It was an odd moment. The realization that he had truly returned to his native land began to set in on Giancarlo, and he found it at once comforting and troubling. He could not deny that he felt a certain rush of expectation at the prospect of soon walking once more in the place of his birth. At the same time, he was filled with a sense of dread. He felt it at the thought of his lost brother lying dead or injured somewhere off in the wilderness. He felt it, as well, in the painful memories that were closing in around him once more, as dark and ponderous as the mountains themselves. It had all come about too fast, this abrupt, unanticipated flight into his past. For all the years of brooding, he had not been ready for it.

Ready or not, the minutes and the miles ticked inexorably by, until at last Castelalto came into view on the mountainside not far ahead. At the sight of it, Giancarlo gave a slight nod of recognition, as if to acknowledge that whatever was about to transpire was as inevitable as a raindrop falling from a cloud. Forces of nature were now at work, and all he could do was let them have their way.

A forlorn-looking Carter was sitting by himself next to the fountain on the piazza, gazing up at the mountains, when the car drove up the hill and into the center of the village. Giancarlo did not get out right away, but sat looking at the young man for a moment. How strange it was for him to encounter his pupil in these remote surroundings. Save for the day they met at his office, he had never once seen Carter outside the confines of his home during one of his Italian lessons. That the two should find themselves in Castelalto at the same time seemed so improbable as to be almost ridiculous, and yet here they were.

At seeing the car approach and come to a stop, Carter got to his feet and eyed the car uncertainly.When Giancarlo stepped out, a look of relief came over his face, and he hurried to the car to greet him.

“Ciao, Professore,” said Carter. “Welcome back to Castelalto.”

“Ciao, Signor Quinn,” replied Giancarlo with a slight bow of his head as the two shook hands. “You know, I must admit I never expected to ever meet you in this place. Now that we have, I know that I was right the day I met you when I said that I would regret taking you on as a student.”

“If it would help, you could always charge me for that last lesson you gave me for free,” quipped Carter.

Giancarlo gave a grunt.

“I suppose,” he replied unamused, “we can discuss all that some other day.”