Tallow (9 page)

Tallow tried to probe deeper, push further, but something blocked her way. It was crepuscular and solid. Puzzled, she moved around it and there, near Katina's very centre, Tallow became aware of something she never expected.

She snatched her hand away and stared at Katina in shock.

'I'm there,' she said in a shaky voice. 'I'm inside you.' She pointed a trembling finger at Katina's chest.

Pale and drawn by what Tallow had unwittingly done, Katina raised an equally shaky hand to her heart, protecting it. 'I know.' Her voice was uneven. She cleared her throat. 'I've lived with you for over three hundred years. I guess I'm the closest thing to family you've got at the moment.'

Tallow's eyes widened.
Three hundred years.
No wonder Katina seemed fragmented in a way that only Tallow seemed to be able to see. It wasn't anything manifest – it was
inside
her. Her energy, her very life-force was stretched way beyond that of an ordinary person's. She'd lived longer than anyone Tallow had ever heard of; she'd been alive when the Estrattore were destroyed. And she'd sacrificed some of her very life blood to the pledge stones in order to find Tallow.

'You have the blood of the Estrattore in you,' said Tallow quietly. 'I felt it. It called to me.'

'As I told you yesterday,' Katina said, 'one of my very distant relatives was an Estrattore.' She shook her head. 'They leave their impression where you least expect it. We're Bonded and blooded in more ways than one, Tallow.' She laughed but it turned into a volley of dry coughs. When she had finished, she sat back and smiled. 'I'd hold you, cousin, but I might not live through another encounter. Your powers are remarkably strong. You began to draw from me, extract my emotions, without even knowing you were doing it. I think I'm beginning to understand what you must have done to Pillar.' Tallow's face registered surprise. 'I could tell simply by looking at him that he's been handled by an Estrattore. An untrained one at that.'

She reached for her satchel and pulled out her flask. 'The sooner we get that particular talent under control, the better. The first thing I'm going to teach you is how to touch people and things without drawing from them, before it kills me – or someone else.' She took a long drink. 'Give me a moment to recover and then we'll get started.'

After a few more swigs, the trembling ceased and Katina managed to catch her breath. Tallow watched, alarmed at what she seemed to have caused. But then another emotion coursed through her – something unfamiliar that caused her heart to thump and her eyes to sparkle. She wanted to leap up, throw open the window and shout out greetings to the entire sestiere.

She wouldn't, of course. Instead, she privately relished every little thrill, because Tallow – the candlemaker's apprentice – wasn't alone in the world. Not any more. For the first time in her life, what she'd always suspected had been confirmed. She had family, not only out there, as Katina had said, but right here, across the room from her, within arm's reach.
Cousin,
Katina had called her.

One day, she would find the rest of her family, too. And when she did, she wouldn't have to hide what she was any more. Like the legend said, she'd unite her family and bring them home.

While Tallow revelled in her new-found joy and waited for Katina to recover, she wondered if she should ask about what else she'd sensed within the Bond Rider. It had sat there, dark and uninviting, closed in ways that other parts of Katina weren't. Instinctively Tallow knew it wouldn't be right to probe further, not yet anyhow.

All the same she was curious about what it was and, more importantly, what it meant.

THREE DAYS AFTER PILLAR SET
out with his list of purchases, he returned. Even Quinn, who had remained in her bedroom while he was gone, ventured into the kitchen, curious to see what he had bought with the rider's money.

Pillar unpacked his parcels and sacks scattering the contents across the table and over the floor. There were blankets, two down pillows, clean breeches, skirts, a couple of blouses for Katina, aprons, shirts, a leather vest and even a pair of sturdy new boots for Tallow. Tallow could not believe her eyes. There were wedges of cheese, pickled onions, peppers, sugar, butter and sacks of grain and flour to fill the empty barrels upstairs. Tallow thought fleetingly of her skinny rats and how happy they would be. There was even a huge leg of mutton and two scrawny chickens.

