Thank you all for your comments 3 They mean a lot to me!

Still not much Riario in this one, but I'll try to change that in the next chapter.

Enjoy!

It's unwise and dangerous to be on horse while it is galloping through the forest without a track. Leaves were hitting our shoulders, bruising and cutting. I could very well imagine what would happen if we hit some branch with a speed like that- the impact could kill, leaving us headless.

So we had to get down and ran. It wasn't much better, though. The bushes were thick and there were roots everywhere. I was so happy that the wolf from the day before hadn't bite my leg off- then escaping would prove to be really, really difficult.

"Fuck, Leo!" Zo was panting heavily, trying to keep on with me. Oh, yes, he had been carrying our bags so it was even harder for him

"The devil you've spoken about is behind us," I reminded. My hands were trembling a little bit. We knew very well that they were chasing us. The only hope was that we would lose them in that God's forsaken place.

"Right." He got all his strenght back and suddenly he was ahead of me. It was funny but I didn't laugh.

On the track I hadn't really been thinking about being in mountains. The track so far wasn't that bad- the way was rather flat, going up only slightly. But when we left it, the situation changed. And we learned it the hard way.

In one second we were just running. Then Zoro shouted and fell. I though he stumbled over something but as I got closer I noticed my mistake. It was the ground. There was some kind of small precipice, which was hard to noticed because of the fucking trees. I saw his body rolling down and then stopping in some bushes.

Ouch.

"Zo?!" I raised my voice a little, looking back nervously. But nobody jumped on us yet.

"Feeling damn fantastic!" came his sarcastic response. I sighed with relief. He started to move and used the tree to stand up. My turn.

"Coming!" I tried to be more careful, placing my feet where it looked safe. But the gravel was deceptive and I found myself falling too. That was painful and I might had yelped a little bit. But then I immediately raised from the hard ground. We ran again, but this time we were more careful.

"I really hope he will think we weren't crazy enought to go down that shit."It seemed Zoro was feeling good. He started complaining so he was fine.

"Oh, he won't," I mumbled. "We must stop running like that. It won't help us."

"If we stop, he will catch us." But he halted anyway. He was breathing as heavily as I was. We couldn't continue on like this.

"If we run without thinking, we will die." They didn't know in which direction we would go and that was our only advantage. I chose to turn right and began walking, looking around very closely. "We must leave some false footprints and then go back to the road."

"You think he will be so dumb and fell for it?" he barked a quick laught. He hated that man so much but knew he was not stupid.

"No. But it will buy us some time." I looked up to the sky. It was not that late but we had wasted so much of the daylight anyway. "Come on."

"Leo...?" he tilted his head, looking up.

"What?"

"Is it snowing?"

Then I noticed it- white flakes falling down from the sky. Most of them were stopped by treetops but some managed to get down to us. I stopped, stretching out my hand. One of them landed on my palm. It melted so fast, tuned into cold water.

"Yeah. But it's not freezing enough so it will dissapear soon." I threw my arms up in the sky and laughed aloud.

"Stop that, Leo." He looked around, probably expecting someone to attack as now. I knew he was right but it was just so exciting I couldn't help myself! I wanted to learn more about the snow, touch it, feel it on my skin and then examine it. I wanted to just watch and draw it. I didn't fell exhausted or hungry anymore- all I was thinking about was the new phenomenon.

Of course it was stupid and unreasonable but hey, I got distracted easily! Zo had to push me forward to make me walk.

And then we heard sticks cracking and leaves shuffling. Somebody was going in our direction and knew nothing about walking soundlessly. I puffed angrily. The guy, whoever he was, dared to keep me away from my studies. He was asking for getting beat up. If it wasn't for Zoro, I would probably stand there and fight him.

It was my friend's turn to hide us both under some bush. It was getting frustrating. All we were doing that they was hiding. And runing. And hiding some more.

The noises got even louder.

"It's so easy to track them when they go together."

They obviously didn't see us if they talked so freely while looking for us. Anyway, it was just ridiculous. They wouldn't catch a thing if they act like this on a hunting... Suspiction had began to fill me.

Riario surely had better men on his commend. And he knew with whom he was dealing- he knew catching me wasn't easy at all. So why in the world did he send such a idiots? Did he want to make me so angry that I would reveal myself and demand better treating? I mean, didn't he take me seriously? I felt almost wounded, just like the one time back in Florence when Dragonetti send me away and Lorenzo told me "maybe later" in a tone that suggested "fuck off, runt".

