All Assassin's Creed II characters and references © Ubisoft
Kiara, Amelia, and all other OCs © Me
I think I slept for a good ten hours after our ordeal, and was still dragging when I went back down stairs for a late breakfast. I had no idea that adrenaline rushes like that could be so exhausting, but it was certainly relieving to have that mess behind us.
Federico didn't look any worse for the wear, even if he was sitting rather gingerly in his chair at the table with Amelia by his side. Ezio had a few cuts and bruises himself, but nothing major, regaling his wide-eyed younger brother as he recalled how each had happened. I only had a scrape or two, but that didn't stop Maria from fretting over me regardless. I didn't complain though, it was good to have a mom who would do that.
As soon as everyone had sat down, Giovanni said the blessing, adding in thanks that we were all back safe and sound. There was a lot of food and we all dug in with a will, I suppose fighting will do that to a person. Part of me couldn't get over just how casual the atmosphere was compared to yesterday, but it already seemed like a long time ago. Talk was light as we ate and I'm pretty sure that Federico and Amelia were holding hands under the table the whole time, and Maria had to scold Petruccio more than once about slipping food to Apollo when he thought she wasn't looking.
Breakfast wound up being lunch as well, but nobody minded. It was a gorgeous day, so as soon as the table was cleared we all moved outside; even Mario put his work aside for a while to enjoy the weather. As we lounged about, Federico told us about the alcove he found in the wall of the San Gimignano city hall and how it led to a secret cavern just like the one in Florence. Mario was very amused.
"I'm beginning to think I wasn't meant to find those seals." He chuckled. "Three of them under my very nose! Oh the irony."
We agreed that as soon as Federico was healed up enough, the three of us would go back to San Gimignano and take another look at that alcove. We would also need to go see Lorenzo soon as well to let him know that the two-year long mission was finally at an end.
Eventually, the warm sun lulled several of us into a doze and even Apollo had his fill of stick-chasing and curled up at Petruccio's feet to sleep.
It must have been very early the next morning when my sleep was interrupted by someone shaking me awake. Blearily I opened my eyes to see a very excited Claudia standing over me.
"Claudia? What time—"
"Hurry and get up! Amelia had the baby."
It took a second for the news to sink in to my head, and I quickly sat up.
"Already? I thought she wasn't due for another week or so."
"Maroné thinks it was the stress."
"But Amelia and the baby are alright?" I asked as I started to change.
"Amelia is quite tired, but both are just fine."
"Boy or girl?"
Claudia shot me a grin. "You'll have to see for yourself."
"How's Federico handling it all?"
"I think he's still in shock." Claudia laughed. "Now hurry up!"
I was still yanking my boots on as I followed her out the door. We caught up with Giovanni, Ezio, and Petruccio as we walked down to the only house with candle-light glowing through the windows. Maria was already there and had been for some time. We were all very quiet as we entered the house and nearly tiptoed up the stairs to the master bedroom. Claudia was the only one brave enough to push the door open and lead our little procession inside.
Amelia looked exhausted, but she was glowing at the same time. Cradled in the crook of her arm was a tiny bundle and little pink face could just be seen. Federico was sitting next to her on the bed with a big grin plastered all over his face. Claudia, Giovanni, and I all moved closer to the bed to get a better look while Ezio and Petruccio hung back, no doubt the whole situation was a little awkward for them.
"Well, out with it. Do I have a granddaughter or grandson?" Giovanni asked good-naturedly.
"It's a girl," Amelia answered, and both Claudia and I squealed a little.
"She'll have you wrapped around her finger in no time, frattelo," Ezio warned, but not without a grin.
"I see nothing wrong with that." Federico answered, his eyes never leaving his baby girl's face.
"What's her name?" I asked.
"Felicita," Amelia said, smiling. "Felicita Auditore."
We hung around for a few more minutes before Maroné shooed us out so the new parents could get some rest. I was disappointed that none of us were going to get a chance to hold Felicita before we left, even though I was all for letting Amelia sleep after her ordeal. From what little I had seen of my niece, I was already head-over-heels for her. I couldn't help but wonder what Felicita would look like as she grew up. Did she have Federico's hazel eyes or her mother's dark brown colors? Would she be short, tall, somewhere in between? Taller than me, hopefully. It made me so happy to think that I was going to watch her grow up.
The next few days passed quickly and Amelia and Felicita were recovering just fine. I think Federico glowed about the whole thing just as much as Amelia did. It was so adorable to watch him hold and baby-talk his little girl; I was sure he was going to be a fantastic dad. It also reminded me how far he had come since saving me from Vieri in Florence.
