The Family Auditore – Chapter 9 - The Assassin's Lineage
Isabelle was now visible with child, but still could hide it if she wished.
She had noticed her father-in-law leaving one night when she had been up to get a drink of water. He was dressed in the same clothing as when she had first met him, his hood pulled down over his face and a travel cloak about his shoulders.
He did not notice her as she moved on soft feet above him. He went into his study and did not come out again.
She went to bed curious.
She had seen his hidden room once, but she had never dared enter when Giovanni was away. For now her curiosity was getting the better of her. She opened the door behind careful no one saw her. She walked in and looked about.
The fireplace was dark and there was no sign of Giovanni. He had not spent the night there.
She well knew of the secret room, but she did not remember how to access it. She stood looking at the books and fireplace. She then looked on his table. There were documents in small stacks. Most had to do with his bank, but two of them were maps, sewer maps.
She studied them. One was of Venice and the other Roma. Why would be need these? They were maps of old tunnels. She sat down and lifted a paper near them. It was a detailed discussion on the movements of a Templar.
She gasped seeing the name of the Templar.
Rodrigo Borgia.
Her father by birth. Giovanni had been more of a father to her in a little over two year and a half years than her father had been in her time with the Borgia household.
She kept reading papers she found under those and blinked. The Templar conspiracy was vast.
"Enjoying the reading, my dear?" A voice came into her thoughts.
She jumped and her thighs hit the desk. Wincing she pushed back from the table looking at her father-in-law as he regarded her with his hand folded on his chest. He stood between her and the doors as well as windows. He was blocking her escape routes.
He leaned forward and put his hands on the desk leaning over it. "What exactly were you hoping to find, child?"
"I…." She backed against the wall and he realized she was scared. She swallowed and looked down. She looked like she was preparing for a blow as he stepped toward her. It would never come.
He spread his hands showing he was not a threat. He was in his banker clothing once more and was not armed. "I am not angry, Dulce."
"But…" she looked at him. "I was being nosy."
The last time she had gone into an office she had been beaten so badly it had taken her a week to recover and she had done that on the request of her brother Juan. She looked at him as he turned to the desk.
"You did not open the desk?" He observed. "Why not?"
"I do not have a key."
"Pick the lock." He said with a shrug.
She blinked. "But…"
"There is more about Rodrigo in there. I am sure you would find it a good read. Your mind is always thirsting for more knowledge." He reached into his pocket and handed her a small toolbox. "Here, use mine."
She took it hesitantly and then he stepped back. She then took out the tools and within a few moments the drawer sprang open. He was smiling when she looked up. "I knew you had talents, my dear." He commented.
He then lifted a letter. "What do you make of this?"
"It is in code." She said.
"Indeed." He said. "But do you think you can break it? See here, the script is like this page here." He lifted it from his drawer.
She looked at it. The bottom was signed by Rodrigo. She squinted. "Rodrigo's hand is always such a flourish as though he expects an audience."
Giovanni laughed outright. "Rodrigo, not father?" He said after a moment naming the secret between them.
She looked at him her dark eyes swirling. "He gave me his name and made me in my mother. Beyond that I do not care to remember him as that title." She looked down. "You are my Papa now, Giovanni, and I am much happier."
He smiled and stepped to her. He kissed her brow. "Good."
She looked back at the words and sat down in the chair. "This could take some time."
He chuckled. "I will order us some tea." He said moving to the door.
ZzZ
It had taken her two days to work on the coded message. Giovanni sipped tea and spoke to her as she worked. He was impressed. He had had the message made to test his sons' skills, but it seemed to good time to test her as well. He was an assassin and his wife was also a member of the order. He was already training Federico, who, Giovanni knew, had taught Ezio free-running, preforming leaps of faith from buildings, and fighting. The wife should know well enough to at least defend herself should there be danger and there would always be danger for Isabelle.
The girl herself was an enigma still. She had solved the code, a fairly easy one, but still had proved her worth. It was a text that he knew the cipher for because it had been translated and answered, but still to have her skills was an asset.
Today, she would start learning other skills. Though he did not want her in direct combat, Giovanni wanted to keep her safe from Templars and those who wished her harm, such as her own blood. He would teach her to be an assassin before her belly grew too much under her chin that she could no longer move with the grace that was required.
Giovanni had left her a note at her bedside when her husband had left to do his errands.
La mia piccola colomba,
Meet me on the roof. I have something I wish to show you.
Papa
She blinked at the cryptic nature of the message and then blinked. She went to her window and turned to look up. There was a trellis attached to the building beside the flat balcony. A thick blooming plant was growing up it. She looked up at the roof and nodded.
She climbed onto the balcony and the over to the trellis and up. She climbed up to the roof a floor above her and stood on the edge. She walked to the courtyard and looked about. She then spotted Giovanni perched on the edge of the home.
"Ah, there you are, my dove."
"What are you doing up here, Papa?"
