Brotherhood: The Recruits [17/?]

[name_me_regret]

Brotherhood: The Recruits
Author: name-me-regret

AN: I’m a bit vague on that main room at the hideout, which I assume has more floors even though we never see them. It’s possible that I got some of these descriptions wrong, but I didn’t want to go into the game to get better descriptions since I tend to get lost in the AC games; for long hours. I’m not sure where the Italian arum grows other than Southern Europe.


Chapter Seventeen: The Hangman’s Noose
~o~

There were four floors in the hideout on Isola Tiberina; if you didn’t count the basement which was cool in the summer, and was used to store most of the food. The first floor was at ground level and had many rooms where one could be entertained when not training, which was few and far in-between in the first two weeks spent there. There was the room where the paintings were kept, just a few of them at the time, but where more could be added later on. The one that Severino seemed to favor was the one where there were several books that held a diverse amount of knowledge. It seemed that the Maestro not only wanted to train their bodies, but their minds as well.

Severino was often seen there pouring over everything that he could get his hands on, and everyday Desideria saw a different book or scroll in his hands. Desi herself spent most of her time training when not accompanying the Maestro on missions, or helping him whenever he called on them. Each of Desideria’s days consisted of either a mission followed by sustenance, and then training. If there was no mission, then she started training in the early morning, followed by lunch, more training, then supper, and a light run before turning in for the night.

After enough training and experience, they would be officially brought into the Brotherhood for the first time after they reached the necessary level to become a true Assassino. She wanted to prove she could take on solo missions, and reach the level of Assasino before Severino. Nearby there was a tunnel entrance that one could use to travel all over Roma to interconnecting tunnel entrances; provided the entrance was repaired. Also, there was a special room, and to Desideria’s understanding, this is where they would perform the official ceremony. Desideria felt confident that she could reach that level quickly, but where her fellow recruit, she had some doubts about him.

Now, thinking of the older recruit made her pause in her training as a sneer twisted her lips. The young man’s full name was Severino Sabelli, and most days it was all she could do to hide her contempt for the man. Her Maestro had been on his way to see Bartolomeo d’Alviano while she shadowed his movements from the rooftops overhead as per his instructions. They had just left Isola Tiberina when the broad shouldered man had whistled the signal.

Desideria had immediately jumped down to assist him in fighting some guards, and noticed that they were assisting a man that had been battling them alone. He was obviously injured already and for this very reason she had thought he was weak. After all, Desi had killed just over a dozen guards before being overwhelmed. At the time she hadn’t wanted him to interfere, since she’d wanted to kill them herself. Sometimes, Desideria wondered if she had wanted to die that day. It was fortunate that Ezio Auditore had come when he did, and now she was better trained than before and also had a purpose besides revenge.

The young woman came into the main room after her early morning training with sweat beading her forehead and the back of her shirt was soaked with it. She went to take a bath as she put water to boil in the fireplace in her room. When it was hot she poured the bucket into the tub of cold water to make it lukewarm, and as she started to strip there was a knock at her door. Desideria glanced balefully at it before moving to answer. Her ire increased at seeing Severino standing there. “What?” she snapped heatedly.

Severino’s right eyebrow lifted in a gesture of bemusement. The man was probably wondering what he’d done to get on her bad side. Desi’s blood boiled when he merely smirked at her agitation. “The Maestro wants us both in the main room. He says it’s urgent.” The young man’s eyes moved down to where she’d started to undo the fastening of her uniform and the smirk morphed into a taunting grin. “Did you want me to help you with that?”

He made the motion of reaching out, and froze as he felt the cold press of metal against his throat. “Alright, calmarsi! I wasn’t being serious!” Desideria’s answer was to step back into the room and slam the door in his face. Severino chuckled as he rubbed where the sharp knife had nicked him. “Always so friendly.” He left the way he’d come, and knew that Desi wouldn’t be too far behind. She had too much respect for the Maestro to refuse the man’s call.

~o~

They were riding hard through the streets of the city, people screaming as they jumped out of their path lest they get trampled. Normally, they’d never gallop full out within the city, but they were pressed for time. They had to get to their destination before noon or an injustice would be done. There was to be a public execution happening today, and the men were considered enemies of Roma and the church. Usually, that meant ‘enemies of the Borgia’, and freeing those allies would benefit their cause. So, they needed to get there before they were hanged.

Desi’s blood was singing in her veins and ears with the adrenaline coursing through her body. She wasn’t sure which excited her more, the prospect of saving those four men, or the anticipation of killing corrupt guards working for the Borgia. It was hard to tell and a tremor of an indescribable feeling went through her, and it filled her with an anxiousness that she couldn’t name. So, to be safe, she would concentrate on the good they were doing by stopping this execution.

The young woman glanced briefly at Severino and saw that his eyes were fixed ahead of him as he rode alongside of Desideria. He trained most of the day as well, but out in the courtyard on the third floor. Severino always finished before her, took his bath with hot water, and then ate a simple meal. Afterwards, he would spend his time doing intellectual training. He would go into the library and read, and studied everything he could get his hands on. Desi herself had never had much interest in learning these types of things. She had always learned the practical way, and suspected that she always would.

It wasn’t a matter of not being smart enough because she knew how to read and do simple math in her head. As long as she could read and write, then she needed nothing more. However, even as a girl she had wanted to be out there and have adventures, instead of reading about them.

Desideria turned her attention back to the road ahead of her, and braced herself as the horse jumped over a cart in their way. She saw that soon they’d arrive at the Piazza del Popolo, which was the same place she’d first seen the Maestro fight. If she were to go down the alleyway they were approaching and to the street it let out into, she would be able to find where the guards had harassed her, and she’d gotten the first glimpse of the Assassin tracking its prey. That seemed a lifetime ago and to an innocence she had lost when her hands had been stained in blood, and if she could go back then...

Well, the past was just that, the past, and it was as unchanging as the mountains.

The Maestro jumped from his horse mid-gallop and killed a guard as he used his body like a cushion to soften his fall. There was already fighting in the piazza as they had arrived, a man and a woman fought back to back in sync while the guards circled the duo. Desideria and Severino rode into the otherwise empty piazza, which had surely been populated with people who wanted to see the execution, but had most likely dispersed when the fighting started. She saw that the hooded executioner had been shot through with a crossbow bolt as well as the official that would have given the order of execution. The condemned men were still tied by their necks up on the gallows, but they seemed to be trying to get free but were too far away from one another to release their bonds.

