Starling (69 page)

Cass froze, clutching Feliciana’s hand, unable to do anything except wait for the inevitable collision.
And then the boat angled to the side at the last second and its bow
scraped the side of the gondola. Cass barely heard both Feliciana
and the gondolier cursing. She was too focused on the form that had
risen from the other boat. The figure leapt into the gondola, and the
faint moonlight illuminated his face. Cass screamed. It was Piero.
Grabbing Feliciana’s arm, Cass lunged to her feet and prepared to
jump overboard. She would take her chances in the water again before she went anywhere with Piero Basso.
But Feliciana seemed frozen where she sat, and then Piero was
upon thern. A cloth hood dropped over Cass’s face. The fabric
smelled of chemicals. She struggled to hold her breath, lashing out
with both arms, her fingernails digging into Piero’s skin. She wished
desperately that she had not given away her dagger. The gondola teetered dangerously and she heard Piero swear and holler for someone
to bring the boat closer.
Cass’s head started to grow fuzzy, spots floating on the backs of
her eyelids, a warm feeling spreading throughout her limbs. She
struggled to focus. What had happened to the gondolier? Why wasn’t
he fighting back? And Feliciana—had she escaped? Had she been
pushed out of the gondola? Was she drowning?
“Feliciana,” she called out.
But there was no answer. Only the gentle sound of waves lapping
against the side of the boat. Piero snaked one of his arms around
Cass’s throat, his biceps crushing her windpipe. Cass gagged. “I
could kill you if I wanted,” he hissed. “Don’t forget that.”
He began to drag her body across to the other boat, his arm tightening around her neck. She was choking. She was dying. Her chest
was on fire. Against her will, her body sagged, crumpling right into
Piero’s arms.
“No.” She tried to cry out, but all that came out was a whimper.
Then, like the lantern being snuffed out by the wind, Cass’s world
went dark.