by Gwynn White
Guido came around the counter after giving them a closer look. As she had predicted, the physician was completely disarmed by her appearance.
“And who is this gentleman, Madame?” he asked.
“I am Lucius, Petra’s husband, Monsieur.”
Guido leaned forward to peer at him in the low candlelight.
“You both have magnificent eyes. I have never seen their equal. Your skin… alabaster spun with gold. Where again do you hail from?”
“All over Italy, Monsieur.” Petra’s smile left him with his mouth agape. “We come from old Roman stock.”
“It’s a wonder you do not fear to come to me here, Madame. Our peoples are at odds these days, no?”
“We keep out of the war news from the north,” Lucius offered, attempting a smile but falling short. “We live a quiet life in the country tending to our vineyards.”
“Well, I would say country life has done you good, Madame et Monsieur!”
“Thank you,” Petra said, rummaging in Lucius’s pack for the large glass phial of mortanine and handing it to him. “We brought the substance with us. I created as much as I could so you would have enough with which to test and experiment.”
“Well, well, let me see you now, little one,” he said, as he walked over to peer at it nearer to the candles. “I shall call you Liquid X since your caretakers refuse to give me your name.” He glanced back at them with a chiding amusement.
“It is rather that this liquid has no name. We picked it out of obscurity, and it is known only to us.”
“What have you used this poison for, if I may ask? You do, after all, bring it here to the Palais des Papes.”
“Not such a curious thing, Monsieur,” Lucius said, “since Petra tells me you are an expert in poisons and their antidotes, yes?”
“Such is true, of course.”
“We use it to control the rat population around our villa. We thought it best to see if there might be an antidote in case it is accidentally ingested by a human—and being a woman with interest in the sciences, I am curious about its general properties as well.”
This surprised Guido, as evidenced by his raised eyebrows and temporary muteness. Eventually he nodded. “I confess your cryptic letter intrigued me. I will study this poison for you—under one condition.”
Petra kept her expression passive. “What would that be, Guido?” she said, using his forename purposely.
“I wish to list this among the poisons in my collection and keep a small phial of it for further study. I would give it a proper name as well.”
Lucius glanced at Petra, questioning the wisdom in giving this man free rein over such a secret. She shook her head slightly.
“Agreed, Monsieur,” Petra said without hesitation. “How long will it take for you to assess whether there is an antidote?”
“Give me a couple days. The good thing about poisons is they work fast, no?” He laughed at his joke, though Lucius and Petra did not. They knew the answer to that firsthand.
“Did you happen to bring the plant from which you drew the poison?”
“I am sorry. I did not.”
“Pity. This would have aided me greatly.”
“I can tell you it came from a flower growing in central Europe.”
“Excellent. Tell the page where I may find you. I will seek you out when my work is finished.”
“Thank you for your assistance, Guido.” Lucius bowed slightly.
“And thank you for bringing me an intriguing new project.”
At that moment, the door opened and a young woman burst into the office. She held papers in her hand, some of which fell to the floor like feathers from a dove.
“You and Adélaïs are both of a similar mind, I imagine,” the physician said to Petra as the girl ran straight past them in breathless excitement.
“You won’t believe it, Uncle Guido. I cracked the cipher!”
“Ah, indeed?” Guido glanced at the paper she waved in front of his face. “You may have a brain the size of a country, mon ange, but you have forgotten your manners, it seems.”
She glanced back at them, and Petra laughed at her expression.
“Pardonnez-moi, Madame et Monsieur. I confess I did not notice you there.”
It was obvious their brilliant eyes had caught her attention—particularly Lucius’s. He smiled at her, asking, “A cipher, you say?”
“Yes, Monsieur. To pass the time, my uncle gives me puzzles and science and language problems to solve. This week’s was to solve a substitution cipher written by the famous Arab, Ali Ibn Muhammad Ibn Al-Durayhim.” Her charming smile grew into a wide grin. “I cracked it.”
Guido came to stand behind the girl, who couldn’t have been much younger than Petra when she was first turned.
“Adélaïs here has a mind sharper than my own. If she had been born a boy, I would have snatched her up as my apprentice. As it is, I amuse her with games so she won’t upstage my experiments with her own solutions!”
Adélaïs’s smile was infectious as she leaned into her uncle and attempted to organize the papers in her hand. Lucius bent to pick up the pages she had dropped and leaned over to hand them to her.
“Well, it sounds like you would be an asset to anyone privileged to know you, Mademoiselle,” Lucius said, and his glance at Petra made her realize he was talking to her instead. Instantly, Petra saw that Adélaïs could be the one to assist her in creating a codex of their immortal histories and her future war plans.
“Thank you, Monsieur,” the young woman said shyly. “You are most kind.”
“Adélaïs, meet Monsieur Lucius and Madame Petra. They have traveled all the way from Italy to seek my advice on an antidote.”
Her eyes widened as she curtsied. “You must live in a land of endless sea and sun.”
“Yes, we’ve had no rain for some weeks back at our villa. Summer nearly is upon us.”
