Part 6 (1/2)

Chapter 7.

A Harp Plays in Santa Fina Santa Fina was a revelation to Georgia. She had thought that Remora, with its narrow cobbled streets and sudden sun-filled piazzas, was the most amazing place she had ever seen. But Santa Fina seemed to consist entirely of churches and towers.

The main church, on what Cesare told her was the market square, was built like a fortress, with a broad flight of steps up to the front door. The steps were never empty; priests, pilgrims and tourists were constantly going to or coming from the church. Georgia could tell that this little hill-town was older than the present city of Remora. 'Mediaeval' was the word that came into her mind, yet it didn't seem as ancient as that term suggested. 'It must be because I'm in the sixteenth century here,' she thought. 'So the Middle Ages aren't so far back.'

'What are you thinking?' asked Cesare, as they stood in the market square, with the daily life of Santa Fina teeming around them.

'It's like a film set,' said Georgia. 'I can't believe it's real.'

'I don't know what that means,' said Cesare, a small knot forming on his brow. 'But I know what you mean about it not seeming real. People often feel that way about Santa Fina.'

They turned off up a side street and walked their horses through a maze of little alleys, finally emerging outside the town to the west, where there was a large complex of stables, much bigger and grander than the ones in the Twelfth of the Ram. Luciano was waiting for them in the yard. He looked a bit embarra.s.sed.

'I came by carriage,' he said. 'I can't ride.'

He looked up at Georgia in admiration and she felt her colour begin to rise.

'It's easy,' she said quickly. 'I could teach you.'

Luciano backed away a little, looking alarmed. 'I don't think so,' he said. 'I don't really like horses. They scare me.'

Cesare laughed. Here at last was something he could do that the handsome young Stravagante could not. He jumped lightly down from his horse and led Georgia into the stables where he was quite at home. Roderigo, the Horsemaster of Santa Fina, was a large jolly man who welcomed the young people heartily and showed them where they could stable their horses. As soon as the animals were installed and given food and water, Roderigo took Cesare and Georgia and Luciano round to the back of his premises. It was clear that he thought all three of them were young men, and he was much amused by Luciano's lack of experience with horses.

'We have one here that wouldn't frighten you, hey Cesare?' he said, clapping Luciano on the shoulder. 'Give her a few more weeks and she could carry you anywhere. You wouldn't need to worry about clearing walls or fences. Then you could progress to a more ordinary mount. A young man like you needs a horse. How else are you to ride behind the carriage of your lady-love? Or fetch her treasures from distant cities?'

'I live in Bellezza,' said Luciano. 'We don't have horses there.'

'Oh, that explains everything,' said Roderigo. 'To come to Remora from the City of Masks is a bit like going to sea for a farm boy. It just takes a while for you to find your new legs. We'll get you up and riding before we send you back.'

They pa.s.sed a farmhouse, where Roderigo obviously lived, and went round behind it to what looked like an old barn. One of Roderigo's grooms sat outside on a bale of hay, whittling at a piece of wood with his knife.

'All right, Diego?' said Roderigo as they pa.s.sed inside.

'Yes, all quiet,' said the groom. He was clearly guarding something and, like all guards, was bored by his duty.

It was dark and dusty inside the barn. A horse whinnied from the shadows at the back. Georgia went towards it. As her eyes became adjusted to the gloom she could just make out a beautiful pale grey mare.

'h.e.l.lo, Starlight,' said Cesare affectionately, and the mare tossed her head in recognition.

'She's gorgeous,' said Georgia, who had not really taken much notice of the mother the night she saw the winged foal. Even Luciano could see this was a fine animal.

'But wait till you see her foal,' said Roderigo proudly. 'Come on, girl. You can trust us.'

It seemed to Georgia as if the mare hesitated a little, looking carefully at her and Luciano, as if checking they were friends. But she obviously felt at home with Cesare and Roderigo. She moved aside a little and Georgia gasped. Both she and Luciano knew what they had come to see, but the sight was still stupefying, even though for Georgia it was for the second time. Luciano could not believe his own eyes and stood spellbound.

The black filly was perfectly made, with the blurred outline of a young animal still growing. But there on her back lay folded a pair of glossy black wings, something known only in legend. Even Cesare was impressed all over again.

