At any rate, he had learned something of how Cesare would behave in the field of battle-and how far he could be trusted in any other kind of combat.

Everywhere there were Borgia guards, watching the throng, just as there had been in the streets before. And armed with those lethal-looking new guns.

"Leonardo..." he said involuntarily, thinking of his old friend.

Machiavelli looked at him. "Leonardo was forced to work for Cesare on pain of death-and a most painful death it would have been. It's a detail-a terrible detail, but a detail nonetheless. The point is, his heart is not with his new master, who will never have the intelligence or the facility fully to control the Apple. Or at least I hope it isn't. We must be patient. We will get it back-and we will get Leonardo back with it."

"I wish I could be so sure."

Machiavelli sighed. "Perhaps you are wise to be doubtful," he said at last.

"Spain has taken over Italy," said Ezio.

"Valencia has taken over the Vatican," Machiavelli replied. "And we can change that. We have allies in the College of Cardinals, some powerful. They aren't all lap-dogs. And Cesare, for all his vaunting, depends on his father, Rodrigo, for funds." He gave Ezio a keen look. "That is why you should have made sure of this interloping Pope."

"I didn't know."

"I'm as much to blame as you are. I should have told you. But as you said yourself, it's the present we have to deal with, not the past."

"Amen to that."

"Amen."

"But how do they afford all this?" Ezio asked, as another bull foundered and fell under Cesare's unerring and pitiless sword.

"Papa Alexander is a strange mixture," Machiavelli replied. "He's a great administrator and he has even done the Church some good. But the evil part of him always defeats the good. He was the Vatican's treasurer for years and found ways of amassing money-the experience has stood him in good stead. He sells cardinal's hats, creating dozens of cardinals virtually guaranteed to be on his side. He has even pardoned murderers-provided they have enough money to buy their way off the gallows." Alexander is a strange mixture," Machiavelli replied. "He's a great administrator and he has even done the Church some good. But the evil part of him always defeats the good. He was the Vatican's treasurer for years and found ways of amassing money-the experience has stood him in good stead. He sells cardinal's hats, creating dozens of cardinals virtually guaranteed to be on his side. He has even pardoned murderers-provided they have enough money to buy their way off the gallows."

"How does he justify that?"

"Very simple. He preaches that it is better for a sinner to live and repent, than to die and forgo such pain."

Ezio couldn't help laughing, though his laugh was a mirthless one. His own mind went back to the celebrations to mark the year 1500-the Great Year of the Half-Millennium. True, there had been flagellants roaming the country in expectation of the Last Judgment, and hadn't the mad monk Savonarola, who'd briefly had control of the Apple, and whom he had himself defeated in Florence-not been duped by that superstition?

Fifteen hundred had been a great jubilee year. Ezio remembered that thousands of hopeful pilgrims had made their way to the Holy See from all parts of the world. The year had perhaps even been celebrated in those small outposts across the far seas to the west in the New Lands discovered by Columbus and, a few years later, by Amerigo Vespucci, who had confirmed their existence. Money had flowed into Rome as the faithful bought indulgences to redeem them from their sins in anticipation of Christ returning to Earth to judge both the quick and the dead. It had also been the time when Cesare had set out to subjugate the city-states of the Romagna, and when the king of France had taken Milan, justifying his action as being the rightful heir-the great-grandson of Gian Galeazzo Visconti.

The Pope had then made his son Cesare captain-general of the papal forces and Gonfaloniere of the Holy Roman Church in a great ceremony on the morning of the fourth Sunday of Lent. Cesare was welcomed by boys in silk gowns, and four thousand soldiers wearing his personal livery. His triumph had seemed complete: the previous year, in May, he'd married Charlotte d'Albret, sister of John, king of Navarre, and King Louis of France-with whom the Borgia were allied-gave him the Dukedom of Valence. Having already been Cardinal of Valencia, no wonder the people gave him the nickname Valentino!

And now this viper was at the peak of his power.

How could Ezio ever defeat him?

He shared these thoughts with Machiavelli.

"In the end, we will use their own vainglory to bring them down," said Niccol. "They have an Achilles' heel. Everyone does. I know what yours is."

"And that is?" snapped Ezio, needled.

"I do not need to tell you her name. Beware of her," rejoined Machiavelli, but then, changing the subject, he continued, "Remember the orgies?"

"They continue?"

"Indeed they do. How Rodrigo-I refuse to call him Pope anymore-loves them! And you've got to hand it to him; he's seventy years old." Machiavelli laughed wryly and then suddenly became more serious. "The Borgia will drown under the weight of their own self-indulgence."

