Beauty & Rage (Broken Crowns Book 1)

Natalie Bennett
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 Copyright
Beauty & Rage by Natalie Bennett
© 2022 by Natalie Bennett. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any written, electronic, recording, or
photocopying without written permission of the publisher or author. The exception would be
in the case of brief quotations embodied in the critical articles or reviews and pages where
the publisher or author specifically grant permission.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents
are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover Design: Maria Spada
Editing by: Pinpoint Editing
 AUTHOR’S NOTE
If you picked this up looking for a feel-good paranormal romance, this story will not
appeal to you. However, if you have a thing for insanely possessive twisted antiheros,
questions not easily answered, mystery, violence (it gets progressively worse), and explicit
steam, then keep turning the pages!
These characters will fall deeply into hate before they come even close to love. This
may not end with a traditional HEA, but their story does wrap up exactly as it needs to.
I hope you enjoy it!
Table of Contents
Copyright
AUTHOR’S NOTE
BLURB
Playlist
Glossary
EPIGRAPH
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
BROKEN CROWNS
DEMONIO
OTHER BOOKS
THE SECT
NEFARIOUS
SOCIALS
 BLURB
Crumbled castles. Napalm skies.
Ancient oaths and exiled royals.
Nowhere to run from this. No way to forget.
All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put her back together again....
Reyes Straykova is an abomination.
Born of death and madness, he’s only satisfied by bloodshed and destruction.
His tyrannical uprising has cloaked the sun in an impenetrable darkness. The savage and corrupt pledge loyalty to his
rule, causing more blood to spill whilst striking fear in the masses.
Duvessa Vasiel wasn’t ready to be a queen.
Her crown’s been snatched away and replaced with another—along with her freedom.
Claimed by the volatile and ruthless beast responsible for bringing the world to its knees, she becomes ensnared in a
court of hellish nightmares.
Sleeping with the enemy takes on a whole new meaning when her life is held within their treacherous hands.
As Reyes immerses her in endless obscenity and wickedness, something slumbering deep within begins to wake.
Lines are blurred and truths become questioned.
When every word and action could bring about her demise, how can she ever reclaim what was stolen?
Murder. Betrayal. Sinister schemes.
Bow to the King and watch chaos reign.
 Playlist
(SPOTIFY)
Imagine Dragons—Dream
Unions—Afraid of the Dark
BANKS—Contaminated
Breaking Benjamin—What Lies Beneath
Lana Del Rey—Change
We Came As Romans—Learning To Survive
Digital Daggers—Paper Bag Princess
The Plot In You—Feel Nothing
Evanescence—Broken Pieces Shine
Sadistik—Russian Roulette
WENS—Bones
Gin Wigamore—Hallow Fate
Mumford and Sons—Broken Crown
Halsey—Bells in Santa Fe
DeathbyRomy—Time
Sofia Karlberg—Viva La Vida
Ruelle—Slip Away
Creed—Overcome
Jill Andrews—Lost It All
Lumineers—Nightshade
 Glossary
Supe (Sue-pay) — all pureblood supernaturals.
Demi (Dim-E) — all half-breed supernaturals.
Chimera (chee-mare-a)— varying, manmade creatures containing a mixture of
genetically different tissues, formed by processes such as fusion of embryos, grafting, or
mutation.
Smilodon (smi-lo-don)— a genus of saber-toothed cats.
 EPIGRAPH
Those who make no lasting impression in life will surely be forgotten in death.
~Duvessa Vasiel~
 CHAPTER ONE
Can you imagine what it’s like to die almost every time you close your eyes?
There’s a familiar sting of doubled-edged teeth digging into tender flesh, followed by
excruciating pain. Your throat’s viciously torn open, leaving blood to run in thick rivulets over a
naked body, staining the darkened forest floor crimson.
You know this is the end, heart slowing until it ceases to beat in the arms of a faceless killer. No
one comes to your rescue. You die alone without knowing why such a cruel fate was bestowed upon
you, wondering what you did to deserve this.
I awoke as I usually did with perspiration coating my skin, fingers grasping at my neck as if I
could fix what had been shredded.
Off and on for the past six months, I’d been having this same dream. I never saw my murderer’s
face, and my brain still hadn’t caught on to the fact that it was merely a dream.
None of it was real, yet terror and a deep sense of sadness always remained in the hollows of my
chest long after I woke up.
Swiping strands of midnight hued hair from my sweaty forehead, I clumsily reached for the cup
of water I kept on my nightstand, sighing the second the cool glass touched my fingertips. I’d barely
lifted it when a bang on the other side of my door made me jump, sending it straight to the floor where
it shattered.
Another bang—more forceful—and someone yelling my name cleared away all lingering
drowsiness.
The hands of time came to a near stand-still and reality slowly began to seep in.
Something was burning.
And it was too quiet.
While not unusual for such an hour, it wasn’t the kind of quiet that came on the heels of peaceful
slumber. It was unnerving, the type of silence that sent blind panic and blood-curdling dread to the pit
of one’s stomach.
That’s what ultimately sent me stumbling from my bed, feet sliding into silk slippers, just missing
the shards of glass scattered across the wine-colored marble.
I undid the heavy lock barring me in and everyone else out and pulled the door open.
“Dove!” Toby’s wide blue eyes and worried face showed fleeting relief before a rushed, “We
need to go,” flew from his mouth and his hand shot out to grab my wrist. I was pulled into an empty
hall. Two guards should have been stationed at either end while I slept, but both were missing.
“What’s on fire?” I asked, settling into a speedy jog to match his pace.
 The further we went from my bedroom, the stronger the acidic stench in the air became.
“Everything but this castle. For now.”
“Everything?” I struggled to keep my voice level. “Where is my father?”
He stopped abruptly at the end of the hall, using a gentle hand to prevent me from slamming into
his broad back. His head turned to the left and then to the right before he looked at me with a somber
expression, unmistakable pity in his eyes.
“We no longer have a king. We have only you now, my queen.”
“What do you mean…?” I trailed off as he pulled me forward again, blinking dumbly at the back
of his curly blonde head. Realization hit me like an arrow to the chest. My stomach plummeted, heart
splitting right down the center.
I didn’t ask for further clarification or elaboration. I knew exactly what he meant.
For us to be without a king meant my father was dead. As his only child and sole heir, I was the
one meant to ascend the throne. I’d been raised, educated, and sculpted to be a queen by every means,
but it wasn’t supposed to happen like this.
I wasn’t ready.
I staved off the overwhelming urge to fall apart. I couldn’t become deadweight for Toby. As
terrible and painful as this news was, I had neither the luxury nor the time to grieve. Whatever was
going on, the situation was urgent.
“The other supes and demis?”
“Scattered or dead.”
That had me drawing up short, pulling my wrist free from his grasp. “You need to tell me what’s
going on.”
“I will tell you everything the moment you’re safe. Princess Jacinda and Princess Scarlett have
already been escorted away from the palace. The longer we stay here, the more danger you’re in.”
Away from the palace.
Those words looped through my head twice. He wanted us to flee.
I dodged his attempt to grab me again and took a step back, and, as I did, the smell of smoke and
fire intensified.
“You wish for me to run? You’re telling me to abdicate?”
A tic in his rounded jaw was the only sign of his growing frustration. His duty was to protect me,
but mine was to protect this palace and all those loyal to the Vasiel crown. Even if it was burning to a
crisp, a captain never abandoned their ship.
“If you stay, there will be nothing left for you to abdicate from. And nothing left of you, either.”
He stepped forward and offered his hand this time. “Please. The princesses will not go any further
without you, and the same fate awaits them.”
Indecision warred within me for a matter of seconds. He had me. Catching myself before I
reacted uncouthly, I nodded as if the predicament regarding my two closest friends didn’t mean more
to me than the wellbeing of my newly acquired kingdom.
I didn’t like the idea of fleeing. It went against everything I’d been taught, but I knew Toby was
right. He was also fiercely loyal and risking his life to save mine.
“Then let’s go.” I took his hand, allowing him to lead me once more.
Wordlessly, he set off at a rapid pace.
“How are we able to move so freely?”
“The very reason the palace is near empty. Your father’s last order was to protect you by all and
any means necessary. Your subjects took it upon themselves to serve as a… distraction. The ones that
haven’t fled, that is.”
Fled where? I wanted to ask, but I knew my energy needed to be solely focused on escaping. My
silken slippers fell into rhythm with Toby’s boots. We took three sharp turns before coming to the hall
in the very back of the palace. An ornate side table was affixed to the rear wall; moving it revealed a
small indention that served as a mechanism to open a secret door.
Father had planned for it to be used in a situation such as this one, although he’d never wanted
that plan to come to fruition.
Toby led me through the passage with ease, ensuring the door closed behind us so no one could
follow.
We rapidly navigated the narrow passage set between moss-covered walls, lit by flickering
candles.
When we finally emerged, it was directly into the woodland a little way behind the palace. The
moment we stepped outside, I sensed an immeasurable amount of death. It crawled over my skin and
poured into my lungs. The stench of burning bodies clung to the air, along with the sound of my
subjects losing a battle.
Again, I was troubled with my decision.
Leaving like this felt wrong, regardless of my station, but I would do them no good dead, and,
though I could fight well enough, I knew I was no match for whomever was behind this all by my
lonesome.
I stepped deeper into the trees with no idea where I was going, staggering as the weight of what
was now lost truly began to sink in.
One final glance back and my splintered heart shattered into pieces. We may have been escaping,
but it was not unscathed.
My life as I knew it was over.
My home.
My family.
It was all gone.
 CHAPTER TWO
Not all crowns come with wealth and power. Not all fiefs were made up of generous land,
boasting prestige.
That wasn’t the case for the kingdom of Vita.
My father could be called nothing less than a great ruler. His devout dedication to his kingdom
and the subjects that dwelled within it was evident even to those who wished to see his head mounted
on a pike. A man so great his enemies marveled at his excellency.
It left the maddening question of who would do this, and for what purpose. If someone were after
his position or the fief, they wouldn’t have brought down the castle and turned a utopia into this
dystopian hell. I would never have made it out intact, for as long as I lived, the Vita was mine by right
and by blood.
A kingdom of anguish and suffering. That’s what I had inherited.

With a sigh, I poked at the fire one last time and slowly rose, keeping a tight hold on the worn
fleece throw I’d wrapped around my shoulders. This was the sixth dwelling we’d moved to in a span
of two months.
Staying in one place for long periods of time was not a feasible option, and while this was not as
bad as some of the other places we’d sheltered, it gave the impression that it would crumble and
crush us if the wind blew hard enough. I didn’t dare complain. Not when so many lay rotting on once
pristine cobblestone roads now dull from old blood, those who once knew them picking flesh from
their maggot-infested bodies in a desperate attempt to prolong starvation.
I turned towards the warped piece of wood that served as a front door, watching Toby and Victor
enter, a dark, flurried sky overcast behind them.
They brought in nothing but chilled air and tangible anger.
Their sour moods could have been caused by a sleuth of things, but I knew the bold red flyer
crushed in Toby’s right hand had a lot to do with it.
“Is that old or new?”
“Who knows? There’s even more today. So many I can’t remember all the places I’ve already
torn them down from!”
“Quiet,” I hushed him gently, casting a glance to where Jacinda and Scarlett were sleeping.
“Give it to me.”
I held out my hand, and he begrudgingly passed me the flyer. I carried it to the rickety table in the
far corner and smoothed it out. I’d seen many of these since the night everything went up in flames. It
wasn’t a very detailed call to action. The clearest thing about it was the decree that we be brought in
unharmed. The rest of my kind was being rounded up like cattle and taken by whatever means
necessary.
This clear order for preferential treatment had given me a lot to question over these past few
weeks.
If I were to ask any of the supes and demis I knew about the king who’d placed the bounty, all I’d
get in response would be hearsay and convoluted rumors. Going off common knowledge was best, but
I couldn’t hold much stock in that either when I’d never personally met him.
Powerful, ruthless, homicidal enthusiast. Those were the nicer adjectives I could use to describe
the notorious mad king. Tapping my fingers against scuffed wood, I needlessly studied the flyer
illuminated by a soft, glowing lantern light in the center of the table.
