Starling (62 page)

the gates. Each night the Jews were locked inside, guarded until
morning by Christian soldiers. Cass remembered how Feliciana had
hidden there after escaping from Joseph Dubois’s estate. Perhaps
Cass could do the same.
Now she just had to remember the streets so she could find her
way back to the gates. Luckily, the gondola turned only twice more
before stopping. Cass alighted from the boat and quickly backtracked to the Ghetto entrance. She lost herself in the current of
people, letting them carry her forward, through the gates, to safety.
Once inside the Ghetto, the people quickly dispersed, men and
women murmuring greetings to one another before vanishing into
alleyways.
Cass hung back, unsure of which way to go. The buildings here
stood six or seven stories high, as the limited space within the walls
meant the only way to expand was upward. The sun had fallen away
completely, relinquishing the night to a sky dotted with stars and
blurred with bits of haze. Doors closed softly against the dark. Candles moved throughout homes, illuminating dusty window glass and
vague forms. She imagined children greeting their fathers after a long
day of work. Cass had been born into privilege and these people had
not, but they had family.
In that way they would always be richer than she would.
A shadow moved across the periphery of her vision. Cass whirled
around, dropping into a crouch and drawing her dagger. A cat looked
back at her, its round eyes shining like pieces of copper.
“Hi.” Cass put away her dagger and bent down, one hand outstretched. Just the presence of another living thing on its own made
her feel better. But the cat was wild, and it skidded out of her reach.
It turned and scampered across the street, leaping gracefully up onto
a windowsill.
She watched it wriggle its way through a gap in the shutters, a profound sense of loss settling around her as its hooked tail disappeared
into the darkness. She told herself that even if she was alone, she had
nothing to fear. The Jewish people had never treated her poorly.
They weren’t violent. They simply believed different things from the
Christians.
Cass followed the cat’s path across the street and then ducked into
the first cramped alley, making her way along until she found a recessed doorway covered in dust. A sign hung above her head, its redpainted Hebrew letters a complete mystery to her.
Leaning against the doorway, she curled her arms around her
chest for warmth. Now that she was safe for the time being, she took
a moment to catch her breath. The events of the night came crashing
back. Piero must have followed Falco to Palazzo Dolce. Did that
mean Luca was right? That Falco was working with Piero and Belladonna? The thought made Cass feel like she was covered in spiders.
No, Falco would never be a member of the Order of the Eternal
Rose. But Cass had thought the same thing about her parents. And
she had been wrong. Even if what Luca said about them working to
destroy the Order from within was correct, they had once been members in good standing.
But Falco had just proposed to her. Why on earth would he do
something like that if he was a member of the Order?
Cass blinked hard, rubbing her temples with her fingertips. There
were no easy answers. Her eyelids suddenly went heavy, and she