"Zita!" whispered Chiara, tears streaming down her face.
Ezio grabbed Chiara by the shoulders and turned her around, away from the horrific sight, not noticing that Cesare had slipped out.
"He..he killed Zita!"
"Si," said Ezio gravely. He led Chiara back to the bench he was sat on earlier.
"But..he..in front of everyone. That Borgia bastard."
The Banker is much more dangerous than I had anticipated, thought Ezio. He had to be more cautious when it came to killing him. The time was not right because Juan Borgia was now moving through the crowds, surrounded by a Seeker guard.
"And he will pay for it, I promise."
Little did he know that for Chiara, a promise wasn't enough. She wiped her face, straightened her dress, pulled the shoulder of her dress down to expose her neck and stood up.
"Yes, yes he will," she stated, rage growing inside her. She failed to understand how people could be so inhuman.
"Where are you going?"
She gave no answer. Instead, she pushed aside the party guests and strode towards Juan Borgia. The crowd split into two as they made way for her. Everyone watched in total silence at her boldness.
"I will be next."
Juan Borgia, who was in a heated dispute with the Captain-General, turned around with glee evident in his eyes.
"And who are you, attraente (sexy)?"
Chiara put one hand on her hip and answered, "Ersilia. Since you promised not to bite, I promise to make your night."
Juan cackled and addressed his audience, "A fiesty little poet! Mi piace! Mi piace molto! (I like it! I like it very much)"
The audience cheered rowdily. Some even wolf-whistled.
"What do you say?" asked Chiara, heart beating fast. Her hand was still on her hip. She could feel the metal handle of the stilletto inside her skirt. Her fingers fumbled but nobody noticed.
Except Ezio.
He watched from the bench through the guard's mask. A glint of silver caught his eye.
"Cazzo (Fuck)!" he cursed, patting his armor for his stilletto. Chiara had taken it. The courtesans had taught her good - too good. Didn't that stubborn girl realise she was walking straight to her death?
The Banker would be dead before he was allowed to lay even one finger on Chiara - that was her plan. The bulk she felt under her hand reassured her; made her feel a little safer about what she was going to do.
Ezio, on the other hand was enraged. He cursed his sister a thousand times in his mind for letting Chiara stay as a courtesan in the Rosa Del Fiore, but swore at himself even more for putting the idea in Chiara's head. He considered killing the Banker there and then, but that was too risky. It would draw the attention of too many people. But it was even more riskier to let Chiara go through with the plan. Maybe if he dressed as Juan's Seeker, he'd be able to keep an eye on her.
Minutes later, Ezio had lured the gullible Seeker to the outskirts of the Pagan party where he informed him in disguise that the Assassin was seen spotted near the bale of hay. As soon as the Seeker began to prod the big pile of hay with his long spear, Ezio lay him to rest with his hidden blade. After stripping the guard naked, he threw the body into the haystack and changed into his clothes.
Stepping back into the party, Juan and Chiara were nowhere to be seen. He used his eagle vision and all that stood out were bright red Borgia guards. His targets weren't located in gold. Quietening his voice, approached a guard, "Hey, where did the Banker go?"
"You were supposed to be guarding him, Fillipo!" said the guard, suddenly scared.
"Calmatevi (Calm down)," said Ezio, "The food in this lousy party gave me a bad stomach. Any idea where he went?"
The guard sighed indignantly and pointed, "I think so. He took that whore and went that way. You are lucky he's drunk! Otherwise he would have noticed you were gone by now!"
While all this happened and Ezio was preparing himself, Chiara had led the Banker to a deserted area behind the building in front of which the festivities were being held. She held his hand which was clammy. She felt sick just watching his body scan hers up and down. His cheeks were flaming red and his breath was rank and smelled like months-old venison meat.
"What are you waiting for? Take off your clothes and entertain me!" roared the Cardinal.
Chiara's body began to tremble. "Not so fast, messer. Let us go somewhere more...private."
"Fine by me!" he yelled happily and she grabbed his sweaty hand again pulling him inside an empty room. She slammed the door shut and pushed the Banker towards the bed.