"Testing your mettle." He said. He lifted the dagger he had once let her have, but she had given back once she had felt safe in the Palazzo. He had a sheath for it. "You are skilled enough to wield this." He said.
"Thank you, Papa." She said unsure as she belted it high over her expanding middle.
"Have you ever heard of The Creed, my dove?"
"No."
"Niente è vero e tutto è permesso. Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted." He smiled.
"What?"
"I will explain more soon. Do you see this edge here?"
"Yes?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Yes."
"Jump from it."
She looked at him wide eyed. When he folded his arms and nodded, she blinked and then moved. She trusted him completely. She closed her eyes and nodded.
She took a breath and then leapt into the air. She dropped, harmlessly, three floors below, into a cart of hay. She moved to get out when a hand took hers.
She looked up and saw Federico. He reached and wrapped a red sash around her hips before pulling her close to him to kiss her. He kissed her deeply bending her backward. "Well done, my love." He whispered as there was a shower of hay as Giovanni joined them.
Over the next three weeks she learned from her husband and Giovanni how to climb, how to use a knife, and how to use a bow. She also excelled at using throwing knives, but preferred to use a bow instead. It gave her more control. Giovanni was happy. That meant she could distance herself from danger.
Her belly was becoming harder and harder to hide, but she still had the ability to move for short distances. Her father-in-law found the way she moved to be exceedingly graceful despite her almost awkward run with her belly before her.
Federico put up targets which she hit with ease as she moved on the rooftops around the area around the Palazzo. Federico had been teasing his wife a bit and she answered him from across a street by shooting an arrow which hit between his thumb and forefinger. Giovanni blinked in surprise at her outburst of anger.
Federico ran across a rope and she looped the bow over her shoulders and turned to run. Giovanni stepped back to watch as she moved quickly. She leapt from a building nearby into a flower cart and then once on the ground she moved with a crowd so well, Giovanni lost her, especially when he realized she had set the bow somewhere to recover later.
Federico looked about for her. He was angry, but also impressed at her skill. "Isabelle?" He called.
She smiled from where she had dropped on a bench only a few feet from him, but her travel cloak cowl was over her face, obscuring her features, even as she looked up to follow his movements with her eyes. Giovanni stood in the square watching and then spotted her standing up.
He fell into step with her. "You are ready." He told her.
"Ready? Ready for what, Papa?"
"You shall see, my dove." He smiled and then reached, unbidden to touch her belly. "For now you must rest and feed my grandchild." He smiled up at her.
ZzZ
Giovanni, Maria, and several others stood before a small brazier on the roof of the nearby church Santa Trinita. Federico and Isabelle stood together looking at those gathered. These men and two women, were older, but clearly allies of Giovanni.
In the fire was a poker. Isabelle noticed that everyone there had burns on their left hands. She had never noticed it until she looked. Both Maria and Giovanni did as well. It was on their left ring finger and was a darkened scar, but it had to be symbolic.
She turned her head and noticed her husband's hand in the light from the fire holding her own. It was also scarred. She had never seen it before in this context. It had been intentional, not a burn from playing too close to a fire as she had though.
"La shay' haqiqah, koulo shay' moumkin." Giovanni said holding his hands over the fire. He turned to the pair and smiled. "These are the words spoken by our ancestors – that lay at the heart of our Creed." He nodded to his son to continue.
Federico lifted her hand to his lips and then moved in front of her. "Isabelle, my beloved wife. We here dedicate our lives to protecting the freedom of humanity. Our father, mother, and myself have once stood around this fire, fighting off the darkness. Now, I offer the choice to you. Join us." He said softly.
She looked at the faces about her. This was all a bit overwhelming. Her heart fluttered.
A man stepped forward. "I am Bernardo di Niccolò Machiavelli, leader of the Order." He nodded to the others. The youngest, a teenager like themselves, had Bernardo's look to him. A son perhaps. "We are few in number, but we have strength. Giovanni has spoken of your progress. Will you join us?"
She took a breath and nodded. "I would gladly join any cause that would see the Borgia in ruins and a free Rome once more."
Machiavelli nodded. "Spoken like an Auditore." He said looking at Giovanni and smiling. He looked back at the girl. "Where other men blindly follow the truth, remember..."
The girl blinked and then words came from her lips as if on instinct. "...Nothing is true." She answered.
Machiavelli nodded and continued. "Where other men are limited, by morality or law, remember..."
Isabelle's voice was stronger this time. "...Everything is permitted." She answered.
Machiavelli spread his hands. "We work in the dark to serve the light. We are Assassins." He nodded to the circle about them.
With this, the Assassins spoke in unison including Giovanni, Maria, and Federico. "Nothing is true. Everything is permitted."
Giovanni smiled at the girl. "It is time Isabelle, my dear child. In this modern age, we may not be as literal as our ancestors. But our seal is no less permanent. Are you ready to join us? Fully and without regret?"
Isabelle said straitening her shoulders. "I am." She said firmly. Federico looked at her with pride in his eyes as he stepped forward. He lifted her left hand and held it so her ring finger was exposed. She looked up at him and he nodded reassuringly.