Ezio remembered the orgies well. He had been witness to one. There'd been a dinner, attended by fifty of the best of the city's army of whores, given by the Pope in his Nero-like, overdecorated, gilded apartments. Courtesans, they liked to call themselves, but whores for all that. When the eating-or should it be called feeding?-was over, the girls danced with the servants who were in attendance, clothed at first, but later they'd shed their clothes. The candelabra that had been on the tables were set down on the marble floor, and the nobler guests threw roasted chestnuts among them. The whores were then told to crawl about the floor on all fours like cattle, buttocks high in the air, and collect the chestnuts. Then almost everyone had joined in. Ezio remembered with distaste how Rodrigo, with Cesare and Lucrezia, had looked on. At the end, prizes were given-silk cloaks, fine leather boots, from Spain of course, mulberry-and-yellow velvet caps encrusted with diamonds, rings, bracelets, brocade pouches each containing a hundred ducats, daggers, silver dildos-anything you could imagine-all awarded to those men who had had sex the maximum number of times with the crawling prostitutes. And the Borgia family, fondling each other, had been the principal judges.

The two Assassins left the bullfight and made themselves invisible in the crowds that thronged the early evening streets.

"Follow me," Machiavelli said, an edge in his voice. "Now you have had a chance to see your principal opponent at work, it would be well to purchase any equipment you are missing. And take care not to draw any undue attention to yourself."

"Do I ever?" Ezio found himself once again needled by the younger man's remarks. Machiavelli wasn't the Brotherhood's leader. After Mario's death, no one was. And this interregnum would have to be concluded soon. "In any case, I have my blade."

"And the guards have their guns. These things Leonardo has created for them-and you know his genius cannot control itself-are fast to reload, as you've seen, and moreover they have barrels filed in a cunning way on the inside to make the shot more accurate."

"I'll find Leonardo and talk to him."

"You may have to kill him."

"He's worth more to us alive than dead. You said yourself his heart wasn't with them."

"I said that is what I hope." Machiavelli stopped. "Look. Here is money."

"Grazie," said Ezio, taking the proffered pouch. said Ezio, taking the proffered pouch.

"While you are in my debt, listen to reason."

"As soon as I hear more reason from you, I shall."

Nevertheless, Ezio left his friend and made his way to the quarter of the armorers, where he provided himself with a new breastplate, steel cuffs, and a sword and dagger of higher quality and better balance than those he already possessed. He missed above all the old Codex bracer, made of a secret metal, which had staved off so many blows that otherwise would have been fatal. But it was too late to regret it now. He'd just have to rely on his wits and his training all the more. No one, no accident, could take them from him.

He returned to Machiavelli, who was waiting for him at a low inn, their preappointed rendezvous.

He found him in a prickly mood.

"Bene," said Machiavelli. "Now you can survive the journey back to Firenze." said Machiavelli. "Now you can survive the journey back to Firenze."

"Perhaps. But I am not going back to Florence."

"No?"

"Perhaps you should. It is where you belong. I have no home there anymore."

Machiavelli spread his hands. "It is true that your old home has indeed been destroyed. I didn't want to tell you. But surely your mother and sister are safe there now. It is a city safe from the Borgia. My master, Piero Soderini, guards it well. You can recoup there."

Ezio shuddered at having his worst fears confirmed. Then he pulled himself together and said: "I stay here. You said yourself, there will be no peace until we rise up against the entire Borgia family and the Templars who serve them."

"Such brave talk! After Monteriggioni."

"That is cheap of you, Niccol. How could I have known that they would find me so quickly? That they would kill Mario?"

Machiavelli spoke earnestly, taking his companion by the shoulders. "Look, Ezio-whatever happens, we must prepare ourselves carefully. We must not hit out in rash anger. We are fighting scorpioni scorpioni-worse, serpents! They can coil around your neck and bite your balls in one movement! They know nothing of right and wrong. They only know their goal! Rodrigo surrounds himself with snakes and murderers. Even his daughter, Lucrezia, has been sharpened into one of his most artful weapons, and she knows all there is to know about the art of poisoning." He paused. "But even she pales by comparison with Cesare!"

"Him again!"

"He is ambitious, ruthless, and cruel beyond-thank God!-your imagination. The laws of men mean nothing to him. He has murdered his own brother, the Duke of Gandia, to claw his way toward absolute power. He will stop at nothing!"

"I'll pluck him down."

"Only if you are not rash. He has the Apple, don't forget. Heaven help us if he really learns its powers."

Ezio's mind flashed nervously onto Leonardo. Leonardo understood the Apple only too well...

"He recognizes neither danger nor fatigue," Machiavelli continued. "Those who do not fall by his sword clamor to join his ranks. Already the powerful Orsini and Colonna families have been brought down to kneel at his feet, and King Louis of France stands at his side." Machiavelli paused again, thoughtful. "But at least King Louis will only remain his ally as long as he is useful to him..."

"You overestimate the man!"

Machiavelli appeared not to have heard him. He was lost in his own thoughts. "What does he intend to do with all that power? All that money? What drives the man?...That, I still do not know. But, Ezio," he added, fixing his friend with his eyes, "Cesare has indeed set his sights on all Italia, and at this rate he will have it!"

Ezio hesitated, shocked. "Is that...is that admiration admiration I hear in your voice?" I hear in your voice?"

Machiavelli's face was set. "He knows how to exercise his will. A rare virtue in the world today. And he is the kind of man who could indeed make the world bend to that will."

"What do you mean, exactly?"