It took Tallow a moment as she picked over the various goods to notice that Pillar was grinning at her rather stupidly, his hands hidden behind his back.

Catching her eye, he swung his arms in front of him, dangling something. It was a pair of spectacles.

Tallow looked at him solemnly and then at Katina. Katina nodded and Tallow reached for them.

'Won't hide what you are, you know,' muttered Quinn darkly from the other side of the table.

'What did you say?' asked Katina. One finger stroked the hilt of her dagger. 'You really need to speak up if you want to be heard.'

Quinn snarled at Katina but didn't dare reply. Instead, she broke off a lump of cheese and sat nibbling at it by the fire, casting sour looks towards the Bond Rider.

Taking the spectacles in her hands, Tallow was amazed at how light they were. There were no frames, only a pair of beautiful smoky umber lenses, connected by the tiniest bridge of gold lace. Towards the outer edges of the glass, the lacework continued. Two arms of twisted gold ran at right angles to the lenses, curling at the ends to sit snugly around Tallow's ears.

'Don't just hold them. Put them on!' urged Katina.

With barely repressed excitement, Tallow did as she was told. They settled against the bridge of her nose and the whole world changed. The kitchen, lit by sunlight and the glow of the fire, transformed into a world of rich honeys and coppers. Whirling on the spot, Tallow looked at everything with fresh eyes. The staircase was now a deep mahogany, the floor a rust colour, the table held all the subtle tones of beeswax – everything was altered.

Tallow turned to face Katina who bent down to scrutinise her closely. Under Tallow's fresh gaze, the Bond Rider's large eyes and tanned skin became tawnier, whorls of amber and cherry-brown.

'They're good, very good,' said Katina finally. 'Have a look, Pillar. Tell me what you think.'

'Don't be such a fool, Pillar!' screeched Quinn. 'Don't look at him! You know what will happen!'

'Perhaps you'd prefer to, then,' offered Katina. Quinn sank back into her chair, muttering angrily.

Pillar stepped forward, swallowing a few times. 'It's all right, Mamma,' he murmured. 'It's all right.' His lips kept moving as he repeated the words like a talisman. Slowly, Tallow turned to face him. The candlemaker studied Tallow's new boots for a while, before finally raising his head and meeting her eyes. His lips froze.

For a full minute he said nothing.

Then he nodded, a cautious grin transforming his face. 'They work wonders, they do. No-one will ever know, Tallow. You look like one of those rich boys from Casa Guichio over at the piazzetta – too good for the likes of here.'

Quinn snorted. 'Don't put those ideas in his head, for God's sake!'

Pillar opened his mouth to say something else, and then changed his mind and turned to fossick in his bag some more. Only Katina saw him wipe away the tear that had escaped to trickle down his cheek.

Much later, after they'd all finished a fine meal of chicken, pasta, peppers, bread, cheese and roasted apples, and were relaxing with a glass of mead as evening fell, Pillar asked what they'd been doing while he was gone.

'I see that the house is restored.' His eyes took in the room. 'Looks very nice too. But ... er ... how's the training going?'

'We don't want to know!' hissed Quinn. 'If they want to do devil's work, that's their business.'

Katina began to laugh. 'Shut your ears then, Quinn, because I'm going to tell Pillar. And if you don't like it, or want to hear about it, I suggest you leave.'

Quinn sat forward in her chair. 'You won't always get away with speaking to me like that, you know. Think you're so mighty and important – but you're not. You may think you know everything, but you don't. How can you? You haven't been part of this world for over three hundred years. If you teach that boy what should no longer be taught, teach him what has been forbidden by the laws of our rulers and by God, then you're a bigger fool than I thought! Even if you had a soul, it couldn't be saved.'

Quinn took a deep breath. 'If you proceed, then you'll be as trapped as we are,' she pointed at Tallow. 'Even more so since, like your brother, you were stupid enough to Bond to him.' She glared at Katina and took a long, deep slurp of her drink before leaning back into her chair, staring at Katina defiantly.