Even with the celebration surrounding Felicita's arrival, there were still stirrings of trouble in the outside world. Jacopo's letter and the Templar contact of Borgia's that we had just found out about pointed to activity in Venice, but of how much we couldn't be sure. Both Giovanni and Mario started sending out letters to any Assassin contacts they knew of in the floating city, but it could be months before we heard back from anyone. At this point, there were very few roads that could take travelers all the way from Florence to Venice, and the fastest way to get there was to take a ship over the uppermost end of the Adriatic Sea. To further complicate things, Venice was much further north than we were and it was still early spring. It could be several weeks before the spring storms calmed down enough for ships to safely make it across.
We were all grateful for the lull though, the last two years had been stressful and a break, no matter how short, was nice.
Even after Federico's side was healed up, it was clear that he was loath to leave his family, even for a short period of time. So, Ezio and I made the trip back to San Gimignano ourselves to look for the alcove Federico had told us about and see if it led to another Assassin's tomb. Thankfully, this trip to San Gimignano was much calmer than our last one – Ezio must have learned his lesson – and we encountered no problems infiltrating the city. As per Federico's instructions, we found the alcove and quickly entered the hidden space beneath.
To say the least, it was a long drawn out process to get to the tomb, and Ezio had me do the brunt of the exploring so I could improve on my free-running skills. The four years of training had made me much stronger than I had been in Florence, but the layout of Monteriggioni made some of the intricacies of free running difficult or impossible to practice and, according to Ezio, I was behind on a few skills. Eventually we reached the tomb of Wei Yu, far up in the Torre Grossa. Again we took some of the gold along with the seal that was hidden with the sarcophagus, but not all of it. The exit led us to the very top of the tower.
"Heh, Federico is going to be furious when he finds out he could have gotten to Antonio Maffei this way, and not have had to deal with the archers." Ezio chuckled.
I glanced over the edge of the scaffolding, feeling my stomach drop a bit at the sheer height. "So how do we get back down? Through the tomb?"
"Why go to all that trouble when you can simply jump?" Ezio answered simply, walking to the edge.
My mouth nearly fell open. "You must be joking! We're at least five stories up!"
"As long as you have something soft to land in, it's not so bad."
With that, Ezio leapt off the side of the tower, much to my horror. I knew that Leaps of Faith were no problem for him, but it was so insanely high up…I rushed to the ledge, half expecting to see him hit the pavement, but was met with the sight of a very large cart of straw sway with his impact. Ezio clambered out a second later and waved at me to follow. He could not be serious. I considered going back the way we came, but then remembered that the exit had locked behind us. Jumping really was my only way down.
Swallowing hard, I judged the distance and angle to the cart, took a few steps back, said a prayer, and then jumped. The worst part was the urge to curl up into a ball or flail wildly as I fell; it made it difficult to remember to turn in mid-air so I could land on my back. The fall was frighteningly quick, and I hit the cart so hard it knocked the wind from me for a second.
"That hurt," I gasped as I climbed out of the cart, with some help from Ezio.
He just chuckled. "You'll get used to it, piccola. But why was it so hard for you? You've done leaps before."
"Nothing like that!" I argued, motioning to the tower. "That's three times as high as anything we have in Monteriggioni."
"Precisely. You can't get too comfortable with your environment; expect and anticipate changes, be ready for anything."
I brushed the straw from my cape. "You're beginning to sound like your father."
"Then he has taught us well, no? Come on, let's go home."
A few days later, we received a letter from Lorenzo himself, requesting that Giovanni, Federico, Ezio, and I meet with him in Florence, no doubt to say thank you for finishing off the conspirators. We left early the next morning and had reached Florence by early afternoon, but we would still have to spend the night and go back the next day.
As we reached the Palazzo Medici the guards greeted us and escorted us inside to the courtyard, a far cry from what we had become accustomed to. A few minutes later Lorenzo emerged, looking a bit older than what I remembered, but no worse for the wear. We all bowed out of respect before Giovanni gave him the news.
"The last of the Pazzi and their allies are dead."
Lorenzo accepted the news quietly. "I must admit, I've never before believed that I could desire the deaths of others so badly. Thank you, all of you, for the role you've played in keeping this dream of mine alive a little longer."
"E 'stato il nostro onore, signore," Federico replied for each of us. (It was our honor, sir.)
"What will you do now, my friends?"
"There are others we must hunt, Lorenzo," Giovanni answered grimly. "I fear they are already digging their claws into Venezia."
"No!" Lorenzo groaned. "La bella Venezia…that is where your journey must take you then. However, before you leave us…" Here, he motioned to a nearby servant, who was holding several pieces of folded cloth. "One last gift from me."
Each of us were given a new cape; shoulder capes for the guys and a full cape for me, each bearing the insignia of the Medici on the red and gold fabric.
"These capes identify you as friends of the Medici. As long as you wear them, the city guards will be more tolerant of your presence. However, they will not grant you immunity from the law." Here, Lorenzo turned to me. "I fear we had no measurements for your cape, my dear, you will have to modify it as you see fit."