His whole body seemed to be burning red. Sweat ran down his bulging belly. Chiara could see them drip, drop by drop if she looked carefully. It made her feel nauseous. She decided to get it over and done with. Keeping the stilletto in place, she climbed onto the bed and over Juan Borgia. Being careful not to let his sweat get on her body, she sat on him.
"You are so tense. What is wrong?"
Juan took a swig from his bottle of wine and Chiara waited as he gulped it down.
His words came out slurred.
"Nothing, my sweet. Now entertain me!"
His drunk attitude was worse than a young child throwing a tantrum.
"First thing's first, you drunken bastard," she said, pulling her stilletto out from her skirt. Keeping her weight firmly pressed on his body, she pointed the tip in his face.
"Why did you kill Zita?"
Juan Borgia feigned confusion and asked who that was.
"That girl you strangled just now. What was your point?" demanded Chiara, pressing the blade down to his throat.
"The point is," he replied, keeping his eye on the blade, "that I have a lot of power. I am superior to half of the nobles out there. And you, my dear, need to be more cautious."
"You are terribly drunk and in no position to threaten me," commented Chiara nervously, "Chances are you will forget this by tomorrow. If I let you live."
Juan laughed and Chiara pressed the blade down even further, a drop of blood on the tip of the stilletto.
"Don't tempt me!" she ordered furiously.
"If you let me live? You really are stupid aren't you, Chiara?"
Chiara froze. He knew her name. The Banker knew her real name. The breath was knocked out of her. She moved her lips but nothing came out.
"Surprised, dear?"
With that interrogative, he pulled Chiara down on him and rolled over so the roles were reversed. Now Juan Borgia had Chiara pinned down like a trapped deer with his legs wrapped around her.
"Get off of me!" she shouted.
"What was it that you said? 'Not so fast'," replied the Banker cheeks bulging as he grinned wildly.
If the Banker put any more pressure on her, Chiara was sure her bones would have been crushed. His huge weight constricted her breathing and the stench of alcohol hit her face every time he opened his mouth.
"Caterina failed to mention how pretty you were."
"I said get off-"
Juan clamped his chubby pink hand over Chiara's mouth, muffling her words.
"Now where were we?"
Keeping his hands tight on her mouth, Juan's fingers began to creep down Chiara's back, finding their way to the lace on the back of her dress.
Just as he was about to untie them, Chiara moved her hand a few centimetres as far as she could, enough to jab the stilletto into his side. He let out a yelp in pain but didn't move. Instead, he was unfazed and called his guards. Chiara struggled to move under him.
Two huge brutes stormed inside and Juan ordered them to take Chiara back to the Castello.
"The Assassin will be here any second. I will make sure to deal with him."
The brutes nodded and the second Juan Borgia lifted himself from Chiara's body, blocked her way forward and lifted her by the arms so that her feet were barely touching the ground. Fear crept into Chiara's mind. This was all planned - they knew she was coming. He knew who she was. Now she regretted her act of stupidity because it would cost Ezio the whole mission as well as her life.
Chiara was taken outside of the room, back to where they were stood before. Juan's bodyguard Seeker came forward.
"Where have you been, Fillipo? Or should I say, Ezio Auditore?"
The assassin stopped walking and took off the guard's helmet. The Banker wasn't drunk in the slightest.
"Let her go."
"Unfortunately for you, I refuse to do that."
"Juan, if you know what is right for you, let her go."
The cardinal motioned for his guards to take Chiara away by cocking his head. Impulsively, Ezio threw a small knife which flew threw the air and wedged itself into one of the brute's legs.
He groaned in pain.
"You! The other one, take her. Now! The news is that I am dead." yelled Juan Borgia as Ezio unsheathed his sword.
Again, he was stuck in the middle. He could either go after the brute who had Chiara, or fight the Cardinal here and now. Except, the cardinal didn't have any weapons.
"Don't you get tired of being a hero, Auditore?"
Ezio said nothing but walked closer to Juan, keeping a tight grip on his sword. Juan spoke flamboyantly, even in the face of death claiming that he regretted none of the indulgences he had enjoyed.
"Kill me, I have given everything to these people." said the Banker.
Ezio sheathed his sword, leaving nothing in his hands. It struck him as odd as to why Juan was embracing his death, rather than running from it.