“I envy you. We’ve had nothing but rain for weeks here.”
“Shall we return here to the palais for the results of your testing?”
“Certainly.” The physician nodded. “Let the page know where he may deliver my summons. Give me three days.”
“Agreed. It was wonderful to meet you both,” Petra said. “We look forward to seeing the results.”
As they made their way out of Guido’s study, Petra overheard the physician speaking to Adélaïs.
“And, you, young lady, need to go home before the sun goes down. Your mother will worry.”
“We would be happy to walk Adélaïs home, Monsieur, if she would but show us the way.” Lucius ducked his head back into the study, his smile relaxed and cordial.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to delay your evening plans, Monsieur,” Guido said. “Since Adélaïs is here most every day, I often send her home on her own.”
“It is no trouble at all. We had planned to wander the city some anyway.”
“I thank you for your kindness, Monsieur. I am sure Adélaïs would enjoy the company.”
Adélaïs nodded with a smile that charmed them all.
“It is our honor. We will see her safely home, Monsieur de Chauliac.”
“It’s Guido, remember? Oh, and Adélaïs, I have an herb I want you to give your father. Come with me so I may give instruction on its use. We won’t be a moment, Monsieur et Madame.”
Petra and Lucius waited out in the hall.
“You were thinking the girl may be of use to us?” Petra whispered.
“Yes, it occurred to me she could keep your scribblings safe from prying eyes.”
She glanced at him sideways, mildly annoyed. “They aren’t scribblings. They are our immortal histories. It’s not like you’d ever have the patience for it.”
“Of course I have the patience. I just don’t see the point.”
“When have you ever seen me doing anything frivolous?”
“Never, actually.” He reached over to squeeze her into an embrace, and she wondered, then, if his anger was starting to
fade at last. “You’re quite right. Perhaps it’s your old age”—she slapped his arm for that transgression—“but you do have the most pragmatic mind I’ve ever encountered.”
“My pragmatism would warn you to never discuss a woman’s age.”
“Noted. How should we broach this subject with her…?” Lucius asked. “Perhaps that we would like more information on a cipher for a book we would like to create?”
“Yes, that might work. Even if she relays what we say to her uncle, it wouldn’t seem too far-fetched.”
“Let’s hope she doesn’t mention it. If we end up taking her, he will alert the authorities of our presence in Avignon. It would be simple for him to find our residence in Italy.”
“We may have to move if we keep her,” Petra said.
“I hope not, but we should be open to the possibility.”
“If it becomes a necessity, where would you want to go?” she asked.
“Somewhere nearer to the sea. I am craving the salt air.”
“Southern Italy? Or perhaps a different country altogether?”
“First, we need to find out if this girl is as intelligent as her uncle says she is.”
“We’re about to find out,” Petra whispered as Adélaïs entered the hall.
“Are you ready, Mademoiselle?” Lucius asked.
“Oui, Monsieur…” Adélaïs shook her head, presumably to force herself not to stare into his mesmerizing eyes. Petra knew exactly how she felt. She’d had to do that for centuries. Petra smiled as she took up his arm. She felt his draw even now, but she held fast, and whispered into his ear, “Tonight, you’re mine. And as you know, I always get my way.”
14
The Girl
May 30, 1345
The three of them headed out into the city, traversing down a narrow cobblestone street near an old aqueduct, as Lucius and Petra listened to Adélaïs talk about the encryption puzzles she had done for her uncle. Her eyes lit up with true excitement, which made Petra more and more certain she would be an asset to the Essentiae—and the first immortal for her future army.
“What aspect of puzzles and ciphers intrigues you, Mademoiselle?” Lucius asked.
“I don’t quite know, to be honest, Monsieur. They’ve always fascinated me, even before my uncle introduced me to science and mathématiques.”
“Does your uncle or your family have any future plans already decided for you? A marriage?”
“Oh, no, Madame. They have all agreed no man would want a girl with such an education. It would bring shame upon him.”
Petra and Lucius exchanged amused glances.
“What, then, will you do?” Lucius pressed gently.
“I suppose I will care for my parents in their old age. I am not the eldest, after all.”
The girl looked down at her scuffed boots, then, but Petra lifted her chin.
“If the world lay at your feet and nothing—not even the fact that you’re a girl—stood in your way, what would you want to do with the rest of your life?” Petra held Adélaïs’s gaze, though fear leapt into her eyes. They stood there, locked together as the girl slowly drew up her courage to dream.
“I would travel the world, advising kings and popes and writing their missives. I would be an emissary. And I would never be afraid of anything anymore.”
Petra nodded, knowing with certainty this girl would serve her well. She glanced up at Lucius, and she realized he agreed.
“Adélaïs, we have a proposition for you. Something you couldn’t conjure up in your wildest dreams. A profound gift. A chance at all you desire. But all such things come with a price. If you wish to learn more, you must say farewell to your life as you know it and to those you hold dear.”
The girl frowned. “How can such a thing…? Why me?”
