Free The Loved and the Lost by Lory Kaufman Page A

. .” Medeea spun her finger once and zip, still lying prone, they rose off the ground and streaked down the alley at a blurring speed, as if on a magic carpet.
    After some dizzying twists and turns, even though they could go through objects and people without trouble, they finally came to a screeching halt in Piazza Bra. There was Ugilino, already out of the wagon and jumping up and down among a throng of shoulder-to-shoulder people, trying to get a glimpse of Guilietta in the crowd. Lincoln managed to stagger to his feet and look around. Medeea just levitated, fairy-like, landing on her feet and then snapped her fingers like maracas.
    â€œOle! The magic carpet.”
    â€œThere she is,” Ugilino said to himself and took off running through the crowd.
    â€œHere we go again,” Medeea thought. Lincoln lifted a few inches off the ground, thankfully standing this time, and started to zip alongside Ugilino. Ugi’s face was at once frantic, scared and determined. He bounded forward, pushing people out of the way. Lincoln craned his neck to catch a glimpse of Guilietta. Medeea read his thoughts, smiled and levitated them higher. There was Guilietta, weaving in and out through the crowd, smiling and apologizing as she bumped into people. And there was the looker, slung over her shoulder in its fancy leather case. She thought she was bringing it to the palace, supposedly because of a note from Hansum, but really the note was from Feltrino and this was a trap.
    When they entered the Urbe Market, Guilietta was only about 20 paces in front of Ugi. The crowd became so thick that everything came to a halt.
    â€œIt’s the Bishop with a relic of San Zeno,” Lincoln heard a man in the crowd say. Soldiers and monks had formed a barrier for a religious procession to make its way through public space, blocking further progress towards the palace. He saw Guilietta work her way to the front of the crowd, but then stop while the procession passed. Meanwhile, right next to Lincoln, Ugilino’s panicky eyes darted about. He was trying to figure something out. Lincoln levitated down and stared hard at him.
    â€œHow could you do this?” he asked an unhearing Ugilino. “You grew up with her. She’s your family. If I find out it was you that hurt her . . .” Then he saw that, although Ugilino looked determined, there was also something else on his face.
    â€œConnect me to him,” Lincoln said to Medeea. Medeea smiled and then blinked at Lincoln. The teen felt Ugilino’s mind drop into his, again with the same tumult of pain, confusion and even the physical feeling of being out of breath. “Filter out everything but his linear thoughts,” Lincoln demanded brusquely.
    Medeeas eyebrows went up in mock surprise. “ Yes . . . Master,” she replied. “I like a man who can give orders.”
    â€œJust do it . . . please.”
    â€˜Oh, dear baby Jesus,’ Ugilino was thinking, ‘I don’t like this at all. Merda, why did I agree to help? Feltrino better take me to Mantua as his squire when I get the looker. I hope Guilietta doesn’t see me. C’mon you stupid, ugly bastardo! Just sneak up and yank the case and run.’
    Ugilino took a dirty blanket he was carrying and draped it over his head. He began pushing and sneaking through the crowd, each step bringing him closer to Guilietta. Soon he was only a few feet away. The priests holding the wood and leather trunk with religious relics were just passing Guil.
    â€œThe bones of San Zeno,” a priest cried, “The bones of San Zeno,” and the crowd cheered loudly.
    â€˜NOW, YOU UGLY! GRAB IT NOW!’ Lincoln heard Ugilino think.
    He snatched the looker case and pulled as hard as he could. Lincoln experienced Ugilino feeling Guilietta trying to hold on to the case’s strap, pulling back and starting to scream. The scream turned into a shriek as she was yanked off her feet, forcing her to let