Chapter 18

Dafne didn't have search for Mortola when she got back to the kitchen. The old woman was already waiting for her.

"Capricorn said that he wants Resa to bring his lunch and the Laterza girl with her."

A horrible smile spread over Mortola's face. Then she turned to face the whole kitchen.

"You, girl of Laterza," she pointed, "Come here."

Dafne's heart sunk when she saw who it was. It was Giovanetta. A hush fell over the kitchen, all eyes turned on her. The girl looked like a deer caught in head lights, pale and wide-eyed.

Oh God, why did it have to be her? Why did it have to be poor Netta?

"I said come here!" Mortola barked. The girl flinched and came scurrying over.

"Please, she's a child," Dafne pleaded before she reached them, "She can't find out this way."

Mortola only sneered, "One of your little friends is she? Then I'm going to enjoy this all the more."

"Y-yes Mortola?" Giovanetta managed to stammer once she got there.

Mortola ignored the girl,

"Resa!"

Resa was standing by the bench top where the last of Capricorn's lunch was being loaded on its tray. She was already looking in their direction.

"When you take Capricorn his lunch, you will take this girl with you," Mortola ordered.

Resa's face was very serious. Did she know what was going on?

She nodded grimly and with the food all boarded, she picked up the tray.

Dafne noticed Giovanetta starring at her. Her face seemed vast, vulnerable and confused. Dafne felt guilty. Hadn't she reassured the girl that her family would be safe? How wrong she had been. Now whatever hope the girl had of returning to a normal life with her family was about to be destroyed.

I'm sorry, she wanted to say, I'm so sorry for giving you false hope.

But there would be no chance for explanations or apologies as Mortola barked at Giovanetta,

"You heard me. Go with her."

The girl jumped and fled over to Resa, who was balancing the tray on one hip. This freed her other arm which drew protectively around Giovanetta.

"Listen carefully girl," Mortola said smugly as the two left the kitchen, "You might be able to catch your friend's wailing."

Dafne shuddered.

Thankfully Mortola was wrong. Dafne heard nothing. But when Resa brought Giovanetta back to the kitchen some time later, her grief was heart-wrenchingly evident. Every eye seemed drawn to it. Her cheeks were wet from tears which continued to seep from her eyes. Her body racked with quiet sobs as Resa steered her into a chair.

Mortola swaggered over,

"Well aren't you a sorry sight," she said nastily, "You know if your father hadn't been so stupid as to challenge Capricorn, your family would still be alive. I wouldn't waste my time mourning a fool like that. You should be grateful that Capricorn spared you and get back to serving him, useless as you are."

She swept away, her cruel words provoking fresh and rawer sobs. Dafne rushed over,

"Vanetta, I'm so sorry. Don't listen to her..."

Giovanetta looked up at her, her expression full of hurt and betrayal. It pierced Dafne like a lance.

"You told me they would be okay!" she cried, "You lied!"

"I'm so sorry," Dafne said, "I was just trying to comfort you. I never thought..."

Her words fell on deaf ears. Vanetta buried her face in her hands, sobbing,

"They're dead! They're all dead!"

Dafne looked desperately at Resa, who inclined her head. Leave her be, she seemed to be saying. Dafne sadly withdrew. But no matter the distance, Dafne couldn't take her mind off the poor girl who sat, Resa rooted by her side, chopping vegetables with tears spilling down her face.

Come dinner, Dafne was grateful for the excuse to leave the kitchen and be away from the girl and guilt she felt towards her.

When she got to the church, she realised that there was a person there that she didn't feel up to seeing either. Basta. He was looking at her too. He seemed to have been looking prior to her noticing him. What was she going to do? Everything had been so black and white in the past. He had done her wrong so she had hated him. Their relationship was supposed to be antagonistic. Now he wanted to be friends.

Friends? A friend was not someone who kidnapped you or threatened you. Friendship couldn't grow out of those circumstances. Friendship was about trust and she didn't trust Basta. He was a man who easily gave in to his darker nature. Still, what he was offering, was it worth feigning friendship for a bit more freedom? A while ago, she would have refused, clinging to hope of true escape. But now, as each passing day made her more resigned to her fate, it was tempting.

