Page 20 of The Valiant (Spy Girl 4)
"I don't see it," I finally say, interrupting him.
"Ah, I wondered if you would remember," he says to me. "Are you interested in the mark your mother was looking for?"
"Yes, we are. Is it on the original tomb? Is that what we went down into the crypts to see?"
"It is." He grins.
"It's so massive on Lorenzo the Magnificent's," Ari says.
"Seek and ye shall find," the guide says mysteriously.
"What do you mean?" Ari asks him.
But I know the answer. "Only those who know to look for it will find it."
"Yes, just like the underground society he created. Come this way. I will show you."
He leads us through the nave, across the marble floor, past numerous masterpieces, and to a door that is so short, even I have to duck to get through it.
"What do you see?" my mother asked me.
I touch the scrolled iron base of a candleholder mounted on the wall, realizing each one that lines the tunnel we are in features the same symbol we saw in Montrovia.
"Ari, it's everywhere," I say to him, pointing it out.
After a few twists and turns, we end up in a circular room.
"Looks like the kind of place where the Knights of the Round Table would have met," Ari says with a grin. He's doing a good job of pretending to be interested.
"That's because they did," the guide says. "Not the actual knights, but the symbolism is the same. Because there is not a head of the table, everyone who was invited to sit here was considered to have equal status. The Renaissance was a period of rebirth. A cultural movement with a surge of interest in scholarship and thought, learning and wisdom, art and science.
"The brothers' underground society was created in an attempt to continue the period that they so loved. Earlier, we discussed the Pazzi conspiracy, which was basically a coup. This was something the brothers tried to avoid, hoping to do so by bringing those with power together for the greater good of their world."
The guide moves through the room and to an alcove where a crypt worthy of a knight is laid. Across the top of it, in tree branches rather than the scrolls of the torch holders, is the same symbol.
"What's with all the trees?" Ari asks. "They were on Lorenzo the Magnificent's, too."
"Ah, well," the guide says, looking directly at me, "care to take a guess as to why that is?"
"Because the idea of an idyllic society was taking root," I answer. "It was seen in many art forms during the time period."
"Arcadia," the guide says, nodding his head and causing Ari to choke on his spit and have a little coughing attack.
"Thank you so much for bringing us down here," I tell the guide.
"It has been my pleasure. Would you like to leave through the church entrance or out the back exit as the underground members once must have?"
"The back, for sure." I give him a conspiratorial grin before following him through what feels like a maze.
Soon, sunlight and a set of stairs leading upward become visible.
"One more question for my research," I say. "Do you think their underground society still exists today?"
"Your mother asked the same question, so I will answer in the same way. I believe that it does."
"Honestly, that is what has kept me so intrigued all these years. It's why I chose to write my thesis about it. Unfortunately, I need proof of its existence to include it, so my professor doesn't deduct marks for not citing proper references. So far, that has eluded me. While many other secret societies seem to have stood the test of time, it appears that the brothers' group wasn't one of them."
"Just because it appears not to have survived doesn't mean it has not," the man states.
"So, you were at a meeting of The Society today," I say to Ari as we walk to where the helicopter awaits to take us back to Rome. "What did you learn? Anything underhanded going on?"
"Uh, no. Not at all. Daniel and Peter acted like they were being forced to attend a college lecture. Lorenzo, Viktor, and I were more interested. It reminded me of a think tank that discussed global issues. Today's meeting focused specifically on the population crisis facing the world. It was interesting to see the statistics of our exponential growth and to understand that, if we don't enact change, we will hit critical mass and trigger our own extinction event. I mean, that would pretty much suck."
"You do realize that the Great Culling is one of the conspiracy theories included in the locket. What if The Society decides to take matters into their own hands by reducing the population?"
"With a nuclear backpack?" He chuckles.
I give him a smack on the arm, but in doing so, I end up causing pain in my still-not-quite-healed shoulder. "That'd be one way. You could hide out in your society-suggested underground vault where you could live for a couple of years on caviar and fine wine alone. Then, once the radiation decreases, you can use your gold to help start a New World Order."
"I think I'd rather die in the bombing," he says with a grin. "Okay, enough conspiracy-theory talk. No offense to your mother, but this seems like a wild goose chase through history."