I bowed slightly. "It is no trouble. Thank you very much."
"Indeed," Giovanni added. "You have honored the Auditore house greatly Lorenzo."
The man smiled and put his hand on Giovanni's shoulder. "It is the least I could do. Take care of yourself amico mio."
We spent the night at Paola's, as per usual, and took off early in the morning, each of us wearing our new capes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my cape only needed to be taken in a few inches and already came with a pointed cowl. Federico looked identical to Ezio with his shoulder cape, and the only way to tell the two brothers apart was the color of the stripes on their robes, but he seemed to like it despite not wanting one initially.
"It doesn't get in the way like I thought it would," He commented.
Gavino was a strange man. Small and wiry with no features that would single him out in a crowd aside from a slight limp, he was a face that very few would even bother to notice much less remember. No one knew where he came from, how old he was, or if he even had a last name, but people did know that of all the men under Borgia's command, he was one of the most dangerous.
Gavino was Borgia's informant, and he was very good at what he did. If Borgia wanted to know anything and everything about anyone, very few secrets were safe from Gavino's prying eyes and ears. His tendency to work in the shadows and carry a poisoned blade had many people referring to him as Borgia's serpente, though Gavino could care less about other people's opinions. As long as he gleaned the information Borgia wanted, and never overstepped his bounds, he led a fairly comfortable life.
At the present moment, though, life wasn't exactly comfortable, and he had made up his mind that he despised Florence.
The Auditore family had finally caused Rodrigo enough headaches that the Templar master had sent his best man to find their location so that they could be finished off once and for all. At first Gavino thought it would be an easy assignment, but discovered that Giovanni Auditore had done a much better job of covering his tracks than his maestro had led him to believe. In speaking with neighbors and friends of the family, discrepancies began to emerge. One man said Giovanni had grown up in the outskirts of Florence, a household servant reported that the banker claimed to be from Isolotto, and the wife of a nobleman told Gavino, over an entire afternoon of lunch, that Giovanni had family in Bellosguardo, which was close to Isolotto.
Sitting out of sight in a back alley as the night fell, Gavino mulled over his options. He had no doubt that the locations he had learned of were exactly where Giovanni was not. The Assassin was no fool, he would not take his family to a location where they could be easily traced, or they would have been found by now, and further questioning of people who knew the Auditores was pointless. Gavino grunted in annoyance; he preferred the expansive Rome over this tiny city. In Roma, everyone's past could be laid out in the open for his, and ultimately his master's, disposal. Here though, people were too trusting, making lies and misinformation easy to spread, which was the problem that he faced at the present.
There was one more thing that bothered him; the sudden appearance of the young lady that the Auditores had taken in a few months before they disappeared. Absolutely no one knew where she came from, how she ended up in Florence, or why the family had taken her in so quickly. Several people described her as seeming out of place, even though she was pleasant enough to be around. She was a puzzle with many missing pieces, and Gavino hated not knowing.
His trip had not been in vain though, there seemed to be one person in Firenze that knew more than he claimed. Leonardo da Vinci had been referred to him since he had done portraits for the family in the past, and while the painter had denied any knowledge of the Auditores' location, Gavino knew a lie when he saw one. Rattling the man further would get the spy nowhere, but he would need to keep an eye on the inventor from a distance.
The weeks passed at a leisurely rate, and the weather began to warm up considerably. Amelia had recovered fully by this time and baby Felicita was doing very well. We had all adjusted to the new addition to the Auditore family, and Amelia was by no means short on babysitters if she needed one for anything. I spent quite a bit of time at the second Auditore residence myself, and wound up learning a lot about caring for babies. Felicita seemed to be curious about everything in her environment, even though her mobility was minimal. During the first couple of weeks, she acted very aware of her surroundings and, as she slowly gained control of her arms and legs, she would reach out and grab anything within her reach. She would be a terror when she finally learned to craw and ultimately walk.
Training continued, as per usual, and I was now training steadily with the guys, and it was in this particular phase that I was learning the most. I was nowhere near as strong or as big as a man, but I found that my smaller size didn't have to be a disadvantage. I learned to be fast and not take hits head-on if I didn't have to, and I also figured out that I could duck and spin around my opponent and hit them from behind. Some of the mercenaries were careful with me and offered advice while others weren't, but I learned not to be put down by it. After all, a real enemy wouldn't pull punches either.
Summer had just gotten into full swing when the first of the letters from Venice began to trickle in, and our fears were soon realized; the Templars had a very significant presence in the floating city. While this news was exciting for some, it was nearly demoralizing for Federico. It would mean leaving his wife and baby behind for weeks on end, and he wasn't sure he could do it.
"That's a decision you and Amelia are going to have to make," Giovanni told his oldest son. "But you've committed yourself as an Assassin, remember that."
