Part Ten: Death of Conspirators
That morning, everyone sat around various forms of coffee, some rested and some not, given that Rebecca was snoring slightly in one corner of the couch.
"Right," Shaun said, clicking his precious remote and displaying a map of Italy across the giant plasma. "Renaissance Italy: known for its explosion in art and Humanist thinking, and architecture. Painter Leonardo da Vinci perfected the art of perspective drawing, there was a general return to more classic symmetry and 'scaled down,' humble proportion - which is of course relative, all things considered. Italy, though called Italy, was hardly a country but rather a collection of nation-states that were constantly at war with each other." Clicking, the map zoomed in to central Italy. "There was the Papal state of Rome, Florence, Milan; Monteriggioni was a part of Siena, and so on and so forth."
He clicked his control again, and Desmond saw the Animus construct of Florence, slowly panning around. "The jewel of the early Renaissance was Florence. The Medici were in power after Cosimo de' Medici had bankrolled a Pope, and the family was known for its support of the arts. Lorenzo de' Medici's own mother was a poet, as was Lorenzo himself, and though he very rarely commissioned anyone, he often saw to introductions and secured more than a few notable commissions for others."
"He liked keeping the people happy," Desmond said, remembering the conversation the Magnificent had with Ezio. "He wanted to make them feel good about themselves and think anything was possible. He was always doing favors for people - sometimes without even payment."
"Typical for a mob boss," Shaun said, pushing up his glasses. "It was through those self-same series of 'favors' that he stayed in power. A benevolent despot, I suppose, but still a despot; and the people loved him."
Desmond straightened slightly, taking offense that such a close friend of his fa-such a close friend of Ezio's father had been called a gangster. He shook his head, shrugging off the feeling.
"Though he was loved by the people, that didn't mean he was popular in all areas. The principal offender, according to history, was archbishop Salviati, a papal banker who was more than slightly put out when he learned that he wouldn't get the coveted position of archbishop of Florence. This was because Lorenzo wasn't happy with Salviati using Pazzi money to buy out Imola, a city Lorenzo wanted because of the mines. Unhappy with the Medici treatment, history brings about the conspiracy to kill Lorenzo de' Medici and his brother Guiliano in order to overthrow Florence and let them have their way with the city. Rumor has it that the Pope even said, 'I support it, so long as no one is killed.' I suppose you could call that backhanded approval: he'd support it if it worked, and denounce it if it didn't."
"Only, that's not what happened," Desmond said. "Well, at least not completely. The Templars were involved as well."
"Naturally," Shaun replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Rodrigo Borgia, head of the Templar Order at the time, had Pope Sixtus' ear on just about anything. While there were several conspirators, only six were Templars. Vieri and Francesco de' Pazzi you already know about, the rest are as follows:"
And with a click Shaun began showing portraits of the men on Ezio's list.
"Jacopo de' Pazzi: the money. This guy was the head of the Pazzi family, and he ran their banking business. An associate of Lorenzo de' Medici, he had nothing against him personally, so he hired four Templar hitmen to take care of the situation for him. He was very cautious in everything he did - good for a banker, great for a Templar - and wanted everything perfect.
"Bernardo di Bandino Baroncelli: Brought up to hate the Medici family because of the exile of his cousins, Baroncelli ran the numbers in the Pazzi bank by day and murdered for the Templars by night. It was Baroncelli who delivered the first blow to Guiliano de' Medici and supplied the weapons not only for the attack, but also for all the men who would march in on Florence to take over once the deed was done.
"Stephano de Bagnone: known for his cruelty, Bagnone was trained in Rome as a Templar butcher. It was Bagnone who stabbed Lorenzo de' Medici in the back.
"Antonio Maffei: Witness to the sacking of Voltera by Florentine mercenaries, Maffei blamed Lorenzo. He joined the Templars to seek revenge. It was Maffei who stabbed Lorenzo in the neck."
"He also worked for Ezio's father, Giovanni, and Lorenzo," Desmond offered. "Ezio remembers seeing him at the villa sometimes, and he was often holding papers and shit. A decoder, maybe?"
Everyone blinked, not expecting the information, and a long drawn out pause made Desmond feel very awkward, shrinking into his seat before Shaun continued.
"And, of course," he said, "Archbishop Francesco Salviati: Convinced he would be the next archbishop of Florence, Salviati was enraged when Lorenzo stood in his way. But the Templars were there to heal his wounds. It was Salviati who marched their troops into the city." He clicked his remote and the map of Italy returned again.
"Lorenzo had allies of course, most notably in Milan and Balogne, but neither were available to help. In Milan, for example, the Sforzas - a major family in the Renaissance - were having a bit of a squabble over who was in charge since Ludovico Sforza had been assassinated in 1476. It's worthy of note that there are many similarities between that assassination and this. A second Templar conspiracy."
Desmond recognized the event, Ezio and his family had been talking about this the day before his family had been killed. Had Giovanni investigated that? Did that lead to his death...? He shook his head again while Shaun clicked his remote to a picture of a Pope.
"Sixtus - specifically Rodrigo Borgia - didn't like the failure of the plot. Sixtus seized every Medici asset he could get his hands on, placed Florence under interdict, and excommunicated Lorenzo before taking the traditional Papal arm: Naples, and readied to march on the nation-state. Lorenzo, back against the wall, did something completely unorthodox: he surrendered himself to Don Ferrante of Naples."