"Just this: People need someone to look up to-even to adore. It may be God, or Christ, but better yet someone you can really see, not an image. Rodrigo, Cesare, even a great actor or singer, as long as they're dressed well and have faith in themselves. The rest follows quite logically." Machiavelli drank a little wine. "It's part of us, you see-it doesn't interest you or me or Leonardo; but there are people out there who have a hunger to be followed, and they are the dangerous ones." He finished his drink. "Fortunately, they can also be manipulated by people like me."

"Or destroyed by people like me."

They sat in silence for a long moment.

"Who will lead the Assassins now that Mario is dead?" asked Ezio.

"What a question! We are in disorder and there are few candidates. It's important, of course, but the choice will be made. In the meantime, come on. We have work to do."

"Shall we take horses? Half of it may be falling down, but Rome's still a big city," suggested Ezio.

"Easier said than done. As Cesare's conquests in the Romagna increase-and he controls most of it now-and the Borgia grow in power, they've taken the best areas of the city for themselves. And we're in a Borgia rione rione-district-now. We won't get horses from the stables here."

"So-the will of the Borgia is the only law here now?"

"Ezio-what are you implying? That I approve of it?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Niccol."

"I don't play dumb with anyone. Do you have a plan?"

"We'll improvise."

They made their way toward the place where the local stables with horses for hire were located, walking down streets where, Ezio noticed, many of the shops, which should have been open in normal circumstances, had their shutters down. What was the matter here? And, sure enough, the closer they got, the more numerous and menacing were the guards in mulberry-and-yellow livery. Machiavelli, Ezio noticed, was becoming increasingly wary.

It wasn't long before a burly sergeant, at the head of a dozen or so tough-looking thugs in uniform, blocked their path.

"What's your business here, friend?" he said to Ezio.

"Time to improvise?" whispered Machiavelli.

"We want to hire some horses," Ezio replied evenly to the sergeant.

The sergeant barked out a laugh. "Not here, you won't, friend. On your way." He pointed back in the direction they'd come from.

"Isn't it allowed?"

"No."

"Why not?"

The sergeant drew his sword as the other guards followed suit. He held the point of his blade against Ezio's neck and pushed slightly, so that a drop of blood appeared. "You know what curiosity did to the cat, don't you? Now fuck off!"

With an almost imperceptible movement, Ezio swept out his hidden-blade and with it severed the tendons of the wrist holding the sword, which clattered uselessly to the ground. With a great cry the sergeant buckled over, grasping his wound. At the same time, Machiavelli leapt forward and slashed at the nearest three guards with his sword in a great sweeping motion-they all staggered back, astonished at the sudden boldness of the two men. Ezio swiftly withdrew the hidden-blade and in one fluid movement unsheathed his sword and dagger. His weapons were clear and poised just in time to cut down the first two of his own attackers, who, recovering some composure, had stepped forward to avenge their sergeant. None of the Borgia men had the skill at arms required to take on either Ezio or Machiavelli-the Assassins' training was of a wholly different class. Even so, the odds were against the two friends, heavily outnumbered as they were. However, the unexpected ferocity of their attack was enough to give them an unassailable edge. Taken almost wholly by surprise, and unused to coming off worse in any encounter, the dozen men were soon dispatched. But the commotion of the scuffle had raised the alarm, and more Borgia soldiers came, and yet more-over two dozen men, all told. Machiavelli and Ezio were nearly overwhelmed with the sheer weight of numbers, and with the effort of taking on so many enemies, at once. The flourishes of style that they were both capable of were set aside for a wholly more efficient and quick form of swordsmanship-the three-second kill, a single thrust sufficing. The two men stood their ground, grim determination set on their faces, and finally all their enemies had either fled or lay wounded, dead or dying at their feet.

"We'd better hurry," said Machiavelli, breathing hard. "Just because we've sent a few Borgia henchmen to their Maker doesn't mean we'll get access to the stables. The ordinary people remain afraid. That's why many of them won't even open their shops."

"You're right," agreed Ezio. "We need to send them a signal. Wait here!"

A fire was burning in a brazier nearby. From it, Ezio seized a brand, then leapt up the wall of the stable, where the Borgia flag, with the black bull in a golden field, flew in the light breeze. Ezio set it on fire. As it burned, one or two shop doors cautiously opened, as did the gates of the stables.

"That's better!" cried Ezio. He turned to address the small, doubtful crowd that had gathered. "Do not fear the Borgia! Do not be in thrall to them! Their days are numbered, and the hour of reckoning is at hand!"

More people came up, raising a cheer.

"They'll be back," Machivelli said.

"Yes, they will, but we've shown these people that they are not the all-powerful tyrants they took them to be!"

He leapt down from the wall into the stable yard, where Machiavelli joined him. Swiftly, they picked two sturdy mounts and had them saddled.

"We'll come back," Ezio promised the head ostler. "You might like to get this place cleaned up a bit-now that it belongs to you again, as it rightfully should."

"We will, my lord," said the man. But he still looked fearful.

"Don't worry. They won't harm you, now that you've seen them bested."