From my peripheral, I saw Victor approaching with quiet footsteps despite his massive size, a
perk of Lycan genetics.
“What are you thinking?”
I looked into his brown eyes and saw wariness in their depths, as if he knew what my answer
would be.
“I need to go to him.”
Toby’s mouth audibly opened and closed, a sputter coming out before actual words. “You need to
go to him? I couldn’t have heard that correctly.”
“It’s exactly like you heard.”
He came towards the table, his footsteps just as quiet as Victor’s. “Why on earth would you do
that after everything he’s done? Go to the tyrant responsible for bringing your kingdom to ruin?”
“There’s nothing concrete that ties him to our misfortune.”
He crossed his arms, causing the worn chainmail covering them to bunch together. “Are you
saying he isn’t the cause of all this?”
“She’s saying,” Scarlett’s cool voice cut across the worn floor of our depleted hut as she stood
up.
“The king of the void would parade through our streets and stick a flag of victory on top of our
people’s corpses if he was the one behind the attack.”
“Have you been awake this whole time?” Victor questioned.
Scarlett smoothed a hand over her long brown hair and adjusted her skirts as she came to join us.
“Long enough to hear this fool try to discourage her from making a logical decision.”
Toby set his eyes on her in a glare. She matched it, her jade green hues holding a challenge.
“This could be one big, elaborate ruse to lure her in and make a show of her death.”
 Scarlett crossed her arms with a short laugh. “You’re grasping at straws, Toby. If he wanted to do
that, he’d do it where all her people could watch.”
“You speak as if you know him personally.” Victor voiced his displeasure.
Soft footfalls signaled Jacinda’s approach. Our debate had probably ruined her sleep. I
acknowledged her with a quick smile as she came and stood beside me.
“All I’m trying to say is that you need to consider this more,” Toby reasoned.
“You don’t think I’ve done that?”
“Have you? Then tell me what is to become of us if it’s your life he wants?”
Growing frustrated with the way this conversation was going, I suppressed the urge to run a
grime-covered hand over my face, clutching the worn skirt of my overdress.
“If he kills me, at least I died doing all I could to save our people. If I gain nothing, what does it
matter when we’d have already lost everything?”
“You know he’s the only one capable of helping us,” Scarlett agreed.
Toby looked between the two of us, eyes widening in disbelief. “H-help? Help whom? I’m not
sure we’re discussing the same man. That monster does not help unless it benefits him. We still don’t
know if this was his doing or not, regardless of what she says.” He gave Scarlett a pointed look.
Lips flattening into a straight line, I huffed out an irritated breath and took two steps back to get a
full look at him.
“For the past few weeks, you’ve been certain it was my father’s advisor, and then it was Cronus,
who’s like a second father to me and most likely dead. Now, it’s the King of Abaddon?”
He made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat, swiping the crumpled flier from the table.
“Tell me,” he began, flipping the paper around. “What is it you see on here?”
I didn’t need to look anymore. I was fully aware of what was there. Our names, the astronomical
sum that would be awarded to whomever brought us to the self-made king, and clear instructions that
we were not to be harmed.
“It’s the same flyer that’s posted throughout our crumbling region, littered all over the streets
paved with blood, and being broadcast every hour on the radio.”
“What you’re not seeing is the ploy to lure a desperate queen right into his hands so he can snatch
her crown away,” he retorted evenly.
“Have you looked around? You can’t go two feet into town without stumbling over a pile of
bodies. There are as many families hanging in the trees as there are branches. All goods and exports
have stopped coming in, which means we have no resources. You’ve said yourself that every dime
has been taken, so to add to that, we have zero finances,” I ticked off as calmy as I could manage, the
truth of our circumstances twisting my heart with every word I spoke. “We have nothing but Vita
herself, and she’s dying. So, yes, I am desperate, because if she perishes, we do too.”
Jacinda laid a dainty hand on my arm to bring me a small comfort while Scarlett nodded along in
agreement to everything I said.
Victor shifted his mass from one leg to the other, smoothing a hand over his full, russet-colored
beard.
“They aren’t wrong, Toby. If he wanted the region, he would have announced his claiming of it by
now, and his insignia would be all over the place. Nothing is stopping him.”
“And who would? We don’t exactly have an army ready to go balls-to-the-wall for us,” Scarlett
added dryly.
Toby scrubbed a hand over his own scraggly blonde beard that now covered a large portion of
his face.
“You think you’re going to go there and that he’ll help do what, exactly? Have you not been
paying attention? He’s having demis taken off the streets left and right and no one knows why. Do you
not think it odd that they vanish entirely? Not a word has been said about their fates. We can conclude
that those filthy chimeras are butchering them.”
I fixed him with a weighted stare until blue eyes diverted to his mud-covered boots.
We didn’t have any kind of proof that that was happening.
I was against defamation and accusations that couldn’t be proved. Words were a dangerous
weapon, none more so than ones spoken in anger or frustration.
The hut settled loudly, filling the gap in our lulled conversation. I glanced up, sweeping my eyes
over the wooden beams supporting the roof and ceiling. Those seemed as if they could go at any
second. Victor, Toby, and Jacinda were of pure blood, supes that could withstand a degree more
bodily harm than demis like Scarlett and me, if this dwelling caved in.
Being wounded would make this situation much worse. We needed to move on, and this time I
had a destination in mind.
“I will find a way to him with or without your help. We’re guaranteed safe passage. All we need
to do is find a transporter to take us.”
His eyes remained diverted, no immediate response to my decree forthcoming.
“I don’t agree with this, but I’ll do everything in my power to get you there and back,” he swore.
I exhaled with a small nod. It was all I could manage. There wasn’t any kind of victory to
celebrate. Toby may very well be right—this journey could end with my death.
 CHAPTER THREE
Having to avoid all the main roads meant
taking seldom traveled paths full of overgrowth and uneven terrain. I still saw no sign of what we
were looking for, and it’d been at least two hours since we’d left our hut behind.
“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” I questioned Toby, my tone laced with suspicion.
“It’s just over the hill, I promise. We had to choose a road the rig could travel down.”
“What rig?” Feet slipping in a slew of mud, I reached for the nearest tree to stop myself from
falling.
A thick, toned arm wrapped around my middle before I could grasp iced-over bark, keeping me
upright.
“Thank you,” I said to Victor on a heavy breath.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
I offered him a grateful smile and rubbed a kink from the back of my sticky neck, breathing in the
smell of Lycan musk and chilled air.
“What rig?” I repeated.
“The one that’s going to take you to Purgatory.”
“You mean, you’ve found a driver you can trust, right?” Scarlett asked.
“You’ll see. Come on, it’s just on the other side of the peak.”
I shared a look with my friends as we followed him. Just as he claimed, when we reached the top
of the hill, I could make out the massive truck used to transport prisoners and demis. It was a large
vehicle, about seventy to eighty feet long. Where the driver sat was enclosed, but the rest of the rig
consisted of a jail-like trailer, making it completely open.
He and the Victor must have found this thing when they went out to hunt a few nights prior.
“I don’t see anyone,” I observed.
“We need to get closer,” Toby replied matter-of-factly.
Scarlett and I shared another look between the two of us. Being Lycan heightened all of Toby’s
senses. Even if he somehow couldn’t see anything or anyone down by the rig, that wolf nose of his
would pick up their scent.
“Is there something wrong with you?”
My question was met with a puzzled look.
“No…”
“Will she be okay back there?” I asked, concerned that the air coupled with Jacinda’s ongoing
health issue would be too much for her.
 “I’ll be fine,” she signed and mouthed to me.
“I’ve got some burlap to help,” Victor replied, helping Jacinda make her way down the steep
hill.
With a frown, I surveyed our lack of belongings. Where did he have burlap?
I got my answer when we reached the rig. I looked the large vehicle up and down, noting that it
was covered in a thin layer of frost as if it had been sitting here empty for some time, lacking any sign
of life or activity—including the driver.
“Where is the one who drives it?”
“Right here,” Toby answered, appearing in a khaki uniform, muffler, and worn hat that he’d been
without just minutes ago.
“You… what have you done?”
“Did you think I would let you go into that region alone and remain trapped outside? I needed a
way in. I told you I’d make sure you came back. This was an easy solution to kill two birds with one
stone.”
“We believe it was abandoned,” Victor added.
“Come on, Dove. You gotta admit this was smart.”
“Her name is Duvessa,” Scarlett snapped at him. She despised it when he called me by that pet
name.
I didn’t agree. All it would take was one member of the Abaddon court to recognize him and
things could quickly spiral out of control. I had no sway or power over where we were going; there’d
be no way for me to protect him.
Jacinda waved a hand in the air to get his attention, asking, “Do you have a plan?”
“Course I do, and it begins with these.” He bent down and reached for something secured
beneath the rig, standing again with a pair of shackles in his hands. “If you want to do this, then we
need to do it right,” he began to explain.
With this sentiment, I wholly agreed. The very being who inspired fear in the most savage of men
was the one I was determined to meet. There was no room for error. The risk didn’t outweigh the
benefit—saving what remained of my empire.
My violet eyes locked with Scarlett’s green ones. “Are you sure you want to come with? You can
stay behind with Victor. He’ll keep you safe.”
“I go where you go, in this life and the next,” she replied swiftly, acknowledging that this could
very well be a suicide mission.
“And you?” I looked at Jacinda.
“Always with you,” she signed with no hesitation.
 Rolling my lips together, I shut my eyes for a second, using that small fraction of a moment to
prepare myself for what may come.
I held out my wrists and let Toby bind me like a prisoner.

Leaving Vita behind was something I never thought I’d do, at least not in the back of a transporter
rig.
As Victor had promised, heavy sacks of burlap covered our laps and were wedged behind our
backs to offer comfort in place of the chilled slate pressing against us.
He hadn’t been in possession of it, though. He’d simply borrowed from what was inside the main
cab.
My eyes explored the floor, seeing old blood and deep grooved marks from those who had sat on
the metal bench seats before us. I tried not to wonder too much about what their fates were, but it was
somewhat of a distraction from what I would soon have to face.
The scenery was nothing to marvel over. Crumbled buildings and rotting corpses made our once
flourishing utopia unrecognizable. It was as if some terrible plague had swept through and not an
attack on a colossal level.
No subjects happily wandered about. Vendor stalls lay broken into pieces or flipped over in the
streets. The white and gold flower insignia that flew from every mast and decorated nearly all the
buildings had been forcibly removed.
By all accounts it appeared as if this were a direct attack against my father’s reign, but no
insignia had been hung to replace ours.
 No celebrations of a battle won had taken place. I didn’t—couldn’t—understand what the point
of the attack had been. All the members of my father’s council had vanished, leaving no one to help or
guide me in any direction. This was all I could think to do.
Maybe an hour after we’d crossed the threshold from Vita to the open plains that lay beyond,
Scarlett shifted her body in my direction.
“Do you think we’ll find out what happened to the others?”
“I have no idea what’s going to happen when we get off this thing.”
Looking down at the thick metal coils showing early signs of rust, I wondered how many had
been secured in them, whisked away to an uncertain future just as we were being. If not for my
station, I would never have considered doing this, and even with it, I wasn’t sure it would be enough
to save us from whatever fate the rest of our kind was being bestowed.
Going from what was essentially considered vermin to a hot commodity was a drastic change
from how my kind was usually seen. My mother was dark fae, while my father had been one of nine
classes of demon. Their coupling produced me, a half breed, or what was now referred to as a demi.
Scarlett was much the same, only her mother was half succubus.
This mix of impure genes caused us to be dormant, thus the reason society looked at us so
distastefully. We didn’t have any of the perks or prowess that came from being pureblooded or
manmade as the Chimeras were. Sure, we were harder to kill than what remained of human cattle, but
we couldn’t carry offspring without extreme difficulty, and we lacked in many of the areas they
excelled.
It was almost cruel when one thought about it, the fact we could even exist. Even crueler were
the babes killed off because of such a coupling.
What good was a powerless creature in a world all about power and prestige?
That’s how the senseless murders were justified. I was fortunate to be born loved regardless of
what I was. Scarlett, too. I wish it was something I could say gave me great comfort, but truthfully it
only made things worse.