Ezio and I swapped helpless glanced as Federico left, crestfallen.
A walk around Monteriggioni didn't make the decision any easier, and Federico found himself back at his own doorstep. Letting himself in, he could hear Amelia humming to herself in the kitchen, no doubt working on something for dinner that night. He went upstairs to the master bedroom where Felicita was down for her nap. He opened the door quietly, and slipped in. Felicita had become quite the heavy sleeper, much to her parents' relief, and she didn't even stir when Federico repositioned the blanket that she had slightly displaced.
Federico couldn't help a smile as his baby girl slept, but the smile faded away at the thought of leaving. He didn't even know how long he would be gone and babies grew fast, how much would he miss?
There were soft footsteps behind him and Amelia appeared by his side.
"Federico, I just got her to sleep," She whispered, but not without a smile. "She'll be grumpy if you wake her up."
"Mi dispiace."
Federico's brooding attitude wasn't lost on his wife, and she slipped her hand into his and pulled him from the room so they could talk.
"Federico, what's wrong? Is it Venice?"
When he nodded her face fell, but was quickly replaced by a look of steely resolve. "Then you must go."
Federico looked at his wife in surprise; this was not what he had expected to hear. Amelia took a deep breath.
"After Felicita was born, I realized how dangerous the world could be. I still don't fully understand what your family does, but I do know that you protect the innocent and ultimately, us as well."
"She'll grow up so fast; I don't want to miss any of it."
"I know love, I know. I don't want you to leave any more than you do, and I worry so much for your safety, but this is the choice we made. Felicita will understand when she gets older."
Federico exhaled heavily. "I hope so."
We waited another week or two just to be sure that the weather had no last-minute surprises before preparing for our trip to Venice. I, for one, was really excited to be doing some extended traveling and had already planned out everything I would need: bow, arrows, an extra bow string, a whetting stone and tiny flask of oil, saber, throwing knives, short blade, an extra shirt and pair of pants and, last but not least, needle and thread for patching clothes up.
The trip up and over the mountains to reach the docks of Forlí would take several days, and Maria was working hard in the kitchen to make sure that we would have enough food to make it to the top of the pass where a tiny village was located. There we could replenish our supplies, spend the night if necessary, and continue on.
We spent three days preparing for our trip; going over maps, equipment, and supplies. Even the horses were given a good checking-over to make sure that they would be able to make the trip with no problems. The three days flew by and before we knew it, we were leaving Monteriggioni. We would stop by Florence on our way to Forlí to see Leonardo; the blade in my armored bracer was locking up again.
We had made enough trips back and forth between Monteriggioni and Florence that the journey itself was beginning to get a little boring, and I was glad when Florence's walls finally came into view.
Our visit to Leonardo's was shorter than anticipated. When we reached his workshop, the door was locked and the painter was nowhere to be found. A passerby informed us that Leonardo had been commissioned to travel to Venice as well.
"When did he leave?" Federico asked, shifting his new, brown shoulder cape as he had fallen into a habit of doing.
"Just this morning."
"We should be able to catch him today if we hurry," Ezio noted, and we quickly left.
Gavino couldn't believe his good fortune. He had thought that da Vinci's trip to Venice would leave him empty-handed, only to have the Assassins themselves actually appear in Florence.
He hid in the shadow of an alley, leaning around the corner as far as he dared to get a good look at his adversaries who, at the present moment, were huddled together and speaking low voices. He was certain that Giovanni wasn't one of the three, which left him to assume that the two taller figures were his older sons. The third, however, he wasn't sure about. Gavino knew that Giovanni had a third son, but had heard that the boy was subject to a chronic illness that left him unable to participate in strenuous physical activity. So who was this third Assassin?
The trio finished their discussion and started to leave. As they did, the smaller figure turned just enough for Gavino to catch a glimpse of a chin and nose, which seemed too fine to belong to a male. Was this the mysterious young woman that he had heard about or could it be Giovanni's only daughter? Either way, this was a very interesting development.
The Borgia spy followed the Assassins as far as the gates, and noted the direction in which they left. It seemed that they were on their way to Forlí, and it would be easy to corner them on the other side of the pass. Gavino was not equipped to follow, but he had some of the fastest messengers at his disposal, and his Maestro was sure to be pleased.
The hours dragged on as we traversed further and further up the mountains. We had estimated that it would take two or three days to reach the top of the pass, and then another couple of days to get to Forlí.
Storm was pleased to be out and about, and caused very little trouble as we continued our journey. The rest of the afternoon passed without incident, though it seemed that Leonardo had a bigger head start than we had anticipated, and we found a small clearing in the trees to camp until morning. Federico somehow managed to snag a rabbit with a throwing knife, so we ate pretty well that night. We were up and gone with the sun the next morning, hoping to make as good of progress as we had the day before.
