She dug out the seeds of destruction
One by one, down to their roots
And she realised that rebirth
Felt a lot like death
Lucrezia’s skin was still white and her limbs thin and fragile, but there were two spots of pink on her cheeks. She leaned against her pillows, too weak to sit up after many years of stillness, but her eyes studied her visitors through half-closed lids.
For the Vendramin men, having their sister and daughter back was like a dream come true. And still, they were shaken, unsure. It was as if they were holding her by a slender thread that could break at any time, and she could be gone again.
Alvise held both her hands, almost as if to keep her tethered to them, and their father had a protective hand on top of her head. Micol stood at the foot of the bed, grinning.
Sean, Sarah, Niall and Winter looked on, overwhelmed with emotion, all nearly unable to believe that they’d come back in one piece, and were witnessing Lucrezia’s miraculous healing. Elodie stood slightly apart from the others, aloof, as if part of her hadn’t fully returned from the Shadow World yet, as if part of her had been left there.
“How . . . how did it happen?” asked Sarah. “How did you wake up?”
“I don’t know,” Lucrezia replied in her hesitant English. “I went inside your mind, and I called you. The Surari stopped me and I tried again and they stopped me for the second time. But I called you again and you heard me, and you listened to me. Then there was a terrible voice in my head, and fire burning my brain. It was very strong. I could not hear you, Sarah. I did not know what happened to you. Then my mind—” she looked for the words to explain “—exploded. Yes, it exploded,” she repeated, freeing her thin hands from Alvise’s and bringing them to her temples. “There was fire everywhere . . . and then there was silence and everything went black. I was so sure I was dead. All those years of many visions and voices in my head, all the time, day and night. Every second. I could never rest . . . But now they had stopped. I could hear nothing and see nothing. It was so peaceful. To be dead was a relief, because all these years were so hard. But I wanted to see you again,” she said, eyes resting on her father and her brother. Guglielmo Vendramin caressed her face and Alvise held her hands once more. “I floated in dark and I felt no pain. I wanted to float forever. And then I heard your voice, Alvise, and I was awake.”
“Grazie a Dio!” Alvise blurted out, drying his cheeks.
“Figlia mia,” Vendramin murmured, his voice breaking.
Micol was shocked to see the old man, who was always so proud, so reserved, unable to contain his feelings. She leaned across and placed a hand over his, and for a moment their eyes met in mutual understanding.
“Mi sento debole,” Lucrezia whimpered.
“She says she’s feeling weak,” Vendramin explained to Sarah and her friends. “We should let her be.”
They rushed to leave with a small chorus of apologies. Only Elodie stayed silent. Niall and Winter walked out, hand in hand, then Sean and Sarah. Micol placed a kiss on Lucrezia’s forehead and ran out, her joy unable to be contained. At last, Elodie stepped beside the bed.
“You are Elodie,” Lucrezia said.
Elodie stopped and looked at the girl with her still-black eyes. “Yes.”
Lucrezia studied her face for a moment, but she said nothing, and the French girl walked on without a word.