kept staring at me so that even the air itself rang with tension between us. I no longer tried to make contact with it, I only did my best just to hold her still. Then the cage door clanged shut in the dead quiet of the room. With numb fingers I tried to push a jammed iron pin into the slots with my numb fingers, and someone`s dark hand covered mine and made the bolt slid easily into place. Don Alessandro! I didn't even notice he was standing behind me all the time. I asked to pour the second bucket of water on the cage. Let the water cover the polished floor – there were plenty of servants to clear it up.
“Let`s stop it, my signor,” Alessandro said grimly and threw the blanket back over the cage. From inside came a splash and a contented rumble. I took my time to check the bolt, then let myself look back. My hands were shaking and my back was sweating, but I didn't think any of the guests noticed that, because everyone was really shocked. Both senators seemed embarrassed. Only don Arsago beamed with triumph and looked at me as if I were his beloved daughter. Ricardo was speaking softly to signora Bianca, whose beautiful face finally glowed with some interest. I frowned and bit my lip: that dear brother of mine could have shown more participation! I walked proudly past them – just had to hurry back to my seat before my trembling legs gave way. Enrique breathed a sigh of obvious relief when he gave me his hand.
“My dear Julia, your gift is fascinating! I bet that you can tame any monster in the world!” he said. But his glances were quick and I could feel fear in his voice.
Who was he afraid of? His father? The monster in the cage? Or… me, maybe?
“Not any monster. Some beasts can only be killed,” I told him with a smile and did my best to pull myself together. But I could still see yellow burning eyes reflecting in polished sauce boats и and hear distant growling.