by Anna Hoghton
Aribella stared at it in surprise. It was the last thing she’d expected from Ursula. ‘What about Jacapo? He said I wasn’t to go out again.’
Ursula pressed the miniature gondola into Aribella’s hands. ‘I will deal with him. It’s the least I can do after I got you in trouble for doing the right thing. Please use it whenever you need. But perhaps not tonight – there’s a full moon, and I worry what that might mean. We don’t know when the next blood moon will come, now that Rodolfo has gone.’
Aribella thanked her and took the permesso to the table in the corner where Seffie, Helena and Fin were sitting.
‘What happened last night?’ Seffie asked, looking worried. ‘You just ran off. And Rosa said the Mask Maker died and that you were there . . .’
Helena looked worried too, and Fin didn’t look like he’d slept at all. When he tried to butter his napkin instead of his toast and Seffie pointed this out, he just muttered something about being up late reading.
Though she didn’t want to relive the events of last night, Aribella told them what had happened, as well as everything the Mask Maker had said to her before he died.
When she’d finished the other three stared at her in stunned silence. For the first time ever, none of them had touched their plates of pastries, not even Seffie.
‘What do you think that means?’ Fin asked. ‘So Zio forced the Mask Maker to make a mask for him and Clara hid it? Does that mean she wasn’t really bad or that she was? Or was the Mask Maker bad? Oh, my head hurts trying to understand all this.’
‘And where are Zio and Clara now?’ Seffie asked. ‘I mean, if he’s not dead, maybe she isn’t either? Maybe she’s hiding too. She could come and tell everyone the truth.’
‘That’s what I’m wondering,’ Aribella admitted. ‘Among a million other things.’ It felt as if there was a dark cloud hovering over Venice, an unstoppable storm.
‘And what kind of mask can break boundaries?’ Helena added thoughtfully.
‘The boundary . . . Of course!’ Fin sat up abruptly. ‘Helena, you’re brilliant! Everyone, meet me in the reading room in ten minutes,’ he blurted, shooting up from the table so fast that they all jumped.
‘What? Why?’ Seffie groaned. ‘I’ve had enough of that place to last a lifetime.’
‘Just do it,’ Fin whispered fiercely, and he raced out of the dining room.
Ten minutes later, Aribella, Seffie, Fin and Helena were all in the reading room, huddled round a table in the furthest corner, out of sight of the door. Fin took The Book of Mysteries from the shelf where he had hidden it, and showed them a page excitedly. Most of it was taken up with a drawing of a beautiful mask with the golden face of a lion.
‘Whose mask is that?’ asked Seffie.
‘It’s not anyone’s. It’s the Mask of Venice. I just finished reading this section last night . . . Listen.’ Fin read out: ‘“The legendary Mask of Venice is a mask so powerful it would allow the owner to pass freely between the worlds of the living and the dead, thereby bestowing immortality upon them. However, were its full power to be wielded on the Island of the Dead during a blood moon, it could result in the boundary’s complete destruction . . .”’
Fin stopped. ‘This is what I think the Mask Maker made. What Clara took and hid.’
The four of them exchanged terrified looks. If a Mask like that existed, then it wasn’t just Venice in danger but the whole world.
It was Seffie who spoke next. ‘Stupid fool, why did he make a mask like that?’
‘Seffie! You shouldn’t speak ill of the dead!’ Helena exclaimed.
‘He said he was tricked,’ Aribella said.
They all exchanged looks again.
‘We could be getting the wrong end of the stick, you know,’ Fin said. ‘Maybe the Elders are right and it really is Rodolfo and this Clara person who are causing the spectre attacks . . .’
Aribella shook her head. ‘Why would the Mask Maker want forgiveness from Clara if that was true? And he didn’t mention Rodolfo at all. It must be Zio who killed him. Maybe because he doesn’t know where Clara hid the Mask of Venice. Maybe he’s even trying to get Rodolfo out of the way by putting his name in the Lion’s Mouth. We’re the only ones who know the truth. We have to find Zio.’
‘But how?’ asked Helena. ‘We don’t even know where he is.’
Helena was right. Where in Venice could Zio be hiding?
