Lopez's glare at Diego was in full flower now. 'See what you've done?' he demanded. 'My reputation was bad enough already.'
Diego simply smiled. After a moment, sighing, the Basque looked at Mascoli.
'What do you desire, Father?'
Mascoli groped for words. 'I would like--something--don't know what--to protect the brothers somehow. A shield of some sort, I suppose. Marco is swimming in those same deep waters, whether he knows it or not. And Benito--' He rolled his eyes; he couldn't help it. 'Benito dives into every bottomless pool he can find. And dives to the bottom of everything else as well.'
Pierre grinned at this assessment of the younger brother, but sobered as Eneko shook his head. 'At this point, that would be more dangerous than anything. I don't think the enemy--not Chernobog, at least--has any sense yet of the potential danger to him which rests in those two boys. A shield of the sort you're suggesting would just draw his attention. Attention which, for the moment, I would much prefer centered on Dottore Marina.'
He glanced at the crucifix on the wall. 'But I think something else might be of use. The boys already have a guardian. Two of them, in fact, if my suspicion is correct. I can place a finding spell of sorts on them--not a geas, something much more delicate--which would . . .' It was his turn to grope for words. 'Enable the guardians to find them very easily, and know where to bring them in case of trouble. Think of it as lubricating an axle, if you will, and perhaps giving the cart a push over the rough spots.'
Diego winced at the crude analogy. Pierre, on the other hand, beamed from ear to ear. 'We'll make you a good Savoyard yet!'
They heard the sound of the church door opening. 'Wait here,' said Father Mascoli. 'I'll let you know when you can leave without being observed.'
* * *
But he was back within a short time. Behind him came a woman whose face could not be seen because of the cowl over her head. But that she was a woman there could be little doubt, even under the heavy and utilitarian clothing.
'And now this,' muttered Mascoli. 'What have you gotten me into to, Lopez?'
The woman swept back the cowl. Francesca's smiling face appeared. Even without her usual elaborate coiffure and cosmetics, the woman's beauty seemed quite out of place in Father Mascoli's austere living quarters.
'Nice to see you again, Eneko,' she said. 'You've heard the news about Dottore Marina, I imagine?'
Lopez nodded. 'I assume you have more tidbits to share,' he added, with a wry smile.
'Does a chicken have feathers?' snorted Francesca. She glanced around the small room. 'Is there anywhere a bit more commodious? I have quite a few 'tidbits,' in fact.'
Sighing, Mascoli opened the water-door and led the way back into the water-chapel. 'There's no place to sit, I'm afraid.'
'No matter,' responded Francesca cheerily. 'We'll squat. I have very strong legs.'
Once in the water-chapel, she spotted the undine immediately. 'Oh, thank heaven! Another female.'
The priests' faces grew stiff. 'You have nothing to fear--' Pierre began to growl.
'Nonsense,' snapped Francesca. 'And why would I be afraid of a mortal sin in a Hypatian chapel, anyway? The peril lies elsewhere. Men don't know how to gossip properly.'
The undine's mouth gaped wide. 'Truth!' She swam to the side. 'Did you hear--'
Chapter 58 ==========
It was dark, and it was dangerous, and Benito was so happy he could hardly stand himself. If it hadn't been too risky to chance any sound, he'd have been singing. Or humming, anyway.
He was upside-down, hanging by his knees from one of the dozens of timbers supporting Casa Dandelo's leaky, half-rotten roof--the kind of position he'd held so many times in the past that he was almost as comfortable upside-down as he was on his feet. Hidden by the darkness, three stories beneath him the canal-water lapped quietly against the foundations of Casa Dandelo, but there was not much else in the way of sound. There wasn't even so much as a breeze to make the timbers of the building sway and creak, which made it all the more imperative that he keep silent.
