Page 76 of The Maestro's Mates
Per chi nulla sa gradir
Piova e vento sopportar
Mangiar mal e mal dormir
Voglio far il gentiluomo
E non voglio più servir
No no no no no no
I work all night and day
For a man who appreciates none of it
Putting up with the wind and rain
Eating poorly and sleeping worse
I want to be a gentleman
And I don’t want to serve anymore
It was an innocuous beginning. Nothing particularly impressive in terms of singing. But for Pavel, it was the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard. Sebastian was made for this.
Glancing at Justin, Pavel caught sight of a single proud tear trickle down the vampire’s pale cheek. God, these two men were everything.
Looking back at the stage, he was soon engrossed in the action. As operas go,Don Giovanniwas one of the more exciting ones. Plenty of sword-fighting, some seduction, some manipulation, and a ghost! It didn’t stand the test oftime in regard to gender politics, but for music and story, it was one of the best.
Only about half an hour into the opera, it was time for Sebastian’s first big piece of music. The Catalogue Aria. Locking eyes with the veteran soprano playing Donna Anna, Sebastian launched into it with comedic fervor.
Madamina, il catalogo è questo
Delle belle che amò il padron mio;
un catalogo egli è che ho fatt'io;
Osservate, leggete con me.
Madame, this is the catalogue
Of the beauties my master has loved;
I wrote it myself;
Come, let’s read it together.
As Sebastian launched into the absurd numbers of women Don Giovanni had seduced in each country, wearing his trademark smirk, Justin giggled with joy. Pavel couldn’t help but agree with the sentiment. This was all so perfect.
Which is when it all fell apart.
From the grid above the stage came a bright flash of white light accompanied by a shower of sparks, and a large black lighting instrument came crashing down toward the stage where Sebastian stood.
He didn’t have time to notice or react to it, but nonetheless Sebastian stumbled slightly, pitching forward and out of the path of the falling fresnel.
Pavel was on his feet in an instant. The only thing saving Sebastian in that moment was an intervention by the witch’s chaos spirits. And Pavel was certain this was noaccident. It was unthinkable Veronica would attack an opera house full of several thousand patrons, but there was no other explanation.
On stage, Sebastian spun around, clearly thinking the same thing. The witches of Sebastian’s Circle were out of their seats as well, canvassing the front of the stage.
