Il Tradimento di Ristoro (Collab Part III)

[TalusMoonbreaker]

Previously...

                                                                                    L'Ascensione dell'Architetto Part III

 

                                                 

“Il mio Rego,” a page called out from the hallway of the beauteous palazzo. “A man by the name of Signore Ristoro Domingo Moccenigo is here to see you, shall I let him in?”

Luca di Carli jumped up from his desk piled with boring reports from all over the guild and opened the door slightly.

“Certamente!” he replied cheerfully. “Plucky compagni, those Moccenigos. I would be glad if they were miei amici.”

But Luca knew that they weren’t, and had no reason to be, his friends, and he had no idea what to expect from this Moccenigo. He reflected with an uneasy feeling in his stomach that, at least, most of his limited reports suggested that this one was less prone to violence and backstabbing than a certain other Moccenigo who he had reason to know. 

So Luca desperately hoped that this would turn out better than his last encounter with a Moccenigo. Either way, the young Rego suddenly wished that he still was in possession of the Kolgari medallion that had saved him once. 

In another moment a loud knock sounded in the room, the noise of an impatient hand on the wooden door. 

Luca di Carli opened the door once more, all the way this time, courteously inviting Ristoro Domingo Moccenigo into his ornately furnished room with a casual sweep of his hand. 

The young page made a hand signal to the Rego, letting him know that guards would be on hand, before departing, leaving him with the brightly-dressed Moccenigo. 

Ristoro Moccenigo looked around nervously. The Rego just sat at his desk chair, waiting for the man to speak. 

Luca twisted his mouth thoughtfully, half amused and half suspicious at the demure behavior of his visitor.

“Mio signore,” Moccenigo gulped at last. “My brother intends to kill you.”

Luca looked at the fellow peculiarly, trying to keep his simulated gape from turning into a smile. “Davvero?” 

“He has been planning it over the course of the last month—he wants vengeance, signore… for nostro padre!” 

“I already know that,” Luca grinned dryly, putting one of his boots up against the wall, “but nevertheless, grazie.” 

“Prego! You take my warnings for granted, mio Rego?” Ristoro warned, taken partially aback by the Rego’s careless ennui.

Luca laughed. “Sempre! Your brother already killed me once, Ristoro!” Luca remarked, smiling keenly and then biting his lip. “Didn’t he tell you? But if you have dates, times, anything that could help me to stay safe from him, I’ll need that.” He looked at Ristoro momentarily with a questioning gaze. “I would be very obliged for anything of that sort.”

“I will, prometto, tell you anything I know, or can learn, my Rego, but you must be careful! Ilazio does not share much with me, and every moment I know that your life is in more danger.” 

Ristoro then bowed, said addio, and then knocked on the door, without taking his gaze off the Rego’s cool face, to be escorted out by the page. 

Even if Luca di Carlo was as politically treacherous as their informants said, Ristoro was certain that the Rego had not slain his father. That was all a part of his brother’s madness.

He stepped out with another bow, and Luca merrily called out an addio to him as he passed out of earshot following quickly after the affable page.

Politics in Varlyrio was like playing roulette with daggers, so why disturb the delicate balance of the realm, a realm of knives? There was nothing more that Ristoro could do for the Rego at the moment, or he might get too involved and go down with the suction of someone else’s fall. Ristoro didn’t want that.

He had a daughter that he wanted to take care of, and he had learned that it was hard to do so from a dungeon… let alone if he was dead.

 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

I had dressed in simple garb to blend in with the crowds milling about the streets of Illaryian. Because anyone seeing a hooded figure in broad daylight would assume mischief, I occasionally darted my eyes to make sure no guardie, assassini, or other miscreants snuck up on me as I waited in the doorway of a steel warehouse near the city wall. 

The door opened and a serving girl dressed in a dirty smock came out. She whispered into my ear, “The lords have read your message. They wish to speak with you.”

That was odd—I had specifically stated in my note that I would only speak with them after my plan had succeeded, in case any spie were among them or lest they should seek to betray me. 

My last vendetta with the De Cioto ragazza had left me cautious of my allies. I was shocked, then, to see a representative of the Conzaga famiglia, recognizable from the crest on his lavish doublet, partly hidden by a simple, brown cloak, in the De Fiori warehouse. 

                                                                    

“We would be honored if you would join us,” Alesio De Fiori said after taking a sip from a glass filled with a new batch of Conzaga wine, finely aged like the great Fiori himself. “It is so good to meet you at last, your proposition is most intriguing, Signore Ilazio Moccenigo.”

“I am duly sorry about your father, Moccenigo, we all miss him. I too look forward to this alleanza,” Conzaga interjected and raised his glass in respect for my papà, Brabantio Moccenigo, who I had planned and built great wonders with when he still roamed la terra. 

“When the news reaches the far corners of Varlyrio, many others will flock to our banner,” Alesio said with satisfaction, for the wine or my vendetta I could not tell. Either way, I gave a slight smile to those gathered in the warehouse. 

“Uomini, I must bid you addio. Fortune calls,” I said, before returning to the backstreets of Illaryian. 

La mia vendetta pianificata was coming along so well, and this time I had left no option unthought of, no circumstance up to chance.

Soon, it would all unfold.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

 

The door to the Rego’s personal room suddenly flew open. Luca looked up to see a panting Ristoro, quickly followed by the apologetic page. 

Di Carli held up a hand to stop him. He whispered quickly in the page’s ear and the young fellow rushed away.

“Ristoro! Come va? What news of your dear fratello?” Luca leaned back against the wall and ran his hand through his shoulder length hair.

“My Rego, it is urgent, he will strike soon, and to kill!” Ristoro said rapidly, breathing harshly. “Mio Rego, he knows something that you wouldn’t want anyone in all Varlyrio to know! That you dare not let anyone in all Varlyrio know.”