At last, Shaun stopped talking, looking up and pushing his glasses up his nose. "Any questions?"
"Yeah," Rebecca said, yawning and stretching. "What the hell are we talking about?"
Desmond snorted and the morning meeting was dismissed. He felt more confident now, he knew a little of the background (not nearly enough, he was sure) and thought he might be able to keep up with the events now. He had a better idea who those random names Lorenzo had rattled off were, and with Ezio's memories he was beginning to feel more comfortable with Tuscany. He looked up to the high windows of the loft, to the tiled roofs beyond those windows, and wondered where in Italy they were. Home in Florence? Or somewhere else? Rebecca helped him set up and soon he was loading the next memory.
It was odd traveling with so many people. Lorenzo had made the arrangements and introductions, as he always did for anyone who came to his door, and Ezio was now traveling with quite a few people and two wagons of things back to Monteriggioni. It had taken almost a week to gather everyone and their supplies, but Ezio was finally heading back to his uncle's Villa with not one, but two blacksmith assistants, a pair of brothers named Marco and Carlo and all of their materials were in a hefty wagon to carry their excessive weight. And the German banker, whom Ezio recognized the face of, had taken one look at him before bowing and, in accented Italian, said that it would be a pleasure to work for his family again. Of course, the banker had three assistants of his own, and many files and paperwork to start their small bank (though Ezio wondered if they realized it was to be a small bank...). In their wagon as well were the antiquities that Ezio had taken from Il Duomo and intended to quietly sell for more funds for their little town.
For once, Ezio didn't have to worry about any brigands trying to waylay him, as he and the blacksmiths looked formidable during their short journey. He had sent word ahead to Claudia and Mario (if he was there) that he was finally coming home and bringing some much-needed help for the town.
As it was, their architect, Orazio, met them at the gate of Monteriggioni.
"Ah, Ser Ezio! We welcome you back with open arms!"
Ezio chuckled as he dismounted. "I take it Claudia informed you of our need for a bank?"
"Of course," Orazio gave a wide smile. He bowed to the bankers. "We were able to purchase and open up a small building on the main thoroughfare," he said both to Ezio and the bankers. "It still needs some construction and renovation to be a proper bank, but it should work out well for our newest residents."
Ezio turned to the German Adler. "Go with our architect. He'll show you your property and you can talk of the renovations you need."
"Gute," Adler replied in German, nodding firmly. "I'm certain everything will be wunderbar."
"Bene," Ezio nodded. "I'll be taking the cart up to the Villa. Once you've spoken with Orazio here, come on up. You'll stay with us until you're all sorted out."
"Your family has always been most generous," Adler bowed, and then turned to his assistants. "Komme Sie mit mir."
"This way, this way," Orazio waved on grandly. Adler and his assistants stepped down from the wagon and Ezio took over driving it, leaving his horse with a stable boy.
"Come on," Ezio turned to Carlo and Marco. "Let's have you both meet Santino, our blacksmith."
"Si," they replied amiably.
They rode up the thoroughfare, several of the few people in town noticing Ezio and calling out welcomes to him.
Santino was busy at his anvil in back when Ezio arrived with the brother assistants. Ezio smiled mischievously to the assistants and motioned for them to wait beyond the door.
"Hello, Santino," Ezio said, leaning against the door.
"Ah! Ser Ezio! Welcome back," Santino put aside his work and came forward. "Ah, your armor is damaged! It's only been a month and a half! What have you been up to?"
"Oh, this and that. If one needs armor, it will get used." Ezio looked around. "So how has business been for you?"
"Ridiculous," Santino replied. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we're finally starting to get some repairs done around here but..."
Ezio nodded with a smile. "I've noticed a fresh coat of paint on many of the buildings."
"Si," Santino smiled. "The wine merchants don't care for us, but we actually have clean water and it's saving us a great deal of money in things. Some of us wanted to spruce up the place. But now that some of the townsfolk have the money," he continued, bemoaning, "I've had more and more orders. And two weeks ago, my assistant ran off with the whore he's been seeing and now I truly have to do everything alone."
"Not so," Ezio smiled. "Not so."
"I don't understand."
Ezio turned and the two brothers came in.
Santino stared a few minutes; looking from one brother to the next, then to Ezio, then back again. Finally, the blacksmith dropped to his knees. "Ser Ezio, you are truly too kind. I... Thank you, Messere, thank you."
"This was my pleasure."
Santino was quickly on his feet. "Come, you two, let's see what you can do! We're going to make a set of armor for Ser Ezio for this good deed and I need to see your skills!"
The two brothers laughed. "We'll need to unload our wagon, Messere," Carlo said, the more outgoing of the two. "We've a lot to set up and a small space for it."
Santino was practically crying in relief as Ezio slipped away, proud of what had happened.
From there, Ezio took his wagon up the Villa, where the staff willingly went about unloading much of the bankers' things. Ezio took care to take his materials himself, unloading his basic travel pack and the two hefty bags of antiquities and relics. He needed to discuss with Claudia how they should best use these items, specifically, sell them.
Of course, think of his piccina and she arrived in a black cloud.
"Ezio!" she said, stalking out to them. "We agreed we'd be opening the mines next for more workers to come and live here! Instead you have me taking our meager savings and opening a bank! And you want us to open an art studio once this apprentice you saw finishes his apprenticeship? What happened to our plans!"
