[A/N]: Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcome!

Chapter 28

The meeting Ezio was anticipating happened three days later. Early in the morning, he tailed the man called Carlo into an alleyway near the Piazza San Marco. Carlo found a bench that overlooked the area, so Ezio found a spot on another one that was nearby but out of Carlo's view. He directed his gaze to the scenery that surrounded him in order to avoid suspicion, but soon he was given reason to look back at Carlo, as another man in a red hood joined his target.

The two appeared to argue for a minute while Ezio tried to get a closer view. Just as he got close enough to them, they got up and walked away.

iEzio had a difficult time getting close to them without rousing their suspicion. He was only able to pick up bits and pieces of the conversation. Fortunately, both were in especially foul moods, so their argument only increased in volume. The conflict seemed to involve the Doge of Venezia.

As the two made their way into the Piazza, Ezio caught up to them a bit. He hesitated for a moment when they were joined two other men. One had a large white beard, and the other was slow but large.

Ezio maintained his distance, but was able to make out the terrified expressions of a couple of the men as Emilio's name was mentioned. Clearly they had just received the news.

The men kept moving, and Ezio followed close behind. The Doge was mentioned several times, and Ezio had an uneasy feeling about it.

The men continued to argue as a dark hooded figure stepped out from a nearby alleyway and growled, "Enough with your inane prattle."

Ezio's whole body tightened as he scrambled to find a place to hide. This was a voice he could recognize anywhere, and it was a voice that made him sick. He gripped the handle of his sword and fought the urge to draw it.

The Spaniard continued to reprimand the men. Ezio had finally found a spot from which he could hear the conversation.

"The plan is this," the Spaniard continued calmly. "Doge Mocenigo will die tonight. And once the deed's been done, Marco shall take his place."

The uneasy feeling that was gnawing at Ezio had evolved into a new sense of panic. The Spaniard tasked Carlo with carrying out the assassination, and specified a short while later that he should use poison.

Ezio crept closer as they walked, but he was startled as a cluster of birds flew up from under him. When he regained his composure, the men had vanished. He was disappointed not to have more information, but he had enough to bring back to the thieves.

He did not find Antonio immediately, but Rosa was standing in the courtyard of the Palazzo della Seta.

"Salute bello mio, come stai?" she greeted. "You back to see me already?"

As hurried as Ezio was, Rosa's nonchalant welcome calmed him down enough to catch his breath. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, but quickly returned to his urgent business.

"Desolato, mia cara, but I am not here to play. I must speak with Antonio. It's urgent."

"For a kiss as disappointing as that one, it must be," she told him before yelling behind her, "Antonio! Ezio's here!"

Antonio quickly descended the stairs and met them in the courtyard. "Ezio! Is everything alright?" he asked.

Ezio reported the news to the two thieves. They immediately promised their support in stopping the plot, but Antonio warned that getting into the Palazzo Ducale would be a difficult task. He and Ezio resolved to search for a way in. Rosa volunteered to stay behind and wait for the return of the thieves that Antonio dispatched to stalk Carlo. They quickly parted ways, as time was ominously short.

[A/N]: This chapter is a bit heavy on events from this particular game mission, so I apologize if it's a bit dull. The events from this part of the game happen really fast, so they'll be a bit dense in the next few chapters (though the next few should be better than this one).

On a happy note, tonight I find myself in the beautiful city of Venice! My sister and I are visiting Europe and this is one of our stops. I watched the sun set over the city this evening. It was magical.

Anywho, this chapter and the following one were written in advance. I wasn't entirely sure I would be able to update during my trip, but if you're reading this, then the update worked!