Assassins creed - Understanding

Chapter 6 - Sandro is what?!

My mouth was wide open in shock. There, in flesh and blood, stood an unharmed, healthy looking Poalo.

‘I-I don’t understand..’ I could hear the surprise in my own voice.

‘Of course you don’t. You never gave us a chance to explain.’ Sandro stumbled back into the room. His hair, usually so neat was messy and his robes were out of place. There was a bright twinkle in his eyes. Catarina was not here though, and that made me wish she was. I don’t feel safe with all these men around me.

‘Well, I’m here now. Explain.’

Ezio spoke, his own golden eyes twinkling.  ‘Would you prefer it if we spoke in privacy?’

I nodded, and the other assassins rose from the table as swiftly as snakes and left the room. Only Ezio, Poalo and Sandro remained. And me, of course. Blood pumped through my veins. At least there were a few problems out of the way. If I had to fight them all, I would be stuck. But I didn’t think Ezio would be so keen to let me just run away.

My mouth was dry, like sand. I looked up at Poalo, who was looking back at me, thoughtful. At last, he spoke. ‘I joined the Assassins when I was just fifteen. I had to, I didn’t have a choice. My parents were assassins as well. The other assassins at the time thought I was too young, but in three years, I was better than most.’

I was starting at Poalo in disbelief. Surley he couldn’t be telling the truth? I looked over at Ezio, he had the same look as Poalo. Sad, thoughtful, patient. I looked over at Sandro who looked like he couldn’t care less. Perhaps, to him his nails were more interesting than what he was hearing. Maybe it was because he had heard it many times before.

‘There had been rumors of killings around in Venezia. Assasssins killed in their sleep, in their own homes. Caught of guard, which was surprising, because assassins have to stay on alert. We had to investigate. In a few months, we found out that it was the Templars doing, and only the Templars knew about whom and why the killings were happening. We couldn’t catch a Templar, we had to avoid suspicion.’

I shook my head. Could this be true? It had to be. Why would they drag me all this way to tell me lies?

Sandro had taken the seat next to Ezio. Poalo stayed standing.

‘I don’t understand.. That envelope..’

Sandro hushed me rudely and looked back at Poalo.

‘I joined the Templar order as an undercover assassin to find out more. Can you guess when I joined?’

I tried to remember back through the years. I remembered when Duccio found me by the water. When he took me to his den, when he told me his father was the leader. That he was next to control the den. He seemed so happy then. When he made me one of them, a Templar, there had been someone else too. I remembered Duccio’s father saying ‘We welcome our two new recruits to our den.’

I had been the first one, and Poalo had been the second.

‘You joined the den three years ago! The same time I did!’ I exclaimed.

‘ I did. Before I joined, the assassins had found the killers. The ones who had killed so manu. They were dead before you came. Just a few hours before you joined’

Blood pulsed faster in my veins. I shook my head.  They were lying. They wanted me to go against Duccio and everyone back home. They were trying to blame the Templars for their loss.

‘Before I joined. We had an assassin go over to their house and kill them. Both of them.’

No. No this cannot be right.