Chapter 2
Dafne had lived in the same village for her whole life. While some, like Signor Orazio, appreciated the sleepy atmosphere, Dafne did not. In her youth she had been content to play with the other children, roaming the rolling hills and docks but as a young woman, the whimsy that had captivated her as a child now failed to fascinate her. She had longed for something more. But now as she surveyed the village that the men had brought her to, she felt acutely for the loss of the home she had been taken from. It had been comely, familiar, and the village in front of her was by no means an inviting sight.
The layout of village was similar to the one she had grown up in. Even the houses seemed to be made of the same grey stone. But instead of the tidy cottages she had been accustomed to riding past on her way to Signor Orazio's on her bicycle, these houses had fallen into disrepair. Some had broken windows and collapsed roofs. Instead of sea air, she could smell petrol. There were no gardens, only undergrowth crawling up to claim the decaying foundations.
Basta led the way through what would have been the main street. Flatnose brought up the rear and Dafne felt like a giant bear was stalking her, although a bear's face would have been preferable to Flatnose's ugly countenance. Dafne quickened her pace to avoid being jostled by Cockerell whose pronounced limp slowed his progress. However, he had his gun trained on her and she had no hope of out running a speeding bullet.
Dafne didn't know where they were going but along the way they encountered more men wearing the same black uniforms. Dafne wondered if they were part of a crime syndicate, the least that she knew was that Basta carried some kind of authority. The only ones he didn't order about were what appeared to be a horde of cats seen prowling about.
Once a boy emerged from one of the dilapidated houses and Basta hailed him,
"Hey Silvio, I thought you were on gate duty tonight. Forgot, did you?"
The boy ran up to him. He wore the same black attire but it seemed too big for him. Dafne guessed that he couldn't be any more than sixteen. He gave Basta the sheepish look of a boy who had forgotten to do his chores.
"Yeah, I was just on my way there now," He peered at Dafne over Basta's shoulder, "Who's the lady?" He asked.
"She's a new maidservant for Capricorn," said Basta.
"Oh," said the boy casually, "Cool."
"You best be on your way," said Basta and Dafne thought she heard his voice soften, "You have to relieve Furio and if you leave him waiting out there any longer, he's not going to be very happy with you."
Dafne saw an uncomfortable look flash across the boy's face and wondered how someone so young had come to this den of thieves. Where was his family? He had grime on his face.
"I'd better go," he said uneasily but then recovered with a grin, "See ya around."
He gave an awkward salute before racing off. Dafne thought he resembled a stray cat with his ragged appearance and his ability to vanish into the shadows like smoke. Cockerell spat on the ground,
"I don't why you humour that little snot-nose. He's practically useless," he said to Basta, his voice full of disdain, "The only thing he's good at is running away."
"Jealous, are you?" Basta replied. His tone airy but his words meant to cut "Must be hard for you being around all those light-footed boys, you with your gimpy leg."
At this remark, Cockerell clenched his teeth in anger.
"You don't need legs to start fires," he snapped, and then smirked as he added, more coolly, "Just guts."
Dafne didn't understand what had been implied by this statement but its aim was obviously to insult Basta. He flew around and before Dafne could even realise what was happening, he lunged at Cockerell with the speed of a striking snake. She didn't see him draw his knife but she caught its gleam in the moonlight as Basta slashed it across Cockerell's cheek. It was precise, like a slap.
Cockerell stumbled back, a dumb-founded look on his face that suggested that he too had been unprepared for Basta's attack. Blood began trickling from the wound. He suddenly roared and grabbed the side of his face. He still had his gun in his hand but no matter how much he loathing he had for Basta, he didn't use it. It was also clear that Basta expected no retribution for he had sheathed his knife. However, his expression was still filled with contempt.
"It doesn't take brains to light a fire," he growled at Cockerell, "That's why it's your job, not mine."
Cockerell didn't reply, perhaps thinking it best to stay silent while he nursed his cheek.
"That was just one small slice," Basta went on, "next time you mouth off I'll cut you into pieces." His threats trailed off as he noticed something small and flashing near Cockerell's feet, "What's that?" He muttered and bent down to inspect it.
As he did, Dafne saw that Cockerell had a frozen look of guilt stamped on his face. He knew full well what it was. Basta picked up the object and Dafne's heart skipped a beat for she too recognised what he was holding. It was a ruby necklace that had once belonged to Signor Orazio's wife. Her face flashed with anger at the heartless act of thievery. Cockerell must have taken it from the house and when Basta had assaulted him, it must fallen out from wherever place he had been hiding it.
"Very pretty," said Basta as he coiled the necklace in his palm, "But I don't think it would suit you very well, Cockerell."
"I found it, I should be the one to keep it," growled Cockerell, who appeared to have recovered from his blow by Basta.
Basta smiled at him in a threatening way,
"I'm sure Capricorn would like to know if you've been holding out on him," he said. His word must have carried weight because Cockerell ceased his objections with a grimace. But he glowered when Basta stowed the necklace in his own pocket.
"I see he still trusts you," he said and there was trace of resentment in his voice.
"Of course." Basta replied.
"Give that back!" Dafne yelled and her outburst caused them to look at her in surprise, as if they had forgotten her presence, "That doesn't belong to you."
