She hadn’t meant for her voice to turn coy.
The man glanced at her.
Then he wordlessly unclasped his cloak and held it out to her. She accepted and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. It smelled like fire and smoke, and the subtlest hint of stone. The man went up to Ravenna,pulled a dagger from somewhere on his person, and swiped at her bindings. She fell into his arms, and he helped her back down. The girl’s family, set free by the Medici guards, rushed to assist him, and then smothered their daughter with hugs and loud exclamations of joy. It was all rather touching.
Ravenna turned to the wizard, soot covered, clothing torn. “You saved me again,” she said softly. “I think you might be a decent creature after all, courier.”
He regarded her wordlessly for a measured beat, making no indication he’d ever reply, but the air swirling around him wasn’t unkind. Simonetta cocked her head, mulling over the right word. She supposed it felt like friendship.
“Won’t you tell me your name?” Ravenna pressed.
Simonetta got the impression this wasn’t the first time the sculptress had asked.
A small smile broke through the wizard’s stoic facade, like a curtain parting ever so slightly. “No,” he said. “But you can call me friend.”
He turned away—
“Wait,” Ravenna said, reaching for his sleeve. “Saturnino. Can you—”
He looked at her from over his shoulder. “The spell will work best with the original caster.” He pointed his chin toward Simonetta before disappearing into the crowd, into the shadows. The man certainly knew how to make an exit.
Ravenna broke free from the circle of her parents’ arms and came to stand in front of her. She stared at Simonetta with wide, red-rimmed eyes. “Ombretta.”
Simonetta smiled. “I like the name. I think I’ll keep it.”
“All this time, you were with me,” she said in marveling tones. “And Lorenzo is yourson.”
Simonetta pivoted, immediately finding her son in the middle of a small crowd fawning over him. He was gesturing wildly, barking out directions, issuing orders, giving comfort where he could. Shestared at him with a mixture of bemusement and pride. Lorenzo caught her eye, gave her a nod, and then tilted his head toward the people surrounding him.
She nodded back; his job as a defender of Florence never ended.
They would have time together. Later.
Twilight fell over the piazza like a shroud, the horizon painted in bruised shades of indigo. The air was heavy, carrying a faint tang of ash and iron.
“What will you do now?” Ravenna asked, her voice rough with exhaustion and grief. “Where will you go?”
Simonetta’s lips curved into an amused smile, her head tilted toward the sculptress. “Are you worried about me, child?”
Ravenna flushed, a faint pink blooming on her soot-stained cheeks. “Sorry, I really loved my cat.”
Simonetta’s expression softened. “I remember,” she said gently. “Of all the creatures my father could have chosen for my punishment, I’m glad he chose the noblest one.”
“He punished you for what you did?”
“I suppose I had to learn my lesson somehow.” Simonetta’s gaze flickered with an unreadable expression—regret, perhaps, or defiance. At Ravenna’s expectant look, she added with a faint shrug, “I’m not to meddle in human affairs.”
“Oh.” Ravenna gave a tremulous smile, her gaze cutting to the statue of Saturnino. Her composure cracked, her trembling lips betraying the depth of her grief before she pulled herself together. “The courier thought you might help me.”
“He was mistaken,” she said gently.
Ravenna choked back a sob, nodded once, visibly fighting for her composure. “Please.”
“I can’t.”
Ravenna clenched her eyes, let out a slow exhale. When she opened them, they were red-rimmed, bloodshot. But she nodded again. “I’ll miss you, Ombretta.”
The sculptress stepped closer to the statue, her fingers brushingthe cold stone. Tears streaked down her face, etched with heartache and regret and doomed love. Compassion stirred in Simonetta, a sharp, unwelcome pang. She bit her lip, the taste of salt grounding her as she grappled with her decision. Her father’s stern voice echoed in her mind, a reminder of her place, her punishment, and the stolen Nightflames she ought to return. But then she remembered Saturnino’s arms around her after those boys had tried to hurt her. She remembered, too, how he’d come to care for her.
