A/N- Well, here you have the sequel to Irony of Eden. If you aren't bored with the story yet, enjoy, if you have no idea what this is, go read the first part. Go on. I'll wait.
Hey, a fun fact before we start. Sokolo's name is deprived from the Russian сокол, which means "Falcon". Considering it's the only language aside from English I'm fluent in, I decided I'd utilize it.
Also, quick note on the name. I put it up to a vote, a poll which scared me when the "Banana Sticks of Awesome" that I put in as a joke was getting more votes than anything else. I even began wondering if it would confuse people too much if I named the story that... But luckily, it all settled. Now I think it's a shame, it would have been such an amazing, original title...
Monteriggioni was in a lively mood this time of year, a season which lasted for nearly all twelve months in Tuscany. Occasional rain and the one handful of snowflakes did nothing to discourage the farmers' work, the mercenaries' practice fights, the thieves' gambling, the courtesans' flirting or the assassins' long overdue peace.
Or, sort of.
"One word," I muttered darkly without even turning my head around, "Just one word out of you concerning my safety, and I will send you falling down from this tower."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Ezio obediently lied, knowing fully well that I was not kidding, "Can I join you, at least?"
I threw my chin up, and examined his face upside down, mimicking deep thought. My husband was smiling down on me, the scarred corner of his lips pulled into a characteristic smirk of his.
"Where's your armor, mio caro?" I lazily asked, "What if there's a Templar attack and you're unprepared?"
"I don't see you wearing any armor," he noted, sitting down beside me on the edge of the tower that overlooked the town. Though our legs dangled precariously over the edge of the parapet, we were in little danger of falling off.
"Armor is heavy," I rolled my eyes, "And pregnant women aren't supposed to be lifting heavy things."
"Pregnant women also aren't supposed to climb towers to people-watch. Or freerun over rooftops at dawn. Or train mercenaries in firing matchlock rifles. Or fix cannons. Or loudly argue with the Master engineer about his sleeping habits that force you up on the walls every day."
"Don't make me hurt you," I childishly stuck my tongue out at him, and he chuckled.
"But all joking aside, I don't think I will need my armor anymore," Ezio's face suddenly grew serious. He looked almost sad at the prospect, but I knew better. I also didn't share the opinion.
"You may not need yours, but like hell I'm going to be tied up here for long," I muttered, keeping my voice and smile light. "Can you imagine? Waking up in the morning without anyone to hunt down or avoid! I can't live without killing something, and you know that very well!"
"I'm sure those...what's the word...ah, yes, 'therists' would just love you," Ezio grinned.
"Therapists, and I have a feeling the police would like me just a little bit more," I corrected him. "Did you get that horse Pietro was moaning about?"
"You heard that, did you?"
"'Course I did. He was pretty loud, and I thankfully don't need any hearing aid just quite yet. Something I can't say about you..."
"Ouch, bella. Do you mean to say I'm old?"
"I said everything I meant to say," I leaned onto the boards of the tower, stretching in the sun like a content cat.
"What are you doing up here, anyway?" he asked after a moment of comfortable silence, "You missed the meeting."
"Well, once Liero stopped yelling at me to get away from his cannons- thanks for finding him, by the by- I decided I didn't want to listen to people shouting at you for not finishing off Rodrigo. I'm strange like that, so I decided to come up here. And now, it's the part where you catch me up on what's happening, as well as tell me why I saw Machiavelli storm out the gates and disappear in the horizon so fast that the dust didn't settle until he was miles away."
"We had...a disagreement," Ezio admitted with slight reluctance. Shrugging, he moved a bit before leaning over and resting his head in my lap. Without thinking, I began running a hand through the comfortable familiarity of his hair as he draped an arm across my legs. "He said that he was going back to Roma to try and salvage the situation."
"Is he now?" I hummed, "And what's happening with Caterina?"
"We have promised her the support of our men to defend Forli. While the domain is small, it holds much strategic value. We can't let it fall into Borgia hands," he mused, looking over the town with curiosity. "This place is quite alive now."
I looked back down, as well. Villagers, merchants and travelers laced the streets, entertained by the courtesans and nomad bards. Even the rooftops were occupied by younger thieves that were learning their trade from the Master Thief of Monteriggioni. The walls were patrolled by a few mercenaries, but most were either on the training grounds or with their families, likely catching the moment before they would go out and join the fight for Romagna.
"Much better than what we first arrived to," I agreed with a smile.
Suddenly, there was a loud screech above us, followed by the sound of huge wings catching the wind, the Golden Eagle swooping over our heads. Its talons swiped the air a little too low for comfort.
"Adel! Keep that bird under control, will you!" I yelled down to the young woman once I got over the initial surprise. She just grinned in return.
"I don't control him. He does as he pleases." She crossed her legs, tapping her foot along with the lively music coming from somewhere down in the village. The commotion beside the cannons got louder for a moment.
Adel's presence alone was a good motivator for training, as each of the men was almost subconsciously trying to impress her. It was at first Mario's joking suggestion when he realized that when she was around, the results of training either plummeted below ground, or rose above the clouds. But then he realized the true value of those words, and began to send her up to the walls to supervise the mercenaries training with the cannons. She didn't really mind, as it was anything for her beloved mentors. But I personally didn't see how she could so easily endure the staring and drooling...