‘Well, hopefully we’ll be safe for a bit,’ said Seffie, flopping back in her chair. ‘Surely there won’t be another blood moon for a while. It was ten years between the last two.’
They reflected on this and fell silent. How long would it be until the next blood moon exactly? Aribella wondered. If only Rodolfo had been more precise. Aribella thought back to the last blood moon and remembered the mist – and the strange island that had seemed to rise out of it.
‘Fin, is there anything else in that book about the Island of the Dead?’ she asked.
Fin shook his head. ‘It only says that it appears on blood moons. Its exact location is unknown.’
‘I think I saw it,’ Aribella said. ‘That night of the last blood moon, with Theo.’
Seffie shivered.
‘So the boundary is already weakened?’ Helena asked.
‘Maybe because the mask is on the island,’ Aribella said.
‘Could be,’ Fin said slowly.
‘And there’s a full moon tonight,’ Aribella went on.
They looked at each other fearfully.
‘If that’s true, we have to find it before Zio does,’ Seffie exclaimed.
‘And we have a permesso, thanks to Ursula.’ A plan was coming together in Aribella’s mind.
‘Rowing on to the lagoon at night with spectres on the loose doesn’t seem very safe,’ Fin said sceptically.
‘I don’t care, it’s a chance to find the mask,’ Aribella said. ‘And the spectre was frightened by fire. If it appears again I could try to fight it off.’
‘Well, I’m coming with you,’ said Seffie.
Aribella knew her friend well enough by now to know that there was no use protesting.
‘All right,’ she said, feeling relieved.
‘Are you sure you should go?’ Fin asked. ‘It’s so risky.’
‘Life is risky, Fin!’ Seffie replied. ‘In case you’ve forgotten, some madman who’s supposed to be dead might open a secret boundary and let in a whole bunch more of those evil spectres.’
‘Fair point,’ Fin relented. He sighed and looked at Helena. ‘We’ll help too.’
Helena nodded. ‘Whatever you need.’
That evening, Aribella did not undress. Instead, she lay on her bed fully clothed, listening, with growing trepidation, to the wind and rain lashing against her windows. It would not be an easy row in these conditions. She’d felt numb all day, but now her body surged with adrenaline.
She remembered lying on her bed at Papa’s house, also fully dressed, that first night she’d met Rodolfo. So much had happened since. And it had all led to this.
At quarter to midnight, she got up and pulled on a thick wool cloak and leather boots. She pocketed Ursula’s permesso and collected her mask from the nightstand. She put it on hesitantly, half anticipating a sharp sting. But no sting came. The mask seemed to be behaving. She tied the ribbons, hoping that nothing would go awry while they were on the lagoon.
She watched the clock until midnight, then stepped out into the corridor.
Seffie and Fin were already there, waiting. Seffie, like Aribella, was cloaked and masked, but Fin was still in his nightclothes, his feet bare. He gave Aribella a swift nod.
‘Ready?’ Aribella whispered.
Fin nodded again. She could tell he was nervous. ‘You?’ he asked.
‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’
‘And Nymeria is definitely with Marquesa?’
Aribella nodded. The healer had had Nymeria brought up to her room so she could keep an eye on her while the sleeping potion wore off.
‘Good luck, Fin,’ Seffie whispered.
‘And to you two,’ he whispered back. ‘Come back in one piece.’
‘And you try to stay in two pieces for as long as you can,’ Seffie replied.
Fin gave her a small smile then stepped halfway through his door. Half of his body dissolved into the room beyond. ‘Rosa won’t believe this for long after last time,’ he warned, ‘so you’d better be quick. I’ll count to twenty and then start shouting.’
‘Thanks, Fin,’ Aribella said, before she and Seffie hurried away down the staircase.
They made it to the first floor where they hid around a corner and waited.
After a few more seconds, they heard Fin’s voice yell down from above. ‘Rosa! Help! I’m stuck.’
‘Fin?’ Rosa’s voice called back from somewhere below. ‘Is that you?’
‘I was sleepwalking again, Rosa. I’m stuck in my door . . .’
‘Not again!’ Rosa groaned. ‘I thought you were strong enough to get out of this by now.’