Her head snapped toward Severino as he was pulled off his horse, but calmed when he blocked the soldiers’ killing blow before kicking the other man’s legs from under him. Severino wasted no time in jumping on him and stabbing his own hidden blade into his throat, and then quickly rolled away when another soldier attacked him.

Desi dismissed the man now that he wasn’t in danger, and killed a soldier that was trying to unseat her as well. She nudged the horse into a gallop toward the gallows, swinging off the saddle and quickly climbed onto the stage. The men tensed at her approach, but she only cut the first noose and after that they knew she wouldn’t harm them. Well, she may still harm them if they proved useless. After all, she had enough of that with Severino, and didn’t think she’d resist more without killing someone.

Once she had cut all four nooses, she glanced at the men; all older than her. “Either runaway or stand and fight, but my job is done.” Desideria turned away, running and jumping off the end of the stage, and came down with her sword on the head of an unsuspecting soldier. The young woman didn’t feel any which way when they joined the battle with their recovered weapons, which had been confiscated and held by the official. After that, it was easy for the nine of them to defeat the rest of the soldiers.

The two that had been fighting when they arrived approached the three of them. It was the attractive young man that opened his mouth to speak and shake their hands, while the woman watched them warily but silently. “I don’t know your reasons for helping us, but I’m very grateful. May I ask your names?” It didn’t escape Desideria’s notice that they hadn’t mentioned their own names, and knew the Maestro would see as well.

It was a testament to the Maestro’s fearlessness that he freely gave his name without worrying about whether they could be trusted. “Ezio Auditore,” he introduced himself in his deep voice. “And any enemy of the Borgia is a friend to us, because the liberation of Roma has begun.” The duo exchanged glances at his words and the woman made a motion with her hand toward her ear, and the man nodded. “We have need of individuals such as you both.”

The male of the pair looked at the female once more, and she lifted a hand to her mouth with a cutting motion, and then pointed at the four behind them. Augusto glanced at Agostino, Lorenzo, Domenico, and Giovanni before looking back at Ezio. “My sister and I are in your debt, and would like to join,” he hesitated as he glanced at his friends, “but the four men behind me will not join. They are my informants and are vigilantes, which is the main reason they were being hung today.”

Desideria was about to speak, since they knew that the men were being hung for treason as soldiers of the city of Roma. However, a look from the Maestro silenced her, and instead she memorized all four men’s faces. It was obvious the duo didn’t trust them, which would extend to the others, but Desideria didn’t trust them either.

“Very well, amico. Welcome to the Brotherhood...”

“My name is Augusto Fornari, and this is my sister Fabiola.” Fabiola only nodded but said nothing once more. Augusto smiled toward the irate female recruit, and she saw a hint of amusement in his dark brown eyes. “My sister does not speak,” he informed them, but said nothing else on the matter.

Ezio stared at them individually for several moments in silence before he nodded, and turned to his recruits to dismiss them. “Look for Niccolo Machiavelli on Isola Tiberina, and we will make you one of us,” he said to the twins. He lifted a hand in farewell before mounting his horse and urging the animal into a slow gait. Desideria threw one last look at the six individuals and then followed after Severino whom had left as soon as the Maestro had. She got on her stallion and made it go into a cantor so she could come alongside of Ezio’s own horse.

“I do not trust them. They hold too many secrets.” Ezio only chuckled at her words, and he was close enough to pat her head as if she were some wayward child. “They are not enemies,” he reassured her confidently, and he sounded so sure that she felt compelled to believe him. If the Maestro had given them the benefit of the doubt then he had his reasons. Desi just hoped they did not betray that trust he’d given them.

“Besides,” he spoke again, interrupting her thoughts. “I have the perfect initiation mission for them.” Both recruits looked at him in interest, hoping to be privy to his plans. “They’re going to find the poison maker for me.” Ezio had gotten word that the good doctor, Malfatto sold an untraceable poison to some of Cesare’s people, and the man had sent an agent to recruit the man to the Templars. One of the reasons was the man’s skills as a murderer and a sadist, but mainly it was for that poison. Now, with Malfatto dead, they would go after the poison maker, which was the man’s niece. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that the woman that had paralyzed Severino with a mere nick of her blade was the niece. Ezio wanted to get to her before the Templars, and get his hands on that poison as well. After all, an untraceable poison would be a valuable assassination tool.

Severino opened his mouth to protest, but Ezio held out a hand to forestall anything he was about to say. “I understand completely, Severino,” he reassured. “That’s why I want you to be their guide. You help them by showing them the house and identifying the target, but let them capture her. I’ll want a full assessment of their skills as well, so don’t let them out of your sight.” Desideria also wanted to be part of this mission, since she had a month’s worth of training more than Severino, however; in a way she also understood why he needed to do this alone. That woman had managed to paralyze him with ease through nothing more than a scratch of her dagger. Desi knew that he would be thinking of the outcome if she had used a poisoned knife, and if it had been her, that’s all she’d be thinking of. So, she would keep her mouth shut on the matter just this once, because she won’t deny that it had affected her.

When Severino had hit the ground after she had made the kill, she’d felt her heart stop for a moment, and while the Maestro had attended to their fallen comrade she had tried desperately to catch the woman. She had felt actual grief at losing her, since at the time Desi believed the other woman would have the antidote of whatever she’d poisoned him with. So, losing her was the same as letting a comrade die, and Desideria had felt like a failure. However, she had been so relieved when she had returned and Ezio had told her that Severino had only been paralyzed, and that it would wear off eventually. Desideria had tried to play it off as if she didn’t care, and chastised a still aware Severino for being a fool and letting that woman immobilize him. Ezio had worn a knowing smile but said nothing, and when Severino had recovered the man had been insufferable. He regaled her with compliments and playful declarations of love for having tried so hard to save him. The man had finally stopped after she’d snapped and sucker-punched him during one of those corny proclamations of love and friendship. Severino had a black eye for two days.

~o~

Bianca Carsidoni. That was their targets’ name. They hadn’t been told why Ezio wanted her captured, nor what she had done. The man had simply said that it was part of the process to join them. The Assassin Brotherhood was the name of the organization, and Fabiola finally remembered where she had heard that name. She brought her brother the wanted poster, and his eyes lit in recognition. “The Heralds speak of him and say he’s a wicked man,” Augusto muttered. He watched his sister as she gazed intently at the poster and waited patiently for her thoughts. He knew she wouldn’t speak, but she could communicate without words.

