Wolf Omega: The Lykanos Chronicles 2

Chapter Fifty-Two

At first, I presumed the note was from Duccio, but the handwriting was not his. Who else would know that name but him and Maximo? Even my old enemies never knew me as anything but Gabriella of Castello Palatino. Perhaps Duccio had dictated the note to the front desk?

In half an hour, I'd eaten and dressed with Vivian's help. I considered whether I ought to allow her to accompany me but decided it was best to leave her in the safety of my room. I would return when I'd settled the question, and then we could begin our day searching together for a new residence.

St. Paul's Chapel was lovely inside, with the same blending of old styles as the exterior, only covered uniformly in whites and creams to produce a distinctly modern look. But despite the ancient roman influence of its architecture, this was not a church of my youth. Gone were the statues of saints, and no edifice of the Virgin invited me to light a candle for the souls of the departed.

Instead, I found a symbol I'd become familiar with among the room's sterile adornments. On a large canvas painting was an eagle guarded by a shield of American colors, holding an olive branch and arrows in each talon. In its beak was a banner printed with the words E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many, One. This, too, was as an ancient idea, worshiped anew by this young nation that sought strength in unity.

I made my way through the mostly empty hall to sit on the far right side of the front pew. I'd not been there but for a moment when a lycan revealed himself to me from front doors. Without turning to look, I knew he wasn't Duccio.

Peace, his mind offered before he approached.

I heard his light footfall on the chapel floor. Arriving at the front pew, he stopped again and waited for me to acknowledge him. He was the same man I had viewed from the lounge car in Philadelphia; a light brunette of average height with a robust frame. He stood in unremarkable but well-pressed clothes with his hat in hand.

Taken by his respectful wait, I gestured with my eyes that he should sit beside me.

"I come with words from my master," he whispered in painfully enunciated English.

"Who is your master?" I responded in Italian.

"Prince Adelchi of the Kingdom of Venice," he answered with unmasked relief. "He bids you good health and asks for your friendship."

I knew the name, but nothing else about the prince. Sempronio had once mentioned Adelchi during a quick overview of the lands that surrounded Como. The rich Veneto region laid east of us along the Adriatic coast.

"I'm grateful for his kind regard, but we've never spoken. Why does he seek the friendship of a stranger in a foreign land, four thousand miles away?"

"His Highness wishes to ask a favor of the daughter of Sempronius of Mons Palatinus."

I had only heard Father's name pronounced once before in its ancient Latin tongue. It came from the lips of those who had wished me great harm, and I could not stop my skin from tingling.

"Go on."

"He would ask you to deliver Don Lupofiero back to the arms of Venice, where he is wanted to stand trial for his many crimes against the Prince's family and your own. For this kindness, the prince offers his eternal friendship, a second home of your choice in the Republic of Venice, any wealth you might ever have want of, and even his support to reclaim Como and Castello Palatino, if it should please you."

Of all that this man might have said to me, he offered the last thing I ever expected to hear. Though, if I was honest with myself, it shouldn't have been.

"He offers these tokens of friendship, even if you would merely deliver Don Lupofiero's corpse into my hands."

"I'm unaware of any crimes he may have committed against your master, but what is the prince's interest in the don's crimes against my family?"