"Perhaps that was your greatest mistake. Now you pay for it."
"I do not regret a single moment of it."
And with that final statement, Ezio pounced on the Banker, plunging his hidden blade into his bare chest.
"Il piacere immeritato si consuma da sé.(Pleasure unearned consumes itself.) Requiescat in pace (Rest in peace)."
Leaving the Banker dead on the path, Ezio ran ahead to where the brute went before. He finished off the injured one who was trying to limp away. The brute put up a good fight but eventually gave in. Ezio then continued running, but to no avail. There were no signs of them. He turned on his eagle vision again, focusing even harder than before until golden trails appeared on the road. The trail led him to the edge of the road where the only thing surrounding it was water. They must have taken a boat, he thought. His eyes skimmed over the glistening water and he saw nothing but plain buildings in the distance.
Somewhere across Roman waters, Chiara had her hands and feet tied sat on a boat with the brute. If she could swim, she would attempt to get rid of the ropes and jump off the boat.
"You don't have to do this, you know," she said to the brute.
"Yes, I do. The Borgia's will have me killed otherwise."
"You could run away. Make a new name for yourself."
"I have a family to feed."
Chiara said nothing more after that - she couldn't blame the brute for carrying out orders. He had no choice. She sat in silence for the rest of the journey across the dark Tiber river, surprised that he knew where he was going.
After what felt like hours, they came to a stop and a guard holding a lamp stood waiting for them. The brute untied her feet, leaving her hands tied and handed her over to a new guard before glancing her way sympathetically.
"The Banker?" asked the guard.
The brute shook his head and then left without a word.
The guard led her inside a grand cyllindrical fortress where other men were stationed at certain points, doing their guard duty. Some of their uniforms were different - instead of black and red, they were blue and silver.
"Where are you taking me?" asked Chiara.
The guard simply led her inside the castle, which had ceilings as high as the sky. Stair runners of rich red fabric paved the way ahead and Chiara was pushed up these stairs until they reached a wooden door in what looked like a massive library.
He rapped on the door loudly.
"What do you want?" growled the man inside.
"Messer Borgia, your orders have been followed and I have bought Chiara Sforza!"
The door was opened to Chiara's worst nightmare.
Cesare Borgia stood in all his might and glory, as handsome as ever. His shiny dark hair fell either side of his face, reaching his neck. He rubbed his stubbled chin.
"Finally. What about my brother?"
"Dead."
His mouth quivered.
"Dead?"
"Si."
Cesare stood perfectly still, looking at the guard and then Chiara, back and forth.
"Leave her with me," he stated simply.
Chiara was pushed into the room and the door was slammed behind her. She was left all alone with Cesare Borgia, the monster who was capable of anything.
"So you're the other Sforza girl. Caterina never stops talking about you."
Caterina was here? Her loyalty still lay with the Templars then.
"Is my brother truly dead?" asked Cesare, circling Chiara.
She stood awkwardly in the centre of the room. The bright candlelight hurt her eyes. She clenched them shut and suddenly heard Cesare's voice whisper in her right ear.
"I asked you a question."
He turned around and faced Chiara properly. Silence invaded the air. Her voice was lost due to fear.
"Answer me!" he suddenly roared with his raspy voice. Each hair on Chiara's arm rose as she flinched.
Her voice faltered, "I..I guess so."
"That pezzo di merda (piece of shit); I see what he's trying to do," he muttered, running his hands through his hair frantically. Chiara assumed he meant Ezio. He walked back and forth in a straight line.
"What do you want with me?" questioned Chiara.
Cesare twirled around. "Good question!"
Facing her again, he put a hand under her chin and lifted it up, beginning to digress.
"Hmmm..such delicacy. Caterina really is wearing out..."
Chiara raised her eyebrows. His cold skin sent a shiver up her spine as he grazed the tips of his finger along her neck, reaching her bosom.
An ugly smirk formed on Cesare's face, distorting his good looks.
"You, Chiara Sforza, can be my little secret," he snarled.
Another follower; welcome to my story! :D
Please review guys - it would mean the world to me! Any surprises, shocks, characters do you like, dislike etc. Don't mean to sound desperate but I'd love to read your reactions.
