Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

the yanking on her hair.
    "Vincente, I do not know about any maps other than those in your nonno's study."
    He began dragging her through the maze, finding his way quickly, with deadly efficiency, away from the sounds of the searching soldiers. Away from Antonello and Francesco. Away from Margerita. " I know about the maps," he hissed at her. "I searched for so long, but I found them at last. They are on the walls of the upstairs room where the boat is, and the one exactly like it downstairs. They are there in the carvings. I know I am right. Too clever to be fooled. The maps are in plain sight, yet no one has ever discerned that until now. Until I solved the puzzle." He was bragging as they ran, uncaring that branches were hitting her in the face as they raced along.
    "It was you throwing your voice so that we could hear it. Were you trying to drive poor little Sophie mad?" Nicoletta did her best to hang back, to slow him down. "What purpose would that serve?
    Giovanni already was taking the responsibility for her."

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    "Giovanni!" He spat the name at her, infuriated at the mere mention of his oldest brother. "Portia, the imbecile, had her moved downstairs, right into the very room I wanted to search. She was tired of the nightmares. Sophie would wake up screaming, and Portia did not want to attend her, so she sent her where she would not be heard. I could not have her in that room. I knew I was close to finding the maps.
    I knew the key must be the boats, the golden boats. Giovanni left them out, while the rest of our riches, my riches, were hidden."
    They were at the edge of the maze, near the path leading down toward the sea. Vincente hesitated, looking back toward the palazzo that loomed out of the mist like a giant. The dark windows stared at them blankly. "So you used your voice to frighten her so you could have an excuse to move her? Why didn't you simply insist she stay in the nursery?"
    Vincente smiled at her, his teeth white in the darkness. "I did not want to draw attention to myself. Better the role of the long-suffering padre than the ogre. She was moved exactly as I knew she would be. There was an entrance to the passageway in both rooms and also one in the nursery."
    "So you dumped the scorpions to persuade them to move rooms again when you wanted to inspect the walls." Nicoletta was inching away from him, all too conscious of the dagger he held by his side.
    He turned his attention from the palazzo, its lights growing brighter as the searchers lit more torches. The wind blew sparks across the courtyard until it looked as if it were raining fire. Vincente cursed, furious that they could not return unseen to the palazzo. His fingers bit into her arm. "You know how to read the maps. I know you do. That is why you were always going to those rooms."
    She knew then, knew the answer. She had seen it one sunny morning when the light spilled through the strange stained glass to mark the walls with color. The key to the map was the morning sun. It couldn't be read at night. She shook her head. "I was looking for clues to the voices, Vincente. I did not know about the maps on the wall." She changed tactics, smiling up at him. "This is so wrong. We should go to the palazzo, find Giovanni together, talk to him. You are his fratello."
    "You changed everything," Vincente spat at her, a low, vicious sound filled with hatred. "The moment he laid eyes on you, everything changed. Giovanni began to care about living; he became more cautious.
    There was no chance of an… accident. And once he wed you, you would soon produce his heirs."
    Nicoletta could feel her heart pounding in alarm, beating out a rhythm of fear. Her mouth was almost too dry to attempt speech. His hold on her arm was so tight, it was beginning to go numb. She was also very aware of the dagger he held in his fist, now close to her throat. Vincente began to drag her toward the cliffs. He was trembling with his rage, toward her, toward Giovanni.
    Giovanni. She couldn't think of him, couldn't allow her mind to dwell on the possibility that he was seriously injured or worse. She could only pray that Francesco was not in the payment of Vincente, that he was loyal to his don and would heed her orders.
    "Do you know what the Scarletti curse really is? Have you guessed yet what the truth is? It is said none of us can escape it, no matter how hard we try." Vincente's voice was soft,