"They got more financing," Ezio said with a smile.
Claudia tripped in the outrage she was trying to unleash. "I beg your pardon?"
Ezio chuckled. "Come, let me settle in and we'll talk in your study."
"Oh no," Claudia growled. "I'm not leaving you until I get a proper explanation!"
Together, they traveled up to Ezio's small room in the attic, the young Florentine talking as they went about more inane things, just to infuriate his sister. Ezio tossed his travel bag to his bed and carefully set down his other two bags, opening and spreading out the treasures he'd felt he needed to take from the Duomo and those left over from his deals with Volpe on the floor.
Claudia had fallen silent, her eyes widening as she looked at all the glittering trinkets and Ezio tossed her a heavy bag of gold that had been his payment from Volpe for the trade they'd done.
"Dio mio," Claudia whispered.
"I'd say our finances just took an upturn," Ezio said calmly.
His sister nodded, her eyes narrowing as figures no doubt started to fly in her mind.
"I forgive you," she said at last. "This bag of gold alone should open the mines, and the rest of this..."
"We can discuss its uses later. Santino will likely need his shop renovated for his new assistants. A second level, perhaps."
Claudia nodded. "I see feathers," she said quietly, looking at the dozen or so that Ezio had collected as he'd run around Florence.
Ezio shrugged. "I know she will come back to us, but... I can see no other method of helping her."
Claudia nodded again, sadly. "I think she'll love it. She's not as ill as she used to be, but she still responds to nothing."
Ezio reached out and wrapped an arm around her.
They sat together on his bed, the curios and antiquities at their feet looking completely worthless compared to the wellbeing of their mother.
That afternoon, Ezio entered Maria's room. She was kneeling by the box of feathers and Ezio stepped quietly over. He opened the lid and placed the beautiful eagle feathers he'd found inside, trying to arrange them so that they could all be seen but failing miserably. With a silent sigh, he merely placed them neatly before shutting the box and then kneeling beside his mother, praying with her.
Claudia joined them briefly, after she'd spent some time with the account books, and then tea was brought up. Maria, almost automatically, sat with them around a small settee.
So, with a sad sigh, Ezio started to detail how his time in Florence went. He spoke of the conspiracy, the results, what had needed to be done to resolve things. Even now, war still loomed over the horizon for their home city. Claudia groused and growled at the unfairness of it all, but listened intently nonetheless. Maria, unsurprisingly, had no reaction.
As Ezio closed his tale, he couldn't help noticing Claudia had a distinctly unsatisfied look on her face.
"Claudia, what is it?"
His sister smiled, full of mischief. "You were in Florence for quite a while."
"...Yes."
"Lots of free time between all these assignments, it sounds like."
"...Perhaps."
"So," Claudia smiled brightly and with interest, "how is Cristina?"
It was a stab in his heart he wasn't expecting and he quickly looked down to his empty teacup. A lump formed like a solid rock in his throat.
A delicate hand went over his and he looked up to see Maria was looking at him blankly, while Claudia suddenly looked worried.
"Ezio?"
"Cristina-" his voice cracked and he attempted to swallow and try again. "Cristina will be married to a good merchant named Manfredo. He will take very good care of her... I made sure of it."
"Oh, Ezio!" Claudia got up and immediately wrapped her arms around him as he fought to keep his tears back.
"She will be happy," Ezio said firmly around the rock in his throat. "I... can't offer her anything like stability or happiness. Manfredo can. She'll be happy... She'll be... That's the only thing that matters. Her happiness."
Claudia said nothing, just held him close as he once more grieved for a love now gone. Maria said nothing, but her hand didn't stop holding his.
It was a week later when Ezio finally felt settled in. Alder and his assistants would be out of the Villa within a week, having found lodgings closer to their new bank, which all four of them insisted on running despite the construction necessary. Santino was over the moon with plans for a new level to his shop and was already making the other townspeople happy as he started to fill out orders with more speed and better workmanship. Plans were being looked over for the mines that were going to be opened by the end of the season, and the art shop for Vincenzo was already getting renovated for when his apprenticeship ended two years away. Both Ezio and Claudia kept a close eye on Orazio, as this new income of money had him wanting to spend extravagantly, which both Auditore siblings firmly reined him in on.
Mario had still not arrived, though Claudia had told Ezio that he was dealing, in his own way, with the Pazzi Conspiracy, specifically the mercenaries that had been hired and were wandering around Florence and Tuscany both. A pigeon arrived a few days after Ezio had, saying that Mario was on his way and would arrive the next week.
Ezio took his time with practice dummies to try and hone the techniques Altair had listed for different assassination techniques. It required a fair bit of upper body strength, particularly to kill from a haystack and drag the deadweight in without being noticed. Assassinations from ledges required a precise thrust and yank and not letting whatever target he was killing grab him during the fall. It required finesse and Ezio worked hard on them.
Given how many time's he'd had to drop down on targets during the riots after the attack on Il Magnifico, he was certain he would do well with those, but he practiced regardless.
If this was to truly be his path, he needed to excel in order to survive.
Ezio also helped out in the town. With construction starting to flourish, there could often be disagreements over space or who owned what or some such. While Claudia was good with the finances, Ezio would use his charms to settle out such disputes.