Who and what I was were a direct threat to my rule. Demis did not ascend thrones—if anything,
we helped procure them for another of distant relation. Even more unheard of was a queen reigning
alone. Just because I had been given the rights to the throne, it didn’t mean anyone truly expected me
to sit upon it.
I pulled a deep breath of chilled air into my lungs and exhaled with a quiet sigh. There were so
many things working against me, so much already lost. It would be easy to cast my broken crown
aside and leave this all behind.
What kept me going was my refusal to abandon everything my father had built and the values he’d
instilled. Somewhere out there, I knew there were others with a fragment of hope that all would be
restored. I would fight tooth and nail, down to the bone if I must, to ensure it was.
 CHAPTER FOUR
The tyrant had built a formidable wall around his kingdom. There was one way in, and, if you
were lucky, one way out.
I couldn’t help but wonder if my father would he still be alive right now if he’d had the same
system. It was a thought I hurriedly shook away as we arrived at the entrance to Abaddon. There
wasn’t time to grieve or run down the endless list of what-ifs.
Our rig was halted, a gruff demand for the registration that granted transporters entrance to this
twisted region given. Unsettled nerves made their first appearance in the form of twiddling fingers
and sweat.
Flashlights bobbed as additional guards were dispatched to check the open trailer, immediately
discovering us.
A bold beam of light landed directly on my face, prohibiting me from seeing who wielded it.
The entire mood shifted, then. Static from handheld communicators gave way to animated voices
that spoke a language I couldn’t.
Whatever was said saw us quickly waved through the previously blocked entrance without
incident. Two thick, polished signs were placed on either side of the stoned gateway. ‘Abaddon’ was
engraved in bold lettering ,with ‘Kingdom of Ardent Darkness’ carved in smaller print beneath it.
As Toby chauffeured us onward, I came to realize just how fitting that was. On the surface,
Abaddon looked nothing like I’d expected. Matte black lampposts illuminated our path, showcasing
unblemished flagstone roads and semi-detached storefronts that appeared as if they’d been recently
built.
Grueling history lessons had taught me that they’d been here since the previous realm fell, when
humans were nearly wiped from the face of this earth and their predetermined borders along them.
Abaddon was said to have had the greatest technological advances since. Paired with its initial
appearance, it almost looked pleasant. Unfortunately, the beauty didn’t go very far beneath the
surface.
Some of the power poles providing electricity had multiple bodies strung up on them, stacked
like building blocks in an almost orderly fashion. The heat had greatly worsened their decomposition,
leaving them a bloated, runny mess.
A sound of disgust escaped from Jacinda’s throat as she took in the horridness surrounding us,
heinous and lewd acts all taking place in the open without care or caution.
A quad of cloaked guards traveled down sidewalks the opposite direction we were heading,
paying it no mind.
 Each of them sat astride a chestnut gelding sporting specialized tack. The sight of the transporter
wasn’t unusual for them. They paid no attention to whom it contained, continuing on their way. As
they passed by, I spotted the half-mutilated corpses tethered by thick rope from ankle to saddle.
The bodies were in such bad condition that it was impossible to tell what caused their death—
the dragging, or something else entirely. In a darkened alleyway, four vampires had a man down on
his stomach, leisurely draining him dry. His muffled pleas became dying whispers as we passed and
left the sight behind.
Toby seemed to know exactly how to get to where we needed to go. He slowed and expertly
turned onto another the street, the transporter’s loud exhaust puffing out clouds of dark smoke that
seemed to linger in place behind the trailer.
More guards in loyal servitude strolled around with bored expressions on their faces. What they
were patrolling was anyone's guess. I suspected this was more of a scare tactic to keep the boisterous
men in line.
When we finally pulled away from the heart of the town, all the light that had helped illuminate
our surroundings rapidly disappeared.
From the pressure change in sweltering air, I could sense the vast open space on either side of the
transporter, its high beams helping to irradiate the winding road that stretched ahead of us. Toby
increased his speed and created a much-needed breeze throughout the trailer.
Jacinda readjusted her seating, leaning the top of her honey blonde head against my shoulder. It
was near impossible to get comfortable due to the way we were confined. With shackled wrists, I
adjusted the burlap behind me as best I could and leaned back, giving her a more solid headrest.
Staring through the trailer’s slates, I watched the rolling hills flying by. Scarlett’s voice carried
above the dim noise. Her tone was ripe with exhaustion.
“Are you having second thoughts?”
“No,” I replied honestly. “Are you?”
“Not if you aren’t. Why do I get the feeling you didn’t want me to come?”
“If something goes wrong, I can’t protect any of you.”
“I feel the same. You and Jacinda are both much more important than I am and—”
“Don’t say that. It isn’t true.”
“Duvessa, please. We’re beyond the point of needing to pretend. We both know your father and a
large number of your subjects gave their lives for you to survive this. Jacinda’s pride must know
something we don’t, or they would have already stormed Vita to get her back.”
She shifted beside me, pressing her knees to my thigh and taking hold of my hands as best she
could.
 “My family may love and care for me to an extent, but I’ve always been the outcast. They won’t
risk resources for my wellbeing, but you would.”
I wanted to argue and deny what she was saying, but I couldn’t bring myself to feed her bitter
words dipped in nectar. She continued to speak her truth, doing her best to disguise the hurt it caused.
“You are beloved, powerful, and my best friend. One of my only friends. Family, really. You and
Cin. Toby, too, even though he annoys the hell out of me.”
I smiled even as my heart twisted in my chest. I hated that it had come to this. The three of us had
laughed and danced the evening away in celebration of my nineteen years, teasing one another about
suitors and betrothals while many we cared for watched and smiled on. That was gone now. All those
faces. The opulent ballroom.
Everything.
I wanted to bask in my anger to numb this miserable, gut-wrenching pain thrumming inside my
chest, but I couldn’t. Falling apart wasn’t befitting of a queen or a princess, regardless of how
powerless she was. I knew how to swallow emotion and never allow it the chance to come back up.
Squeezing Scarlett’s hand, I studied the homes with dome-shaped roofs now beginning to pepper
the hillside. I wondered how many dwelled within them.
In most places, only the higher castes had the luxury of a fully functioning home. Everyone else
grouped together to survive, bartering everything but their souls to get food and other necessary items.
After the housing district ended, nothing but vast, open wasteland stretched out around us once
more. The Arcana Mountains that ran around the region’s outskirts stood tall and foreboding, slowly
becoming more vivid the closer we got to our destination.
Not thirty minutes later, the transporter went down another road situated between thin metal
flagpoles reaching towards the sky.
A snake and dagger molded with a black rose, Abaddon’s insignia embellished on the fabric in
black and gold. An iron fence soon began on the right side of the road. Pointed spheres atop it dared
trespassers to try to climb over. Dark trees, the likes of such I’d never seen before, stood gnarled and
proud on the other side of it, blocking the Abaddon Palace from view.
Jacinda lifted her head and looked around as Toby slowed and maneuvered the massive vehicle
right through a set of double gates.
“No guards?” she signed curiously.
“I think they know we’re coming. I also heard the sovereign welcome whoever makes it this far
with wide open arms. You know, fresh competition to prove they can’t be usurped,” Scarlett
explained, her face fixed on the passing scenery.
I’d heard that as well.
 It was vainglorious, proving a frequent rumor true. The king never hid from anyone foolish
enough to contend for his empire. Many claimed that he killed and tortured with his bare hands just to
feel the blood he spilled running between his fingers. Others swore he did it all with his mind.
Feeling a tightening in my chest, I rolled my shoulders and shifted uncomfortably. Beyond gossip
and hearsay, I knew so little about this man or those like him. He was a king that got whatever he
wanted, whether by force or by charm. A beast both revered and feared.
In Vita, I had been safe from his ways. Now, on his playing field and drawing closer to his
domain with each passing second, having no idea what he wanted from me, it was more important
than ever that I keep my composure. I couldn’t lose sight of myself or I’d fail before I had the chance
to get started.
After another few minutes, the road split into a circle, revealing two more transporters already
parked and emptied.
The dark citadel itself stood massive and proud in all its Gothic glory, spreading out in front of
the dark mountains that served as a backdrop beneath a hauntingly beautiful moon. It glowed
yellowish orange, like an ember.
Toby easily maneuvered the rig behind the others, the exhaust groaning loudly when he shifted
into park, as if the engine itself had taken a deep breath and released it.
As we waited for him to get his bearings and retrieve us, I studied the exterior of the citadel.
Whoever built this had put their heart and soul into the detailed architecture. From the tall, convex
windows to the towers with conical roofs, everything was elaborately detailed.
“Rise,” a foreign voice suddenly commanded from the rear of the trailer.
The three of us turned our heads in unison to see a guard opening the rear hatch, not bothering to
lower the ramp.
After sharing a glance with Scarlett and Jacinda, I steadily rose to my feet with as much grace as
I could muster. Shoes a size too small carried me towards the exit and the supe wearing a uniform
different from all the rest, medal clippings demonstrating that he was of higher station than the other
guards. His opal eyes roamed over my person, double irises revealing he was a vampire.
Toby reached the back of the rig just as I stepped down. He’d fully fitted himself in the drab
brown uniform and matching ivy cap. He’d even tried to tame his overgrown bushel of hair.
I looked around, noticing the lack of others. I wasn’t expecting a red carpet or welcome party, but
I’d anticipated a bigger spectacle than a few lingering guards.
“I can handle this,” Toby stated with a fake accent, reaching for the bit of slack between my
shackles.
The guard’s quick reflexes saw him immediately stopped with an arm blocking his hands. “You
must be new. That isn’t how it works. You bring them in. We present them.”
“And my compensation? The reward?”
“You bring them in. We present them,” the guard repeated coldly. “He’ll see if she’s real or
fraud. If she’s the latter, money is the last thing you’ll need to worry about. If she’s who we’ve been
waiting for, you’ll be set the rest of your meager life.”
“Fraud?” Scarlett questioned as she stepped down behind me.
The man’s opal eyes shifted to her. “You would be surprised at how many were foolish enough to
risk their lives trying to deceive the sovereign.”
I kept my mouth shut, unsure how to respond to that, or if I should. Insisting I was the real deal
could draw suspicion we didn’t need. I glanced over my shoulder as Jacinda stepped from the back of
the transporter.
Her golden eyes were set on another guard who was on his way over, this one a burly man with
long red hair and the pack marking of a Lycan, which made him infinitely stronger than Toby. I leaned
backward slightly when he rudely sniffed too close for comfort.
“You need to wait,” he said, dark eyes going to Toby. “She reeks of your scent. He’ll slaughter
you the second he catches a whiff of it,” he went on to explain when Toby opened his gob to protest.
“You’re no longer permitted to touch the King’s property, especially her.” He directed his last words
at me.
“Property?” Scarlett muttered from behind me.
The words prickled my skin too, but I made sure my face remained blank.
Their king could call me whatever he wished if it meant helping my people.
“Should’ve let ‘em walk to where death was waiting, Herald. He was the one who got too
close,” the vampire replied indifferently.
My brows met in confusion. Why did it matter to the king what I smelled like?
“Let’s go. You take the rear,” my solemn vampire ordered the Lycan dressed in a uniform similar
to his. “Don’t try anything,” was said to me before he turned and strode back towards the citadel.
The threat made clear, I trailed after him, unable to risk a glance at Toby. I couldn’t let our gazes
potentially give something away. His distress was already too great for a simple slave trader driver
doing his job.
We traveled up wideset stairs, across a large, dark stone landing, and then up another before
walking through the expansive outdoor courtyard to reach the entrance.
Something about this seemed oddly familiar. I didn’t understand where this sudden sense of
recognition was coming from. It was as if I’d studied an image of this exact setting in a picture book
and then committed it to memory.
 Shrubs were neatly trimmed, and the fern-colored lawn was meticulous. It was very quiet here
and lacking presence, making me wonder what the hour was. Ahead of us, matte double-doors
groaned loudly as they were pulled open by another set of stone-faced guards.
The eerie silence was interrupted by a barrage of hushed voices from somewhere inside
the massive palace.
