- SOFIA -

During the early Renaissance, Venice was at the height of its power. The attack on Constantinople during the final crusade had allowed the Venetian army to loot most of that city's treasures and bring them back for the Doge.

The Doge, the ruler of Venice, had issued an order for the finest artifacts from the Byzantine capital to be brought to his palace for him to inspect personally. As well as the icons and jewellery, there were many statues, one of which caught his eye. It was a gold statue of a young woman, but wearing a real toga of white samite and a necklace with a small key hanging from it.

This was clearly a very valuable artefact, and the Doge moved round to get a better look at it. On the back of its neck he saw a tiny keyhole, and next to that an inscription in Latin: "Made by Hephastus the Eunuch. The greatest of all my works." The Doge gasped aloud when he read those words.

Hephastus had been an infamous alchemist. It was rumoured that he had succeeded in discovering the Philosophers' Stone, and turning base metal into gold. If this golden statue was a sample of his work, then those tales must have been true.

The Doge turned to his guards. "Dismissed," he ordered them. As they left the room, his attention returned to the statue. He removed the necklace, inserted the key into the hole, and turned. Nothing happened. No hidden door opened. There was no sign of a secret compartment containing Hephastus's notes

Maybe the lock was stiff? He turned the key again, and again. Still nothing, except that deep within the statue an ancient clockwork mechanism started to activate.

As he removed the key from its hole, a faint whirring came from within the statue. Her eyes opened. She stretched. She turned to face the Venetian, and addressed him in Latin.

"Where is this place? And what has happened to my master?".

The Doge struggled to reply. "This is my palace in Venice. But who are you?".

"I am called Sofia. What have you done with my master Hephastus?".

"Hephastus the Alchemist? He has been dead these past 200 years.".

Sofia paused. The expression on her face changed from curiosity to sorrow. It looked out of place, behind that smooth metal skin.

"Dead? I feared it would be so.".

"Tell me," insisted the Doge, ignoring her obvious distress, "is it true what the legends say? Did he discover the Philosophers' Stone?".

"Aye, that and other secrets worth much more. His death is a great loss to the world. And to me." She sighed.

"Tell me. Tell me his secrets. What could be worth 'much more' than the Philosophers' Stone? The power to create golems like you?".

"Why should I tell you?".

"Because I am Doge of all Venice, Crusader of Constantinople, and the Butcher of Byzantium. You are mine now, part of the spoils of war.".

Another pause, longer than before. When Sofia spoke again, her voice had a new edge to it, harsher than he'd expected.

"Then I shall tell you, and do more than just tell you. I shall show you my master's greatest discovery. He included it within me when I was made. Watch!".

Slowly she began to fade away, becoming invisible right in front of his disbelieving eyes.

"Wh... Wh.. Where...?" he stammered, too startled to speak or move. He wanted to reach out, and grab the increasingly faint image before him, but he was rooted to the spot by shock.

Eventually, all that he could see was her white toga hanging in midair, revealing every contour of her torso. Then unseen hands started unwrapping it. Soon all that was left of Sofia was a pile of samite cloth on the floor.

"Where are you?" finally the question came out.

"Right here," came her reply out of the air beside him. Suddenly the Venetian felt something - someone - tugging at the key in his hand. He tightened his grip, but too late. Sofia had succeed in snatching back his one possible means of control over her.

He watched helplessly as the necklace placed itself over her unseen neck, itself disappearing magically into invisibility as it did so.

"NO!" yelled the Doge, returning to his senses. He reached behind him and was reassured to fell the familiar bell-rope in his hands. He pulled it as hard as he could.

"Guards!" he shouted.

It seemed like forever before the doors to the chamber burst open and the guards rushed in.

"Stop her," he screamed. "Don't let her get away!".

The guards looked around puzzled, but there was nothing they could do. The Doge could hear the soft whirring of Sofia's mechanisms as she ran out of the open door, and down the staircase.

"You fools!" he shrieked, by now completely hysterical. "Why did you let her get away?".

He collapsed into a foetal ball, whimpering uncontrollably, as the puzzled guards looked on in amazement.

In the cold twilight of the early morning, one of the gondolas tied up by St Mark's square rocked as if someone had jumped into it, then it slipped its moorings. Its pole lifted itself into the air and, with a slight whirring noise, started to punt the boat along the Grand Canal. The traders who saw it as they set up their stalls, would remember it for years to come. And they all agreed they heard the faint sound of a woman weeping.