It was during one such resolution, between the local candle maker and a woman demanding reimbursement for her ruined groceries after the craftsman had bumped into her trying to avoid a heavy cart of building materials pushed through, that Ezio realized something.
The candle maker was on his way, still grumbling about lost time, and the cart driver was long gone, leaving Ezio with the woman.
Ezio bowed politely and was turning to leave when the woman smiled appreciatively at him, then grabbed him by the neck, bringing him down into quite the kiss.
Indeed, his lonely heart responded and he kissed back in kind before Ezio's brain caught up with what he was doing and he pulled away.
The woman pouted, but Ezio smiled one of his most charming smiles. "I thank you, Madonna, for the interest. But I do not, have not, and do not believe in, being with a married woman."
"Of course you're honorable," the woman sighed wistfully, fanning herself in the warming spring and conveniently exposing a fair bit of cleavage. "I thought Florentines didn't care for such details?"
Ezio shook his head, and took her hand to kiss it. "Florentines have always been passionate about their love, but I also believe in marriage, as my parents did."
The woman flushed even more, looking all the more attractive, and Ezio bowed again, walking away. Cristina came to his thoughts once again, as did Claudia. Yes, Ezio believed firmly in marriage. Once one was promised to someone, it was important to remain faithful. His father never had any illegitimate children, and Maria, as evidenced by her current state, was completely devoted to their father.
It was why Ezio hadn't been with anyone since he'd given his heart to Cristina. But that chapter of his life was over now. He no longer needed to remain alone like that.
Still, Ezio doubted he'd ever love someone as he had Cristina ever again.
Instead, he'd follow Federico's footsteps.
After all, Ezio chuckled to himself, he was a far better charmer than Federico could ever dream to be.
At least... now he was... with Federico gone...
In between his helping resolve conflicts, training, planning with Claudia, and looking after their mother, Ezio made sure to read through the Codex pages. There was something in them that he was drawn to, something about Altair's prose that just kept striking a cord somewhere deep within him. This man from hundreds of years ago seemed to be reaching forward through his words, there was something he needed to teach, and Ezio always felt it was somewhere along the edges of his understanding, so he kept rereading.
"What follows are the three great ironies of the Assassin Order: (1) Here we seek to promote peace, but murder is our means. (2) Here we seek to open the minds of men, but require obedience to a master and set of rules. (3) Here we seek to reveal the danger of blind faith, yet we are practitioners ourselves."
Ezio himself had thought of these contradictions as he reconciled reading his father's journals of assassinations. How could one truly promote peace if murder was the tool? It was such a mutually exclusive construct; Ezio still pondered the meanings of it. To have others see the contradictions was, in a way, a relief. To see them written down convinced Ezio that it wasn't just him. There were aspects of some of the lessons his uncle gave him, of the danger of faith, yet always to have faith that had confused him, and seeing that these thoughts had already been reviewed many generations ago, pulled at Ezio. There was something there, just between the lines.
"I have no satisfactory answer to these charges, only possibilities... Do we bend the rules in service to a greater good? And if we do, what does it say of us? That we are liars? That we are frauds? That we are weak? Every moment is spent wrestling with these contradictions and in spite of all the years I've had to reflect, still I can find no suitable answer... And I fear that one may not exist."
All were interesting questions, ones Ezio hadn't even considered. And if the great Altair could not even resolve the differences and contradictions, a man Ezio was starting to hold in great esteem and respect as he read the writings and felt them crystallize in his heart, his very being, then Ezio wondered if maybe what the learned Altair was saying between the lines was for Ezio to try and solve these dilemmas. Ezio certainly had had a well-rounded education thanks to his father's insistence, as did all his siblings.
"Nothing is true. Everything is permitted. Does our creed provide the answer, then? That one may be two things – opposite in every way – simultaneously? And why not? Am I not proof? We of noble intentions, possessed of barbaric means? We who celebrate the sanctity of life and then promptly take it from those we deem our enemies?"
Dichotomy. Ezio himself had seen many such examples in Florence, people who were devoutly religious but preferred the same gender and had to live with the contradictions inherent to their very being. Perhaps the nobility, the honor, the dream that Assassins had was what Assassins were to strive for. But the killing, the stealth, the trickery, became the tools of those who lived in a world where the ideal could only be striven for, and not achieved. Not on such a grand scale.
But that didn't mean it was unachievable. One need only look at Ezio's own beloved Florence to see a wealth of tolerance. But tolerance was always under attack by the small-minded, those who saw equity as an abomination.
It was a contemplation that Ezio often returned to, as he continued to accept his life of dichotomy.
And every time he returned to these Codex pages, his respect and admiration of this Altair, this greatest of Assassins, continued to grow.
Mario arrived with similar fanfare to Ezio's when he arrived, with the citizens thanking him for keeping them all safe and praising him for taking in the younger Auditore and their wisdom in finances into his care. Riding up the main thoroughfare had Ezio introducing the new people in town, including Alder and his assistants and Marco and Carlo, along with many construction workers who were working on the bank, the blacksmith, what would be an art studio for Vincenzo, the mines, and, now that Claudia had started selling the antiquities, the ramparts and battlements of their city.
"Nipote, it seems you and that sister of yours have been busy while I've been away!" Mario said, clapping Ezio on the back as they rode up to the Villa.
