"Wait until the tower's closer," ordered Ezio. "Then aim for the bottom. That'll bring the whole thing down. Our crossbowmen can finish off any survivors."

"Yes, sir!"

The armorer came up. "You learn tactics fast," he said to Ezio.

"Instinct."

"Good instinct's worth a hundred men in the field," returned the armorer. "But you missed target practice this morning. No excuse for that!"

"How dare you!" said Ezio jokingly.

"Come on." The armorer grinned. "We've got another of these covering the left flank, and the commander of its gun crew has been killed. Crossbow bolt bang in his forehead. Dead before he hit the ground. You take over. I've got my work cut out for me making sure none of the guns overheat or crack. We'd be well fucked then."

"OK."

"But watch how you aim. Your girlfriend's troops are out there fighting the Borgia. Wouldn't want to take any of them out."

"What girlfriend?"

The armorer winked. "Do me a favor, Ezio! This is a very small town!"

Ezio made his way to the second big gun. A gunner was sponging it down to cool it after firing as another was muzzle-loading it with tamped-down powder and a fifty-pound iron ball. A third man prepared the slow match, lighting it at both ends so that there would be no delay if one end accidentally burned out at the moment of touch.

"Let's go," said Ezio as he came up.

"Signore!"

He scanned the field beyond the wall. The green grass was splattered with blood, and the fallen lay strewn among the wheat sheaves. He could see the yellow, black, and blue livery of Caterina's men interspersed with the Borgia tunics-and their device was a black bull, head down, in a field of golden corn. It made a very good target.

"Get some of the smaller guns to pick out those individuals. Tell them to aim for the black-and-gold," Ezio snapped. "And let's get this gun trained on the siege tower over there. It's getting too close for comfort and we must take it out!"

The gunners heaved the cannon around and dipped the barrel so that it was aimed at the base of the approaching tower, now not fifty yards from the walls.

Ezio was directing aim when a nearby saker was hit. It exploded, flinging red-hot bronze in every direction. Ezio's gunner, inches from him, had his head and shoulders sliced off by shards. The man's arms fell to the floor, and the remains of his body followed suit, spewing blood like a fountain. The pungent smell of burned meat filled Ezio's nostrils as he leapt to take the gunner's place.

"Keep your nerve," he yelled to the rest of the crew. He squinted along the gunsight. "Steady now...and...fire!"

The cannon thundered as Ezio jumped to one side and watched as the ball smashed into the base of the tower. Had that one shot been enough? The tower lurched badly, seemed to steady, and then-by God!-crashed to the earth, in slow motion it seemed, throwing some of the men it contained clear, crushing others; and the screams of the wounded mules that had been drawing it forward added to the cacophony of panic and death-the attendants of all battles. Ezio watched as Caterina's troops moved swiftly in to wipe out the wounded and the bemused Borgia survivors of the wreck. She herself was at their head, her silver breastplate flashing in the cold sunlight. Ezio saw her plunge her sword straight through a Borgia captain's right eye and into his brain. The man's body squirmed for a long moment, pivoted by its point, his hands automatically and uselessly trying to clutch the firmly held blade and pull it out in the agony of death.

But there was no time to take pleasure in triumph. Or to rest on any laurels. Looking down over the ramparts, Ezio could see Borgia troops bringing up massive battering rams to the main gate, and at the same time he heard Caterina's warning cry. We'll send a thousand men to Forl to help her against this bastard Cesare, We'll send a thousand men to Forl to help her against this bastard Cesare, he promised himself. he promised himself.

"If they get in, they'll kill us all," said a voice at his shoulder, and Ezio turned to see the old master-sergeant. He had lost his helmet and an ugly head wound seeped blood.

"We must get the people out. Now."

"Luckily some have already been able to leave. But those less able to help themselves are stranded."

"I'll deal with it," said Ezio, recalling Mario's admonition. "Take over here, Ruggiero. Look! Over there! They've got a tower right up to the ramparts! Their men are storming the wall! Get some more of our men over there before they overpower us."