Finally, she looked up at him and lifted a calm hand to rest on her chest, right above her heart, and then she pointed at the poster. ‘Good feeling about him’, and he understood what she wanted to say.

Augusto nodded. “Alright,” he agreed, taking the poster from her and ripping it in half. “We’ll trust them, and now it’s time to go meet with that recruit of his.” Fabiola smiled and hurried out of the room to kiss her son before leaving, and since Augusto had already been to see him, he went to get the horses ready. He was already astride his mare when she came outside, and there was nothing visible of her face. Ezio had given them both the black trimmed attire of the recruits. It molded to her lean body, and the hood cast her eyes into shadow, and a strip of cloth was secured up to the bridge of her nose. Augusto on the other hand had his hood down at the moment, but when it came time to pull it up, he would. His sister got on the saddle without assistance as she took up the reigns, and waited for him to lead the way.

The young man clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and the horse started to move in the direction he indicated. They met with Severino Sabelli at the rendezvous point, which was the Ponte Cestio that connected the western part of Centro district to Isola Tiberina. It was where they had met with Niccolo Machiavelli a few days ago where the man had given them this particular mission. They were shown where the poison maker lived and had been told to bring in the young woman when Severino would identify her, since he’s the only one of the Assassins that had seen her besides the courtesans. So, they’d put the four men on a rotating watch until she appeared, and two nights ago she had shown up briefly before leaving, and today they’d wait to see if she returned.

Augusto had noticed that they hadn’t trusted them yet with the location of their hideout. It didn’t bother Augusto, since they hadn’t revealed where they were located, or any information on their lives. Although, he wondered that when they passed this test, if they would have to move into that hideout they guarded so closely. He had mixed feelings about the idea, since they were vulnerable where they four of them were staying. However, it wasn’t clear whether they’d allow them to bring Caterina or Giotto along. As Fabiola had signed, they would just sneak them in and worry about it later. After all, it was easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.

Severino hailed them from on top of his horse at the end of the bridge, with Isola Tiberina at his back. “The niece was last seen at her uncles’ stand, fleeing further into Centro,” he started off without a proper greeting, but it was obvious that he was simply anxious to get started. Fabiola didn’t know his reasons, and frankly, she didn’t want to know. Just because they were to be comrades, didn’t mean they would be friends. In the end, she had never truly had any friends growing up, and had grown accustomed to the solitude of the blacksmith shop. Even now, she was restless, and wanted to take up her tools once more. However, it was unclear when she would be able to practice her craft again, since Giovanni had informed them that the soldiers were looking for the twins.

It was the same letter that Ottavio had sent to incriminate Matteo’s men, had also contained information on them. The man had written that if he were to ever turn up dead, then it would be the twins that had killed them. So, she had to be careful on who she sold to if ever, since she doubted there were many female blacksmiths in Roma.

“What did she do?” Augusto asked at an insistent pushing by his sister. He knew that she wouldn’t want to hunt this girl unless it was for a valid reason. Augusto could understand her reasons, but they were only supposed to capture her and bring her in, so he wasn’t too concerned about it. By the look on Severino’s face, he had no sympathy for the girl either.

“Her uncle murdered several courtesans from the Rosa in Fiore, and the niece is believed to be an accomplice and creator of the poison used on several murders done by the Borgia. The Maestro wants her brought in and interrogated immediately and if possible sway her to our side.” The young man snorted sardonically. “If she helped him, then she should get the same treatment her uncle received.” He shrugged and pulled on the reins to turn the horse to the left. “In the end, I’m just following orders.”

The twins glanced at one another as Severino rode ahead, and it was Augusto that shrugged and followed, and Fabiola sighed and did the same. It seemed that she would have to be the one to make sure the other female made it to the interrogation, or else those two wolves would tear her apart. After hearing what her uncle had done, she wanted to hurt someone as well. However, if Bianca hadn’t known or been lied to, then Fabiola wouldn’t let them kill her just because of what her relative had done. It’d be the same as condemning Giotto for his father’s crimes. Although, she’d like to meet the idiot with the death wish that might dare try such a thing. Besides, Matteo was his real father; blood relation or not.

They dismounted in the back of the building two streets away from the doctor’s abandoned house, seeing as Giovanni had hailed them from the rooftop when they’d been a block away. It’d be foolish to ride up to the house and then the woman would be spooked and they’d lose this opportunity to capture her. Agostino and the other three men had been watching the house in twelve hour shifts, but there had been no movement in two weeks, until two nights ago. Lorenzo had spotted a slender figure skulking around the neighborhood. The blonde haired man had identified the figure as female, and seen her linger around the block but she hadn’t entered the house. When she had left, Lorenzo had sent a message via the pigeon coop near-by, which the bird would fly to a coop close to the twins’ safe house. They had then sent a message to Severino to meet with them tonight in case she showed her face again.

“Be careful of her weapons because they are likely to be coated wither either a paralyzing toxin, or poison,” Severino had warned as they’d been riding over. It had seemed to Fabiola as if he spoke from experience, and Fabiola wondered to herself if he had experienced the consequences of underestimating her. He was obviously still alive, so he must have gotten cut with the weapon coated with the incapacitating agent. So, she fairly understood his behavior, since it would had been a bruise on his ego. Well, ego or no, they needed her alive to pass this initiation mission. Hell, his actions might be part of the test, and they had to bring her in alive despite one of their allies wanting their target dead.

The siblings shared a look and it seemed as if Augusto had read her mind. He motioned the slightest bit toward Severino and closed one eye in a wink, and Fabiola gave a curt nod. So, they were in agreement in making sure the man didn’t ruin their mission.

~o~

Bianca knew she was taking a big risk by returning to the house, but she needed clothes, money, and several other items she’d been forced to leave behind. That same day Malfatto that had died, she had tried to return to the house and had seen two guards stationed in front of the house. So, she had left but had sworn to return when they’d gotten tired of waiting for her. The fiorini she had left had dwindled down to almost nothing, and she’d started pick-pocketing with great reluctance. Bianca hadn’t been caught, but it wasn’t something she felt right doing. The seeds she had stolen once had been one thing, but money was a whole different matter. Also, at the time, the doctor would have been angry if she returned empty handed.

