There really wasn't any point in sleeping anymore, Claudia thought miserably after spending yet another night tossing and turning. She got up, changed into her Assassin robes and wondered if she should ever even bother changing out of her robes considering she always ended up wearing them again, minutes after removing them.
She let the hood fall on her back and looked out the window at the dark sky. It was fine that she wasn't sleeping considering there was so much work to be done. There were Templar agents to hunt, bandits to thwart and whatever time was left, was spent keeping an eye on the coming and goings of clients in the Rosa in Fiore.
Claudia opened the door to her room and walking with soft steps, crept downstairs so as not to awake the other Assassins. However, voices from the meeting hall told her someone was already awake and by the voices- it was her Mother and La Volpe.
"She won't tell me." She heard her Mother speak in a frustrated voice. "I know something is upsetting her but I cannot fathom what it is she doesn't want to tell me."
"She will tell you when she is ready to tell you." La Volpe replied briefly.
Claudia felt her nausea returning. Lately, whenever Machiavelli's name came up or her Mother asked what was wrong with her, all she had wanted to do was cry and throw up. This had been going on for days now.
She lowered herself on the staircase and put her hand on the wall, hoping that La Volpe wouldn't tell her Mother.
"Do you know anything?"
Claudia held her breath as La Volpe didn't respond for several minutes. She knew it wouldn't be long before he spilled the secret. Her Mother was a clever woman and had always been able to drive secrets out of people.
"I cannot say that I do." He said.
She heard her Mother's footsteps. "If you know what it is my daughter has been upset about and not telling me…."
"I assure you Madonna; there isn't anything to worry about." He said. "Claudia is a smart woman. If she was in some kind of trouble she would have confided in you."
"No." Her Mother sounded sad. "She thinks she's protecting me by keeping her troubles all to herself. But what she doesn't understand is that I am stronger than I look and I just need her to come to me."
Claudia let out her breath. It would have been so much easier if she could, but telling her how Machiavelli was cheating on her would only bring about shame.
"She will." La Volpe said.
"So then you do know what it is." Her Mother said quickly.
"I….no….I only meant…."
Claudia got up and rushed to the room. "Madre! You're still awake?"
Her Mother looked surprised and behind her La Volpe appeared relieved. "Si. Gilberto and I were discussing. Are you going out? At this hour?"
Claudia glared at La Volpe. So much for trusting him for his craftiness. Clearly he was no match for her Mother's intelligence.
"I am going to check up on the Rosa in Fiore." She replied. "After that I shall go and find out if our spies have heard of anymore Templar agents and then go check up on the recruits."
"When will you rest?" Her Mother asked. "You look tired and ill."
"I am fine." She lied and then shuffled her feet. She was caught between wanting to stay and making sure La Volpe wouldn't blurt about Machiavelli and wanting to leave so that she wouldn't be subjected to questions she didn't want to answer yet.
"Bene, then I shall come with you." Her Mother said.
"There is no need."
"There is every need." Her Mother said slowly and then threw a disgruntled glance at La Volpe as if silently berating him for not telling her what he knew. "You need the help and I am willing to give it to you."
"Va bene." Claudia said reluctantly. "Andiamo."
Her Mother followed her outside and they walked in complete silence to the brothel. Claudia threw her several uneasy glances, but her Mother retained her stony silence and didn't say a word until they entered the brothel.
Inside, there were men still sitting on couches with the courtesans while others enjoyed a private dance in the corner of the rooms. Claudia looked all around her and then spotted a drunken old man arguing with a courtesan.
Claudia made her way over to them and tapped the inebriated man on the shoulder. "What is going on?" she demanded to know.
"Go away." The old man slurred and turned back to the flustered courtesan. "Take me to your room." he ordered.
Claudia frowned and then took the man's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Leave! Now!" She turned the man with all her strength and pushed him towards the door.
"I will not leave!" He said. "I have every right to be here!" He reached into his pockets and took out a handful of coins and threw it on the floor. "Now, obey me."
Claudia scanned the room and saw some of her regular clients looking at them. She couldn't afford to create a scene but there was no way she was going to give in to the demands of a stronzo either.
"Everything is fine." She assured the others and smiled. Then she walked over to the old man and grabbed his arm. "If you don't leave this very second." She whispered in his ear. "Your wife will find out where exactly her husband has been spending his nights."
"I don't care." The old man said.
"Oh you will." Claudia kept her smile for the benefit of others, but her voice was acid. "Your wife comes from a family with immense wealth and after her parents died, she received it all. Imagine if she finds out that her husband is a cheat. Not only will she throw you out, you will also never see another coin."