"Yeah, they're dumb, aren't they?" they were getting closer and closer. I tensed, pressing my side to Zo. It was so cold, so hard not to tremble. The warm clothes we had bought were not enough.

Suddenly there were hands that dragged me out and pushed me back to the ground. I didn't really expect that- I thought that they were further from us.

Of course I didn't just lie here like that, waiting. The attacker leaped on me, probably trying to pin me down. Instead of trying to stand up I kicked hard, hitting him on his stomach. Only then I jumped up, realizing that I didn't have my sword with me anymore.

When in the world had I lost it?

That so philosophical question remained without an answer.

The shock of the impact only lasted for few seconds. He took a swing, probably wanting to punch me in my jaw. I blocked it without any trouble and stepped on his foot, hard, on the same time landing a blow on his chest. He stumbled backward, loosing his balance. I laughed, but too fast- he grabbed my wrist and we both fell down.

There was no grace in our fight. We struggled on the wet ground, rolling around like dogs, yelling and practically barking at each other. I got on top of him, preparing to hit him hard on his head and win that.

He gathered his strenght and turned. Suddenly it was I who lied on the bottom. And his fingers were clenched around me neck, suffocating me a little. I tried to kick, hit, but all of that didn't earn me anything. I was losing my breath, to fast, to fast! Had Riario decided to kill me after all?

But then the grip became weaker and the man disappeared from my sight. I chocked as I tried to breath. Somebody helped me to sit and then stand.

"Told you. You should have eaten more." Zoro was staring at me, his eyes wide. I blinked back tears, rubbed my neck and looked around. We were alone in the forest again. Two still bodies lied silently.

"I g-guess I should," I tried to speak normaly but it was difficult. My throat ached. "Those assholes... They were acting from the beggining. One of them was acting loudly to make us comfortable and the other lunged on us...Should have seen that coming, fuck!"

I buried my face in hands. He giggled quietly. Like there was something funny in that situation.

"It's snowing heavier." He patted me on a shoulder. "You know, we may even be able to hide in the storm..."

I looked up. It was good, yes. But also bad.

Riario was going to look for us- for me - even more desperately. He probably knew that we rather freeze in cold than let him capture us. And he also knew that chances of surviving in situation like that were low, even for me. And he needed me.

"We must hurry anyway." I started walking and almost fell down immediatly. I had to lean on the nearest tree not to have a meeting with the ground. The world started spinning in front of my eyes but I didn't - couldn't! - allow myself to lose consciousness.

It was easy to forget how tired I was. I didn't have much sleep last nigh and I had to fight a lot. It was natural that I was exhausted now. Especially now, when there was nobody to struggle with.

"Leonardo?" Zoro must have been really worried. He rarely used me full name.

"You were... Right." I forced myself to walk. After all it wasn't that bad, I could make it. The snow was ruthless and cold but I wouln't let it defeat me. "I should have eaten something more."

"I'm always right! Come, we will walk a little bit and then we will stop." He offered me a shoulder so I could lean on him. But I didn't really want that. I still could move on my feet.

The next hour- or something like that- was very long. My head was spinning, my stomach rumbling and legs trembling. I counted my steps.

One, two, three...

"That's seriously fucked up." I laughed. "We are moving so slowly and he didn't catch us yet."

"That's because that forest is so big. They could get lost. Just as us."

... twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two...

"He is so... So... Stupid!" I looked up in the sky. "You hear me, Count? Stupid!"

"You really are tired, are you not?" he frowned.

... two hundred and one...

When I started slipping with every step I took he decided it was enough. He put our bags on the ground and took something out. I sat down without a world, observing him. He gave me something wrapped in a piece of material. I looked at it and blinked.

"You took that wolf with you?" I shaked my head, almost with amusement.

"Just eat it, Leo."

I was to hungry too argue. I bit my teeth into the burned flesh. The taste of meat filled my mouth - as well as sick feeling that I well knew. But I needed it. So hard, so much, oh, this was food. I forced myself to swallow.

I ate a whole bit.

"Oh my-!" I mumbled. I noticed that he was going back and forth, back and forth... "What are you doing?"

Zo grinned at me a little and tossed some sticks on the ground.

"Making a hut. And a fire. Some of the branches aren't that fucking wet, you know. Don't worry," he said but I couldn't stop it. I felt like I should help him a little bit. And it didn't matter that I didn't sleep in two- no, three!- days now.

