The stuffed dummy had little chance against her new weapon and when she pulled on the lever she felt a shudder pass through her.
Bang!
This was perfect! The dummy fell down from the ledge it was perched on and she examined the hole on the head. To get a better accuracy, she would have to be nearer to her target than she had first guessed. She walked back to the table Leonardo had set up for her outside, and drew a circle near the docks.
Originally, she had hoped to take aim at the Doge from the docks, but now it seemed she would have to station herself nearer. She scratched her chin thoughtfully and tried to remember what else Sister Teodora and Antonio had been talking about. If she hadn't been so distracted by Machiavelli's presence, perhaps she would have paid better attention.
"Nessuna problema." She told herself out loud. "I can do this. I can!"
She thought long and hard and then remembered that Sister Teodora had mentioned that the Doge would be surrounded by guards and quite possibly be on board of a ship.
Claudia smiled to herself and quickly put a cross on the square where the party was to be held. She put another cross next to it where the ship would possibly be and then drew a line further away from it. This is where she would stay in waiting, ready to take a shot with her new weapon.
"How is it going?" Leonardo asked, coming out to the small enclosure. His hands were smeared with green paint and he was taking great pains to make sure that the paint didn't stain his clothes.
"I have a plan that might work."
"That is good news." Leonardo said. "There is a note for you."
Claudia rolled up the map she made and hesitated. "Who is it from?"
"A thief dropped it by for you." Leonardo replied. "It's at my desk."
Claudia nodded and walked inside, wondering if it was from Machiavelli, when she noticed the very man she had been thinking about standing by a wall and admiring one of Leonardo's incredible artwork.
She uttered a small gasp and then turned around at Leonardo who was smirking delightfully at her. She scowled at him and he slinked away.
"I was told I could find you here." Machiavelli addressed her without turning around.
"Why are you here?" she asked, keeping her tone in check.
"I was making sure you were alright."
Claudia wanted to say if he had only now begun to be concerned about her welfare and then decided against the scathing comment. "Shouldn't you be more concerned with the mission at hand, instead?"
Machiavelli did turn at her and he seemed annoyed with her. "How long are you going to continue to with this behavior?"
Claudia crossed her arms. "I wasn't aware I needed your permission to behave appropriately." She was doing it again and instigating a fight, but she couldn't help herself. The thought that he might be keeping company with other women, refused to leave her mind.
"Claudia, I thought we were friends. What happened?" he asked. He looked so dejected in the dull glow of the candles that Claudia could feel herself softening.
"We are married now." Claudia said quietly. "Our relationship has changed and rather than make sense of it, you find it easier to avoid me and…spend time with other….people."
Machiavelli turned back to stare at the painting and Claudia could see his shoulders stiffen. He was avoiding her again and it was breaking her heart. She missed him and she really wished she could go back to having him as her confidant and a friend who was always there to help her.
"I have been busy." His voice was so low that she had to step closer to listen. "I have work in Firenze and now this whole business with the Doge."
Claudia frowned at him. She had been busy too, but if she were in his place and if he were agreeable to engage in a conversation, then she would have made an effort to spend time with him. Taking a deep breath to collect her thoughts and subdue her irritation she took a step towards him. "We have both been busy and since we are Assassins, there is very little chance that we shall have any free time. So until we decide what to do with this change, we should let things remain the way they are."
"You mean, the way you refuse to speak to me anymore?" Machiavelli asked in annoyance. "Ah! But now that you have Leonardo to lean on, you have little use for anyone else."
Claudia gasped. "You're jealous of Leonardo?" she asked. "He has been so kind to help the Assassins. You know that."
Machiavelli looked like he did regret his words but he didn't reply to amend them. He continued to glower and then reached into his pockets for a note and almost threw it on the table, then decided against it and handed it to her.
Claudia took it and opened it. "What is it?" she asked.
Machiavelli looked frustrated. "It's the location of Emilio Barbarigo and his ally Carlo Grimaldi."
Claudia put the note into her pocket. "Very well then. I will take care of them."
"Be careful." He said and then without waiting for her to reply, walked out Leonardo's studio.
The Carnivale had begun and people were already flocking towards the main square in the Dorsoduro district. Instead of following them, Claudia headed towards the docks and looked for an empty gondola. She gazed in the distance at the jesters performing fire tricks and wondered how Machiavelli was faring at the Carnivale games.
