The Blood Burns in My Veins by Megan Derr

Author:Megan Derr [Derr, Megan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Megan Derr
Published: 2021-07-01T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

"Is love a tender thing? It is too rough, too rude, too boisterous, and it pricks like thorns."

― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

Forthwind snacked on sweets as he crossed the island to his destination, though he didn't really have that far to go, even if they'd dined at some showy place near the market. Dante was still there, spinning his webs like always, but Forthwind's job for the night required he be somewhere quieter.

In fact, his life was going to depend on just how quiet he could be. Thankfully, it was a skill he had honed sharply over the years.

He pouted slightly as he finished his treats—a mixture of candied nuts, biscotti, mochi, and red bean cakes shaped like seashells. Verona had more problems than even a god could count, but the food was not one of them.

Cleaning his hands at a public fountain and washing everything down with cool water, he then turned his attention fully to his target: the sprawling Ferro estate.

Rather, two people inside it, but according to Dante they would be leaving soon. Unbeknownst to them, they would have an extra shadow that night.

He perused his options for remaining unobserved. As it was a high-class residential area, he'd be noticed quickly if he stood around doing nothing for several minutes.

Usually he preferred trees, but the island was decidedly lacking in trees suitable for such shenanigans. He settled for the roof of a nearby storage shed. It was steeply angled, to sluice rain, but the heavy clay tiles provided plenty of grip, so he crouched and waited.

Thankfully, Ferro-donni were nothing if not punctual when it came to nefarious matters; Acaeus and Selinah emerged from their fortress-like home just moments after a distant temple bell finished ringing the midnight hour. Bit early for mischief, but perhaps there was a lot of it to get done. Forthwind settled the items on his back to ensure they'd make no noise to give him away and moved out.

Though he had a fair idea of where they were going, thanks to Dante and his remarkable talent for obtaining information that was none of his business, Forthwind shadowed from a reasonable distance, a balance between remaining invisible to his targets but close enough he could see if they did anything unusual.

The path they took to their destination was a needlessly winding one; clearly they feared pursuers but were appalling at actually getting rid of them. More likely, it was a token precaution, not something they took seriously.

After all, who would expect the wealthy, powerful Ferro to engage in something as crass as piracy?

Instead of the docks, which definitely would have been a stupid place for pirates to conduct an illicit meeting, they traveled from the Isola delle ossa to one of the secondary islands. Forthwind did not know its name; there were simply too many little islands to keep track of them all. He knew the main four, and a few of the outlying, but not most of them.

He wasn't surprised when they kept going.

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