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Chapter 86
Ezio took his time travelling to Firenze, in part because the weather along his route was making the journey difficult and in part because he was hoping the letters he had sent to the Assassins in the city would reach one of them a day or two before he arrived, allowing them to prepare him a place to stay. On the night before he expected to arrive in Firenze, the weather was particularly unpleasant as he neared an inn. He would have liked to make it a little closer to the city before he stopped for the night, but he didn't know if he would find another place to stay. If he wasn't lucky enough to find shelter, he risked falling ill in the cold. He would never hear the end of it from his mother if he pressed on, he thought. At least, she used to give him lectures of that nature.
He decided to stop for the night and leave his horse in the stables near the inn. As he did, he noticed a figure a little further up the road, which he discerned was a horse carrying a cloaked man. It would not have been noticed by the people around him who scurried to get to their homes in the rain, but Ezio had long ago learned how to tell when he was being watched. When he left the stables and made his way to the inn's door, the man dismounted the horse and began walking it over to the stables. Ezio's hand went to his belt to make sure he had easy access to his dagger, and then he went inside.
"Benvenuto," the innkeeper welcomed him from behind a counter. "I am sure the elements have not been very kind to you tonight. Come, we have a fire and some supper for our guests. Your florins will go a long way here."
Ezio scanned the room, looking for anyone suspicious. A few people were indeed sitting by the fireplace and eating, but none looked up at him. Ezio allowed the innkeeper to lead him over to the area, where he took off his robe and draped it over a chair to dry and sat down. The innkeeper's eyes widened when he saw Ezio in the light, and thus caught a glimpse of his armor and the weapons he was carrying.
"How much for the night?" Ezio asked.
The man stammered out a number, and the Assassin pulled double the amount out of his pouch and handed it to him.
"No questions," he commanded as the man nervously took the money. "No answers either, if you are asked about me."
The man hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll show you your room whenever you are ready," he offered. He walked back to the counter where he had been standing before.
About a minute later, as Ezio had expected, the door opened again and in walked the cloaked man. The innkeeper welcomed him, and the man leaned on the counter and spoke so that they couldn't be heard. Ezio knew the man had already spotted him, so when the innkeeper led him over to the area as well, Ezio stood up and walked closer to the fire, using the pretense of warming his hands to get into a position where he could fight if necessary.
The man seemed to be unfazed by Ezio's reaction and proceeded to sit down in the chair that Ezio had previously occupied. Ezio only watched him out of the corner of his eye, waiting to see what he wanted.
"You are very observant, nipote," the man suddenly said in a voice that was immediately familiar. Ezio turned around and faced him as his uncle removed the hood of his cloak. "It seems you have been taught well."