City of Swords (19 page)

She had no idea how attractive her reluctance to talk had made her to her friend’s twin.

‘Would you say your parents had high expectations of you?’

Focus
, thought Laura.
This woman must think I’m on another planet.

Then she smiled – because she almost had been, thinking about Talia.

‘Why does that amuse you?’ asked Ms Jewell, the therapist.

‘Sorry,’ said Laura. ‘I was thinking of something else. No, I don’t think so. I mean they want me to do well but so do I.’

‘You told the doctor in the hospital that you cut yourself when you felt pressure building up. Can you tell me a bit more about that?’

Laura realised that Ms Jewell might have been quite helpful if she had started seeing her months earlier. As it was, it felt as if they were both talking about someone who no longer existed. She described how she had used to feel before Talia and how cutting had helped. But the episode that had ended with her trip to hospital already seemed years ago. Going back to Fortezza and seeing everyone armed had taken her a long way from her own problems. Even the great and unsolvable heartache about Ludo no longer seemed like something that could be made to go away by hurting her body. And nor could anything else.

Maestro!
said Fabio when he saw Rodolfo in the mirror.
Where are you?

Just outside the city wall
, thought-spoke Rodolfo.
Luciano is with me. What is happening in the city?

Nothing. I have explained to Laura about getting into the castle. She is going to try on her next stravagation, tomorrow.

Is there anywhere safe we can lodge outside the walls?

No
, came the answer very quickly.
You must find a way through Ludo’s soldiers before the army gets here
.

We can do that. We have seen the army.

How many men?

More than ten thousand.

Dia! May she save us all.

The guard on the main gate didn’t stand a chance. Even though Rodolfo had no idea what the Ludo faction wore by way of colours or distinctive armour, he persuaded the man to let him and Luciano through ‘with an urgent message for the General’.

You and your Jedi mind-tricks
, thought Luciano as they found themselves on the inside of the massive fortifications.

Rodolfo misinterpreted his smile. ‘It’s a fine city, isn’t it?’

Luciano had not visited it before and was impressed by the wide streets and the noble buildings. In the centre was the cathedral, which could be viewed from many of the side roads. It was a surprising marble confection of twisted columns and architectural fantasies.

The Street of the Swordsmiths was one of those side roads and Rodolfo led the horses to it unerringly.

‘You seem to know it well,’ said Luciano.

‘I have spent time here,’ said the older Stravagante. ‘I have travelled to all the city-states in Talia, in order to meet other members of the Brotherhood.’

It was lucky for them that Fabio was still in his workshop. He opened the door to them and led them to where they could stable their horses, then showed them by candlelight to a room above the shop where they could sleep. The three Stravaganti picnicked on food from the saddlebags and a strong red wine that Fabio had brought.

‘When do you think they’ll get here?’ he asked the Bellezzans. There was no need to say who ‘they’ were.

‘By tomorrow, I should think,’ said Rodolfo.

‘Then we must hope the girl from the future will get inside the castle tomorrow too.’

^*

It hadn’t been easy. Laura had tried hard to get to sleep holding the little sword and concentrating on the parlour where she had met Lucia and Guido what seemed like years ago. The more she tried not to think of it, the more an image of Fabio’s workshop floated into her mind and she didn’t feel at all sleepy.

Isabel was watching over her and was wide awake too.

‘Would it help if you described the room to me?’

Laura thought hard. ‘It was a bit like a stately home, only without the ropes cordoning bits off and the signs on the chairs saying, “Don’t Sit Here”,’ she said eventually. ‘It was a room big enough to be really grand in our world but the footman called it the “small
salone
” or something like that.’

‘What would all those people we’ve met in Talia say if they could see our houses?’ said Isabel.

‘I don’t know. We should ask Nick,’ said Laura. ‘Anyway, although it’s quite a big room compared with this, it’s one of the smaller ones in the castle. It’s got pale blue sort of brocade-y wallpaper and little chairs to match. There was a bunch of chairs up at one end and a thing like a sofa with one arm.’

‘A chaise longue?’

‘God, I should know that – I’m the one doing French. Anyway, yes, a chaise longue or whatever that would be in Talian. And there was a . . . I can’t describe it . . . a sort of sewing box on legs with a . . . bag made of blue silk hanging underneath it.’

‘Sounds like a cow’s udder,’ said Isabel.

And while Laura was still giggling about the piece of furniture with udders, she woke up and saw it.

She was lying on the chaise longue, in her Talian dress, in the small
salone
of the castle. The room was empty.

I’m here
, she thought.
I’ve done it! Now what?

