Tallow (31 page)

Linking her arm through her father's, they strolled back to the canal, talking in low voices, unaware of the leather-garbed Riders watching them from the rooftops.

MY CHEST WAS ON FIRE.
My throat was dry. Behind me, I could hear the babble of excited voices. As I ran through calles and rami, tore across the campo, I could hear them calling. 'It's the candlemaker's apprentice. Stop him!'

Yet again, I was running away. I'd left myself with no choice. I'd started this; now I had to keep going. But I'd have to stop sometime, and then what would these people do to me?

A burst of energy spurred by fear put extra distance between me and the trailing masses. I ran across the bridge that spanned the canal dividing the Chandlers and Candlemakers Quartieri and dashed down a sottoportegho, relishing the brief shade it provided. I raced across another campo, aware that everyone was staring at me. Patrons had emerged from the taverna. Signor di Torello's voice rose above the throng. 'Tallow? Where are you going? Why do you run so?'

I was back in my old territory.

Back home.

I knew then where I had to go – where I would be safe. I would go to Pillar.

I left the exposure of the campo and dashed down the salizzada. Before I knew it, I'd negotiated the labyrinthine calles and rami and was running along the fondamenta to my old home. The shop was shut, but I pounded on the door anyway.

'Pillar, it's me!' I cried. 'Let me in, oh God,
please,
let me in!'

There was no answer.

'Pillar!' I screamed. I ran to the adjacent workshop door, slamming my fist into the wood. I was desperate now.

I could hear them coming. A crowd of about fifty rounded the corner and spilled onto the fondamenta. On spotting me, a cheer rose – whether in celebration or as a prequel to battle, I couldn't tell.

I didn't wait. I couldn't afford to. Not even my beloved rooftop would afford me protection. The mob would simply follow and I'd be trapped.

With no option, I took off again, heading for the bridge at the other end of the fondamenta. Perhaps once I crossed into the Tanners Quartiere, I'd lose them.

I struck out over the bridge, my head down, my arms and legs pumping. The shouts behind me became louder, fiercer. Doors had opened and people were pointing and crying out, adding their words to those already filling the air.

A dark shadow carved the sunlight in two and I was no longer the bridge's only occupant. I looked up and what I saw made me freeze in my tracks. Someone was at the other end, waiting.

I wiped sweat out of my eyes and stared in disbelief.

'Katina?' I gasped. 'Is that you?' My heart was beating so hard, I was certain it would bruise my ribs.

The bridge shook as my pursuers began to cross. I spun around. They slowed to gather in a huddle in the middle of the bridge, shuffling and pushing, murmuring among themselves, waiting for someone to take the lead.

Breathing heavily, they stared at me and I at them. We all waited to see what the other would do next.

I didn't know what to do, but I knew who would. I spun to face Katina.

But she'd gone. Vanished. I couldn't believe it. I gave a small whimper and wiped my face again. Were my eyes playing cruel tricks? Offering me hope where there was none? My legs wouldn't move. I knew fate had finally caught up with me.

I turned back to face the crowd. Someone was moving swiftly through them, jostling to get the front.

Cane and Dante exploded out of the throng. 'Tallow!' shouted Dante. My heart soared. Cane began barking and ran towards me, dragging Dante behind him at the end of a crude leash.

For a moment I hesitated. Should I run to Dante and show how happy I was to see him – that he cared enough to own me as a friend? Or would my obvious allegiance place him and his family in danger? Should I turn and flee instead? I was still trying to make up my mind when someone else emerged from the mob.

'Tallow?'

Standing there, dishevelled and alone, was Pillar.

Dante swung around at the sound of the voice. Cane barked even more loudly, straining in an effort to reach Pillar.

'Pillar,' I whispered. He looked terrible. His clothes hung on him in rags and his face was hollow, covered with a grey beard.

'You came back!' He began to stagger towards me, his arms outstretched.

Just then, a noise behind me made me glance over my shoulder. I fully expected to see the constabulary – or worse, soldiers.

What I saw made my blood turn to ice.

Mounting the steps on the other side of the bridge was a huge chestnut horse. On its back sat a tall, well-built rider wearing a dragon mask.

I couldn't move. The horse leapt over the last step and bore down on me, its hooves thundering over the stone. The sound was shocking. Horses never rode through our quartiere. They just didn't.

The crowd at the other end of the bridge screamed and broke away, trampling each other to get off the bridge. In their panic, I was momentarily forgotten.

I screwed up my eyes and waited for the blow, hoping it would be over quickly, when the rider leant down and, in one smooth action, grabbed my arm and hauled me up onto the saddle.

I fought, kicking and punching, but it was no good. I was clamped soundly to the rider's chest. Ahead, I could see people running in all directions, wailing in terror. Pillar flung himself against the sides of the bridge to avoid being crushed. But closer still, I could see Dante standing directly in the path of the horse.

Cane barked furiously.