"Fine." I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around me.

I heard him moving. After all he threw a blanket at me and sat down next to me, hugging me tight. He was warm and the fire he had just made was warm. I felt warm. I couldn't keep my eyes open.

I got some sleep after all.

"Get up!" a sharp order made me jump a little bit. Since I was practically lying on Zoro it was natural that I end up hitting him and, as a result, waking him. He groaned a little.

Wait. If he wasn't the one speaking, then who...?

"Now!" somebody forced me to stand up. I blinked, trying to look at him, but my vision was blur.

"Riario...?" I tried guessing and almost cursed myself. The man had dark hair, yes, but it definitly wasn't anybody I knew. I would recognize him by a voice. Damn, I was so useless in the mornings. "Who are you?"

That was rather obvious, too. There were a lot of them here, circling us. One, two, three... Ten. All of them had some weapons. They looked dangerous and ready to kill us. Zoro had already raised his hands, declaring his surrender.

Bandits. Hiding in the mountains, knowing its ways like nobody else.

Perfect. We didn't stand a chance against all of them... At least it stopped snowing?

"Shut the fuck up." One of them wasn't in good mood. Asshole punched me for talking. I clinched my mouth. "Check them out."

I had to watch us one of them, a filthy but rather young boy, reached for my bag. He tossed my charcoal - fuck him! - on the ground and looked closely on my notebook. I was sure he wasn't able to read but he seemed interested in it anyway. His fingers danced on the pages, probably touching my sketches...

"Hurry up!"

The boy obeyed without complaining. He gave the bigger man our spare clothes, our water and food. But he had hidden my notebook under his coat.

"Now, now, what shall we do with you?" the leader glanced at us, smiling cruelly. Of course he would kill us. Of course. And not fast, but in slow, painful way. Who the fuck they were, living in mountains and hurting anyone who dared to go there?

"You could kill us." I was not going to plead, not going to beg. It wouldn't work on them anyway and I was too proud for it anyway. "But keeping us alive would benefit you more."

He laughed.

"Because what? You're companion will come and get revenge?" he was amused. Probably he was used to threats by now. But could he held back his greed?

"There are people hunting me." I looked at him with a small grin on my lips. "And they will pay a lot for brining me to them."

He touched his sword in an almost playful manner. I could feel Zoro staring at me and the gang silently watching.

"It's another reason to kill you, so you won't fucking get away." His fingers clinched around the handle.

"But they want me - us - alive. And you are probably thinking: what assurance we have that they won't just kill us?" I was still forcing confident smile, playing the game. He tensed a little bit but then removed his hand from the weapon. He nodded.

"But I'm sure you have a solution for that too, you smart ass."

Good. He was willing to negotiate so it was just a matter of playing it well.

"You can take only me to them." I heard Zoro gasped at my words. I wasn't really happy with that too, but it was an only we had. Once we our out of the bandits hands I could think about a way of escaping Riario's man. "They are searching for us, so it probably won't take you much time to find them. Said that my companion is safe with you, demand money and only then bring him to them."

I didn't want Zo to stay with them because it was very likely that the Count wouldn't pay anything to free him - simply wouldn't care. But the game hadn't ended yet and I was going to win that.

"Ha, you look like a one that would try to outsmart us." He laughed again. Really, try? Did he really think he was intelligent? "Take the Turk to them. You, fucker, will stay here."

Zo sent me an angry glare but I was satisfied. I guessed - hoped - that Riario wouldn't not kill him. He was smart and he knew that with Zo in his hands he could force me do things that I did not want to do.

In other words, I was sending him a perfect key (..Key. Key!) to make me obey.

"As you wish." I didn't look into my friend's eyes. Did he know what I was doing? What I wanted to gain? Or did he feel betrayed?

"I'm not a Turk," Zo said quietly as he was dragged away from us. And towards the devil. Four men were guarding him and he was tied so the chances of escaping were low.

My favourite leader hesitated for awhile. "Paolo, you are in charge. I'm going with them, they are dumb as donkeys, no way they would fucking do it right."

The young boy nodded his head and pointed me to move.

Walking was easier than the day before. In fact, I felt very well. And it wasn't snowing anymore. Probably the weather changed fast in that part of the year.

"Where are we going?" I looked closer at my guard. He was young, maybe sixteen or seventeen. He had dark curly hair and suprisingly inteligent eyes. "And what are you doing here? Aren't you too young to be a bandit?"