Ezio shrugged with a smile. "We had to keep busy with you gallivanting around the countryside and hunting down rogue mercenaries."
Mario guffawed. "As if you weren't busy in Florence. Lorenzo sent a letter, after all, telling the exploits of your bravery!"
The young Florentine chuckled.
"It seems my small contributions keep getting blown out of proportion."
They shared a laugh and Santino almost dragged Ezio off his horse when they rode by so that he could take more measurements for the armor he was making.
"Bene, nipote. I'll see you later."
"But uncle!"
But Mario was already riding away, laughter twinkling in his sighted eye.
Turning to the blacksmiths, Ezio chuckled. "I thought you already had your measurements from when you made the leather armor?"
Santino brushed the comment aside. "Ah, but Ser Ezio, you've put on more muscle! Look at your shoulders, they're wider and your forearms are thicker! Unsurprising with all the climbing you do, and you've been doing a lot of climbing from what Marco and Carlo have been saying! Ah! And look at this new blade of yours! We must take this into account! Why, the precision of being able to work around such an elegant weapon is the greatest honor!"
"Enough, enough," Ezio chuckled. "I'll stay for a while, but I do need to talk to my uncle eventually. And keep these measurements of yours. I'm sure that if we ever get a proper tailor in town, they'll likely need it."
"Si, si," Santino said, making Marco list numbers he rattled off and Carlo run out back to get some sample metals for Ezio to pick from. Apparently Ezio's previous tests had become the blacksmith's selling point, something the mercenaries enjoyed, seeing what Santino's armor could truly take in terms of force.
Eventually he was able to pull away and get back to the Villa.
Mario didn't need much for settling in, after all he always seemed to be heading out on horseback with his mercenaries for some reason or other, and he smiled widely when Ezio arrived.
"Ezio! Haha, come in, come in! To what do we owe the honor?"
Ezio chuckled. "Don't you mean 'to what do we owe the honor'? It's become such a rarity to find you around lately."
Mario chuckled as well. "Still, it's good to see you've survived without me as a crutch. You've grown these last couple of months. You make me proud."
The young Florentine sat down in front of Mario's desk and sipped his glass of wine. It was time to get to business. "I've been sent from Firenze by Il Magnifico to attend to some unfinished business. I'm looking for Jacopo de' Pazzi."
"Ha!" Mario scoffed. "Who isn't? We've been at it for days. It's why I was so late coming back to Monteriggioni."
"Then perhaps what I carry can help us both," Ezio offered, "a list of his co-conspirators. One of them will talk before he dies."
"Excellent!" Mario gave a predatory smile. "These men are sure to lack Jacopo's vast resources, which means they will be easier to find. I will put my scouts on it at once."
"I appreciate the help, Uncle," Ezio smiled. The young Florentine may know Florence like the back of his hand, but nobody knew Tuscany and the surrounding countryside like Mario. "I've got something else for you as well: more codex pages."
"Ah, let's see what we can learn," Mario started looking through the pages studiously, much like Ezio had as he waited for his uncle.
"What is this...? What prophet...?"
Ezio blinked. "What did you find, Uncle?" He didn't remember such a passage.
"Just another damn mystery," Mario growled. "Your friend is good, but I'm familiar with some of this Arabic more than him. The text roughly translates to: 'Only the prophet may open it...' There's a reference to two 'Pieces of Eden,' but these pages offer no answers, nipote. At least not on their own. You must find more."
Ezio pulled the page over, scanning it.
"I have the answer now. I know the truth. I shall not touch that wretched thing again. Best that no one do, now or ever. I have tried - at last – to destroy it, but it will neither bend nor break nor melt. Oh the irony – I am certain if I asked, the Apple would tell me what need be done. But even this promise is insufficient. Always it holds one more gift to give. I must refrain. So it shall be sealed. We will take it to the island - once theirs, now ours. There is a treasury there – hidden well - and it shall have to suffice. Risky to separate myself from the artifact that others may discover it. Riskier still to keep it close. In time I will be tempted. I am weak. We all are. Who wouldn't be? Oh, the things I have seen... The tale is here – inside the text. Not between the lines but beneath them. Where only our eyes might peer. Go and see it for yourself. That you might succeed where I and the others have failed. Time marches on – bringing with it new discoveries and developments. And so at least one day the doorway might be opened and the message delivered. They will have their prophet."
Prophet... Just what did that mean? A Piece of Eden sealed on an island that had traded hands? This talk of temptation... Without a reference it was meaningless. But...
"Not between the lines but beneath them," Ezio muttered, looking at the pages of the Codex. "The map?" He looked at the pages again, this time calling on his eagle, looking at the map underneath. There was... something. "We don't have enough pages," Ezio looked up to his uncle, his eyes still glowing. "I can see bits of the map, but I can only connect certain pages. Find more indeed, several pages more..."
Mario stared at Ezio, his mouth slightly open, before he sat back, eyes narrowed. "A prophet," he muttered, staring at Ezio, or perhaps through him.
"Uncle?"
But the thoughts behind Mario's eyes were going too fast for Ezio to understand. Then, at last, Mario nodded.
"You have a knack for finding these pages, nipote. Be sure to find more!"
Ezio chuckled. "We'll have to save it for another day, Uncle. I have a mission to attend to."
