The Mosaic

Chapter 60 | Dear Brutus

What?

"Your Monsieur Death had to think he killed me. A second arrow would have been most inconvenient." Amand attempted to sit up, but doubled over in pain and fell back to the ground with a never ending string of French curses. "Alright, maybe a tad bit more than a graze?"

Marius slapped him. Amand just laughed breathlessly. "You don't hate me." He smiled like he wasn't just bleeding out at a rapid pace on the floor of his cathedral.

That imbecile had pretended to die so he could figure out how Marius felt.

"Why didn't he shoot Marius next?" Alessandro narrowed his eyes.

"I shot him first." Laelia appeared next to them, lifting a tiny crossbow. "The best disguise is a pair of breasts."

Her smile was viciously victorious. "Poisoned arrow. He needs an antidote fast. Also, the boy lives."

Lorenzo arrived out of breath, sweeping her up into his arms, planting a kiss on the crown of her head. "We're getting you boots and breeches right now, little knight."

"You just want my dress," Laelia grinned proudly, poking his side.

They all laughed, bloodied, breathless, alive.

Only Alessandro fell into tense silence. They all felt victorious. They had barely won a gambit. They had bought that win, those smiles with the blood of innocents. Two men had died – one boy had come far too close.

And one man had paid for it with another piece of his sanity. He needed to get to Giacinto.

----

The villa was eerily quiet when Alessandro stepped through the front gate, the heavy wings booming shut behind him like a thunderous foreboding.

"How are you going to explain the boy to Gio?" Lorenzo asked.

Alessandro felt the need to rub the dawning headache out of his temples, but had his arms full of the still unconscious boy. His breathing was steady now. "I had an affair."

Lorenzo furrowed his eyebrows. "But... you would've been like ... thirteen?"

"I was joking." Alessandro said.

Lorenzo grimaced, opening the door to a small salon for them. "I can never tell."

Alessandro sat the boy down on a low settee. Until Laelia would come back, this would have to suffice. She had left with Amand and Marius, after the 'graze' had turned out to be a two finger deep gash that wouldn't stop bleeding and Amand had fainted the moment he had tried to stand. She needed the equipment and quiet of Marius' residence to stitch it up properly.

Alessandro grit his jaw – he couldn't worry about Amand now. He would go mad.

"You're in a bad mood," Lorenzo sighed, worried eyes narrowing at Alessandro.

Alessandro dropped onto a couch, burying his head in his hands. "I just went into a madman's mind through the blood of three people. Someone almost died because of me." His fingers tightened painfully in his hair. "You should worry if I were cheerful," he spat.

"I'm sorry," Lorenzo said softly, "I didn't mean it like that."

Alessandro raised his head, surprised to find only concern in Lorenzo's expression. He had expected at least a trace of disgust after witnessing Alessandro's inhuman cold around tears and blood. Instead, Lorenzo had reached out as if wanting to pet Alessandro's head, but deciding against it.

Alessandro dropped his head again. "I just... my head hurts." He sounded pathetic.

He was going mad with worry over Giacinto. Amand may still not make it.  De Vito was dead. The cut on his forehead throbbed and stung like hell, despite Laelia's stitches.