lean Luciano, his left arm bloody, stepped forward out of the shadows. “Petro Dorma?”
Petro nodded. “Marina. You’re the one who disappeared, and then came back claiming he’d been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”
Luciano smiled slightly. “You would know, Signor di Notte.”
Petro’s eyes narrowed. “I would also know that you are under suspicion of being a Strega mage, accused by Bishop Capuletti.”
“He was quite right, for once,” said Luciano calmly. “And given certain guarantees from you, I will give you your five minutes to question Aleri.”
“You admit this?” Petro looked at Luciano with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. “Most of the ‘Strega’ who used to have booths down on the Calle Farnese have proved to be fakes.”
Luciano shrugged. “Yes, I am a real mage. A master, in fact. It is not—yet—a crime not to be a Christian here in Venice, you know. We practice secrecy because the threat of persecution here is very real, not because we have any evil to hide.”
Petro nodded. “True, it is not a crime here in Venice . . . yet. But practicing black magic is. And at least part of the Church defines all magic which is not their own as that.”
Luciano took a deep breath. “Yes. But Rome, to its credit, takes a more liberal attitude than the Pauline fanatics from the North do. And I would not be admitting this to you, if I was guilty
Petro nodded. “Marina. You’re the one who disappeared, and then came back claiming he’d been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.”
Luciano smiled slightly. “You would know, Signor di Notte.”
Petro’s eyes narrowed. “I would also know that you are under suspicion of being a Strega mage, accused by Bishop Capuletti.”
“He was quite right, for once,” said Luciano calmly. “And given certain guarantees from you, I will give you your five minutes to question Aleri.”
“You admit this?” Petro looked at Luciano with a mixture of suspicion and curiosity. “Most of the ‘Strega’ who used to have booths down on the Calle Farnese have proved to be fakes.”
Luciano shrugged. “Yes, I am a real mage. A master, in fact. It is not—yet—a crime not to be a Christian here in Venice, you know. We practice secrecy because the threat of persecution here is very real, not because we have any evil to hide.”
Petro nodded. “True, it is not a crime here in Venice . . . yet. But practicing black magic is. And at least part of the Church defines all magic which is not their own as that.”
Luciano took a deep breath. “Yes. But Rome, to its credit, takes a more liberal attitude than the Pauline fanatics from the North do. And I would not be admitting this to you, if I was guilty