Chapter 1

Scipio was returning from one of his raids when he ran into her. She was slim and pretty, but her hair was frazzled as though she had been in a fight, and she sported a spectacular black eye. 'Have you lost your parents?' he asked in the habitual way he had formed through all his other subjects, 'I'll help you find them.'

'I have not lost my parents; I'm not two.' the girl snapped, 'and if I had, I could find them myself.'

'If you're not lost, why is a pretty girl like you out on a cold night like this?'

'Enjoying the sights. And don't call me pretty.' the girl narrowed her eyes.

'Too late.' Scipio teased, 'You shouldn't be out here in the dark.'

'I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself.'

'I don't think you could.' He really didn't think she could.

'Well let's find out, shall we? I'll go my way, you go yours, and if you never hear from me again, I'm fine.'

'I won't hear from you if you're dead, either.' Scipio rolled his eyes. This girl was proving difficult.

'That's the point.' she tried not to yell at him. It wasn't his fault he'd caught her in a bad mood.

'Come on, I'll help you find your hotel.'

'What hotel? I thought we'd been through this. I...do...not...need...help. Now go away, before I call the cops on you.'

'Very well. Good night.' Scipio turned to leave and didn't look back. ' I hope you don't get eaten by rats.'

The next afternoon, Mara Greene spotted the boy she had met the night before, marching through St. Mark's Square like he owned the place. He was leading a band of ragamuffin adolescents like kids in America would play Follow The Leader. Mara tailed them, and found out that they were going to the Basilica. The boy left three kids outside, presumably to keep watch, but Mara snuck into the church through a side door. She peeked from around a pillar, and nearly got caught by one of the boy's companions. 'I don't like churches. It feels like we're being watched.' he said uncomfortably. You have no idea, thought Mara. 'Come on, he's waiting.' said Mara's acquaintance, who apparently liked to masquerade as a bird, judging by the mask he wore to conceal his features, 'We have enough time later to be scared.' He was obviously something of an older brother to the kids, but why did he bother? He has nothing to gain; these are obviously street rats. What a wonderful word. Obviously. It has a ring to it, don't you think? Mara slapped herself. Would you stop talking yourself and start listening? The boys had entered the confessional; it looked a rather tight fit. Mara joined a group devoutly praying the rosary. As she kneeled, she heard muffled voices. 'Five million,' came a young voice, 'Sounds like a fair price.' Mara recognized the speaker as the leader of the little group. An old voice said, 'what you are supposed to steal is of value only to me, since it is made of neither gold nor silver, but of wood. Do we have a deal, Thief Lord?'. Then the old voice said very clearly, 'Go get your friend, I would like to keep my secrets and I don't have a mask to aid me.' Mara glanced at her fellow pray-ers. They'd left. There was a moment of confusion in the confessional, and the boy with the bird mask stepped out. Mara quickly went back to praying. 'Psst! C'mere!' Mara turned toward him with a look of innocent shock and annoyance on her face. 'You again!! Can't you just leave me alone?'

'No. Come with me.' the boy looked anxious even through his mask.

'Oh, yes, because I go with every strange guy who wants me to go with him, because I'm an idiot,' Mara spat venomously

'Have it your way.' He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. Mara could've killed him on the spot, but she didn't. She was in a church, after all. 'Put me down!!' she yelled anyway. He did. 'Can you try to behave? There's a lot of money riding on you, and I'd like to be fairly rich for a bit.'

'Really? I figured the almighty Thief Lord would be living high.' Mara scowled. 'I'll behave if nobody talks to me.'

An impatient voice sounded loudly. 'Hurry up, before I change my mind.'

'Come on.' the boy said through the stupid mask. 'We don't have time to chat.'

Mara rolled her eyes and stepped reluctantly into the confessional. 'Count to sixty, then you can leave.' the Thief Lord whispered in her ear. Mara had just reached thirty-seven when one of the boys said, 'Fifty-nine, sixty.'

The boy with the mask grinned. 'You certainly count fast, Mosca,' he said mockingly.

'I just want to get out of here. I don't like churches.'

