Assassin's Creed: Renaissance

Chapter 9

This morning, the sky was gray and gloomy—the city seemed particularly oppressive in the sweltering heat and humidity.When Ezio reached the Piazza della Signoria, he was shocked to see the huge crowd that had already gathered there.A platform was raised there, and on the platform stood a table covered with the city's coat of arms.Uberto Alberti was standing behind the table, and beside him was a tall, burly man with a hooked nose, shrewd and cautious eyes, and a crimson robe— Zio had never seen him.His attention was drawn to several other people on the platform: it was his father, his elder brother, and his younger brother, all in chains, and behind them was a tall gallows with three nooses hanging from it.

When he first arrived in the Piazza, Ezio was optimistic - the Administrator had told him in plain sight that everything would be resolved smoothly today.Now his mind has changed.Something was wrong - very wrong.He tried to push his way to the front, but couldn't part the crowd—the sense of claustrophobia nearly overwhelmed him.He tried to calm himself down, put on the hood, and straightened the sword at his waist.Alberti will certainly not disappoint him.He noticed that the tall man - from his clothes, features, and complexion, he should be Spanish - was scanning the crowd with piercing eyes throughout.Who is he?Why did Ezio find him strangely familiar?Has he met him before?

The chief executive, in his bright official uniform, raised his arms at this moment to signal the people to be quiet, and they fell silent immediately.

"Giovanni Auditore," Alberti said in a commanding tone, but Ezio was keen to catch a trace of fear that could not be concealed, "you and your accomplices are facing charges of treason. You Is there evidence to refute this allegation?"

Giovanni's expression was suddenly surprised and disturbed. "Yes, there is sufficient evidence in those documents sent to you last night."

But Alberti said: "I have not received any papers, Auditore."

Ezio immediately saw that the interrogation was just a formality, but he couldn't figure it out: why was Alberti able to tell such a big lie?"He lied!" he yelled, but his voice was drowned out by howling.He struggled to get closer, to push the angry mob aside, but they were too numerous for him to move.

Alberti spoke again: "The evidence against you is piled up, and it is all true. You cannot deny it. In the absence of refuting evidence, I have the responsibility to tell you and your accomplices - Federico, Petruccio And Ezio in absentia—announcing that you have indeed committed treason." He paused, as the crowd fell silent again, "I hereby sentence you all to death and execute them immediately!"

People roared again.At Alberti's order, the executioner prepared the noose, and his two assistants first sent the crying and struggling little Petruccio to the gallows.The noose wrapped around his neck as the priest next to him prayed in a low voice and poured holy water over his head.Then the executioner pulled a lever next to the gallows, and the boy hung in the air, kicking the air until it stopped moving. "No!" Ezio could hardly believe his eyes, "No, God, please don't!" But his words caught in his throat, and grief took over his heart.

Federico was next, screaming about his innocence and that of his family as he struggled to break free from the guards who were leading him to the noose.Ezio pushed forward frantically when he saw a tear roll down his father's pale face.Ezio watched dumbfounded as his brother - and his best friend - twitched in the noose, holding on longer than Petruccio, but eventually stopped moving.Ezio could even hear the creaking of wooden beams.Ezio could hardly believe his eyes - could this be real?
People started whispering, but then a firm voice silenced them.Giovanni Auditore was saying: "You are the traitor, Uberto. You were my closest companion and friend, on whom I put my life! What a fool I was. I failed to see You are one of them!" At this point, he raised his voice, his voice full of pain and anger, "You can take our lives, but remember - we will make you pay with blood!"

He lowered his head and fell silent.Then, amidst the priest's murmured prayers, Giovanni Auditore strutted toward the gallows, gladly facing death.

Ezio was so shocked that he forgot to grieve.It felt like a giant iron fist was hitting him.When the trapdoor at Giovanni's feet opened, he couldn't take it anymore. "Father!" he yelled, piercingly.

The Spaniard's eyes immediately turned to him.To be able to recognize his figure in such a huge crowd, could it be that the eyes of that person have supernatural power?Ezio saw the Spaniard leaning towards Alberti, whispering something, and then pointing - all this seemed to him in slow motion.

"Guards!" cried Alberti, pointing in his direction, "there! There is another prisoner there! Catch him!"

Before the people could react and restrain him, Ezio pumped his fists and squeezed his way to the edge of the crowd.A guard was already there waiting for him, and he reached for Ezio, pulling his hood down.Instinctively, Ezio broke free from the guard's hand, drew his sword with one hand, and pinched the guard's throat with the other.Ezio's reaction was much faster than the guard expected. Before he could raise his arms to block, Ezio grabbed his opponent's throat and his own sword at the same time, and pierced the guard's body neatly, When the blade was pulled out, the man's intestines fell on his clothes and the flagstone floor.He pushed the dead body away, turned to face the gallows, and met Alberti's eyes. "I'm going to kill you!" he roared, his voice full of hatred and anger.

Other guards had already surrounded them.Ezio's survival instincts began to gain the upper hand, and he quickly distanced himself from them, running towards the relatively safe alley across the square.To his panic, two guards rushed over quickly, trying to stop his way.

