“You’re…â€? Anso was speechless.

“That’s right.â€? She walked across the foredeck to stand uncomfortably close to him. She was almost two heads shorter than Anso, and looked up at him with a commanding stare. “The pope’s daughter.â€?

“So is it true, what the Fiorentinos have been saying about him?â€? His jaw dropped as he considered the implications of the very head of all Christendom being the father to this harlot, “Consorting with mohammedans? These are the enemy of the church!â€?

“Oh, you are a silly boy.â€? His jaw tensed as she spoke the words, this girl spoke to him as if he were a child. “Is this how all of you rubes are out there in the country? I was told you were supposed to be smart or something.â€?

She mocked him with her dark eyes. “No, papa does not know about my little secret army, or about La Serenissima. But he is going to know about you soon enough.â€?

“What is this about? The pope wants my machina? He could have had it if he hadn’t sent the Inquisition to take it from me.â€?