Diary Entry # 44
Today Rosa and I talked to Antonio about our plans to rally behind the mercenaries. He seems to have the same ideas in mind, saying we should find every opportunity we can to reinforce their efforts while giving ourselves enough cover from the guards. Dominico has recovered slightly and is showing signs of improvement, but sadly his mind has changed…he appears to be particularly interested in his hands and would crawl around the guild on all fours, purring like a cat. He appears to have developed a phobia of water, which undoubtedly makes things difficult in a city like this…
"Ugo!"
Franco sprinted into the Guild's common room, panting.
"The mercenaries are battling it out in the streets of l'Arsenale tonight. We can stage a heist while the guards are away!"
Ugo stood up from the wooden floor, closing the diary in his hands.
"Are you certain?" he asked.
"You can ask Ezio himself. He'll be sending the signal from the highest tower in the district before going off to assassinate Silvio and his crony."
"But how do you know this?"
"Bartolomeo."
"He's free?"
"Really. He's ready to lob off some guard heads, you should have seen him. And you can thank me for making the trip personally to confirm his release. It was hard work, you know, asking him what his agenda was without risking a broken skull…"
"Si, good of you to do amico. Sorry, I didn't mean to be questioning…it's just difficult to trust anyone these days…" Ugo said, looking down.
"I understand. It must be mind – bogglingly stressful, sitting around and writing stories…" Franco quipped.
"Hey, don't call me out now. I spent the whole morning just finding a place so I can eat my breakfast in peace," Ugo retaliated, looking slightly disturbed. "Dominico…he's been stalking me ever since he's recovered from the surgery. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he keeps trying to grasp tightly onto my leg."
Franco laughed.
"I bet he likes you. Former rival turned lover. Such a shame you won't reciprocate…" Franco shook his head in disappointment, much to Ugo's dismay.
At the heart of Venezia's naval military district, a group of guards are clashing with several hired mercenaries. A large crowd had gathered around the scene, with several citizens fleeing after each brutal felling of a soldier.
Standing on top of a viewpoint overlooking the Castello district, Ezio surveyed the scene before performing a leap of faith onto a haystack sheltered between two walls below. Leaping out of the straw pile, he made his way stealthily to a small trio of thieves who were stacking rocks near a bridge.
"Hey," Ezio said curtly and waved at them.
The thieves did a double – take upon seeing him. One of them approached Ezio slowly, hardly believing his eyes.
"Whoa, you… you're – "
"Sssh, I need your help. I have one - hundred fifty florins for you three to harass those guards over there," Ezio pointed to four guards standing in front of the entrance of a tall, broad building in the distance.
"Of course Ser Ez - !"
Ezio grabbed his face and reeled him into a chokehold.
"But you must be discreet about this," Ezio warned. Releasing him, the thief drew back sputtering as his friends looked on fearfully.
"Ah – si, si – so – (cough) – sorry – "
Handing over the coins to the thieves, Ezio signaled them to give chase, observing at a distance. When the guards had left, he quickly but cautiously approached the entrance of the codex room.
Inside Antonio's office, Rosa, Antonio, and Ugo are surveying the small scale model of l'Arsenal on the desk.
"Ezio will be moving in for the kill right around here. Before that happens we should move quickly to remove as many weapons from the armory as we can. No doubt the remaining guards from the battle will return to retrieve them," Antonio said, placing small sticks in designated locations.
"Where will we take the weapons?" Rosa asked.
"Throw them into the water," Ugo suggested.
"Fair enough. Have your men stationed at these locations once the sun has set. But we must never be detected," Antonio said, putting his hands together.
"But the guard seekers…I've seen several of them newly stationed around our guild. I think they suspect that we're up to something," Rosa added.
"Ah, that could be a problem…. someone must stay to defend," Antonio said, putting a hand on his chin.
"No, I'm not risking anymore lives. We don't have the manpower," Ugo replied. "What we need is a proper distraction."
"And just what kind of distraction would be large enough to get the bastardos to leave?" Rosa questioned, crossing her arms. "I would hate to return to a rundown guild when the battles are over…"
"I have just the right distraction for them," Ugo answered happily. "You'll see."
Chapter 5…