Who are you? Carlo de Medici,
Cosimo's son.
You'll never know how absolution soothes my soul.
There is no absolution.
Not from me.
Your only mission was to get the son of the Sultan to Rome.
Once that was accomplished, the outcome was all but assured.
If Bayezid is killed, the result is war.
If he is imprisoned, war again.
If he is dishonored and dismissed,
retaliation will be required.
Carlo?
You took long enough.
King Alfonso pledges to act as the Sword of Rome,
rejecting your offer of alliance.
Girolamo Riario, you were dead.
Now you're born again.
Who are you?
What did you just say? I have said enough!
Aagh!
No!
I will make this right.
*
Somebody get some water!
Over here!
(Coughing and spluttering)
(Coughs)
(VANESSA) Leo! Leo! Leo!
What the hell's happened?
He needs a physic.
Staunch his wounds as best you can.
We need to ensure no one else is harmed!
Carlo de Medici. He's in there as well?
No, no.
He's the one who did this.
He killed Andrea.
No.
Are you sure?
I have to go after him.
Maestro, you're bleeding! Leo.
No!
We'll mount a search for Carlo
as soon as this fire is out.
Let me go!
Maestro!
Sorry, artista, my duty is to Florence.
(Grunts)
Move!
Yaargh!
(Grunts)
(Groans, horse whinnies)
(Grunts)
(Groans in frustration)
Maestro? Am I in trouble again?
(VERROCCHIO) Close the door, Leonardo.
(Grunts)
This space...
will be your workshop, Leo.
My workshop?
The time has come for you to go out on your own.
To become a maestro.
Let your work speak for what you believe and love.
Soar, my boy, and be bold and fearless.
And the world will never forget you.
I don't know what to say. Shake my hand and accept this.
Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you, Maestro. No, no. It's Andrea now.
(Sobs)
Leo?
You should go and tell your father about this.
There's no need.
He just told me.
Andrea.
We've controlled the fire, signora.
All of Florence will mourn him.
Yes, they will. And you sheltered his murderer.
What?
Carlo did this.
The man you've shared your bed with.
He tried to kill Leonardo as well.
There must be some mistake.
Several reports confirm Carlo fleeing on horseback.
Da Vinci is in pursuit.
But Da Vinci... We must clear the streets.
Of course.
Come, Vanessa. I'm not going anywhere.
It isn't safe here. Safer than the palace,
where I lived with a killer!
Don't make this more difficult than it needs to be.
I'm never going back.
Captain, escort Vanessa to the palace. Do it.
(NICO) You can't force her back there.
The child she carries is a Medici.
I make the decisions for this family.
And all of Florence.
Florence is a republic.
It is her right, as a citizen,
to choose how and where she wants to live.
If she believes she's better off away from the palace,
you have no right...
Leave him alone.
Who are you, that dares speak so disrespectfully to me?
A citizen who knows the law.
I find that very hard to believe.
My name is Nico Machiavelli,
son to the honorable legal scholar, Bernardo.
It's a pleasure, signora.
Oh, my God.
Vanessa.
Oh, my God!
(Yells in pain)
Come on, my lady.
Push.
(Yelling continues)
I can see the head.
That's it, my lady.
That's it, it's coming.
(Yells)
(Baby cries)
(MIDWIFE) Let's wrap him up.
There.
It's a little boy, my lady.
A male heir at last.
Lorenzo will be pleased.
Be still, Da Vinci.
You need to rest.
Are you really here?
Of course.
I reached the Vault of Heaven.
But the Book of Leaves was gone. You lied to me.
It was your mother who lied.
To us.
The Sons of Mithras believed her an ally.
She would not be the first of our kind to falter.
Cosimo's son, Carlo.
He's a member of the Labyrinth.
He killed my mentor.
I warned you. They will stop at nothing.
He heard my mother's message.
And now he is on his way to find the Book.
To us, the Book represents knowledge.
In the hands of the Enemies of Man,
it will be a weapon more powerful than any army.
Oh, I will fix this.
Why, to stop the Labyrinth?
Or to avenge your mentor's death?
I owe Verrocchio...
..everything I am.
So unless you are willing to help me
find the man who killed him,
I suggest you get out of my way.
This death, it has already changed you.
Your quest has changed me!