With a quick peek over my shoulder, my eyes met Jacinda’s and Scarlett’s as I stepped
over the threshold. The detailed architecture displayed on the building's exterior continued
inside. Dark marble floors and iron banisters gleamed. The dramatically dimmed chandeliers
that hung from the vaulted ceilings had an immaculate sparkle to them.
Tall, flickering candles on pedestals and wall sconces helped brighten our surroundings.
There was a slight reprieve; the air was cool and not near roasting as it was outside. The
scent of black primrose and chimeras permeated everything else around us. The lethal
synthetic creatures seemed to be everywhere, mingling with the supes.
Some were allotted as guards donning a customary black uniform with gold adornments.
The majority were simply loyal to the Abaddon kingdom.
Multiple heads swiveled to look upon our small procession. My eyes traveled up one of
two grand staircases and over the terrified faces of those who’d been brought here by
tradesmen, many of them demis.
The guard we’d been following abruptly turned and stepped by me to Jacinda.
He removed the ragged coat she was swimming in with no change in expression when
her full body came into view.
“Herald, watch them,” he ordered before turning on his heel and stalked away.
I worked on keeping my face impassive, desperately trying not to let my emotions show
as I quickly looked her over.
She appeared utterly ill. I was surprised that she was standing so tall and resolute.
It had to be the Smilodon in her, too dignified to wilt or show weakness when
surrounded by predators.
A sudden rush of movement had me turning back to face the other way. Fumbling with
my gown’s dirty skirt, I watched as guards divided those on the stairs into smaller batches.
Orders were given in the same language I’d never learned. Each group was led through a set
of elaborate, arched doors in timely intervals. Every five minutes, close to six, another was
ushered through.
Every so often, screams emanated from whatever lay beyond. Sometimes, begging and
sobbing followed suit.
 Each time the doors swung open, more disappeared inside. It was impossible not to
notice that those taken in were not coming back out and increasingly difficult to stand and
witness.
The demis up there didn’t belong here.
They would have come in on the barren transporters parked outside. Up until now, the
ones from Vita had been granted absolute protection under my father’s rule. With him gone
and my lack of power, it had turned to open season.
I didn’t know what the other kingdoms’ excuses were, but it was a sickening sight
nonetheless. They were being treated like the human cattle, herded into the sovereign’s
personal abattoir.
A total of fifteen minutes passed before the guard returned and waved us forward to
follow him. We were taken up the grand staircase opposite the one all the others remained
on.
With one guard at the front and another covering the rear, there wasn’t an opportunity for
us to discuss a plan of any kind. We went down a narrow hall lined with the same dark wax
candles as the floor below.
Approaching a sole arched door just as elaborate as the double set in the main hall, our
lead guard placed his hand on the door and turned to address us. “Once we enter, do not
speak unless spoken to, do not comment on what you see, and, if you want to remain in good
standing, do not cower before my king.”
I was somewhat taken aback by his callous tone.
I knew how to conduct myself in the presence of those I didn’t particularly care for.
Wearing a mask was a must if you didn’t want to be destroyed by court politics.
He turned away and opened the door, leaving us to follow him once more. The room we
entered was large with a cathedral-like ceiling. Four horizontal chandeliers cast luminescent
beams of light down the center of the room. The rest of the large space sat in absolute
darkness, ready to swallow whomever set foot within its depths.
My eyes went to the front of the room and the mask I knew how to wield so well was
immediately slipped into place.
Two thrones as tall as they were wide sat side by side, made of thick wood, bones, pelts
turned to leather and cured skin.
Another set of chairs not quite as large but still a sight to behold were crafted into the
wall as well.
I couldn’t see the king from where I was standing, but I had clear view of the severed
heads impaled upon spikes that lined the backs of the thrones.
It was morbidly grotesque.
Each preserved face frozen in agony or terror had been branded right across the
forehead. It was a sight that let others know just who they had been when living—the first-
generation vampires, the ones responsible for creating the lethal war machines that
overthrew both them and the human government they’d made a short-lived alliance with.
I slowly pulled my gaze away from them, aware that Jacinda and Scarlett were less than
a step behind me. No one came to greet us. There wasn’t any explanation or instruction
given.
We were left standing between the two guards, bearing witness to what was currently
occurring. One of the groups from the main hall stood a few feet in front of the shut doors,
huddled together.
A blonde and a redhead were standing in the center of the room, trembling beneath the
unforgiving light. When a deep voice spoke from the darkness straight ahead, their obvious
terror intensified.
“We'll keep the vampire hybrid; send the blonde to the auction.”
At once, two different guards came forward to lead the young women off in separate
directions. Somewhere hidden in the shadows was another door; the sound of a muffled sob
was cut short as it opened and closed, the demis vanishing to the other side.
The tic I’d worked hard to get rid of resurfaced once again and I reached for the skirt of
my gown, only to remember that my wrists were bound.
The chain that held the shackles together went taught, causing a clank to echo through the
room. It went so quiet you’d be able to hear a feather hit the floor. From the impenetrable
darkness, I felt eyes upon me. I didn’t dare breathe too hard in case that carried just as
loudly, slowly expelling the air from my lungs.
I shouldn’t have reacted, but I’d been rightly caught off guard.
Auctions weren’t sanctioned and were considered a black market practice. To sentence
someone to that kind of fate was a torture within itself. My silent outburst was thankfully
ignored. A second voice spoke from the dark, this one colder than the previous.
“Bring the next pair forward.”
A different set of guards swiftly followed the order, pulling two more demis from the
gradually dwindling group.
The chandeliers highlighted their exotic features—one curvy and the other slim with
dark skin and heads of blonde curls. They were beautiful hybrid seelies.
 “Are you kin?” the same man who had given the previous order questioned.
A slow shake of the head came from the curvier woman.
“What a shame,” he replied wistfully. “Well, it can’t be helped. Take the right and
dispose of the left.”
I watched the same guards from before moving to do as they were told, wondering to
myself if ‘dispose’ was literal or another way of sentencing someone to the auction house.
The demi who’d just received the harsher sentence laughed bitterly as a guard took hold
of her arm to steer her out of the room. Her bright blue eyes sent a scathing glare into the
darkness.
Before her lips even parted, I silently pleaded for them to stay closed, sensing that
whatever she had to say wasn’t worth the trouble it would bring her. Of course, my hunch
was correct.
“You sit on a throne you have no right to and watch others do your dirty work. You’re all
pathetic, no better than Palmetto bugs that thrive in this sinkhole you call a kingdom.” Her
words were sharp and direct, coming fluently with each step she willingly took alongside the
guard.
Some royals let insults and disrespect bounce off them with no second thought. Others
reacted out of anger or to make an example of whoever did the deed. I didn’t know this
sovereign well enough to guess what their reaction might be until witnessing it.
“Wait,” the one who initially spoke commanded. There was no specific emotion notable
in his tone.
The woman tried to speak again, but this time the guard silenced her aggressively with a
gloved hand over her mouth.
“I would feel pity for you, but your life has less value than the roaches you spoke of.”
He paused as if to allow his words to sink in. “I want you to remember each of those words.
You’re not going to say many more after you lose your tongue.” His cool tone took on a hint
of amusement.
The guard suddenly swiped the woman’s legs from beneath her, forcing the demi to her
knees. Another guard, surprisingly a female, approached and took the struggling woman’s
face in her hands. There was a sickeningly loud crack followed by an agonized scream as
she crushed a portion of the demi’s lower jaw.
I kept my features schooled, motionless and incapable of stopping the silent command
from being carried out despite anger pushing me to object.
It was all over so fast.
 The female guard shoved gloved fingers into the demi’s mouth and grasped her tongue,
tearing the fleshy organ free and hurling it to the marble floor where it landed with an
audible splat. Blood and crimson-tinged drool pooled down the ruins of the woman’s once
beautiful face.
The male guard delivered a heavy blow to her temple, causing her to slump into silent
unconsciousness. She was simply dragged off, her jaw hanging too far to the right and
leaking blood, her fat tongue abandoned on the floor.
“For fuck’s sake,” Scarlett whispered to herself.
Things continued straight away, no one coming forward to clean up the blood or remove
the severed organ. Some demis were kept while others they discarded. There didn’t seem to
be rhyme or reason to the decisions.
Hot anger and shame for my fellow demis continued to swelter as I watched each and
every one of them lose pieces of their dignity and self-worth.
Always in sets of two, they were brought forward. A pair of nearly-identical sisters
were most memorable. While one stood tall and showed courage, the other looked as if she
were going to faint from abject terror at any second. The vampire’s advice came back to me.
Do not cower.
“Kill the left; take the right,” that same voice ordered lazily.
Kill? I was certain I’d misheard that. The verdict was unjust and asinine. The braver of
the two screamed and cried for her twin but was inevitably dragged from the room. Her
sister remained solemn, as if resigned to her fate.
She did not beg or fall apart as her executioner approached, and she did not flinch when
her throat was slit.
The room remained silent as her body slumped to the floor and the bloodied gurgling
noises of her choking on her own blood died away. Her eyes remained wide open, as if
staring at the severed tongue she’d nearly landed on.
When only the three of us remained, I found it harder to keep still and be quiet. I could
not bear the thought of anything happening to my Jacinda or Scarlett, my sisters unrelated by
blood. We had been together for years, growing up and experiencing life. I waited to be
spoken to, steeling my spine when I was finally addressed.
“Ah, the wayward queen finally decided to find her way here.”
His voice was different now, still authoritative but not as cold. Strangely gentler.
I contemplated how he knew I’d been purposely brought in. Then, I remembered he was
said to be as intelligent as he was cunning.
 A third voice, one that had remained nearly silent throughout the proceedings, added his
own comment. “You can speak. He won’t have your pretty face disfigured.”
That didn’t comfort me. I didn’t want to be flattered with meaningless compliments.
However, I understood it was a command and not a friendly reassurance. Cognizant that Toby
would still be on the grounds and not wanting to implicate him, I found my voice and chose
my words carefully.
“My options were slim.”
“Options.” He said the word as if its meaning were lost to him, suddenly demanding,
“Bring them.”
The vampire extended one of his hands in a gesture meant to usher me forward, but he
didn’t attempt to touch me.
In fact, he seemed to avoid that at all costs. I sidled by him, careful to do the same, and
walked towards the center of the room. I kept my head high and eyes trained on the darkness
ahead. I could hear Jacinda and Scarlett following me by a swish of their gowns and soft
footfalls.
I was almost to where the body and tongue lay seemingly forgotten when his next
command carried through the room.
“Stop.”
I did so after one extra minuscule step and a few silent curses, my small rebellion to his
order. I swear a faint chuckle or two came in response.
“Stand single file and turn in a circle, slowly.”
What will that accomplish? None of the others had to do this.
“Turn,” he repeated harsher when I didn’t move.
With rigid limbs and a heart beating so loud I knew anyone in the room with accelerated
hearing would hear it, I did as instructed, wondering what he got from this. Was it his way of
seeing if I were truly who I claimed to be? I finished making a full circle and waited
anxiously for what he would ask of me next.
“You’re different,” he stated after a whole three minutes of the longest silence I’d ever
known, “but still beautiful.”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to that—the remark on my beauty or the one that was said
as if he knew me. I looked far more street peasant than royal.
I’d lost the subtle curves I’d once possessed, and my natural olive skin that had always
been warm was now shades lighter, almost sickly looking.
My filthy, fern colored gown had once been fashionable but was now a giant rag. The
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proibite l’uscita del denaro, e scarseggerà; se il Governo lascerà
fare, si farà sempre meglio di lui».
