Salvatore

The girl collapses in a heap, and I lift her tiny body. This one is an Alchemist, I notice as I recognize an Insignia on the cover of a book by the girl's side. All around me, the Guelph Alchemists start to close in and my fellow Ghibellines are forced to retreat back toward me. I quickly shrink the other women with the Reduction Conversion, using my Reduction Conversion Circle cut into my arm. I force my Kundalini up my spine by shouting the Code Word, "Minuo," and the old scars on my arm glow orange. Then I scoop all four of the women up and turn to make a run for it.

"My men! To me!" I shout as I flee toward the Alchemical Porta in the center of Rivodutri. I dump the women into my satchel as I run. Strello! I call out mentally to my bat Chimaera. We are leaving. Return to my side immediately.

Yes, Maestro, Strello calls, his mental voice like a shriek between my ears.

"Retreat!" I bellow as I sprint across the village, and my fellow Ghibellines abandon their fights to follow. I recognize Lorenzo and Edoardo, both dead at my feet as I flee by. The Guelph Alchemy dogs will pay for slaying my comrades! I have one of their own now! She shall serve as payment for their deaths!

I arrive at the Alchemical Door and join a few of my brethren who already stand nearby. Claudio and Emilio work together to lay the Circle of gold dust in the doorway. The intricate Conversion Circle takes considerable time to create.

"Hurry!" I shout as Strello lands on my shoulder. "The Guelphs will be upon us at any moment!"

With the Conversion Circle complete, Claudio stands and touches the Alchemical Door. "Spatium!" Claudio shouts, and the lines of gold dust glow purple, and then the doorway changes. Now, with the Teleportation Conversion complete, we can step through the door in Rivodutri and come out the twin door outside of Noli.

We walk through the doorway quickly, and after the last of us have gone through, Claudio waves his hand to end the Conversion. The town of Rivodutri fades away and through the doorway, I can now only see the countryside outside of our headquarters. I check to make sure the tiny women are all still in my satchel, and then I enter Sede Centrale.

Up a winding staircase to the top of my tower, I trudge, all the while planning what to do with the Alchemist woman I have kidnapped. When I reach my chambers, I pull open the door, shove the four women into my jail cell, and remove the Reduction Conversion from them. They enlarge to their regular size, lying unconscious on the dirty floor. I slam the jailcell door shut on them, and then get to work on the Alchemy I will use to bend these women to my will.

Dante

Omero says Tana is out of his perception, Peppino tells me. His voice resounds in between my ears like a purr and a growl all at once.

I pound my fist on the door of the gildacasa. We cannot give up hope. We shall search until we find her! Call Omero to me. I shall take to the skies with him and we shall search from the air.

"We cannot aid in the search," Renzo says from inside the gildacasa. "We have injured men who require our attention. But as soon as they are all healed, we will join you."

"I thank you, but without Omero's link to her, I fear Tana will be all but lost to you. If we cannot find her this night, we will return to continue the search together on the morrow."

Renzo nods. "So be it then. I wish you well in your search, brother!"

"Aye, and I wish you well in your healing work here. Heaven above help us, no one will die this night."

All through my conversation with Renzo, my head tingles as Peppino relays my message to Omero, and then the tiny brown bird lands on my shoulder. I take him in my hand, pull out the smooth stone tubazione I use in meditation, and say, "Augendi," and the Circolo tattooed on my palm sparkles with orange light and enlarges Omero until he is twice my size.

Peppino walks up to me, and I grab his furry back with a vial of water in my other hand. I shrink the lynx down with another flash of orange light as my Reduction Circolo activates when I say "Minuo!" I tuck my Chimaera Peppino into the chest pocket where he always rides with me. The large bird already wears his saddle on his back. I climb up, and Omero takes off as soon as I secure myself in the saddle.

We fly high above the tree line canopy, all the while, conversing with our mental connections, searching well into the night without any luck. I begin to lose hope when the sun begins to rise and we still have not found her. The Ghibelline Alchemists walked through that odd Alchemical Doorway in the center of Rivodutri and disappeared without a trace, according to Roberto, who witnessed the puzzling event. Where have they gone? Will I ever see my sister again? I need to rest and poor Omero's wings are all but spent, so we make our way back to the gildacasa.

With a rush and a jerk, Omero alights on the ground, and I hold on tight to the reins until he comes to a standstill next to the gildacasa. I dismount in a flurry and hurry inside, stopping only a moment to wave my hand over Omero and return him to his original size. The tiny bird perches on my shoulder as I burst through the door.

"Brothers! To me!" I shout, as I enter the council room and sit at the table. Old Gabriel has prepared breakfast, and I eat hungrily and drink while I wait the few minutes it takes for everyone to sit at the table with me.

"Is Tana lost?" Ernesto asks eagerly.

"Aye, but not for long. We must spread out and double our search efforts. I will not give up until she is found." I pound the table so hard the drinks and plates jump.

"Long have we searched for the Ghibelline Alchemists but we have yet to locate their base of operations. What makes you think we have any hope of finding them now?" Ernesto holds his hands out to me in a pleading gesture, his brown eyes mirroring my own emotions.

But I will hear none of his hopeless talk. "We have Tana's connection to Omero now. He can guide us there."

"True!" Renzo interjects, ever my loyal Mentor. He smooths his graying mustache and says, "With her Chimaera, we are bound to locate her, and with her, we shall finally find them. We may yet put an end to them entirely."

Several men speak up at once. "Hear hear!" "We must fight!" "For Gaetana!" "I pledge my sword for you, Dante!"

I nod my head in silence, looking at Ernesto for his approval. Without the leader of the gildacasa's command, the men cannot pledge their support to me.

Finally, Ernesto nods once. "We shall all join in the search. Let it be known that the Guelph Alchemists will never surrender even a single life to the Ghibelline swine!"

The men shout in agreement.

"Feast quickly, my men," Ernesto commands. "Within the hour, we shall depart."