Chapter 13
Capitolo Tredici
Ravenna and Saturnino faced each other in front of the closed dining room doors.
He leaned against the frame, arms folded across his chest, one ankle crossed over the other.
She blinked at the sight of him, behaving more and more like a human.
The difference in his posture, in his manner, unnerved her.
She’d grown accustomed to his precise and controlled behavior, the economical way he moved, its terrifying efficiency.
He didn’t slouch, he didn’t fidget, and he did not fold his arms across his chest.
What’s more, his lips were pressed into a small smirk.
A mischievous gleam lurked in the cool dark of his eyes.
He was just like one of the Medici lions, lashing out on instinct, using fear and threats to keep her enthralled to his will.
But he’d switched tactics, displaying another side to his lion: the cunning hunter who knew how to bide his time.
The one who knew how use his smiles as a weapon, his beauty as a scythe.
Ravenna would not yield.
“Bravissima,” murmured Saturnino. “Well, you’ve gotten what you wanted—a meeting with the most powerful man in Florence.”
“You and I both know that it’s your family who rules the city.”
“Clever,” Saturnino murmured. “You might survive Florence after all.”
Ravenna studied the knight; he hadn’t disagreed with her. It took a brilliant strategist to know one’s place in society, to know where one stood in the hierarchy of influence. Saturnino used his power in dark alleys, behind closed doors, and never in the public eye.
Not like Lorenzo de’ Medici.
She was beginning to understand how the two families worked together. The one had Florence in the palm of their hand, while the other moved in the background, using the cover of darkness for their machinations.
Together, they controlled a city’s fate from within and without.
“I didn’t want any of this,” Ravenna said. “I only wanted to save my brother.”
He dipped his chin, giving her a level glance that reminded her of the way he’d looked at her when he’d first clapped eyes on her. Remote, jaded, skeptical. He hadn’t thought much of her then, much like he didn’t believe her now.
He pivoted neatly, and said, “It’s time for you to work. Come along.”
He walked alongside her, footsteps silent and measured, as they traversed one corridor after another, walking by many rooms, some of the doors left wide open.
One such chamber made her stop.
Saturnino had gone past her, but then he half turned, realizing Ravenna had disappeared inside.
He followed her and watched from the doorway as she gaped at the four walls, the ceiling, at the immense terrestrial globe mounted on a stand in the center of the room.
Taller and wider than Ravenna, and painted in blue, pastel green, a fudgy brown, it spun slowly with the merest brush of her finger.
Names of places she had never known existed swirled across her vision.
Uncharted land. Wildernesses filled with extraordinary creatures.
Unicorns, dragons, chimeras, mermaids. The fae kingdom to the east, one of many situated across the continent, but this one was tucked within the Forest of Shadows, an ancient woodland famed for its wild orchids.
The vampyre caverns to the north, hidden in the belly of the Tre Cime di Lavaredo.
Her gaze snagged on the triple- peak mountain range that seemed to climb to the heavens, disappearing into swirling mist.
Her eyes couldn’t take in the splendor of the room all at once.
Large gilded frames covered the walls, each holding maps of the known and unknown world, trade routes, trade winds, constellations, comets, asteroids.
Earth and sky. Day and night. Wooden cabinets stored rolled-up maps, books, compasses, and astrolabes.
“I love this room,” Ravenna breathed.
“Sala delle Carte Geografiche,” Saturnino said.
“Why couldn’t I sleep in here?”
Saturnino let out an incredulous laugh while gesturing with his hand in a wide sweep. “Where, exactly? On that table? The desk?”
Ravenna smiled ruefully. The furniture appeared sturdy, with many drawers storing who knew what.
Only good manners kept her from pulling at the latches.
That was not to say that she wouldn’t come back later without Saturnino.
An armchair sat in the corner of the chamber, and the black cat was settled onto its plush cushion.
Her head lifted, slitted yellow gaze fixing on Saturnino.
She leaped off the chair and went directly to him, her tail high and swishing.
The cat purred against his legs, and Saturnino studied her with a mixture of resignation and exasperation.
“You’re a stubborn creature,” he said in a scolding tone. “I have nothing to give you.”
“She’s your little shadow,” Ravenna said, delighted. She walked over to the cat, looked down at her and smiled. “Ombretta.”
Saturnino shot a look to her, pained. “No.”
