"So what about the fire stuff?"
"I didn't know that Nicodemo was a magus until after I got pregnant. If it wasn't for Isaia, I never would have found out. Nic and I ended our affair before Pietro got back, but by then it was too late. When I told Nic I was pregnant, he was anguished. He said that he'd never planned on having kids. He was angry with me and himself for not being more careful. Then he showed me what he was. If I had been frightened before, I was really terrified then. He explained that he was a fire magus, a sort of supernatural being. He called the fire a curse. It was why he'd never wanted to father a child. He said that the ability either made you stronger, or it killed you. If a magus made it past childhood, it meant that they'd survive. But he warned me that if my baby inherited the fire, and if he or she was weak..." She swallowed. "They wouldn't live very long."
A lot of questions crowded together in my brain, fighting to be the first asked. "Nicodemo, he worked for Enzo?"
"That's right. Enzo paid him well in exchange for his service."
"I'm guessing Enzo didn't help you out of the goodness of his heart?" I was starting to wise up to the ways of life here.
"You got it, absolutely. I offered him shares in my company as payment but he didn't want that. He said that he'd hold the favour in check until he'd decided what he wanted. I'm still waiting. Every time there's a knock on the door I'm sure it's going to be one of Enzo's men, ready to tell me what he wants."
A horrible thought sprang up. "Does Enzo know that Isaia is Nicodemo's son?"
"I don't know. I'd like to think Nic never told anyone, but who can say what happens behind closed doors."
"This Enzo guy, does he have kids?" I already knew the answer, but I needed to learn whatever Elda could tell me.
"Why do you ask?" Elda set her mug on the coffee table and gave me a suspicious look.
"I might have met one."
Elda shook her head at me, a warning on her face. "Stay away from that family, Saxony. I mean it. I'm not your mother and I know you're a smart girl, but trust me. A young woman like you would be catnip for Enzo's son."
"What do you mean, catnip?"
She began to count the reasons off on her fingers. "You're young, beautiful, a foreigner, an English-speaking native. You're fresh blood for that family. Someone who hasn't been tainted by their rivals. Gone are the days of marrying for alliances. Nowadays, these powerful families want foreign blood. Enzo only has one son -- Dante. Is that who you met?"
I nodded. "That's him."
"Don't see him again if you can help it," Elda said. "And whatever you do, he must never ever find out that you're a magus. Never."
Too late.
Twenty-One
"I need to meet him," I said.
"Who? Enzo? No way, are you crazy?" Elda shook her head.
"No, Nicodemo. I need to talk to him."
Her face fell. "You can't. He's dead. The day he died was the day Isaia stopped talking.”
"That's why Isaia stopped talking?" My jaw dropped.
She nodded. "Nic and Isaia never met. When we split, we promised it would be for good. No contact." Her voice broke. "I have never told Isaia where he came from. I haven't wanted to upset him unnecessarily. The pain is the worst for him when he's emotional. Somehow they were connected, though, because Isaia was never the same after the day Nic died."
My hopes for first-hand information crashed to floor as this puzzle piece fell into place. "I'm sorry to hear that. What happened?"
"I don't know. I received a package in the mail containing legal documents. A letter from a lawyer explained that the package was only to be mailed if Nicodemo had passed away and that I was to consider its delivery as official notice of his death. The package contained a will. Nicodemo left all of his worldly goods to Isaia. I never found out what happened to him, but I'm sure that it happened while he was doing a job for Enzo. Enzo always gave Nic the most dangerous work because he was the most powerful man in his employ. I have wanted to go to Enzo or the lawyer and ask what happened, but I've been too afraid. I don't really want to remind Enzo that I exist. And I think it might be better to let the dead rest anyway."
I wasn't sure if I agreed with her. "What did Nicodemo tell you about being a magus? He must have given you some knowledge that would help you understand what Isaia had to deal with?" My eyelids were beginning to feel heavy and I stifled a yawn.
"Yes, I've been getting to that part. One of the first things he told me was to keep Isaia well-hydrated, that it helps with the pain. When you're dehydrated, the fire gets difficult to control. Think of dry tissues like dry grass. It can rip around inside you like a wildfire."
"Great," I said with an eye roll. "But I'm not so much interested in learning how to control it as I am of getting rid of it all together. Did he explain how that might be possible?"
She looked at me with pity. "There are only two ways to get rid of it. It will go out when you die, or you can give it away without killing the other person when you're dying. The fire wants to live. It knows when its host is dying and only at that time will it jump ship without killing the receiver. Otherwise, I'm afraid you're stuck with it for the rest of your life."
I digested this. The fire sitting in my belly flickered. Get used to me. I'm here for good. I thought back to the moment when Isaia had shoved it into me. Either Isaia or the fire knew he was dying, it was the only way I could have inherited it. Would he have still given it to me if we hadn't been trapped in a building that was on fire? He must have known that once he passed it to me, I would be able to stop the fire from killing all three of us.
"How and when did Isaia give it to you?" Elda asked.
"When we were trapped inside the tabacchi shop." I looked at her. "What you say makes sense because he really was dying. You could have lost your son that day," I said softly.
Her mouth wavered. She put her mug on the table and reached for a tissue. Covering her face, she began to cry. Her body shook with heaving sobs and I moved over and put an arm around her.
"He's going to live," I reminded her.
She nodded, swallowing her sobs. "Thanks to you." She blew her nose and crumpled up her tissue. "Also, you and Isaia might have single-handedly saved Venice, or at least a portion of it. It might not seem like it, but this place is extremely flammable."
"I know," I said, and thought of the presentation I’d been to with Raf. He'd be back from Milan next week.
Elda got up and retrieved her purse from the island. She rummaged in it and pulled out her phone.
"There was a USB stick in the package that we received. I downloaded the files onto my phone and encrypted them. I keep the stick in a lock box at the bank," she said as she scrolled through her apps. She opened one and punched in a code. "I didn't think I'd ever be showing them to anyone. I almost deleted them already because it stresses me out that I even have them. But now I'm glad I kept them." She pulled up a video and handed me her phone. "Nic recorded these for Isaia."
My heart leaped with hope. The still on the screen displayed a blond man with thinning hair and a closely trimmed beard. He had a small silver hoop in his ear, and his eyes were black, just like Isaia's. I could see Isaia in the set of his mouth and jaw.
I hit play and the man started talking. "Ciao Isaia, e Nicodemo. Se stai guardando questo, allora la tua mamma ti ha detto..."
I hit pause and looked at Elda. "You've got to be kidding me."
She put up a hand. "Don't worry, I'll translate everything for you."
"Well, thank goodness."
She was staring at me.
"What?"
"Don't do that thing with your eyes, it makes me a basket-case."
I couldn't help but laugh at how she'd used her new slang, but I didn't know what she meant. "What thing?"
"The red, when they glow red. Don't do that."
"Oh, sorry." I hadn't realized my eyes had glowed. "I hope there's a clip for that because I don't always know when I'm doing it."