It was about midday when we came across a wagon on the side of the road. It was made to be pulled by a team, but one of the horses appeared to be missing and the left rear wheel was slightly askew. We would have ridden right by had the wagon not shifted just a bit and a familiar voice let out a curse on the opposite side. Ezio was the first to direct his horse around to take a look.
"Leonardo?"
Sure enough, a red beret and blond hair popped into view.
"Mi amici! What are you doing out here?"
"Going the same place you are," Ezio replied good-naturedly as we all dismounted.
"What luck! I've…um…run into a bit of trouble."
"So we see," Federico said. "How can we help?"
"I know how to fix it, but I need to wagon to be lifted just a bit. If you wouldn't mind…"
Federico and Ezio got on either side of Leonardo and lifted the wagon a few inches. As I helped Leonardo get the wheel back on properly, Ezio spoke up.
"Ehi, what is this thing?"
"What thing?"
"The thing that looks like a giant bat."
Leonardo gave the wheel a few light taps with a wood hammer to secure it. "Oh, nothing; just an idea I've been working on. I could not leave it behind. There! You two can let go now."
Federico and Ezio eased the weight of the wagon back down onto the wheel, and Leonardo nodded in satisfaction when it held.
"Bene. Grazie."
Now back on my feet, I peeked into the wagon and nearly squealed with excitement. The "giant bat" that Ezio had referred to was one of Leonardo's famous flying machines, and apparently the first of his 'flying' designs. While I knew what it's intended purpose was, Federico and Ezio remained puzzled.
"What is that thing for, Leonardo?" Federico asked.
"I really shouldn't talk about it…Beh! Al diavolo? (what the hell?) I can't hold it in anymore! I think I have discovered how to make a man fly!"
Leonardo's expression reminded me of a little kid at Christmas, only to have both Ezio and Federico chuckle.
"Fly? Leonardo, if we were meant to fly, we would have been born with wings," Federico said dismissively.
"What's wrong with making a pair of artificial ones?" Leo protested, and Ezio clapped him on the shoulder.
"Come on, let's find that missing horse of yours."
"Don't bother, that fool beast ran off some time ago."
"How did it get loose?"
"After the wheel was damaged, I untied both horses so that they could rest and eat. The one somehow managed to untie his lead and ran away."
Ezio looked thoughtful for a moment, and then patted the neck of his dark gelding. "Ciro here has been trained to pull a cart. He should behave himself."
The saddle, bags, and bridle were removed and Ciro placidly accepted his position in the harness, hardly glancing at the other horse. Ezio's things were put in the back of the wagon, and we were soon on our way again. Ezio had volunteered to drive, and Leonardo had no objections to taking a break.
We spent one more night under the stars, and it was late the next day before we reached the small town at the top of the pass. We had agreed we would spend one night here before moving on, but the stable boy cautioned us against it.
"There's a storm coming, and it will be dangerous to travel when it hits. Wait until it has passed us by."
Sure enough, we woke the very next morning to the sound of thunder crashing and rain pounding against the windows of the inn we were staying at; we didn't have much choice but to stay. However, the owner of the inn gave us a good rate for the extra time we would be around.
"These spring storms can last for days up here, and it will take a few more for the road to dry out enough to be safe to travel again."
'Days' was an understatement; the rain carried on for a whole week. It must have been one of the last big spring storms. I didn't even want to think about the state of the road we had to travel once it finally let up. The rain was coming down so hard that all you had to do to was step outside to get soaked, which meant everyone stayed inside unless venturing out was absolutely necessary. With all the thunder and lightning that was going on, the horses seemed to be in a constant state of semi-panic, all but Storm, that is. It didn't surprise me in the least that he was less concerned about his namesake than the rest, but being cooped up in a little stall didn't sit well with him. So I made several trips to the stables to make sure that he wasn't causing too much trouble for the stable hands, and to give myself something to do. I often got strange looks when people caught me talking to my horse, but I swear Storm half understood me sometimes.
Finally, the storm exhausted itself and let the sun back through, but we would still need to wait a few days to continue traveling. The mountain mud would be hazardous enough on horseback, but taking a wagon through it would just end in disaster. Leonardo was the only one of our party that wasn't bored out of his mind by this point. He had taken the opportunity to repair my hidden blade, and was constantly sketching in one of his many books, scribbling notes for his ideas and projects, or studying the changes in the weather. Even we, his companions, weren't beyond the reach of his inquisitive and artistic eye.
I was sitting by an open window, staring into space and daydreaming because I had nothing else to do. The sun was warm and the air still had the fresh smell of rain to it, and the road was almost dry enough for us to travel again. I was minding my own business, when a fluttering sound next to me brought me back down to earth. I looked to me left to see a small bird perched boldly on the sill, looking at me as if I was the most interesting thing in the world. We watched each other for several minutes until I finally got curious enough to see if he was as brave as he looked. I started to move my arm, only to pause at strange, slightly strangled sound from behind me. I couldn't even turn my head to see what was going on before that was interrupted too.
