The scarlet left his eyes, and he blinked a few times. "I'm here, Dad. I'm okay. But that thing... I don't know." Valentine rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "I think it was trying to tell me something."
"Don't touch it again, please," Cosimo begged. "It could be cursed."
Valentine eyed the statue and the map. "What if it was leading Maria somewhere. Telling her where it was originally from? She was clearly working on this when she left, right?"
"I wish I could remember. It was so long ago, Val." Cosimo stared at the circle on the map. "From the stories my mother used to tell, there were a lot of witches in this area. Old witch families rarely moved unless they were forced out."
"Some of them might know something. Especially if Maria tried to contact them about the site," Valentine pointed out.
Cosimo growled in frustration. "I told you Maria didn'taskto do a damn thing. She was warning us about witches, which meant she pissed them off."
"Then someone is bound to remember her. We should go to Florence and start asking questions."
"It's not that easy. You don't find witches unless they want to be found. We need a middleman." An idea popped into his head. "Actually, I think I might know someone who can help. He's the Medici expert that I contacted about Catherine's alchemy when Apollo was kidnapped. He has a lot of friends in the magical community in Florence."
Valentine smiled. "Well, call him. I want to start my honeymoon already, and I can't wait for Yelena to see Italy. She's going to love it."
"How romantic of you," Cosimo teased. "It's strange to see you have that side after all."
"Eating Yelena's enemies and making her a silver hand was plenty romantic," Valentine argued.
"Let's hope you can find a less violent way to show your love, hmm? We are going to find Maria, not start a war with the witches," Cosimo said and took his phone from his pocket.
"You say that now, but it's always best to be prepared," Valentine replied before picking up a notebook and starting to thumb through it.
Cosimo sighed internally. He hated that his son might end up being right in that regard. It would all depend on how much his beloved sister had pissed the witches off.
Cosimo scrolled through his contacts list before finding what he needed.Doctor Henry Butera, Esoteric Renaissance Studies.
The phone rang seven times before an elderly voice answered with a distracted, "What?"
"Henry, it's Cosimo. How are you, old boy?" he greeted.
"Good God, Cosimo, two calls in as many months. Have you lost another son? Did you find the last one?" Henry demanded, sounding a lot less distracted. He was English, born to Italian immigrant parents, and his accent was getting more and more mixed as he aged.
Cosimo chuckled. "I did find Apollo. He got caught up in remnants of Catherine Medici's old cult, like we guessed."
"Apollo didn't happen to have something to do with that bloody building in Paris disappearing, did he? The French are still up in arms about that."
"That was Valentine, not Apollo, but I digress. I need your help with another problem," Cosimo said, trying to keep Henry from asking too many follow-up questions. All magicians were curious to a fault, and he had no idea how to explain what magic Valentine had used to get rid of a whole building. Ignorance felt like bliss.
"Another problem? I don't know what this old man can help you with apart from research," Henry replied. There was a flicking sound of a lighter on the other end, and Cosimo could almost smell Henry's favorite cigarettes through the phone.
"Do you have anyone who might be able to act as a negotiator between me and any witch families that have territory anywhere between Florence, Ravenna, and San Marino?" Cosimo asked, staring at the snake on Maria's map.
There was a long silence from the other end before Henry finally coughed. "Odd request, Cosimo. Should I ask why you need to talk to thestreghe?"
"I'm looking for Maria. She is alive and appeared to Valentine in a vision and..."
Henry choked on his cigarette. "I feel like it's best I don't know any more. That way, if you get into shit with them, they won't come after me. Dear Lord, Maria Greatdrakes is still alive.Bloody hell. I don't know who to be more afraid of, her or the witches you could piss off," Henry rambled on before letting out a pained sigh. "Fine. I'll make some calls, but I want it to be known that I think this is a bad idea."
"I know it is, but I don't have any other choice. I need to find her, Henry. I promise I will be the ultimate gentleman to whoever I have to deal with to get her back. I won't reflect badly on you," Cosimo swore.
"See that you don't. I'll text you if the person I am considering is open to the idea," Henry said. He took another drag of his cigarette before adding, "I should warn you that if my contact agrees, she may be a little prickly, and your charm might not work on her. She's no pushover and isn't going to fall all over you if you bother to smile."
Cosimo laughed softly. "I'll behave no matter what, as I said. Set up the meeting, and the kids and I will head to Florence."
"Dear God, maybe don't inflict the boys on her until you have agreed to work together. I don't want her angry at me either," Henry replied before hanging up.