Sokolo made another circle above out heads, and then gracefully swept down to take his rightful perch on the teeth of the wall beside the young assassin. He proudly stuck out his chest, and glared at the mercenaries with calculating warning. However, he pretty quickly grew more and more content with the warm sun and Adel's gentle, affectionate strokes. Soon, he let out a small noise of pleasure, relaxing. One of the younger soldiers looked at the bird with fright, others glancing with envy at knowing that the bird was the only creature that got such attention from the beautiful woman. She kept everyone but the Auditore family at arms length, never getting closer than necessary.
"I don't see why you have to bring him everywhere with you," Ezio teasingly commented, sitting up from my lap, "He can't even carry messages!"
"But he can rip a man's throat out in one swoop, so I guess it balances out," she nodded back, looking thoughtful at that.
"And because if it wasn't for Sokolo, she would have to jump into haystacks to avoid her admirers a whole lot more often. Speaking of which, you wouldn't know why the blacksmith's apprentice has been hanging around the villa so much lately?"
"He was probably looking for you to tell you about a new shipment of weapons," she shrugged lazily.
"The shipment isn't for another week. He looked as though he was looking for someone, actually."
"I don't know, nor do I care as to why he feels inclined to waste his time around the villa. Maybe you should ask him."
I just sighed. "You have a very thick skull, my dear. Fine, where hints don't work, there's been another marriage proposal for you."
Her glare turned sour. "So? Throw it out the window, as per usual."
"As you wish," I smiled compliantly, "Just informing you, in case you change your mind."
"Have I ever?"
"Have I?" I raised my eyebrows, glancing at Ezio. He laughed, kissing the side of my head.
"Now, don't compare yourself to Adel. You resisted marriage as though I was the devil, about to drag you to hell."
"That is exactly what I thought."
"But not anymore."
"Sometimes."
"Ouch, my ego, bella,it bleeds."
"It has been bleeding almost non-stop for well over a decade now. So let me ask you; when will it die?"
He decided that the question was rhetorical and plainly below him.
Adel, happy that we'd gotten away from the subject of her marriage, didn't interfere with our banter. I decided not to press the issue. After all, it really was her choice whether or not to care for the male attention, and I just simply didn't fit into the role of a pushy mother. Something that hopefully wouldn't interfere with my actual child...
I put a hand on my stomach, though the doctor said that I was not likely to start showing for a few more weeks. Time that we could actually spare, now that we were free. We could finally raise the family we sometimes talked about over the decade. This baby was like a sign that life had finally straightened out. That everything would be okay, despite all odds.
God, how foolish it was of me to think that time was on our side for once.
Time was still a funny subject to me. Sometimes, I found myself musing on it, writing it down, even. My chat was not anywhere as profound as Altair's, but at the very least it got my thoughts out of my head.
Let us remember that life does not always turn out the way we thought it would. But whether the road was straight or twisted this way and that upon ourselves, getting us lost, we cannot take back our decisions nor turn back time. Even when, impossibly, you manage to travel back nearly five centuries of it, we still move forward, and only forward. As I have heard so many people say, all is God's will, and it is all within his plan.
I used to dismiss such musings with skepticism and cynicism. For if our lives were God's will, then he was not the most ideal being to entrust our fates with, and I never saw any reason in following the plan that he set for us. But I have met the Gods, and suddenly, it is clear that those people are not as far from the truth as I believed. Plan or not, it was predicted by someone beyond our comprehension, and used to their advantage. But their plan was different from ours, as are the goals...
After long nights of musing and talking, we have set numerous theories, but I suppose we will never know if they are correct.
Who is this Desmond that the warning was meant for? Why did she commune to him through Ezio? Who, or rather, what is she, in essence? She claimed they were not gods, but that they simply came before us, created us...but does that not make them Gods to us, then? And why would they even give a warning, if they are now gone from this world as she claimed? Do they simply want to protect their creation? Or is there something else to their motives that is beyond our understanding? The temples that she has mentioned, perhaps they may save this world, and perhaps they can resurrect them in some way? Or maybe I think too deep into it?
So many questions, and no answers. Mario still held it, but I sometimes wish that I could ask it the answer….despite that I have a feeling it would not give it to us.
The cryptic message was not meant for us, that much is certain. And with our knowledge, we can do nothing.
We have more pressing issues that are on an admittedly smaller scale than the fate of the universe. But we are still in considerable danger. I fear that our work is not yet finished. Ezio allowed Rodrigo Borgia to live, and that, in itself, is a guarantee that we can expect trouble soon. Ezio believes that there is nothing to fear for the next little while, but I cannot suppress the feeling that something is about to blow up in our faces.
There are still days when I wonder about them. My sister. My best friend. The Templar line has survived down to modern times, so we are unlikely to ever vanquish them in our lifetime. Which does not mean we won't be working our behinds off to keep them at bay... But I'm curious about something else. What role will Jake and Eve play in this story...? I will never know, of course, as there are centuries separating me from my family now, and I do not want to go back there. But perhaps, like Altair, I will take just one last look to find out their fates, just before my death, to clear my mind and conscience. But that time would not come for a long time, hopefully. We shall see.
