Renaissance

At the end of the mission, which took from candlelight until cock-crow, Ugo and his liberated associates looked at Ezio with deep respect. 'Rescuing my brothers and sisters was more than just an act of charity, Ezio,' said Ugo. 'These, colleagues will play a vital role in the weeks to come. And -' his tone became solemn, '- our Guild owes you an undying debt of gratitude.'

The group had arrived back at the Guild's headquarters. Antonio embraced Ezio, but his face was grave.

'How is Rosa?' asked Ezio.

'Better, but she was hurt worse than we thought, and she tries to run before she can walk!'

'Sounds like her.'

'It's typical.' Antonio paused. 'She wants to see you.'

'I'm flattered.'

'Why be? You are the hero of the hour!' Some days later, Ezio was summoned to Antonio's office and found him poring over his model of the Palazzo Seta. The little wooden manikins had been redeployed around it, and there was a pile of papers covered in calculations and notes on the table by its side.

'Ah! Ezio!'

'Signore.'

'I have just returned from a little foray of my own into enemy territory. We managed to liberate three boatloads of armoury destined for dear Emilio's little palazzo. So we thought we might organize a little fancy-dress party, with us dressed in the uniforms of Barbarigo archers.'

'Brilliant. That should get us into his fortress without any problem. When do we start?'

Antonio held up a hand. 'Not so fast, my dear. There is a problem, and I'd like to ask your advice.'

'You honour me.'

'No, I just value your judgement. The fact is, I have it on the best authority that some of my people have been suborned by Emilio and are now his agents.' He paused. 'We cannot strike until the traitors are dealt with. Look, I know I can depend on you, and your face is not well known within the Guild. If I were able to give you certain pointers about the whereabouts of these traitors, do you think you could deal with them? You can take Ugo with you as back-up, and whatever task-force you may require.'

'Messer Antonio, the fall of Emilio is as important to me as it is to you. Let us join hands in this.'

Antonio smiled. 'The very answer I expected from you!' He gestured Ezio to join him at a map table which had been set up near the window.

'Here is a plan of the city. The men of mine who have defected meet, as my own loyal spies tell me, in a tavema here. It's called Il Vecchio Specchio. There they make contact with Emilio's agents, exchange information, and take their orders.'

'How many?'

'Five.'

'What do you want me to do with them?'

Antonio looked at him. 'Why, kill them, my friend.' Ezio summoned the group he had hand-picked for the mission the following day at sunset. He had laid his plans. He dressed them all in Barbarigo uniforms from the boats Antonio had sequestered. Emilio, he knew from Antonio, believed that the stolen equipment had been lost at sea, so his people would suspect nothing. Together with Ugo and four others, he descended on Il Vecchio Specchio soon after dark. It was a Barbarigo hangout, but at that time of night only a handful of customers were there, apart from the turncoats and their Barbarigo controls. They hardly looked up as they saw a group of Barbarigo guards enter the inn, and it was only when they were surrounded that their attention turned to the newcomers. Ugo pulled back his hood, revealing himself in the half-light of the taverna. The conspirators made to rise, astonishment and

fear written in their faces. Ezio placed a firm hand on the shoulder of the nearest traitor, then with a detached economy of effort thrust his now- released Codex blade between the man's eyes. Ugo and the others followed suit and dispatched their traitorous brethren.

In the meantime, Rosa had continued to make a gradual and ever-impatient recovery. She was up and about, but she depended on a cane to get around, and her damaged leg was still swathed in bandages. Ezio, despite himself, and constantly making mental apologies to Cristina Calfucci, spent as much of his time as he could in her company.

'Salute, Rosa,' he said on a typical morning. 'How are things? I see your leg is healing.'

Rosa shrugged. 'It's taking for ever, but I'm getting there. And you? How are you finding our little town?'

'It is a great city. But how do you cope with the smell of the canals?'

'We're used to it. We wouldn't like the dust and filth of Florence.' She paused. 'So, what brings you to me this time?'

Ezio smiled. 'What you think and also not what you think.' He hesitated. 'I was hoping you could teach me how to climb like you do.'

She tapped her leg. 'Time was,' she said. 'But if you are in a hurry, my friend Franco can do almost as well as me.' She raised her voice. 'Franco!'

A lissom, dark-haired youth appeared almost instantly in the doorway, and Ezio, to his private mortification, felt a pang of jealousy that was apparent enough for Rosa to notice. She smiled. 'Don't worry, tesoro, he's as gay as Santo Sebastiano. But he's also as tough as old boots. Franco! I want you to show Ezio some of our tricks.' She looked out of the window. An unoccupied building opposite was covered with bamboo scaffolding tied together with leather thongs. She pointed. 'Take him up that for a start.'

Ezio spent the rest of the morning - three hours - chasing after Franco, under Rosa's strident direction. At the end of it, he could clamber up to a giddying height with almost all the speed and address of his mentor, and had learned how to jump upwards from one handhold to the next, though he doubted if he'd ever reach Rosa's own standard.

'Lunch lightly,' Rosa said, sparing him any praise. 'We haven't finished for the day.'

In the afternoon, in the hours of the siesta, she took him to the square of the massive redbrick Frari church. Together they looked up at its bulk. 'Climb that,' Rosa said. 'Up to the very top. And I want you back down here before I have counted three hundred.'

Ezio sweated and strained, his head swimming with the effort.

'Four hundred and thirty-nine,' announced Rosa when he rejoined her. 'Again!'

At the end of the fifth attempt an exhausted and sweating Ezio felt that all he wanted to do now was smash Rosa in the face, but that desire melted when she smiled at him and said, 'Two hundred and ninety-three. You'll just about do.'

The small crowd that had gathered applauded.

15

Over the following months the Thieves' Guild tackled the tasks of reorganizing and refitting. Then, one morning, Ugo arrived at Ezio's lodgings to invite him to a meeting. Ezio packed his Codex weapons in a satchel and followed Ugo to the headquarters, where they found Antonio, in an ebullient mood, once again moving the little wooden manikins around the model of the Palazzo Seta. Ezio wondered if the man wasn't a little obsessed. Rosa, Franco and two or three of the other senior members of the Guild were also present.

'Ah, Ezio!' he smiled. 'Thanks to your recent successes we are now in a position to counter-attack. Our target is Emilio's warehouse, not far from his palazzo. This is the plan. Look!' He tapped the model and indicated lines of little blue wooden soldiers ranged around the perimeters of the warehouse. 'These are Emilio's archers. They represent our greatest danger. Under cover of night, I intend to send you and a couple of others up to the roofs of the buildings adjoining the warehouse - and I know that you are up to this task, thanks to Rosa's recent training - to drop down on the archers and dispose of them. Quietly. As you do so, our men, dressed in the Barbarigo uniforms we have captured, will move in from the alleyways around and take their places.'