"As you wish," Mario nodded, a sly grin on his face. "Now, if you hope to defeat these bastardi, I will need to teach you a few things."
Ezio smiled and held up a different Codex page. "I think I have a few things to teach you."
As it turned out, Mario did indeed have several things to teach him. When Ezio had last faced his uncle before going off to kill Vieri de' Pazzi, Ezio had taken great pride in finally being able to beat the old man. But it seemed that Mario had been holding back. Immensely. It seemed the only thing Ezio could still beat his uncle at were the new techniques from the Codex pages, and only barely because of his brief time of practice. And even in that, it wasn't long before Mario overtook him.
"I hope I have your energy when I reach your age," Ezio panted after a full day in the training right.
Mario only laughed. "Stay at being an Assassin, and you'll be in shape."
Still, it seemed his training had been stepped up manifold and he was working up a sweat under the increasingly hot early summer sun. The mercenaries and Ulderico not only put him through his paces, but also pushed at his endurance, strength, putting out prolonged bouts where Ezio stayed in the ring but fresh mercenaries replaced each other in waves to simulate how Ezio would face different guards in large groups.
It was grueling and tiring. But Ezio could almost swear that he felt all the lessons coalescing in his muscles, reactions speeding up and flowing before he'd even thought of them.
During all this training, in any free time Ezio found, he painted. One of the spoils of helping Lorenzo in Florence was going through the seized assets of the Pazzi and their supporters and among the items included paintings of the various people he was hunting. Ezio knew their faces well, so well that he was using the portraits he found as a basis for his own paintings. A way to study the faces of his targets without simply staring at their pictures. Given that these had been taken from Pazzi properties, Ezio also found portraits of Francesco and Vieri de' Pazzi, even the Gonfaloniere Alberti, and Ezio practiced his painting with them as well. Ezio acknowledged that his kills of Alberti and Vieri were sloppy, amateurish, and disrespectful. And even if he didn't respect these men in any way, he did respect himself. He could not and would not stoop to their level, but he couldn't go back and change how he'd assassinated them. So he painted, in an attempt to give them dignity in the present where he couldn't in the past.
Ezio still wished to paint his father and brothers, but he didn't feel he had the skill yet. In time, perhaps.
July swiftly turned to August and the warm air remained incredibly dry. Mario and Ulderico were still beating him into the ground, but Mario's mercenaries sent in continual reports as they scoured the countryside, searching for Ezio's targets.
It was late August when word finally arrived that Archbishop Francesco Salviati had finally been located. Really, it was no wonder he'd been found so quickly, as the papal banker had decided to hide in his villa. The expansive compound was three days ride west of Monteriggioni, and was unsurprisingly, heavily guarded. After all, Salviati had papal funds to procure his protection.
Mario nodded as the young mercenary finished his report. "Ezio, this is another test for you."
Ezio nodded. "As you wish, Zio."
Mario looked to Ezio, measuring again, as seemed to be his habit lately. "You've proven thus far you can work well on your own. Now you will have to lead men. I give you one of my garrisons for this. Show this archbishop that his precious money can't hide him."
Ezio gave a solemn bow, understanding the weight Mario was giving him. Idly, he wondered if every Assassin in Italia went through such a thorough training, but pushed the thoughts aside. Mario was likely teaching him as he himself learned, the same way his father had likely learned. And if Giovanni could handle it, Ezio would make sure he could.
However, determined as Ezio was to succeed, he did know that he was still young and didn't know much about leading others. So as Mario rode off to pursue another line of investigation, Ezio sat down with Ulderico to at least determine which men to bring with him.
It was a learning experience to say the least. Ezio, who fought in streets, alleys, and rooftops, naturally selected those who had the build and agility for it. Ulderico would cuff him on the head, and explain that to favor one type of fighter was suicide as weaknesses were easily determined. Variety was the key and using each strength well and knowing how was what made a leader.
Ezio finally rode out with thirty men and a wagon of food and supplies for their trek across the Tuscany countryside. The men took to Ezio well enough, the young Florentine able to use his charm and easy-going personality to fit right in. They laughed and talked of various exploits during the ride until, a half-day away with Salviati's villa over the next hill, Ezio called a halt.
"So, boy, what are we to do?" one of the captains asked.
Ezio had been thinking long and hard about this as they'd been riding.
"I'd like one or two of you to come with me while we scout out the area."
The captain blinked. "Oh?"
Ezio gave a grin. "I don't suppose you know the layout of the villa already?"
The captain shrugged. "Does it matter?"
Chuckling, Ezio shook his head. "I want to make sure that they don't have hidden weapons and resources to surprise us. Salviati has more funds than we do, so we need to know what we're up against."
"Ha! I see why Mario is training you so hard," the captain laughed.
Ezio brushed the compliment aside. "Well, now we need to find a pig."
Ezio and the captain, dressed as farmers, let the pig loose into the walled in villa with a supply wagon, chasing after it. The guards and servants of the villa ended up chasing after it as well as the wild pig started to cause all sorts of problems as it ran around and no one seemed to be able to get a hold of it. Gardens were trampled, servers tripped sending food flying, and the women started to scream, not wanting to be touched by such a filthy animal.
As the chaos continued, Ezio and the captain both took careful note of the villa's layout, where the guards were positioned, and how organized they were. Once they had what they needed, they helped in the effort to capture the pig (which had gotten into the villa proper and the kitchens, eating anything it could get its snout into) and offering apology after apology as they dragged the swine out.