As for my present? Whatever may come, will come. If Templars do come knocking on our doors again-
"Will you please come back to bed?"
I snapped out of my concentration, and quickly moved the quill away from the parchment as a drop of ink threatened to fall and cover my writing. "It's cold…"
"Sorry," I glanced over my shoulder, "I'll only be a second."
"What are you writing, anyway?" he curiously wondered, lazily stretching on the bed. He was not looking at the paper, but tracing his eyes over my form.
"I'm in a philosophical mood as of late," I smirked. "As you know, that happens rarely, so I'm just getting my thoughts on paper before they completely jumble up and flee out of my head. Now let me finish the sentence... Aha..." I read over my last words, and with a small grin, put the quill back onto the parchment.
-we will send them back home in pieces. And as Ezio agreed, we cannot afford mercy a second time.
So Templars, come! Try out your welcome! And please bring enough money with you so we can replace the bloodstained carpets after your visit.
Eden Auditore, 1499, Monteriggioni
"As soon as Leonardo swims up again, I'll send it to him for coding," I left the parchment to dry on the table, and began pulling on my boots right over my bare legs.
"Mmm... is there still no word from him?" Ezio mumbled quietly. I knew he was worried about our friend, his concern growing in the passing months.
"No...we intercepted a few messengers coming from Milan, but aside from Ludovico's troubles with the French, they know nothing," I sighed. "Don't worry your pretty head too much, though," I gave Ezio a smile, which he returned immediately. "You know Leo; he probably just barricaded himself in his workshop and doesn't even realize that time is still moving outside his house."
"You're probably right," my husband nodded. "Where are you going?" he only now realized that I was not returning to bed when I put on my father's hidden blade. I never went anywhere without it anymore, even if it was just out for a moment.
"Onto the roof. I need some fresh air."
"Open the window," he shrugged.
I threw him a slightly sour glare, my mood effectively dampened by the innocent suggestion. "Ezio, stop treating me as though I'm made of glass just because a glowing ghost told us I'm pregnant. The doctor said it's far too soon to tell."
"He also said that with your age and activities, a miscarriage is more likely that not."
"I lived through eight years of being completely barren, and then the rest without child. I think we can deal with a miscarriage," I snorted. "It's not like we are in a rush to get a child, amore. Not with Templars about to come around for another blow."
"You agree with Machiavelli, then?" he raised his eyebrows.
"Yes. I think leaving Rodrigo alive was an incredibly stupid thing to do," I bluntly stated, "You know that."
"I know you think that," he muttered, "At least wait a moment, and I'll come with you."
"Don't be silly, I don't need supervision," I opened the window. "Sleep, I'll come back in a few minutes."
I climbed out the frame, and from there, up onto the very top of the villa. The cold air and the darkness before coming dawn enveloped me, pleasantly cooling me down. I sat by the flag pole, listening to its rhythmic beating in the wind, and stretched my legs out beside me. it Took a few moments to watch the transparent white puffs as I breathed in and out.
When I figured out about the baby, I was happy. More so, ecstatic and excited. But the more I thought about it, the more pointless it seemed to get our hopes up now.
"'My age"," I quietly huffed, rolling my eyes, "As if I can help that."
I leaned back on the heels of my hands, looking up. The view was not very promising today- thick clouds stretched over the sky, and it was hard to tell exactly when the sun would rise. It was likely going to rain later on. Or worse, the village would go up in flames.
Now, don't get me wrong, I am not a pessimist, and I did not believe in ill omens or bad signs like black cats or cracked plates.
But when you realize that a cannon ball is heading straight for you, smashing the roof you were just sitting on, it sort of leaves little room to misinterpretation.
I let out a small cry of surprise, tumbling down onto the main roof. The next shot hit our bedroom wall, tearing it down. I rolled to my feet, praying to the Gods that Ezio wasn't caught in that. I took a glance towards the front of town, and froze there, staring out in shock.
The beautiful village was burning.
Chunks were already missing from the roofs of the houses, the walls shaking and threatening to crumble with each cannon fired. The people streamed through its alleys in panic, trying to make it to the villa. The smell of fire and gunpowder hit my nose so harshly that I winced and crunched my face, resisting the urge to hold my nostrils shut. The scent of blood was more familiar, yet far more alarming. Especially I figured it was likely that of our townspeople…
Ezio jumped out of the hole in the wall, and I was about to ask him what the hell was going on when we were separated by yet another fired cannon ball. We dived off in different directions. I tumbled over my shoulder, now praising gods that I didn't have a sword at the moment, and shakily got back to my feet. Ezio was less fortunate; he slipped off the roof and went tumbling to the ground, my heart nearly stopping at the sight before he barely managed to stop his fall by instinctively reaching out for handhold.
I followed him down to the ground quickly, taking more care in hopping down to the balcony first before I hit the cobblestones of the drive. Right as I did so, the front of the villa caved it at the force of more cannon balls smashing into it.
"What the hell is going on?" I finally voiced my confused thoughts, my eyes watering at the acrid smoke already beginning to tinge the air.
"Ezio! Eden!" Mario appeared in front of us, shoving his way through the panicked crowd, "It's the Borgia!"
"Che cosa diavolo?" Ezio growled, "How did they find us this quickly?"
"And how the hell did we not see this?" I hissed.