Tallow sank into herself with every word the old woman uttered. Katina placed herself between Quinn and the table and raised her voice. 'Training has been going very well, Pillar. In fact, Tallow has progressed a great deal. In just a couple of days, I've managed to teach him the rudimentary arts that all Estrattore learn.' She paused. 'Only, we've struck a bit of a problem.'

Pillar shifted in his seat. His eyes flickered towards the window. It was shut, as was the door to the attic. He didn't want one word, one whisper to escape. His hand unconsciously slid beneath his shirt to clutch the small wooden carving that rested against his heart. A talisman he'd purchased with Katina's lire, his guarantee against what might happen. 'What's that?' he asked uneasily.

'I'll tell you what it is!' said Quinn, leaping to her feet. Tallow jumped. 'The problem is allowing this sort of thing to go on under our roof! That's the problem! It's wrong. You should both be hung and put to the flame, not sitting there, drinking my vino and eating my food –'

'Actually, Quinn, it's
my
food. I paid for it,' said Katina.

Quinn spat on the floor. 'I don't give a pig's arse who paid; you're in my house and you should respect my rules,
my
faith,
my
God. Tallow's got all cocky since you came with your fine ideas and poisonous ways.' She swung towards Pillar. 'Ever since you left, they've been strutting around here like they own the place. Using my kitchen; walking in and out of the shop, never mind your workshop. Your
father's
workshop,' she added, knowing what would hurt the most.

'But I'll have no more of it, I tell you! First thing tomorrow, I'm going to the mayor. I'm going to tell him all about
you.'
She pointed a bony finger at Katina. 'And you.' She faced Tallow but was unable to meet her eyes. 'Believe it or not, I'm sorry, boy.' Tallow wasn't sure whether she was referring to her or Pillar. 'I don't want any part of this, not any more. I'll not have it. It's wrong, now we're aiding and abetting. It has to stop. And I want
you,
Signora Bond Rider, and your blasphemous talk out of my house.'

Katina stood up and walked over to where Quinn stood, quivering in equal measures of terror and fury. Pillar slowly rose, ready to go to his mother's or Katina's defence, he wasn't sure which. Katina lifted her arm and Quinn flinched. 'Don't touch me!' she cried, her hands flying to cover her neck.

Katina didn't answer. All she did was take the empty mug from Quinn's hand and refill it. Then, she gently pushed the old woman back into the chair and wrapped her bony fingers around the mug's handle. Placing her arms on either side of the chair, she put her face close to Quinn's.

'You would sacrifice all of our lives – yours, your son's, mine and Tallow's – for your faith? Or because you want
me
gone?' She didn't wait for an answer. 'What if I could guarantee that if you allow me to stay and keep teaching Tallow, not only will no-one ever find out, but I could make you a great deal of money – I mean, a
lot.
How would you feel about me and the work of an Estrattore if it brought more lire and ducats into this house than you'd ever dreamt of?' Katina slowly took her hands away and stepped back, her eyes never leaving Quinn's face.

For a moment, no-one spoke.

'What're you talking about?' said Quinn finally, eyeing Katina warily. Pillar looked from Tallow to Katina and back again. Tallow held her breath; she didn't dare glance at Pillar. Everything depended on how Katina presented this.

'I mean,' continued Katina, 'I've worked out a way to conceal Tallow's powers such that they will benefit you and Pillar for years to come. What do you say about that?'

'God forgive me,' said Quinn, gulping her drink. She wiped her mouth slowly and then crossed herself. 'Go on.'

'Wait,' said Pillar. He knelt by his mother's side. 'Are you sure, Mamma? Once we start this, there's no going back, no matter how much lire or how many ducats are involved. As you said, this goes against everything we believe in ... God may forgive us, but the Church? And what if we're caught? I mean, like you said, before we just hid Tallow. This is different, no matter how much money –'

Quinn brushed him aside. 'Let's hear what the Bond Rider has to say, Pietro.'