"Ser Ezio," the captain laughed as they returned the pig to the original owner, "I like the way you think."
Still, they had the information they needed.
That night was planning. Ezio had the basics of a plan he wanted to implement, but the captain provided many insights from his long experience that Ezio never would have thought of. The plan, as a result, was far more collaborative, Ezio learning from an experienced veteran and the captain looking at things in a new light with Ezio's young, learned perspective.
The men would be divided into teams of three, so that they could enter the compound in waves. The main gate was the only way in, not even a servant's entrance existed, so it was better to come in with waves, throw the guards off by increasing numbers and keeping them guessing. The mercenary teams also had certain directions to go in, staggering their approaches to create more confusion. And during all the chaos, Ezio would be able to slip in, unnoticed, to the villa and find Archbishop Salviati.
The key, however, was getting the gate open. That was also Ezio's task. He would sneak in under the cover of night and open the gates. While command over his own army was a nice change of pace from the usual sneaking and stabbing, the sneaking and stabbing remained his greatest strength.
The following night, after a day of rest and preparing, Ezio slipped through the fields in the moonlight, the captain and two of his men there to help Ezio should any need arise before he was able to get into the villa.
At the edge of the fields, Ezio glanced around, waiting for a cloud to pass over the moon, and snuck forward to outlying buildings for some of the servants and farmers of the villa. Under an overhang, he studied the buildings as the moon came out again, plotting the roofs and if any of them could get him to the villa.
He saw a path and easily scaled a wall, staying low to the tiles as the captain and his men approached from below.
"Ser Ezio, what are you doing?" the captain hissed up to him. "We can't follow you there!'
"I need to follow a path on the roofs. Watch for my shadows. You'll know where I am."
There was a grumbling nod and Ezio stayed still, pressed against the roof and waiting. He scanned the path with utter scrutiny, but saw no problems ahead of him. So, silently, he leapt to the roof across from him and started to crouch his way forward. The mercenaries followed below him as he approached higher and higher.
Twang.
Ezio sucked in a silent breath as something pierced his shoulder, making him lose his balance in a jump. He hit the tiles hard and instinct had him turning as he slid down to the edge, seeing the silhouette of a bowman in the distance and sending a knife flying, satisfied to hear the grunt of a good hit. But it was too late for him as Ezio didn't have time to grasp the edge of the roof and he tumbled down. He grasped a trellis that gave way under his weight, grasped vines growing up the side of the building, and slowed his descent enough that the captain and his men caught Ezio before more damage could be done.
"Merde," Ezio hissed. He glanced behind him to see an arrow in his back, having pierced his leather armor.
"Get that spaulder off!" the captain growled at his men. A dagger came out and cut the end of the arrow off cleanly and the spaulders were both removed. The dagger cut at Ezio's doublet and shirt, tearing it open and one of the men grabbed the arrow carefully, right where it was sticking out of Ezio's shoulder. Ezio braced himself and nodded and with a harsh yank the arrow was out and Ezio was breathing as hard as he could to keep from crying out.
"We'll have to scrap the mission," the captain said, applying some soft cloth and then a wrapping a bandage over it.
"No," Ezio grunted, testing the shoulder. "They'll find the guard in the morning and know someone tried. Salviati will escape and we'll lose our chance. We'll keep going."
The captain's lips thinned. "You can't climb like that."
Ezio thought back to that horrible day his family died, how his muscles burned after running and climbing so much over the course of the day and night. He'd survived that and still faced off with Vieri on the way to Monteriggioni. He could do this as well. "I can climb one-handed if I have to," he replied grimly. "Once I'm on the roofs it won't be a problem. You and your men will be the ones doing the fighting. Be careful."
"Are you sure?"
Ezio didn't even bother to reply, instead scaling the three-story building he'd just fell off of and swiftly making it to the roof once more.
He stayed still for a moment, ignoring the sharp stabs of his shoulder, and assessed his surroundings once more. He even reached for the sense of an eagle's clarity to see anything he could, concentrating.
For the first time, instead of gold, he thought he saw a flicker of red ahead of him, pacing, but it was a weak flicker and Ezio blinked, losing his concentration and wondering just what he'd seen.
The moon shined down clear once more and Ezio saw a bowman, yawning on the roof of the wall that surrounded the villa.
Ezio pulled out one of his throwing knives and sent it flying. The guard grunted then toppled forward to the captain and his men. Ezio leapt forward, jumping from beam to beam until he was atop the wall. Further down, he saw another guard in the moonlight and sent another knife flying, aiming for when the men would fall outside of the villa, instead of inside where guards were patrolling. He waited for clouds to pass overhead before moving, not wishing his shadow to be seen.
At last, he reached the gate. This was going to hurt with one shoulder bleeding, but needed to be done. Blowing out the candle nearby to keep his presence hidden, he started the arduous task of raising the gate. Once it was high enough, a mercenary slipped in and took over and Ezio grunted his thanks.
"I see you there, Assassin!" A frantic cry from above came. "These walls have stood for a hundred years and will stand for a hundred more! Stop wasting the lives of your men! Go! Go away! All that awaits you here is death! Turn back!"
Ezio turned to his first two teams as they raced in, weapons high and shouting.