"Sir!" And the sergeant was gone, yelling orders, at the head of a platoon that had swiftly gathered at his command; within seconds, he and his men were locked in hand-to-hand combat with the vicious Borgia mercenaries.

Ezio, sword in hand and slashing his way past the oncoming enemy troops, made his way down to the town. Quickly organizing a group of Caterina's men who had been forced to retreat into the town as the tide of battle turned once again in the Borgia's favor, he did his best to round up the remaining and vulnerable townspeople and shepherd them into the relative safety of the citadel. As he completed the task, Caterina joined him.

"What news?" he asked her.

"Bad news," she rejoined. "They've smashed down the main gate. They are moving into the town."

"Then we haven't a minute to lose. We must all retreat into the citadel."

"I'll muster the rest of my men."

"Come quickly. Have you seen Mario?"

"He was fighting outside the walls."

"And the others?"

"Your mother and sister are already in the citadel. They have been guiding the citizens through the escape tunnel that leads to the north, beyond the walls, to safety."

"Good. I must go to them. Join us as fast as you can. We'll have to fall back."

"Kill them all," yelled a Borgia sergeant as he rounded a corner at the head of a small troop of men. All held bloodied swords aloft, and one man brandished a pike on which he had stuck the head of a girl. Ezio's throat went dry as he recognized the face-it was Angelina's. With a roar, he fell on the Borgia soldiers. Six against one was nothing to him. Slicing and stabbing, within barely seconds he stood in the middle of a circle of maimed and dying men-his chest heaving as he breathed hard with the exertion.

The blood cleared from his eyes. Caterina was gone. Wiping sweat, blood, and grime from his face, he made his way back up to the citadel, telling the men guarding it to open only to Mario and Caterina. He climbed the inner tower and looked down over the burning town.

But apart from the crackle of the flames and the isolated moans of the wounded and the dying, things had gone ominously quiet.

NINE.

But not for long. Just as Ezio was checking that the cannon on the ramparts were correctly aligned and loaded, a mighty explosion threw the citadel's massive wooden gates aside, hurling the defenders in the courtyard, below where Ezio stood on the battlements, backward and killing many.

As the smoke and dust cleared, Ezio discerned a group of people standing in the gateway. Uncle Mario appeared to be at their head, but evidently something was badly wrong. His face was grey and drained of blood. He also suddenly looked far older than his sixty-two years. His eyes locked with Ezio's as his nephew leapt down from the battlements to confront the new danger. Then, Mario fell to his knees and from there onto his face. He struggled to rise, but a long, thin, thrusting sword-a Bilbo-projected from between his shoulder blades, and the young man behind him shoved him back into the gravel with the toe of his black boot. A trail of blood formed at the corner of the old man's mouth.

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 un 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.

TEN.

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 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 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. 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.

"We must get you inside the Sanctuary," cried Claudia. "Come on! on!"

Ezio allowed himself to be carried again-he had lost a lot of blood. In the meantime, the remaining citizens of the town who had not yet been able to escape crowded around them. Monteriggioni itself was deserted now-under the complete control of the Borgia force. Only the citadel remained in Assassin hands.

But now they had reached their goal-the cavernous fortified room beneath the castle below its northern wall, linked to the main building by a secret passage leading off Mario's library. But only in the nick of time. One of their men, Paganino, one of the Venetian thieves once under Antonio de Magianis's control, was in the act of closing the secret door to the stairwell as the last fugitives passed through it.

"We thought you had been killed, Ser Ser Ezio!" he cried. Ezio!" he cried.

"They haven't got me yet," returned Ezio grimly.

"I don't know what to do. Where does this passage lead?"

"To the north, outside the walls."

"So it's true. We always thought it was a legend."

"Well, now you know better," said Ezio, looking at the man and wondering if, in the heat of the moment, he had said too much to a man he knew little of. He ordered his sergeant to close the door, but at the last moment, Paganino slipped through it, back to the main building.

"Where are you going?"

"I have to help the defenders. Don't worry, I'll lead them back this way."

"I must bolt this door behind us. If you don't come now, you are on your own."

"I'll manage, sir. I always do."