The door opened and a servant came in with a tray. She screamed and dropped it when she saw Laura. The delicious smell of hot chocolate rose from the carpet. A footman rushed in shouting to raise the alarm: ‘The intruder has a weapon!’

Laura stuck the knife in her belt, aware of how much trouble she would be in if it was taken from her. She walked towards the panicking servants with her hands held up palms outward in the universal ‘I come in peace’ gesture.

But things might have gone badly wrong if it hadn’t been Guido who ran into the room next.

^*

‘It looks a bit different from the last time we saw it,’ said Gaetano.

The di Chimici army was bivouacking in front of the walls of Fortezza. Thousands of men were moving efficiently, unpacking weapons and tents, feeding and watering horses, making cooking fires. Another whole city was springing up outside the City of Swords.

‘When we left, we thought it was all settled that Lucia was Fortezza’s ruler,’ said Fabrizio. ‘Now look at it! A city taken over by a ragtag army of rebels.’

‘There has never been a siege like this one, has there?’ said Gaetano.

‘What do you mean?’ asked his brother.

‘Well, usually the besiegers are trying to take the city for themselves, aren’t they?’

‘We
are
taking it for ourselves,’ said Fabrizio. ‘For our family anyway. Lucia is the rightful ruler of Fortezza, and we’re not leaving here until that upstart is well and truly beaten.’

‘What will you do if Ludo is taken alive?’

‘What do you think?’ said Fabrizio. ‘He has to be eliminated. There can be no further question of a challenge to her right.’

‘I see. So where do we go from here?’

‘We get General Tasca to meet us in my tent as soon as it has been set up.’

^*

‘Laura!’ said Guido. ‘Thank goodness! I thought we’d never see you again.’ He turned to the group of guards that had followed him in. ‘It’s all right. This is a friend. Take a good look at her. She is always welcome.’

‘Guido!’ said Laura. She was shaking at her narrow escape. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t let you know I was coming. We didn’t know if it would work.’

‘Stay here,’ he said, guiding her back to a chair. ‘I’ll get Lucia.’

He ordered the servants to bring refreshments and Laura groaned inwardly. It would be more wine, tooth-achingly sharp red or sweet white with tiny pastries. She felt like licking the spilled chocolate off the carpet.

Princess Lucia came running in looking flushed and pretty, and Laura saw she had abandoned her black mourning dress for one of vivid red and purple stripes. With her red hair all dishevelled she looked like a burning brand.

‘I couldn’t believe it when Guido told me,’ she said, taking Laura’s hands in hers. ‘How did you get in? No, don’t tell me. It is part of that magic I don’t understand. But I am very pleased to see you. Do you bring us news?’

To Laura’s delight, the little maid who had dropped the tray came in with another one, laden with pots of hot milk and melted chocolate and plates of something that smelt like croissants but was round like a bun.

It’s breakfast
, Laura thought.
In the middle of the night for me
.

Soon she was taking breakfast with Guido and Princess Lucia as if they were old friends.

‘What is going on in the city?’ asked the Princess as Laura licked crumbs from her fingers. ‘We can get so little information, shut up inside here.’

‘Well, I’ve only just got back,’ said Laura. ‘I couldn’t come here for over a week. But the city is full of armed men and Fabio is working overtime to make weapons for . . . you know . . . Ludo’s army. But he wants me to teach you how to use a mirror to get in touch with him and the other Stravaganti. Some of them are coming here, you know.’

‘A mirror?’ asked Lucia.

‘I have seen them do it,’ said Guido, ‘but those of us not in the Brotherhood can’t set it up for ourselves. We need Laura to do it.’

‘Quickly then.’ Lucia rang a bell on a long satin rope and a maid came. ‘Bring me the hand looking-glass from my chamber,’ she ordered.

Laura noticed she didn’t say ‘please’.
I suppose you just don’t to servants
, she thought. And thought how glad she was not to be a princess.

It was hard enough being a Stravagante. Fabio had given her instructions about the mirror, but he had got them from Rodolfo and when the glass came Laura had the strangest feeling that she was like the photocopy of a photocopy of an instruction manual.

She put her hands on the glass and closed her eyes, concentrating hard and trying to remember everything she had been told. Guido and Lucia were both looking over her shoulder and she tried to ignore their breathing.

But a small gasp made her eyes open and there in the mirror was the face of her Stravagante.

Fabio!
she thought-spoke.
I am in the castle with Guido Parola and the Princess
.

That’s wonderful
, he replied.
You are in the nick of time. Please tell them the army has arrived
.

Chapter 12

Siege

It was Ciampi who alerted Ludo to the arrival of the di Chimici forces. The Manoush was soon out on the wall looking down at the impromptu city-building going on so near Fortezza that he could see each individual going about his business as if under a magnifying glass.