Do you even know where you're going?
My mother's code...
It said "Book", "Home", "Child".
I thought she was talking about Vinci, but...
..Carlo spoke of another meaning.
Perhaps she was not sending you to your childhood home.
She was sending you to hers.
The Book is in Constantinople.
It is...if we are to believe your mother.
The journey before you will be monumental.
At every turn, you risk losing your way.
Then come with me.
(Groans)
There is...
a port city in the Kingdom of Naples.
A place called Otranto.
In every possible outcome,
that is where you will find what you seek.
We have seen the lives that you've taken
in the name of a false god.
We know the man that you've become.
What do you know about the man I've become?
We have many eyes.
You've gone to great lengths to find the Book of Leaves.
It was all in vain. The Book will never be found.
And if your faction and the Sons of Mithras
and God and the devil himself
want to kill each other to use it,
the world will be a better place
without every single one of you.
The Sons of Mithras may be tempted
by the idea of the Book's existence.
But this is where they fail to see.
Man is imperfect.
Imagine the horrors they would bring unto themselves
if they ever found the Book of Leaves.
What do you want from me?
We want nothing from you, brother.
We want something for you.
From the Carpathian Sea,
a body of water so dense with the earth's salt,
it remains untainted by life.
Girolamo.
Your vision is clouded, but in time,
we will make you see.
Aargh!
(ZOROASTER) Leo?
Leo?
Hey.
Good work.
No, it was Al-Rahim.
Here.
I'm sorry, Leo. Andrea was...
I know.
I'd tell you to heal first but I know you've got a plan.
Carlo's headed to Otranto.
From there... (Winces) Constantinople.
It's where my mother hid the Book.
I'm sorry, Zo. I can't ask you to come with me.
Not this time. Good.
The answer's no, anyway.
But...
if I happen to be heading to Otranto
to slay the bastard fuck who killed my friend's mentor,
you wouldn't mind if I tagged along, would you?
Not at all.
He deserves every inch of this.
He'll receive worse.
Ah, Lorenzo. Do join us.
It's time to conclude our business.
Once you provide the locations
of the Medici gold reserves,
I will guarantee the safety of your family.
I come bearing news from Florence.
Duke Federico of Urbino is...
dead.
Impossible. He holds the city in his grasp.
He did, until a citizen uprising overthrew him.
Led by Leonardo Da Vinci.
Mm-hm. So in light of this,
I believe our business is concluded.
You think I'll just let you leave?
You can throw me back in chains if you wish.
But the time for negotiations between us is over.
I am no longer interested in putting you back in chains,
but in the ground!
Don't do this, husband.
What Italian states will trade with us
if you kill one of their own?
Something tells me, they won't all miss him quite as much as you.
(Gasps)
Bring the banker his sword.
Ever the child.
The only way out of Naples is through its king.
Kings are crowned.
You were anointed with your father's blood.
My father was a monster who deserved his end.
And you are every bit his son.
Hold! You know nothing of leadership!
Make it quick, but know my men will cut you down
as soon as you've finished.
Magnificence, perhaps you should reconsider.
I've been considering this for months.
Your Majesty?
My apologies, I have an urgent message.
What is it?
A naval fleet is heading towards the Neapolitan city of Otranto.
My liege, it is the Ottoman Empire.
Kill me...
and you'll all die at the hands of the heathens.
Put up your sword, Medici.
Today the Lord shows us that the only way to fight
one's true enemies
is to embrace one's fellow Christians.
Do you know how far the Ottomans will have to travel
before they reach Florence?
You would abandon us?
Florence is ex-communicated. You abandoned us long ago.
Then perhaps it is time for the Lord
to accept Florence
back into his fold.
What the fuck's going on here?
Hey, hey, hey! What the fuck's going on here?
Harbor's closed. Unless you're keen to face 20 ships
of bloodthirsty Turks.
Are there no other ports open down the coast? No.
Shit.
This way.
You realize we're the only ones
trying to get into this fucking city?
Look.
Carlo!
Urgh!
Aargh!
Argh!
What?
Zo!
No, no, no, no!
Where did Carlo go? (Chuckles)
You're too late, Da Vinci, he's gone.
The last port has closed.
You had your chance but failed.
(Chokes)
Who the hell are we facing here?
