alternatehistory.com

Giovanni Battista Durazzo, the former Doge of the Most Serene Republic of Genoa, stood on a makeshift dais overlooking the docks, he was joined by his cousin Cardinal-Archbishop of Genoa Stefano Durazzo and two dozen senior relatives of the family Durazzo, whose standing in the great town has been transformed in less than five day and who now, collectively, stood head and shoulders above all the great families of Genoa (save perhaps Grimaldi, but those two good Houses were bound by blood, so the competition was far less deadly, if not any more pleasant). Already there was talk that the next Doge must be from the Durazzo House and the former Doge was being greeted as long lost friend by distaff members of his family hoping to be endorsed. How quickly things change.

"I still say I should fly to Rome, not stay here, cousin."

"Stefano, don't be a fool. You do not go to Rome unbidden in the midst of a war, and besides, look about, this is where we were meant to now stand."

"The Barberini have been good to us."

"No, cousin, they were kind to you, because you thumped local aristos in favor of Roman liturgy."

"I say..."

"Cousin, people are watching, pray keep your tongue... Dear me, what is that wondrous smell?"

"Smell?"

"There, on the ships, oh but the smell. I can smell it from here. See there, it... by Jesu, it glows."


And indeed, the wood lining the outer sides of the ship did glow and smell well, for it was almug trees, taken from Guadalcanal and brought back to Christian lands, and not seen since the days of the Great King Solomon, who used them as pillars to build the House of the Lord, taken from the ships of Hiram, who brought them from Ophir, per 1 Kings 10:11 and 10:12. Soon, the more pious among those on the packed dock understood (though they may have been aided by paid gossipers put among their number by Olympia's prudence), and a might cry went up, for that in it itself was proof that the Isle of the Gold Mines of the Great King Solomon had been found by the blessed adopted son of the great town of Genoa, Agostino the Sea Wolf, aided by true sons of Genoa (overlooking the one named "Kelly").

The ships slowly came in and were docked, and a single boat came forth from the "Fortune," standing at its prow was the Sea Wolf, dressed in fine silk, beautiful gilded armor glinting in the setting sun, wearing a beard of a man true, his long but shockingly clean hair dangling by the side of his weathered and rugged not entirely unhandsome face, one of his eyes covered by an intricately carved silver patch edged in very fine leather. He was also draped in wolf's furs, locked in placed by unseen silver chains, and held at his studded thick belt a two handed sword of some girth. And silver toed boots with gloriously shiny spurs completed the tale.

He was oared to dock by a crew of ten men dressed in matching clothes, Olympia among their number, dressed as one of them, with her breasts taped down by bolts of thick cloth to make her look like a man and thereby to better allow the maiden and matron fantasy of Genoese women that the great Sea Wolf was as yet untamed by any female hand and could be made lover or even husband.

The boat carefully glided up to the dock. The oars were shipped. The Sea Wolf made ready to step, but stopped himself, looked about and boomed in the purest Genoese:

"Citizens, have I your permission to once again enter the greatest town in the whole world?"

There came forth a great roar that shook the boat, water, pier, dock and dais.


The Sea Wolf stepped on the dock and walked forward to the dais. A path was at once cleared for him by Durazzo guards and hired cutthroats found by Olympia in the last five days, and so the Sea Wolf had unimpeded path to the dais, but he had no great hurry and walked slow as he could, acknowledged the warm greetings of men and the shrieks of women with an imperial nod and a good smile, showing he had retained all his teeth and they were white indeed (scrubbed by noxious potions that made him vomit on the entire trip from Corsica to Genoa, but thus the price of beauty).

Slowly and slowly, did the Sea Wolf climb the staircase, flanked now by four sailors of "Fortune," Olympia among their number. She sweating bad and nervous behind a fake thick beard that itched. Her hands found her weapons behind her cloak and fiddled with them, while looking about for assassins.

The Sea Wolf came up to the former Doge, gave a nod disguised a bow and was given a bow in turn. Then the Doge could not help and grip the wrist of the Sea Wolf and raise it about for all world as if announcing a fellow bare knuckle brawler deserving accolades at some cheap theatre.

But cheap theatre is seldom not popular, and the crowd roared yet again, while the poor Doge had no clue how close he had come to certain death, for Olympia stepped up when her companion's wrist was seized and was ready to sever the limb of the Durazzo transgressor.

For his part, the Sea Wolf greeted the display with equanimity of those truly set apart from baser mortals. He gave yet another nod and flashed a smile that set hearts aflutter and gave shriller shrieks among nearly all women. There followed a ridiculous speech of the former Doge, which we will not bore you with, but the substance of it was that Durazzo sent out a great man to achieve greatness for Genoa and greatness returned, yay Durazzo. The crowd listened to it with patience, for soon it was the time for the Sea Wolf to speak, and speak he did, pausing carefully, though the speech was small, to ensure all could repeat it in the front rows and pass it down to the middle and so on.

"Good people of the Most Serene Republic, I first came here as a stranger from a much strange land, and you took me with love that I will hope to repay in the coming months and years. I came here, of all other towns on our Earth, because I knew here I could prosper. I came here also because since I was but a small child, I was inspired by the greatest son of Genoa who had ever lived - Columbus. He had discovered the New World, a feat no one can repeat. And he made me realize there can be greatness in all of us, if we start off in Genoa. So I came here, to the greatest town on Earth, and from here, I sailed forth to discover. And discover I did. I found in our good century the source of the Gold Mines of King Solomon. I found the great Isles whose wealth will become our wealth, all of ours."

