Chapter 1
"Ti ho detto di non toccarlo!" I told you not to touch it!
"Si tocca tutto il tempo!" You touch it all the time!
"So cosa sto facendo." I know what I'm doing.
"Faccio fatica a crederci." I struggle to believe that.
"Nulla è andato storto quando uso la Tafaha." Nothing's gone wrong when I use the Tafaha.
"Questo è un problema temporaneo. Posso aggiustarlo!" This is a temporary setback. I can fix it!
The two people were arguing very loudly and with dramatic gestures. So engrained they were in their fighting, they seemed not to have noticed that they had an audience to their fight.
It was at times like this, Evie was thankful that she had learnt Medieval Italian to read the original writings of Machiavelli. And Arabic to know that they were talking about the Apple.
It was at times like this Jacob wished he spoke Medieval Italian as he had no idea what was going on.
Evie knew more than just the words. She recognised the male of the two. The famous assassin. Ezio Auditore.
Jacob looked at his twin who was staring, mouth slightly agape. Lifting his cane up, he gently poked her. Alas she was not frozen in place and knocked the cane out of the way.
"Jacob!" She hissed. Silence fell. Amber eyes met amber eyes.
The woman gave a small squeak one would not expect from a middle aged woman and she dived behind the assassin, arms wrapping around her chest. She was not fully clothed; wearing only a night dress and a dressing gown of magnificent red. Evie noticed a bruise on her cheek before the face disappeared.
"Claudia, sono assassini." Ezio said over his shoulder. Claudia, they are assassins.
"Don't they speak English?" Jacob asked Evie.
Ezio frowned as he heard the words but gave a small shrug, taking off his outer robes.
"Scusami, mia sorellina è indecentemente vestito." Excuse me, my sister is indecently dressed.
The girl could be seen to turn her back and take off the dressing gown so she could put the outer robes on.
"Jacob to Evie?" Jacob said, running his hand over Evie's eyes which were fixed on the male assassin. She stepped on Jacob's toe.
Ezio laughed. The woman (Claudia) poked around his side and sniffed.
"Ezio, sono inglese. Non credo che ci si possa fidare di loro." The woman said. Ezio, they are English. I don't trust them.
"Io ... io sono Evie Frye. Della Confraternita. Questo è il mio fratello, Jacob." Evie said, stumbling over her words. I am Evie Frye. Of the Brotherhood. This is my brother, Jacob.
"Can't we all talk English?" Jacob asked.
"Vedi, non possono nemmeno parlare correttamente italiano." Claudia said at the same time, interrupting Evie's ability to translate. She didn't think it was polite as Ezio gave her a glare.
"Claudia, quello che ti ho detto di questo?" Claudia, what have I told you about this?
"Is no one listening to me?" Jacob asked.
"Jacob, they don't speak English." Evie said.
"Little English." Claudia corrected. Ezio gave her a nudge.
"Quando hai imparato?" When did you learn?
"Quando mi hai lasciato a Monteriggioni." When you left me in Monteriggioni.
Ezio sighed.
"Little English. Can we stick with that so we can all understand?" Jacob huffed.
Evie translated as Claudia seemed to be struggling.
"I'm going to go ahead and say the answer is no." Jacob said before the answer could be given by either.
"Ezio doesn't speak English." Evie said after being informed of this.
"This is going to get old." Jacob muttered.
"Questo sta per ottenere faticoso." Claudia muttered. This is going to get tiring.
"È colpa tua" Ezio pointed out, not too unkindly. This is your fault.
"Gah!" Claudia exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air, frustration escaping from her along with a golden light.
"Claudia!" Ezio exclaimed in concern. Jacob and Evie made to get away but it swallowed them. Then the light disappeared.
"That was… strange…" Claudia was doubled over, sweat on her brow. Ezio hurried to her side.
"Little one, are you okay?" He asked, putting a hand on her trembling back.
"Is it just me or are they speaking English?" Jacob asked, stopping in his attempt to get away from… whatever that was. It seemed Eden-y.
"No. You're speaking Italian…" The shaky voice of Claudia said.
"I think something's translating for us." Evie said hesitantly.
"The apple…" Ezio muttered, looking at Claudia. "Do you still have it?"
"No. Ezio, I hurt." Her voice trembled slightly and he helped her to sit, her chest glowed slightly, fading down.
"What did you do?" Ezio asked. The glow started to pick up.
Evie hurried over and put an arm on the older woman.
"Let's get you away from here and to safety." She suggested.
"Some proper clothes?"
"If you want."
The glow slowly faded. Evie saw the confusion in Ezio's face slowly fall into realisation. Apparently men weren't as oblivious as she had thought.
"What's going on?" Jacob said. Or perhaps they were.
"We'll talk about it later." Evie told him, helping to lift Claudia up. She noticed more bruises on the woman and how she flinched slightly with the movement. Evie tried to think of anything that she had read that might explain the situation. But she knew little about Ezio's sister other than he had one and she had run a brothel.
Evie noted how she held the clothing carefully around her, worried about showing off much flesh. From the notes, Evie had assumed that Ezio's sister would be like Paola or Theodora, the other assassins who ran brothels. And since Ezio had a reputation with the ladies, he wouldn't be too concerned with his sister having a similar life. It seemed she was wrong.
"Thank you. I'm sure we will find a way to repay you." Ezio said, distracting her from her musing on early Renaissance assassins.
"Repay?" Jacob perked up.
"Really, it's no problem!" Evie insisted before Jacob could suggest something like the famous Italian assassin join the Rooks or anything like that.
"Guess I'll pack up the picnic…" Jacob said sullenly. It had been his idea to have 'assassin down time' so he could bug his sister about Green. Then this had happened.
"Good plan." Evie said. Glad to get him out of her hair. She started to lead the way to the stares, thinking that Claudia did not look ready to race across rooftops.