'They give you the creeps, I know. Can we go now? I'd like to leave before I'm old.'

The posse waited for a pack of tourists to wander past, then left the cramped space. The Thief Lord entered the door meant only for priests, and emerged with a basket and an envelope. The basket rustled. 'Don't open it. It might be a snake!' the one called Mosca fretted. 'Don't be silly. Why would the Conte give us a snake?' the masked lad snorted, then thought about it. 'Still.... you open it.' he said, shoving the basket at Mara.

'Awww, is the Thief Lord scared of a itty bitty snaky?' She lifted the lid of the basket slowly, drawing it out. She screamed for effect, making everyone jump back three feet. 'It's...it's..' she stuttered, '...a bird.' She pulled the pigeon out with a flourish. Mosca let out a breath he'd been holding. 'Well, that's a relief, I must say.'

The Thief Lord raised his eyebrows-quite a feat, considering he was still wearing his mask- 'No kidding.' he agreed.

The third and final boy, who had remained silent up to now, began poking the bird-faced boy furiously.

'What?' the Thief Lord nearly yelled.

Frantically jabbing a finger toward the center of the Basilica the boy hissed, 'Tourist! Tourist!'

'Are you worried about your brother, Prop? He's fine with Hornet, and you know it.' the Thief Lord said without turning around.

Mara studied the bird a bit before holding it directly in the masked boy's face. 'Does this bird remind you of someone you know.... Thief Lord!'

The boy ripped off his mask, exposing his pale, freckled face. 'I am not a bird. Clear?' Mara grinned devilishly and pinched the Thief Lord's cheeks. 'Aren't you just the cutest widdle fing?' she crooned in a sickeningly high voice. He turned bright red and stomped away. Just before he got out of earshot, Mara called. 'Thief Lord!' He turned around. 'Don't you want your birdie?'

Do I want my birdie? I'll show you birdie! The Thief Lord's thoughts were murderous. 'Mosca, get the bird.' he said through clenched teeth. Mosca shuddered. 'What if it bites me? What if it's carrying some terrible disease? What if-'

Scipio cut him off. 'What if the sky grows a tree and your ear turns blue? Get the bird.' he said with scorn in his voice.

'Let's not get ridiculous, now...' Mosca said quietly.

'And the bird is in a basket. Get it.' Scipio snapped. 'Why are you arguing with me?'

Sullenly, Mosca trudged over to Mara. 'He's not always like this, you know. He's normally very nice. It's your fault,' he murmured as he gingerly took the basket as though it would explode at any second.

Scipio glanced back at the girl as he exited the church. She wasn't as tough as she seemed, he was sure of it. When they got outside, he instructed his followers not to go directly back to the hideout. That girl might not be tough, but she was sneaky enough to follow them.

'Hey, Scip! I fed the birds with Victor.' Bo was so sweet and innocent. Scipio couldn't be mad with Bo around.

'I caught him at the end of his little conversation. He was talking to the snoop.' Riccio said, ignoring Prosper's icy glare.

'Who?' Prosper glanced uneasily into the crowd, ' How many times do I have to tell you not to talk to strangers, Bo? Do you want to go back to Esther?' Scipio cut him off sharply. 'Calm down, Prop. If it really was the snoop, we'll simply give him the slip. Honestly, you're starting to sound like Mosca, the way you worry about things. Come on.' He led the way down a back alley. At the end of the line, Mosca said nervously to Riccio, 'I don't worry that much, do I? I mean, I'm careful, but I don't really worry, right?' Riccio pretended not to hear. Scipio explained the plan in one of the many shops selling cheap mementos to tourists. 'Prop, give your jacket to Riccio. It's not that hard to change how you look,' he continued as he removed his mask, ' I'll leave first and distract Victor while the rest of you sneak out. Hornet, you know where the ferry stops?' When Hornet had assured him that she did, of course, know where the ferry docked, Scipio said to the brothers, 'Mosca will lead you two back to the hideout after Riccio leads the snoop towards where Hornet will be. Everyone will meet at the Stella as soon as possible. Understood?' Everybody nodded except Bo, who looked slightly confused. 'Good. Let's go.'