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I leaned against the side of the carriage, trying not to cry.

The Comitissa climbed in beside me and took my hand in her small, cool one. “I’m sure this feels like a lot of change, but I’ll answer any questions you have as we ride along. And you must call me Klaudia. I promise, I don’t bite.”

I nodded, afraid my voice would tremble if I tried to speak.

Don called to the horses, and we were moving again.

Klaudia pulled a leather case out of the bag she carried. “Seb left you this, although I have no idea why. ‘Tell her to practice,’ he said. What do you make of that?”

I opened the case and ran my fingers across the brass astrolabe, feeling strangely comforted.

ix

IT WAS A RELIEF TO ARRIVE IN THE CAPITAL CITY AT last. After two weeks of travel, my very bones ached from being jostled in the carriage for mile after mile under open sky and hot sun. Fatigue and grief had lent an air of unreality to the entire voyage, which had only deepened when we reached Panpirion at noon that day. We passed through the Porta Aurea, the Golden Gate, into a street crowded with more people than I ever imagined could be in one place. But once through, I felt a flicker of excitement, too, as Don maneuvered us expertly through the throng. We passed increasingly ornate limestone buildings with marble pillars and carvings, and willowy trees bending their graceful limbs over a broad river. There were ornate bridges, ruined temples overgrown with moss, and huge bronze statues of warriors weathered by time to a green patina. As we neared the end of our journey, I saw something that nearly stopped my breath: an expanse of water stretching to the horizon, with birds circling and wheeling overhead. It was my first sight of the ocean.

THAT NIGHT, WE joined Sebastianus for a late dinner in the central courtyard of his villa, among the fragrant jasmine and climbing roses. He looked more relaxed than he ever had in Corlivo. He wore his dark hair loose. His chiseled face was serene and his toga was untucked, showing the linen tunic underneath. He seemed to belong in this place with its lush garden and warm sea air.

The house was perched on the edge of a cliff overlooking the harbor, with a red-tiled roof and whitewashed stone walls. We scarcely needed the lanterns hanging from the arched balcony, as the moon shone so brightly that it almost made the night seem like the day.

Sebastianus leaned back in his chair, a cup of strong Commandaria wine in one hand. “How was the journey, friends?”

“Two near misses,” Don reported. “We were stopped by soldiers on the road three days out of Corlivo, and one of them wanted a closer look at Anna. Something similar happened at an inn at Castra Flumen yesterday, when the innkeeper got a little too interested.”

“We managed,” Klaudia said, waving away the Archidux’s look of concern. “Anna fiddled with that device you gave her the entire time.”

“The astrolabe,” I corrected.

“Can you navigate with it yet?” Sebastianus asked.

“I can.” For many days now, I had been imagining what I would say to him about the device when I next saw him, but now that the moment was here, I felt unexpectedly tongue-tied.

“She certainly can,” Don said. “She set it correctly every night.”

Sebastianus raised his cup in my direction. A flicker of pride sprang to life in my chest.

Dishes of lamb stew, bread, and figs appeared, carried from the kitchen by a gray-haired woman whose anxious expression looked out of place on her soft face. Behind her came a thin man with hunched shoulders and a ring of white hair on his shiny bald head. To my surprise, after they served the food, they sat down beside us and joined in the meal. Don, too, pulled his chair up to the table.

It appeared that in his own home, the Archidux made no distinction of rank among the members of his household. As he was serving himself from the steaming bowl, he said, “Anna, this is Cassius and his wife, Cornelia. They’ve looked after me since I was a boy.”

“I’m pleased to meet you,” I said.

They both nodded politely, and I wondered how much he had told them about me.

Don broke off a piece of bread and scooped up some stew. He swallowed and groaned. “Cornelia, this is delicious. I haven’t had a decent meal in weeks.”

Cornelia smiled, showing deep dimples.

I ate heartily. The food really was delicious, and the wine rich and strong.

After we had finished, Sebastianus packed dried herbs into a small pipe and lit it. He exhaled and closed his eyes with contentment. “Cassius, Anna has made a remarkable discovery. I think you’ll be interested.”

I turned to Cassius. “Are you the scholar Sebastianus spoke of?”

The old man bowed his head graciously.

“He had the misfortune of being my tutor when I was a boy,” Sebastianus said.

“Don’t blame me for the faults of the man,” Cassius said, with a wink in my direction. “I did my best.”