"They must have approached under the cover of night to the east, and grouped right before dawn. We need to hold them off until all the people are out of the town!" the old mercenary hurried to duck out of the way of more falling debris.
Ezio nodded shortly. "Where are the rest of our people?"
"Caterina is heading her troops around to try and flank them, Adelaide was already up on the walls for morning practice, overseeing the condotierri working the western cannons! I will lead a frontal assault, and take the battle to our enemy!"
"Where is the Apple?" Ezio breathed, reaching out and stopping Mario before he bounded off.
"I'm keeping it safe! It cannot be allowed to fall into Borgia hands!"
"Stay safe."
"I will- Eden!"
That moment I had to hastily jump backwards, crashing into the wall of the villa, as another ball dropped between me and the men, smashing the walkway to bits. I shielded my eyes from the shards, coughing for a moment against the flying dust and debris.
"Cazzo- Go!" I growled at them. Both headed towards the front of the town, Mario yelling out battle cries to rally our troops as Ezio jumped onto a stray horse at full speed. The animal was well trained, and despite likely being terrified by the sudden noise and flames, he followed the master's directions.
I stared out into town, and a shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran down my spine.
This was war...?
It was nothing like one of the gang wars that I sometimes participated in New York. Not the stealthy approach we took when assassinating Templars. Not even the battles that we fought when assaulting Venezia's Arsenal.
There was a wave of crimson-clad soldiers that were already inside the walls, likely those that managed to get in before they shut the gates. The chaos on the streets could very well be described as a bloodbath. Courtesans and thieves were trying to fend off the attackers with their short daggers, but mostly they were all on the defensive. Those that did not immediately fall to the Borgia swords admirably gave their all in slowing their unrelenting advance, directing the civilians behind them to the villa. Meanwhile, the mercenaries did the heavy fighting of our enemy, dying one by one, selling their lives for five or more, and managing to contain them. But for how long? The walls would not hold, the gate itself already crumbling under the force of the cannon fire...
But inside the walls, men were burning alive, trying to salvage anything from their houses. The tailor, a nice, older man that made my wedding dress, lay killed and mutilated in front of his shop. The blacksmith, always eager to show me new shipments of weapons, roared in frenzied anguish and joined in the fighting over his dying apprentice, a boy of merely 13 years or so. Children were being cut down by falling debris and flames, their mothers screaming for them. Women were assaulted, raped and killed right in the middle of the battlefield. Most of the citizens managed to get away, but not all...far from it...
If this was war, then it was far more barbaric than anything I had ever experienced, even in all my years as an assassin.
"Eden! Don't just stand there!" Claudia all but crashed into me, and I realized that I stood frozen for almost a full minute, by some luck blending into the deep shadow that the fires made on the wall.
At her voice I snapped back into reality. With the main commanders gone out of the front lines, the defense of the villa itself and the evacuation fell to me. We had a decade to think these things through. The time to throw up my guts at the horror in front of me, and rage and rant at our miscalculation to Borgia determination would come later, after I led these innocents to safety.
"Grab a weapon, Claudia, we will have to make sure none of these jokers try to follow the civilians," I commanded, and she nodded shortly. Unlike her brother, I never had any doubts in her ability to fight. "Where is Maria?"
"She's already in Mario's study."
"Thank God."
Mario had left some mercenaries behind to work from within the town, a few more finding their way here from where they were forced to retreat down from the walls. We took control of the group without hesitation, holding off the entrances to the villa, allowing only civilians through.
Claudia has not been wasting her years, I realized as I watched her disarm one of the enemy, and use his blade to slice his neck open. As I suspected was a bit of an inherited trait, she possessed nearly as much talent, grace an speed as her brother, if undeveloped. He refused to let her live up to her potential, but it did not stop her from trying. The chaos going on around her seemed to have little effect as she spun around and plunged her blade into another Borgia's stomach, kicking him down the stairs. Quickly searching his body, she looted a couple of throwing knives off of him and tucked then into her sash before advancing onto another soldier with his back to her.
An officer of the Borgia army shouted to us to just give up at one point. But all he got in reply were my teeth bared in a cold smirk and one of the daggers I'd picked up from the field making whirling straight into his face. One thing for certain at that moment was that none of us would give up until those we were protecting made their way down into the sanctuary, and from there, away from this destroyed place.
"Claudia!" I shouted to her, and her eyes darted to me as she deflected the blow that she could have missed had I not yelled, "That was the last one, all the villagers are out!"
We all let out a collective breath of relief at that, though our work was far from over.
We got a small break when the numbers of attackers finally dwindled, likely called back to deal with Mario's forces. From the earsplitting crunches that could be heard from the front, the cannons managed to destroy the siege towers that the attackers used to get over the walls. They hadn't breached the walls yet, thankfully, so we took the chance to hastily bandage our wounds and drag away those who fell in battle.
And suddenly, it was quiet. My heart, which had been beating to the drums of war around me, just about stopped again, as well.
"Round up the survivors, and hold in Mario's study! Keep the passage open for now, I'll be right back!" I ordered loudly.
"Where are you going?" Claudia asked as she began helping a thief to his feet, hindered by the slash to this leg.