My Lord, there they are.
The thorn in the side of Christendom.
Good reason, if any, to unite.
(ALFONSO) Manned with 2, 000 janissaries,
trained for battle since they could walk.
The Ottomans just brought the next Holy War to my doorstep.
What resources do you have?
Four cannons, not one able to reach their ships.
And 800 soldiers.
I'll send lucrative offers of assistance
to the Knights of St.John and the Order of the Dragon.
It's possible we can hold the city till reinforcements arrive.
(ALFONSO) For a day, a week.
If they breach these walls,
they'll behead me like they did the King of Varna.
You must send for your Swiss mercenaries in Rome.
Leave the Church of St. Peter defenseless? Absolutely not.
Your hand guided them here.
When the son of the Sultan came to Rome weeks ago,
he brought with him an offer of peace.
A hollow offer.
You killed his men and disgraced him.
I don't recall you objecting.
If the Turks are victorious here,
it gives them a strong hold to take all of Italy.
(DA VINCI) And they will.
Unless you enlist a war engineer to help.
Where's my fucking ship? Ssh!
Give me one reason not to kill you where you stand.
You have 20 reasons not to.
Da Vinci? The Book of Leaves?
Not yet.
I must get to Constantinople.
But cannot, with an invasion fleet in your path.
It's your obsessions that drive this.
What does that matter? Da Vinci has many interests.
But you have no reason to believe
his intentions are less than honorable.
Let's save the reunion.
What's your offer, Da Vinci?
Will you build weapons to defend Otranto from a siege?
No.
But I will help you mount an offensive.
(Horn blows)
What is that sound? An Ottoman custom.
It means they want to talk.
No.
Lucrezia.
You would protect her?
Yeah, and you.
Let's hear what she has to say.
Does she still serve at your behest?
Is this your scheme?
Of course not.
I've no idea why she's here.
Who is this woman? A traitor.
Used for the Holy Father's machinations.
With whom you willingly shared your bed.
Lucrezia Donati?
How is it possible your mistress
is an emissary of the Ottoman Empire?
Leaders of the Italian peninsula.
Bayezid II, the son of the Sultan, Mehmed the Conqueror,
offers you the safety of the Italian people
upon your meeting his three conditions.
That heathen dares come to us with conditions?
The first: you must cede control of the city of Otranto
to the great Ottoman Empire, without resistance.
The second: all heads of state throughout Italy
shall renounce Christianity,
accept the call of Allah and convert to Islam.
Lucrezia, what are you doing?
The third: your Church's Holy Father,
the man who has taken the title of Pope,
must journey to Constantinople,
crawl across the Topkapi Palace,
and kiss the feet of the Sultan.
Guards, tear out this whore's blasphemous heart.
No, wait! Wait, wait.
Why are you doing this?
Because of him.
The man you know as Pope Sixtus is not the true Pope
but an imposter. She's an infidel.
A murderer who's made a mockery of the Roman Church
and every one of you.
The true Pope, the man chosen by God,
rots in a cell in the Vatican.
His twin brother.
My father.
And this monster took my...
..took my sister's life before my eyes.
He is no Pope, nor even a priest.
Lies.
All lies.
You know. You saw my father imprisoned
in the tower of Castel Sant'Angelo.
Tell them.
You know this to be true? Tell them.
I knew the prisoner was her father.
But not the true Pope.
He never revealed his face to me.
I am the Pope, the one and only.
Anointed by God!
Do you not understand yet?
Why this is all happening, why Bayezid came to you.
Why it is I that stand before you now?
It is my father who has guided you all to this place.
No. You'll not dispose of her so quickly.
I'll know the truth first.
Let's keep her locked under guard for now.
I demand you kill her.
Take her to a cell.
Otranto is under my authority.
And what of him?
He shall remain unharmed as well.
Any attempt otherwise, and I shall show you God's wrath.
You haven't considered Bayezid's offer.
I think I'll let my army give him my answer.
For several nights, 20 of Bayezid's ships
have stood at the ready.
At dawn, you will feel the full power of the Ottoman Empire.
When it brings us all to our knees.
I suggest you consider their offer.
Have mercy upon me, O, God.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity.
And cleanse me from my sin.
Amen.