They confronted each other on the edge of the square.The two guards stood in front, facing him, and the others followed closely behind.Ezio fought them frantically.While parrying the attack, his sword accidentally dropped, and Ezio, fearing he would die here, turned and fled - but before he could gain his footing, a shocking turn of events happened.In the alley a few feet away from him came a man in rough clothes.He rushed behind the two guards with lightning speed, and then with a long dagger, he slashed open the armpits of their sword arms, severed every tendon, and left them defenseless.Everything happened so quickly that Ezio's eyes could barely keep up with his movements.The man picked up the sword he dropped and threw it back to him.Ezio recognized him immediately, and again smelled onions and garlic.At that moment, none of the scents of the Damask rose can compare.

"Let's go," the man said, and disappeared.Ezio dashed into the alley, speeding through the back alleys he and Federico had already known from their night outings.The shouting behind him faded away.He ran down to the river and hid in the abandoned caretaker's cottage next to a warehouse belonging to Christina's father.

In just one hour, Ezio grew from boy to man.He felt what it was to be a man: the desire for vengeance and to clear the wrongs hung like a heavy cloak on his shoulders.

He lay powerlessly on a pile of discarded sacks, his whole body began to tremble.His world has fallen apart.His father... Federico... God, and little Petruccio... they were both dead and murdered.He put his head in his hands and wept bitterly—sadness, fear and hatred he couldn't control.It took many hours for his numb face to return to normal—his eyes were bloodshot and burned with a cold vengeance.At that moment, Ezio knew that his past life was over - the boy Ezio was no more.From now on, his life will have only one purpose: revenge.

That night, he took the alley to Christina's family mansion.He knew the guards were definitely still looking for him, and he didn't want to put her in danger, but he needed to get that precious bag.He waited a long time in a dark alcove that smelled of urine, not even moving as a mouse crawled past his feet.Finally, her window was lit, and he knew she had gone back to her room for bed.

"Ezio!" she cried when she saw him on the balcony, "thank God you're alive." Relief was written all over her face—but it was soon replaced by sadness. "Your father and brother..." She lowered her head, unable to speak any more.

Ezio held her tightly in his arms, and for a moment they stood there, embracing.

Finally she drew back. "You are crazy! Why don't you leave Florence?"

"I still have some things to finish," he said in a dark tone, "but I can't stay here for too long, it will bring danger to your family. If they think you are protecting me..."

Christina was silent.

"Give me that bag and I'm leaving."

She offered him the bag, but before handing it to him, she first asked, "What about your family?"

"That's the first thing I do: bury the dead. I can't let them be thrown into the lime pit like ordinary criminals."

"I know where their remains are."

"How did you know?"

"It's been going around the town all day, but there's probably no one there now. Their bodies are in San Nicolo docks, with the beggars. They've dug a big hole, and they'll wait until tomorrow morning. Here comes the lime truck. Oh, Ezio..."

Ezio's tone was both calm and ruthless. "I must give my father and brother a dignified death. I cannot arrange a requiem mass for them, but I can spare their bodies from insult."

"I will go with you!"

"No! Do you know the consequences of being seen by others?"

Christina lowered her gaze.

"I've got to make sure my mother and sister are safe and there's someone else responsible for it," he hesitated for a moment, "and then I'll go away, maybe never come back. What I want to know is—will you Come with me?"

She drew back and he could see the conflicting emotions in her eyes.She did love him dearly, but he had grown a lot and she was still just a girl.How could he expect her to make that sacrifice? "I want to go with you, Ezio, you don't know how much I want to—but my family—my parents will die—"

Ezio looked at her tenderly.Although they were about the same age, recent experiences had matured his mind.He no longer has a family to depend on, only difficult responsibilities and responsibilities. "I shouldn't have asked. And who knows? Maybe after it's all over—" He reached his neck and drew from his collar a heavy silver pendant on a thin gold chain.He removes the chain.The pattern on the pendant is simple - just his family's initials. "I want you to take this. Please take it."

She took the pendant with trembling hands and wept softly.She looked down at the pendant, then looked up again, wanting to thank him, wanting to continue to defend herself.

Ezio had already left.

On the southern bank of the Arno, near the pier of San Niccolò, Ezio found the corpses piled next to a huge earthen pit.Two sullen, rookie-looking guards were patrolling nearby, dragging their halberds feebly.Their uniforms aroused Ezio's ire, and his first thought was to kill them, but he had seen too many people die today, and these guards were nothing more than country boys trying to live a better life.His heart ached when he saw the dead bodies of his father and brother lying on the edge of the pit, with the nooses still around their necks.He knew that as soon as the two guards fell asleep, he could carry the body to the river and put it in the little boat he had prepared full of firewood.

It was three o'clock in the morning, and by the time he was done, the first rays of dawn were lighting up the eastern sky.He stood alone on the embankment, watching the small boat carrying the corpses of his family that he personally set ablaze, slowly drifting down the river to the sea.He watched the boat off until the flickering fire disappeared into the distance...

(End of this chapter)