Un'ombra

Actually, those gold coins did not have to be kept in a bank. They could be hidden in a cave like pirate treasure, with a map left behind for explorers to find.

But after giving it some thought, Pomona gave up on the idea. That shipload of gold could be given to the Venetians as a gift of introduction, becoming the seed money for their bank.

There was only one reason to use warships to transport gold: those British warships were pirate ships. Piracy had been rampant since the sixteenth century. With the discovery of the New World, colonial expansion, and ships laden with gold and other goods sailing the world, competition between nations and ambitions for colonies made it very easy to legalize cruel acts of piracy. At the time, British privateers could attack and plunder Spanish cargo ships at will without punishment.

Letters of marque were used by governments as national tools to strengthen their navies. Without increasing their budgets, they could conjure up a maritime force capable of attacking enemy merchant vessels. These pirates backed by governments and nations were known as royal pirates.

Make too many enemies, and everyone would rise up against you. If the Pope could launch the Crusades, why could he not launch a campaign against Britain? Whether the explosion on St. Angelo Island in 1689 had been an act of Heaven or man-made, it had changed the balance of the world, just as the failed explosion of 1605 had.

At six in the evening, the bells of St. Mark's Basilica rang out the hour. Pomona and Severus sat by the dock, watching the Mediterranean sunset while listening to the rhythmic slap of the water.

To be wizards and yet serve as someone else's godfather and godmother was a heavy responsibility. Even if