Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 47

At this moment, a soldier raised his halberd and rushed towards Ezio.Before the blow could send Ezio to eternal sleep, a crossbow bolt was buried in the man's forehead as if by magic.He dropped his weapon and fell forward with a look of disbelief on his face.Ezio turned his head and saw - it was a fox!
"Why are you here, Fox?"

"We heard that you might need help," said the fox, quickly loading another crossbow bolt.More soldiers rushed out of the house.But at the same time, the figures of Antonio and Bartolomeo also appeared on Ezio's side.

"Don't let Borgia leave with that box!" Antonio yelled.

Bartolomeo swung his greatsword Bianca like a scythe, and the soldiers who tried to outnumber him fell before him.Gradually, the balance of victory tilted in favor of the Assassins and their allies.

"Let us take care of them, nephew," cried Mario, "you go and take care of the Spaniards!"

Ezio turned around, saw Rodrigo running towards the exit at the rear of the loggia, and quickly gave chase.But the Cardinal, sword in hand, was waiting for his arrival. "Son, you can't win this battle!" he growled, "you can't stop what's written! You'll die at my hand like your father and brother—for all the defiance of the Knights Templar of those whose fate is but death."

There was not much confidence in Rodrigo's tone, and Ezio turned to see that the last of the Cardinal's guards had also fallen.He blocked Rodrigo's way at the exit, saying, "This sword is for my father!" But the Cardinal ducked to avoid the blow, knocking Ezio off balance.But in order to save his life, Rodrigo had to abandon the precious box and hurried past Ezio.

"Make no mistake," he said viciously as he left, "I will come back one day! And then I will promise you a slow, painful death."

After speaking, he ran away without a trace.

Panting heavily, Ezio struggled to stand up when a woman reached out and picked him up.He looked up and saw the owner of the hand - it was Paula!
"He got away," she said with a laugh, "but that's okay. We've got what we wanted."

"No! Didn't you hear what he said? I must catch up and finish him off!"

"Calm down," another woman said, coming forward.That was Theodora.Ezio scanned the group and saw that all his allies had come here: Mario, Fox, Antonio, Bartolomeo, Paola, and Theodora.And there is one more person.It was a young man with black hair and pale skin, with a pensive look on his face.

"Why are you all here?" Ezio asked.He could feel their tension.

"I'm afraid it has the same purpose as yours, Ezio," said the strange young man, "to witness the Prophet's appearance."

Ezio was both confused and annoyed. "No! I'm here to kill the Spaniard! I don't give a damn about some of your prophets—if he exists. He's certainly not here."

"Isn't it?" The young man paused, then looked at Ezio firmly, "You are."

"what?"

"The prophecy mentioned the arrival of the prophet. You have come to us a long time ago, but we didn't guess the truth. We didn't find that you are the one we were looking for."

"I don't understand. But who are you?"

The young man bowed. "My name is Niccolò di Bernardo de Machiavelli. I am a member of the Order of Assassins, trained in ancient ways to fight to protect the future of humanity. Just like you, and All men and women here are the same."

Startled, Ezio glanced across the faces of the men. "Is this true, Uncle Mario?" he said at last.

"Yes, boy," said Mario, stepping forward, "we have been guiding you for years, teaching you the arts you need to join our ranks."

Ezio's head was full of doubts.He didn't know where to start asking. "I must ask you about my family," he said to Mario, "my mother, my sister..."

Mario smiled. "You have the right to do this. They are all safe and healthy. And they have left the convent to live with me at home in Monteriggioni. Maria may never be able to overcome the grief of losing a loved one, but she has found solace method, and is now engaged in charity work with the Abbess. As for Claudia, the Abbess saw early on that the life of a nun did not suit her character--and she herself now understands--but she might Will find other ways to serve God. She has broken her vows. She will soon marry one of my captains, Ezio, and you will soon have nephews or nieces."

"That's very good news, Uncle. I never thought it was a good idea for Claudia to spend her life in a convent. But I have a lot of other questions for you."

"You can go back and ask these questions," Machiavelli said.

"There's a lot to do before we go back to meet and celebrate with the people we love," Mario said, "and we may never go back. We forced Rodrygo to drop his box, But he won't rest until he gets it back, so we must protect it with our lives."

Ezio looked at the Assassins before he noticed a branding near the base of their left index fingers.But there's obviously no time to ask questions now.Mario said to his companions, "I think it's time..." They nodded solemnly, and Antonio took out and unfolded a map, showing Ezio a marker on it.

"Meet us there at sunset," he said in a solemn and dignified tone.

"Come on," Mario said to the others.

Machiavelli picked up the box and the precious and mysterious relic inside.The Assassins marched into the street in silent procession and departed, leaving Ezio alone.

That night, Venice was very empty, and the huge square in front of the basilica was silent, except for the pigeons.Ezio began to climb the formidably tall clock tower, but without hesitation.This meeting was sure to answer some of his doubts, some of which he knew would scare him, but he also knew he had no choice but to run away.

As he neared the top, muffled human voices were heard.Finally he climbed to the top of the tower and got into the attic where the big clock hung.A circular area was cleared there, and the seven hooded assassins stood on the edge of this area, and a small brazier was placed in the center, and a fire was lit inside.

Paola took him by the hand and led him to the center, while Mario began to chant in a low voice:

"Some words were spoken by our ancestors and are at the heart of our creed..."

Machiavelli stepped forward and looked at Ezio seriously. "When others blindly follow the truth, remember—"

Then Ezio couldn't help saying the second half of the sentence for him - as if the words had been engraved in his mind from birth. "—everything is false."

"Where others are bound morally or legally," continued Machiavelli, "remember—"

"—everything is allowed."

Machiavelli said: "We fight in the dark to serve the light. We are assassins."

The others also began to chant in unison: "All things are false, all things are allowed. All things are false, all things are permitted. All things are false, all things are permitted..."

When they finished chanting, Mario took Ezio's left hand. "It's time," he told him, "that we are less rigid than the ancients. We don't ask for a finger to be sacrificed. But we will mark ourselves forever." He drew a breath. "Are you ready to join us?"

Ezio seemed still in a dream, but somehow, knowing what to do and what was coming, he reached out without hesitation. "I'm ready," he said.

Antonio walked to the edge of the brazier and took out a red-hot soldering iron from it. The ends of the soldering iron were in the shape of two small semicircles, which could be brought together through the lever on the handle.He then took Ezio's hand and singled out the ring finger. "The pain will pass quickly, my brother," he said, "as it does many times."

(End of this chapter)