“It is your mind we seek, Adélaïs. Your curiosity.”
“Of all the great minds in the world?”
“Yes, yours. We have particular need of a codex for our library, and your skill will help us achieve that. Remember, if you decide to join us, you would have to leave your life behind. Not everyone has the courage to do so. So many things weigh people down: family, poverty, love, marriage. It will be your choice, but once you leave, you can never come back.”
“Not even to visit?”
“Never, ma chère,” Petra said with a quiet but firm tone.
“How old are you, girl?” Lucius asked.
“I am nearly eighteen.”
“Old enough to make decisions about your own life, then.”
“Yes, I suppose. Though I should like to consult with my uncle. He will know—”
“I am sorry, Adélaïs, but you cannot breathe a word to your uncle about what we’ve talked about here today. It would be dangerous for you and your family.”
“I understand,” she said, as she approached the stoop leading up to her family’s house. “What would I be required to do?”
“I would need you to create a cipher for a codex I am writing.”
“From scratch?”
“Yes, your very own cipher, one only you and I would ever know or be able to read. This codex is meant to be secret from all the world.”
“What would be in the codex?”
“Ah, that I cannot tell you until you agree to leave your life behind and come with us.”
“May I have time to think it over, Madame?”
“Yes, you have until your uncle comes back to us with his findings. I know this is sudden. We had no idea we would find someone so perfect for our needs when we came here.”
“Will I be paid?” the girl asked.
“Yes and no. You will have no wage, and yet you will never lack for anything for all the rest of your days. Money will simply become irrelevant.”
Adélaïs’s eyes widened. “Would I be able to send money back to my family as compensation for my loss?”
Lucius glanced at Petra who nodded at the question in his eyes. “This can be arranged, Mademoiselle, as long as your family does not know the money has come from you.”
“If I decide to come with you, how will I let you know?”
“On the night of the day your uncle gives us his findings, wait for us at dusk by the fountain beneath the Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms d'Avignon. You know it, no?”
“Oh, yes. We attend mass at the cathedral every week, of course.”
“You would not need to bring anything with you, save any keepsakes you cannot part with. We will provide for your every need for the rest of your life.”
“This seems like a dream.”
“Frankly, the truth of who and what we are is far more than you could ever dream. If you come to the fountain, we will reveal all to you. Until then, think on what we’ve discussed but tell no one. We know this is no easy decision we put before you.”
“Yes, Madame. Would we go to your home in Italy?”
“Possibly. We travel a great deal, and we move from time to time. Go now and think over what we have said carefully.”
Adélaïs nodded and slowly walked up the steps toward her house. She knew the girl was thinking through the different ramifications and possibilities of what such a life might look like, as she would one of her ciphers or puzzles.
Petra didn’t envy the girl. She, herself, had had no choice. There was some comfort in that. The girl’s real decision would come at the fountain, when she learned the whole terrifying and magnificent truth. To look an eternity in the eye at seventeen years old… What would the girl do? And what would they do if she refused?
One thing was for certain, they could not let Guy de Chauliac relay anything about them to Pope Clement VI. They would be hunted to the ends of the Earth as abominations. No, Petra knew in her heart she would have to kill the girl if she refused to join the Essentiae. The danger was far too great to let her live with such a powerful secret.
15
The Choice
June 1, 1345
You have news for us, Monsieur de Chauliac?” Petra asked.<
br />
“None that will give you comfort, I’m afraid, Madame.”
“Oh?”
“I found no antidote for our mysterious Liquid X.” The physician paused, folding his hands in front of him as he leaned over his desk. “I do apologize I don’t have better news for you.”
“It’s quite all right. It is enough to know how dangerous it is.”
“I can tell you it has similar properties to aconitum.”
“Wolfsbane?”
“Yes,” the physician said. “In my tests on rats, this poison caused erratic heart rates and numbness in the head and limbs.”
“This was my assessment as well,” Petra said.
“I would have to do more testing to discover more effects. In any case, I would caution you not to use this poison. There are other poisons with proven antidotes. For example—”
“No, no, you are quite right, sir,” Petra interrupted. “It is good to know this poison is more dangerous than we first thought. We will take care to remove it from our home so as not to put ourselves or our servants in inadvertent danger.”
“Yes, I strongly advise such action. Is there anything else you wished to ask me before we conclude our business?”
“I did have one question, Monsieur,” Lucius said, “Have you ever studied human longevity?”
The physician frowned. “In what way?”
“Do you know what causes some people to live longer than others?”
“I confess my areas of study have been confined to anatomy, anesthetics, wounds, fractures and, of course, antidotes. It does, however, sound like a fascinating area of study. You might ask an alchemist. They are those singular creatures concerned with what could be rather than what is.”
“Indeed. It’s always been an area of interest to me,” Lucius said. “I may do my own personal studies on the subject to see what more I may learn.”
“I would love to see your research if you do embark on such an adventure. If you find the key to immortality, I know a great many popes and generals and kings who would be interested in such a discovery!”