'How she's grown!' he exclaimed. 'Father was right. He said these winged ones grow faster than ordinary horses.'

The wings had grown in perfect proportion. Their feathers were less downy than they had been at birth and, as they watched her, Merla lifted and stretched them as naturally as she arched her neck. It was an awesome sight.

'How long before she can fly?' asked Cesare.

'Soon now,' said Roderigo. 'But we can only take her out at night. We can't risk her being seen.'

'I'm taking you out,' said Gaetano. 'You have been shut up in the palazzo for too long.'

'But how?' asked Falco. 'I can't ride.'

He limped away a few steps so that his brother shouldn't see his expression.

'You can sit in front of me,' said Gaetano gently. 'Surely you wouldn't mind that? We could go down into town and I could buy us some granita.'

Falco suddenly felt an urge to see something outside the great palace. His hopes, as crushed as his body had been by the accident, were reviving, in spite of himself. Perhaps one day he would lead a nearly normal life again? At least he could make a start by going out with his big brother.

'All right,' he said, and was rewarded by one of Gaetano's huge crooked smiles.

Enrico let his horse saunter along the side streets of Santa Fina. He had seen where the young men from the Ram had turned off and he had no doubt that it would be easy enough to track them down. His restless brain was only half involved with today's task. His work for the Pope involved spying on the Twins' rivals and he had decided to start with the Ram, but he wasn't expecting any quick result.

Enrico was thorough. After the Rams, who were the Twins' enemy because of the rivalry between the cities of Remora and Bellezza, he would investigate the Twelfth of the Bull, who were traditional adversaries of the Twins. And then he would see what he could find out in the stables of the Scales, who were traditionally at daggers drawn with the Lady. And of course he would keep his eyes open in the Twelfth of the Lady itself. He might be in the pay of Pope and Duke, but there were always possibilities of further employment when you were a spy and Enrico was quite accustomed to serving several masters.

He was in his element in Remora. Like his old master, Rinaldo, he had disliked being in a city without horses. And he resented the place that had taken away his fiancee. But there was more to it than that. He liked the way that this whole city revolved around ancient antagonisms and alliances. And he appreciated the skill involved in rigging the great annual race. That was the sort of thing Enrico himself was good at.

He found himself outside the town and looking at a large stableyard. 'Interesting,' thought Enrico. 'I think my horse needs a rest.'

Georgia and the two boys left the stables in a daze. They were going to explore the town and come back for the horses later. Georgia was silent, thinking about what she had seen, and found herself back in the square with the huge church before she knew it.

Now she could see that Luciano was as intrigued by Santa Fina as she had been. His carriage from Remora had skirted the town, not being able to negotiate the narrow streets, and so he had missed the extraordinary square. Even though he was a Talian now, he couldn't help seeing Santa Fina through twenty-first-century eyes. Having Georgia with him intensified it. He was now seeing Talia from the viewpoint of a new Stravagante, just as he had over a year ago.

'What do you think?' asked Georgia.

'It reminds me of Montemurato,' said Luciano. 'The place where I first met Doctor Dethridge. That has lots of towers too, though those are round the edge. He was working in a stable there.'

There was so much that Georgia didn't know about Lucien's new life. She wanted to ask him about every aspect of it, but she felt shy in front of Cesare.

'You should see inside the church,' said Cesare now. 'It's famous for its paintings.'

The three young people climbed the steep steps up to the undecorated facade of the church. They pa.s.sed out of the brilliant suns.h.i.+ne into a darkness as deep as that of Roderigo's barn. But this darkness was cold, not warm and friendly with the smell of horses. The smell here was of incense and the church was dimly lit at the altar end with large candles.

Once their eyes had adjusted, they could see that the walls were covered with paintings. Georgia could make out scenes from the life of Christ. But suddenly she spotted a side chapel with other subjects on the wall Leda and the Swan, Andromeda and the sea-serpent and there was Pegasus, flying through the painted clouds. She pointed him out to Cesare and Luciano.

On the floor was a circular marble inlay that was a bit like the Campo delle Stelle. It showed all the signs of the zodiac round the edge and was divided up like the great Piazza, except that it didn't show the Sun and Moon segments. It would have been quite out of place in a church in England, thought Georgia, but it seemed natural in Santa Fina.