'Dante!' I screamed. 'Look out!'

I waited for the rider to pull in the reins, to swing past them as he had me. But he didn't. Instead, he rode straight for Cane and Dante. Without hesitating, the horse bore over them. Cane yelped and Dante shouted before both were silenced by the sickening sound of crunching bones.

I shouted and struggled harder. I had to get away – to Dante, to Cane. They were hurt. They needed me.

But the rider held me. Using all my strength, I bit down on the exposed bit of skin that gripped the reins. I ground my teeth into his hand and felt my mouth fill with blood. I tore the flesh away and spat. The rider cried out and loosened his hold. It was all I needed. I flung myself sideways, forcing him to release me. I hurtled through the air and slammed into the stones. I rolled for a moment, the wind knocked out of me. My left arm hung uselessly. But I didn't care. I rose to my feet unsteadily and staggered back along the bridge. I was dimly aware that the rider had halted his horse. He watched me.

As I came closer to where Cane and Dante lay sprawled on the bridge, my heart seized. A chill coursed through my body, as if winter had entered my bones. Blackness threatened to overwhelm me, but I pushed it all away.

'No, no,' I moaned as I reached Cane. I dropped to my knees before him. Using my functioning arm, I pulled his broken, lifeless body into my lap. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and his ear caressed my own. His brown eyes wore a dull, opaque film. His blood soaked my shirt, but I didn't care. 'Oh, Cane, Cane. My beautiful boy.' Tears stung my eyes; my chest filled with rage and sorrow. Then I looked over the top of his soft, umber head and saw Dante.

I lay Cane down gently and crawled along the bridge towards my dear friend.

Dante's eyes were closed. Apart from the blood that flowed from his nose and mouth, he looked asleep. But I could see from the pallor of his cheeks and the blue that tinged his eyes and lips that his injuries were dire.

'Dante?' I lifted his head onto my knees. He groaned and his eyes fluttered open. 'Dante?' I repeated, stroking his cheeks, feeling him back to life.

'Tallow?' he said, ever so softly. He began to smile. His teeth were red with blood. 'I found you.'

I couldn't help it. I began to cry. 'Yes, yes you did.' I took a deep breath, ignoring the fire that ignited in my side, and tried to pull myself together. 'Dante, I have to help you.' I became aware that the crowd was cautiously mounting the steps towards us, curiosity overcoming their fear. The enigmatic horseman waited on the fondamenta, his mount dancing skittishly on the spot.

'No, Tallow.' Dante lifted a hand to my cheek and rested his cooling palm against my hot face. I leaned into him. 'There's nothing you can do, my friend, nothing.'

'You're wrong,' I said, and leaned over to press my cheek against his. My lips were close to his ear as I whispered, 'I can help you, like I did Cane.'

'No,' said Dante. His eyes were rolling back in his head. 'If you do, they will know what you really are. Your life will be forfeit.'

'I don't care,' I said. My tears ran tracks through the blood on his face.

'But I do,' he said. His eyelids began to flutter. 'May God forgive me, but I love you, Tallow. My little dorato.' His breath came in short, sharp gasps. 'Some ... some may say ... that what ... I ... f– feel is wrong. It's not. Not this. I ... want you to know I ... love you ... now and ... for eternity.'

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to scream, fight the injustice of the whole damn world.

'Oh, Dante. I love you.' I pressed my lips against his. I could just feel the tip of his tongue inside my mouth. I lifted his hand, all grazed and bloodied, and pressed it against my body. 'I love you, too.' With our lips joined, my words flew into his mouth.

As I clutched his hand to my chest, I forced his fingers apart. I saw his eyes widen and a frown crease his forehead as he felt the natural swelling that I'd tried so hard to hide. His broken fingers cupped my breasts. 'Tallow?' My name came out as one long gurgling breath. Blood flowed freely over his teeth and lips. I held him tight, showering kisses on his face. I could taste his blood in my mouth. I was his pledge stone, he was my Bond Rider. 'I love you, I love you.' The words were my mantra against the inevitable.

He gave a violent shudder. Blood gushed from his mouth in one final exhalation. Then he lay still. I gripped him tighter, sealed his lips with mine, willing him back to life. But it was no good.

'No!' I screamed. 'You can't leave me! Don't you
dare,
Dante. Come back!' I sat back on my knees, his head heavy in my lap. My hand ran lightly over his features, pulling gently at the lips that moments before had uttered words I'd never thought to hear. This wasn't happening. 'Dante,' I whispered.

A quick clatter was all that alerted me.

The rider had finally urged his mount forward and, as I held Dante, he careered towards me, leaning low in the saddle.

I wavered for just a second. I didn't want to leave Dante. He'd given his life for mine. But that same inner voice that had first told me to run now told me
leap.

I clambered over the edge of the bridge, clawing my way over the stone railing with my good arm, and launched myself into the canal.

