Starling (85 page)

Belladonna lifted her shoulders slightly. “They gave us no choice.
Pity, really. Your mother’s blood contained the purest humors I’ve
ever seen.” She smiled to herself. “Aside from yours. Think about
what I said. You don’t have to die. If you were willing to continue
supplying us with blood until we found alternative sources, you
could join us.”
Cass watched Belladonna leave, her head a mess of conflicting
emotions. Clearly she wasn’t going to relinquish her blood so that
Belladonna and Dubois could dole out immortality to those they
deemed worthy, but if she pretended to acquiesce to their demands,
it would mean staying alive longer. And that would increase her
chances for escape. But just the thought of pretending to work with
the Order made her heart rage inside of her. She kept seeing Minerva’s pale, frail body slumping ever closer to the ground.
“I think she likes you,” Falco said.
“Please tell me you are not going to joke at a time like this,” Cass
seethed. “A woman’s been murdered right in front of us, and by all
accounts we will be next.”
“
Mi dispiace.
Sometimes that’s how I handle things, by making
light of them. It’s better than the alternative.”
Cass balled her hands into fists. The alternative was to admit that
both she and Falco were going to be tortured and killed.
Unless they could escape.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said. “If there were just one guard, one
of us could get him to come inside our cell and somehow overpower
him and get the keys.”
Falco looked dubious. “Even if we were to escape, where could
we go?” he asked. “We’d have to flee the country to escape them.”
“We’d find the book,” Cass said. “Piero said Belladonna has it.
Did you hear her tell him to insert his latest notes?” Cass pointed at
the table where the piece of parchment still sat. “I bet it’s here, in the
workshop. If we find it, they’ll all be arrested, Falco. And we’ll be
free of them. Forever.”
“Even if we found it, what makes you think the Doge or Senate
would so much as glance at it before executing you?” Falco asked.
“You’re a fugitive. I’m a petty criminal. No one would listen to us.”
Cass hadn’t thought about that. Despite everything she’d seen
over the summer, a part of her still wanted to believe in justice, that
goodness would be rewarded and evil would be punished. But Falco
was right. Regardless of what the book’s pages contained, she had
committed crimes against the Republic, crimes for which she might
hang.
“Feliciana would surrender the book for us,” Cass said. “She was
going to help me look for it at Palazzo Dubois, but that’s when I was
taken by Piero.”
“How convenient. Perhaps she’s been working with them the
whole time.”
“Funny. Luca said the same thing about you.”
Falco’s eyes narrowed. “Did he now?”
“I don’t believe it,” Cass added quickly. Luca had never even spoken to Falco. All Luca had seen was a man who had willingly put
Cass’s future at risk. Falco might be reckless, but he wasn’t evil. Cass
knew that much.
Falco’s expression softened. “It’s all right. It’s not important. If
we’re going to die here, I don’t want us to do it fighting.”
“We’re not going to die here,” Cass said.