Company of Angels 02 - The Demoness of Waking Dreams

polished and shining.
    “You’ve done your job well in my absence,” she noted, casting a particular eye over the sprawling interior.
    The Gatekeepers snapped into a neat row, identically clad in their working uniform: jeans and snug black T-shirts. Each taller, darker and more handsome than the last. There in the main hall, she nodded.
    “Giancarlo, Antonio, Federico, Cesare, Salvatore, Massimo,” she greeted them each as she inspected the line. “Thank you all. You may return to your duties, and I must return to mine. There is precious little time left today, as I must prepare for tonight’s hunt.”
    She turned, ready to ascend the staircase to the second floor.
    Just then, a female scream from the rear of the palazzo pierced the congenial atmosphere. The suffering in that sound was palpable; it was like an animal keening in pain. Luciana stopped. Her gaze tracked downward, to the bloody footprints glistening on the marble floor hidden behind one of the Gatekeepers. To the gray-skinned goblin the size of a small dog skittering along the edge of the wall, cackling to itself and dragging a woman’s shoe. More blood seeped from the heel of that shoe, trailing a thin, scarlet line across the otherwise-immaculate floor.
    Not a muscle twitched among her staff.
    Not a single eye blinked.
    They were hiding something. Or more precisely, some one.
    Luciana maintained her smile.
    “Whatever—or more precisely whomever—you’ve got back there,” she said, waving a hand in the direction of the scream, “just make sure you clean up the mess. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. Come, Massimo. I need you to unlock my workroom.”
    He dutifully followed along behind her as she mounted the stairway, the white marble overlaid with rich red carpet cushioning her footsteps.
    “Did you happen to conclude your business with Julian Ascher while you were in America, baronessa? ”
    She closed her eyes briefly, fingertips skating along the carved stone balustrade of the curved staircase. The stairs teetered beneath her momentarily, the world tilting on its side. Every muscle in her body contracted. Her jaw tightened and her stomach threatened to expel the meal she’d just consumed.
    “Don’t speak that name in my presence again,” she hissed, unable to contain her fury.
    “Yes, of course, baronessa. I’m so sorry, I…”
    She was held together so tightly it ached; she felt the pressure of her gritted teeth and wondered if they would break. Then she turned back to face Massimo and said, “If you must know, Julian has joined the angels.”
    “Do you mean he died?” Masssimo wondered.
    “No,” she said, pivoting to glare at him. She pressed her lips together for a long moment. “He was—” she paused before sneering out the word “— redeemed and joined the Company of Angels.”
    The Gatekeeper kept his own mouth shut, knowing better than to ask more questions.
    She turned and continued up the stairs. Tried not to think about him, although that was impossible.
    “Would you like to lie down for a few hours, baronessa? Perhaps you should rest.”
    She had work to do before tonight. She touched the little vial hanging around her neck.
    “There’s no rest for the wicked, Massimo.”
    All over Venice, people were preparing.
    Luciana had her own preparations to make. Her own offering to procure. Her own homage to pay.
    And it was not to the Redeemer.
    On the third floor of Ca’ Rossetti, Luciana strode the length of the hallway to a small room at the end.
    Despite its size, it remained one of the demoness’s favorite rooms.
    The windows overlooked the Grand Canal, and the eastern sunlight poured in during the late mornings. Outside, passersby floated along the canal in gondolas and vaporetti , on transport barges and fishing boats, completely unaware of what went on within. What had been going on for centuries.
    The fine art of poison.
    “You’ve kept everything in the prescribed conditions, as I instructed?” Luciana asked Massimo as he unlocked the workroom door.
    “Yes, baronessa, ” the Gatekeeper nodded.
    “Thank you, Massimo. You may return later.”
    “If it’s all the same to you, baronessa, I’ll stay to assist you.”
    She suspected he wanted to stay to keep an eye on her, but after her ordeal, she needed solitude to clear her head. To think. “I’m fine . I’ll call for you if I need assistance.”
    She gestured for him to leave with a wave of her hand.
    He hesitated, but bowed a