So, she had snuck back to the neighborhood to make sure it wasn’t being watched, and she hadn’t seen a guard at the door or anywhere nearby besides the usual patrol. Bianca had left and decided to return two nights later just in case she’d been seen. It had to be done in the middle of the night to give her maximum cover of darkness. Once inside she would pack a knap sack with clothes and money, and her medicine bag with any medicine and herbs that were still good to use. Then Bianca would disappear and no one would ever hear from her again.

The house was silent and as still as death, and a shudder raced down her spine. She shook herself and took a deep breath to calm down, since she needed to get into that house. Bianca only hoped that the soldiers, or those people that had killed Malfatto, weren’t waiting for her. If they were she wouldn’t hesitate to use her poisoned throwing knives that were concealed in hidden sheaths beneath the material of her corset that was secured over the white blouse worn underneath. The handles were decorative and could easily be confused as embellishments on the corset. At her back she had daggers that were also dipped in the poison she’d concocted, which Bianca had never given a name to. At her boots she had a dagger in each that were coated with a paralyzing toxin, the same she’d used on that man whose companion had killed Malfatto. Bianca didn’t mourn his death, and was just glad that his reign of terror was over.

She silently slipped into the house, closing the door behind her, and hoped she hadn’t been spotted, and went as fast as she could. Her supplies were first and then her clothes, but as she had finished packing the knapsack, she heard the creaking sound of the front door opening. Bianca froze where she was standing, putting down both bags and withdrew a poisoned dagger in each hand while easing back into the shadows. She didn’t see a light from a torch or a lantern, so they were either ransacking the place and didn’t want to be seen, or they were here for her and didn’t want to alert her of their presence. The only sound heard was the hoot of an owl, and several minutes later Bianca heard footsteps. She readied to lunge toward them, aiming to kill because she refused to take any chances with her life.

She saw them before they noticed her, two taller figures quietly making their way in her direction. Bianca’s hands tightened around the handle of the dagger until her fingers felt numb as she waited for them to get close enough for her to strike. As they stepped within range, she tried to feel no remorse as she darted forward and attacked. One of her daggers caught the one on the left just under the ribs, and the slightly taller one through the throat just below the Adam’s apple. Within seconds they were dead, one from bleeding out and the other succumbed to the poison. Bianca pushed aside the curtain to let in a bit of moonlight and went to crouch at their sides. Her lips twisted down in a frown as she got a good look at the two she’d just killed.

~o~

Earlier.

Giovanni was the first to spot the target approaching the house, and they all noticed that she was wearing the attire of a housemaid with her hair pulled up and pinned, and covered by a simple, white bonnet. It sent her features into shadow as she moved along, but as she passed under a torch her face was visible before she quickly ducked down. When Severino nodded, they knew it was her and when she entered the house, Fabiola and Augusto moved down the ladder to the alleyway besides the building.

They hurried down the alleyway until they were right across from the house. Her brother was about to move forward but Fabiola grabbed at his arm and pointed at her own self, and then the house. Augusto nodded reluctantly and the young woman darted across the street, stopping at the door and pushing it open as it creaked loudly than she would have hoped. As she was about to enter, the sound of her brother’s signal, which was the hoot of an owl made her head snap down the street. There were two soldiers moving steadily in her direction, and she abruptly abandoned her position in favor of the alleyway next to the house. Fabiola mentally cursed to herself as she realized she’d left the door open, and prayed they’d by-pass the house without noticing the gaping doorway. However, they came to halt right by the door, and after they exchanged a few whispered words, both went in. It seemed the Borgia also had the place guarded, and any changes were to be investigated and reported immediately. Fabiola figured that the open door was a significant change.

Fabiola had no clue what she was supposed to do as she was about to signal her brother, but before she could she heard a commotion from inside and the young woman sprang into action. She wouldn’t let these men kill her target, and would eliminate them if need be. Although, in the end she soon realized that there’d be no need for that as she came upon the other woman crouched besides the dead soldiers. Fabiola blew out her breath to ruffle her bangs and walked further into the room as Bianca’s eyes wildly darted to her. The poison maker’s hands were trembling around the hilt of her daggers as she pulled them out of the corpses. It was clear that having killed these men had caused her great anguish, and it was all the evidence that Fabiola needed to know. Bianca was clearly not her uncle’s accomplice. It didn’t mean Fabiola would let her go, since her mission was to capture Bianca Carsidoni. Although, she would ensure that no harm came to her.

Bianca lunged at her with a speed that rivaled her own, but Fabiola was stronger and better trained. So, when Augusto followed by Severino close behind made it to the house, Fabiola had Bianca disarmed and was in the process of tying her hands. Augusto’s had pulled his hood up just before they’d met up with Severino so the young woman wouldn’t recognize him, but now that he was closer he immediately knew the black haired woman as his mouth opened in surprise. Fabiola noticed his surprise and reminded herself to ask her brother about it later.

When Fabiola secured her hands tightly, she proceeded to search her for weapons. She was a bit impressed at the sheaths hidden within the bodice that held thin throwing knives, but the handles looked like decorative embellishments and not like the handles of weapons. Fabiola carefully and meticulously cut the sheaths out to avoid any unnecessary trouble. The tall girl was glad that Severino kept back and allowed her to handle Bianca’s search, and when she was sure there were no more weapons, she nodded and amiably patted the other female on the arm with a slight smile.

As she turned away from her and motioned for Severino to take her, she saw him shaking his head and stiffened. Fabiola heard the sound of a dagger being drawn and Augusto’s shout, and her brother was suddenly there. He grunted in pain and when she whirled around, it was to see Bianca with a dagger in her bound hands and it was embedded all the way to the hilt in Augusto’s shoulder. The poison maker couldn’t see the other female’s face except for two caramel eyes staring in disbelief as he crumpled to the floor. When Fabiola’s gaze shifted to her, Bianca flinched at what she saw there; she saw her death.

Bianca stumbled back as Fabiola lunged at her with sword in hand, her hand having been too fast that she didn’t even see her draw it and Bianca brought up the dagger to wildly defend. It was difficult with her hands tied, but had no time to cut her bindings and was just glad her feet weren’t impaired. She crashed into a chair, managed to keep her balance as she darted around it and kicked it at Fabiola to try and slow her down. The other female brought her sword down, and Bianca was stunned as it neatly cut the chair in half. The person that had forged the sword was an excellent craftsman, and if she wasn’t fighting for her life, she would have asked Fabiola who had made her sword. When the sword cut through her dagger as she defended, that admiration became fear.

