The Borgias fascinated Dracula, as he found them rotten to the core. Rodrigo remained the head of the family. Through bribes and other intrigue, he gained election as pope in August, 1492.
He used his position to amass even greater wealth. This he did to bestow status and titles on his elder two sons. He was prepared to commit any crime to do this. Those included many murders. He even plunged the Italian states into war to pursue his need ofendowing fortunes on them. Such a war loomed now with the Kingdom of Naples.
CESARE knew the stranger, and had met with him a couple of times. Their first meeting stood at the forefront of his mind now, after seeing him with his brother.
It took place in the Rione Borgo. This rione formed the northwestern section of the city. Cesare liked it for the quiet streets and seedy taverns. It was a good place to do business, and here he could find the right men to execute his plots and schemes.
He was looking for a good and reliable assassin. His contacts led him to a noisy tavern deep in the rione. The man he sought liked to visit here, coming to drink, throw dice, and sleep it all off with one of the girls.
His men pointed him out to Cesare. He saw the man engaged in his usual pastime. A large group of women crowded around him, suggesting the dice were kind to him on this night.
It surprised Cesare that his own presence in the tavern did not attract much attention. Perhaps other nobles and men of substance come here to wash their dirty linen. He forgot the man he sought for a while. Far too many people surrounded him at present. He sat in a corner for a quiet ale with his four men sat close by.
He eyed a stranger who sat alone in a corner wearing a mask. The man stood out from the rest. Quiet, mysterious, and all in black, he too had the look of a gentleman. It made Cesare curious that he could find such a man in here. The mask suggested he had something to hide. To sit in a busy tavern and keep his identity unknown, for that there had to be a reason.
The stranger saw at once that Cesare had noticed him. Cesare did not disguise his interest, nor the fact he was keen to meet him. He sent one of his men to request the stranger join him at his table.
Dracula accepted the invite. He sat opposite Cesare with his back to the room.
“Thank you, signor, for joining me,” Borgia said.
He bowed out of respect.
“Would you care for a drink?”
“No, but I thank you,” he declined. “There is not much here that suits my palate.”
“Then why frequent an establishment such as this?”
“I do not frequent it.”
“But you are here.”
He offered a slight nod.
“Perhaps the girls interest you?”
Dracula stood up, having grown tired of Cesare Borgia already. When he rose, a few of Borgia’s men stood up too, offended by his action in the presence of their master.
Dracula stood firm. “You should advise your men to sit. They would not be able to prevent me walking out the door.”
Cesare kept his calm and smiled. “Do sit, if you will. I did not mean to offend you.”
Dracula sat back down. “You ask many questions of me. Is there a motive for that?”
“I am curious to know more of you.”
“Why would you care to know of me?”
“You look as though you do not belong here.”
“Neither, sir, do you. Yet here you are.”
Cesare grinned. “Indeed, I am.”
“If you are looking to see the dice thrower, you are wasting your time.”
“Who?”
“Do you really want to talk with me? Or do you want me to leave?”
“The dice thrower, yes.”
“Take a good look at him.”
“I do not need to.”
“You would trust a matter so delicate to one such as he? To one who drinks and gambles and spends what he does not lose at the table, on whores?”
“You do not know my business with him.”
“Everyone knows, killing is his business.”
Cesare looked embarrassed. “Then perhaps I want someone killed.”
“Then why trust one so unreliable? Men of his like leave trails, a trail that could lead all the way back to you.”
“What do you know of such things?”
“Killing is also my business.”
He waited to see what reaction his revelation might spark. Cesare did not flinch.
“The difference between he and I is that I leave no trail.”
“So you are good at what you do?”
“I make the kill swift and clean. If I do not want my target to know I am there, then my target does not know. Not till the very last moment.”
“I am intrigued.”
“As well you should be. There are none better than I.”
“Is that why you hide your face?”
“You do not want to see my face.”
“Why not? I would like to. I would pay for the privilege.”
“Only those I kill ever see my face.”
Cesare’s face turned a little red for the first time.
“You have seen me once.”
“When was that?”
“Some years ago.”
“Where was this?”
“In Florence. You were perhaps thirteen years old.”
“And you think I can remember that?”
“I am sure you do.”
Cesare took some time. He thought back to his time in Florence at that age. “I do not recall you.”
“Do you remember a girl who played the harp for you?”
“Yes, I remember her. Not her name, but I recall her.”
“Her name was Piera.”
“Yes, that is right. What of her?”
“One night when she played, you saw me on the balcony.”
Cesare remembered that moment at once. “That was you?”
“Yes, I let you see me.”
“Why would you?”
“I wanted your brother to see me, but he was transfixed.”
“And why were you there?”
“I was watching over Piera.”
“But how? No one could get onto that balcony.”
“I managed it. It was not so difficult.”