You believe I should run? I am the King of Naples!
Only if you survive.
Sacrifice Otranto and you may ultimately be hailed
as your kingdom's savior.
Hundreds of citizens will die!
A necessary price.
Ready the horses for Rome.
Your Holiness!
Release me.
Surely you don't expect me to number among your dead?
Perhaps you scurry away because
that Donati woman's accusations are true.
You seek truth?
Perhaps your citizens should learn the real story
of your father's demise.
Yes. I thought not.
There are other battles to fight, young king.
The palace has sustained significant damage under Duke Federico.
Such is the price of liberty.
I'm sure you'll see to the restoration
of the palace in due time, signore.
There is one more thing, signora.
Yes?
A substantial sum was withdrawn from the bank
before the Duke's troops ever even arrived.
Orchestrated by someone with Medici signatory powers.
500,000 florins.
More than we keep in our Bruges and London vaults combined.
Now that Carlo has gone,
someone will have to assume the blame.
Leave me.
Bastard.
Bastard!
(Sobs)
She's trying to take him from me.
All this document does is officially establish Giuliano is his father,
thereby giving him the right to the Medici surname.
Do you know how many bastard children...
I've made my decision, Nico. I am not signing it.
As bad as this place may be,
he'd have a wealth of advantages.
He is a Medici.
His father was slaughtered for that name.
As soon as I've regained my strength,
I'm taking him as far from here as I can.
What?
It'd be better to start over some place.
You're leaving? You said it yourself.
I'm a citizen of Florence.
A free one. (Baby cries)
You're making a mistake.
The only mistake would be staying
any longer than we have to.
Argh! We are the horns of the increate.
We're the shadows at the center of the Labyrinth.
But we are men, not gods.
We live in flesh and blood and bone.
How many of us occupy this chamber?
Stop asking me the same question.
Girolamo.
How many of us occupy this chamber?
Four.
There are four of you, as I've told you again and again.
Aargh!
Girolamo, Icarus flew so close to the sun
that he crashed to the earth.
But the fault lay not with him.
It was his father, Daedalus,
the clever inventor, who built his son wings so that he could fly.
We have been tasked to destroy the Book.
For if it is ever found,
well, then we will all pay for the sins of Daedalus.
What do you want from me?
For you to see what we see.
How many of us occupy this chamber?
Aargh!
(Horse whinnies in distance)
You should have never come here.
Even this far from Florence,
you're still trying to control me.
I'm trying to save your life, boy.
There is a way through them.
You do not honor Verrocchio
by following him to the grave.
I may not have known him well,
but I believe he'd tell you the same.
If I do not reach Constantinople,
whatever happens here...
it won't matter.
Our fates will be sealed.
(Distant shouting)
We're animals in the end, nothing more, nothing less.
Lorenzo and I are leaving for Florence.
You could join us.
There is no cowardice in standing down.
Not with gifts like yours.
(Cannon fire)
(Laughs) Ohh!
Gather your things, Da Vinci. Time to return home.
No, no! This battle can be won.
I have seen you perform marvels, Da Vinci,
but this is beyond even you.
We are outnumbered by thousands.
Yes, just as the Greeks were by the Persians
in the Battle of Salamis. Look.
Say we can disable the Ottoman ships
as each enters the harbor.
We create a barrier no other ship could pass,
rendering their numbers irrelevant.
It'd force the remaining ships to retreat.
In theory, yes, but...
Such a thing is not possible
not with the meager resources they have here.
What if we use this - a turret gun.
Enabled with your four cannons,
a pivoting base which would allow it to fire on different ships
and a spy glass to ensure accuracy.
My cannons can only travel half the distance you need.
Yes.
Shush. That's why this is only half the solution.
The other half... specialized projectiles.
We'll hollow out the center, which will reduce the weight
and increase the distance they can travel.
Bore a hole? Yes.
Bore a hole.
Much in the same way that you bore a room.
It was first attempted by Sigismondo Malatesta
when he was fighting the Turks for Venice.
We then fill the hollow center with gunpowder,
attach a fuse.
We will then have bombshells capable
of crippling the Ottoman fleet in the harbor.
You expect me to risk... my entire kingdom on this?
Your kingdom is beyond risk already.
What do you need from me?
Giulio?