Solo a chi giudica gli uomini e le dottrine da ciò che ne cianciano la
piazza e i giornali sapran di strano questi accordi fra i liberali e i
teocratici. Dei quali un altro campione fu Carlo Luigi Haller da Berna,
che da protestante resosi nostro, nella Restaurazione della scienza
politica (1824) combattè accannito il filosofismo e la rivoluzione,
condannando i pubblicisti vantati e i re riformatori, fra cui Maria
Teresa, Giuseppe II, Leopoldo granduca; e traverso ai secoli
indagava con vasta erudizione e arguta logica i semi delle idee
liberali, ripudiando gli acquisti di cui si gloria la moderna civiltà. E
poichè l’eguaglianza politica viene dall’eguaglianza civile,
patrocinava la nobiltà come prodotto della natura, i privilegi come
effetto della naturale giustizia; mentre pareagli tirannia l’uniforme
generalità delle leggi. Dalla natura (egli insegna) nascono gli Stati,
ed ella assegna il comando al potente, al debole l’obbedienza, e
porge i mezzi per far rispettare la legge come per impedire gli abusi
degl’imperanti. Gli Stati primeggiano quanto più poderosi e liberi, e
quanto più indipendente il governante, sia un uomo o un corpo. Il
diritto de’ principi deriva dal diritto di proprietà; nè vi ebbe contratto
sociale, bensì una moltitudine di convenzioni particolari, spontanee,
varie, non per alienare la libertà individuale, ma per conservarla più
pacificamente che si può; onde non deve esservi sovranità e
indipendenza del popolo, ma sovranità di quello che per potenza e
ricchezza è indipendente; non potestà delegata, ma diritto personale
del principe; non mandati e statuti, ma doveri di giustizia e d’amore;
non governo delle cose pubbliche, ma amministrazione de’ proprj
affari; e le leggi non venire dal basso ma dall’alto, siccome in una
famiglia, cui in fatto somiglia lo Stato, se non che non ha un potere
superiore. Ma anche de’ sudditi il diritto è inviolabile; il principe non
può intaccarne la libertà e gli averi, nè essi devono pagare imposte
senza consentirle, non servire in guerra di principe; e quando esso li
tiranneggi, possono non solo emigrare, ma resistere armata mano.
Ancor più di De Maistre era letto il visconte Bonald perchè meno
profondo; il quale la religione faceva politica, uffiziale, principesca,
mentre il Savojardo proclamava l’intima unione della Chiesa
coll’ordine privato e pubblico, con tutto l’insieme del cuore e
dell’ingegno umano, senza riguardo a politica locale o nazionale.
A queste idee non mancarono fautori anche in Italia, e le
propugnarono in iscritto il Cavedoni, Monaldo Leopardi, il principe di
Canosa; ma il vulgo che le dottrine personifica, volle incarnarle in
una setta che intitolò de’ Sanfedisti, e dei Concistoriali, che doveva
sostenere i monarchi e i sacerdoti, come la Carboneria propugnava
le costituzioni e il pensare indipendente. Diceasi diffusa per tutta
Italia con diverse sembianze: e come avviene ne’ partiti, non v’è
stranezza che non se ne sia raccontata, nè ancora il tempo vi portò
luce. Credeasene istitutore esso De Maistre, e affigliati il duca di
Modena, il duca del Genevese, altri principi e prelati, nell’intento di
congiungere costituzionalmente Italia tutta sotto la supremazia del
pontefice [164]. E fu allora che prima nacque codesto concetto di
Neo-Guelfi, deriso dai Liberali come stupida resurrezione d’idee
quatriduane, ma venticinque anni più tardi ridesto come unica
speranza d’Italia da buoni pensatori e da caldi oratori, ai quali un
tratto parve che gli eventi dessero ragione.
Delle costituzioni, la più liberale che siasi veduta fu quella che si
diede la Spagna quando respingeva i napoleonici; quella Spagna
che dicono infracidita dal cattolicismo come l’Italia. Ratificava essa
l’antico diritto delle municipalità, a queste affidando la polizia,
l’igiene, la tutela delle persone e delle proprietà, l’educazione e la
carità pubblica, le strade e gli edifizj comunali, il dazio consumo, il
preparare le ordinanze, che sarebbero sottomesse alle assemblee o
cortes dalle deputazioni provinciali. Queste sono una specie di
municipalità superiore, eletta dai consigli di città, con diritto di
proporre le imposte comunali, chiamare l’attenzione superiore sugli
abusi di finanza e sugli intacchi alla costituzione. La sovranità risiede
nel popolo; distinte le tre podestà; il re fin nel sanzionare le leggi è
subordinato alle assemblee, formate di deputati scelti a tre gradi
dagli elettori di parrocchia, di distretto, di provincia; fin ai soldati
rimane il diritto di esaminare lo statuto e la giurisdizione.
Ferdinando VII, recuperando il trono spagnuolo, prometteva
conservare quella costituzione, poi la abolì (1820 marzo); ma
l’esercito sollevatosi lo obbligò a proclamarla. Basta essere vissuto
dieci anni per sapere quanto nelle opinioni e negli avvenimenti
convenga ascrivere all’imitazione: debolezza della natura umana,
che alcuni s’ingegnano di nobilitare col supporre che le circostanze
medesime maturino il medesimo seme contemporaneamente in
diverse contrade. Allora dunque dappertutto scoppiano rivoluzioni
militari e costituzionali, nè tardò a venire la volta dell’Italia.
Ferdinando che già era IV in Napoli e III in Sicilia (1815), e allora
s’intitolò I del regno delle Due Sicilie, rimesso in questo dalle armi
straniere, prometteva un governo stabile, saggio, religioso; il popolo
sarà sovrano, e il principe depositario delle leggi che detterà la più
energica e la più desiderabile delle costituzioni». Oltre che
nazionale, egli non trovavasi legato all’Austria per parentele o
riversibilità, nè per vicinanza; pure strinse alleanza con essa a
reciproca difesa, obbligandosi darle venticinquemila uomini in caso
di guerra, e non introdurre nel governo innovamenti che
discordassero dal sistema adottato dall’Austria nelle sue provincie
d’Italia.
In vent’anni di tante rivoluzioni, nell’avvicendarsi di vincitori e vinti, il
paese avea fatto miserabile tesoro di rancori e vendette; pure
Ferdinando non veniva anelando sangue come l’altra volta, ma
aborriva ciò che appartenesse al decennio, fino a non camminare
nelle strade aperte da’ Francesi; considerava come occupazione
militare un regno sì lungo, come ribellione ogni atto di quella; aboliva
le cose, o almeno i nomi. Divise il regno continentale in quindici
provincie, organandone l’amministrazione di provincia, di distretto, di
municipio; l’accademia già Ercolanense poi Reale trasformò in
Borbonica, con tre sezioni di archeologia, di scienze, di belle arti;
fece trattati coi Barbareschi, coll’Inghilterra, la Francia, la Spagna.
Nuovi codici a cura del Tommasi ministro, poco mutarono del
francese quanto al commercio e alla procedura; il civile tornava
indissolubile il matrimonio, e ingagliardiva l’autorità paterna; nel
penale si tolsero la pena del marchio e le confische, ma anche i
giurati, facendo giudici del processo i giudici dell’accusa;
s’introdussero i delitti di lesa maestà divina, e quattro gradazioni
nella pena di morte, secondo che il reo mandasi al patibolo vestito di
giallo o di nero, calzato o scalzo: pure tutti i cittadini restavano
sottoposti alle leggi medesime, alle medesime taglie. Di titoli
abbondava la nobiltà, ma non portavano privilegi; nè degli antichi
bracci e seggi sussisteva più che la memoria; onde il re operava
affatto indipendente co’ suoi ministri. L’esercito fissò in sessantamila
uomini sotto all’irlandese Nugent, generale al servizio dell’Austria:
non guardò a spesa nel fabbricare il tempio votivo di San Francesco
di Paola, nè il teatro di San Carlo, e ventiquattromila ducati l’anno
spendeva in limosine e in arricchir chiese: sistemò gli archivj, e
stabilì che delle carte e diplomi si pubblicasse un catalogo, e sopra
le memorie raccolte dalla giunta diplomatica si tessesse una storia
del regno. Oltre il debito pubblico, pesavano i ventisei milioni di
franchi dovuti all’Austria, e i cinque al principe Eugenio; ma
vendendo le proprietà dello Stato e de’ pubblici stabilimenti, e
obbligando questi a ricevere iscrizioni di rendite sul gran libro, legava
l’avvenire di essi alle finanze dello Stato; e poichè il ministro Medici
ebbe cura che puntualissimi si facessero i pagamenti, rinacque la
fiducia.
È noto come, dopo che dalla peste nel xiv secolo fu spopolato un
estesissimo paese di Puglia, i re se l’appropriarono col nome di
Tavoliere, lasciando che, col pagamento d’una fida, vi pascolassero
alla libera gli armenti sotto la guardia di pastori, nomadi e quasi
selvaggi, senza legami di casa o di famiglia, e obbedienti a capi
proprj, anzichè al Governo. Tra siffatti nella rivoluzione del 1799
eransi reclutate le bande assassine, poi molte parti se ne diedero a
censo; infine il dominio francese emancipò il Tavoliere, sicchè
rendeva cinquecentomila ducati, distribuito fra piccoli possessori, i
quali per interesse divenivano fautori di quel Governo. Ferdinando lo
restituì a possesso comune, talchè una quantità di spropriati ne
concepirono malevolenza.
Il re, quando stava ricoverato in Sicilia, domandò forti sussidj a quel
Parlamento per recuperare la terraferma; e perchè i baroni glieli
stiticarono, egli, loro malgrado, vendette i beni comunali, e gravò di
tasse i contratti. Il Parlamento protestò, e il re incarcerò i capi; ma
gl’Inglesi l’obbligarono a dare una costituzione (1812), secondo la
quale, la rappresentanza nazionale divideasi fra due Camere, che
poteano pregare il re a proporre una legge, cui esse non aveano che
a discutere; il re, inviolabile, potea sciogliere il Parlamento, i cui atti
non valeano senza la sanzione di lui; responsali i ministri, piena
libertà civile e di stampa e d’opinioni, inamovibili i giudici. La legge
elettorale favoriva ai minuti possidenti; dalla rappresentanza
restavano esclusi i funzionarj pubblici, eccetto i ministri; largo
l’ordinamento comunale.
Rinforzatosi nel 1815, il re s’invoglia a recuperare intera la potestà e
uniformar l’isola al continente. Gl’Inglesi più non aveano interesse a
favorirvi la libertà; all’Austria sgradiva quest’esempio di Governo
rappresentativo, sicchè la costituzione siciliana fu abolita (1818
agosto), allegando che il re non l’avesse giurata. Ed era così; ma
avea spedito a giurarla in suo nome il figlio duca di Calabria, vicario
del regno. Istanze e proteste non valsero; carceri ed esiglj punirono i
reluttanti [165]; solo rimase scritto che le cariche non si darebbero che
a Siciliani, le cause dei Siciliani si deciderebbero nell’isola, le taglie
sarebbero fissate in 1,847,687 onze, non potendo accrescerle senza
il consenso del Parlamento.
Questo dunque sussisteva di diritto; e Guglielmo A’ Court, succeduto
al Bentinck come ambasciatore d’Inghilterra, congratulavasi d’avere
con quella parola assicurato la rappresentanza siciliana; Castlereagh
felicitava il re d’aver sì bene composte le cose: ma erano parole,
senza modo di darvi sostanza. L’amministrazione della Sicilia fu
uniformata a quella di qua del Faro, dividendola non più in tre, ma in
sette valli, di cui erano capi Palermo, Messina, Catania, Girgenti,
Siracusa, Trapani, Caltanisetta; abolita la feudalità, accomunatovi il
codice napoletano. Era certo un gran miglioramento, ma guasto per
avventura dai modi: cessato lo spendio ingente dell’esercito inglese
e quel della nobiltà che voleva emulare la Corte, il denaro parve
scomparire: se alcuni signori andarono a brigar favori a Napoli, altri
sequestraronsi in dispettosa astinenza: e l’invidia contro la nuova
capitale prorompea in quell’ultimo ristoro del parlar male sempre e di
tutto, e d’ogni danno recar la colpa alla tolta indipendenza.
Nè i sudditi di Terraferma s’adagiavano alla ripristinata condizione, i
servi di Murat guardavano con disprezzo i servi di Ferdinando, e
questi quelli con isdegno; a molti furono ritolti i doni di Gioachino; si
ridestarono liti già risolte, si concessero favori contro la legge,
mentre contro i patti di Casa Lanza si degradò qualche uffiziale: si
esacerbavano nell’esercito le gelosie fra i così detti Siciliani,
improvvidamente distinti con medaglia, e i Muratisti, ne’ quali
sopravviveano l’entusiasrno della gloria e il sentimento
dell’indipendenza italiana; la coscrizione rinnovata aumentò i
briganti, mal frenati da un rigore insolito fin nel decennio [166].
