Ignazzio drew Pietro's attraction back to the chart, tracing a finger along one line much interwoven with those about it. "Let us look at his own planet, Mercury. It was in Cancer at the hour of his birth, and in his first house. The sign will cause him to be extremely susceptible to outside influences. The house will make him adapt quickly to any situation…"
Sign by sign, house by house, they went through the child's chart. Pietro was amazed at the number of times the words willful, inventive, intuitive, witty, quick, and aggressive came up. But always were the warnings that pitfalls lay in the realm of emotion. Temperamental. Anxious. High-strung. Fickle. He would suffer from periods of extreme apathy. He would have difficulty choosing any single path. Prolonged relationships with anyone were problematic, most notably his relations with women. Venus was especially dangerous to the child as he grew to manhood. There were three deep loves, but only one marriage. As with them all, he had to use his strong will to dominate these faults within him, or else fall victim to their influences.
Behind them all was Mercury.
"Here you are," said the astrologer, pointing at a symbol.
Pietro straightened. "Me?"
"At least, I believe this is you. You have saved his life. If I am correct, you have a lasting influence on him. You are destined to be a major part of his life." Sitting back, Ignazzio sent a quick glance to the Moor. "That concludes the basics. There is nothing," he emphasized, "to indicate he will not overcome these faults. But there are many pitfalls before the child. More by far than the Capitano ever owned." A finger unfurled to trace a spot on the chart as yet untouched. "Now we move on to portents of the day itself. As you may have heard, there were many favorable omens when the Scaliger was born. Theodoro observed them. But no one here was present for the birth of this child. Nor have we been able to find a reliable witness to the events of that night."
"When was he born?" asked Pietro.
Katerina had taken up her loom again. "He was born in the middle of the night, in Padua, on the Ides of June."
The astrologer continued. "I arrived in Venice at the start of the Roman year. I first made my way to Vicenza to interview the lady and meet the child. I then set out for Padua, where I interviewed several men in my own profession. I have been unable to create a clear picture in my mind as to the movements of the lesser stars that night. Several observers have said that a star fell from right to left — that is, east to west — at about the hour of the boy's birth. That would be a great omen, one of the finest the boy could have. This chart is based on that observation. It creates stability for all these contradictions and amplifies his traits. He will thrive. He will attain a greatness unknown in this land since the Caesars. I have no doubt that if that was the omen, the child will find nothing but success."
Katerina said, "Based on that chart, he will certainly be the Greyhound."
Pietro heard an unspoken omission. "I take it that isn't all there is to say."
"No," said Katerina, lowering her loom to hand across the final parchment. "There is another side to the coin."
Ignazzio spoke as his nails scrabbled at the last seal. "That last chart was based on the reports that the star had fallen from east to west. I have one man whose opinion I trust more than the others. He insists that a star did cross the sky that night, at that hour. But he swears that it passed from west to east." He unfurled the final scroll. "This is the chart based on that report."
The houses and planets were all the same as in the last chart, but the relationships were subtly changed. Lines crossed at stranger angles. All the green and blue lines of the last chart had become red and yellow.
"How is that possible?" asked Pietro. He'd never been so interested in astrology in all his life. "The planets didn't move."
"They didn't have to move. This falling star changed their meaning. Take Aries in the twelfth house. On the former chart it would cause him to be placid, slow to anger. That was based on the movement of the star coming from the east. But here," he pointed to the symbol of Aries on the chart, "his anger grows irrational. The house does not move, nor do the stars. But their influence is altered dramatically." He went through and showed a dozen places where the change of direction created differing interpretations. In each instance, where in the last chart the darker impulses were overcome, here they were dominant.
"The core elements remain the same," the astrologer concluded. "He will be a leader of men, a warrior of surpassing excellence, a thinker. But who he will lead, whom he will fight for, and what he will think are uncertain."
"All because we can't determine the direction of the star that crossed the sky that night?"
"Yes."
"Is there any way to tell which it was?"
The Moor said, "We wait and see."
As the scrolls were furled for resealing, Katerina gazed intently at Pietro. "I want to see this child's future be the brighter of the two laid out here. Do you agree?"
"Of course. But what can I do?"
"Just know, Pietro. You are in his chart. You are a part of his life. You have to know what is at stake. The Greyhound is destined to usher in a new age of Man. Cangrande is not the Greyhound. Cesco is — or may be."
Pietro had to ask. "Does the Capitano know I'm here?"
Katerina frowned slightly. "My brother and I disagree about how destiny is created. He wants the boy to find his own way, and for us to simply allow this to happen. I disagree. I think we should act in every way as if the first of those charts is the correct one. We should foster all the good traits in him, and sharply curtail the lesser ones. It is what your father says — we must actively interpret the stars." Pietro opened his mouth, and Katerina said, "The answer is no, Pietro. He does not know we have told you."
Pietro thought for a few moments. "Is there any way the kidnapper could know? Is this connected to the murder of the oracle?"
"You heard her prophecy," said Katerina. "A tortured youth who will cause Verona's destruction? She was paid to say it, so I have no fear about it coming to pass. But her allusion to a child indicates that someone knows how important Cesco will be. The question is who."
"And why," said Pietro. "I mean, what would someone gain by kidnapping the boy? Why not just kill him? Ransom?"
"More like to have a hand in the destiny of Italy," said Katerina.
"To thwart the stars," said the Moor.
"Or just to take revenge on Cangrande," said Ignazzio.
Struggling with another question, Pietro turned to the astrologer. "This might sound foolish."
Ignazzio patted Pietro's shoulder. "There are no foolish questions save the one unasked."
"Uh, right. I was just wondering — what if there were two stars?"
The astrologer blinked several times. "What?"
I knew it was a stupid question. "Never mind."
The Moor darted out from behind Ignazzio's chair, crushing Pietro's shoulder with his grip. "Speak."
"Ahh. Well — that night, the night Cesco was born. If there were two stars, what would that mean?"
Ignazzio was leaning around the Moor to listen. "Two. One from the east and one from the west."
Stupido, stupido, stupido. "That crossed in the sky, yes. Would that change anything?"
A stunned expression hung on the astrologer's face. The Moor released Pietro's shoulder and crossed to stare into the brazier. Katerina and Pietro both watched Ignazzio, whose eyes seemed unfocused.
The Moor said, "From the mouth of babes."
Ignazzio roused himself. "Donna, forgive me. Ser Pietro has seen in a single hour a possibility I have not seen in weeks. I should be flogged."