The boy is fine. Perfect, in fact.
Ssh.
When I first came to this palace,
I considered myself much more than Lorenzo's youthful bride.
I was an educated woman.
But I still had so much to learn.
But from the day you came here...
..you carried something deep with you.
More than just the boy.
I know it was a difficult decision.
But the things we do...
we do them for Florence.
(Footsteps approaching)
It was better when I believed you dead.
I'm so sorry for everything I've done to you, Lorenzo.
You expect my forgiveness?
No.
I came here knowing this day would...
most likely be my last.
Was it ever true, Lucrezia...
what happened between us, what you said you felt?
You owe me the truth.
Just this once.
No.
I didn't love you.
I'm sorry.
(Gasps)
Lorenzo! Lorenzo, you cannot do this!
We may all soon be dead.
I will not leave the satisfaction of killing this traitor to the Turks.
She may have unmasked the very man
who sought to take our city.
She brought the conspirators to within a hair's breadth
of murdering my entire family!
She sent me to save you at the Duomo that day.
We will not be safe until we rid ourselves
of every duplicitous fucking one of them!
Cosimo intended those swords of ours
to defend the people of Florence.
I am.
When you are faced with Andrea's killer...
will you yield, let anyone stand in your way?
No.
Then, why, Da Vinci, why...
You still wear her ring.
You're in love with someone...
utterly incapable of it.
Perhaps the same could be said of me.
Perhaps...
you deserve one another.
Eventually even you won't be able to stop him.
Would you have preferred I not?
I told myself, once,
once I had exposed Sixtus,
relief would come.
And has it?
I didn't do this for me.
I just need you to know that.
I do.
I know.
Avenging a father...
is a cause...
I now understand.
This wasn't about my father.
This was about my sister.
I wanted her life...
her death
to mean something.
It will.
You gave me your most...
cherished possession.
I've just realized,
I never gave you anything in return.
No, wait.
You will be tried as a traitor.
Yeah.
I am now responsible,
for every life in Otranto.
And that includes yours.
I don't deserve this.
Yes, you do.
Come with me.
Bayezid will take no prisoners.
I can't.
But I give you my vow,
I will see you again in this waking life.
We are the horns of the increate.
We are the shadows at the center of the Labyrinth
but we are men, not gods.
We live in flesh and blood and bone.
How many of us occupy this chamber?
We are the horns... End this.
Do with me...what you will.
Girolamo. How many of us occupy this chamber?
Four of you. Girolamo.
Tell me what you see.
Four.
There are four of you.
How many of us occupy this chamber?
(Voices echo)
How many of us occupy this chamber?
(Riario yells)
How many of us occupy this chamber?
One. Yes.
(Riario laughing) Yes.
(Laughs)
Yes.
We are one.
We are one, Girolamo.
You can't just leave. You sound like the rest of them.
Clarice will eventually respect the fact
you are Giulio's mother.
You're wrong, Nico. She's not capable of respect.
Signorina? I apologize for the intrusion.
Something wrong, Captain? Signora Orsini.
Last night, she sent the girls to Villa del Trebbio.
She gave a footman strict instructions to deliver this to me.
Clarice has gone.
Where?
She asks that no one attempts to find her.
I brought this to you as soon as I could.
Your son is the only Medici left in Florence.
No, he's not, I never... Yes, you did.
You did sign it, didn't you?
Forgery is no minor offense.
Of course I did.
My son is a Medici, after all.
With Lorenzo and Clarice both absent,
your son is the sole representative of their bloodline.
Which makes you...
as his mother...
the Regent Head of the House of Medici.
And the most powerful person in all of Florence.
What does the other side of the world look like?
Different.
Did you ever consider staying,
leaving all this behind?
And miss all the fun?
(Horn sounds)
(Battle cry)
The fleet is preparing.
Judging by wind speed,
they should be within range in two minutes.
Right, turn it to the left.
Stop, stop, stop. That's it, stop.
Load the cannons. Load the cannons!
(Soldiers yelling)
Three...
two...
one...
Now!
The deaths that happen, have to happen.
Enjoy the view.
It may be the last thing we ever see.
No, it cannot be.
What's wrong?
What?
Leonardo, the woman on the deck
standing next to the Ottoman prince.
That is your mother.
*