Crescevano dunque i malcontenti e le trame, e la Carboneria nel
1819 contava seicenquarantaduemila adepti: anche persone d’alta
levatura, sgomentate dall’impotenza del Governo o desiderose di
prepararsi una nicchia nelle novità che ormai vedeano sovrastare, le
diedero il proprio nome, aggiungendo la forza morale a quella del
numero; e sperando che con istituzioni fisse si sottrarrebbe il paese
alle rivoluzioni, che in breve tempo l’aveano sovvertito sì spesso, e
due volte sottoposto a giogo straniero. Il re, ascoltando solo ad
uomini del passato, non volle condiscendere in nulla; e il principe di
Canosa, ministro di polizia, credette bell’artifizio l’opporre ai
Carbonari la società segreta de’ Calderari, cospiranti coi famosi
Sanfedisti a sostenere il potere dispotico: ma poichè i suoi
eccedeano fino ad assassinj, egli fu congedato con lauti doni, e i
Carbonari parvero tutori della vita e della proprietà [167].
Allora cominciarono nel Regno (1820) le persecuzioni contro di
questi, ma le prigioni si tramutavano in vendite; ben presto ai moti di
Spagna si scuote anche il nostro paese, parendo che la somiglianza
d’indole e l’antica comunanza di dominio chiedessero conformità
d’innovazioni: gli applausi dati da tutta Europa a Riego e Quiroga,
generali voltatisi contro il proprio re, lentano la disciplina degli
eserciti, e fanno parer facile una rivoluzione militare. Era la prima
volta che si vedesse un esercito insorgere per la libertà, e
l’assolutismo parve ferito nel cuore dacchè contro lui si torceva
l’unico suo sostegno: i ministri che fin allora aveano inneggiata la
felicità de’ sudditi e riso della setta, allora ne ravvisano l’importanza
(1820); diffidano de’ buoni soldati, e col sospetto gli esacerbano;
conoscono inetti quelli in cui confidano, ma non osano nè secondare
i desiderj, nè comprimerli chiamando i Tedeschi. Fra tali esitanze la
setta procede; a Nola e ad Avellino (2 luglio), istigati dal tenente
Morelli e dal prete Minichini, alcuni soldati e Carbonari gridano, Viva
Dio, il re e la costituzione, e senza violenze nè sperpero, ma tra
gl’inni e i bicchieri e le danze tutto l’esercito diserta dalla bandiera
regia; e il re, «vedendo il voto generale, di piena sua volontà
promette dare la costituzione fra otto giorni, e intanto nomina vicario
il duca di Calabria» (7 luglio).
Come la Spagna avea preferito quella del 1812, solo perchè
riconosciuta dalle Potenze, così ai Napoletani sarebbe stata a
scegliere la carta siciliana, già sanzionata dall’Inghilterra, e che
avrebbe prevenuto ogni dissenso coll’isola sorella: ma ai liberali
parve assurdo un Parlamento fondato sull’aristocrazia, e per seguire
la moda proclamarono la costituzione di Spagna, sebbene non se
n’avesse tampoco una copia per ristamparla. Allora applausi e feste
alla follia; Guglielmo Pepe, gridato generale dell’esercito insorto,
entra in città trionfante coi colori carbonari, rosso, nero, turchino,
seguito da migliaja di settarj stranissimamente divisati e condotti dal
Minichini; sfilato sotto il palazzo, si presenta al re, che gli dice: — Hai
reso un gran servigio alla nazione e a me; adopra l’autorità suprema
per compiere l’opera santa dell’unione del re col popolo: avrei dato la
costituzione anche prima, se l’avessi creduta utile e desiderata;
ringrazio Dio d’avere serbato alla mia vecchiezza di fare un tanto
bene al mio regno». Con solennità cittadina e religiosa Ferdinando
giura la costituzione (13 lugl.), e dopo la formola scritta aggiunge
spontaneo: — Dio onnipotente, il cui occhio legge ne’ cuori e
nell’avvenire, se presto questo giuramento di mala fede, o se debbo
violarlo, lanciate sulla mia testa i fulmini della vostra vendetta».
Fare una rivoluzione in Italia è tanto facile, quanto difficile il
sistemarla. Subito irrompono i mali umori; alcuni non intendono la
libertà che alla giacobina; altri vogliano scomporre il paese in una
federazione di provincie; chi domanda la legge agraria quale
gliel’aveano spiegata in collegio; i soldati muratiani pretendono i
primi onori; quelli del campo di Monforte non soffrono essere
posposti; tutti voleano essere Carbonari quando ciò portava
sicurezza e gradi, e settantacinque vendite si eressero nella sola
capitale, di cui una contava ventottomila cugini; tutti i militari v’erano
ascritti, con gradi che pretendeano conservare nell’esercito; molta
gente onesta per far quello che faceano tutti; molte donne col nome
di giardiniere; e accusando, investigando, promettendo
impacciavano il Governo, che non poteva abbattere le scale per le
quali era montato. Così tutto scomponeasi, nulla s’instaurava;
disordinavasi e Governo ed esercito e pubblica sicurezza, e si
diffondeano reciproci sospetti.
In Sicilia i Carbonari poche fila aveano, per quanto il pisano
improvvisatore Sestini vi fosse andato ad annodarne; odiavasi tutto
ciò che fosse napoletano, talchè nell’insurrezione di Napoli non si
vide che un’occasione d’emanciparsi, e alle solennità della santa
Rosalia in Palermo (15 luglio) si proclamava Dio, il re, costituzione e
indipendenza da Napoli, ai tre colori unendo il giallo dell’isola; intanto
si abbattono gli uffizj del bollo, del catasto, del registro, delle
ipoteche, di tutto ciò ch’era venuto da Napoli; si saccheggia,
s’insulta; ai soldati si tolgono i forti e le armi, e trenta sono uccisi,
quattrocento feriti, sessantasei cittadini feriti e cinquantatre morti, fra
cui il principe Catolica capo della guardia civica, poi i principi di
Paternò e d’Aci, non meno del Tortorici console de’ pescatori; liberati
prigionieri e galeotti; l’anarchia gavazza fra quella mescolanza di
scarcerati, contadini, marinaj, bonache come là dicono i mascalzoni;
gl’impiegati fuggono, ogni onest’uomo si trincera in casa e
nell’arcivescovado [168], e la giunta provvisoria, in balìa della ciurma
armata, delle vendite, de’ consoli d’arte, di frate Vaglica, non
trovavasi nè denaro nè forza nè senno. Intanto i nobili vogliono la
costituzione siciliana; i settarj la napolitana; onde ai valli di Palermo
e Girgenti s’oppongono in arme gli altri e la memore Siracusa e la
ricca Messina, e ne nasce guerra non solo civile ma domestica,
come ogniqualvolta la piazza equivale al palazzo; dappertutto capi
violenti raccolgono bande feroci; Caltanisetta, assalita dai
Palermitani e con molto sangue presa e mandata a macello e
vituperio, sgomenta le piccole città, inviperisce le maggiori; tutta
l’isola è infetta di sangue; i Palermitani mandano a Napoli a chiedere
l’indipendenza e re distinto, e avuto il niego gridano Indipendenza o
morte, e aggiungono ai quattro colori un nastro con quelle parole e
col teschio.
Napoli, uditi quegli orrori colle esagerazioni dei fuggiaschi, grida
morte ai Siciliani; si vuole cacciarli d’impiego, tenere ostaggi quanti
se ne colgono; a un atto non men giuridico che quello de’
Napoletani, si dà il titolo di ribellione, e mandasi un esercito col
generale Florestano Pepe per mettere l’isola all’obbedienza. Come
al solito, fu attribuita alla Corte la ribellione della Sicilia; averla
fomentata per contraffare alla napoletana, ora volerla rendere
irreconciliabile colle armi. I rivoltosi, da Pepe ridotti in Palermo, dove
pure fra loro si trucidavano, patteggiano (1820 3 8bre), assicurati
d’un Parlamento distinto: ma il Governo napoletano dichiara viltà
questo cedere a fronte di poca bordaglia colpevole, e concedere a
città vinta quanto avea chiesto ancora intatta: Messina se ne duole, i
Napoletani ne urlano, il Parlamento cassa la capitolazione pur
lodando Pepe, il quale le lodi e la decorazione repudiò, e viene
spedito Pietro Colletta a frenar col rigore, cioè ad esacerbare.
Fra tali scogli navigava il Governo costituzionale mentre si facevano
le elezioni del Parlamento [169], aprendo il quale (20 8bre) nella
chiesa dello Spirito Santo, il re dichiara «considerar la nazione come
una famiglia, di cui conosceva i bisogni e desiderava soddisfare i
voti». Ma il Parlamento, nel bisogno di secondare gl’impulsi esterni,
spinge a novità incondite, disputa se fosse costituto o costituente,
muta i nomi delle provincie coi classici, e trovasi eliso dall’assemblea
generale della Carboneria, composta dei deputati delle vendite
provinciali, più gagliarda del Governo stesso, il quale dovè più volte
invocarla per levar milizie, rivocare congedati, arrestare disertori,
esigere tributi. Terzo potere sorgeva la guardia nazionale, massime
da che vi fu posto a capo Guglielmo Pepe.
In dicerie e in decasillabi applaudivasi a una rivoluzione senza
sangue nè sturbi, ove concordi popolo e re, ove questo non fece che
estendere la propria famiglia: ma la setta vincitrice impaccia, decreta
infamia o lodi, molesta per alti passati e per opinioni, unica libertà
concede il pensare e parlare com’essa, unica legge il proprio senno.
Quei tanti che sparnazzano coraggio finchè il pericolo è remoto,
vantavano formato un terribile esercito, disposte fortezze
insuperabili, coraggio spartano: ma realmente gli uffiziali, esposti agli
attacchi delle congreghe settarie, indignavansi e rompeano la spada:
Pasquale Borelli, direttore della Polizia, non osando reprimere,
fingeva secondare; e intanto spargeva terrore di congiure e
d’assassinj per ottenere lode d’averli scoperti e prevenuti: e i trionfi e
le baruffe distraevano dall’avvisare al crescente pericolo [170].
Ciascun ministro presentò al Parlamento un ragguaglio, donde
raccogliamo la statistica di quel tempo. La popolazione sommava a
5,034,000; nati in otto anni 1,872,000, di cui soli 280,000 vaccinati;
15,000 i trovatelli, di cui nove decimi perivano nei primi giorni
dell’esposizione. A’ luoghi pii nelle provincie soccorreva l’assegno
annuo di 1,080,000 ducati; 438,000 ai ricoveri di malati e poveri della
città, fra cui 5100 erano mantenuti nell’Albergo dei poveri: 560,000
ducati destinavansi all’istruzione pubblica, 80,000 al teatro di San
Carlo, ove una coppia di ballerini costò 14,000 ducati. L’introito
dell’erario valutavasi 19,580,000 ducati, in cui la Sicilia figurava per
soli 2,190,000 assegnatile come quarta parte delle spese di
diplomazia, guerra, marina; chè pel resto teneva conti distinti. Il
debito, consolidato nel 1815 in annui ducati 940,000, or ascendeva a
1,420,000; il debito vitalizio a 1,382,000. Dal 1683 in poi la zecca
avea coniato 25,000,000 di ducati in oro, 69,741,000 in argento,
320,000 persone traevano sussistenza direttamente dal mare, sul
quale era necessario tenere una forza per respingere i Barbareschi,
che in altri tempi aveano ridotte deserte le coste, e in conseguenza
ingorgati i fiumi e peggiorata l’aria. Si aveano di qua dal Faro 3127
bastimenti da traffico, 1047 barche da pesca; di là 438, con 1431
legni da traffico; e il crescente commercio marittimo porterebbe a
decuplicarli. Di 242 navi da guerra non erano atte al servizio che un
vascello, due fregate, una corvetta, tre pacchetti con settantatre
legni minori. L’esercito di 40,000 uomini sentivasi la necessità di
crescerlo e rifornirlo.
