Council IntervenesAfter the feast, Gianni and his family drew Mina and Dario out into the teeming streets of the grand city. High in a sky as blue as a summer sea, the sun glared down. Just around the corner from their house, they passed an inn called the Masque and Music, its sign showing a player’s mask and a wooden flute. People spilled out onto the street from within, laughing loudly. The riotous inn crowd began clapping and broke into an impromptu dance, bumping into market barrows allowed to ply their wares outside of the market area for this special festival. Hawkers called out, luring people to barter with passionate enjoyment.
No artisans performed; today their role was to observe. It was a day for life, not art, yet the intensity of life created its own drama. Everyone dressed i