However, remembering the way he had held her hand, the way he had looked at her earlier, Dafne felt wary of him in a way she had not been before.

Just ignore him, she decided since she couldn't make her mind over the matter, pretend he's not there.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Capricorn's new pet, gracing us with her presence."

Dafne glared. It was Cockerell. He was only a few seats away.

"Guess you didn't you satisfy the boss enough if you're back to serving us."

This incited laughter from his companions. Cockerell leaned smugly back in his chair,

"I could give you a few lessons in pleasing a man if you're interested. How about it pussycat?"

Dafne barely heard this, she was thinking of Vanetta, thinking of her family burning while these men had laughed as they did now. It filled her with rage. In her anger, she flew at Cockerell.

She caught a glimpse of his stunned face before she struck him with her tray, the contents flying everywhere as she did. And she kept striking him.

"YOU KILLED A GIRL'S FAMILY! YOU KILLED THEM!"

She heard massive laughter around her.

"Bloody hell, one of the maids is killing Cockie."

"She's giving him a good belting, ha ha."

But then someone grabbed her and pulled her away. She fought, swinging her tray.

"Let go of me!"

"You can stop now," said the person holding her, "You've knocked him out."

Dafne stopped thrashing. She knew the voice but she turned anyway. It was Basta. He looked greatly amused but amazed at the same time.

She turned back to Cockerell. He was right. The man was sprawled unconsciously on the table. She starred incredulously.

Did I really do that?

Some of men had begun applauding and whistling.

Angrily, Dafne brandished her tray,

"Shut up, you're all just like him! You're nothing but a pack of murderers!"

This just seemed to provoke more cheers.

Basta tugged on her arm,

"Come on, you've done enough damage."

"Don't tell me what to do," Dafne yelled.

Basta did a quick glance around the room like an actor surveying his audience. Dafne kept her tray raised threateningly. There was a moment of standoff. Then Basta lunged, knocked the tray out of her hands and somehow aggravatingly grabbed hold of her at the same time.

As he led her away, the audience trumpeted their approval. Dafne's protests were drowned out in the din.

"I'll bring her back later," he told Orlanda as he pushed Dafne through the church entrance.

Once outside, he let her go. Dafne whirled around furiously,

"You bastard."

Basta grinned, wagging his finger at her in mock disapproval,

"First brawling now swearing, you're not being very ladylike little mouse," then he laughed, "Not that I'm complaining. That was great back there. Cockerell didn't know what hit him."

Dafne sighed at his gleeful expression.

"I think everyone missed my point," she said bitterly.

"It was really funny."

"That wasn't the point," Dafne snapped, "Why do all of you treat violence like some kind of joke?"

Basta pouted, "Aw don't spoil the fun, little mouse."

"Fun? It's not fun that a little's girl's family has been killed. It's not fun that Silvio was shot..."

"I'm glad you brought that up," Basta cut in on her tirade, "That's the reason I wanted you to come with me."

"What do you mean?"

"Silvio got discharged today. He's resting at my house. I thought you might like to see him."

"Of course I want to see him," Dafne said frustratedly, "You could have just said that in the first place instead of dragging me out of there."

Basta shrugged, "It looked better."

"You mean it made you look good in front of the men," Dafne sighed, "Well let's go then."

"This way."

They were walking back in the direction of Capricorn's house. Presumably Basta's house was close to his.

"Have you thought more about my offer?"

Dafne cringed inwardly, precisely the thing she didn't want to be asked.

"Um, I haven't really thought about it," she lied.

"Hopefully tonight might help you make up your mind."

"Well it isn't looking good for you so far," Dafne shot back. Basta laughed.

Dafne's assumption proved correct. Basta's house lay on the street behind Capricorn's. Other than his, the rest of the houses in the street appeared unoccupied. There were clumps of yellow flower growing outside it but Dafne didn't know enough about botany to know what there were.

