‘What’s the hurry?’

‘Everything’s the hurry. Do you think Rodrigo is just going to sit back and let us stroll out of here?’

‘I left him for dead.’

‘Not quite the same as leaving him good and dead, is it? Come on!’

They made their way out of the vault then, as quickly as they could, and a cold wind seemed to follow them as they did so.

2

‘Where did the others go?’ Ezio asked Mario, his mind still reeling from his recent experiences, as they made their way back to the great nave of the Sistine Chapel. The gathered Assassins were no longer there.

‘I told them to go. Paola has returned to Florence; Teodora and Antonio to Venice. We need to keep ourselves covered throughout Italy. The Templars are broken but not destroyed. They will regroup if our Assassin Brotherhood is not vigilant. Eternally vigilant. The rest of our company have gone ahead and will await us at our headquarters in Monteriggioni.’

‘They were keeping watch.’

‘So they were, but they knew when their duty was done. Ezio, there is no time to waste. We all know that.’ Mario’s face was earnest.

‘I should have made sure of Rodrigo Borgia.’

‘Did he harm you in the fight?’

‘My armour protected me.’

Mario clapped his nephew on the back. ‘I spoke hastily before. I think you were right not to kill needlessly. I have always advised moderation. You thought him as good as dead, by his own hand. Who knows? Perhaps he was faking - or perhaps he failed to give himself a fatal dose of poison. Either way, we must deal with the situation as it is now and not waste energy pondering what might have been. In any case, we sent you - one man against an entire army of Templars. You’ve more than done your part. And I am still your old uncle, and I’ve been worried about you. Come on, Ezio. We have to get out of here. We have work to do, and the last thing we need is to get cornered by Borgia guards.’