During the entire confrontation, Severino had watched in amusement as the poison maker had to desperately defend herself from the mute girl. Now, as Fabiola dropped her sword and drew her dagger for an up and close kill, he felt that he should step in.

“Fabiola!” he shouted, seeing as she froze right as she was about to drive her dagger into Bianca’s throat, the other fingers of her hand pressed firmly against her clavicle. He crouched besides the young man and checked that he was still breathing. “Augusto is alive.” So, that meant Bianca had cut him with the same dagger she’d used on him. The other man would be immobilized for a good three hours, and said as much to Fabiola. “It’s the same thing she used before, and he should be alright in three hours.”

Fabiola turned her head to look at Severino over her shoulder, and the other had the sudden impulse to retreat. In the next few moments, he wished he would have obeyed his instincts. Fabiola turned back to face Bianca with slow, dangerous movements and took something from her hand, and snapped around to throw a projectile at him. Severino cursed loudly as the end of Bianca’s broken dagger slammed into the same shoulder where Augusto had been stabbed. As the numbness of the paralyzing agent took over, he collapsed and despite his predicament, he was impressed with Fabiola. She had thrown and managed to hit him with a weapon whose center of gravity had been drastically altered. It seemed that the information the Maestro had gotten of her being a master blacksmith was well founded. She was familiar enough with weapons to know when it wasn’t forged right, but also how to adjust to the imperfection.

Severino was helpless as Fabiola moved over to him, crouching besides him as he pushed back his hood to see his eyes and placing the edge of her own dagger to his throat. Bianca watched everything in silence and didn’t dare move from where the taller girl had cornered her against the wall. Meanwhile, Fabiola ran the cold, flat surface of her weapon along Severino’s neck, and then quickly nicked the skin. It wasn’t a life threatening wound, but would bleed sparsely. Then she leaned down while turning her head to look in his eyes, and pulling down her mask as if she would kiss him but it was so he could see her mouth. ‘You would have died as well,’ she mouthed slowly so he could read her lips, and the hitch in his breathing was enough evidence that he’d understood her. He had known Bianca had a dagger in her boot and had said nothing.

She straightened and moved over to her brother, pushing back his hood to see that his eyes were wide open. The sweat beaded his brow indicated that he was likely trying to force his limbs to move with no success. Fabiola placed her hand on his chest and felt his heart beating a frantic tattoo against his ribcage. She made a shushing sound to try and get him to calm down, her hand moving to his cheek, and their eyes met over this distance. Fabiola smiled reassuringly at him before turning to Bianca, snapping her fingers and pointing to the spot next to her. The other young woman was looking at her in shock, but Fabiola had no time to deal with her. She unsheathed her dagger and used it to point to the space next to her, and Bianca immediately went to crouch besides her. When she saw Bianca’s eyes widen at seeing her brother’s face, it further confirmed her suspicion that they somehow knew one another.

Fabiola tried to communicate with Bianca that she wanted her to give Augusto the antidote, but didn’t understand the mute girl. She sighed in frustration and stopped trying to communicate and just pulled open the shirt of the recluta uniform he was wearing. The wound was still oozing blood and it wasn’t life threatening, but Bianca decided that it may be better to get that antidote injected into his system. Especially because Fabiola was insistent on it, and she’d already seen her angry and didn’t want a repeat performance.

Bianca tried to stand, but Fabiola’s hand caught her wrist in a tight hold. The shorter girl winced as the other’s fingers bit into her skin painfully. “The antidote is in my bag in the other room,” she explained, “and I’m just going to go get it.”

Her honey-colored eyes narrowed suspiciously on Bianca as she tried to appear unassuming. She wasn’t thinking of escaping, since she was sure there was someone else watching the house and doubted she’d get very far. The reason for wanting to go without Fabiola shadowing her every step was to retrieve Malfatto’s journal; which as she had discovered, was more like a journal. While it was a sure way to prove she wasn’t the man’s accomplice, it would also contain his medical notes, and the ingredients and instructions on how to make all the medicines he was familiar with. Perhaps if she managed to escape, or on the off chance they let her go, then with these notes and the knowledge she already knew, she could move to Venezia and start practicing medicine. Of course, she would have to adopt a disguise, but her small breasts would be easy to bind down, and using the doctor’s smock and plague mask, then no one would ever know her secret.

Her hopes were dashed as Fabiola stood, and placed her middle finger and thumb to her mouth and blew out a shrill whistle. Almost immediately, a figure appeared in the doorway and at a nod from Fabiola the man moved to Augusto, lifting him up easily and taking him to the nearest horizontal surface. Fabiola turned to Bianca and motioned for her lead the way. Bianca smiled uneasily but did as the other indicated and went immediately to her Malfatto’s room even knowing that everything would have gone bad by now with the exception of the herbs and certain mixtures.

She spotted the journal, which she’d learned the hard way, was his personal journal as well, and noticed that it had landed on the man’s bed. Bianca’s nose wrinkled in disgust since her puke had been left to fester for several days. After a moment, Bianca was forced to cover her nose, but when she glanced at Fabiola it was to see that she appeared unaffected. It was either because she was well-trained, or her sense of smell was as damaged as her throat seemed to be.

Bianca grabbed a bag that would have spare potions, and made sure to set it on the bed on top of the medium-sized book. That way, when she lifted the bag she could take the book and slip it inside without Fabiola noticing. However, before she could even open the bad, Fabiola was at her side, hand around her elbow as she pulled her away. Bianca’s heart skipped a beat when she lifted it to reveal the journal underneath, and then she turned to Bianca with a raised eyebrow. “I-it’s Malfatto’s medical journal,” she hurried to tell her as Fabiola picked it up. She motioned to the doctor’s bag. “All the medicines and elixirs have gone rancid, but in there it should have the ingredients and instructions for the antidote.”

Fabiola’s lips lifted in an amused grin before she lightly smacked Bianca upside the head with the book. The action was so reminiscent of her uncle that she flinched and cringed away. However, Fabiola had already cracked open the journal and was skimming through it. Bianca hoped she didn’t see the entries where he confessed his incestuous lust toward his own niece. Just the thought was enough to make the young medical practitioner sick to her stomach once more; and the smell wasn’t helping either. Luckily, she didn’t seem to be reading any of it and after a moment she snapped it closed.