Luca nodded encouragingly. “Bene?”

“He knows that you spend time with the De Cioto girl, Luca di Carlo…”

Luca started. “And so do you!” he said, smiling cleverly and talking calmly, as though it wasn’t the horrible surprise that it was, but rather something of a consequential nature.

Moccenigo pursed his lips. “And he has struck a deal.”

“Un accordo,” Luca mused, still grinning. “Please explain, Moccenigo, if you’d be so kind.” 

“I know not mio Rego! Ilazio’s message was cryptic, qualcosa about assassini, vintners, and forgers, but signore, I wouldn’t…”

Ristoro stopped as a quick rap sounded upon the door. 

“Come in,” the Rego called, apparently ignoring the unfinished sentence for the moment. 

Vintners and blacksmiths? Luca knew who that might be! If he were right, those were powerful famiglia. The Moccenigos were becoming dangerous: should he even trust this Ristoro Domingo, a well known mascalzone dissipato? What if his information was all a ruse?

He smiled with worried surprise as soon as he saw who the page had admitted into his quarters. 

“Salve, you came at last! Take a seat,” he said grimly to the newcomer. “Bene, Signore Moccenigo, you mentioned un accordo?” 

“Sì,” Ristoro replied nervously. He didn’t like the look of the newcomer, a slim girl, lavishly dressed and wearing a mischievous smile in her suspicious eyes. Ristoro couldn’t see the face della ragazza except those eyes, but he felt sure that she was frowning at him thoughtfully. She didn’t seem at all surprised at who she found all of a sudden in the Rego’s room. 

“But, where is your brother?” Luca di Carli asked. “It would be simplest to find him and bring him at once, to give account of his actions directly.” Such treachery as this could cost him dearly. Luca had let Ilazio Moccenigo escape once already. 

Ristoro swallowed, his eyes darting between di Carlo and la ragazza. Now he realized who the girl was. Beninteso! It was Arama De Cioto! 

“I… I know not my Rego,” Moccenigo stammered hastily, backing out towards the door while Arama glanced at him with a questioning smile. He thought he saw her hand near her boot. Was there a knife there? Did she reach for it as a simple precaution, or for a preemptive move? Ristoro didn’t want to know. “Sfortunatamente, mio Rego,” he said, nodding hastily and jumping up and down on his feet, “I must take my leave! At once!” 

Luca watched as the anxious Moccenigo left without another word. He had no chance or time to try to stop him.

He whirled off the wall, turning to the girl leaning over the cluttered desk, and quietly whispered, “Arama! The Moccenigos know that we’re together!”

“I heard that,” Arama half smiled and half laughed. “But do you think they have any proof? Could they convince anyone? Could they convince the De Fioris or the Conzagas?”

Arama was trembling with earnestness. Luca knew that this thrill of the conspiracy was what she loved, and the more that was on the line, the more she loved it. She had gambled with his life before. But at least she had won her gamble.

“I don’t know,” Luca said softly. “Non lo so, Arama.”

“I’m gonna follow him then,” Arama said. “It’s our last chance. I wanna kill Ilazio—and I need to know where he is.” Arama drew her knife out of her boot and tossed it up into her other hand. 

She kissed her hand and pressed it against Luca’s cheek and he also felt the cold steel against it, and then she spun around and pushed off the slightly ajar door as she dashed towards the stairwell down which Ristoro Moccenigo had fled. 

As she leapt down the stairs the girl left her friend the Rego and Arama di Athena De Cioto behind. Only a nameless assassin remained, with a hood over her hair, a cloth above her nose, and a cloak wrapped around her body… and a dagger in her hand. 

Meanwhile Luca sat down on his cushioned chair, his eyes gazing out the stained glass windows at the skyline of Illaryian. He hoped Arama di Athena De Cioto would be safe. She had always been safe before, he reminded himself, no matter what conspiracy she got herself into—but that did not stop him from worrying. 

Now it looked like they didn’t stand a chance: would it really help to kill another person? What if Moccenigo killed her?

Luca jumped out of the chair and put his hands against the window. He felt it tremble at the blow. He would make all of Varlyrio trembled like that! All he needed was a chance. 

He didn’t know if he wanted Arama to succeed or to fail. But he knew she would succeed: she always did.

 

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Edited July 4, 2022 by TalusMoonbreaker
formatting

[LordDan]

Nice vignette! I love the mosaic crests/ shields on the wall, and the curtains using those large purple slopes are really cool! 

[W Navarre]

I should mention the FP outside the windows, barely visible but a great over the top detail  .

[Grover]

Sorry, I think I commented on this on W Navarre's thread.  I really like the chair design here, and the baseboard details look good.  The tapestries/shields brick built into the wall are a nice touch as well.  Keep up the good work!

[TalusMoonbreaker]

On 7/14/2022 at 5:54 PM, LordDan said:

Nice vignette! I love the mosaic crests/ shields on the wall, and the curtains using those large purple slopes are really cool! 

Thanks! I do love cheesy slopes and I’ve seen crests in many European buildings so I decided to add them in the Varlyrian colours. The slopes are actually navy blue. 

5 hours ago, Grover said:

Sorry, I think I commented on this on W Navarre's thread.  I really like the chair design here, and the baseboard details look good.  The tapestries/shields brick built into the wall are a nice touch as well.  Keep up the good work!

Ah, I see. No worries. Thank you! The seat back isn’t held in so it can be finicky but looks good.

On 7/18/2022 at 10:31 AM, W Navarre said:

I should mention the FP outside the windows, barely visible but a great over the top detail  .

Grazie! Yeah, you can’t really see most of it. So here it is now: 

Edited August 10, 2022 by TalusMoonbreaker