Giovanni removed a pair of heated metal tongs from the brazier, before he approached Isabelle. He looked at her as the tongs glowed red before him. "This only hurts for a while, daughter. Like so many things."
She took a breath and nodded. Giovanni closed the tongs on her flesh and she yelped, but swallowed most of it as her arm quivered in Federico's grasp. She smelled the sweet burned smell of cooked meat and Giovanni released the tongs. There was a puff of smoke and she looked at her skill. It was angry red and blistered.
Federico leaned down to her ear. "You did well, my love." Her finger ached and hurt, but she took a shaky breath and nodded.
The others leapt from a corner nearby. Giovanni waited for her to jump after her husband and then followed. She stood cradling her hand in her free hand as she stood there. Federico nodded to the others. He would get it seen to.
The other assassins departed.
Federico had taken her back to the palazzo and found soothing creams and bandages to put on the angry burn. He kissed her as she wept waiting for the cool water he had put her hand into to cool the burn and stop the throbbing.
Once the ache had dulled, Federico gently lifted her hand. He gently dried it and then tenderly pasted the cream on the burn. At first it stung, but she then took an uneasy breath as she waited for it. It numbed the flesh soon enough and he found it with due skill.
She looked up at him. He brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her lips tenderly. "I love you." He whispered.
"I love you too." She looked at him. "Is this always the way of it? Families of assassins learn the ways to teach the new generations? Is that why Papa found me? He was going after Templars?"
"The Duke of Milano has been murdered, Cara. There is a plot and father is worried about where it will lead."
She nodded and took a breath. "And it revolves around Rodrigo Borgia."
"He is the Grand Master of the Templars, our sworn enemy."
"He has been an enemy for a long time, Federico. Longer than you know."
He looked at her, searching her eyes. "What do you mean?"
"Papa has never told you has he?"
"Told me what?"
"Who I am, truly."
"You were Isabelle De' Medici. All else is not important." He said dismissively.
"No, Federico, you have a right to know."
He looked at her. She was adamant. He took a breath and then nodded. "What, Cara?"
"I am not a De' Medici by birth. It was a clever cover-up to protect me from my father, Rodrigo." She said watching his eyes.
His eyes widened. "You are a Borgia?!" He gasped, louder than he meant to and her fingers went to his lips. He kissed them and then his eyebrows drew together as he looked at her. "Does father know?"
"Of course."
"And he willingly brought you here to hide you?"
"I was born a bastard when he was in Spain with the Basque people. Beyond that, I cannot tell you." She said. "Lorenzo and Giovanni have assumed since I was not drowned at birth that I have significance so they wanted to protect me."
"So I married a lie?"
"No, you married me." She looked down. "I am sorry. I just…" she took a breath and rose and walked for the door.
"Where are you going?"
"To the guest room. I understand your anger. I deserve your harsh words for being lied to and…" A kiss, hard and demanding startled her. She gasped as Federico pulled back and looked at her.
"I do not care. You are Isabelle Auditore now, my wife, mother of my coming baby." He cupped the swell in a possessive way. "I love you."
"But…"
He pressed a finger to her lips. "I thank you for the truth, but it changes nothing."
She looked at him, tears welling in her eyes.
"Father vowed to protect you and so do I." He kissed her again. He then whispered. "What was your name?"
"Esperanza."
"Hope?" He asked. "A curious name for a girl whom he despised."
She nodded.
He walked her backwards to the bed and laid her back. "I love you, Cara. Nothing will change that." He began to work her clothing off and after sometime they were naked in each other's arms. He entered her with a sigh, needing to bond with her physically for himself and her to chase away the demons of her past.
After, when their breaths were normal and he was holding her to his chest and gently stroking her thick dark hair, he smiled and chuckled.
"What?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"Nothing, Dulce. I am just thinking. You are right under his nose and he has no idea." He chuckled.
She smiled a little and sighed gently drawing idle patterns with her fingers on his stomach flesh.
He then spoke, suddenly serious. "As an assassin you will be fighting against your own blood kin." He looked at her as she met his gaze. "Are you ready to do that, even cause their deaths by your actions?"
She took a breath and narrowed her eyes. Her voice dripped with hatred, a sound he had never heard from her lips. "If I could kill them all, together, in a fire so that only ash remained of their cruelty, I would Federico." She looked at him. "I am a De' Medici according to my records and an Auditore by marriage. I do not claim that lot for anything other than the fluid that Rodrigo squirted into my mother."
His eyes were widened. Her words were harsh and the last part was vulgar and not like her at all, but she was speaking her mind and it made him smile.
"Well. Vittoria agli Assassini!" He commented before lifting her chin and kissing her once more.
"Vittoria agli Assassini!" She said in answer and her hand traced down his flesh, down under the blanket and he gasped in surprise as she found her aim and he looked at her, his eyes swirling with a mix of love and lust.