* * *
Kat listened to the singing coming out of Barducci’s. The place was less crowded than usual. Times were hard in Venice . . . although right now the Casa Montescue were having a run of unprecedented luck. The coaster they used for transfers of gray merchandise coming in from the east hadn’t had any cargos of stuff out of Ascalon for a while. But its every-second-day run to Trieste was turning in a real profit, for the first time ever. And the little caique was one of the few ships they still owned outright. Covertly, it was true. And Captain Della Tomasso was as crooked as a dog’s hind leg and ran various dubious operations. But right now his legal cargoes, which belonged to the Montescue and were just supposed to break even, were making a small fortune.
For the first time in nearly two months, the caique Margerita had met a galliot that had made it through the blockade. Kat had a parcel from Ascalon to collect. Delivery to run. She had it easier than the galliot captain, however. He would turn in a fat profit, true—but he was also having to face an interview with the Council of Ten tonight . . . and the address to the Grand Council tomorrow. All Venice wanted to know what was happening. It was a hard summer for trade for most people.
Captain Della Tomasso had news that he couldn’t pass on to most folk. And for once he was dying to talk. “The Dalmatian pirates, a fleet from Ancona, and Genoan fleet are in the gulf. No sign of the galleys from the Golden Horn or the western fleet.”
Three years ago, Papa had parted with the western fleet at Bruges. Even hearing it mentioned brought a pang to Kat. “The city’s not safe at night. Keep your crew aboard if you can. There was another magical murder yesterday and the factions are blaming each other. There’ll be knife-fights tonight.”
Della Tomasso was a bad man, who ran a smelly evil-crewed little ship. Kat met him on dark nights off Guidecca. He never showed the slightest concern for anything except money. She realized he was tense too, with the first inquiry he’d ever made—in two years of collections. “You going to be all right, Kat?”
“Yeah. I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’ll stay on the lagoon, not go through town, and deliver in the early morning. When do you sail?”
“I’m running some messages. As soon as they arrive . . .” He snorted. “For the churchmen, would you believe it?”
Kat chuckled. “Doubtless the Metropolitan came to you personally.”
“Nah. This German bunch. There’s a lot more of them sitting in Trieste.” Della Tomasso looked vaguely alarmed. “I never said that.”
“Who am I going to tell, Captain?” asked Kat dryly. “Anyway, the wind’s getting up. I’d better go.”
Della Tomasso nodded. “Stiff land breeze coming. Maybe a storm, later.”
The row up the Guidecca canal against the wind was a stiff one. After a while, Kat decided that even the risks of rowing quietly through town were worth it. It would cut her distance in half and avoid rowing against the wind. There was definitely a storm coming.
* * *
Benito walked out of Barducci’s. The place had been thin on company, and full of uneasy knots of people. Even the music that Valentina and Claudia chose tonight had been careful. Things were just too explosive in town. Rumors were circulating that a small galliot had arrived from down-gulf, bringing news of the blockading fleets. Rumor had everyone from the King of Sicily to the Ilkhan intervening.
“We should side with Milan.” “We must call on Rome.” “A pact with Emeric of Hungary.” Ha. According to what Benito had been able to pick up at Casa Dorma, the Case Vecchie were in the same confused state. And the Doge wasn’t doing a coherent job of leading.
Benito shimmied up an ornamental pillar, grabbed a cornice and headed for the rooftops. The streets weren’t safe tonight; and why take a gondola, when he was short of exercise and liked the view from up here anyway? Mind you, it wouldn’t be pleasant up here for too long. The wind was starting to blow.