The antidote wasn’t that difficult to make, and she could probably do it with her eyes closed. Malfatto had never given her credit for anything she had made before, so she knew she had to worry that the entry named her as having made the paralyzing agent in the first place. The reason she wanted to feign ignorance was that hoping that Fabiola would hand it over to her, and during a moment of distraction she could flee. However, with how suspicious Fabiola was after the incident with Augusto a few minutes ago, she doubted she’d place any trust in her again.

Fabiola nodded and quickly shooed her out of the room so she could start on the antidote. Once more, Bianca was left wondering if the other woman was truly a mute, since she hadn’t spoken a single word yet. The only other time she had seen Fabiola was when she’d been unconscious on Malfatto’s examination table almost four years ago. Bianca remembered the young couple for a lot of reasons, and one had to be due to her stunning features. The young woman knew that while her eyes were very pretty and her hair straight and glossy, her face was quite plain. She didn’t compare to Fabiola’s beauty, and Bianca knew that if she had been a courtesan like her now deceased friends, then she’d likely have clients lining up to see her daily.

Bianca grabbed her own bags as they moved to the main room, since some of the herbs were still good and knew for a fact that she had all the ingredients necessary there to make the antidote. So, while Fabiola held the book open on the right page, she pretended to read it while staring a fire. In the middle of glancing back a fourth time, to which she was really reading and memorizing the instructions on a medicine, she saw Fabiola watching her with amusement lighting up her caramel eyes. For a moment Bianca wondered if she knew that her actions were just an act, and found it funny. “May I see the book more closely?” Fabiola’s slight smile turned into a twisted smirk and she shook her head. Perhaps she did know after all.

~o~

Augusto’s legs and toes still felt numb, and his hands and fingers tingled as they regained feeling. As he stood, his buckled and threatened to give way under him but Giovanni and Fabiola simultaneously reached out to steady him. As Fabiola silently fussed over him, he glanced at the poison maker, but she was busy checking her bags to make sure she had everything she wanted to take. Augusto had been stunned to realize that she was their target, and a bit alarmed to realize that Fabiola’s former doctor was the same that had killed those women. Although, despite any proof they may say they had, he doubted that Bianca had anything to do with it.

At the time of their first meeting, while her uncle had been curt and frigid in telling him that his sister had been raped, Bianca had been the polar opposite. When he had pushed through the curtain to retrieve Fabiola, he had paused as he spotted the young woman. She had finished dressing his sister, and one of her hands was brushing away a few stray strands of her hair from her face. Her fingers had been soft and comforting, and it almost seemed that she didn’t want to be too rough and cause her anymore pain than what she’d already went through. Then her words of advice when he had needed them the most had cemented his belief that she was a good-hearted person, and wasn’t capable of being an accomplice to senseless murder.

Augusto just hoped that Ezio Auditore was a man that could be reasoned with, or they wouldn’t relinquish their prisoner to him. Well, if push came to shove then they’d go back into their old plan of leaving Italy altogether, but with an extra addition to their group.

~o~

It was difficult to tell whether he was angry or not by what Augusto had just told him as a silent Fabiola stood at his side. She didn’t need to say anything for Augusto to know that at a nod from him, she’d release the two smoke bombs in her hands and they’d escape through the window in the confusion. Giovanni was positioned on the nearby rooftop, crossbow bolt aimed inside of the room, but not necessarily at anyone at the moment. Augusto didn’t want it to come to that, but he would do what was necessary to keep them safe.

“You’re telling me that not only did your sister paralyze my recluta, but you’ve hidden him and won’t tell us his location unless I ensure Bianca Carsidoni’s safety. Is that about right?” When they both nodded he gave a chuckle that sent a slight shiver down both siblings’ spines. “What makes you think I won’t just force the information out of you?”

Augusto had already known that this was a likely possibility, which is the reason he’d prepared an escape plan. He would never let anyone harm his sister ever again while he still had breath in his lungs. “We don’t wish to harm Messere Sabelli,” he reassured so things wouldn’t escalate out of control. Already, he could see Desideria twitching in the corner as her fingers curled and uncurled around the hilt of her dagger. “However, we will also not allow you to harm an innocent woman.”

Ezio stood from the chair he’d been sitting in, slamming his hands down on the table. “Che Cosa? Innocent?” he asked incredulously. “Malfatto tortured and murdered the courtesans of the Rosa in Fiore. An act that one of the women ensures was facilitated by Bianca Carsidoni.” At that moment, Fabiola slipped a hand into the pouch at her side while simultaneously releasing the smoke bomb to grab the journal.

Desideria, who had been listening with barely restrained anger, almost lunged at her since it looked like she was reaching for a weapon. “Sosta!” Ezio snapped, and the young woman halted as she’d drawn her dagger. Bianca calmly turned to look at her with a huffing laugh, and merely ignored her as she took out the book.

“In here you’ll find the truth in Malfatto’s own words. Careful,” he warned, “it’s a bit hard to stomach.” Fabiola tossed it on the desk before Ezio, and both knew they were taking a gamble. The older man was frighteningly skilled, and he’s sure to have been training Desideria the same way. So, if he decided that he didn’t want to listen to the twins, then Augusto’s plan may not be enough for them to escape.

Ezio gave another chuckle and a sigh that seemed a bit exasperated as he sat in his chair once more. “I will read it, but I want Severino brought here before I finish. So, signal your informant on the rooftop to bring him here, and Fabiola, kindly put the remaining smoke bomb in your hand away and have a seat.” The Fornari siblings were momentarily stunned into silence before Augusto moved to the window. Fabiola glanced pointedly at Desideria, and only returned the smoke bomb to her pouch when the other girl had sheathed her dagger. The twins took a seat while Desideria remained standing behind Ezio as the man started to read the journal. There were several pages he skimmed through, but read everything that appeared to be a journal entry. When he reached the ones they wanted him to read, his lips thinned into a bloodless line. After two more entries he closed the book with a snap and a disgusted look on his face. Augusto didn’t blame him, since he hadn’t even been able to finish one particular gruesome entry. Fabiola, on the other hand, had read every one unflinchingly, and confirmed to Augusto that Bianca was innocent. Now, hopefully Ezio would realize this as well.

“Where is Bianca now?” he asked, and his tone had the undercurrent of a warning. They were starting to learn that the man did not appreciate being lied to. He also didn’t like his hand being forced, but hopefully he would see that they had done it with the best intentions.