"I guess she was smarter than we are."
"Whatever," he says dismissively. "I need to get you back to Rome. Lorenzo wants to take you to dinner."
Once at the hotel, I make my way to Lorenzo's suite.
"I love coming home to you," I say as he pulls me into his arms and greets me with the kind of kiss you give someone when you haven't seen them for weeks and were desperate to see them again.
"And my day has just gotten brighter. I would love to take you to my favorite restaurant in all of Rome. The views are incredible, and the food is divine."
"That sounds like the perfect way to end my day."
He glances at his watch. "Would it be possible for us to leave within the hour? I want to watch the sun set over Rome with my love while I recite Keats poetry to her and forget about the pressures of the real world."
"You know Keats died young, right? Maybe, with the whole nuke scare, we shouldn't recite him tonight," I tease as I run my hands across his shoulders, finding them tight from the stress of the day. "I don't want to add to your tension, but--"
He moves across the room and pours himself a drink then takes a seat in a nearby chair. "You get ten minutes of real-world talk, and then the rest of the night is about romance."
Part of me wishes we could just forget about the real world. My mind flits back to one of my first days at Blackwood Academy.
Rule number one: Never get emotionally attached because that makes you--and them--vulnerable.
Lorenzo, his monarchy, and his country are being threatened from sources unknown, and somehow, the two of us are mixed up in it, making both of us vulnerable regardless of our emotions. I tell myself that it has nothing to do with love. But I know better.
I close my eyes as memories flood my brain.
The look in my mother's eyes when she saw me behind the assassin, the panic in my father's when he realized the car was going to explode, Daniel and Peter lying on the ground, not moving.
I take a seat on Lorenzo's lap, wrapping my arms around him in a comforting hug. One that I hope conveys that, regardless of what I was taught, love is the only thing that drives me.
"Tell me about it," I say, caressing his cheek.
"I assume you are acquainted with the terrorism threat advisory level in the United States. We've just put in motion plans for a similar system. Something that has never been considered in Montrovia's history. It is not the way I wanted to start my reign."
"Lorenzo, surely, your country couldn't hope to host an event like the Olympics and not have to worry about what is going on in the real world--about the threat from terrorism."
"Yes, there are plans in place, of course." He hesitates.
"What?"
"Some have been very vocal behind the scenes about my ability to rule. As if threats to our country are my doing. If you recall, the Montrovian Parliament oversees the day-to-day operation
s of the country, but the king rules and controls the military. It's been suggested that it might be time to tweak our governmental structure, giving Parliament more power."
"That's bullshit," I blurt out.
Lorenzo kisses me. "My thoughts exactly."
"Not that I'm suggesting anything underhanded, but I do happen to know a couple of pretty good assassins. One who is in your great debt for taking care of his son and the other who is madly in love with you."
Lorenzo laughs as he moves closer, nuzzling his head onto my shoulder, sharing the weight of his burden. "You always know how to make me feel better, Lee."
I kiss the side of his face and then whisper in his ear, "I'm going to put on a simple dress, and then we are going to walk hand in hand through the streets of Rome. No security. Just you and me."
"You're always chewing me out for not being properly guarded," he says, surprised I would suggest such a thing.
"That means we're going to have to sneak out."
"A little espionage," he says, giving me a smirk.
"Yes, but you still must quote me poetry."
"Deal," he says, sealing it with a kiss. "I will let my guards know that I am retiring for the evening."
I hop up. "And I'm going to take a peek at your wardrobe. See what I can put together for your incognito look."
"Will it be all black?"
"It's summer in Italy. Definitely not."
While he is on his phone with Juan, I set out a pair of dark jeans, a white undershirt, and a lightweight blue cashmere V-neck along with brown loafers. While he sometimes dresses casually during the day, he's typically much more polished for an evening out.
I then rush to get freshened up. I leave my hair pulled back in a braid, freshen my makeup, quickly change into a simple cotton dress and ballerina flats, and then go steal a flat cap from Ari's room.
When I get back into Lorenzo's suite, he's already dressed.
"Don't you look adorably casual?" he says, twirling me around in a way that causes my full skirt to spin out around me.
"And hopefully less recognizable." I place the hat on his head. "But just in case."
