The Serpent by Claire North

Author:Claire North [NORTH, CLAIRE]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Little, Brown
Published: 2015-11-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 21

A letter from the King of Coins arrives at last! We have checked for messengers every day, never running, never in a hurry – we would never be caught being so undignified – but at last, at last it is here, on the cusp of that moment which would have been almost too late.

She forces herself to open it slowly. Splits the wax. Unfolds the paper. Holds it close to the flame. There is strength in being slow; intelligence in never rushing. She must be strong.

The King of Coins says that he has a cousin who has a cousin who has a sister whose husband’s brother was married to…

…you know how it goes…

Someone whose word he trusts – this is the heart of it – helped wipe up blood from a cellar floor in Milan some two and a half years ago. The boy who bled was a Venetian who had made an unwise accord with a woman whose brother was not of good humour in this regard. The boy died; the sister sent to a convent. They say the boy’s remains were thrown into the river, but that is not the whole story, for the water in Milan is sluggish and no sooner were the remains dumped then they were pulled out again and the unknown corpse was buried in a patch of unsanctified ground where now wild garlic grows. - Now I know a man who knows a man who has a cousin who has been known of a quiet night to dig up corpses from their fresh graves and carry them to the scholars of the city, who all in secret dig through guts in search of mysteries, and prophecy a new age of blood and bone. Upon hearing some tale of your lost boy, I asked this friend to make a little enquiry, and he pulled a corpse from the earth that had upon its flesh, a most terrible tale to tell.

Yet they say that the body wore a ring upon its finger that bears a seal.

Would you like to guess to whom that ring belonged?

And then Seluda says – no, roars:

- Never!

She stands before his ire, hands clasped in front of her, shoulders pulled back, and says simply, - If we are to win this battle, we will need the support of Marco Belligno.

- He is my bitterest enemy, a whoreson, an eater of dung…

- He is also an important piece in this game, one which has been sorely neglected by the other players. I do not think he can win by himself, but he commands a significant faction which, if it can be swayed to our side, will help secure the day.

- I will never work with that man. I will never—

- You need not speak to him; I will handle that. The important consideration here is what you are willing to agree.

- Nothing. Nothing. Nothing!

- Then, sir, I do not think you shall ever be a Tribune.

- You are a player! You are supposed to make this happen!

- I am only as good as the cards that are dealt me.

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