"To find out what the hell is going on out there," I quickly retorted. Just as I said that, the sounds had returned, and I could hear grindings of machinery and renewed shouting.
"Madonna!" I looked around to the mercenary rushing towards me, "They've breached the walls!"
"Merda," I hissed under my breath, noticing the wave of soldiers in red uniforms run around the corner. With one movement, I kicked the very first hero bellow the belt, stabbed down on his neck with my hidden blade and freed the sword from his weakened grip. It was much better than the one I picked off one of pawn infantry, but still nowhere near the level of the weapons that were now buried under debris upstairs. "What's going on at the front?" I asked more loudly.
"We are overrun," the man answered, joining in the defense of the open doors. "None of the Borgia commanders fell back-"
Without listening to the rest of his report, I ducked from under a slashing blade, and made a run for the western walls, in one bound climbing onto the walkway. The towers on this side had not yet collapsed, and I easily cut my way through along of it, mostly trying to find at least one familiar face that was not broken on the ground or detached from the body. And I found her, holding her own with a group of mercenaries.
"Adel!"
"No need to scream, Eden, I can hear you perfectly well," she greeted in a rushed voice, disarming another soldier and immediately decapitating him. Then she seemed to think about something for a second, and the next she threw the ladder away from the wall, ending the stream of attackers. We were left standing amidst corpses of mixed colors. "They destroyed our cannons. And a good chunk of our walls," she panted.
"I noticed. Where are Ezio and Mario?"
"I don't know. Last I saw Ezio, he was up on the southeastern wall," she waved her hand in the direction of the fortifications on the opposite side of town.
"All the people are in the sanctuary, and without the cannons, we cannot afford to wait any longer, so we need to find them and tell them to retreat," I jumped down to the roof of the barracks below, Adel following my lead and throwing away the bloodied weapon. "Wait, I think I see him- what is he doing...?"
"What's wrong now? Or, more so?"
"THEY'VE BREACHED THE GATES!"
My blood ran cold. I froze in the middle of some roof, and turned to face the blown gates, only to see an even worse sight than I was prepared for.
Mario walked inside the walls through the smoke and dust. Alone, and unarmed.
And collasped onto his face, right onto the bloody road.
Revealing the short sword that was lodged in his back.
"MA-" I swiftly clamped a hand over Adel's mouth, preventing her surprised scream from tearing out. Adel tried to wretch herself from me, but I grabbed her arm, and pulled her down. I made sure that Adel snapped back to reality and didn't try to get away from me any more to help her one of her beloved mentors, because I could see archers beginning to line the walls. To get out of from their range, I swiftly dropped down into the alley from where we could see the gates.
"He's going to get shot if her doesn't get down!" I hissed in reference to Ezio, who was still leaping his way through town over the rooftops.
A new voice rang through the town.
"Ezio Auditore! I know you are here!"
Both my and Adel's attention snapped back to the front gates. There were already soldiers with spears lined up around the gates, but making no move further inside the city.
The group of people that entered consisted of only one familiar face - Caterina's. Her breastplate was stained with blood, and her arms were harshly held behind her back by a grim-looking man, whose blade at her throat spoke for itself. Beside him was a fat man in red cardinal robes, and another person in full armor, with a thin mustache, a bored gaze and small, golden crown upon his head.
Leading them, with a gun in his hand, was someone I had never seen before in my entire life. But his rich armor and cloak signaled that he was someone important, the marks of syphilis that others called the "New Disease" visible on his otherwise handsome face. A woman with bleach blond hair stood beside him, leaning onto his shoulder and watching his face closely, as though afraid to miss even a word from his mouth. Despite their attractiveness, they both bore sharp, wolfish features, their lips curled with pride and wretched self-importance.
"Guns?" I leaned forward slightly, trying to see properly see. I blinked, sharpening my sight without summoning Eagle Vision. "Oh, fuck-"
If my memory served me right, what the man held was a wheel-lock pistol, an advanced version of the matchlock that our men had. If he was armed this way, then...
I suddenly realized that the men lining the walls were not archers. The devices in their hands were not even crossbows, but long rifles of construction that I could not see at the distance.
Ezio was in plain sight on the roofs, his white shirt a clear target amidst the wrecked village.
Worse yet, Mario was still alive and under the newcomer's boot. And the New Man was now holding a painfully familiar golden orb in his free hand.
...things cannot get any fucking worse.
"Watch."
He continued to speak, once he made sure that Mario was not going to get up again. "The Pope told me of you and your little band of assassins. And this!" he held the artifact up, looking at it with a manic curiosity. "We have had far too much bloodshed. I feel that a... purge is in order..."
Adel's hands clenched on my arm. "Eden, we have to do something!"
"Excellent notion," I ground out, "Do you have any more bright ideas?"
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. We had no ranged weapons, the nearest gunman I could take one away from too far from us. We would never make it in time to save Mario - or the Apple-
"So consider this an invitation," the man at the gates openly mocked as he cocked his gun, pointing it at Mario's head. "From my family, to yours."
The gunshot rang through Monteriggioni. Mario didn't even let out a noise.
Adel made a choking sound. I closed my eyes for a brief second, trying to get my furious trembling under control. When I opened my eyes again, the group turned around, and walked right back out the doors, but their troops did not retreat. Moreover, gunshots sounded.
