Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 52

When Ezio awoke, darkness had fallen, but the surrounding moonlight was enough for him to see the figure moving quietly beside him.

The bicep in Ezio's right arm was aching, but he tried to use his left arm to prop himself up, but found himself unable to move.Someone brought a piece of marble from a quarry and laid it on his arm.He struggled, trying to stand up with his own legs, but couldn't.He looked at the box containing the Apple of Eden.

The box is gone.

Ezio saw that the figure was wearing a black hood and white Dominican robes.Noticing that Ezio was awake, the man turned around and straightened the marble slab on him.Ezio noticed that the monk was missing a finger from one of his hands.

"Wait!" he said. "Who are you? What are you doing?"

The monk did not answer.Ezio saw the monk bend down and pick up the teak box from the floor. "Don't touch it! Whatever you want to do, don't..."

The monk had already opened the box, and a bright light like the sun shone out.

Ezio thought he heard the monk's sigh of satisfaction, before losing consciousness again.

When he woke up again, it was already morning.The horses were gone, but as the sun came, he regained some of his strength.He looked at the marble slab.It was quite heavy, but it did move a little with the movement of his arm.He glanced around.Just to the right he saw a thick branch that must have fallen from the tree, but the branch was not dry and was therefore quite strong.He gritted his teeth, picked up the branch, and stretched it under the flagstone.He pried the stone slab hard, and at this moment, there was severe pain in his right arm, and the wound was oozing blood again.The famous saying he had heard in school vaguely came to his mind: Give me a lever and I can lift the earth... His hands got stronger.The slab began to move, but he lost strength and the slab fell back to its original place.He lay down, rested for a moment, then tried again.

At the third attempt, he screamed in pain, and the muscles in his right arm seemed to tear the skin, but this time he exerted all his strength, and finally the stone slab rolled to the ground.

He stood up cautiously.His left arm was sore and sore, but the bones were not broken.

As to why the monk hadn't killed him in his sleep, he had no idea.Maybe that believer in God didn't intend to kill.But one thing was certain—the Dominican and the Apple of Eden were gone.

He struggled to get up, came to a nearby stream, drank the stream water, washed and bandaged his wound again.Then he set off east, toward the mountains towards Foley.

At last, after many days of traveling, he saw the tower of the town in the distance.But the constant missions, as well as his failure and loneliness, made him physically and mentally exhausted.On the way back, he spent a lot of time thinking about Christina and what life they would have had if he hadn't carried such a burden.But he can't change his past, and he knows that the future will be the same.

He was on the bridge to the southern gate, close enough to see the guards on the battlements, when fatigue overwhelmed him so much that he passed out.

When he awoke again, he found himself lying in bed under a new linen sheet, surrounded by a sunny balcony, shaded only by vines.A cold hand caressed his forehead and brought a glass of water to his lips.

"Ezio! Thank God you are back with us. Are you all right? What happened to you?" Caterina asked in her usual edgy tone.

"I...I don't know..."

"The men on the battlements saw you. I went out and fetched you myself. You've been away for longer than I can remember, and you're horribly wounded."

Ezio tried to remember. "Now that I think about it... I got the Apple of Eden back from Checo...but it wasn't long before someone else showed up - and he took the apple!"

"Who?"

"He's wearing a black hood like a monk - I think... he's missing a finger!" Ezio struggled to sit up. "How long have I been lying down? I should go—I have to go now!" He sat up, but his limbs seemed to be filled with lead. He had just moved, and a burst of dizziness hit him immediately, Make him have to lie down.

"Ugh! What did the monk do to me?"

Katerina leaned over. "You can't go anywhere now, Ezio. Even you need recovery time, and I can see that you have a long and difficult journey ahead. But be happy! Niccolò has returned Florence. He'll be in charge there. Your other fellow Assassins are also on the alert. So stay a little longer..." She kissed his forehead, then tentatively kissed his lips. "If there is anything I can...to help you recover faster, please just ask." Her hands gently groped under the sheets, and finally found her target. "Whoa," she laughs, "I think I've made it—a little bit."

"What a wonderful woman you are, Caterina Sforza."

She laughed. "Baby, if I write the story of my life, it will shock the whole world."

Ezio was strong and strong, and at the age of thirty, he was in the prime of his life.In addition, he had undergone some extremely rigorous training, so it didn't take him long to recover to the point where he could get out of bed and walk around.But his right arm was still weaker than before, and he knew he had to work hard to get back in top shape in order to continue his mission.He forced himself to wait patiently, and under Caterina's strict but understanding guidance, he spent part of the time he was forced to stay in Foley thinking, often holding a book by Poliziano under the vines. Watching, but in more cases, what he did was all kinds of training.

Then one morning Caterina came to his room and found him in traveling clothes, with a footman helping him into his riding boots.She sat on the bed beside him.

"It's time?" she said.

"Yes. I cannot delay any longer."

With a sad expression on her face, she left the room.She returned shortly after with a scroll. "Well, the hour has indeed come," she said, "your mission, God behold, is more important than our enjoyment—but I hope there will be another chance in the future!" She handed him the scroll. "Here—I've brought you a parting present."

"what is this?"

"It's something you can use."

She spread out the parchment, and Ezio saw that it was a map of the entire peninsula, from Lombardy to Calabria.On the roads, towns, and other areas on the map, there are many cross-shaped marks drawn in red ink.

Ezio looked up at her. "This is the map Machiavelli mentioned. Your husband's—"

"It was my late husband, my dear. During your absence, Niccolo and I discovered two important facts. The first is that we ... had the perfect time to get rid of dear Girolamo, because he was The job is about to be done. Secondly, the map is invaluable because even if the Knights Templar had the Apple of Eden, they would not have been able to find the tomb without the map."

"You know about the tomb?"

"My dear, sometimes you are a little naive. Of course I know." She said more seriously. "But to completely defeat our enemies, you must take back the Apple of Eden. This map can help you accomplish this important mission."

Just when she handed out the map, their fingers touched and entangled with each other reluctantly.They looked into each other's eyes for a long time.

"There's a monastery in the wetlands nearby," Katerina said finally, "a Dominican monastery. They're used to wearing black hoods. If it was me, I'd look for it there." Her eyes Tears flashed, and then turned away. "Let's go! Go find that nasty monk!"

Ezio smiled. "I will miss you, Katerina."

She smiled back, but the joy in the smile was a bit forced.For the first time in her life, she found it hard to muster courage. "Oh, I knew you would."

(End of this chapter)