Machiavelli was skilled and she had no doubt that he would win the games, but her intuition told her that his opponents were the Templars and their only assets were deceit and treachery. The chances of Machiavelli emerging as the winner of the games were unlikely and she was glad if that would be the outcome.
She would prefer if her plan went without a hitch and hopefully without any casualties. Once the Doge would die by her weapon, she wasn't sure how much commotion would be created. All she knew was that he would have to die today.
She stepped into the gondola and started to row. Once she was far out into the waters, she let down the oar and sat alone with her thoughts again.
It was getting difficult to understand why she couldn't see Machiavelli as her friend anymore. They were married, but with that relationship came something else that she could still not comprehend. Who were they and what were they supposed to become?
And with these thoughts came a strange uneasiness that bored right to her bones and muscles. She had heard that someone in the neighborhood had their marriage annulled. What if…?
No, she wouldn't allow herself to think such terrible thoughts. If only Machiavelli was what he used to be with her before, she would be telling him all these things instead of driving herself insane with these thoughts.
She let out a breath and sat up with a jolt as the fireworks went off. It had become darker and she hadn't even noticed it. In the distance, she saw the silhouette of a large ship sail closer to the land.
Sister Teodora's information had been correct. The Doge was on the ship. She stood up and started to row slowly towards it. The party had begun and the guests were already cheering and dancing.
As soon as she had the Doge in view, she let her oar down and let the boat float closer towards the ship. She raised her arm and pulled on her lever. A guard walked right past the Doge and blocked her view.
"Pazienza!" she reminded herself. Her plan would only work if she shot the Doge dead. One mistake and she would never be able to eliminate him.
She held her breath and was glad when the fireworks went off and for a brief moment, the sky was illuminated by its brilliance. The Doge's position was also fully visible. She didn't waste a minute. She pulled on the lever and a loud shot erupted from her gun.
The Doge clutched at his chest and then fell to his knees. It was done.
Claudia stood numbly, making sure the Doge was indeed going to die.
"Who did this?" the guards on the ship shouted.
The fireworks went on again and she saw the Doge lying motionless on the deck. People in the nearby square started to shriek and run, but the guards let out a warning against anyone even moving.
Claudia started to row away when she spotted Machiavelli, removing the golden mask from his face and standing on the edge of a ledge, watching the dead body of the Doge in amazement.
"Assassino!" one of the guards cried, pointing towards him.
"Oh no!" Claudia uttered and then hoped that Machiavelli had thought of an escape plan of his own. It turned out that his only escape was running up the rooftops and he did exactly that, tossing the mask behind him.
"Raggazzi! After him!" the captain of guards shouted.
Claudia rowed towards the docks and quickly got out. She had made a terrible mistake. She had been so egoistic in trying to outsmart the other Assassins, she had unwillingly put her own husband in danger.
But now was not the time to dwell on her errors. She sped towards the buildings and quickly climbed up the roof. Machiavelli was about to be outnumbered as a group of ten guards chased him.
Claudia jumped from rooftop to rooftop, not pausing for even a breath. She was a skilled fighter and so was Machiavelli but it would be disastrous to take on the guards in the midst of a high alert.
"The Doge has been killed!" someone yelled in the streets below.
She could already here more guards being called and felt her heart sink. She spotted a roof garden across from her and then looked at where Machiavelli was. He had almost given the guards the slip, but the longer he ran on the rooftops, the better chances were of him being caught.
Claudia sped towards the roof gardens and reached before he could. Jumping in, she peeked through the curtains, waiting for the right moment to make her move.
Machiavelli came sprinting towards the rooftop garden and started to move sideways, when she reached out and pulled him back by his shoulders.
The force by which she pulled him hurriedly caused them both to fall inside the roof garden.
Machiavelli started to say something and Claudia clamped her hand over his mouth, signaling him to remain quiet. She heard footsteps beside the rooftop gardens and she felt her heart stop.
Machiavelli raised his head and then held up a finger. Claudia looked behind him and shook her head quickly, putting up four fingers.
Machiavelli pointed at his sword and then let out a soft moan. Claudia removed her hand and looked down to see that he had lost his sword. He was without a weapon and she had only her hidden gun with five bullets. She silently cursed herself for believing that she wouldn't need her other weapons. For now, they were trapped and as more footsteps headed towards them, Claudia realized that her plans had gone all wrong.