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Chapter 29
"This business with the Doge…terrible," Antonio commented as he and Ezio set off. "Though treachery like this no longer surprises me."
"Are these plots common in Venezia?" asked Ezio.
"I am referring to the nobility in general. Have I never told you how I became a thief?"
"Rosa seems to think you have been doing this since birth."
"No," Antonio chuckled. "Not quite, though it has been many years. When I was a child, I was taught that the nobles were just and kind. I believed it too."
"I am sure your opinion has changed since then."
"Not at first. Though my father was only a cobbler and my mother a scullery maid, I aspired to be much more. I studied hard. I persevered, but the nobles would never have me. If you are not born one of them, acceptance is impossible."
"I would never suspect you of aspiring to nobility. It is rare to find someone of your character among them," Ezio replied.
"Nor one of yours," Antonio returned the compliment. "I began to see the corruption that plagues them. They are fallible like the rest of us."
"Only we try to correct the things we've made wrong. They too often do not."
"Yes, so I ask you, Ezio. Who are the true nobles of Venezia? Men like Carlo Grimaldi and Marco Barbarigo? No. I say WE are…the thieves and mercenari and whores. While we work to save the city and its people, the nobles seek to make it their plaything."
"This is why you became a thief?"
"Yes, and it is why you are here too."
"I am here to get answers from the men who murdered my family," Ezio reminded him.
"If vengeance was the only thing pushing you forward, you would have given up your quest long ago," replied the thief. "There is something else as well. I see it and Rosa sees it. You fight for what you know to be good. You have helped those who needed you. As I have told you before, you are more than a petty killer."
Ezio rejected Antonio's assessment in his head as they reached the Piazza San Marco. They quickly moved between a few different places in a desperate attempt to find an entry point, but had no such luck. They decided to move around the back of the Palazzo.
"Is that why Rosa joined you as well?" Ezio asked a short while later.
"I suspect there are many different reasons for the things she does," Antonio replied with another chuckle. "I could never explain all of them, but she and I often see things the same way, yes."
"But you found her and trained her for years. How do you know so little about the things that drive her?"
"I do not often ask my thieves these questions," Antonio explained. "I try to let them discern for themselves what such an occupation means to them. Some simply need work, but others do it for a higher purpose. I only interfere if individual interests compromise the guild. Rosa would never let that happen."
Ezio nodded in agreement. They found no easy entrance at the back of the Palazzo either, but a few crates and some scaffolding led them to the rooftop. As luck would have it, their way was fenced off here as well. Disappointment quickly gave way to panic and frustration when they spotted Carlo Grimaldi speaking with the Doge. Their time was growing short.
They made their way back to the front of the Palazzo to reformulate their plans.
"It's impossible," Antonio threw his arms in the air as some pigeons fluttered out from under him. "There's no way in or out for men. Only birds!"
"Yes, birds!" Ezio realized after a few moments.
"Where are you going now?" Antonio demanded as a distracted Ezio wandered away from him.
"Too see my friend, Leonardo," Ezio explained with excitement.
"Then wait for me!"
"No, we may need some help. Go find Rosa and meet me there. She knows where to go."