"Don't move! I'm almost finished."
"Leo? What are you doing?"
"Sketching, of course."
At that moment, I suddenly realized that there was indeed the sound of something scratching against paper.
"You're sketching me?" I asked.
"I apologize for not asking you first," Leonardo answered, not pausing for a moment. "But your pose and the sunlight were perfect. Ah! There we are. You can move now."
Naturally curious, I immediately left my post to peer over his shoulder as he added the finishing touches. Leonardo was truly a gifted artist, and the drawing was far from a rough sketch. An exact copy of myself sat at the window, chin in hand and elbow on the sill. The shadows had been shaded in darker than the actual ones, which gave the lighter areas much more contrast. The detail was incredible, down to the folds in my clothes and ribbon in my hair. Even the bird had been penciled in at the last minute, peering up at me as if waiting for my attention.
"Wow, that's amazing Leonardo," I said and he obviously shared my sentiment, quite pleased with himself.
"You are the only one that actually sits still long enough from time to time for me to actually finish a drawing," He replied, flipping back a few pages to show me unfinished or very rough sketches of Ezio, Federico, and a few other random people. I couldn't help but notice that the studies of Ezio and Federico captured, or attempted to capture, them in dynamic poses.
"I find the athleticism of your profession quite fascinating," Leonardo explained. "The human body can create the most captivating lines." Here he motioned to a sketch of Federico crouched on a boulder, and the coiled alertness of the posture was obvious even in the roughness of the drawing.
"You and boredom don't get along very well, do you?" I asked with some amusement.
Leonardo shut the book and tucked it away carefully. "My mind rebels at stagnation. I find it the most aggravating experience on this planet."
At long last, we were back on the road again for Forlí. The road was still gooey in some places, but nothing that could cause us trouble. By a stroke of luck, Leonardo's missing horse had been found, and Ciro was relieved of wagon duty. Over the next two days, we made very good progress, and soon found ourselves in the region of Romagna, just hours away from Forlí and the next leg of our journey.
Even four people can run out of things to talk about, and we had all resigned ourselves to silence for the most part. The weather was pleasantly warm, and we had just eaten lunch, so I was half-dozing in my saddle to the Storm's easy, swaying movements. All at once Storm lifted his head in interest, but I didn't think anything of it until one of his ears flicked backwards. Curious, I glanced over my shoulder, but didn't see anything, and brushed it off as a bird or animal scurrying around in the woods. After a minute Storm lowered his head again and resumed his relaxed strides.
A few more minutes passed peacefully, only to be interrupted as Storm jerked his head up again, fully alert this time, and he turned his head, catching everyone else's attention.
"Kiara?" Federico asked.
"I have no idea," I replied, looking back myself.
At first I couldn't hear anything other than the creaking of the wagon, then another sound reached my ears; the sounds of galloping horses further up the pass behind us, a lot of horses. Our little convoy came to a wary halt as we all looked back behind us. About a quarter of a mile away, the horses and their riders came into view, running full tilt around a bend in the road. The sunlight glinted off of the armor and drawn weapons of soldiers, Borgia's soldiers.
"Go, go!" Federico barked and we all leapt into motion.
Thirty seconds in, I realized that even with two horses pulling the large wagon, Leonardo simply couldn't go as fast as we could, and the soldiers would be on us in a matter of minutes. Federico gave me a grim look, and I reached for my bow and arrows. Leonardo was pale as he snapped the reins, but still had the courage to urge the three of us on without him.
"We're not leaving you behind, Leonardo," Ezio called back.
We didn't know how the soldiers had tracked us here, but we could not afford to get boxed in, especially with the wagon. To make matters worse, we were coming up on a very windy and narrow part of the road.
"Leonardo!" Federico called. "If you have to slow down to take a turn, do it. We'll keep the soldiers away from you."
We managed to get through two turns before the soldiers were on us. For the next several minutes we fought to keep from being overwhelmed, and there were a few times I thought that we weren't going to make it. As if it wasn't bad enough that we had over a dozen soldiers trying to murder us, they somehow gotten archers up ahead on the ridges and were shooting arrows – the flaming kind no less – at us.
I dedicated myself and my very limited supply of arrows to taking out the archers ahead of us while Ezio and Federico fought hand-to-hand with the soldiers. Even as zoned in as I was, part of me was furious that I was going to use up most, if not all, of the arrows that Lorenzo gave me before we even got to Venice!
