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

Chapter 47

"What sort of man sells his honor and dignity for a bit of coin? You realize you are in service to a traitor and a coward!"

Ezio was now perched on the rooftop above Bartolomeo's cage, observing the four men who were guarding him. In his head, Ezio was debating waiting awhile to listen to the caged man insult his captors, as the scene was a bit entertaining. Time was of the essence, however, and Ezio decided he should strike while there were only four of them.

He leapt down from the rooftop and landed on two of the guards, plunging his hidden blades into them. Before the other guards (or Bartolomeo) could react, he stabbed a third. The remaining guard managed to draw his sword, but was evidently terrified of the attacker who killed his companions and who was now drawing a sword in return. Bartolomeo returned to his shouting.

"A little tougher to face an enemy who isn't in a cage, eh? I'm going to enjoy watching this!"

The guard was trembling, but Ezio took no chances. He carefully blocked a few blows from the guard, and then took advantage of an opening to run his sword through the guard's chest. After putting his sword away and rifling through the pockets of the four dead guards, Ezio produced a key to the cell.

"About goddamned time!" shouted the mercenary leader as Ezio unlocked the door to his cell and he walked out. "I don't know if I should kiss you or slap you. Maybe both, just to be safe."

"That's quite alright," Ezio chuckled nervously.

"Who are you?"

"I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze. I'm here to rescue you."

Bartolomeo raised an eyebrow at him. "Hah! Let's see who winds up rescuing who."

"What do you mean?"

Before Bartolomeo could answer, four nearby guards, who had been on patrol, shouted at them and drew their swords.

"You need a weapon," Ezio reminded him.

"I see four being delivered to us now," the mercenary laughed as he picked up a broom that had been left standing next to his cage. "Until then, I'll improvise!"

With that, he ran towards the approaching guards, knocking two of them down with a single powerful swing of his broom. Ezio moved to deal with the other two while he smashed the faces of the two guards on the ground until he was sure they were unconscious.

Ezio managed to kill one of the guards before he was finished, and the remaining one ran for safety, much to Bartolomeo's dismay. "His head would have made a wonderful decoration for my home," he complained as he swapped his broom for a sword.

Despite the mercenary leader's expressed wishes to find and fight Silvio's men, Ezio insisted that they try to reach Bartolomeo's quarters without attracting attention. After all, Ezio expected to find trouble when they reached their destination. He was to be proven correct.

When they arrived, two guards were stationed outside the entrance. Every man except Ezio drew a sword as the two parties caught sight of each other.

"If you value your life, you'll stand down," one of the guards warned.

"Never!" returned Bartolomeo. "What good is a man's life if it's not lived free, eh? I'll not go back into a cage!"

"Then you'll go into the ground! Kill them!"

The guard's words were followed by a short cry and then silence as two of Ezio's throwing knives flew to his chest and neck. The guard toppled over as he bled out, and Bartolomeo charged the other one. The second guard was skilled, but Bartolomeo's strikes were enough to overpower him. Ezio, impressed by his new ally, watched as that guard was cut down next to the other one.

"What a mess they've made," Bartolomeo growled as he sheathed the sword. As he did so, his face suddenly turned white as he gasped.

"Bianca…I hope she's unharmed!" he exclaimed as he ran through the door.

Ezio quickly moved the guards' bodies out of sight before chasing after him, hoping not to find a third body inside next to a grieving Bartolomeo.

[A/N]: Until now, I totally didn't notice that Bartolomeo uses a broom in this scene of the game!