Ravenna kneeled and scratched behind her ears. Ombretta purred, but the feline’s attention remained on the one person who refused to give her any at all. After a minute of petting, the cat deigned to notice Ravenna with an arched look.
Ravenna straightened. “I’ve always loved cats. Such solitary creatures, with an air of playful mischief.”
“Like you,” Saturnino murmured.
She glanced at him.
Her breath refused to drift past her lips, caught in a knot between her ribs.
He returned her stare, his dark eyes steady on hers.
A strange feeling rose in her, as if a gossamer link stretched between them, tentative and fragile.
If she moved at all, it would disappear like mist caught in a sunbeam.
Ravenna deliberately turned away from him. Her attention returned to the massive globe; an odd knot of yearning curled tight in her chest. She held herself from him until her guard was a solid wall around her, impenetrable by the soft murmur of his voice.
“Your brother had the right of it. I’ve never been anywhere.” Ravenna’s hand hovered over the large expanse of ocean that stretched across the globe. “I’ve always wanted to see a mermaid.”
“Bloodthirsty creatures.”
She turned to look at him in surprise. “You’ve seen one?”
Saturnino gave a small shudder. “Once.”
“Are you…” Ravenna couldn’t keep the disbelief out of her tone. “Are you afraid of them?”
He hesitated. “I’m afraid of water and all of her secrets.”
Ravenna stilled, caught by his vulnerable admission. And then, because he’d been honest with her, she offered, “I’ve always gone to water for comfort.”
He waited for more, and her brows rose at his apparent interest. She gave in to his silent question.
“There’s a lake by the inn where I love to swim.
I’m often alone, and it’s quiet. I can hear myself think; it’s the only time I have to myself in between the needs of my family and guests, the constant roar of my siblings, and the demands of the day.
” She dropped her palm on the wooden surface of the globe.
Her voice turned wistful. “I’ve always wanted to travel by ship. ”
Saturnino leaned a shoulder against the doorframe, a contemplative expression creeping across his handsome face.
While he wasn’t built like his younger brother, there was a sleek strength to him.
Arms sculpted, lean build. He was staring back at her with an intense focus, as if he wanted to understand her mood, the expression on her face, the wonder in her voice.
“I suppose you’ve been to many of these places?” Ravenna asked.
“Not everywhere,” he replied.
“But you’ve walked these roads,” Ravenna said, pointing to the map displaying the city-states of Florence, Venice, Rome.
“Some.” He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I’ve always liked roads, and where they might lead.”
“Roads?” He sounded reluctantly intrigued. “You’re an odd creature, Ravenna.”
She nodded to herself, almost absently. He’d been alive for far longer than she, and while she didn’t envy his eternal existence, it had given him time to travel the world slowly. To see everything twice, if he wanted.
“What are you thinking?”
“Nothing of import.”
“Tell me.”
She rolled her eyes as she drifted to the doorjamb. She leaned against it, palms tucked behind her and against the frame, and regarded him in exasperated amusement. “Has anyone ever told you no before?”
“They’ve tried to,” Saturnino said. He dropped his voice to a coaxing whisper. “I’d like to know, please.”
The energy between them shifted. He gazed down at her intently, curious.
No woman with a heartbeat could remain unaffected by his marked interest, even if it was all a game.
The room faded into a hazy background. Gone were the maps, the enormous globe, the wood beneath her fingers. Gone was his connection to the Medici.
“Ravenna,” he said softly. “Tell me.”
His voice was casual, maybe deceptively so. He had lulled her into a sense of cozy security. It was just the two of them, and no one else mattered but her and her answer.
“I was wondering what would have happened if I’d gone with my aunt to Florence or to Milan.”
Saturnino waited. She was struck again by his patience, by his restraint, his refusal to rush her answer even though he wanted to hear it.
“She wanted to take me to the coast where the marble is quarried, she wanted to introduce me to other sculptors, better teachers than she.” She shook her head.
“But I stayed behind, and I never regretted it. Until now.” She gestured to the globe.
“Looking at this, at this room, I’ve suddenly realized how big the world is and how little I know of it. ”
“You aren’t missing anything,” Saturnino said flatly. “Everywhere is the same.”
“How can you say that?” Ravenna asked, bewildered. “You have proof on the walls that that isn’t true.”