"Cazzo," was all I could say as I felt the tearing pain somewhere inside that I knew had nothing to do with me. Mario was gone, Ezio perhaps wounded. Or worse, dead-
...when will this day end?
"Alright, that is fucking it," I snarled, the sounds of my heart roaring in my ears as I blinked, ignoring the tears already falling down my face, "I am going to hunt that bastard and massa-"
"Focus, Eden. It's not too late to salvage the situation. Keep a clear head. Don't allow your anger and grieving to get in the way," Altair barked at me from within the depths of my brain, cutting off my growled threats. Almost surprisingly, his cold instruction helped me calm down, though I had to take a few more moments to start thinking and breathing properly. "There is nothing you can do to help Mario. Go and find Ezio, steer everyone to the villa, get away from this place. This is not the time to fall to pieces!"
"You're right," I mumbled quietly, jerking Adel along with me. She showed slight resistance, her eyes still trained on the front gates, but then she followed.
I broke into a run towards where I knew Ezio fell. Around us, the mercenaries gathered at my lead, temporarily establishing me as the only leader still unharmed and able to command anyone. The Borgia men followed us with no less enthusiasm than before, now coming from all sides. I had no time to worry about them, so our own men were a blessing at this point.
"Hold on," I ordered to them once I saw Ezio's body on the ground. Fighting with all my strength to not panic, I dropped down beside him, immediately feeling for breath. To my intense relief, he was alive, and not even in such a bad shape as to die any time soon. The bullets went cleanly through his left shoulder, thankfully missing the heart and lungs, his arm and his leg. I tore a few strips of his shirt, still watching out for any attacks on my person, and quickly tied the circulation away from the wounds. "Someone, help me get him back to the villa! Fall back!"
Trying to move as fast as I could while still taking care not to hurt him further, I lifted his good arm over my shoulder, one of our men caught his other side, and with a small heave, we managed to get him somewhat up right. I glanced at his other side with hesitation, and decided to leave it at an arm around his waist. I could not use my blade, and had to rely on Adel and the mercenaries to get through to the villa.
Somewhere half way, Ezio stirred, quickly regaining consciousness.
"What a mess you got us into," I grumbled to him, as I just couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Me?" Ezio shook his head, likely trying to clear the haze from the blood loss.
"I told you we should have made sure that the Pope couldn't tell anyone anything. And now..."
"Mario...?"
"Dead," I wrinkled my nose, fighting my tears. Adel was doing the same as she watched our backs in our retreat, throwing the occasional knife whenever a soldier threatened to get too close. But judging by her blank expression and watery eyes, she would not soon forget Mario's execution. "Can you walk, or fight?"
"Walk, yes," he proved the point by properly planting his feet onto the ground. "Fight...if I have to."
"Good to hear, because we're not out of the fire yet." I didn't move too far from him, just in case, watching him from the corner of my eye as we continued up the stairs, away from the gates.
"Where are my mother and sister?" Ezio demanded when we neared the wrecked villa. He was nearly shouting into my ear over the roar of flames and soldiers, as well as the cried of the dying.
"Inside, they're holding down the secret passage until we return," I replied, and turned back to make sure no one but corpses were left behind. "Get inside already, wounded husband of mine, I'll follow in just a moment! Adel, help me hold the doors!"
"Ezio! Thank god!" Claudia greeted us with apparent relief, catching Ezio in his stumble and bringing him into the door. I covered their backs as they entered the still standing library.
We stood ground for a short period, but it became obvious that we were just too exhausted and furious to fight properly when the first enemy soldier I tried to kill somehow managed to parry my blade twice, before he kicked me in the stomach, trying to give himself an opening to strike. I gasped, folding in half, and blindly putting out my blade to his strike. One of the last mercenaries beside me came to my rescue, finishing off the man.
"Signora, you should get inside, we'll hold the doors," he told me urgently, and I nodded at the bright idea, trying my best to ignore the pain in my stomach. My lungs were beginning to hurt from all the ash, too, not to mention my leg had countless new cuts on them that I did not remember receiving. I could not fight for much longer, I realized, so I half dragged Adel inside with me, where Ezio was waiting at the open door, one hand on the lever that closed it, at the same time as arguing with a thief. I have never seen the man before, and the cloth strap over his eye was completely unfamiliar, but I thought nothing of it, slipping past him and into the concealed corridor.
"Where does the tunnel lead?" the thief asked quickly.
"Below the north wall, out the old mines," Ezio explained, allowing us into the depth of the tunnel with visible relief. He then hit the switch that made the bookcase slide back into place.
But right before it could close completely, the thief squeezed the opening, "I have to go join in the fight!"
Ezio let him go, and as soon as the wall clicked, he manually locked it into the floor and ceiling with its beams. I hurried along with Claudia down the staircase, now wanting nothing more than to get away from the villa. There were still a few people in the Sanctuary, along with Maria. At any other point, I would have marveled at how amazing construction of the place hasn't caved in, despite the siege going above. The seven statues looked over the people with outstretched hands, and some where staring back in awe. I approached Maria beside the very back of the room, where Altair's armor was once housed, and stood slightly away from the rest.
"You look nice," I mumbled quietly, looking up at Altair's statue. It was always enough to think in response, but I still automatically spoke out loud. Something that earned me quite a few strange looks in the past...
