La Diciottesima Storia: Il Pesce Infila in Rete
The man known as Noblesse Oblige walked with purpose along the wharf, towards the towering masts of La Venganza. It was not his real name, but another of Lucentio's clever little japes. He had taken to it, though. The irony of it was quite charming, in a way. Being the third son of a middling noble house in France, he had never been destined to greatness. Perhaps used as a pawn in his father's machinations, or packed off to marry some tawdry woman of his mother's choosing. Now, at the very least, his choices were his own.
The docks were abuzz with motion, and Noblesse knew the reason. It was the same reason his own steps carried the sense of urgency that they did. His path threaded through Venganza's crew, and he opened the door to Lucentio's cabin without knocking. The room was dark. The sun well past its asmuth, his eyes still had yet to adjust to the stark absence of light. He thought he could make out the hunched shape of a man, leaning over Lucentio's desk. Noblesse let his hand rest on the hilt of his rapier. To others, he seemed relaxed, but in reality, he stood poised on the brink of motion, a viper ready to strike at the slightest provocation.
"Ha! Look at them run, Noblesse," Lucentio barked, his unsettling voice filled the darkness. Drunk, if the slurring lilt were any indication.
"Indeed, my lord," Noblesse said, carefully. It would be prudent to tread cautiously. There was a chance, perhaps, that Lucentio had yet to hear the news that spread through the district like wildfire. "I saw Il Diavolo put to sail just moments ago."
He had seen other things, as well, a great deal that would be troubling for Lucentio's ambitions.
"The deed is done, and they run like dogs with their tails between their legs. The bitch is dead, Noblesse. Finally, she's dead! I've chased after her back for years since Father died, and now I finally have my due. It was my right! I should have been the one Father chose," Lucentio ranted on.
He listened to the man continue his tirade. So, he did not know, Noblesse thought, idly fingering the knuckle guard of his rapier. Amica del Diavolo, while worse for the wear when Noblesse had seen her, was hardly dead. She had something of the Devil's own luck, aptly named that woman. She floated in thin air -He would not have believed it had he not witnessed it himself- to her ship, as if carried by the demons of Hell themselves. Few things chilled his blood, but that sight had.
"I would not be so sure, my lord." The servility in his voice disgusted him. He hated having to bow and scrape before this peasant, but he could sense the news would not be well received. He relayed the tale hesitantly. Noblesse was able to keep the reluctance from his voice, but only just. Lucentio was not renowned for his reasonable temperament, especially when the truth did not agree with his narrative of how events should have unfolded. Which it rarely did.
"Impossible!" Lucentio roared. The darkness seemed foreboding now.
"I would agree, had I not seen as much with my own eyes," Noblesse insisted. "A small chance remains that it is as you say, but I would not take the wager. My lord."
Noblesse added the title belatedly. It made him cringe every time. On another day, he was sure Lucentio would have taken great pleasure in the discomfort it caused him, but now, the man was engrossed in other matters. Noblesse was not thankful for it. It could only mean more work for him, for a certainty, and Lucentio would likely be in a dark mood until the situation was righted. The coming weeks boded ill for the crew. Noblesse would have to think quickly to seize the slim chance that presented itself. If he could soothe Lucentio's temper while he was still drunk, the next few weeks might be livable. Otherwise, the captain's constant fear of mutiny may well become a reality.
"Then what now?" Lucentio asked. It confirmed Noblesse's suspicions, Lucentio must be deep in his cups to ask for his advice.
"You know her plans, my lord. That knowledge would be invaluable, say, in the hands of her enemies, no doubt," Noblesse let the implications hang in the air.
It was a risky proposition. The Serene Doge had no great love of piracy. There was a very real chance they would be executed on the spot, but even men of his station could be persuaded, guided towards the proper choice with the right honeyed words.
"If we could but light the lamps, my lord, I could have your letter penned and on its way to Venice before the men have raised the anchor," Noblesse suggested.
"Then be about it, man," Lucentio snapped. "I will have my due."
The darkness hid Noblesse's withering stare, but he silently set about his task. He may not be pleased with Lucentio's lack of diffidence, but Noblesse could hardly deny the sense of excitement he held for the web he soon would weave. He would not receive the glory, but there was a certain allure to bending the will of powerful men to his own. After all, was he not his father's son?
Amica opened her eyes and groaned. The borderless white room seemed to expand without horizon. At least this time, she knew where she was. She would not have to deal with the troubling disorientation of her previous visit to Il Diavolo's realm. She turned to face the Arcana, looming ominously in the pale void. Minutes, hours, even centuries could have elapsed during the time which she simply stared into the disturbing illustration.
"What do you want?" Amica snapped. The Tarroco never called her here without some express purpose.
"What I want..." Il Diavolo hissed, "is that you abandon this errant foolishness. I have let you go your own way long enough, child. When I do not intercede, look what you allow to happen! That worm, you nearly let him have your life. And for what? Some petty vendetta against me?"
"What do you care?" Amica spat. She was furious. He dared to chastise her like a child clinging to her mother's skirts when his only concern was for his own machinations.
"You are bound to me, and that is enough!" The Tarroco's voice boomed inside the void. She winced under the intensity of the barrage.
"I will never submit to you," Amica said. "I will not have you lead me by the nose. You will not use me for your foul purposes."
"Do you take me for a fool? You make use of me when it is convenient for you, and refuse me at your fancy. But the time has passed that I will allow you to risk all for your stubbornness. If you refuse to see wisdom, I will instruct you. I will fulfill my mandate. I will see you survive and returned to the fold," Il Diavolo raged on.
It was the first Amica heard of a mandate, and she could not begin to puzzle out his meaning. The times Il Diavolo interfered were completely random. His ambitions were unknowable, but even still, she believed him. He never spoke a word yet that had not been true.
"Tell me of this mandate!" Amica ordered. "You speak in riddles, hint at things beyond my knowing. Speak plainly or leave me alone."
"Even that is beyond me. All things will be revealed in time, in its time and not before. Not even I have the power to bend fate. Only Judgement can reveial such knowledge, and another holds his contract. I obey and serve as I was chosen. The only shame is that it is you whom I am bound to serve," Il Diavolo said. "You would be wise to heed my words this time. Had your pet arrived but a minute later, you would have bled out on the floor. Now awaken. The world waits for no man."
- A/N: -
Thank you for reading this chapter of Il Diavolo del Mare. The 18th story, The Fish Slips the Net. If you liked it, please tell your friends. If you liked it a lot, please tell me. ;)
Translation notes: Noblesse Oblige - "Nobility Obliges" is a French saying meaning that a noble should treat the commoners with kindness. "A noble behaves nobly." Or also that a person's station in life comes with certain responsibilities. Lucentio is using this name as an insult, to remind Noblesse that it is Lucentio, a commoner, who leads, rather than the other way around, and also a dig about the fact that Noblesse abandoned his responsibilities to his family and country to become a pirate.