‘I thought so too. But I need my mask. Please . . . If Jacapo finds me, he’ll kill me . . .’
‘This is the last time, Fin. I swear. I’m going to start tying you to your bed.’ They heard Rosa’s footsteps coming up the staircase. ‘This sleepwalking has to stop!’ she muttered to herself as her footsteps travelled to the floor above.
Well done, Fin, Aribella thought. She and Seffie did not hesitate a moment longer. They raced down to the lobby, treading as lightly as they could. They crossed the lobby floor in a few large strides, pulled open the entrance doors and slipped out into the stormy night.
The wind howled in their ears as they shut the doors. Aribella’s heart was hammering. A small flutter of triumph rushed through her but she quashed it. They might have got out of Halfway, but that was only the beginning.
They hurried along the jetty, shivering in the cold rain. The sky was dark and neither the stars nor the moon were visible through the dense layer of cloud above them. The wind sent Aribella’s hair lashing around her face and both their cloaks flapping. It seemed to have picked up even more since night had fallen, and if it was this bad here on the sheltered canal, Aribella didn’t want to think about the conditions on the exposed lagoon.
She gripped Ursula’s permesso tightly and pulled on the mooring rope, humming. Ursula’s gondola came rushing up to the surface. At the prow was a lantern, miraculously already lit. This time, Aribella was glad of the gondola’s covered carriage; at least it meant Seffie would be dry.
‘You go in and shelter,’ she whispered as they clambered aboard.
But Seffie was having none of it. ‘If you’re going to be out in the wet then so am I.’
Aribella sighed. ‘Sometimes you are too stubborn for your own good, Seffie.’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment,’ Seffie retorted, untying the rope.
Aribella took up the oar, pushed the gondola away from the jetty and started to row. As before, she soon got into a rhythm and the gondola felt easy to propel, as if it weighed nothing. There was no one around so they were able to move quickly, though the pummelling rain greatly reduced visibility and the Grand Canal was so overflowing with glistening, black water that it was hard to tell where its banks ended. The mask protected her face against the wind, and she willed the gondola onwards.
The rain worsened as they emerged on to the lagoon. Aribella gritted her teeth as the rain seeped through her cloak and down the back of her neck. She wished there were stars visible to light the way but she could manage without them, for she knew the route back to Burano by heart. She rowed out towards the open lagoon, getting into even more of a flow, so that soon, the gondola was skimming over great stretches of black water as if it was nothing. The speed took Aribella’s breath away.
When they got near enough to see the outline of Burano ahead of them, Aribella halted the gondola.
Ahead of them was a light on the water. A fishing boat. ‘Seffie, look!’ she said. But as Rodolfo had once told her, her mask made her unwatchable but not unhearable.
‘Who goes there?’ said a familiar voice at once.
Aribella’s mouth fell open. ‘Theo?’ she stammered.
Aribella and Seffie quickly pulled off their masks as Theo held up his lantern, illuminating his face. His fringe flopped into his eyes and he pushed it back and gazed at her, his expression a mixture of shock, wonder and confusion.
‘Ari? Is that you?’
‘Theo, what are you doing out here? You shouldn’t be fishing at night. Didn’t you get the Doge’s warning?’
‘What warning?’ Theo’s forehead creased. He was looking at her as if she were a ghost.
The Doge was meant to have told the islanders not to go on the lagoon at night. Had he been too sick to do so? And come to think of it, where were the guards he’d said would be patrolling? Now it occurred to her, she realized they’d seen none as they passed the palace.
‘I asked him to warn you–—’
‘You asked the Doge to warn me?’ Theo scoffed.
‘Well, to warn all the islanders. There’s something . . . evil out here.’ How could she get Theo to understand? He’d never believe her if she started talking about spectres. Theo had no time for anything he thought was nonsense, and it was clear he remembered nothing about being bitten by one of them himself or else he would not be here in the dark, fishing alone. Whose boat was he using anyway?
Theo shook his head. ‘Where have you been all this time? I thought you were . . . And who’s your friend?’ He eyed Seffie distrustfully and his gaze travelled over the gondola. ‘And where did you get a gondola?’
Aribella cursed inwardly, hating how this must look to him. ‘I-I can’t really explain, Theo . . . but you don’t have to worry, I’m fine . . .’
