Description
The sham magus and master poisoner Cagliostro schemes to establish world domination with his "Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry," using drugs and sex to lure influential supporters; and murder, to eliminate composers, writers, architects, and painters who refuse to glorify him as the order's "Grand Copht."
In the dead of the winter of 1769-1770, on the cusp of turning fourteen, Papa Leopold and I, your humble servant Wolf Mozart, seek court appointments and commissions in Italy. On the road to Milan, Giacomo Cavanaso, an old soldier on Cagliostro's payroll, causes a falling tree branch to crush my skull. I hover between life, death, and the angelic presence Maria Anna, who shows me how composing my most beautiful music will reverse the damage, and heal my wounds and the world that Cagliostro seeks to manipulate. Maria Anna gives me extrasensory powers, and a giant she-wolf familiar, Friede, to unmask my assailants and stop Cagliostro's wanton abuse of humankind-ness.
For weeks in Milan, I live on a broad-arcing pendulum between terror for my life, and survive many more exotic attempts to kill me. I incur the animus of MIlan's fanatical Cardinal-Archbishop Pazzabenelli, who petitions the Roman Inquisition to prosecute his claims of miracles and witchcraft that underpin my admittedly dazzling gifts. Nonetheless, I realize my dream of a first opera for Italy, to be premiered in eight months.
In addition to arranging this commission, a new human patron, Governor-General Firmian, piques my interest in one of the ancient world's unsolved mysteries: the lost tomb of Etruscan king Lars Porsenna, reputedly located in the countryside near our next destination, Florence. Continuing to elude Cagliostro's minions--including vicious Giovanni Pirani and his supernatural creature Bahar--the English violin virtuoso and composer Thomas Linley and I find the lost tomb at Monte Morello--only to discover it in use for Cagliostro's latest initiation ceremony--with us as impromptu sacrifices.
At the last moment, Tom, a handful of allies and I neutralize our persecutors, and launch into an improvisation that turns the crowd against the charlatan magus. As we descend from the mountain, Giovanni attacks me, cutting off my breath--and thus my ability to summon Friede. Tom sets the murderous boy's hair ablaze, a vengeful Bahar slaughters Giovanni for his failure, Tom and I hold up magic bells from the tomb, and the spontaneous music destroys Bahar.
On the next adventure!