Gabriel placed the illustration back in its protective sleeve. “I don’t think so. Interpol would have contacted us. We would have known they were coming.”
“Then who?”
He checked the sender’s address label on the largest box. It showed an origin of Geneva, Switzerland, but no name.
He scratched at his chin.
Julia’s eyes met her husband’s. “Could it be…”
Gabriel placed his arm around her shoulder, drawing her into his side. “I don’t know. I think it doesn’t matter who they’re from. Dante and Beatrice are finally home.”
List of Terms and Proper Names
(NB: This List Contains Spoilers)
Alicia—William’s fiancée from the thirteenth century.
Ambrogio—William York’s servant.
Aoibhe—Pronounced “A-vuh.” An Irish member of the Consilium.
Ispettore Batelli—Police inspector in Florence.
Borek—Florentine vampyre and commander in the Florentine army.
Cato—Lieutenant of the Roman.
The Consilium—The ruling council of the principality of Florence. The Prince is an ex officio member.
The Curia—Enemy of the supernatural beings.
Gabriel Emerson—The professor is a Dante specialist who teaches at Boston University. He is the owner of a famed set of Botticelli illustrations of Dante’s Divine Comedy, which he lent to the Uffizi Gallery in 2011. His story is told in the Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy: Gabriel’s Inferno, Gabriel’s Rapture, and Gabriel’s Redemption.
Julia Emerson—Doctoral student at Harvard University. She is married to Gabriel and the co-owner of the Botticelli illustrations.
Feeders—Derogatory term for human beings who offer themselves up as a food source to supernatural beings.
Ferals—Supernatural beings who live and hunt alone. They display brutal, animalistic behavior.
Gaius—Vampyre Captain of the Roman army.
Gregor—Personal assistant to the Prince and head of security for the principality of Florence.
Human intelligence network—Human beings who are contracted to provide information to the supernatural beings. They also provide security and perform specific tasks.
Hunters—Humans who hunt and kill supernatural beings for commercial purposes.
Ibarra—A Basque former member of the Consilium.
Father Kavanaugh—Former director of Covenant House in Orlando, Florida, and friend of Raven Wood.
Lorenzo—A member of the Medici family and second in command in the principality of Florence. Also a member of the Consilium.
Lucia—Ambrogio’s wife and servant to William York.
Dan Macready—Cara’s boyfriend.
Niccolò Machiavelli—Famous Florentine and member of the Consilium. Head of intelligence for the principality of Florence.
Henri Marchand—Director of the Trivium Bank in Geneva.
Maximilian—A Prussian member of the Consilium.
The Medici—Famous ruling family of Florence during the Renaissance.
Gina Molinari—Friend of Raven Wood, employed in the archives of the Uffizi Gallery.
Old ones—A special class of supernatural beings who, by virtue of having attained seven hundred years in their supernatural state, enjoy tremendous power and special abilities.
The Prince—Ruler of the principality of Florence, the underworld society of supernatural beings.
Recruits—New supernatural beings, formerly human.
The Roman—Ruler of the principality of Rome and also the head of the kingdom of Italy, which includes all the Italian principalities.
Agent Savola—Interpol agent assigned to Florence.
Simonetta—The Princess of Umbria.
Stefan—A supernatural physician of French Canadian origin.
Tarquin—The current ruler of Venice, under the authority of the Prince of Florence.
Professor Urbano—Director of the restoration project working on the Birth of Venus. Raven Wood’s supervisor.
General Vale—Commanding officer of the Curia army.
The Venetians—Supernatural beings living in the principality of Venice.
Dottor Vitali—Director of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears in the Gabriel’s Inferno trilogy.
Patrick Wong—Canadian citizen and friend of Raven Wood. Works in the archives at the Uffizi Gallery.
Carolyn (Cara) Wood—Raven’s younger sister. Carolyn is a real estate agent in Miami, Florida.
Raven Wood—American citizen and postdoctoral restoration worker at the Uffizi Gallery.
William York—A wealthy Florentine and patron of the Uffizi Gallery. He appears briefly in Gabriel’s Redemption.
Younglings—Supernatural beings who have yet to attain one hundred years in their supernatural state.
Acknowledgments
I owe a debt to the cities of Florence, Rome, and Prague, their citizens, and to the incomparable Uffizi and Accademia Galleries, as well as St. Vitus Cathedral. Thank you for your hospitality and inspiration.
I am grateful to Kris, who read an early draft and offered valuable constructive criticism. I am also thankful to Cassie, Jennifer, and Nina for their feedback and support.
I’ve been very pleased to work with Ever After and Cassie Hanjian, my agent. I’d like to thank Kim Schefler for her guidance and counsel.
My publicist, Nina Bocci, works tirelessly to promote my writing and to help me with social media, which enables me to keep in touch with readers. I’m honored to be part of her team.
Heather Carrier of Heather Carrier Designs designed the book’s cover. She did a beautiful job. I would also like to thank Jessica Royer Ocken for copy editing and Coreen Montagna for formatting the novel.
I am grateful to Erika, Deborah Harkness, and Lauren for their kind words about The Raven. Thank you. I also want to thank the many book bloggers who have taken the time to read and review my work.
I want to thank the Muses, Argyle Empire, the readers from around the world who operate the SRFans social media accounts, the Canal SRFansESP who create exceptional vlogs on YouTube, the Trilogia Gabriel for inaugurating a Spanish language book club on my books, and the readers who recorded the podcasts for The Gabriel Series and The Florentine Series. Thank you for your continued support.
While I was editing this book, I learned of the passing of John Michael Morgan, who recorded the audio versions of my books. My condolences go to his family and friends. He will be missed.
Finally, I would like to thank my readers and my family for continuing this journey with me. I’m proud to be your Virgil during this foray into the Underworld.
SR
Ascension 2016
About the Author
I am a Canadian author who is interested in Italian history and culture, as well as the city of Florence. I am also the New York Times bestselling author of The Gabriel Series.
I’m interested in the way literature can help us explore aspects of the human condition—particularly suffering, sex, love, faith, and redemption. My favourite stories are those in which a character takes a journey, either a physical journey to a new and exciting place, or a personal journey in which he or she learns something about himself/herself.
I’m also interested in how aesthetic elements such as art, architecture, and music can be used to tell a story or to illuminate the traits of a particular character. In my writing, I combine all of these elements with the themes of redemption, forgiveness, and the transformative power of goodness.
I try to use my platform as an author to raise awareness about the following charities: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Foundation, WorldVision, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, and Covenant House.
Sylvain Reynard, The Roman
(Series: The Florentine # 3)
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