Chapter 33: A Farewell Worth Blushing For

Vito had commandeered a simple building near the fondaco site, with none of the gold thread and dignity. It had bare plaster, a cot, and a washbasin that had apparently been abandoned to its fate sometime that morning.

Vito found it perfectly suitable. A man preparing for trouble did not need a palace, only a door that shut and enough room to put his boots on.

There were two local girls to help him with the armor, which was just as well.

One of them, Marouda, knelt at his waist and pulled the laces of the padded layer tight beneath the mail that hanged from his shoulders. Her sister, Kali, worked the hauberk down over his raised arms, taking care not to catch his skin in the rings.

Both girls looked nineteen or twenty at most, pretty in the particular way the households in the city seemed determined to be, and nervous as rabbits about having a patrician this close to their hands.

Vito kept his voice low and warm, "At this rate, I’ll start telling people I was dressed by a princess. Though if you tell my tailor in Venezia, he’ll never forgive me."

Marouda’s cheeks went pink, and she bent rather suddenly over the buckle as though it had become the most complicated piece of armor in the room.

Vito let her be. The smile at the corner of her lips was quite enough.

Meanwhile, Kali fumbled the lace at his hip, having become rather too aware of what had just happened to her sister.

"Easy, bella. Pull it through first, then tighten it. There you are."

Kali followed his instruction, the knot coming neatly together beneath her fingers. The flush had already begun to creep up her neck, and Vito very politely pretended not to notice.

Before he could tease them again, the door slammed back hard enough to send a cloak swinging off its hook. Caterina came through first, with Zaccaria a step behind her.

Both were out of breath, though Caterina’s had more alarm in it than she would have admitted under torture.

She stopped just short of him, furious. "Tell me, Vitale, what possessed you to start behaving like a reckless fool? Was it boredom? Stupidity? Or did the good Lord simply decide I hadn’t suffered enough this week? Cristo, you’re impossible."

Zaccaria only clicked his tongue, "Barozzi, we’re at war with the Church already? I gave it a month before you managed that, cazzo. Now you’ve cost me my wager."

"Only a small war." Vito grinned at them both. "Very contained, mostly courteous."

He walked to the next room with one shoulder of mail hanging loose and pulled the chart from the wall so it faced the others. Marouda and Kali came after him, still busy with buckles and straps while the conversation marched on around them.

"There are six townships that might turn ugly if we leave them alone."

He tapped the ink circles one after another. "The little conspiracy of the archbishop’s has friends in every one of them, and none knows their patron has been invited into retirement yet. So we move now, while the news is still ours to keep."

Zaccaria leaned over the chart, squinting at the scattered names. "All right, Barozzi. How many men are you planning to throw at this little adventure, and how quickly do you want them there?"

"Split them into three squads, twenty men apiece. We can cover them by the morrow."

Kali finished the strap at his side without a word, small and steady while the rest of them made enough noise for three rooms.

"Zaccaria, you take the coast. Gazi first, then Rogdia."

Vito’s finger traveled across the chart as he told him the orders.

"Back before my supper goes cold, then." Zaccaria nodded with ease.

"Send word for Pellegrino to take the south. Archanes and Episkopi."

Vito’s finger came to a name near the middle of the chart, and the grin that spread across his face had very little to do with military necessity. "Knossos is mine. The old palace ruins, the maze, the bull-headed nightmare somewhere in the middle of it. I’ve wanted to see the place with my own eyes since I was old enough to read about it."

He tapped the name beside it.

"Peza too, while I’m out that way."

Caterina’s voice had found its bite again, the worry tucked safely beneath the sharpness. "And I suppose I’ll stay here and keep the city from falling apart while you lot go galloping across the countryside. One ought to make sure there’s still a home port waiting when you return."

Her lips twisted into a reluctant smile. "If only that made my job easier."

Vito winked to her. "What would I do without you?"

The armor went on quickly after that.

Kali held the sword belt out across both palms, but Vito took it from her and buckled it himself, saving her the awkward business of fastening the clasp. Then he threw the wine-dark mantle over one shoulder.

The Lion of Saint Mark caught the last bit of daylight coming through the shutters and flashed once.

By then, Zaccaria was already on his way out. "Try not to improvise anything tonight, Barozzi. The last brilliant idea of yours nearly got you killed on the walls of Constantinople."

Then he went down the stairs, his boots hammering away into the distance.

Vito followed, one step behind him, and made it to the doorway.

Caterina caught his sleeve.

She caught it hard enough to stop him, which was impressive considering there was not much sleeve to work with.

"You are not permitted to get yourself killed over a village I have never even heard of, Vitale."

The words came out sharp and urgent, concern dressed up as some command.

"Do you understand me?"

Vito was far too pleased with it to take offense at it. "Perfectly, mia cara. If I must die, I’ll make an effort to find somewhere more famous."

He kissed the top of her head before she could answer, quick as a thief and just as unapologetic.

Caterina went red, like a fresh tomato.

For once, she had no reply ready. No clever insult, sharp little answer, nothing at all.

She recovered quickly enough, however, and shoved him toward the door with one flustered hand.

"Go. Before I change my mind."

"Tomorrow at the earliest!" Vito called back, laughing as he went.

He paused for one breath in the open doorway.

The yard beyond was already roaring with activity, the soldiers finding their horses in the dark, saddles creaking, hooves striking stone.

And for that one breath, beneath all the noise, the whole business seemed almost simple.

⚔ [QUEST ISSUED]

Under the Cretan Moon

The men waiting for word from the archbishop have no idea their correspondence had changed hands, and this little advantage was bound to vanish by dawn.

Reach every name on the list before the countryside realizes its cathedral have gone silent, or watch a small problem turn into a very thunderous one, spread across an island the Republic has no spare army to pacify twice.

Reward : 140 Fate

Reward : ???

Now look at you. I’ll admit it, watching the scope of your ambitions grow by the hour has become the most dependable entertainment in this entire experiment.

"Ma va’." Vito grinned into the dark and headed for the yard. "Let’s see how deep this hole goes."

He swung into the saddle, and the retinue rode out around him into the night.

===

Author’s Note

How’s it goin’, lads. Pinaria’s speakin’.

We are soon to be contracted! It might take a few days to confirm the specifics, but there’s already the confirmation.

With that, we will be at full steam forward for volume two! I’ll drop a mass release of Chapters as soon as it is officialized!

I really appreciate everyone’s support so far. Simply just by reading and being interested in the story already means a lot for me.

Of course, if you lads allow me to be shameless and fancy making my day a wee bit better, any gifts, golden tickets and power stones or a review helps me a ton!

Now onto more Vito’ adventures. Crete has no love for a foreign republic, and he will have to work and toil to get their loyalty and trust!

Och lads, see y’all in the following Chapters.