The old man looked at the coins scattered on the floor and bent down to pick them up and pocket them. "I am leaving." He said.
Claudia opened the door and the man left. The courtesan rushed over to her. "I thought he would never leave." She said. "He kept harassing me."
"He's gone now." Claudia told her and then walked over to her desk to check the books. "We have our spies to thank for keeping check on all our clients and finding their weaknesses."
Her Mother walked over to her and sighed. "How stubborn some people can be."
Claudia gave her a brief smile and reached for her quill. "This isn't the first. Some of them think that since they have coins they can mistreat my girls."
"I shall keep this in mind." Her Mother said. "Didn't you have to go see the spies?"
"I am almost done with this." Claudia said and her Mother put her hand on the book.
"Leave." She said. "I will take care of this. You should finish off your pending work and then get some rest. You look sick."
"But you needn't trouble yourself Madre." She said. "I can do this…"
"Go now!" Her Mother scolded. "You don't have to do everything."
Claudia smiled. "Bene. But do not overwork yourself. I'll finish off my work and come here right away."
"No. Go and get some sleep."
Claudia kissed her Mother on the cheek and then left the brothel. She called for a horse and then rode off towards the Colosseum where the spies had told her they would be.
The sun was coming up and Claudia lost herself in the serenity of the moment, temporarily forgetting all her troubles and just enjoying the cool fresh morning air. Flowers. She could smell the flowers as well.
For that one minute, Claudia felt rejuvenated and free from every problem that had plagued her since her family had been executed. And then just as the sun started to rise, so did all the troubles that she had experienced so far. Then she thought of Machiavelli and Marietta and felt her chest tighten with sorrow.
She stopped her horse by the ruined buildings near the Colosseo and climbed down. Two of La Volpe's spies came running to her and in low voices told her about a Templar agent who would be visiting the Campagna district in two days. That was when she would have to strike.
Claudia took the letter containing the information and got back up on her horse; watching the spies sprint away. She slipped the letter into her pockets and then rode off to see her recruits.
On the way, while she was navigating down the curvy paths to get to her destination, she heard someone call out her name and saw Borso running towards her. She stopped the horse and waited for him to catch up to her.
"What are you doing here?" he asked brightly. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face and she saw the axe in his hands.
"Nothing much." She said. "Are you training?"
"Si." He said and turned to nod at the other mercenaries. "I need all the practice I can get." He was out of breath and Claudia could see the other mercenaries behind him returning back to their practice, but not before she caught a teasing smile on their faces as they watched them.
Claudia looked down at Borso and wondered if the other mercenaries thought there was something going on between them. "Then I shall let you get back to it."
Borso caught the reins of the horse and stopped her. "Are you here to see me?"
"No, Borso." She said and then took a deep breath. Borso seemed like a trustful man and she didn't see why Machiavelli would want to keep the whereabouts of the recruits a secret from the others. "I am here to see the recruits. They are training in that tower." She pointed towards it.
"Ah!" he said and squinted his eyes to see the tower. "Let me escort you."
"There is no need."
"You're not still peeved at me, are you?" He asked earnestly.
"No. I didn't want to keep you from your friends."
"You are my friend too." He grinned.
Claudia nodded reluctantly; wishing she was wrong about Borso flirting with her, but that seemed more and more unlikely as he stared at her. "Let us go then."
They made their way to the tower and Claudia stopped Borso from opening the door. She looked all around her, making sure they weren't being watched and only then opened the door.
Borso made a disgusted sound behind her and Claudia put her hand up to cover her nose. What was that stench?
The interior was completely dark and it seemed that the stench grew thicker when she stepped inside. Her boot then made a squishing sound and Claudia let a moan escape her throat.
Something was wrong.
Borso put a hand on her arm and drew her back. He went before her and she heard more squelching sounds as he went in to light the candles. When the first of the flames came on, Claudia opened her mouth, but no scream came.
The first thing she saw was a pool of blood in the middle of the room. As Borso lit another candle, she saw a severed arm and then she screamed.
Borso was startled and when he too turned he staggered as he noticed the blood and the mutilated bodies in the room.
Claudia could not stop screaming and then her stomach clenched aggressively and she ran outside to vomit.
"Claudia!" she heard Borso call. "What happened here?"
Claudia started to sob loudly and then felt her stomach clench again. She kneeled over and vomited again. "No! No! No!" she cried. "This cannot be happening! This cannot be true!"