She landed with a thud on the cobblestone streets. Citizens had gone into a frenzy and were trampling each other to escape the madness beginning to unfold. Gunshots rang through the air, bodies fell from buildings and guards ran in every direction. Suddenly she smelled smoke...
What? No, not the guild...
Teresa looked to the east, towards the assassin's tower sticking out in the skyline. Flames licked at its perch and the few windows that existed had flames bursting through.
" Zambini!" she called.
" Si Maestra?" he called, between defending blows from a guard.
" Hold down the fort here! I'm heading to the tower!"
Before the boy could reply, she was gone, sprinting down the street towards the tower. She wasn't going quietly either. A path of destruction lay in her wake. Bodies and blood lined the alley.
" Godspeed Maestra Teresa." Zambini muttered before plunging his sword through a guard's back.
/
"Where to go. Head to the tower first, or the next guild over for reinforcements?No.. guild first, help later."
Blood soaked her robes and she let out a battle cry as she threw herself into battle. Images of her mother and father, Cesare stealing her mother away, and her limp lifeless body flashed through her mind. Each growing moment made her angrier and angrier, and she didn't know why.
"Mama, I will avenge you, you will not die in vain."
" If you do,make sure they remember you. That's all I ask."
Lunging at the guard directly to her right, she slashed at his neck with her dagger.
" DIE BASTARDI!"she cried, repeatedly stabbing him through his thin armor.
Blood gushed as the guard cried for mercy. It spewed onto her robes painting them red. Slashing, she cut her victims throat, causing blood to go everywhere. This man was already dead, but she kept going. Her eyes were wide and she didn't let up. Slice after slice Teresa cut through already dead, mutilated flesh.
Heads turned from the battle taking place to watch the horror unfold. Some Borgia dropped their weapons while others stared mouths agape. Taking this as an opportunity, many assassins took this moment to get their kill. Bodies dropped, but still she sat, focused on one body. The evil laugh that haunted her nightmares returned, and rang in her ears.
"TERESA!" a strong voice shook her from her murderous state.
"Take this out on our enemies as a whole. Not just one of the Borgia's lackeys. That is an order. Head to the tower or remove yourself from battle!"
The command was from her father. She shook herself from the state she was in and got to her knees.
"What's wrong with me?" she muttered as she stared at her blood-soaked hands. The anger was gone now, quickly as it came, and her number one priority was to get to the tower.
" The tower... quicker by rooftop." Teresa thought.
Looking at her father, with an ashamed look upon her face, she nodded and began to climb. The section of the street she was in had fallen quiet. The brotherhood began to advance towards the tower, and had cleared the area. Smoke now filled the sky, and she knew what she had to do. Sprinting, she took off, and leaped from building to building without even thinking. Hearing the clash of swords and cries of pain, she realized she was almost there. The sky had grown to be a thick gray, and she was finding it hard to breathe. Once she reached the tower, she saw the effect that the fire already had.
The dead lay in the streets, Assassins, Borgias, and innocent civilians caught in the smoke. The wounded lay crying out for help. Little help was received, for their life was either ended by an enemy, or by the cold hands of death. Assassins ran from the tower, some alone, others with help. Without thinking, Teresa climbed to the ground and ran full speed into the burning tower.
/
Wooden beams fell, brick crumbled and the smell of burnt flesh came in a rush to overwhelm her senses.
" Is anyone in here?" Teresa cried, as she surveyed her immediate area.
"Over here, help me, per favore!" a voice cried, muffled by the sounds of the raging flames.
Teresa headed towards the disembodied voice, and nearly fell when she tripped over a beam.
"Are you alright" the voice asked, panic-stricken.
" I cannot find you, please keep talking so I may find you!" she screamed as the roaring of the flames became to much to bear.
A loud bang and a beam fell ten feet behind her. The building was going to go down... She needed to get out, but not without this person.
" I'm right next to you under this beam. Please signora help me!" the voice cried.
Teresa bent down and saw the body. Crushed, under the beam lay a man, no a boy, not much older than her, bloody and burned. He could not move, for his legs were broken from the impact of the fallen beam. He coughed and looked at Teresa, tears streaking his ash covered face. Not thinking about her own safety at this point, Teresa mustered up all of the strength she possessed, and lifted the wooden beam off of the boy. Her hands stung as she realized she had just burned through the flesh on her hands.
"Can you walk?"she asked, even though she realized the boy's legs were broken.
"No. Please don't leave me." he cried sobbing like a child.
Pity filled her whole being at this sight. A young boy about her age, probably an orphan who turned to the guild for help, now lay practically dying in front of her. She was not going to let that happen. Coughing violently, and eyes tearing, she bent down and grabbed his arms.
