Zaccaria’s hand found his sword hilt before he’d quite made up his mind to put it there.
Across the distance, one of the archon’s guards tightened his grip on his spear in reply. The whole street seemed to be waiting on the width of one poor decision, and there was not much room between that and bloodshed.
The archon acted before the worse could happen.
He raised one open hand toward his men, calmly, as if he just stopped a servant from spilling wine, and the spear came down at once. These were men who had practiced obedience, which was a useful quality to have when fifty armed men were standing in a street looking for an excuse.
Vito took the chance. He never was quite fond to wait for others to begin a conversation.
He pitched his voice, formal and unhurried, putting each word down with care. "Vitale Barozzi, of the House Barozzi, acting on behalf of the Most Serene Republic of Venice. This island, city included, now belongs to the Republic by purchase, sealed and witnessed by Boniface of Montferrat."
The archon watched him.
He was considering the language against the mail, the mail against the man, and the man against whatever experience had taught him to notice, especially when a stranger arrived claiming ownership of his street.
"I am Leon Skordilis. The senior voice among Candia’s archontes."
His Italian was built on caution, the accent made by hand. Each phrase came out like a brick being laid, inspected before the next one was put on top.
It was then that both noticed the odd situation at almost exactly the same moment.
Not one man in either retinue had understood a word. The Greeks didn’t understand Italian. The Venetians couldn’t understand the dialect and accent.
The archon stepped away from his men and lowered his voice, making it clear that what came next was meant for one pair of ears.
Vito matched him, walking the remaining distance on his own until neither man needed to raise his voice to speak between them. "Ser Skordilis, you may dispute the claim if you like. You may curse Boniface, curse Venezia, curse the men who brought the contract here, and if it comforts you, curse the saints for witnessing it."
Vito kept his tone perfectly formal. There was not a hint of apology in it. "So vent your frustration as you please, but reality has already made its decision, and we are better served by working with it than railing against it."
Leon lifted his fingers and struck them twice against his own chest, hard enough to make the gesture count. "The corpse of the Empire may be content with such realities, Ser Barozzi, but Kriti has never been so accommodating. Here, we have always been more inclined to decide what reality looks like."
He seemed almost amused by the formality Vito had wrapped around his claim.
"You may open the discussion, but whether it ends in an agreement remains to be seen."
For once, Vito had nothing ready to throw back.
He let the silence have its turn before trying another road. One hand turned palm upward between them, an offer made openly enough that there was no mistaking it.
"Then let me tell you what I actually intend."
Vito stared the archon’s eyes. "New masters are rarely gentle with what they have just won. Land changes hands, old privileges disappear, and before long the people are paying for the right of being conquered. In my experience, it is a remarkably good way to have the whole province rise against you."
"And your intentions are different?"
"I’d rather have the people of this island working with us than against us."
Leon watched him for another moment, his expression unreadable. Apparently the man had made the decision that letting strangers know what he was thinking was a luxury.
"You make it sound remarkably easy, Ser Barozzi."
There was no accusation in Leon’s voice, "Perhaps I am a cautious man. I have found that the better bargains are rarely the ones that come cheapest to either party."
Vito swept one hand west, toward the direction from which any serious threat to the island would actually come. "Ah, Ser Skordilis, I fear neither of us will be getting this cheaply. But cheaply or not, it is inevitable. The Empire is gone, and with it the shelter that permitted this beautiful island to flourish."
He let that sit for a moment. "Genoa will have its eyes on Crete, as will pirates, marauders, and raiders from across the sea. And then, naturally, there will be us. There are too many men who would like a piece of this island, Ser Skordilis, and keeping them all at bay will not be accomplished without some blood being spilled, yours and ours alike."
"On that, Ser Barozzi, we are in complete agreement."
Leon’s voice had sharpened. The courtesy remained, but his voice had taken on the clipped edge of command.
"Then we understand each other."
"We understand enough of each other to continue somewhere better suited to the conversation."
Leon inclined his head. It was the first genuine courtesy he had shown since the two groups had stopped facing one another. "My household has a room made for exactly this sort of discussion. The streets have too many eyes and ears."
"I accept your hospitality, Ser Skordilis."
Vito bowed his head in return, formal to the very end.
"Gladly."
They stepped back toward their own men almost together.
Across the distance, Zaccaria and the archon’s lead guard exchanged one thoroughly useless look. Each man plainly hoped the other had understood what had just happened, and neither had the slightest idea how to ask.
Caterina silently came up beside Vito and gave his sleeve a discreet tug.
"What, exactly, was that?"
She kept her voice low, though there was no hiding the demand beneath it. "One moment you were whispering like brothers, and the next we are apparently expected at his dinner table."
"We found we had a language in common."
"Well? Are you going to leave me wondering?"
"Would you prefer I tell you now, or let you enjoy the mystery a little longer?"
"You know very well which I prefer."
Vito agreed, already turning to walk beside her. "Then I am afraid you will have to be patient."
The archon’s retinue moved aside without needing to be told twice, cutting open a path toward the city’s interior.
At last, after nearly a quarter hour of holding its breath, the street seemed to remember that breathing was permitted.
The Venetian mail and Cretan silk moved together now, and the empty stretch of stone between them was finally disappearing, fortunately, without bloodshed.
⚔ [QUEST ISSUED]
Crete’s Not For Beginners
Leon Skordilis has agreed to hear what Venice has to offer, and for the moment, that is enough.
Now comes the difficult part. Convince the archon that Venice can give his people more than another master, and perhaps this island will welcome its new rulers. Fail, and you will receive a very expensive lesson in overreach for a cadet with considerably more confidence than sense.
Reward : 100 Fate
Reward : ???
I’ve decided the second reward stays a mystery for now. Call it incentive to actually succeed, since your motivation otherwise appears to run entirely on spite and poor decisions.
"Ma va’."
Vito grinned and fell into step behind Leon Skordilis, already wondering what a man like that considered a decent jug of wine.