Tallow's eyes widened. It had been years since she'd heard Quinn call Pillar by his proper name. Pillar sat down. The small grin that momentarily appeared was quickly controlled. Tallow looked from Pillar to Quinn in astonishment. Why, Pillar had deliberately taunted his mother with the notion of riches to ensure she at least gave Katina an ear.

'Well,' said Katina, returning to the table. She stood beside Tallow and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'It's like this. As you know, the Estrattore have the ability to extract emotions from anyone or anything. What you may not know is that the process works in two stages. First they "read" the object. They use their empathic abilities to sense the feelings embedded within it and draw them out, extract them. It's from this that Estrattore get their name. Once they have collected what they want, the second stage begins.' She rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
Tallow had grasped everything so quickly.
The breadth of power she'd demonstrated humbled and even, if she dared admit it, alarmed Katina.

'Tallow is incredibly talented.'
Yes. Even the history books don't mention Estrattore who are as sensitive to every nuance as Tallow is. Not only can she capture feelings and magnify them, she can draw upon them and refine them in such a way that they take on their own characteristics, become naturalised. And, when returned, the essence of the object itself is changed.

'You're not making any sense to me,' said Pillar, interrupting her thoughts.

Katina sighed. 'I forgot you're no longer used to having Estrattore around. For us Bond Riders, it's as if time has stood still. We may not know the Estrattore anymore, but our memories of them, of our interactions with them, are as fresh as if they occurred yesterday.' She grinned at Tallow. 'Of course, for me they did.' Neither Pillar nor Quinn shared the joke. Katina refrained from rolling her eyes.

'Sorry. Let me try again. I'll give you an example. Today, when we were in the workshop –' She looked defiantly at Quinn, who pursed her lips and shook her head, her disapproval of what they'd been doing clear. 'It's all right,' said Katina, deliberately misunderstanding the look. 'The workshop is the best place to teach – it's out of the way and relatively private. And anyway, Quinn wanted to ready the shop for opening tomorrow.'

'If you think you're going to perform your dirty little tricks in my shop –' blustered Quinn.

Katina held up her hand. 'Your shop is quite safe from us, I can assure you. As I was saying,' she continued, 'I was teaching Tallow to separate the emotions she'd extracted from a piece of wood.'

'Wood?' It was Pillar's turn to scoff. 'What emotions can a piece of wood possibly have? It's dead!'

'Yes and no,' explained Katina. 'To you and me, it's dead. But to an Estrattore, it's alive with numerous sensations.' She glanced at Tallow. 'Perhaps you can explain?'

Tallow had been both dreading and longing for this moment. Dreading it, because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to do justice to what she was learning: the intricacies, the delicacy of the process. Longing, because she wanted to give voice to what she was experiencing. Katina's instructions last night had been clear. She had to demystify the power of an Estrattore for Pillar and Quinn – put it in rational, clear terms that wouldn't alarm them. If she wanted to continue her training and remain safe in Serenissima until such time as she was ready to search for the remaining Estrattore, she must convince them the practice wouldn't bring the wrath of God upon them or, more importantly, be detected by soldiers or priests.

Aware they were waiting for her to speak, Tallow nonetheless took her time. She moved to stand by the fire, gathering her thoughts, then turned to face the others. Firelight and shadows danced across her spectacles.

'I'll try to explain. It– it's hard, though.' She glanced at Quinn who was sipping her drink, her face turned to the wall. 'As Katina said, Estrattore extract and distil the essence of objects and the emotions of people, breaking them into their various parts.' She looked at Katina, who nodded encouragement. 'It's like what an alchemist does with chemicals, really. I've only been practising on things at the moment –'

'Well, that's a relief!' said Quinn.

Tallow faltered but, with a look, Katina urged her to continue. 'Th– the wood that Katina gave me today came from the prow of an old gondola. Katina taught me to touch the objects and then – this is difficult to describe – I open myself to them, sort of let them inside me and, because of w– w– what I am, I can tell its history and every thought or feeling of anyone connected with it.'