"Wrap your arms around my neck, I will carry you out." she spoke gently.
Wrapping his arms around her firmly, she stood, and staggered but turned towards the way she came. Still coughing she wandered through the smoke.
" TERESA! GET OUT THE BUILDING S GOING TO COLLAPSE! TERESA!"
Once again it was her father. She followed the voice, climbing over beams, with the flames licking at her heels constantly. Teresa could tell the boy had either passed out or was dead for his body was dead weight on her shoulders. Stumbling and gasping for air, she saw a glimpse of light and what seemed to be the entrance. Summoning her last bit of will and strength, she sprinted to the door and threw herself to the ground as soon as she exited. She was not sure if the building was collapsing or not, but she felt herself being dragged away from that fiery pit of hell. Arms encompassed her as she was lifted to her feet and pulled into someones arms, and she was guessing her father.
"In nome di Dio perché vorresti fare qualcosa di così stupido?"( In the name of God, why would you do something so stupid?)
"I had to save the boy Padre, I had to."
She gasped for air as she heard a sickening crack, and watched as all she had worked for, crumble to dust, two blocks away from her.
"Auditore... good to see you."
NO.
Anything but that was the voice that haunted her nightmares, filled her life with terror, and filled her vains with the fuel to keep going and destroy what had taken her mother, and so many other lives. That voice came from the man that killed her mother. From Cesare.
"Pezzo de merda! Marcire all'inferno!" ( Piece of shit, rot in hell!) Teresa cried out, tears now rolling down her cheeks.
She went to run foward at this terrible cruel man, when strong hands grabbed hers and she felt an overwhelming burning sensation. She had forgotten that her hands were burned, she was pulled from a fire, and surrounded by the assassins AND the Borgias.
Cesare laughed coldly as he stared back at the girl and his eyes bore into hers.
"Hello, little one." he said, rather sarcastically.
It was hard for her to see through the tears and the remaining clouds of smoke covering the streets, but she could see this man's cold eyes staring into hers. She couldn't get over how cold and lifeless they looked. She was trapped, frozen in fear. Fear? Teresa didn't fear anything. How could this be happening now? She couldn't stop herself from watching the images go through her head. She would love to humiliate him, torture him, and let him suffer the way her mother did. So he would know how it felt, to die a weakling, begging for mercy.
Teresa felt the strong arms release their grip, and she flexed her burned hands. The adrenaline was still flowing, so the pain was non-existant. She felt blood ooze onto her hands and noticed the wounds had opened, but she didn't care. Balling her hands into fists, she brought them to her face and spoke softly.
" Fight me you coward."
Guards and assassins alike shifted their stances and drew their weapons. Ezio signaled his followers to hold and glanced towards Cesare, who had a surprised look upon his face. He lifted a gloved hand to scratch at his scraggly beard and opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed his mouth, and once again opened it, this time forming a sentence.
" Would you want to take the risk of losing all of your assassini?" he questioned.
"I don't think you quiet understand," she said through gritted teeth. "just you...and me."
Once again Cesare laughed, but stopped abruptly at the sight before him. The girl began to strip herself of her sword , dagger, and knives. She even removed a bracer from her left forearm, and let her tattered shoulder cape fall to the ground.
" Just you... and me," she repeated, " fighting, with no weapons, just our hands"
" Then why don't you remove the bracer?" Cesare questioned.
" So after I beat your ass, I can put you out of your misery you dog." Teresa replied coldly.
" How would I know you wouldn't use it before you 'beat my ass'?"
"Oh trust me, you have my word."
She grinned slightly and snapped her wrist,letting the blade slide in and out. Both groups stood in anticipation around the two when Ezio stepped foward. He had a terror stricken look on his face when he began to speak, very feebly.
"Don't do this Teresa. Your time will come, just not now."
" Padre, that time is now." she said, as she shifted her stance.
Cesare removed his sword and dagger from his belt, and set them on the cobblestone street. Looking to his guards, he nodded, and they backed off. Raising his hands in the air, he plastered a fake grin upon his face and spoke.
" Let the battle begin." he spoke.
Teresa ran full speed towards the man, and leaped into the air ready to land on top of him and beat him senseless. Little did she know, Cesare never played fair, and by the time she was in mid-air, his pistol was already raised and loaded. Just befor she made contact she heard a shot ring through the air, and felt blood soak through her robes. A searing pain in her midsection consumed her as she fell to the ground.
Just as she hit the ground she heard the two factions break out into full scale battle. As she faded into darkness she heard her father's voice, heavy with grief.
" No! My precious angel..."
Then, it went black.