"The sculptor failed to capture the resemblance, but we work with what we have..."
"Adel, where's Sokolo?" I suddenly asked, realizing that Adel did not have her trademark Golden Eagle perching on her arm. It was strange to ever see her without the bird, as I sometimes got the feeling she loved him more than humans.
She lowered her eyelashes, tears still threatening to spill down her cheeks. "I sent him into to the north edge of the city as soon as we saw the army coming up. But a few cannon balls made it that far, and I don't know..."
I humphed, biting my lip painfully. "Alright, we'll have to regroup once we're away from here. Come on, get inside. Ezio, you too. It seems I am the only assassin here that isn't about to kneel over from blood loss." He threw me a short glare, but his exhaustion must have won over, and he simply followed his sister and mother into tunnel. I stayed to watch the last of the people trickled in.
While I waited for them to pass, I wondered how many we lost in the defense of Monteriggioni. I hadn't seen Paolo beside Claudia, either, so chances were he was either still out there, fighting a lost battle, or already dead. And now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen her son Federico anywhere... Lisa, our former servant, cradled her baby girl as she passed with her husband, openly crying. She looked at me, grabbed my hand in a short gesture, not looking at my eyes, and continued through to the secret entrance. A young courtesan supported her elderly father, and a thief of only about ten hesitantly asked me if I had seen either of his parents.
My heart clenched, and I forced myself to shake my head. "Keep up with everyone. Your family is probably up ahead."
Once everyone was gone, I nodded to myself, clearing my mind and attempting to focus. The sounds of battle still came up from the ceiling above. But now it was mostly replaced by yelled orders that I couldn't make out. No one found the secret door, however, and now it was me alone in the Sanctuary.
I let out a short breath, bidding the villa a farewell, and slid around the statue of Altair.
The corridor was lit by the torches that the people must have lit on their way. I wouldn't have stumbled or tripped even in darkness, but it was still much easier to walk without having to concentrate constantly. I caught up with Ezio, Claudia and Maria quickly enough.
"This must be the worst birthday in the history of time," Claudia ground out, her expression and voice a mixture between grief and fury. No one found anything to reply to her. The tunnels were alternating between narrow corridors that summoned claustrophobia and huge halls with black water somewhere at the bottom of them. The smell was of ancient dust, rot, and a sewage canal. I kept looking up, afraid that the ceiling would collapse on us if we so much as breathed too loudly, but it held.
"What was that?" Ezio stopped suddenly, gesturing for his mother and sister to continue ahead, while we drew our blades.
"Is there any way here aside from the sanctuary?" I asked, now hearing the noise echoing back from where we came from.
"The Auditore crypt, but the entrance is sealed. I guess they found a way through...Eden, get on the other side of the bridge, I have an idea..."
I was about to say argue, but then decided to trust him, and hurried over the bridge to meet the rest of the family. I stopped at the edge, and turned around to watch.
Ezio waited for the soldiers to make their way through the tunnels, tripping and gripping the walls, but moving onwards. Ezio stood, one hand on his wound, the other confidently gripping his sword. He allowed the soldiers to see him, and watched for a moment as they let out battle cries. Once he was sure that the last civilian crossed over the bridge, he broke into a run, over the bridge.
"Ezio!" Claudia couldn't help a small cry as he stumbled in his step, phased by his injuries. But he made it over, and then stopped again, waiting until the soldiers ran onto the bridge. Then he yanked the lever that was embedded into the post of the bridge, letting the ropes fall. The men screamed, and fell down into the water bellow.
"Come on, let's move before they find a way around," he rushed us, and we nodded, continuing on our way.
"Where is Adel?" I suddenly asked, realizing the girl wasn't within eyesight.
"She went up ahead."
We continued walking, with Ezio leading the way. I fell into step with him. We didn't speak for a long time, sometimes stopping to listen to the sounds behind us. The echoes did not die down, but they were not getting any louder, so I guessed we were making good time.
"Where's my baby? Have you seen my child?" a woman clawed at Ezio arm, nearly yelling into his ear. He wasn't sure what to say or how to get rid of her, so I stepped in.
"Madonna, focus on getting the rest of your children through these tunnels," my voice was shockingly cold, but I just didn't have the energy to put up a front. And the tunnels kept going and going... Lord in heaven, I was exhausted.
"What is that?" Claudia suddenly said, raising her head up to the creaking. I automatically did the same, and felt a trickle of fear run down my spine.
"Claudia, Maria, hurry up," I replied to the woman with some panic. The ceiling above us was cracking, and then-
There was earsplitting tumble of rocks, and the next moment dust flooded my vision, pieces of stone flying everywhere. I covered my mouth with my sleeve, struggling to keep my eyes open.
"Ezio!" Claudia screamed from somewhere in the dust cloud. I felt dread fill me up, but then the dust settled, revealing the blocked entrance, and Claudia half sitting a few steps away from it. She must have made a lunge for it at the last second, thank go for those assassin bloodlines...
"Did anything fall on you?" Ezio helped her get up, visibly pale, as well. Though that could have been from the blood loss.
"No-I'm fine-" Claudia checked her own legs, making sure they were still in place, and shakily stood up.