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a soldier clamber onto the wagon to get at Leonardo and I twisted in the saddle, my bowstring snapping. The man tumbled off the wagon and onto the side of the road. The force pursuing us had been cut down to half, but they were still hot on our tails. The horses pulling the wagon were beginning to foam at the mouth and it was clear that they weren't going to be able to keep the frantic pace for much longer. Federico knocked a soldier from his saddle and pushed his horse up to me.
"Ezio and I will try to draw the rest of these soldiers away, you and Leonardo keep going."
I didn't have much choice but to nod before he and Ezio reined their horses back and dashed off in another direction. The remaining soldiers were confused for a moment before most of them broke off and followed the boys, leaving only two men to pursue us.
Leonardo's horses were tiring quickly, and I had three arrows left. Guiding Storm with my knees, as I had done through this entire encounter, I notched one of the remaining arrows to the string and pulled it back to my ear. This was going to be a difficult shot; I was moving, he was moving and wearing armor, but I couldn't afford to miss. I let him get close, almost distressingly so, before letting go, and he hit the ground a moment later. His companion, however, proved to be a much more difficult target. He ducked and wove back and forth until I was finally fed up with it all and knocked him out of his saddle as well.
Leonardo pulled the wagon off the road and behind a large stone protrusion to attempt to stay out of sight. The horses' heads were down and their sides heaved as they finally got a break. Storm was breathing hard too, but his head was up and he was still very alert, as was I as we waited for several tense minutes to see if any more of Borgia's men had followed us.
After ten minutes of no activity, Leonardo and I deemed it safe enough to continue on, although we had seen no sign of Ezio or Federico. It didn't take us long to finish the trip to Forlí, or to reach the docks where the ships were waiting. I kept an eye on the road as Leonardo spoke with the deck hands about his things, but Ezio and Federico hadn't shown up yet. Finally, I was too worried to stay put and with a quick word to Leo, started back up the road with my short blade in easy reach.
Much to my relief, though, Federico came into sight not ten minutes later, but Ezio wasn't with him.
"Where's Ezio?" I asked as soon as he was in earshot, my stomach churning with worry, but Federico just snorted with aggravation.
"Wooing a lady, where else would he be?"
"What?"
"We came across this young woman who was taunting her friends about not being able to ride their horses fast enough, and of course Ezio volunteered. She even offered 'private riding lessons' if he was able to beat the challenge."
All my worry quickly vanished. "You can't be serious. The ship won't wait for much longer!"
Federico sighed. "There was no talking him out of it. Of course I didn't know how much time we had either."
Um, shallow much?
We returned to the docks where Leonardo was waiting.
"It's good to see you in one piece Federico. I'm sorry I slowed you down so much back there."
"It wasn't your fault Leonardo. You were not hurt, were you?"
"No, although I was certainly scared out of my wits. Where is Ezio?"
Federico and I glanced at each other before he answered. "He should be here soon."
As Leonardo's things were transferred to the ship, I stood to one side to be out of the way, stroking Storm's muzzle to keep him happy. The more I thought about Ezio's side-adventure, the angrier I got. We had just barely escaped with our lives, not to mention being on a tight schedule, and he suddenly decides to take a roll in the hay with a…a…
"Kiara? We've run into a problem," I looked up as Federico walked over, a grim look on his face.
"What kind of problem?"
"The captain won't let us travel unless we have passes."
Well crap…as if we didn't have enough problems on our hands as it was.
"Ehi!"
Speak of the devil, there was one right there. Ezio rode up, and I noticed with much distaste that he looked very smug. Part of me wanted to smack that look right off his face.
"This doesn't look promising," Ezio commented as he dismounted. "What's the problem?"
"We can't get aboard the ship without passes. We're stuck here."
"Hmm, that is a problem. Is there nothing Leonardo can do?"
"He's been trying for the past ten minutes. The man is adamant."
For a minute we just stood there, trying to come up with alternative ideas, but aside from sneaking aboard, there really wasn't another way to get to Venice.
"Help! Qualcuno mi portifuoriquesta cosa!" (Someone get me off this thing!)
A shrill cry split through the air, and immediately drew our attention to a rocky protrusion in the middle of the swampy part of the docks. A well-dressed woman was stranded, furious, and shrieking for help at the top of her lungs. Ever the opportunist, Ezio didn't hesitate to leap into a nearby boat and start paddling in her direction.
"Two in one day," Federico mused. "Not unusual for him."
It didn't take Ezio long to reach the damsel-in-distress and he offered up his hand to help her into the boat. Even from where we were, I could hear her remark.
"Oh you're good, the ladies must like you."
"I wasn't looking to impress, only to help."
Both Federico and I snorted.
"Which is exactly why you impress, and you are Messer…?"
"Auditore, but please, call me Ezio."
I leaned towards Federico. "When he's done sweet-talking every girl in sight, can we throw him in the swamp, please?"
Federico just snickered, the woman was talking again.
"I'm Caterina. Now, Ezio, we must find you a suitable reward. Do you have any suggestions?"
