52
I cannot believe that he's out going after another of Cesare's Captains and all of the recruits are off doing their own missions. As if it wasn't bad enough that he's run off, he's done so without his recruits to watch his back. Honestly. It's as if he wants to get his ass kicked. Or maybe he wants to see how mad I'll be once I catch up to him.
Legs pumping, I rush over the rooftops of Rome, once more, in search of that idiota. Scrambling over one wall, the rough stone scrapes at my clothes and hands. It's not as smooth as the more modern stone I'm used to. Pushing off, I make one last leap across an alley to my destination. Panting with exertion, I calmly approach the edge of the roof and see the target and its potential difficulties.
The market next to one of the last Captains in Centro District: Pietro da Siena. He is strong when cornered but reports suggest he will run. The bustle of the people is easily heard from these tall buildings. Carts and tables appear to be scattered around in an organized mess. In watching the flow of the crowds, I see that the people wind around like a snake so every 'stall' is visited. People from my time are not nearly as orderly as this.
Why Ezio thinks he must go after his targets alone is beyond me. Niccolo's intel is right, once more. Pietro's tower is precisely where he can escape most any situation. Coward.
The quiet bustle of the busy market shatters as loud bells ring out from the tower.
Reflexively, I duck behind a half wall next to me while still peering around the side. Looking around, I don't see archers near my position. I hear the crowd in the square raise their voices in alarm. I can almost feel the tension rising from them.
Guards all through the market are watching the tower intently. Many of them draw their weapons. Some of them make their way through the crowds to the tower's door, roughly shoving any bystanders out of their way.
The bells continue to ring loudly. Rising to stand, I watch the tower door closely. The guards closest to the tower watch the nervously moving people for signs of aggression. Sunlight glints dully off of their naked steel.
Ezio erupts from a window on the second floor of the tower in a shower of tinkling glass. Startled, most of the guards don't move for several seconds while he lands and rolls to his feet. With a scant second's pause, Ezio bursts into action. Dodging around some guards, he darts for the nearest house. A frustrated sigh escapes my lips. He's not heading in my direction. Figures.
I see a good group of guards chasing after him not counting the archers readying their crossbows on the rooftops. Time to go to work!
Seeing Ezio head for a merchandise lift, I take off across the buildings to intercept him. My heart pounds in excitement with every hurdle. I can feel my heart pounding in my chest. The crunching roof tiles are loud in my ears.
Feeling cold steel appear in my hand, I barely register holding the throwing dagger before it's thrown at an archer in my way. His back turned, he crumples into a heap on the ledge, my blade stuck in his neck. A flicker of white cloth a couple buildings away explains much. Without losing stride, I turn and force my legs to keep moving.
A surge of excitement floods my system as I take a tight rope at a run. Jay Cochrane may have multiple records, but I doubt he does his tightrope walking at a run!
Skidding across a low section of roof, I hear a number of guards scrambling along behind me. The white figure is gone. After a brief pause to get my bearings, I take off running for the next building towards the nearest enclosed garden. Dodging around some chimneys, over an alley, and tumbling behind an outcropping, I hope they didn't see me.
"He went this way!" A rough male voice calls out north of me. The sound of many feet running towards my location reaches my ears.
My face unconsciously twitches at their mistake. These robes don't conceal that much, Jerkwads. This place is so patriarchal it makes me sick, sometimes. The Borgia doesn't think a woman can fight. The Assassins will show them.
Grimacing at the approaching guards, I took off across the buildings towards some taller ones. Arrows zing past me as I dodge back and forth around chimneys and half walls. Slinging myself around a corner with one of those hanging plants, I spot a rooftop garden on the next building. My tired feet jolt as I propel myself across the joists spanning the narrow alley. Finally making it to a safe haven, I automatically dive for safety.
Diving through the garden's curtain, I do not land gracefully. My shoulder screams in protest of the rough landing. "Ouch." I mutter unhappily. Rolling onto my back, I don't feel any other aches. Huzzah for no stitches, this time!
"That looked like it hurt, mia caro." A soft, familiar voice shatters the still quiet in the garden box.
I badly muffled squeak shoots out of me as my body does a weird jerking motion to see a certain smarmy Italian. My heart jumps up into my throat in surprise and thumps strongly in my chest.
"Ezio! Besides giving me a heart attack, what the hell are you doing?!" I whisper furiously at him. I can hear the soldiers still milling around looking for us. Time slips by as I struggle to bring my breathing back under control. Their shouts slowly move further from our hiding place.
"Hiding?" he asks quietly, trying to sound innocent. He's sitting in a corner watching me squirm around to sit up.
"You really should stop letting your ass speak for yourself." I mutter darkly.