I heard the gasp of the mob and the angry shout of the rider before water closed over me and I knew no more.

'HE MISSED,' SAID KATINA, HANDING
over the spyglass to her companion. 'I can't believe it. He has her in his grasp, then the idiot goes and drops her. And now she eludes him again.' Katina was glad that her voice did not betray the fear that had claimed her when Tallow had hurled herself into the water.

'What did you expect?' asked the tall, blond Bond Rider, squinting to better see the events unfolding on the bridge. 'Give a mission like that to a newcomer and it's bound to fail.'

'Get off my back, Stefano,' snapped Katina. 'It wasn't my idea and you know it.'

Katina's mind was racing. On the one hand she was glad their mission to kidnap Tallow had suffered a setback, while on the other she was anxious for the girl. She had to find her, protect her. But not the way the Council demanded– not by forcing her to come with them.

She'd followed orders to observe Tallow before approaching her. The mess she'd found had dismayed her – not only from the disease that had destroyed so many Serenissian lives, but in Tallow's life itself. Nothing was as she'd left it.

Stefano grinned at her. 'Your idea didn't work either, did it? Tracking her, waiting for the right time to reconnect. All we did was arouse curiosity – at least the horse stopped the mob charging her. This ...' He gestured to the crowd on the bridge. 'This mess is as much our fault as anyone's. Perhaps the Elders should have listened to you after all. Turns out, there was no
right
time.'

Katina glared at him and then, leaping to her feet, ran nimbly over the roof tiles, parallel to the canal. There was still no sign of Tallow. Katina felt sick. 'Come on!' she ordered. 'If we're to have anything to report, we're going to have to see if she surfaces.'

'Shall we take her?'

'Only if we can,' Katina was torn.
Oh Tallow, be safe,
she thought.
But stay out of sight. I need to think. I need to get this right
–
for all our sakes.
'We're not supposed to be seen, remember?'

Stefano grimaced. 'Then what was Santo doing?'

'What he's always done ever since he joined us – indulging in spectacle.' Katina longed to confront the Rider, and not only for this morning's disaster.

Katina and Stefano jumped from rooftop to rooftop, running over the shingles, sliding down drains, making their way to the street. Away from the commotion on the bridge, they finally rejoined the canal, leaping onto the fondamenta and linking arms like lovers out for an afternoon stroll.

'Follow the current,' murmured Katina, her calm voice belying her angst. 'She's bound to surface somewhere along here.' Her eyes scanned the waterways. Apart from a gondola in the distance, she could see no sign of boats or bodies.
Come on, Tallow,
she thought.
Don't let all this have been for nothing. We can do this. Don't die on me now.

'Could she swim?'

Katina shrugged, pretending indifference. 'I don't know. Perhaps.'
Beloved gods, protect her,
she chanted to herself.

'What about what happened on the bridge? The young man? Do you think he's dead?'

Katina looked at him blankly. 'You mean the chandler's apprentice? I would think so, wouldn't you? The steel shoes on our horses' hooves don't miss much. They're not supposed to. At least Santo didn't fail us there.'

Katina wondered about this young man with whom Tallow had formed such a close relationship. A little flame of jealousy flickered. Why the Council had demanded his death, she had no idea. At least that part of their mission had succeeded. But the look on Tallow's face, her despair, the fact she'd flung herself into the canal rather than be taken – this young man was clearly someone for whom Tallow cared deeply. Katina frowned. What was going on? How had so much happened in so short a time? She caught herself. But it wasn't a short time; she'd been gone for months and everything, everyone, had changed – including herself.

An idea began to take shape in her mind. Perhaps she could yet salvage this mess. But she would have to be quick and discreet – it was an enormous risk, and her life and Tallow's depended on it.

'No,' drawled Stefano. 'When all is said and done, Elder Dandolo will be pleased.'

Katina glanced at her companion. He mustn't know what she was thinking. 'Quit the sarcasm. I'm in trouble and I know it. This mission has been one huge bungle from beginning to end. But before you go and get too cocky about it, Stefano, remember you've contributed to the failure, too. You're part of this feeble effort.' She punctuated every word with a jab in his chest. 'Now, shut up and help me find the Estrattore. If she's alive, we need to find out where she is. If she's not, then we'd better think of where it's safe for us to hide in the Limen.'

'From the Elders?' said Stefano. 'Nowhere.'

'Exactly,' said Katina. 'So you'd better pray she's alive, hadn't you?' She stared at him for a moment. 'Let's get on with it. We have to meet Santo, Debora and Alessandro at the pledge stone by sundown.' She shaded her eyes with her hand and glanced at the sky. 'By my reckoning, we have two hours.' She stormed off, scanning the banks carefully, her cloak flying out behind her.

Stefano watched her, resentment brewing in him. The smart-arsed bitch was right. They had to find the Estrattore.

For, as the Elders continually reminded them, the Bond Riders' very existence depended on her.