‘Yes, I can see that,’ Theo said with a coldness that did not suit him. ‘Didn’t think to let me know sooner?’
‘Theo . . .’ Aribella felt desperate. How could she explain? She’d signed an oath to keep the secret of the Cannovacci.
‘I’ve been trying to get an audience with the Doge ever since you disappeared,’ Theo continued. ‘I’ve been worried sick about what might have happened to you, I thought you and your papa were in prison.’
‘Papa is in prison,’ Aribella said quickly, clutching at the one truth she could tell.
‘What?’ For a second, Theo’s face softened, but then his expression hardened again. ‘Why should I believe you? Turns out Gian was right about you this whole time; you don’t care about me, you never have.’
‘Please, Theo. That’s not true. Of course I care about you.’
‘Then where were you? After I almost drowned in the storm that night I expected you to visit but you didn’t. Then I found out you were missing and I was afraid. I thought something awful had happened. I blamed Gian for putting your name in that stupid Lion’s Mouth. But I shouldn’t have wasted my time. Here you are swanning about in a gondola. You just left me behind without a backwards glance.’
He was jealous, of course he was. That was why he was so angry. To him it seemed as though she’d got the very thing he’d always dreamt of, and had decided not to share. He thought she’d forgotten him, and he was hurt. Aribella felt awful. The last thing she’d ever want to do was cause Theo pain.
Tears sprung to her eyes. ‘Theo, it’s not like that. I promise.’
‘Then what is it like, Ari? Tell me.’ Underneath his anger Aribella could see he still held a tiny glimmer of hope that he was wrong and that there really was another explanation. That she hadn’t just abandoned him.
She shook her head. ‘I wish I could explain, Theo, but I can’t.’
The hope left Theo’s eyes. ‘Gian’s a better friend than you are. I should have listened to him all along. He lends me his boat now that mine is gone. He won’t come out at night because he still believes those silly ghost stories like the rest of them – but at least he hasn’t abandoned me.’
His words stung, b
ut there were bigger things to worry about right now. It was good that the other fishermen weren’t coming on to the lagoon. Theo needed to stay away too.
‘You shouldn’t be here, Theo.’
Theo scoffed. ‘Why? Because of you? Are you a witch, Aribella? Going to curse me?’
Seffie had been watching silently. ‘Ari really can’t explain!’ she interrupted. ‘You wouldn’t understand.’
Aribella wished Seffie hadn’t said anything.
‘I wouldn’t understand?’ Theo said, his voice rising. ‘I’m just a stupid idiot, like Gian, like the rest of the islanders – is that right?’
‘No, Theo, of course not,’ Aribella gasped.
‘I defended you.’ His voice was thick now. ‘I saw the flames at the market that day and you know what I thought? I thought that no matter what she’s my friend, and I’ll stick by her because she’s good and kind. But a good, kind friend wouldn’t just disappear without a word.’
Aribella couldn’t bear it. She ached to tell him the truth. To tell him everything.
‘Theo, I–!’ She screamed suddenly as the mask in her hand gave a hot sting.
Not now. Not here.
‘Ari?’ Seffie called.
Aribella threw the mask down on to the carpeted floor of the gondola, cradling her hand.
‘Did it sting you again?’ Seffie asked. ‘Like in the palace?’
Aribella nodded. ‘It was worse, like . . .’ She stopped. The colour of the water around the boat had changed. It was no longer inky black . . . She looked up to the sky and a cold hook of dread took hold of her. A patch had cleared in the clouds, and through it the full moon was now visible. A moon that was not white and pale as it ought to be, but red.
Blood red.
‘Seffie, the blood moon!’ she cried out.
THWACK. Something hard and solid collided with the back of Aribella’s head. She stumbled forwards, her ears ringing, trying to keep her balance. She heard Theo shout and Seffie cry out her name. Aribella looked round to see a cloaked, hooded figure standing right behind her in another gondola, wielding an oar. For a moment, everything seemed to move in slow motion. Rodolfo, was Aribella’s first confused thought. But it didn’t look like his gondola. And he wouldn’t attack her. So who was it? And why?