"No, it can't be…" Federico muttered to himself.
"Can't be who?"
"Caterina Sforza, she has quite the reputation. If he's using his head, we may just get those passes after all."
I was still lost, but apparently Ezio had just made a very important connection.
Sure enough, once Caterina was safely back on the docks, she immediately berated the man who had originally refused us passage into letting us go, and not just for this trip, but any other time we should need to travel to Venice. When it was clear that we would be able to join Leonardo on the ship, we immediately lugged our things aboard and into a small cabin the three of us would have to share on the way over. We also dropped our horses off at a nearby stable, and the stable boy there promised to take good care of them.
Storm knew I was leaving, and he was not happy about it. I felt so bad about leaving him behind, but there was nothing I could do about it. I gave him the last apple in my pack, and told him to be good, planting a kiss on his nose for good measure before heading back to the ship. He whinnied even after I was well out of sight, and he sounded so forlorn and abandoned that it made me want to cry.
As we waited to board the ship, Caterina approached Ezio again. "He will not trouble you anymore, I took care of it."
Ezio bowed. "Thank you, Caterina."
She gave him a half-smile. "Perhaps we'll see each other again. Should you ever find yourself in the city of Forlí, it would be my…pleasure to welcome you."
I didn't know if I wanted to laugh in disbelief or to gag and ruin the moment for them. The last call came for boarding, and the three of us walked up the gangplank and joined Leonardo on the deck. He watched Ezio wave to Caterina before approaching.
"Be careful, Ezio. Do you know who that was?"
"My next conquest?"
Leonardo chuckled, but my jaw nearly hit the deck. Conquest? Was that the only thing he considered women to be?
"I don't think so," Leonardo replied, a bit reproachfully. "That is Caterina Sforza, daughter of the Duca di Milano. Her husband—"
"Husband?"
"Sí, her husband is the Lord of Forlí. That woman is as powerful and dangerous as she is young and beautiful."
Ezio leaned back against the railing with all the swagger in the world. "Sembra come una donna per me." (Sounds like my kind of lady)
I had to resist the urge to beat my head, multiple times, against the railing.
"I'm going downstairs."
The cabins below deck were cramped, and didn't have the most pleasant smell, but there were hammocks for beds, which was a plus in my opinion. Right now though, I just wanted to cool off. Even when he wasn't trying, Ezio could still push the wrong buttons with me, and do it with astounding ease. Conquest…of all the arrogant, pig-headed—
"Kiara?"
I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Federico's voice behind me; I hadn't even heard him come in.
"Oh, Federico. I didn't realize you were coming down too."
"I just wanted to check on you. You looked rather irritated up there."
I rolled my eyes. "It's kind of hard not to be."
"Oh?"
"Alright, as if it's not bad enough that we nearly were killed in an ambush, Ezio decides to decompress by finding the nearest floozy to take a tumble with. Then he makes one of the most powerful women in Forlí his next "conquest" and—what's that look for?"
Through my entire rant, Federico had said nothing, but now there was a twinkle in his eye and he was trying to hide a grin; not a good combination.
"Nothing, it's nothing."
"You wouldn't be grinning if it wasn't nothing," I almost bit out.
He shrugged. "Ezio's always been a womanizer, and that hasn't bothered you before. Are you sure you just aren't—"
He quickly stopped himself, but it didn't take a genius to figure out what his next statement would have been.
"Federico!"
He began to laugh, despite himself.
"That's not funny!" I protested, feeling nothing short of mortified.
That Federico would even suggest that I was jealous of—no, I couldn't go there. The very thought of it made me want to disappear, and Federico was still laughing.
"Oh come on Kiara, where's your sense of humor?"
"There's nothing humorous about ruining this whole trip for me! Go back upstairs with your perverted brother before you make it worse!"
"Me? You're the one who's thinking about—"
"Out!"
I all but shoved Federico out of the cabin and shut the door behind him, my face feeling red hot. To think I had to spend three whole days cooped up with them! I groaned and actually let my forehead lightly hit the thick wood of the door, wondering if Leonardo would object to sharing a cabin.
Poor Kiara, that's what you get when you agree to travel with the Auditore brothers. Mwahahaha! Ahem, pardon me.
It feels so good to be back. School's out, praise the Lord, and I can relax a bit. Now I need to figure out how to tackle this next stage in the game, no pun intended. According to the wiki I use, it took four years to oust Emilio Barbarigo. Four flipping years! These time lapses in the story line are killing me.
It's been a while since I've asked, but how is the story progressing for you guys? Are the chapters too long or short? Am I moving fast enough? Am I missing anything that should be added? Please let me know, I thrive on feedback.
To those who reviewed and I missed in my last thank-you list, thank you very much for taking the time to review!
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Until next time!
~TKD Dragon