He growled.

"Shut up." He pushed me a little so I would go faster.

"Do you like my sketches?"

On of their gang wanted to hit me - for talking to much, why everybody hated it? - but Paolo stopped him. Only raising his hand. Really, he was someone important to them? Was he that strong or maybe he just was a son of their leader?

"They are interesting," he admitted, taking them out. "But I don't think they are the reason the Count of the Holy Roman Church himself is chasing you. Are they?"

I whistled.

"You saw him? Recognized him?" Really, why in the world someone living in the mountains would know him?

"It's not like I was born there." He looked at me with a smirk. "We are moving because Count's people are still searching the area. And we don't want them to find you before they pay, do we?"

I considered shouting for a second. But it couldn't end well so I forced myself not to do it.

"Will you give me to them when they pay?" I was slowly loosing my orientation. I didn't know anymore where we came from.

"No," he smiled at me cruelly, baring his teeth, "of course not."

I heard them laughing and almost slapped myself. Well, I had some time to think of a way to get out of the situation. They kept me alive so they could torture me if what I had said was untrue. Or something like that.

I started looking around. That's when something landed on my face, blinding me completly.

Fuck.

We walked for some time. I couldn't see a thing but I tried to walk straight. I wasn't going to entertain them by falling down too much. That was probably the reason why they blinded me in the first place - the forest was to big for me to remember the path we are going anyway.

It took some time but we finally stopped. Someone placed me next to the tree and tied me to it. I growled at him and he laghed, tripping me up. I landed hard on my ass, on the too cold ground. Of course he didn't even care enough to remove whatever was blocking my sight.

And then I was left alone. I could hear some murmurs in the distant but not the words. I couldn't move and I felt extremly uncomfortable. My fingers danced in the air, longing for a piece of charcoal to draw. The ideas flooded my mind and I wanted to scream, because it was too much of them and I couldn't even let them go.

One, two, three... Getting out. Here. A key. And the Turk. The mysterious land on the west, would a regular ship be able to sail there? Maybe it would be better to fly there, but how many energy would be needed for that? Where was Zo now? Was he save? Oh, it would nice to draw him, he made funny faces when angry...

"Da Vinci."

I flinched. I didn't expect someone to talk to me, not in a quiet way. A whisper, like someone was hiding the fact that he was speaking to me. Why would Paolo do that? His voice was easy to recognize, that for sure.

"What do you want?" I was happy for a chance of drowning out my thoughts.

There was silence for a while. He wasn't sure of what he wanted to say.

"I want to get out of there."

I wished I could see his face in that moment. It was possible that he was just trying to trick me, playing some stupid game to kill time. But he seemed bright enough not to like that kind of life style so maybe...?

"Well, I'm tied to a tree." I should have already started working on that. Was he dissapointed of my lack of resistence? "And am I famous? You know my name."

And I hadn't told him it, had I? I didn't recall a moment like that. So no.

"I need your help," he ignored my words completly. I rised my eyebrows on that, eventhough he could not see it. I could hear a desperation in his voice, like I was his last resort or something. "And you need mine. So, you agree, I help you and you help me, understood?"

Was he trying to tell me what to do?

"I can help myself, thank you." I didn't want to decline his offer completly, but I wanted to see just how much he cared.

"Probably you would get out of the binds. But you are lost and my people will find you eventually," he placed a hand on my shoulder. Oh, how I wished to be able to look!

"And you know this place."

"Exactly. So, yes?"

"Let's start from freeing me from the blindfold," I suggested, smiling. He could not see that but I imagined otherwise.

"Oh, no. Not yet. You see," his grasp tightened, "I've got a plan. All you have to do is trust me. Just do what I say, when I say it."

Yeah. He was very convincing. And eloquent. I wanted to tell him to kiss somebody's ass but he was gone already.

Sitting like this for hours - or what felt like this - made my body ache. I could fill my every bone, every muscle. But the pain wasn't as bad as things that was going on in my head.

The images flowed through my head. There was no escaping them. Was Zo safe?

It was so bad that I almost felt joy when somebody teared off the material, finally allowing me to see. The sun hurt my eyes, so I blinked few time to adjust to the light.

"Seems like you weren't lying, smart ass," the leader said, his ugly face smiling at me. He was leaning over me. I saw a pouch in his hand, probably full of money.

