It is the year 1537.
The great winged Lion stares over a Venice where magic thrives.
The rich Venetian Republic is a bastion of independence and tolerance.
Perhaps for that reason, it is also corrupt, and rotten with intrigue.
But for the young brothers Marco and Benito Valdosta, vagabond and thief, Venice is simply home.
They have no idea that they stand at the center of the city's coming struggle for its very life.
They know nothing of the powerful forces moving in the background.
Baen The shadow of the lion, paperback/mercedes lackey