Perocchè i liberali di tutta Europa fissavano gli occhi sull’Italia,
bollente di speranze; chi offre denari, chi la persona e soldati; si
fanno prestiti al Governo nuovo; s’insegna a difendersi, a fare la
guerra di bande, se mai l’Austria ponesse ad effetto le cupe
minaccie che le poteano tornare in capo: ma da nessuna potenza
venivano conforti [171], anzi si udì che il principe di Cariati,
ambasciatore costituzionale, non fu voluto ricevere alla Corte di
Vienna, la quale all’Europa dichiarò voler intervenire armata mano,
ed assicurare ai principi italiani l’integrità e indipendenza de’ loro
Stati. Ferdinando trasmette alle Corti una nota del suo operato (1
xbre); «libero nel suo palazzo, in mezzo al consiglio composto de’
suoi antichi ministri, aver determinato di soddisfare al voto generale
de’ suoi popoli: vorrebbero i gabinetti mettere in problema se i troni
siano meglio garantiti dall’arbitrio o dal sistema costituzionale?
All’articolo segreto della convenzione coll’Austria nel tempo della
restaurazione egli s’attenne fin qua: ora egli re e la nazione erano
risoluti a proteggere fino all’estremo l’indipendenza del regno e la
costituzione» [172].
L’alleanza perpetua delle quattro Potenze costituiva una specie
d’autorità suprema per gli affari internazionali d’Europa, attenta che
nessun cambiamento degli Stati attenuasse le istituzioni
monarchiche. Or dunque che novità erano minacciate in tutte le tre
penisole meridionali, i principi alleati si raccolsero a Troppau.
Alessandro czar, che erasi sempre mostrato propenso alla libertà,
che in nome di essa guerreggiò nel 1814, che nella pace avversò ai
calcoli freddi ed egoistici, che fece dare la Carta alla Francia, ispirato
anche dal ministro Capodistria, trovava che i Napoletani erano nel
loro diritto, e repugnava dal violentarli. Ma alla politica di sentimento
ne opposero una positiva Metternich ministro dell’Austria, e
Francesco IV di Modena [173], i quali, mostrandogli in pericolo la
pace d’Europa, e sgomentandolo delle rivoluzioni militari, lo resero
ostile alle costituzioni, e persuaso d’essere dalla Provvidenza
chiamato a difendere la civiltà dall’anarchia, come già l’avea salvata
dal despotismo.
A quel congresso pertanto si stabilì il diritto d’intervenire armati negli
affari interni di qualunque paese, ogni rivoluzione considerando
come attentato contro i Governi legittimi. Metternich dichiarò
all’ambasciatore napoletano, unico scampo pel Regno sarebbe il
rimettere lo stato antico; gli uomini meglio pensanti andassero al re,
e lo supplicassero d’annullare quanto avea fatto; se occorresse,
centomila Austriaci li sosterrebbero nel comprimere la rivolta. Russia
e Prussia secondano quel dire: ma l’Inghilterra vedea d’occhio
geloso l’intervenimento austriaco in un paese che tanto le fa gola;
Francia sentiva spegnersi l’influenza che la parentela le dava, onde
s’interpose, promettendo che gli Alleati soffrirebbero la rivoluzione,
se, invece della spagnuola, si accettasse la costituzione francese. I
Napoletani persistettero per la Camera unica, la deputazione
permanente e la sanzione forzata del re: ma avessero anche ceduto,
la loro sorte era decisa, in nulla volendo prescindere i sovrani del
Nord [174]. Da questi invitato (7 xbre), Ferdinando chiese al
Parlamento di andare per «far gradire anche alle Potenze estere le
modificazioni alla costituzione, che senza detrarre ai diritti della
nazione, rimuovessero ogni ragione di guerra». I Carbonari
proruppero in tutto il regno per impedire quest’andata, esclamando
contro il re che fin allora aveano glorificato; alle proposizioni non si
rispondea se non, La costituzione di Spagna o morte; d’ogni parte
venivano armi, e d’armi si muniva la reggia. Questa è
opportunissimamente situata sul mare: in rada stavano la flotta
napoletana e legni francesi e inglesi per impedire ogni violenza,
sicchè il re trovavasi pienamente arbitro della sua volontà: e i
giuramenti che, con espansione di sincerità, egli ripetè alla
costituzione, e di volere, se non potesse altrimenti, venir a
sostenerla in armi a capo del suo popolo, gli ottennero di partire fra
benedizioni e speranze, lasciando vicario il figliuolo (14 xbre), al
quale scriveva in sensi di padre più che di re.
Trovava egli il congresso trasferito a Lubiana, dove erano stati
invitati i ministri degli Stati italiani per discutere sulle pretensioni dei
popoli. Ogni concessione si sapeva «diverrebbe pretesto a
domandare innovazioni, e ogni esempio un motivo d’agitazione negli
spiriti» [175]; una novità introdotta in un paese sarebbesi desiderata in
tutti, poi voluta: onde parve più spediente il negar tutto; escludere
ogni partecipazione del popolo al governo, e ogni confederazione di
Stati italiani, che seminerebbe gelosie fra essi; nessun principe
d’Italia innovi le forme di governo senz’avvertirne gli altri acciocchè
provvedano alla loro sicurezza; i turbolenti sieno deportati in
America; intanto si assalga Napoli senza aspettare i centomila
Russi, che muoveano un’altra volta dal Nord per rassettare il freno
all’Italia [176].
Castlereagh, ministro inglese, non vuole s’intervenga a nome di tutti
gli Alleati; però lascia libera azione all’Austria [177]. La quale,
malgrado l’unico dissenso di monsignor Spada inviato pontifizio,
annunzia che, d’accordo colla Russia e Prussia, manderà un
esercito di 50 mila uomini capitanati dal generale Frimont ad
appoggiare il voto de’ buoni Napoletani, qual era il ristabilimento
dell’ordine primitivo; e se trovasse ostacolo, poco la Russia
tarderebbe. Re Ferdinando, cambiato tenore, scrive minaccie eguali
(1821 9 febb.); volere svellere un Governo imposto con mezzi
criminosi, dare stabili istituzioni al regno, ma quali a lui pajano e
piacciano; e rimesso nella pienezza de’ suoi diritti, fonderà per
l’avvenire la forza e stabilità del proprio Governo, conformemente
agl’interessi de’ due popoli uniti sotto il suo scettro.
Il Parlamento ripudia quell’atto, come di re non libero, e accetta la
sfida di guerra con quel fragore che sembra coraggio ed è rispetto
umano; armansi fino i fratelli e amici del re; i veterani tornano
volenterosi alle bandiere, che ricordavano recenti vittorie; i giovani vi
sono spinti dalle mogli, dalle madri, dall’esempio; trentaduemila
vecchi e quarantaduemila soldati nuovi sono in armi, si restaurano le
fortezze, preparansi bande a guerra paesana, difendesi il mare;
eppur si vieta agli armatori del pari che all’esercito d’uscire dai
confini per non parere aggressori. Se poco era mancato perchè
Murat riuscisse nella guerra offensiva, quanto più facilmente
basteranno ora alla difensiva?
Ma l’esercito costituzionale era nuovo, e scarso di disciplina come
avviene nelle rivoluzioni; insufficienti l’armi e i viveri; impacciate le
operazioni dal rispetto al confine forestiero, e dalla discrepanza dei
due generali Carascosa e Guglielmo Pepe. Il primo mena un corpo
sulla strada di Roma fra Gaeta e gli Appennini, donde più
probabilmente aspettavansi gli Austriaci; ma accortisi quanto le
parole distassero dalla realtà, consiglia di patteggiare cogli Alleati.
Pepe, con disordinate e sprovvedute cerne ch’egli supponeva eroi,
munisce gli Abruzzi, per dove appunto si accostano i nemici,
secondati dalla flotta dell’Adriatico, e dietro a loro Ferdinando,
ingiungendo ai sudditi (27 febb.) d’accogliere gli Austriaci come
amici. O per baldanza di far parlare di sè almeno un giorno, o
spintovi dai sellarj di cui era stromento, Pepe, quantunque tenesse
ordine di limitarsi sulla difensiva, e senz’avere nè concertato con
Carascosa, nè preparato i rifugi da una sconfitta, fa una punta sopra
Rieti, sperandosi secondato da insorgenti Papalini: ma un corpo di
cavalleria austriaca accorrendo gli rapisce la sua posizione; quando
vuole riprenderla è battuto (6 marzo), e i Tedeschi occupano le gole
di Antrodoco e Aquila, porte del regno.
È insulto gratuito il trattare da vili le truppe napoletane. Non aveano
coraggiosamente combattuto in terra e sul mare a Tolone e in
Lombardia ne’ primordj della rivoluzione? se nel 1798 furono
sbaragliate, la colpa ricade sul generale Mack, straniero,
presuntuoso e troppo fidente in reclute, malgrado gli ammonimenti di
Colli e di Parisi. Ritiratosi in fuga l’esercito, cedute le fortezze, il
popolo, i lazzaroni teneano testa a Championnet, se i loro capi non
gli avessero quietati. L’assedio di Gaeta e di Civitella del Tronto nel
1806, i briganti delle Calabrie, i tentativi realisti della Sicilia fecero
costar caro ai Francesi l’acquisto del Reame; uniti poi ad essi, i
Napoletani combatterono con buona sentita in Ispagna e in Russia.
Perchè sarebbero stati vili soltanto all’Antrodoco? Ben vuolsi
avvertire che sempre mutabili governi aveano ad ogni momento
introdotto cangiamenti di disciplina e di tattica, sicchè l’esercito, stato
alla spagnuola fino al 1780, barcollò poi fra la tattica prussiana e la
francese; tornò francese sotto Murat; pigliò dell’inglese dopo unitovi
il siciliano, sotto lo straniero Nugent; tirocinio continuo che togliea
vigore, oltre che la gelosia de’ realisti aveva rimossi molti uffiziali
muratiani.
Qui poi erasi creduto che una rivoluzione tutta interna ed unanime
non abbisognerebbe d’armi; come il vanto più bello cantavasi il non
essere costata una stilla di sangue [178]; col restare inermi voleasi e
mostrar fidanza nella propria causa, e togliere ad altri il pretesto
d’intervenire col togliere la paura che s’invadesse il paese altrui,
perciò ricusando, non solo di eccitare i vicini Stati, ma neppur
d’accettare Benevento e Pontecorvo, insorte contro il dominio
papale. Quindi il precipitoso armarsi dopo che il pericolo si
manifestò, gli scarsi provvedimenti, le rivalità fra i due capitani, la
persuasione dell’inettitudine della proclamata costituzione e
dell’inutilità del resistere, comunicatasi dalla moltitudine all’esercito,
l’inesperienza d’un Governo improvvisato, a fronte d’uno che
procedea con fine determinato e colle spalle munite, bastano a
spiegare le rotte, senza ricorrere al solito macchinismo de’ libellisti,
tradimento e viltà, apposti anche a nomi onorevoli.
Quel popolo vivo, chiassoso, scarso di bisogni, lieto di starsi
contemplando lo splendido cielo e il mare ondeggiante, e che
considera libertà il non far nulla, come avrebbe inteso queste
metafisiche liberali, che cominciavano con una menzogna, e
sospendeano a mezzo le conseguenze? Poi tali scosse di popoli
traggono sempre alla superficie la feccia, e questa è la più attuosa;
oltre coloro che del nome di libertà fansi un talismano con cui
guadagnare e dominare. Nella breve durata, il Parlamento avea
mostrato facondissimi oratori, principalmente Poerio, Borelli, Galdi, e
qualche pensatore, come Dragonetti e Niccolini: valenti ministri
parvero Tommasi e Ricciardi: proposizioni savie non erano mancate:
non si sciupò il denaro pubblico, e più d’uno del governo dovette
andarsene pedone, e ricevere le razioni dell’Austria per arrivare ai
luoghi ove questa li relegava.
Il Parlamento in agonia dirigesi al vecchio re, supplicandolo
«comparire in mezzo al suo popolo, e svelare le sue intenzioni
paterne senza intervenzione di stranieri, acciocchè le patrie leggi
non rimangano tinte dal sangue de’ nemici o de’ fratelli»; ma
gl’invasori non si arrestano, ed entrano in Napoli (24 marzo); il
Parlamento, per l’eloquente voce del Poerio, protesta avanti a Dio e
agli uomini per l’indipendenza nazionale e del trono, e contro la
violazione del diritto delle genti, e si scioglie.
