Hugo wipes his brow with a cloth, tired, puzzled and still angry at the turn of recent events. He pauses and goes to his journal, writing his thoughts of the events that unfolded over recent days. Sitting down at the desk, Hugo inhales deeply and runs his fingers around the back of his neck in an attempt to soothe himself. Beatrice must be slumbering at this late hour and can offer little comfort. And so the story continues, he murmurs quietly to himself in the quarters of his ship as he begins to write.

Journal Entry 3 ^rd of May

Leaving, we were finally leaving Venezia at long last to sail to Rocca Sorrentina. Beatrice has nursed her poor sister, Elisabetta, back to health after her imprisonment at the hands of the sbirri, the secret police. My dealings with Cristofoli, the head of the sbirri, had reaped some rewards and secured her release.

Beatrice was overjoyed at seeing her out of prison, but heartbroken at her appearance. Elisabetta was agentle girl, so gaunt and pale and half starving being in that awful place. The ladies were both doing better now, having been taken in by the shared excitement of our departure. Elisabetta looked much better thanks to Beatrice and some much needed rest and pampering. As we boarded ship and set sail, they were waving and happy while strolling on deck.

Surprisingly, Mercury Gandt was not there to see us off at the harbor. He did make good on his promise of a letter of introduction for those in charge at Rocca Sorrentina. Mercury had it sent by courier instead of making an appearance. It was curious, very curious that he neglected to see Beatrice, Elisabetta and myself on our way. Since I had helped Gandt with some information about his misspent youth in England, I thought we had formed a bit of a friendship but it could simply be that things are not always as they appear. There were troubling rumors in Venezia, my new friend was allegedly seen having some contact with the sbirri. It seems that Gandt has decided to ignore my warnings and has jumped headlong into the pond with the sharks?

Hopefully the wayward Contessa, the missing Elena Foscari, had the elusive Mr. Gandt otherwise occupied. How one woman can cause so much trouble for so many is quite an interesting puzzle. His supposed visit to the sbirri headquarters could have been a mere coincidence. Gandt shared he had no knowledge of Contessa Elena at our gambling evening with Beatrice but perhaps Cristofoli was just assuring his honesty?

Excitement and gaiety were alive and well aboard ship. Beatrice and Elisabetta had settled in and were happy and hopeful about our new adventure. Calm seas and the promise of a fresh start for all of us in Rocca Sorrentina livened all of our moods. Cristoforo Cristofoli, Venezia and the past haunted memories for all of us would soon fade away. Later on in the day as we made way out of the harbor and into the open sea, I couldnt have dreamed how wrong I was. Our departure did not go unnoticed and our happy goodbyes soon took a more sinister flavor.

We had unwanted guests.

Pirates, pirates of all the creatures of Venezia were aboard my ship. We had genuinely hoped for a clean get away from that place and Cristofoli with his sbirri minions. A fight ensued and the ladies were afraid of being kidnapped, sold into slavery or taken to the dreaded prison where Elisabetta had lanquished. There were only two scoundrels and they seemed to prefer terrorizing and toying with us. Cruel jibes uttered from their lips as they taunted, A gentleman in Venezia sends greetings and safe journeys to you all. Rocca Sorrentina is a lovely place. Cristofoli, the bastard, it had to be him. He must be the mastermind behind their arrival. Keepingtrack of us,he even knew where we planned to sail.

He must have sent these two underlings but how? I was certain they werent members of the crew and they were repelled before they even attempted to steal Beatrice, Elisabetta or even some cargo. After a brief melee there was an answer to my question, we had been followed. The pirates were sailing a small vessel, shadowing us perhaps or even waiting in the currents just to further manipulate the ladies and myself. The scoundrels made a hasty getaway to their ship and headed straight back to Venezia. More taunts and jibes were carried on the wind as their forms grew smaller and smaller, moving away for us.

Faster, we needed to move faster to leave. It would not be prudent to turn the ship around to Venezia and run straight back into the fire, so to speak. Beatrice and Elisabetta needed to be safe, enraged as I was. While standing at the rail of the ship in an attempt to calm myself, Beatrice gently took my arm and spoke, Rocca Sorrentina awaits us, let us be gone of Venezia and those people. Beatrice turned and began to walk away, quickly returning to Elisabettas side and soothing their rattled nerves. The women recovered their emotions somewhat and we pushed forward, even joining me at the wheel for some diverting conversation and thoughts of our future plans.

The rest of the voyage had us wary and a bit on edge, the crew kept a careful watch and we waited to see our new home on the horizon. We hadnt been followed again and the rest of the voyage was uneventful. And suddenly, there it was Rocca Sorrentina appeared out of the sea and we all breathed a careful sigh of relief. Our arrival was quiet and peaceful, and I sincerely hoped this new port would be good for business. Beatrice and Elisabetta embraced happily at the dock while I watched and we were all happy and thankful for a safe journey.

Hugo lowers the quill and his thoughts drift a bit. Someday, perhaps the events on the journey shall have to be dealt with and he hoped Cristofoli would leave them in peace. But for now, he gathers his emotions and rises from the desk. Walking across the room, he opens a trunk and organizes his belongings. The letter of introduction from Mercury Gandt was in his hand and the appropriate inquiries must be made. He hopes the administrators of Rocca Sorrentina would be forthcoming and agreeable. Hugo places the letter back into the trunk and peers out the ships window once more, looking over the night and his new surroundings. A new beginning for us, he utters, almost whispering and climbs into bed.