remains of their lunch, and made Maria as comfortable as possible. She made no complaint, indeed she seemed completely unaware of her surroundings; but when Claudia tried to take Petruccio's box from her when getting her ready for bed, she protested violently and pushed her daughter away, swearing at her like a fishwife. Brother and sister were shocked at that.
But she slept peacefully, and seemed refreshed the next morning. They washed themselves in a brook, drank some of its clear water in lieu of breakfast, and continued on their way. It was a bright day, pleasantly warm but with a cooling breeze, and they made good progress, passing only a handful of wagons on the road and seeing no one except the odd group of labourers in the fields and orchards they walked by. Ezio was able to buy some fruit, enough at least for Claudia and his mother, but he wasn't hungry anyway - he was too nervous to eat.
At last, in mid-afternoon, he was heartened to see the little walled town of Monteriggioni bathed in sunshine on its hill in the distance. Mario effectively ruled the district. Another mile or two, and they would be within his territory. Heartened, the little group quickened their pace.
'Nearly there,' he told Claudia, with a smile.
'Grazie a Dio,' she replied, returning it.
They'd just started to relax when, at a turn in the road, a familiar figure, accompanied by a dozen men in blue-and-gold liveries, blocked their way. One of the guards carried a standard bearing the hated, familiar emblem of golden dolphins and crosses on a blue ground.
'Ezio!' the figure greeted him. 'Buon' giorno! And your family - or at least, what's left of it! What a pleasant surprise!' He nodded to his men, who fanned out across the road, halberds at the ready.
'Vieri!'
'The same. As soon as they released my father from custody, he was more than happy to finance this little hunting party for me. I was hurt. After all, how could you think of leaving Florence without saying a proper goodbye?'
Ezio advanced a pace, ushering Claudia and his mother behind him.
'What do you want, Vieri? I should have thought you'd be satisfied with what the Pazzi have managed to achieve.'
Vieri spread his hands. 'What do I want? Well, it's hard to know where to begin. So many things! Let's see. I'd like a larger palazzo, a prettier wife, much more money and - what else? - Oh, yes! Your head!' He drew his sword, motioning his guards to stay ready, and advanced on Ezio himself.
'I'm surprised, Vieri - are you really going to take me on all alone? But of course your bully boys are right behind you!'
'I don't think you're worthy of my sword,' retorted Vieri, sheathing it again. 'I think I'll just finish you off with my fists. Sorry if this distresses you, tesora,' he added to Claudia, 'but don't worry - it won't take long, then I'll see what I can do to comfort you - and who knows, maybe your little mamma as well!'
Ezio stepped forward fast and connected his fist to Vieri's jaw so that his enemy staggered, taken off guard. But, regaining his feet, Vieri waved his men back and hurled himself on to Ezio with a furious roar, piling on blow after blow. Such was the ferocity of Vieri's attack that while Ezio parried with skill, he was unable to land a meaningful blow of his own. Both men were locked together, wrestling for control, occasionally staggering back only to fling themselves at each other with renewed vigour. Eventually Ezio was able to use Vieri's anger to work against him - no one ever fought effectively in a rage. Vieri wound up to throw a huge haymaker with his right; Ezio stepped forward and the blow glanced uselessly off his shoulder, Vieri's momentum carrying his weight forward uncontrolled. Ezio tripped up his opponent's heels and sent him rolling in the dust. Bleeding and bested, Vieri scrambled to safety behind his men, and stood up, dusting himself down with his grazed hands.
'I tire of this,' he said, and shouted to the guards. 'Finish him off, and the women too. I can do better than that scrawny little tadpole and her carcassa of a mother!'
'Coniglio!' yelled Ezio, panting for breath, drawing his sword, but the guards had formed a circle round them and extended their halberds. He knew he'd have a hard time closing with them.
The circle tightened. Ezio kept swinging round, trying to keep his womenfolk behind him, but things looked black, and Vieri's unpleasant laugh was one of triumph.
Suddenly there was a sharp, almost ethereal whistling noise and two of the guards to Ezio's left crumpled to their knees and fell forward, dropping their weapons as they did so. From each of their backs projected a throwing- knife, buried to the hilt and clearly aimed with deadly accuracy. Blood billowed out from their shirts, like crimson flowers.
The others drew back in alarm, but not before one more of their number had fallen to the ground, a knife in his back.
'What sorcery is this?' yelped Vieri, terror cutting his voice, drawing his sword and looking round wildly.
He was answered by a deep-throated, booming laugh. 'Nothing to do with sorcery, boy - everything to do with skill!' The voice was coming from a nearby coppice.
'Show yourself!'
A large bearded man wearing high boots and a light breastplate emerged from the little wood. Behind him several others, similarly attired, appeared. 'As you wish,' he said, sardonically.
'Mercenaries!' snarled Vieri, then turned to his own guards. 'What are you waiting for? Kill them! Kill them all!'
But the large man stepped forward, wrested Vieri's sword from him with unbelievable grace, and snapped the blade over his knee as easily as if it had been a twig. 'I don't think that's a very good idea, little Pazzi, though I must say you live up to your family name.'
Vieri didn't answer, but urged his men on. Not very willingly, they closed with the strangers, while Vieri, picking up the halberd of one of his dead guards, rounded on Ezio, knocking his sword out of his hand and out of reach just as he was drawing it.
'Here, Ezio, use this!' said the large man, throwing him another sword, which flew through the air to land on its point, quivering in the ground at his feet. In a flash he'd picked it up. It was a heavy weapon and he had to use both hands to wield it, but he was able to sever the shaft of Vieri's halberd. Vieri himself, seeing that his men were being easily bested by the condottieri, and that two more were already down, called off the attack and fled, hurling imprecations as he went. The large man approached Ezio and the women, grinning broadly.
'I'm glad I came out to meet you,' he said. 'Looks as if I arrived just in time.'
'You have my thanks, whoever you are.'
The man laughed again, and there was something familiar about his voice.
'Do I know you?' asked Ezio.
'It's been a long time. But still I'm surprised you don't recognize your own uncle!'
'Uncle Mario?'
'The same!'
He gave Ezio a bear-hug, and then approached Maria and Claudia. Distress clouded his face when he saw the condition Maria was in. 'Listen, child -' he said to Claudia. 'I'm going to take Ezio back to the castello now, but I'm leaving my men to guard you, and they will give you something to eat and drink. I'll send a rider ahead and he'll return with a carriage to bring you the rest of the way. You've done enough walking for one day and I can see that my poor sister-in-law is.' he paused before adding delicately, 'tired out.'
'Thank you, Uncle Mario.'
'It's settled then. We'll see you very soon.' He turned and issued orders to his men, then put an arm round Ezio and guided him in the direction of his castle, which dominated the little town.
'How did you know I was on my way?' asked Ezio.
Mario looked a little evasive. 'Oh - a friend in Florence sent a messenger on horseback ahead of you. But I already knew what had happened. I haven't the strength to march on Florence but now Lorenzo's back let us pray he can keep the Pazzi in check. You'd better fill me in on my brother's fate - and that of my nephews.'
Ezio paused. The memory of his kinsmen's death still haunted the darkest part of his memories.
'They. They were all executed for treason.' He paused. 'I escaped by the purest chance.'
'My God,' mouthed Mario, his face contorted with pain. 'Do you know why this happened?'
'No - but it is something I hope you may be able to help me find answers to.' And Ezio went on to tell his uncle about the hidden chest in the family palazzo and its contents, and of his revenge on Alberti and the
