Eric Lustbader - The Testament

There was a moment when Anthony Rule felt lost at sea. As was typical in summer, an afternoon mist had risen, bom of the heat and the humidity that lay over Venice like a shroud. He was adrift in the whiteness with only the pulsing disk of the sun visible as it heated the atmosphere. For a moment his hand rested on the wooden tiller of the topo-a light sailboat used for fishing-without trying to guide it in any particular direction. He felt a kind of fierce elation in being lost, absolutely invisible to the rest of the world, as if now he could be anyone he chose to be. The sense of freedom was enormous.

He had passed south of Burano with its lace makers' shops, so colorful they looked for all the world like the set of a merry operetta. He was a skilled and crafty seaman: he loved boats of all kinds and felt as at home on the water as he did on dry land. Getting the owner to trust him with his topo was only a matter of two hundred euros in addition to the normal hourly rate, which Rule knew was inflated. He paid the tariff in advance without bargaining. Better to have the owner think him stupid and forget him than to be clever and stick in the man's memory.

The topo felt good under him-solid and responsive. It had been made in Chioggia, where they were first created, and he felt comfortable in it, almost as if it were a part of him.

In Dreux, he had dealt with the Knights of St. Clement in the usual fashion, but ever since the rescue in St. Malo his mind had been focused on Bravo. After talking with him for five minutes, he had cursed himself for forgetting just how intelligent and resourceful his "nephew" was. That was when he'd decided to alter his mission. His elite standing allowed him this singular flexibility, and so he had followed Bravo and Jenny to Venice. Quite naturally, his concern skyrocketed when he observed Paolo Zorzi's preemptive move on the bridge near the Church of l'Angelo Nicolo`. He knew full well Dexter's feeling toward Zorzi, and now that Zorzi had Bravo the situation, already tenuous, was on the brink of disaster.

All at once, Rule could see, like ghosts in the mist, the outlines of trees: the parkland of San Francesco del Deserto. Immediately, he furled the two sails and allowed the topo to drift forward on the current. No doubt the Franciscan order that inhabited most of the islet had no idea of Zorzi's presence-or perhaps Zorzi had paid off the right people. Rule had had enough dealings with him to know how adept he was at circumventing both laws and customs.

The one thing he didn't know-the crucial bit of intelligence that worried him-was how many Guardians Zorzi had with him on the islet. It had to be enough to keep him secure but not enough for them to become obvious to the Franciscans who lived here.

The islet was oddly more or less square in shape, and Rule had aimed for the side that was most heavily forested, the farthest away from the monastery itself. Here and there through the mist he could see the wall that ran around the edge of the islet, just beyond the narrow shingle of rock.

His thoughts returned to Bravo. How many times, in years past, had he and Dexter spoken of Bravo? Long ago he had lost count. But he was the one who had encouraged Dexter to train his son, over the protests of Stefana. The issue was volatile. Once, Dexter and Stefana had almost broken up over it, Dexter coming to stay with Rule for almost three weeks. Bravo had been seven, and Rule had visited him several times, bringing him gifts, taking him to the zoo and, once, to Radio City to see the Easter show. He had perpetrated the myth that Dexter was away on business, and Bravo had never questioned him. It was the first time that Rule had understood the true nature of his relationship with the child, and he was filled with profound emotion.

At home, Rule had said nothing to Dexter, content to allow him to come to his own conclusions. When it came to his family, Dexter was the last person to need advice, so Rule had provided something more meaningful than advice: companionship and comfort. The rest, he felt, would take care of itself. And it had: Dexter had returned to Stefana, and Bravo's training had continued with redoubled intensity.

Judging that he was in close enough, Rule prepared himself, clambering down into the middle part of the boat, where it wasn't decked over. The hold stank of fish. The topo was nearing the shingle. It would surely bring two of the Guardians-perhaps three. It didn't matter. He had come to get Bravo, and get him he would, by any and all means.

Bravo found Paolo Zorzi a hundred yards away, leaning against the seawall, smoking languidly, as if he hadn't a care in the world. Yet he stood up quickly enough when Bravo softly hailed him.

Zorzi flicked the rest of his cigarette away, a bright spark fading into the mist. "Did you work out the code?"

"Unfortunately, no," Bravo lied. He was still mindful of Zorzi's being on his father's list of possible suspects. "I'll need a bit more time."

Zorzi spread his hands, smiling. "Not to worry. That's one thing we have here in abundance."

Beneath a misty, silver-blue sky, they headed back to the monastery. On the way, Bravo counted three Guardians; they regarded him with a curious mixture of boredom and anxiety.

"You must be hungry," Zorzi said affably. "Let's sit down to table and afterwards if you wish I can help you with the cryptography. I'm an old hand at that sort of thing, and I have a number of seminal texts I can lend you."

"I'd be interested to see the books," Bravo said neutrally. He had no intention of allowing Zorzi anywhere near his father's cipher. "And now that I think of it, I'm famished."

They passed another two guards, who flanked the side door, and passed inside. The smell of stone and candle wax filled the rather gloomy interior. The image of Jesus hung on the walls.

They entered a large room. The stone walls were thick and without adornment of any kind. There were no windows. The space seemed cold and forbidding, giving the impression of at one time being a stronghold or keep.

A heavy plank trestle table was set for a meal-though not obviously dinner, which would be taken much later in the evening. Still, tall white candles flickered in silver holders, and several dishes were laid out: a simple seafood risotto and sarde in saor, an ancient recipe involving marinating fresh sardines in vinegar-drenched onions. It was a typical mariner's dish, used to prevent scurvy on long voyages.

As they sat down, Zorzi poured wine from a bottle. He said, "What form did the cipher take-was it a transposition code or possibly one of your father's clever substitution variants?"

Bravo smiled. "The sarde in saor is excellent."

"Try the risotto," Zorzi said, again all affability. "You'll find it as good or better."

In fact, it was, and Bravo said so.

Zorzi seemed pleased, though somewhat preoccupied, it seemed to Bravo. Bravo was hardly surprised, as his suspicions were growing exponentially. He had now turned his mind to leaving here without either Zorzi or any of his henchmen following him. Even though he had yet to find the solution to his father's most recent cipher, he knew he had to get away from this island and from Zorzi as quickly as possible.

When the topo emerged from out of the mist, the Guardian patrolling that section of the shoreline immediately called to two of his companions, as Zorzi's protocol dictated. Zorzi had told them that the guest must not be disturbed for any reason, only Zorzi himself was to be allowed access. An odd order, but they followed unquestioningly nonetheless, for that was how he had trained them.

By the time the others arrived, the prow of the boat was scraping against the shingle. The topo seemed to be carrying one passenger. They hailed it in the Venetian dialect, then in Roman Italian, and, finally, in French, without receiving a response. As they cautiously approached, they saw that the figure was hunched over, an old man clutching a cane apparently to keep him from falling forward.