"I'm not a liar." Sometimes it was even true. I grinned at him, not wanting to show how stressed I really was.

Before I had tried to free myself from the bonds despite the young bandit's words, but I couldn't. They surely knew their work.

"Well, we are," he laughed like he was stupid. He reached for his sword. Someone in the background laughed. "And I hate ones like you, so you won't probably see your enemies again."

Yeah, take the florens but kill the artist!

"Wait," interrupted Paolo. He stood close to the man, his hands crossed, wearing a small smile on his lips. "Is it really worth it? We can double the price and just give him away."

The leader laughed.

"Bring the one they truly want and they will kill you without a second though." Well, he had a point. I looked at them closer. When they were standing next to each other I could see some family likeness. They had similar noses.

"They will fucking attack you anyway," I played along. Eventhough it seemed like the perfect plan Paolo had was not so perfect. Not to me, anyway. I wouldn't be suprised if he wanted to make an exchange- give me to Riario if he gets the boy out of mountains.

Surely he knew that wasn't going to work?

"Ha, they will lose!" Whistling sounded somewhere in the distance. Really, what was wrong with them?

"Not if more of them come." Paolo crouched in front of me but his eyes kept fixed on the man he was talking to. "And it's not like that fucker is worth it."

"You dare to question my words?"

"Yes, I do."

Ouch. Was it going to turn violent? Was he going to beat him now? Was that the reason why Paolo wanted to run away? If I was in similar possiton I would flee from my perfect father.

Burst of laugher wasn't what I expected. But the leader seemed really amused.

"You have balls, son!" he patted him on the shoulder. The young one smiled. "As you wish. Take some men with you and off you go. But don't complain if they bit your head off!"

They forced me to stand. It was rather hard task- I didn't fell my legs and I felt like collapsing every second. But I went along with Paolo and two stupid looking bandits.

We walked in silence. I felt the glare of them on my back.

"Da Vinci?" started Paolo, when about half a hour passed.

"Si?"

"Now."

I seriously considered letting him down. I still wasn't so sure about him intention. But when he punched one of the bandits on the noses and the other jumped towards him, shouting some insults, my instincts took control. I leaped at his back, knocking him out with my bounded hands.

It was pretty easy. Almost too easy.

"Free me," I demanded. He sighed a little, but did it anyway. I rubbed my aching wrists. "What now, genius?"

"Now we go further" he pointed in one direction. I squinted my eyes, trying to determine where he was trying to led us.

"Isn't it the way to the road where Riario is?" I was wary now. It might have been possible that my assumptions were right after all.

"It is. But we have to cross it to get out." He was looking at me with determination in his eyes. I prepared myself for an attack. Which never came.

Something- or someone - else did. He was even younger than Paolo. What, they wanted to throw kids at me?

"Sir!"

Now, that was absurd way to call him. Really. I nearly laughed. Luckly I managed to stop myself before I offended their extremly important feelings, which I cared deeply about... No.

"Situation?" he asked, ignoring me. It would be wise to run now. But I held still and waited. For some dumb reason I couldn't name.

"They have us surrounded."

"Good. Tell others to prepare," he ordered and, with that, the kid was gone. And it was only two of us again.

"Excuse me," I faked politeness. "What in the world is that about?"

He looked at almost sadly.

"The forest is big, but Count's people managed to encircle us. That's why we need to escape by crossing the path. You with me?"

I blinked few times. Yes, it was something that Riario would do. I guessed he planned to attack as soon as he laid his hands on me. Damn, I had to ask Paolo later why would he leave his people to death like that.

"Yes," I said and his smile became warm and honest. "But! I need to rescue my friend."

I expected him to argue. Of course I would insist, but we may or may not loose time.

"We may try." What a pleasant surprise!

Too many good happened - now came the harder part. In which we were supposed to find Zo, help him out and then escape. Without Riairo or any of his man noticing. And they were wary not to let anybody flee.

Luckily the first problem solved itself. I spotted Zoro tied to a tree - really, what about creativeness?- as soon as we reached the track. Good we were going slowly and hiding. Otherwise the Count himself could see us.

Why did he have to stand so close to Zo? Couldn't he wait on the other side of forest? To prevent me from trouble?

"Are you sure about that?" hissed Paolo quietly.

"Very."

Was that bad that part of me wanted to see Riario reaction to me jumping out of the forest and shouting "here I am"?

I did not do that. But a plan had began to form in my head already.