“She’s with Severino now and should have already given him the antidote. Now, my sister didn’t mean for Messere Severino to get-” Augusto was interrupted by Fabiola’s angry hiss as she nodded furiously. She tapped her temple twice and then placed a hand to the sheath of her dagger. “Knew about the dagger,” he translated for the other two that wouldn’t understand her. Augusto grunted as Fabiola suddenly pulled his shirt open to reveal the bandages that covered the wound where Bianca had stabbed him. “Severino knew about the dagger Bianca had with the paralyzing toxin.” Fabiola tapped her lips with two fingers before moving the digits outwards. “He didn’t say anything.”

Fabiola pointed at herself, curled her fingers into a ball and smacked the sheath again, and then gave one solid hit to her shoulder with her fist. “She took revenge by stabbing him with the same dagger.” Fabiola nodded once to confirm what her brother had said with a huff.

The room was silent for all of three seconds before Ezio roared in laughter, and Augusto glanced discreetly at his sister. The young man knew that despite her lack of speech, his sister wasn’t the same scared girl she’d been, but regardless he couldn’t help checking to make sure she wasn’t startled by the loud laughter. However, the amused smile on her lips was all he perceived from her. Desideria looked a bit gleeful herself. Augusto wondered what had gotten her into such a mood, and had no idea of the silent truce that had formed between the two women; for the purpose of Severino’s misery.

A mile from the safe house, Severino Sabelli shuddered as Agostino glanced at him curiously and Bianca arched a brow in question. The young man waved them off as the three of them continued on, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of dread he felt.

~o~

Bianca stood in the bare room looking down at the recluta uniform she’d been given. Ezio Auditore had given a speech about freeing Roma from the corrupt rule of Rodrigo Borgia, otherwise known as Alexander VI. She had agreed to join simply because there was nowhere else for her to go. Even if she returned to Venezia, Bianca was afraid of what she’d find there after learning of her uncle’s treachery. She was certain that all her questions would be answered when she read that journal, but it was in Ezio’s possession right now.

The man had wanted to write the instructions of the medicines as well as the paralyzing toxin and antidote in case things got out of hand between his recruits, and someone ended up paralyzed. He’d told her that he would send one of the others to return it to her. Bianca hoped that it wasn’t Severino or Desideria, since neither of them seemed to like her too much. Well, she hadn’t joined to make friends here. All her friends were dead; Malfatto had killed them.

A knocked startled her out of her thoughts and wondered how long she’d been standing there brooding on the past. It was already well past sunset, and she realized that she was hungry. Bianca couldn’t remember the last time she had eaten, and she suddenly remembered that Ezio had told her that dinner was served food ten minutes before sunrise. Well, she doubted there was anything left over, and a sigh passed her lips as she went to open the door at the second knock.

Bianca was a bit startled to see Fabiola in the hallway, the journal in one hand and a bowl of food in the other. “Is that for me?” The other nodded and Bianca sighed once again and opened the door farther to allow Fabiola to enter. “Just put both on the desk.”

Fabiola strode over to the desk and laid both the bowl and journal in the middle of it. Bianca frowned when she stood there with her back toward her before she breathed in, and then turned to look anxiously at Bianca. “What is it? What do you want?” Fabiola opened her mouth but closed it quickly afterwards. She pointed at Bianca and then made a motion across her chest which she didn’t understand. The medical practitioner shook her head when she repeated the motions. “I don’t understand you,” she dead panned.

The mute girl huffed in irritation and turned around to look for something. Bianca soon realized that it was a sheet of parchment, and using a quill, she quickly wrote out a question.

‘Are you a doctor?’

Bianca was surprised she could write, since from that first one-sided meeting the other female had been wearing a pretty, but very simple dress. It had screamed poor, but just not devastatingly poor. Also, that carriage of theirs had looked to be on the brink of falling apart. It was unusual for a poor family to have children who could read and write. “No, I’m not a doctor, but Malfatto taught me enough to pass for one.” Her eyes moved to the journal, and preferred to omit the part where she’d be able to fool anyone into believing she was a doctor by using his notes and medicines.

Fabiola looked intently at her and was about to ‘speak’ something in her peculiar way, but caught herself and wrote it out instead. ‘Did you stay with me because you might have sensed he wanted to do something to me?’ Bianca was confused by the question until Fabiola tapped a finger on the journal. The blood drained from her face as she realized that Fabiola had read the journal; Malfatto’s entries on her.

The young woman must have seen something on Bianca’s face or noticed how pale she’d gotten, and immediately straightened with a look of regret on her face. She put her hands together and moved them up and down. Bianca realized that it was her way of apologizing for having upset her. Then she brought her hands up to her chest and intertwined the fingers. “Please?” she asked uncertainly, and Fabiola nodded enthusiastically. Her lips twitched slightly at realizing she was starting to slowly understand her way of speaking. So, when the other female put her hands palms up and motioned toward her, she was keen to try and figure out what she was trying to say.

“Pass? Offer?” Fabiola groaned in exasperation and shook her head at both words, and did the motion once more. Bianca grew frustrated when she couldn’t figure it out as she frowned. “I don’t know what you are trying to say.”

Fabiola grabbed the parchment and hastily scribbled one word, help. Bianca frowned and looked back at Fabiola. “Help you with what?” Fabiola rubbed her stomach and then pretended to throw up. Bianca’s first thought was that Augusto was ill or that perhaps he was having a reaction to the antidote she’d given him. However, the other shook her head in denial to her inquiry.

“If not Augusto, then who else is sick?” The young doctor to be was taken aback as Fabiola moved toward her, grabbing her by the elbow and trying to drag her out of the room. “What? Where are you taking me?” When she resisted, Fabiola realized that she wouldn’t go until she told her what was happening, but Fabiola couldn’t wait any longer. Suddenly, she spied the woman’s bag and lunged toward it, and dodged as Bianca predictably tried to snatch it out of her hands. Fabiola smirked as Bianca glared at her but she jerked her head toward the door as she hurried out the door with Bianca hot on her heels.

There were seven doors on either side of the hallway, and Fabiola went into the door that was farthest from the door that led to the bottom levels. She went in and Bianca didn’t hesitate to follow her inside, even knowing this was either her room or Augusto, or maybe they shared. Bianca came to a stop in the doorway when she saw a child in the bed, Augusto pacing back and forth, and another woman sitting by the bed while she held the child’s hand.

“What is going on? Who does this child belong to?” Fabiola made an open palmed motion toward herself before placing it on her chest. Mine. Bianca’s eyebrows lifted in surprise as they disappeared under her bangs. “Is he the one that needs my help?” Fabiola’s only answer was putting Bianca’s bag into her hands. Bianca inhaled deeply and nodded. “Alright,” she sighed. “What are his symptoms?”

