Voyage of Slaves

She quickly turned her eyes to the carpeted floor. “Er, no! Well, a little bit. Please could I have something to eat? I feel a bit hungry.”

On the way back to the Grey Swan, Ned explained what had taken place in the salon. “I managed to get into that room where old Miseryguts was sitting at a table with another fellow. I could see Serafina and the Scar-face waiting in the hallway. Anyhow, you know those long, padded seats that run along the walls? Well, I crawled under one end and bellied my way along. You’re lucky to have such a clever and resourceful dog as me. I got to within less than a yard of Miseryguts and the other one. And here’s what I learned . . .”

Nobody passing by would have guessed what was going on between the ragged, muddy boy and the saturated hound.

30

THE RIZZOLIS’ CART STOOD IN A QUIET woodland glade, surrounded by armed men. But for the presence of the black-burnoosed guards with their jezzails and spears, it would have been an idyllic setting. Poppea, the troupe’s mare, had been hobbled, so that she could crop the greenery or drink from a nearby stream. The only view which the passengers in the cart had of the outside was through a small, circular window in the upper half of the rear door. Augusto Rizzoli peered through it, trying to estimate the number of their captors.

“I can see six guards from here, but that’s only about half of them.”

Otto pointed a thumb over his shoulder. “Ja, the others are out there, I can hear them.”

The normally happy Mummo was very down in the mouth. “Six or twenty-six, what can we do against armed men? This will probably be the last chance we have to escape!”

Mamma berated him sternly. “Shame on you, how can you even think of escaping without Serafina? We go nowhere without that girl!”

Buffo intervened on his brother’s behalf. “We’re all agreed on that, but Mummo was only expressing a fact. This time tomorrow we may all be whisked off to someplace unknown, sold off to some other villain.”

La Lindi stood on tiptoe, looking over Signore Rizzoli’s head at the two horses approaching the cart. “They’re bringing our Serafina back, see, it’s Misurata and Ghigno!”

Still dressed as she had been for Ferenc Kuvan’s inspection, the girl was thrust into the cart.

Mamma kissed her cheek. “Che bella,³⁴ what finery! Are you well, cara mia?”

Al Misurata interrupted from where he stood in the open doorway. “No harm has befallen her. Stay inside this cart, all of you. I don’t want to leave any graves behind when you move out tomorrow. My guards have orders to shoot if you so much as poke a finger outside. You have the girl back now, so sleep.”

Pink spots of anger showed on Signore Rizzoli’s cheeks. “Where are you sending us, and who have you sold us to, flesh peddler?”

The pirate grasped his sword handle. “Old fool, I am running out of patience with you! I could have cast you and your wife overboard and saved myself some trouble. Instead I insisted that you were all sold together, even you and her, as useless as you are. So shut your mouth and be grateful!”

He slammed the door shut and bolted it, then began issuing orders to Ghigno. “Count Dreskar’s aide will come for them before dawn. It is too late for us to travel back to the Sea Djinn, so we’ll camp here for the night. See to it!”

La Lindi, who had heard the pirate, scowled. “A pity the rain has stopped. I hope it starts again heavily and soaks the evil scum to the bone. Serafina, did you see the one who has bought us?”

The beautiful girl called them together and spoke in a whisper. “I saw a man, but I think he is in the service of someone more powerful. But listen, I saw Ben, too, and Ned, only for a moment. I think he means to help us, he smiled at me and winked, as if he had some kind of plan.”

Signore Rizzoli felt hope for the first time in awhile. “Ah, Benno, I know that good boy will help us if he can!”

Shortly before that, Ben and Ned were having to endure a sound telling off from the proprietor of the Grey Swan. The finger of Annalisa was wagging back and forth under their noses like a metronome—the old lady was in full spate. “And where, may I ask, have you two been, eh? Just look at you both, have you been wrestling with one another in that mud? You deliberately disobeyed Janos Cabar, what did she tell you? Stay inside, and don’t dare go out wandering. Now look at you, you . . .”

“Old one, give your jaw a rest before it seizes up!” The leader of the smugglers entered the room. She lifted the old lady off her feet and hugged her, frowning at the mud-coated boy and dog. “So, you’ve been out, eh?”

Ben explained, the words tumbling from him in a rush. “We saw the ship, it docked this afternoon. Misurata has sold my friends to the agent of some count. The cart is in the forest outside of town, Ned, I mean I, saw it, we can take you there, but we’ll have to be quick, they might be gone before long—”