knew what the outcome was. They all did. That’s why they waited so long to go to trial. They were giving me a chance, buying me time – not here in Settlement, but for when I am exiled out there.’ She nodded towards the cave mouth.
Dante swung round and stared. What did she mean? ‘Katina –?’ he began.
Alessandro started to answer, but Katina placed a finger against his lips. ‘Hush, my love, let me tell him.’ Alessandro bit back what he wanted to say. Debora began to sob. Alessandro drew her even closer, his hand pressed against the back of her head.
‘Come, let’s sit on the bench.’ Katina moved towards one of the wooden seats and patted a place next to her. Dante joined her, full of questions. He waited patiently for her to begin. Her eyes strayed miserably towards her partners and she almost lost her ability to speak. She shook her head and stared into space for a moment before beginning.
‘Dante, you heard yourself, in Serenissian terms, I am over three hundred years old. There are so many rumours and stories about Bond Riders floating around Vista Mare. Many are true, but most are not. Some think we’re immortal, that surrendering our souls to the pledge stones gives us eternal life – not in the Great Patriarch’s heaven, but here, on earth.’ She made a small sound that was meant to be a laugh but resembled a groan. ‘More like the Limbo that the padres speak of from their pulpits. The truth is, we don’t live forever. We live on borrowed time. Our lives are extended – but only while we remain in the Limen. Each time we return to Vista Mare, what we’ve been given catches up with us. Little by little, we age. The more often we cross the boundary, the quicker it overtakes us, until one day –’ She snapped her fingers. Dante started as the sound echoed in the cave. ‘Our lives end. It is quick. That’s why so many Riders don’t leave anymore; even once they have fulfilled their Bonds. There’s no point if the choice to go back to their old lives, to return to Serenissima, only means eternal death, death without a soul.’ She stood up and stretched her back, hands on hips.
‘Unlike some, I have moved in and out of the Limen over the years and, every time that I do, my body ages, taking back what the Limen gives to me.’
‘I don’t know – you look pretty good for a three-hundred-year-old.’
‘This isn’t funny, Dante. You see, once I leave the Limen forever, it won’t take long for my body to catch up to my chronological age.’
Dante stared at her. His mouth formed an ‘O’.
‘Oh, indeed.’
‘But you said food and drink made you better. Can’t we just make sure we eat and drink back in Serenissima?’
Katina gave a harsh bark. ‘Dante, Dante, Dante.’ She sat back down. ‘You really do have so much to learn. When Riders enter Vista Mare, our bodies become human again. We have to eat and drink to survive. It’s only in the Limen that we don’t require that kind of sustenance. Food and drink are used in emergencies only and then at the discretion of Elder Dandolo. It helps us heal, to prepare a Rider for a mission or, in my case, for exile. What they’ve given me, what Elder Maggiore pleaded with Elder Dandolo to provide me, has bought me some time.’
‘For a society that Serenissians believe flouts all conventions, you have so many.’
Alessandro and Debora joined them, sitting down heavily. ‘Today you witnessed how harsh some of those can be.’
‘It’s not fair –’ began Dante.
‘No, Dante. It is fair.’ Katina rested her hand over his. ‘Completely fair. I knew what I was doing.’
‘Then why did you do it?’
Alessandro stared at her. ‘Sì, why?’
‘You all know why.’
Alessandro looked away first.
Dante swallowed. He did know. It was because of Tallow. The air suddenly felt dry. His stomach churned. A chill entered his heart and began to spread. ‘How … how long do you have?’
Katina shrugged. ‘Days, weeks. I don’t know.’ Elder Maggiore has ensured I have longer than I would have otherwise.’
Dante traced a pattern in the wood of the bench, his mind racing. ‘So, I was wrong. The punishment isn’t good at all, is it?’
‘Not for me, no. For you, there’s still hope. Which is just as well, for there’s a great deal riding on what you have to do.’