Oliver Bowden: Brotherhood

The young man was dressed in black, and a black mask partially covered his vicious face. Ezio recognized the pustules of the New Disease on the man's skin. He shuddered inwardly. There was no doubt whom he was confronting.

Flanking the man in black were two others, both in early middle age, and a beautiful blonde with cruel lips. Another man, also dressed in black, stood apart and a little to one side. He held a bloodstained falchion in his right hand. His other hand held a chain that was attached to a heavy collar around Caterina Sforza's neck. Bound and gagged, her eyes flashed unquenchable rage and defiance. Ezio's heart stopped-he couldn't believe that just this morning he'd held her once again, and now, now she'd been captured by the vile Borgia leader. How could this be happening? His eyes met hers for an instant across the courtyard, sending her a promise that she would not be a prisoner for long.

With no time to figure out all that was unfolding around him, Ezio's soldier's instinct took control. He must act now-or lose everything. He strode forward, closed his eyes, and stepped off the battlement, his ragged cape flowing out behind him-it was a leap of faith to the courtyard below. With practiced grace he landed on his feet, and he stood tall to confront his enemies, cold determination etched on his face.

The armorer staggered up, struggling with a wounded leg, and stood by Ezio. "Who are these people?" he breathed.

"Oh," said the young man in black. "We haven't introduced ourselves. How remiss of us. But of course I know you, Ezio Auditore, if only by repute. Such a pleasure. At last I shall be able to remove the biggest thorn in my side. After your dear uncle, of course."

"Step back from him, Cesare!"

One eyebrow went up and the dark eyes blazed in the handsome, flawed face. "Oh-how flattered I am that you have guessed my name correctly. But let me present my sister, Lucrezia." He turned to nuzzle the blonde in a most unbrotherly way as she squeezed his arm and pressed her lips dangerously close to his mouth. "And my close associates: Juan Borgia, cousin, and friend; my dear French ally, General Octavien de Valois; and, last but not least, my indispensable right-hand man, Micheletto Corella. What would I do without my friends?"

"And your father's money."

"Bad joke, my friend."

As Cesare spoke, his troops moved like ghosts into the citadel. Ezio was powerless to stop them as his own men-hopelessly outnumbered-were swiftly overcome and disarmed.

"But I'm a good soldier, and part of the fun is choosing efficient support," Cesare continued. "I must admit I didn't think you'd be quite such a pushover. But of course, you aren't getting any younger, are you?"

"I'll kill you," Ezio said evenly. "I'll wipe you and your kind from the face of the earth."

"Not today you won't," said Cesare, smiling. "And just look what I've got-courtesy of your uncle." A gloved hand delved into a pouch at his side and from it he produced-to Ezio's horror-the Apple!

"Useful gadget," said Cesare, smiling thinly. "Leo tells me he already knows quite a lot about it so I'm hoping he'll enlighten me further, which I'm sure he will if he wants to keep his head on his shoulders! Artists! Ten a penny, as I'm sure you'd agree."

Lucrezia sniggered unfeelingly at this.

Ezio looked across at his old friend but da Vinci refused to meet his gaze. On the ground, Mario stirred and groaned. Cesare pushed his face into the ground with his boot and produced a gun-it was a new design, as Ezio immediately recognized, regretting the destruction of most of his own Codex weapons at the outset of the attack.

"That's not a matchlock," said the armorer keenly.

"It's a wheel lock," said Cesare. "You're clearly no fool," he added, addressing the armorer. "It is much more predictable and efficient than the old guns. Leonardo designed it for me. Reloads fast, too. Would you like a demonstration?"

"Indeed!" the armorer replied, his professional interest overcoming any other instinct.

"By all means," said Cesare, leveling the pistol at him and shooting him dead. "Reload, please," he continued, passing the gun to General Valois and producing its twin from his belt. "We've had so much bloodshed," he went on. "So it's distressing to reflect that a little more cleansing is still in order. Never mind. Ezio, I'd like you to take this in the spirit it's meant-from my family to yours."

Stooping slightly and placing one foot in the center of Mario's back, he drew the Bilbao sword out, letting the blood ooze forth. Mario's eyes went wide with pain as he struggled instinctively to crawl away, toward his nephew.

Cesare leaned forward and fired the pistol at point-blank range into the back of Mario's cranium, which burst apart.

"No!" shouted Ezio. In an instant the recollection of the brutal murder of his father and brothers flashed through his mind. "No!" He lunged toward Cesare, the agony of loss surging through him uncontrollably. Mario's body slumped to the ground.

As Ezio leapt forward, General Valois, having reloaded the first gun, shot him in the shoulder. Ezio staggered back, choking, and the world went black.

When Ezio came to, the tide of battle had turned again, and the attackers were chased back outside the walls of the citadel. He found himself being dragged to safety as the defenders of the rocca, who had retaken it, closed the broken gate with a barricade, gathered all the remaining citizens of Monteriggioni within its walls, and were now organizing their escape to the countryside beyond, for there was no knowing how long they could hold out against the determined forces of the Borgia, whose strength seemed limitless.

All this Ezio learned from the grizzled master-sergeant as he was recovering.

"Stay still, my lord."

"Where am I?"

"On a stretcher. We're taking you to the Sanctuary. The inner sanctum. No one will reach there."

"Put me down. I can walk!"

"We have to dress that wound."

Ezio, ignoring him, shouted an order at the stretcher bearers. But when he stood up, his head reeled.

"I cannot fight like this."

"Oh, God, here they come again," bellowed the sergeant as a siege tower crashed into the upper crenellations of the citadel, disgorging yet another fresh troop of Borgia soldiers.

Ezio turned to face them, his head slowly clearing from the darkness, his steely self-control overcoming the searing pain of the gunshot wound. But his shoulder was so damaged that he could not raise his sword. Assassin condottieri quickly surrounded him and fought off Cesare's men. They managed to beat a retreat with very few casualties, but as they made their way back into the inner vastness of the castle Claudia shouted from a doorway, eager to hear of her brother's well-being. As she stepped into the open, a Borgia captain rushed toward her-bloodied sword in his hand. Ezio looked on in horror, but recovered his composure enough to yell to his men. Two Assassin fighters ran toward Ezio's sister-only just managing to put themselves between her and the flashing blade of the Borgia murderer. Sparks shot from the contact of the three blades-both Assassins raising their own swords simultaneously to block the killing blow. Claudia stumbled to the ground-her mouth open in a silent scream. The stronger of the Assassin soldiers, the master-sergeant, pushed the enemy's sword skyward-locking the hilts at the hand guards-as the other Assassin pulled back his blade and stabbed forward into the guts of the Borgia captain. Claudia regained her composure and rose slowly to her feet. Safely in the fold of the Assassin troop, she rushed toward Ezio, ripping a strip of cotton from her skirts and pressing it to his shoulder, the white cloth quickly blooming with red from the wound.

"Shit! Don't take risks like that!" Ezio told her, thanking the sergeant as his men pushed the enemy back, hurling some from the high battlements, while others fled.