White Hood

Abdullah is astounded as he asked back, pointing at Mauro "How is this bloodshed called protection?"

"Because he committed a crime over here in my place." Antonius replied. "That means by law or by nature, whether we decide to punish Mauro or not, he is under our disposal. I sent a messenger to him when we left that warehouse… judging by the time he set off for here as soon as he got the news, came to save Mauro of course."

"And for these slashes, looks very pain to you right? But observe closer, each slash is aimed perfectly mostly on non-vital parts…except the first one, seems like our dear friend Mauro is pretty experienced in getting slashed by his superior also. Since Giovanni gave Mauro a pretty severe beating, we don't have any more reason to punish him if we still want to be friends with him."

"Oh… I guess that is how you do things in Genoa."

After a while, Giovanni finally stopped slashing and threw his whip on the ground, then pulled Mauro back up on his legs. While Mauro did not utter a single word during the entire process. Giovanni turned to Antonius and pleaded. "I am sorry my brother, it is my duty for having not leashed Mauro properly, I apologise sincerely for his misdeeds. Leave him to me, I will drill some law and discipline when I get back to camp."

Antonius held Giovanni's arms and gave him a hug like the Sicilians, then he stared at Giovanni's eyes and replied firmly. "You need not apologise, my brother, I have forgiven what Mauro has done even before you arrived. But there is one thing that you did wrong…"

Giovanni is a little bit staggered and asked under his breathe. "What is it?"

"Why did you not tell me of your dilemma earlier on?"

Giovanni laid his head low and remained silent, apparently refusing to answer that question.

"Fine then." Antonius sighed. "Go back to your camp with Mauro, my brother, I will not blame Mauro for anything, and take that bag of blades with you, consider it as a gift from me."

"But…"

"No but… Now go!"

Giovanni looked at Antonius deeply, stepped back, bowed, climbed onto the horse, and then pulled Mauro onto the horse with that bag of cutlass. The horse whined again under Giovanni's whip and galloped out of the camp, never to turn back again, leaving Antonius and Abdullah behind staring at them.

"Abdullah… you know what?"

"Yes?"

Mauro's words ran through Antonius' mind, from the courtiers neglecting their need, marginalising them as outsiders, to the Mega Doux Loukas giving Giovanni a slap in the face by rejecting his request for revenues, then to Constantine, the supposed emperor, kicking them back to the Mega Doux like a foot ball, this all sent Antonius' adrenaline level soaring up.

"If these walls, this city, this country comes crumbling down tomorrow, I am not a bit surprised."

"…"

"Help me call Francesco, gather a few boys, we've got work to do."

…

When Giovanni and Mauro rode back to their camp, it is already in mid night, the crescent moon hangs right above their head, showing their path and shining the sweat of Giovanni mixed with the blood of Mauro.

Upon entering the camp, Giovanni saluted the guards on duty on horse, threw the bag of blades to them ordering they keep it somewhere in the armoury, grabbed Mauro and came straight into the camp medical centre.

Mauro is placed on a seat, while Giovanni quickly removed his shirt, coat, and scarf violently, revealing what is on his back; instead of a smooth back, it is now full of purple lashes running through the skin strip by strip, some already swollen producing a big lump of various colours – red, purple , yellow. The sight of it is gruesome, unbearable for Giovanni to look at directly.

His hands trembled as he reached for a bottle of salt water, which is the most common kind of medication in his camp now as he cannot afford any other herbs or creams. Giovanni rubbed it evenly across Mauro's broad shoulders and arched back. Both men remained speechless in the process.

"Next time, don't do stupid things like this." Giovanni whispered an order.

"…Yes sir."

Just as they are about to be done, a guard came in reporting that a bunch of 'suspicious personnel' donned in white hoods and cloaks were seen breaking through the camp just now, the guard asked Giovanni to evade as they think it might be the famed fable tales of Hashashins, or Assassins roaming in these lands.

However Giovanni is neither in the mood for playing tricks with suspicious personnel nor listening to the guard's fable tales of 'Assassins' . He grabbed his Falchion sword, ordered the guard to look after Mauro, and stormed out of the medical centre towards where they are supposedly are.

However, he is surprised as he heard to strangely familiar voice when he approached the location.

In a distance the guard can be heard roaring and questioning. "Who the hell are ya!"

"I told you, piss pot, we are thieves, aye we are thieves!"

"Ya ain't gonna fool mi! Which thief goes around in groups of ten, wearing white in night, come storming in through de gates!"

"Aye! Listen weakling. We aint ordinary thieves ya see roaming on streets, we are Angels in Hoods, robbing the rich and aiding the poor is our motto!" The band of merry men bursted into some sinister laughter assembling those of pirates, making the guards even more nervous and turning the situation more tense.

"What are inside those chests!" A guard questioned as he raises his crossbow. "Are those chests filled with explosives!"

"That is none of your concern! Boy!"

Giovanni has heard enough, he pushed the guard with crossbow aside, walked into the encirclement, looked at the face of the supposed 'merry-man', while the opponent looked at him. After a while, he signaled and ordered the guards to be dispersed back to their duty, turned back and faced the man again, asking.

"My brother… what are you doing here?"