3 Venice was a world leader in glass manufacture until the 18th century, but the glass is actually manufactured on the nearby island of Murano. Venetian glass furnaces were moved to Murano in 1291 due to safety concerns after several devastating fires.

4 Venice did indeed have a death penalty in place for any Murano glass worker who left the lagoon. This was in order to maintain their treasured glass manufacture monopoly in Europe. This is well detailed in many editions, specifically Mirror Mirror by Pendergrast p. 119

8

"Us?" I asked confused. "Us who?"

"The others like you and me."

"There are others?" I asked, raising my voice.

"Yes," she nodded, "but much older."

I didn't know what to think. I couldn't think. My mind reeled with the possibilities. "How many more?"

"Twenty-eight, including me. I'm one of the younger ones."

Twenty-eight. Each question she answered prompted ten more. "How old are they?"

"Well, if you come back once you will continue to come back. It's the same for all of us, so some are quite old." She looked up as she did the math. "The oldest one dates back to the first century A.D., forty or so incarnations. The rest started at all dates between then and now. You would definitely be the youngest."

"Tell me about them," I said, smiling enthusiastically.

"I can't," she said firmly. "I know it's cruel to be so close to the truth about yourself and not be able to touch it, but there are good reasons--."

"What, what good reasons?" I said irritated. "Can't you ever answer a question clearly?"

She sat calmly and looked up at me. "As I was saying, all of the members of this society, all twenty-eight of us, are sworn to secrecy by each other. They will only share their identity with you once you are accepted."

"Accepted? Into what?"

"That's one of the things I can tell you. The twenty-eight of us are an extended family of sorts, we all formally belong to a society formed centuries ago by the first ones like us to find each other. This society is called the Cognomina. It's a Latin term that means to remember the same name. The tattoo," she said, rubbing a thumb at it, "is worn by all of us in each successive life after we go through the Ascension."

I gave her a questioning look.

"The Ascension is like a trial all of us must go through in each successive incarnation before we reenter the Cognomina. Basically, you have to prove to the others that knew you before that you are the same person in this new body, hence the name, Cognomina."

"Then how can you be accepted if they don't know you?"