It too had changed. Instead of being freckle-brown it was now charcoal-black. I ran my thumb over it. A strong desire swept through me to find someone else, anyone else who had this mark. I needed to know more about what I was. Who had I become? How many others were there? My mind flashed back to what Elda had said about there being scrolls from Alexandria about fire magi, but that the scrolls had likely been destroyed in the great fire. What if they hadn't been destroyed?
My musings were interrupted when the door to my bedroom opened and Raf poked his head in. I covered my leg with the sheet.
"You're awake." He examined me as he approached. "You look..." he paused. "You look really good. You made quite a recovery." He sat on the side of my bed. "Gave me a real scare."
Federica poked her head in next.
"You're awake," she said, parroting Raf. She entered the room, looking hesitant. "How are you feeling?"
Suspicion whispered at the edge of my mind. I still didn't fully know the part Fed had played in all of this. "I suppose I should thank you?"
She crossed her arms over her stomach like she was cold. "I snuck my phone into the bathroom and called Raf."
"He was never going to burn you, was he," I said, my smoky voice flat.
"Well, aside from this," she held up a lock of singed hair. “No."
Betrayal and anger roiled in my belly, but I was grimly satisfied to see that the fire did not leap to life at the barest emotion. "How did you get me out of there without him noticing?"
"Raf confronted him."
I looked at Raf. "That's it? You just called him a bully and he stood aside?"
"Well, not exactly," he said.
It was then that I noticed the shadow of a bruise on his cheekbone. My heart melted as our eyes connected. I reached up and put a hand on his cheek, my throat tight.
He put a hand over mine and gave me a lopsided grin. "You should see the other guy."
My lips twisted in a smile and my vision blurred a little.
"But I'm more interested in talking about you," Raf said. "When we found you, you were too hot to touch and you were smoking like a chimney fire. I'm shocked you survived. What did he do to you?"
"She didn't tell you?" I looked from Raf to Fed.
Fed shook her head. "It's not my secret to tell."
I gave her a hard look. Keeping my secret was not going to be enough to make me trust her. I’d never trust her again. I had never been betrayed the way she’d betrayed me. She dropped her eyes.
"Please, put me out of my misery," Raf said. "I didn't sleep a wink last night. I'm not sure I'll ever sleep well again."
I looked at his questioning face. The room went quiet and a few moments ticked by as I thought about how to explain it.
"You remember Nic?" I finally asked.
"I always thought he was one of a kind," Fed said, quietly. She kept her eyes on the carpet.
"You thought Nic was a one of a kind what?" Raf asked.
Fed’s eyes flicked to me and back down, but she didn’t answer.
"He was a fire magus," I said. "And so am I."
A few heartbeats passed.
"Sounds like something from Dungeons & Dragons," Raf said.
"Show him the mark. I assume you have one?" Fed suggested.
I pulled the blanket back from my left leg. I pointed to the tiny mark on my toe.
Fed’s curiosity overtook her shame as she leaned in to peer at the mark. ”Huh, so they don't always appear in the same place. Nic's was here." She touched the outside of her wrist. "Dante got a tattoo there because he thought it was so cool, and he wanted to be just like Uncle Nic." Her voice was laced with derision.
Raf took my foot in his hand and turned it so the mark was exposed to the light. "Looks like a little fireball. I didn't know you had a tattoo."
"It's not a tattoo," Fed explained. "It's a natural phenomenon. A fire magus is supernatural, someone who can control fire."
"I wouldn't have put it that way, since most times it feels like it controls me."
I began to talk. I explained about the fire at the tabacchi and how Isaia had pushed the fire into me, how he'd only have been able to pass it on if he was dying. I explained how Dante had some crazy scheme to sic me on his enemies. And finally, how Fed had invited me to the villa and Dante had trapped me there. Fed's eyes dropped to the floor. Raf's eyes darted to Fed, but I couldn't read his expression. When I finished, we sat in silence for a long time.
"You probably shouldn't go home," Fed said, finally. "If I were you, I would leave a note for the Baseggios and get on the first plane out of here."
"What about Elda and Isaia? He sent men to Gallipoli. He made it sound like he'd hurt them if I didn't do what he wanted. The only thing that makes me think that he might be bluffing is that Enzo has a favour to call from Elda..." I stopped myself from going further.
"For when Cristiano was kidnapped," Fed finished for me.
"You know about that, too?"
"I do. I was pretty young when it happened, but I remember the day Elda came to the villa. I didn't know who she was, but she was really upset, so I eavesdropped on her conversation with Enzo. After she left, Enzo sent Nic to take care of it. I never saw her again after that. I had no idea that Isaia was Nic's kid. Now it makes sense why Enzo hasn't called in his favour, yet."
"Why does it make sense?" I asked.
"Because, it means Enzo is just going to wait until Isaia gets a little older. If he's got the fire, he'll take him in and… What’s the word.” She snapped her fingers. “Indoctrinate him."
"He'd actually take a kid from his mother?"
"Not necessarily. Enzo is smarter than that. It would be more his style to demand Isaia spend a few hours a week with him for five or eight years or something. He'd slowly gain his trust and lure him with all kinds of perks. Eventually, Isaia will want to work for him. He'll become part of the family, just like Nic was. Enzo has never been able to replace Nic. This is the perfect opportunity to do it. He'll bide his time. I've never known a more patient man. Elda is right to be afraid."
I shuddered. I couldn't let that happen. "Do you know if Dante told Enzo about me?"
"I have no idea," Fed said, crossing her arms. "I didn't know you were a magus until yesterday. If I had to guess, I would say no because he wanted you for himself, maybe even to overthrow his dad. Who knows with this family—we are so dysfunctional it's not funny."
“You’re not kidding,” I said under my breath and shot a glare at Fed.
"May I please see it?" Raf asked, speaking for the first time. "I feel like I can't listen anymore until I see it."
I looked from one expectant face to the other. Feeling mildly like a trick pony, I held up my right palm and lit a fire. It flickered like a little campfire -- white at the center and blue on the edges. There was no pain. Holding the fire felt completely different than it used to. It no longer felt like a conscious thing inside me. It felt like it was mine, part of me.
Raf jumped back from the bed, the flame reflected in his eyes. He said something in Italian that I was sure wasn't gentlemanly. I closed my hand and extinguished the flame.
"It's impressive," Fed said to Raf. "But it costs her. The fire hurts its host. Dante was trying to convince me that we were actually helping Saxony by forcing her to give him the fire. Is it true?" she asked me.
"About the pain? Yes," I admitted. I threw back the covers and stood up slowly. The tenderness had already faded. The hard callous feeling had grown, and I was feeling stronger by the second. I didn't voice this new sensation. For some reason, I didn't want to give Fed the satisfaction of knowing that the torture had somehow turned out in my favour.
Fed held a hand out to me in case I needed steadying.
I ignored her hand.
She turned away, but not before I saw the hurt in her eyes. "I washed your clothes for you, they smelled like smoke. I'll get them. Are you sure you're feeling well enough to get up?" Fed made her way toward the door, and paused with her hand on the doorknob. She kept her back to me.
"Well if being hungry enough to eat a vat of spaghetti means I'm feeling better then I'm doing just great. I'm a little sore, but I'm fine. I'm ready to get up."
Fed nodded and left the room.