When Basta let her in, the first thing she noticed was that the house was, to her surprise, spotlessly clean.

After she was led upstairs to the bedroom, the second thing she noticed was the peculiar stack of bricks piled up on the dresser.

The third thing she noticed was Silvio. He was sitting up in bed, looking surprised and delighted,

"Dafne!"

She eyed his arm in its sling.

"Silvio..." she began reproachfully.

The boy's face turned sheepish,

"Yeah I know."

Dafne sat on the edge of the bed.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay," Silvio said, assuming a brave front.

"Do you know how lucky you are?" Dafne said, concern filling her voice, "You could have..." then she sighed, "Listen to me, I sound like your mother."

Silvio smiled,

"Is that what a mother sounds like?"

Dafne scowled,

"Don't be cute. I'm mad at you."

"Please don't be mad," Silvio pleaded, "I know I was stupid, okay."

"It's not just that," Dafne said, "There's a maid I know. She's younger than you. It was her family who were killed."

"Oh," said Silvio in a small voice, "I didn't know that. But I didn't do anything."

"Because you were shot. What if you hadn't been? These are people's lives being destroyed. Think about how that girl must be feeling right now."

Silvio looked troubled.

Maybe I've gotten through to him, Dafne thought.

"Hey that's enough melancholy talk," Basta's voice came from the doorway. He had left to bring up a chair. He dragged it over to the bedside and plopped down in it, "Geez little mouse, I brought you here to cheer him up."

"You can't expect me to just forget why he's here with his arm in a sling."

"You can for one night," Basta told her, "Stop lecturing him. What he needs is a story to help him sleep."

"A story?" said Dafne.

Looking grateful for Basta's intervention, Silvio nodded enthusiastically,

"Yeah, a story."

"And who is going to tell this story?" asked Dafne.

"You are, little mouse. You can read so you must know a lot of stories."

"Well I..." said Dafne, caught a little off-guard, "I suppose I could."

Not exactly full of self-confidence, she started with something simple. Jack and the Beanstalk. The two liked that so it was followed by more fairy tales. The stories of Bluebeard, Hansel and Gretel and Puss in Boots. Silvio drifted off in Rumpelstiltskin but Basta insisted on knowing the ending.

"You know some good stories, little mouse," he said when she finished, "I liked the one where the kids shoved the witch in the oven. She reminded me of Mortola."

Dafne wondered if that was because she had Mortola in mind when she had described the witch.

"I suppose I should go," she said.

"You could stay," Basta said.

Where would I sleep? Dafne was about to say but stopped herself. Why was she even considering it?

"I think a certain witch might have a lot to say about that."

Basta got the picture. He rose to his feet,

"Alright, I'll take you back."

Once there were outside, Dafne could see the outline of Capricorn's house looming forbiddingly ahead.

Basta turned from locking his door,

"So what do you think, little mouse. What I'm offering doesn't seem so bad."

"From what I can tell you don't need a maid. Your house is freakishly clean."

"Less work for you then. You can just tell your stories. I could even get you books."

That was a magic word. Books. How long had it been since she had held a book in her hands. With the promise of books, Basta was offering her escapism of a different kind.

"You could really get me books."

Basta must have caught the longing in her voice.

"If that's what you want," he said, "I know someone with plenty of them. So what do you say?"

She wanted to say yes, damn him, she wanted to say yes. But something in her couldn't bring herself to say it.

"I don't know," she said instead.

Basta made a noise of impatience,

"Let me know when you make up your damn mind. I'd appreciate it."

After that, there wasn't more to say. Orlanda was waiting for them and she was not happy.

"Next time you want to abduct a girl, let me know in advance."

"Good night," Dafne said as Orlanda steered her inside.

"Sweet dreams Gretel," Basta replied. His meaning was clear. This was no gingerbread house but it was still a witch's lair. And she would be trapped there until she took his way out. But she didn't need his reminding. She had made up her mind.

The next day, she went to Capricorn for his lesson.

"There's something I wanted to ask you," she ventured before they began.

"Is there?" Capricorn said, "And what might that be?"

To be continued...