Weeks passed since Natalie had been rescued. Aside from free-running, Danielle taught her how to fight. Natalie learned how to use a sword, a dagger, even throwing knives. Not only could Natalie fight, but she also learned sneaky moves as well. When in the small, nameless town where Natalie had practiced free-running before, she practiced skills such as blending, spying and eavesdropping. Danielle even paid some thieves to chase her, to see how Natalie would cope under such pressure. Then one day Natalie was summoned into that large room with the maps. Danielle and Joshua stood at the head of the table with a box in hand, Danielle smiling eagerly.
"Si?" Natalie said as she entered the room. Danielle shot Joshua a glance before approaching her sister.
"You have done well. Very well. We believe your training is done, and it is time to start putting you to work," Danielle announced. Natalie squealed, which made Joshua plug his ears.
"Of course," Danielle continued, "You cannot continue your path of assassination without this."
Danielle handed Natalie the box. When Natalie opened it, she saw inside was a leather gauntlet. But attached to the inside arm part was a strange mechanism…Natalie picked it up and initiated the mechanism on accident, causing a hidden blade to spring forward. Natalie gasped in amazement, and immediately situated the weapon onto her arm.
"Grazie sorella, Joshua. Thank you sister, Joshua. It shall be used well," Natalie vowed.
"Buono. Good. For we have your first assignment," Joshua said. Natalie leaned forward eagerly.
"While I've been training you, Joshua has been busy gathering information on the person who hired those men to kill you. We think we might have a lead. Your job is to go to San Gimignano and eavesdrop on someone named Benito Costa. If you do not gather any useful information from the conversation, follow him to somewhere secluded and beat him up until he speaks. When he does, kill him," Danielle ordered. Natalie blinked.
"Kill him? But I just need information from him. Why do I need to kill him? Why can't I let him go?" Natalie questioned him. Danielle held up a hand to silence her.
"Recite what we have taught you," Danielle demanded. Natalie sighed.
"Never kill innocents. Be discreet. And…"
"And…?"
"And never compromise the brotherhood," Natalie said, nodding. She understood now. Leaving this man alive could compromise things.
"Now go. You'll find this man in the marketplace at noon. He shall be hard to miss; imagine a peacock amongst pigeons," Danielle described. Natalie giggled at this.
It had been perhaps two hours since Natalie arrived at San Gimignano. She spent her time in the marketplace blending with crowds or on benches with other people until she heard some sign of this Costa man being here. Then she heard hushed voices.
"Signore Costa…my master bids me to tell you…" a quiet voice said.
Natalie followed the voice, blending in the crowds, until she saw a man dressed extravagantly talking to a more modestly dress man. They were exchanging words too quietly for Natalie to hear; not unless she wanted to compromise the mission. It would appear she had no choice but to follow Benito Costa and take the information by force.
"Grazie. Now off with you," Benito Costa said. He looked around suspiciously, as if he could feel Natalie watching them. "This place is not safe for such information to be exchanged."
The modest dressed man ran off, leaving Benito alone. He began his walk to an unknown location, and Natalie began her pursuit. Occasionally Benito would look over his shoulder, and Natalie would have to hide behind a wall or in a group of people. Other than his suspicions, she was unseen. Finally he stopped in a secluded garden, where he turned around armed with the sword that was at his side.
"Aha! Assassino!" He said when he saw her. Natalie did not draw her sword; she was not supposed to kill him yet.
Costa was very unskilled with the sword, and it was obviously more of a tool of intimidation. Natalie was able to dodge his swings with ease and land several blows to his face. It did not take long before she even disarmed him, kicked him in the stomach and pointed the sword at his neck. Benito Costa fell to his knees with his hands clenched.
"Please, oh please spare me," he begged. Natalie kept the sword at his throat.
"You know what information I am here for. Now speak," Natalie ordered.
"That man I was speaking to…he was telling me that Natalie De Luca is still alive, and that our master wants me to send my men after her again," Benito whimpered.
"So you were the one who sent the men in the first place? Who is this master of yours?" Natalie asked.
"I know not. He has never given me a name, other than 'The Templar.' Please spare my life. I have told you what you needed to know, that was all we said," Benito insisted.
Natalie stared at Benito Costa for a while. Yes, he was one of the men responsible for her attempted murder. But seeing him now, seeing him so pathetically cowardly and desperate for life, Natalie realized she could not kill him. She had never killed a person before, and did not know if she could make this man her first.
"Andare. Go," she said to him simply. Benito Costa stumbled to his feet and ran off.
Natalie sat on a nearby bench, burying her face in her hands. There would be hell to pay for this later. A few minutes later, she heard footsteps. Perhaps there would be hell to pay now. Natalie looked up, and she was surrounded by four guards, all with swords pointed at her.
"That's her! That's the woman who tried to kill me!" she heard Benito Costa's voice cry. Shit.
Natalie drew her own sword, but she had no idea how she would fight against four soldiers at once. Then suddenly from the rooftops, Danielle came falling and struck down two guards with her double hidden blades. Now there were only two left.
"Joshua! Get Benito Costa!" Danielle cried out. Natalie heard footsteps on the roof, but saw no one. Danielle then turned to Natalie. "Ingannare! You fool! You have compromised the brotherhood!"
There was no time for shame, for the guards began to advance upon the girls. Swords clashed, and Danielle even threw in a few punches and kicks. Finally, Danielle struck the guard in his knees with her foot, bringing him down, where she dug her sword into his neck and slid it across. The blood splattered on the ground. Now it was Natalie's turn to redeem herself. Natalie dodged her opponent's attack, then blocked another with her sword. She received a kick to her stomach, and when she landed on the ground her sword went flying out of her hand. So much for redeeming herself. The guard came upon her, and was ready to stab her in the stomach. Natalie rolled out of the way and while the guard was distracted, she jammed her hidden blade in the guard's head. Now she had her first kill.
"Non male. Not bad. But we'll still talk later," Danielle growled. "Joshua!"
Joshua entered the gardens, bloody sword in hand.
"Benito Costa is dead," he nodded. Natalie grabbed and sheathed her sword, and all three assassins fled to the rooftops, then to the Villa de De Luca in the Tuscan countryside.
Back at the villa, Natalie was receiving a true scolding; a real verbal beat down from Danielle. Joshua just sat in the corner with his arms folded.
"I told you! I told you! You have to kill him! You really think they're going to keep quiet? No! They always run to the guards for help!" Danielle chastised. Natalie hung her head in shame. "You are a good person, you have never killed before. But get used to it. You are going to be an assassin now, and killing shall have to be second nature to you."
"Mi dispiace…I'm sorry…" Natalie said. "But you're right…I've never killed before. And he was begging for his life…"
"No mercy for your enemies," Joshua said. Danielle nodded in agreement.
"For God's sake, he was the man who sent soldiers to kill you in the first place," Danielle said, trying to convince Natalie why he should've died.
"I won't make this mistake again," Natalie promised.
"Well until we can trust you again, you're back to running laps on the roof tops of the nearby town," Joshua said. Natalie groaned, and Danielle couldn't help but smile. Overall, the mission was a success.