"These tunnels should end soon." Ezio didn't sound very reassuring, but there was no other choice, so we continued on.
Fresh air was a blessing when we finally made it outside of the mines. Most people immediately began trying to cough out what they had breathed in inside the tunnels, at the same time hugging found family members, or on the other hand, breaking down in tears when they realized that they were not around .
"Where is Zio Mario?" Claudia suddenly asked. Her lips were all but bitten cleanly through, her eyes red from tears and dust. Her dress ripped and slashed in places, her hair a mess. I figured I looked little better, except I had considerably more blood and grime on me. "I thought he would meet us out here."
"He's dead," Ezio dropped in a quiet voice. Once he waited out the gasp that tore through the woman's lips, he continued, "Claudia, get Mother and yourself to Firenze. Someone," he nearly shouted, "Get me a horse!"
"What about you?" my sister-in-law looked at him suspiciously.
"I'm going to Roma."
"Alone?" I joined in their conversation. Ezio looked at me with a sour expression.
"Yes. In your condition-"
"Ezio, I'm pregnant, not fucking handicapped!" I cut him off sharply, "But you are wounded and exhausted…and you think I will just let you prance off to enemy territory completely by yourself? You're barely standing on your feet!"
He stared at me for a long moment, and either realized that I was right or that arguing with me was pointless. So he just waved his arm, untying the only horse in sight.
Adel touched my arm. "What about me?"
"I want you to stay for a little while longer- let me finish," I stopped her angry retort. "Find Sokolo, for starters," I continued to quietly instruct her, and she just nodded along.
"Alright," she inclined her head, suddenly embracing me. She let out a dry sob into my shoulder, and her fingers curled on my shirt on the back. I held her just as tightly for a moment before taking a step back, to Ezio's horse. While I was grateful for his assistance as I climbed up behind him, it wasn't hard to notice his grunt of pain, or the way his arm shot as he pulled me up.
"Go, my son, destroy them," Maria suddenly spoke up, putting a hand onto her son's leg. Thankfully, she did not sink back into shock as I was suddenly afraid she would, but she still had trouble maintaining her composure. "But remember," she continued, "what we Assassins fight for."
With only a short nod, he sent our horse into a trot, following the road that lead southeast. I bit my lip as I realized he was still shaking with contained anger.
Without trying to speak, I pressed myself to him closely, and rested my forehead onto his shoulder.
"You have full rights to say 'I told you so' right now," he whispered quietly.
"I don't want to. I didn't want to be right."
"...va bene."
A few moments later, I felt him go limp, and the reigns slipped out of his hands. I tightened my hold on him, picking them up.
Roma...we wouldn't be able to make it to Roma. I barely tended to his wounds, and now I suddenly got the thought that one of the bullets might still be embedded in him. Infection…tetanus…gangrene…amputation, I thought with rising anxiety. Swallowing down my mounting hysteria at that and the fact that we'd just had our home burned out from beneath us, I took a few deep breathes to calculate our options. I had to stop somewhere and take it out...
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Machiavelli. What a pleasant surprise," I snarled at him, not even making the horse pause as we passed him.
"There is no need for hostility."
I nearly twisted my head off turning it to glare at the man. "No, no, you're right! It's not like our home just got torched and ripped apart, Mario's got his brains blown out, Claudia's family has gone missing, or my husband has passed out from the wounds!" I took a dramatic second, and then finished off, my voice more spiteful than intended. "Oh, now wait a minute, that is exactly what happened! So you'll excuse me if I don't have time for chit chat! I have to get to a doctor-"
"All the villages and town from here to Roma are being watched by the Borgia."
I didn't care. "He's going to die of blood loss, so there is no other choice."
I heard him let out a breath of frustration. "You are not listening. The Borgia not only have posters and heralds preaching, they left large squads of soldiers behind. You will be recognized and killed on sight, and you are in no state to defend yourself."
"Then by all means, enlighten this mere mortal to your glorious solution!"
"You've learned field surgery not long ago, correct?"
"So did every other Assassin. But it's useless, I don't have any tools, or even clean water. I will end up hurting him more."
"I have the needed medical supplies in my bag."
"Why?"
"I had a feeling."
I was too exhausted, both physically and emotionally to care or even properly argue, so I finally dropped the sarcasm, and nodded.
We rode for a little bit more, getting as far away from Monteriggioni as we could. Stopping at a pasture, Niccolo helped me drag Ezio down from the horse and lay him out on the grass. He then pushed his bag towards me, handing me a flagon of clean water.
I sat down beside Ezio, unwrapping the makeshift bandage from his shoulder. I was right. The bullet didn't go cleanly through. The guns did not have the best range, so the shot was too weak compared to the guns of later years. Even worse.
"Help me," I quietly requested, controlling my voice so it wouldn't shake as I looked through the supplies he presented. After the scare in Forli, I polished up on my skills with healing, taking the time to learn field surgery from the Monteriggioni doctor. It was crude, reminding me more of torture than anything. But out here in the middle of nowhere without a proper doctor, it was the best we could hope for. "Hold him down when the screaming starts. I can't afford mistakes."
Machiavelli nodded once, and moved closer, setting his hands on Ezio's chest and readying his grip for the thrashing that was sure to come around. I took a deep, calming breath, and set to work.