Pari sorte corse la Sicilia. Soli i Messinesi risolsero sostenersi e il
generale Rossarol che comandava la guarnigione, prendea parte
con loro (28 marzo); ma non secondato dalle altre città, egli
andossene a combattere in Ispagna e morire in Grecia; e Messina
cedette. L’occupazione austriaca costò trecencinquanta milioni di
franchi [179]; un milione fu regalato al generale austriaco Frimont col
titolo di principe d’Antrodoco; e con enormi prestiti bisognò coprire le
enormi spese.
Allora cominciansi i processi; e ad una commissione speciale
sottoposti quarantatre, principali nel movimento di Monforte; cioè in
un fatto innegabile, ma sancito dalla posteriore adesione del re e
della nazione, dopo molti mesi si condannano trenta a morte, tredici
ai ferri. Morelli e Silvati, presi a Ragusi nel fuggire e consegnati,
sono uccisi; agli altri grazia; condannati molti in Sicilia a cagione
degli assassinj; poi dall’amnistia eccettuati alcuni capi profughi come
Pepe, Carascosa, Russo, Rossarol, Concili, Capecelatro, il prete
Minichini; moltissimi andarono esuli. L’esercito fu sciolto, molti
uffiziali degradati, altri chiusi nelle fortezze austriache; e il re soldò
diecimila Svizzeri, con laute convenzioni e con diritto di codice loro
proprio. Il pensiero fu messo in quarantena mediante un gravoso
dazio sopra le stampe forestiere, dal che fu rovinato il commercio de’
libri, colà fiorentissimo. Canosa, tornato ministro della Polizia,
l’esercita inesorabile; pubblicamente applica la frusta per mezzo alla
città; empie le prigioni, moltiplica le spie; molti unisconsi in bande,
consueto postumo delle rivoluzioni; lo stiletto risponde spesso alle
detenzioni e alle condanne; e l’anno corre sanguinoso, quant’era
stata incruenta la rivoluzione. Ferdinando stabilì che Sicilia e il
Napoletano, sotto un solo re, si reggessero distintamente, con
imposte, giustizia, finanze, impieghi proprj; le leggi e i decreti fossero
esaminati da consulte separate in Napoli e Palermo.
La rivoluzione di Napoli non sarebbe caduta sì di corto se le fosse ita
di conserva quella di Piemonte. Colla caduta dell’impero francese
ricuperato l’indipendenza, il nuovo re dichiarava abolita la
coscrizione e la tassa sulle successioni; Torino da capo dipartimento
tornava capitale d’un regno di quattro milioni e mezzo d’abitanti: qual
meraviglia se, quantunque ricevesse il regno da soldati austriaci, la
Liguria da inglesi, fu accolto con tripudio il re [180] quando da Cagliari
passò all’antica reggia, in vestire e contegno modesto che facea
contrasto collo sfarzo del Borghese? «Non v’è cuore che non serbi
memoria soave del 20 maggio 1814: quel popolo s’accalcava dietro
al suo principe, la gioventù avida di contemplarne le sembianze, i
vecchi servidori e soldati di rivederlo; grida di gioja, spontaneo
contento dal volto di ciascuno; nobili, persone medie, popolani,
contadini, tutti legava un sol pensiero, a tutti sorrideano le stesse
speranze, non più divisioni, non triste memorie; il Piemonte doveva
essere una sola famiglia, e Vittorio Emanuele il padre adorato».
Queste parole d’un caporivoluzione [181] possono indicare che i
Piemontesi erano ancora realisti, come quando l’Alfieri si lamentava
che non s’udisse a Torino parlar d’altro che del re.
Beati i principi che sanno profittare di queste disposizioni! Vittorio
che non avea patteggiato col forte, nè s’era avvilito a’ suoi piedi
come i gran re, potea meglio di qualunque altro operare il bene: ma
si conservò re patriarcale, persuaso che il regnante è tutto, ed ogni
novità un male, e che i popoli devono credere altrettanto; ingannato
dai soliti camaleonti, che si misero vecchie decorazioni, e calzoni
corti e code, non seppe riconoscere che alcune ruine non si devono
più riparare. Non punì; stracciò una lista sportagli di Framassoni e
Giacobini: ma ostinandosi a ripristinare il passato, anche dopo
cessate e la fiducia reciproca e l’economia d’una volta, abolì tutte le
ordinanze emanate dai Francesi; ripristinò quanto essi aveano
disfatto, i conventi, la nobiltà, le banalità, le commende, i
fidecommessi, le primogeniture, i fôri privilegiati, gli uffizj di speziale
e di causidico, le sportule de’ giudici, l’interdizione de’ Protestanti, i
distintivi degli Ebrei, le procedure secrete colla tortura e le tanaglie e
lo squartare e l’arrotare. L’editto 21 maggio 1814, che ripristinava le
antiche Costituzioni del 1770, turbava persone e sostanze; cassati
fino i grossi affitti che s’estendessero oltre il 14; sbanditi i Francesi
che qui aveano preso stanza dopo il 96. Coll’ajuto del conte Cerutti e
dell’almanacco 1793 rimettea persone e cose com’erano avanti la
rivoluzione. Fin nell’esercito si richiamarono alle bandiere i coscritti
del 1800, e poichè erano morti o invalidi, si supplì coll’ingaggio; poi
si dovette tornare alla coscrizione, pur conservando gli antichi
pregiudizj, escludendo l’esperienza di chi conoscea la tattica nuova
sol perchè avea servito coi Francesi, e proibendo di portarne le
decorazioni meritate, mentre si davano i gradi ai cadetti delle
famiglie patrizie. Ma a quel suo ritornello d’aver dormito quindici
anni, Potemkin segretario dell’ambasciatore russo, rispose: —
Fortuna che non dormisse anche l’imperatore mio padrone,
altrimenti vostra maestà non si sarebbe svegliata sul trono».
Il non aver servito a Napoleone, che spesso era indizio d’incapacità,
diveniva merito ad impieghi, dai quali escludeansi i meglio abili,
perchè giacobini o framassoni: buoni professori dell’Università
furono cassati, fra cui l’abate Caluso amico d’Alfieri, il giureconsulto
Reineri, il fisico Vassalli Eandi, il botanico Balbis, il chimico Giobert.
Le ipoteche, le riforme amministrative, la regolata gerarchia di giudizj
cessarono: alle provincie s’imposero comandanti militari: i giudici mal
pagati, erano costretti a trarre stipendio legale dalle sportule dei
litiganti, illegale dalle lungagne e dalla corruzione.
Abbatteasi il Governo napoleonico, ma conservavasi l’istituzione più
repugnante ai Governi paterni, la Polizia, esercitata da carabinieri e
da uffizj che decidevano in via economica, cioè fuor delle forme
giuridiche. Il risparmiare, studio supremo de’ Governi antichi,
abbandonavasi per moltiplicare impiegati; conservavansi i
dispendiosi statimaggiori, perchè d’illustri famiglie. In conseguenza
bisognò stabilire le imposizioni alla francese; alle disgrazie naturali di
carestia e tifo, all’invasione di lupi e di masnadieri, si aggiunse la
fama di enormi malversazioni nel liquidare il debito pubblico, e fu
duopo ricorrere a prestiti forzati.
I senati di Torino, Genova, Nizza, Ciamberì aveano diritto d’interinare
gli editti del re, ma si lasciò cader in dissuetudine; di maniera che al
potere assoluto non restava barriera alcuna, e un ministro potè dire:
— Qui vi è soltanto un re che comanda, una nobiltà che lo circonda,
una plebe che lo obbedisce». La legge non era sovrana, potendo il
re con un suo biglietto cancellare o sospendere le sentenze; e
centinaja di lettere regie circoscrissero contratti, ruppero transazioni,
annullarono giudicati, per sottrarre alla ruina la nobiltà impoverita, a’
cortigiani dar dilazione al pagamento dei debiti, concedere la
rescissione di vendite antiche, obbligare ad accomodamenti gravosi.
Il conte Gattinara, reggente della cancelleria, nel 1818 confessò che
da questo turpe traffico egli ricavava non men di duemila franchi al
mese [182]. Avendo il re decretato che la regia autorità non si
mescolerebbe più a transazioni private, gli si fece vergogna dell’aver
messo limiti alla propria onnipotenza, ed egli revocò l’editto. Maria
Teresa, moglie del re, mostravasi dispotica; ed un intendente che
esprimeva d’esser venuto colle autorità della provincia a inchinarla,
essa lo interruppe dicendo — Ove è il re non avvi altra autorità»; al
ministro Valesa che faceale qualche rimostranza sui milioni che
mandava in paese estero, disse: — il ministro non è che un
servitore», ond’egli si dimise.
Di poi si confessò la necessità di migliorare, s’abolì la tortura, si
ricomposero l’Università con cattedra d’economia politica e diritto
pubblico, l’Accademia delle scienze e la Società agraria, e gli studj
sottentrarono alla bravería guerresca: l’istruzione non era sfavorita,
sebben nelle scuole si desse piuttosto l’abitudine dell’assiduità
meccanica e della sommessione irragionata [183]. Plana
scandagliava gli abissi dello spazio col calcolo e coi telescopi: Grassi
e Napione zelavano a disfranciosare il linguaggio: Casalis, Saluzzo,
Richeri, Andrioli poetavano, e meglio la Diodata Saluzzo, mentre di
Edoardo Calvi divulgavansi versi in dialetto rimasti popolari: Alberto
Nota esibiva le sue commedie che pareano belle interpretate da
Carlotta Marchionni.
Ma questo destarsi del pensiero facea viepiù dolere il vederlo
sagrificato all’assolutezza del Governo e alle pretensioni
dell’aristocrazia, che quivi rimaneva qualcosa meglio che un nome,
provenendo da origine feudale, cioè da case che erano state
sovrane quanto quelle di Savoja e d’aspetto militare, separata dal
popolo e sprezzandolo, e che fece sua causa la causa della Casa
regnante, difendendola e ingrandendola col proprio sangue, e perciò
sola a dar uffiziali alle truppe e aver privilegi, che la faceano astiosa
a progressi. Rimanea dunque malvista alla classe media che allora
veniva su, e che se ne vendicava coll’ira e col sarcasmo; neppure
riconoscendo che sempre i re ebbero fra i ministri qualche popolano
o di nobiltà inferiore, che molti nobili primeggiavano per ingegno e
virtù, e che anche ignobili studiosi poteano farsi strada, massime se
preti e penetrati nell’Accademia.
I Gesuiti, reputati l’argine più robusto alle idee rivoluzionarie,
doveano essere aborriti o venerati all’inverso di quelle. Una società
senz’armi, senz’impieghi, senza tampoco una cattedra
nell’Università, non potea avere quella tanta efficacia che si
asserisce; se affollatissimi i suoi collegi: se nelle case de’ grandi
erano i bene accolti, consultati negli affari, interrogati sulle persone
da mettere negl’impieghi, di chi la colpa?
I Piemontesi erano un popolo savio e calmo, sicchè li chiamavano
gl’Inglesi d’Italia; non chiassi, non risse, silenziosi i caffè, contegnosi
i passeggi, la conversazione signorile regolata da cerimoniale aulico
e con impreteribili esclusioni; pochi i delitti; della morale rispettate
almeno le apparenze. Riverenza ben rara in questi tempi otteneva
quella dinastia che non s’era logorata in vizj, e veniva considerata
come tutrice dell’indipendenza della patria, nome che restringevasi
al Piemonte.
Il malcontento fermentava negl’impiegati destituiti, negli antichi
uffiziali, ne’ Buonapartisti, negli aggregati a società segrete, più nei
Genovesi, che careggiando le reminiscenze repubblicane, trovavansi
non uniti, ma sottoposti a un altro popolo eminentemente realista.
Fin quando i nobili Piemontesi esultanti e plaudenti corsero a
Genova incontro ai reduci reali, i Genovesi non si espressero che col
silenzio; molti si ritirarono in campagna, come fecero poi