“If you were there, what did I say to you when I was outside?”
“You said you did not know where I had gone, but you knew I was there. ‘You may hide, but I know you can see me and hear me.’”
Cesare thought back to it. “Yes, that is what I said.”
Dracula waited while his host thought back to that occasion, resting his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“I do not feel so comfortable that you were on the balcony,” Cesare said. “And you are here before me this day.”
“I did not go there to harm you.”
“And on this occasion?”
“I do not intend to harm you this day either.”
“Then why are you here?”
“You invited me to sit.”
“What are you doing in the tavern?”
“I have seen the dice thrower at work. I know this is as good a place as any to tout for it.”
“You are looking for work?”
“Of course, I was correct in my assumption.”
“Quite.”
“You are a man looking to hire a man such as myself?”
“I might be.”
“Then I am available. I shall make it quick and clean.”
“And there would be no connection to me?”
“No, I never leave a trail.”
Cesare noticed the hilt of the Fier Negru. “That is quite a sword you have.”
“It is one of a kind.”
“It is Spanish?”
“You have a keen eye.”
“How much would it cost for me to have it from you?”
“You do not have enough money to buy this sword.”
He saw right away that he had offended the young Borgia.
“I am a very
wealthy man.”
“Then you can afford to hire my services.”
“And the sword?”
“It is not for purchase. There is no fortune that would persuade me to part with it.”
“How do I know you are as good as you say?”
“Hire the dice thrower and see where it leads you. Or you can do it through me.”
“What is your price?”
“That depends on who it is you want me to kill.”
“You do not have a standard fee?”
“The more important the target and the greater the risk, the higher the fee.”
Cesare nodded. “The greatest care needs to be taken with this task.”
“Then you are speaking with the right man.”
“You believe you can do it?”
“There is no man safe from my scrutiny.”
“Not even I?”
“Not even you.”
One of his men stepped behind Dracula with a blade in hand. In a lightning action that the others could barely see, Dracula rose from his seat and landed with his feet on the table. Already with sword in hand, he spun around, lowering his stance as he delivered a fatal blow.
The man dropped the dagger to the floor. He looked through Cesare when Dracula jumped down. Blood spilled from his lower lip and down onto his chin. It leaked through fingers that clutched at his throat. He slumped forward and whacked his forehead against the table before his body hit the floor. The tavern fell deathly silent. Every pair of eyes looked over to Borgia’s table.
The owner walked up to it, a group of dangerous-looking men accompanying him. “I do not allow things of this sort in here.”
Dracula gave him an icy stare, ready to kill them all if the need arose. Cesare grinned at him, and threw a pouch of gold coins onto the table. “For your trouble,” he said.
The owner picked it up and tested its weight. “Take the body out of here.”
Cesare nodded. His other men dragged their dead friend outside and left his body in the gutter.
Dracula glared at him. “Need I kill every one of your men to prove my worth?”
“No,” he said. “I have seen enough.”
Dracula sat down opposite him again.
“That was an incredible display of speed and agility.”
“I told you there were none better than I.”
“I believe it.”
“Who is the target?”
Cesare fell silent when his guest came to the point, and looked him straight in the eye. Dracula knew whom Cesare had in mind, but he needed him to say it. Cesare looked around and over his shoulder to make sure no one could hear. When his men returned inside, he dismissed them for a moment. “Giovanni Borgia.”
“The second most important man in Rome.”
“The second?”
“Yes, after his father, the pope.”
“Oh,” Cesare said, not too impressed that the stranger considered him less important than his brother.
“Is he not?”
Cesare shrugged. “I believe so. So, can you do it?”
“I can do it. Can you afford it?”
“I told you I was wealthy.”
“That is not what I asked you.”
“How much should it take?”
“One hundred thousand ducats.”
Dracula expected a reaction. Cesare gave him none. “That is your price?”
“Yes, that is my price.”
Cesare thought about it.
“It should open every door for you. With your brother gone, your father shall turn to you as the object of his affection. It would be the making of you, though you know this. You shall recover the sum in a matter of months.”
“I accept the price,” he said.
“When do you want the deed done?”
“I shall send word.”
Dracula got up to leave. “Where might I find you?”
“If you are as good as you say, then you shall find me.”
They had last seen each other three days previously. Cesare set the date for tonight. In the time since their first meeting, Dracula had befriended Giovanni. He knew him to be fond of a girl in the Jewish Quarter. That was the bait he would use to lure him away.
“YOU are very quiet, Cesare,” his mother commented.
He looked up at her. “Forgive me, Mama, I am tired. Too much wine, perhaps.”
His sister, Lucrezia, grinned at him from across the table. “Perhaps Cesare is ready for his bed. But if I know my brother, there is likely someone waiting there for him, keeping the bed warm.”