The men began to laugh. Her anger amused them but she didn't care. All she could think about was retrieving the necklace. She remembered when she had first seen it. It had been in a photograph, which sat on Signor Orazio's desk. It was a black and white portrait of his wife early in their marriage.
"Your wife was very beautiful," she had said and Signor Orazio had smiled a sad smile, "Yes she was. Her name was Beatrice, just like Dante's Beatrice, and I fell in love with her immediately." Signor Orazio had kept the necklace after his wife's death as a memento although he confessed it was the "silliness of an old man" to do so. But now it had fallen through the hands of one thief to another with no respect for its sentimental value.
"It belongs to Signor Orazio," she told the robbers, "It was his late wife's."
The men's laughter subsided. Basta approached her and she fought the urge to back away from him. He took the necklace from his pocket and held it in front her, swinging it like a pendulum.
"Late wife, you say. Well, she'll have no need for it in the ground. I would much rather see it on a young woman, wouldn't you?"
She knew he was taunting her but she reached out to grab it in the hope that she might be too quick for him. She wasn't and he jerked it out of her grasp, leaving her swiping thin air.
"I suppose you'd have a woman in mind, Basta." Cockerell said knowingly with a grin. The humour swept Basta's face and to Dafne's dismay, he pocketed the necklace.
"Mind your own damn business," He snapped at Cockerell and the defensiveness of his tone suggested embarrassment, "We've wasted enough time. Bring the girl." He stalked off, leaving the other two to grab hold of Dafne and follow after him.
They didn't stop until they had reached what appeared to be a town square. There was a church on the opposite side of the square and a two-storey house stood beside it. The house was immediately distinctive because of its well-kept exterior. It showed no signs of enduring what had happened to the rest of the village's houses, causing them to slip into disrepair. As they crossed the square, it seemed certain to Dafne that their destination was going to be one of these two buildings.
Suddenly the front door of the house opened and an old woman came out. Basta came to halt as she approached them. Her steps were unsteady as if her legs suffered from some illness but her movements were sprightly as if she were used to exercise. She had the inscrutable eyes of bird and a pointed nose, which made her appear even more bird-like. She had a tight, dissatisfied look on her face. When she reached them, she addressed Basta in a tone that matched her expression,
"What time of night do you call this," She hissed at him, "Capricorn has already retired to bed. Do think you can just show at any hour you please and expect him to receive you?"
Dafne had expected for Basta to turn his hostility on this old woman and so it surprised her when he bowed his head as if to avoid her antagonistic gaze. When he answered, he mumbled his words like a self-conscious child,
"I brought him the book," he said as if trying to explain himself, "He'll want to be woken up for that, won't he?"
Dafne found it strange to see Basta being cowed by a small, older woman. She was wondered what was the cause of his intimidation. But regardless of the reason, Dafne felt no sympathy for him.
"You can come back in the morning," said the woman with air of command that suggested that she was used to being obeyed, "Capricorn will see you then. In the meantime, I will take the book."
She stretched out her hand. Basta's face darkened,
"But Capricorn told me..." he began.
"Give me the book, Basta," the woman interrupted haughtily, "You forget that it is me who Capricorn has chosen to run his house and to question me is to question his own judgement."
Reluctantly, Basta handed her Signor Orazio's copy of Inkheart but as soon as he did, he shot her a look of hatred. The woman clasped it possessively in her hands before turning to her shrewd eyes on Dafne. Dafne stared back at her, boldly, determined not be frightened of this unpleasant woman.
"Who's this? You and your men were told about bringing women to the village," she said in the same discontented tone as before.
"We found this girl in the same place that we found the book. I'm giving her to Capricorn as a maidservant," Basta told her, grabbing Dafne by the arm as if to reaffirm her status as his prisoner. He had relinquished the book to the woman and now he seemed wary of losing the girl to her as well. The woman's nose protruded like a beak as she thrust her face forward to scrutinize Dafne, her expression disdainful as though it gave her obvious displeasure to look upon her.
"Capricorn can't just have any girl as his maidservant. She will have to pass my inspection before I can recommend her to Capricorn. As for tonight, I will take her. It would be unwise for her to remain in your care," She smiled cruelly, her voice full of scorn, "I know how weak-willed you are when it comes to women."
Dafne winced as Basta dug his fingers into her arm and she could feel his rage emanating from his touch. She waited for him to object but he didn't speak. Finally he released her, saying,
"Go with Mortola and do as you're told."
No sooner had Dafne been freed from Basta's hold, than the woman's claw-like hands clamped down on her. It might have been easier for Dafne to wrestle out of the woman's grip than to shake loose from Basta but what good was resisting at this point. She was still in the presence of three men wielding with knives and guns. The old woman posed an undiagnosed danger as well for even Basta obeyed her. Dafne's hopes of escaping were slipping away from her like sand through her fingers.
"Come with me, girl." She snapped in a tone that brooked no argument and began dragging her towards the front door of the house.
Dafne looked over at her shoulder at Basta to throw him a departing angry glance, only to see that he was glaring as well. But Basta's fury was directed at Mortola's back. Of the girl who had been taken from him, he didn't even spare a look. She cursed him for being too pre-occupied in his own anger to notice her own. Mortola pushed her through the doorway and she entered the house, unknowing of what awaited for her inside its depths. All she knew that was it was Basta's fault for bringing her here. For that, she could never forgive him.
To be continued…