Shards of the Assassin (Wheel of God)

The year is 1723. With the discovery of alternate routes to the riches of the East and her territorial losses to the Turks, Venice, the "Bride of the Sea," has long passed her prime. Blind to the gradual decline of their city, her nobility live off of the accumulated treasures of their ancestors, enjoying a decadent lifestyle dominated by carnivals, festivals, regattas, gambling dens, and houses of prostitution. Vittorio Ceruti, a young, brash apprentice to a violinmaker finds himself suddenly caught up by the intrigues of the Court. Angered at what he interprets as the betrayal of his deceased father, Vittorio openly espouses the Doge's overthrow--a crime punishable by death. Edigio Morelli, a cruel, Bible quoting captain in the service of the Republic's inquisitional Council of Ten, is charged with the apprehension of Vittorio. Unknown to young Ceruti, Captain Morelli has an unresolved vendetta that has obsessed him since the death of Vittorio's father who, in crossing of swords, cut off Morelli's ear. Driven to avenge his mutilation, Morelli vows to destroy the "seed of my sworn enemy."