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Chapter 81

Leonardo pulled his closest friend aside as the others entered the workshop and looked around.

"Ezio, I'm always happy to help you, but what is this all about? Is everything alright?"

"I am not sure yet," Ezio answered honestly.

"Why are Antonio and Teodora here? And Paola and La Volpe…what are they doing so far from Firenze?"

"I will explain in a moment."

"Is this about that ship from Cyprus you were trying to find? Whatever became of it?"

"Piacere, Maestro da Vinci," Mario interrupted, bowing to the artist. "Sono Mario Auditore. Grazie for letting us into your workshop."

"Piacere mio," Leonardo replied, bowing in return. "Any friend…er, relative of Ezio is welcome here. How may I be of assistance to you and your…friends?"

"Assassins, Leonardo," Ezio corrected him. "They are all Assassins like my father, and…now, like myself." Ezio revealed his branded ring finger to his friend.

Leonardo's eyes widened. "Mio Dio! Is that what this is all about? Antonio? Teodora?" he turned to their mutual acquaintances.

"There is little time for questions, my friend," Antonio apologized. "If you would be so kind, we would like you to take a look at an item we recovered from our enemies and help us to understand it."

"Of course," Leonardo agreed, understanding the importance of the request. "What is it?"

Mario pulled out the pouch containing the item and placed it upside down on Leonardo's table. Carefully, he pulled it open and allowed the object to slide out of it and onto the table. They all crowded around him to take a look.

The spherical object was most likely made of some sort of metal, with strange patterns carved around it. These indentations appeared to give off light, as if a bright flame was contained inside. There was also a humming sound that was barely audible, but somehow seemed to echo around the entire room.

"Fascinating," Leonardo breathed to himself, his eyes now as bright with curiosity as the ball was with whatever illuminated it. "Absolutely fascinating."

"What is it, Leonardo? What does it do?" Ezio asked him.

Leonardo chuckled to himself in disbelief. "I could no more explain this than explain why the Earth goes around the sun!" he told them.

"You mean the Sun around the Earth?" Mario asked.

Leonardo was too focused to address the question, and the room drew a collective breath as he carefully placed his hand on the glowing sphere. As he did, the humming grew a bit louder.

"It's fabricated with materials that shouldn't exist," he explained, "and yet, this is clearly a very ancient artifact." He removed his hand, and the humming died down again.

"The Codex refers to it as a 'Piece of Eden,'" Mario told him.

"The Spaniard…he called it 'The Apple,'" Ezio remembered.

Leonardo turned to them. "Like Eve's Apple? Of Forbidden Knowledge?" he asked. "Are you then suggesting that this thing…"

Ezio moved toward the Apple, his curiosity getting the better of him. He almost felt…drawn to it. To his surprise, nobody tried to stop him. Perhaps they believed it was safe since Leonardo had touched it. They stood back as he carefully placed a hand on it.

The moment he did, it emitted a bright flash of light and the humming grew louder than anything any of them had ever heard. The other Assassins fell to the floor and covered their ears as Ezio tried to shield his eyes from the light. Strange symbols danced around Leonardo's workshop, and the inventor tried to make them out before they disappeared and new symbols replaced them. Ezio, who felt as if his strength were draining away, used what was left of it to touch the artifact again. In an instant, everything was back to normal, as if nothing had even happened. The Assassins got on their feet again and looked around at each other.

"This must never fall into the wrong hands," Leonardo said gravely. "It would drive weaker minds insane."

"No doubt the Spaniard will be relentless in his desire to gain it back," Ezio noted.

"If he does, the consequences of our failure will be dire," Machiavelli said. "Ezio, you must protect this with all the skills we have taught you."

"Me?" Ezio asked. "Why me?"

"Like it or not, Ezio, someone intended for you to have this Apple. It was not an accident that you found it," Mario said.

A few minutes ago, Ezio would have dismissed this idea in his mind, but he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. "Prophet" still seemed a bit too mythological for him, but he had clearly triggered the object to do…something.

"What would you have me do?" he asked. "Lock myself away with it until we've dealt with the Spaniard?"

"I have a better idea," Mario assured him. "Take it to Forlì. The citadel is walled, protected by cannons…and our ally controls it."

"Who is this ally?"

"Her name is Caterina Sforza."

"You don't say. I think I may enjoy this mission," Ezio chuckled to himself, remembering the foul-mouthed countess he and Leonardo had once met. He was a bit curious as to how she came to control the city of Forlì, given that her husband was the city's lord when they had met.

"Molto bene," Mario said. "I will have Niccolò accompany you. You should leave soon, once we get things in order."

"Understood," Ezio agreed. "I will return to the thieves' den and prepare."