The cheers came in waves and the great Sea Wolf allowed himself to be lapped by them.

There were plans of some other Durazzo family members to speak after that, but the former Doge forbade them after hearing Sea Wolf. One does not follow good wine with weak grape. And they have all been doused by the dose of the finest vintage he had seen in his long, long life.

That night, there was a fete, and the Sea Wolf allowed himself to be feted, while his men tasted women they never had before and bought drinks and had drinks bought for them, and all seemed possible and the future was quite bright indeed, lit as it was by the moon, almug trees, gold and glazed eyes.

***


It was much different pair of eyes, though still glazed, that greeted Ashley that night in the Franciotti villa (well, one of the villas, for the family owned quite a few). The eyes belonged to the Cardinal-Bishop of Lucca Marco Antonio Franciotti. At first Ashley was quite concerned for her bodily integrity upon seeing those lustful eyes. That she excited men she knew since the age of eight, but soon she had realized she was seeing a more different type of longing.

"Is not your brother the Englishman who set forth to find King Solomon's Mines?"

"Aye, he's my twin."

"Your brother, my dear lady, has just returned, from King Solomon's Mines, with gold."

Ashley gaped, then gave forth a shuddering exhale.

She knew her brother was no fool, but the best and brightest of the finest kingdoms and empires had failed. And he... by Jesu, what pluck and what luck. She stopped tensing, and fairly sprawled on the cushioned chair, her eyes half-hooded with pleasure and her lips half parted in anticipation of more.

"My brother was destined for greatness from start."

"Yes, yes, could you write him a letter?"

Ashley's generous mouth gave something that could be mistaken for smile, or a leer.

***


The Cardinal-Inquisitor Francesco Barberini was much put upon. There were riots outside the western gates of Rome and parts of the less well policed southern environs of Eternal City. Then there was the price of bread, or rather prices, which could not brought to heel, and the troops of Taddeo would not come fast enough, for the roads were packed with refugees and yet another infestation of pilgrims convinced the death of the pope was a sign of something or other. It was enough to drive a man mad, and still the messages came. Such as the fourth, no, no, seventh secretary coming in with a sheaf.

"My lord, Vieri has left message in the expected place that all went well."

"Who in bloody bowels of Christ is 'Vieri'?"

"The fellow with the milky eye, who went to Albano?"

"What? Oh, yes him. He reports all is well? Splendid. Next. Wait, no, have someone write me a message to his lordship Cardinal Mazarini informing him that his servant, uh, Boniface had expired due, uh, the pox. No, make it an infection from a pricked finger on a rusty door nail. Yes. That. Next?"

"There are multiple and quite credible warnings of riots spreading further North in Rome, and a demonstration to be done near the St. Giovanni de Laterano in South at the same time."

"No, no, no, it cannot be done. That church is the very Vacant Chair which... that is the cathedra that... That is our bloody Church. Ours! We cannot... Send more guards. The crowds must be chased off. The North is likewise... No more riots."

"Your lordship, the messages..."

"Go away! No, no, no, come back. Pull the guards from the ghetto by Tiber and send them South."

"My lord, if those guards are pulled... the Jews may be massacred."

"And hopefully pillaged. It would give Romans something to do other than complain about us and throw symbols of my family into rivers, covered with spittle. Pull all guards from the ghetto."

"My lord, I... As you command."

"Hang about, the guards at the new ghetto are to remain. It is a smaller place, newer and is easier to hold fast with less troops. Guards are to remain there. But the guards from the ghetto are to be sent South to restore order. And they are to stay there, do you understand? They are to stay there for two days and three nights. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord. I shall write it out exactly."

"Do not be an Eden child! Nothing in writing. Summon the commanders of the districts and give them orders by worth of mouth. Nothing is to be put to scroll. You have our leave."

The seventh secretary departed, his heart feeling as if his mouth was filled with ash.

The fourth secretary - truly this time - did enter, unbidden.

"My lord..."

"Oh what is it now?"

"Sir Augustin of St. Ives, the warlock who set forth from Genoa three years ago, has returned to his place of departure, with the gold from the, uh, Gold Mines of King Solomon."

The Cardinal-Inquisitor took a deep breath to steady his nerves, for they were quite frayed. The first thoughts were ones of annoyance. The ships did not just appear in Genoa overnight. They had to have sailed through the Pillars and were probably victualed in Corsica and then sailed for Genoa true. Three weeks? Mayhap something slightly less, but still more than a fortnight. And he had found out only now. The last report was that they were possibly sighted in Casablanca. New report, they are in Genoa. The entire spider-web of spies in the Ligurian Seas would have to be redone and purged with medicine of the foulest and most vicious kind. But that must come later, right now, his wits must be salvaged and from that wreckage of the carriage of his mind must a new vehicle emerge and carry the family to victory, for there were nobody else to handle the wild horses. The metaphors flew too thick and he stopped, steading his breath all the while. And not five minutes later he came with a possible gambit of a plan.