Really, he doubted he'd ever turn back now.
"Men prepare yourselves, the assassin has arrived!" Salviati cried.
The fighting broke out and chaos arrived as the teams engaged different guards and started to battle. Ezio took his opportunity to slip into the shadows and catch his breath.
"I warned you to stay away, Assassin!" Salviati shouted from on high. "You should have listened! You're finished, Assassin! Do you hear me?! Finished!"
"You Templars, always singing the same song..." Ezio shouted back.
"Do you think a few mercenaries scare me? Hah!"
"They should."
Ezio saw another wave of his men come roaring through the gate and Ezio took his chance to slip into an open window into the villa. Salviati sounded like he was on the upper floors. It wouldn't take long to find him.
"Shall I send your remains to that drunkard, Mario? Hah! What's the point? There won't be anything left of you to recognize!"
Salviati was still shouting out whatever window he was from and Ezio ignored him as he slipped through the chaotic house as servants were rushing about, checking on loved ones and tending to wounded guards who found a way in before Ezio's men killed them.
"I am a reasonable man. What say you to this: turn back now and I'll call off my men."
"Sorry, friend," Ezio smiled as he finally entered Salviati's room and found him rushing to pack a trunk. "You are on my list. Your fate is sealed."
"Tear him limb from limb!" the archbishop shouted. "Let us paint the walls with his blood!"
"That is no way to treat a guest!"
"Guards! To me!"
Two guards came bursting into the room, one with a broadsword that cut into Ezio's exposed thigh. But Ezio pulled out his dagger, better suited for such close quarters, and snuck under the other guard's swing and stabbed him in the back. The first guard swung again, but Ezio dodged, the sword sinking into the floorboards and getting stuck, which allowed Ezio to slip behind him, pull his head back, and slice his dagger across the exposed throat, blood spraying everywhere.
The archbishop was covered in blood and Ezio stumbled forward to reach him.
Salviati seemed to see a chance to escape and rushed forward, but a shadow appeared from the doorway stabbed the archbishop in the stomach, pushing him down. One of the servants. The servant trembled, looking at what he'd done, but held the knife in front of him regardless.
Ezio nodded to him and eased his way over.
"Where is Jacopo?" Ezio growled at the cowering and bleeding archbishop. A man so hungry and greedy for power he tried to have Il Magnifico killed for snubbing him.
"He knows you come for him..." Salviati gasped, "emerging only in darkness to meet with the others..."
"That answers when... Now tell me where?" Salviati said nothing, as pain overtook him and he passed out.
Ezio heaved a sigh. The stomach would bleed out, ensuring a slow death. But he would show this man more respect than that. He hobbled over and sat down, the servant watching everything with his knife still out. Ezio's hidden blade dug into the man's heart and Ezio offered a few words. "Faith should bring comfort, not pain. Requiescat in Pace."
"Thank you, Messere," the servant who had stabbed Salviati said, finally dropping the knife with a heavy sigh of relief. "This man, he had my brother killed for simply sending a letter. Thank you."
Ezio, breathing heavily, looked at the man. "You can't stay here. The blood on your clothes, the others will know you helped."
The man nodded. "I'm just a gardener, Messere. I can work at any villa."
Ezio smiled. "I happen to have need of a gardener at my villa. What's your name?"
"Biaggio. Thank you, Messere! Thank you!"
"Before you thank me, help me get out of here."
"Of course! Of course, Messere!"
Biaggio grabbed Ezio's arm and the young Florentine tried not to hiss as it pulled at his shoulder, and limped back down through the villa. He pulled them into shadows or dark rooms if guards ran by, demanding what orders Salviati had of them, and held Biaggio's mouth as the man gasped, realizing just what it would take to get out of here.
But they made it out to the courtyard, where Ezio's men had formed a perimeter, as planned.
"Ser Ezio!' the captain hissed.
"Let's get out of here."
Author's Note: Hah, another boring chapter, but it's going to lead to something good, I promise!
Much like with Masyaf, we're taking the time to populate Monteriggioni. (cough cough Brotherhood cough) with people who have a connection to Ezio and can be memorable/recognizable to the reader. We also show, a little bit, about how the town is starting to change for the better. Claudia gets to shine a little bit as it becomes increasingly obvious that she's the one who's in charge of the city's finances, and even Maria has one small moment to show that even she is healing from the ordeal.
Also note that Ezio is taking up painting. Those portraits in the game had to come from someone, and Leonardo sure didn't paint them. We kind of like the idea that these assassins have hobbies outside of stabbity-deaths. Altair had blacksmithing, Ezio painting, we'll be curious what Conner's hobby is... And we start laying the groundwork for Ezio's, er, promiscuity. Neither of us were really comfortable with the idea of him just screwing anyone in sight, and so we very carefully constructed how he goes about bedding all the women in Italia. More on that in future chapters. There's also the training of course; unlike the game work like that needs to be kept at and kept at over one's entire life to maintain the muscle memory and speed and strength necessary. Also note that Ezio's eagle vision is starting to evolve - we have to keep Revelations in mind, and so it appears slightly here. More than anything else this is a chapter to show that Ezio is starting to grow - particularly with his first of the list of assassinations performed in San Gimignano. You'll see more of the learning curve in the next few chapters.
Of which: next week: Ezio slowly starts to wind up to a fever pitch.