“Stop that talk at my table,” her mother admonished.
“Oh, Mama,” Giovanni said, laughing. “It is most likely the truth.”
Cesare did not share in the joke. “It is late, Mama. Perhaps I should be on my way back to the city.”
“I do not want you to go without your brother. Wait till he is ready to join you.”
“Are you ready, Brother?” he asked. “We have a long journey ahead.”
Giovanni wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You are right, Brother. We should take our leave.”
Vannozza rose to see them off. She wrapped her arms around her eldest and kissed him. “Good night, dear Giovanni. Have a safe trip to Napoli.”
Even the way she looked at his brother made Cesare jealous. Soon, Brother, he thought. I shall see you are but a distant memory.
“Good night, my son,” Vannozza said, when she hugged Cesare.
The brothers left with their attendants. Giovanni’s masked companion awaited them outside on his horse. The great white stallion snorted and jostled about. Dracula pulled hard on the reins, drawing the halter tight around the beast’s face.
“Are you having trouble controlling your horse, my friend?” Giovanni commented in jest.
Cesare’s heart pounded when he saw Dracula there. The moment was close that Giovanni would be a thorn in his side no longer.
They rode into the heart of the city to the Ponte Quarter. Giovanni pulled up close to Ascanio Sforza’s palace.
“Why have you stopped?” Cesare asked him.
“I am not ready to go to the Vatican yet. You go on ahead with the servants.”
“As you wish,” his brother said. “To where is it you are headed?”
Giovanni grinned. “To the Jewish Quarter.”
“Pray tell me what draws you there?”
The grin grew broader across his face. “Let us say, Brother, I am going there to amuse myself.”
“You have found a nice Jewish girl? I am sure our father would approve.”
Giovanni did not rise to the bait. “I want everyone to return with my brother to the Vatican. Antonio, you remain with me. So long, Brother.”
He whipped his horse and rode off. Antonio and Dracula flanked him on either side. They rode at pace until out of sight of the others, and then slowed to a canter.
“How did you arrange this?” he asked his masked friend.
“It was not difficult. She is willing.”
“But her like rarely consort with mine.”
“I have no doubt that would be due to the bias of your like. Then, who can govern affairs of the heart?”
Giovanni smiled at the remark. “Did any coin change hands?”
“I assured her you would take care of her, should it last.”
“Friends such as you are hard to find. It is a great service you have provided me.”
They rode quietly into the Jewish Quarter. Although a man of great importance, Giovanni knew the people here would not appreciate his presence.
Ilona waited with the girl. In another part of the house, her parents lay dead. The vampires fed on them after tying the girl to her bed. Varkal lurked somewhere on the roof.
He waited there, watching and listening. Birds that roosted on the nearby rooftops, took to the skies. The three riders came into view. He watched as they rode slowly along the street below. Dracula’s companions did not hear him swoop down. In a flash, Antoni
o was gone.
Giovanni did not notice. He dismounted and followed Dracula into the house. Excitement filled him inside. The girl he was meeting was a sight to behold. He cared nothing that a romance with her would anger his father.
Varkal flew high above the ground. He held his victim so tight that he could not breathe. When Antonio regained his senses, he tried to cry out. Varkal did not allow him to. He bit into the soldier’s neck and began to drink.
He did not have much time. His father wanted him to join with them inside. He drank for a few moments and dumped Antonio in the Piazza della Giudecca.
Giovanni stepped inside, where he found the house dark and quiet. In the other room, the girl fought against her bonds. They held firm. The gag in her mouth was sufficient to prevent her raising the alarm.
“Where is she?” he asked, feeling a little uneasy.
“In the other room. You do not want to wake her parents, so remain quiet.”
“I should have met with her away from here.”
“No, this is her wish. For your first liaison, she wanted it to be in a safe place. I shall take you to her, and then leave you both alone.”
He walked into the room where they had the girl tied. Giovanni followed him in. The room was darker than the one he had just walked through and he strained his eyes to see. From nearby, the girl tried to cry out beneath her gag.
He looked down and saw her. “What is this?”
Ilona stepped up behind him. He heard her in the last moment, but could not react in time as she ran a blade across his throat. Dracula threw a heavy sack over his head before he could bleed all over the floor.
The young cardinal fell down. He kicked for only a moment, in a reflex action. Ilona had sliced clean through his windpipe.
Dracula carried him outside and laid him across the crupper of his horse. Ilona killed the girl with equal precision, giving her a quick death. She joined her husband outside just as Varkal returned.
“Come,” he said. “Let us finish this.”
He rode slowly through the streets. Ilona and Varkal supported the dead body on either side. He stopped when he arrived near the Hospital of San Girolamo. The vampires waited there until they received a signal from Cesare’s men.
The Dracula Chronicles: Bound By Blood Page 18