The woman holding the boy’s hand spoke up as Augusto looked at the child, having stopped pacing as soon as he spotted Bianca. “He’s been throwing up a lot, but there’s no fever and he was crying about a stomach ache.” Bianca thought that it sounded as if possibly something he’d eaten had made him sick. Her herbs and remedies would cure him, but it might make him sicker before he got better. So, she wanted to make sure she knew what exactly had affected him before giving him anything.

Bianca warily approached the bed and when neither of them tried to stop her, she moved with more confidence. The young woman sat at his right and gave the quiet child a smile to put him at ease, and was pleased when he returned it with a shy smile. “Buona sera, piccoli,” she greeted cheerfully as he stared up at her with Fabiola’s eyes. Bianca did the math from when the young woman had been raped, and the fact that the child looked like neither Augusto nor Fabiola and came to one conclusion; this boy’s father was the one that had raped Fabiola.

She pulled back the covers and then pushed up his night shirt so she could knead and press down on his stomach. “Does that hurt, cuore dolce?” she asked, and he shook his head. Also, he hadn’t winced or cried out, so there was no injury to his insides, and it lead her back to her initial assessment that he’d eaten something that made him sick. He glanced at the other woman, having already guessed that she was the child’s nanny or nurse maid. “What was the last thing he ate and drank before he started getting sick?”

“He ate bread, cheese, and some milk.” She paused and thought for a moment. “Oh, I just remembered. He was playing outside today and he had some berries in his hand. I think they were bright orange or bright red, but I’m not too sure.”

Bianca frowned at the description and opened her bag to take out her medium log book. Malfatto had made her study several plants, both poisonous and benign. During her extensive research in trying to perfect her poison, she had written several things down here including several types of berries. Also, she had sketched several poisonous plants along with berries and the leaves from which they could be identified. Now, she pulled it out to try and get the woman to identify the berries the child may have ingested. When she pointed to what the woman was sure were the berries and the leaves they had contained, Bianca sighed. “It’s just as I thought. Orange candle flower; very poisonous.”

Fabiola made a distressed sound at the back of her throat, and Bianca hurried to reassure her. “But by the looks, he only ate one or possibly two, and vomiting probably already started to get it out of his system. I’m going to give him a purging agent, but only a few drops since he’s so small and that’s all he’ll need.” She took out a capped vial and removed the stopper, and brought it up to the boy’s lips. The older woman helped the boy sit up and Bianca tipped it so only four drops landed on his tongue. She quickly capped the vial with the wooden stopper so it wouldn’t get any more air, and placed it back inside her bag. “This will make him throw up again, but that’s just the purging medicine taking affect. If he vomits blood, or his bowel movement or urine has blood in it, then come and get me or another doctor immediately.”

The mother of the child had been hovering over Bianca’s shoulder and stopped back as Bianca stood. Fabiola took the other’s hand into both of hers and shook it vigorously. Bianca was a bit amazed as her whole body moved with the motion and realized how strong Fabiola really was. Then she was startled as Fabiola took the money pouch from her belt and tried to hand it to her, insisting even as Bianca tried to refuse so much money. In the end, she had to accept because Fabiola wouldn’t let her refuse. The young woman must love her son dearly, despite who his father was.

At the door, Bianca snuck a glance over her shoulder and saw Augusto hovering over the bed with an anxious look on his face. He seemed to be beside himself with worry, and she realized the young man had taken her advice to heart. Fabiola may not have told him anything of her rape judging by her current muteness, but he clearly loved that boy. It was good to know they were happy together, and now, if only she didn’t find herself attracted to the young man, then everything would be fine. Especially since Bianca generally liked Fabiola as a person despite the other having almost murdered her, and one day they could have been friends. However, perhaps she wasn’t meant to have friendships or a relationship, and all she would have was her medicine.

Bianca sighed wearily before turning and leaving the room so she could get back to what was surely a cold dinner by now. And her attention had been completely on Augusto, and she didn’t notice Fabiola’s calculating gaze on her. The female part of the twins would corner her brother later and find out what his relation was to the poison maker, and she would decide then if it was necessary for her to get involved. Fabiola knew that Augusto would never admit to feeling attraction to another woman after the whole debacle with Ginevra, and finding out how she had treated Fabiola all those years. However, Bianca didn’t appear to be anything like that she-devil.

Also, Bianca didn’t seem to be bursting with the need to say anything despite the stolen glances toward her brother she’d seen. Fabiola suspected that her uncle’s crimes and the belief that she had been putting those women in danger had a lot to do with it. Well, she’d just have to play matchmaker and incorporate herself into Bianca’s life as her new best friend. After first she had been unsure of their relationship with one another, and it had been Malfatto’s journal of all things that had given her the insight she needed. In one of the entries, the man had mentioned Augusto asking about her niece several times and inquiring about her well-being. The sick-minded man had been angered by this, since it seemed he had already ‘taken care’ of men that had come as suitors for the young woman. Luckily, Augusto had never come in as a patient, and thus the man had never poisoned him, something that Fabiola was very grateful for.

Fabiola remembered that Augusto had been deeply worried when they’d found out that Ottavio had gone after the doctor in his search of Fabiola and Giotto, and was relieved when the doctor had brutally but systematically killed the guards before both of them disappeared. So, it was clear that her brother was interested in Bianca, so she wouldn’t feel too guilty about manipulating them to get them together. Of course, it was a bit selfish of her to think it, but it’d be useful having Augusto romantically involved with someone as well trained in medicine as Bianca was. After all, Malfatto; despite his crimes, had been an excellent doctor. It was a relief that a knowledge in medicine was the only thing he had taught her, but from his journal entries Fabiola had gleaned that he had loved the girl; in his own sick, twisted way.-

~o~

calmarsi - calm down; settle down
Ponte Cestio - Cestius’ Bridge;
Che Cosa - what
Sosta - Stop, halt
Buona sera, piccoli - good evening, child/little one

Orange candle flower - Also known as Italian arum; it has arrow or spear shaped leaves that are veined with mid-green to white. In early summer, white spathes of flowers are followed by spikes or bright orange red berries. Ingesting the berries can cause severe discomfort or illness, and the sap may irritate the skin.

http://www.monrovia(.)com/img/plants/3530/d/5913-orange-candleflower-full-shot(.)jpg