The Republic of Florence... is excommunicated.
Neither the Pope or King Ferrante
will receive any diplomatic envoy from Florence.
But they will receive me.
I would have spared Amelia if I could.
Don't you dare speak her name! Don't you dare!
I've got no ship, no astrolabe, no map that explains it all
and Nico - he's with Riario.
If you think I'll help you find the Vault of Heaven, I'd die first!
There must be a way to follow Riario and Nico.
Your only hope is the Sentinel.
And the chaos of slave rebellion would help us seize command.
I'm drawn to recall that day from our youth
when you held me beneath the icy waters...
The Pope holds a prisoner.
A man about whom you care deeply.
What are you? The one true hope.
*
Mm.
Forgive me, Lord.
When he took the throne, my faith did not waver.
For who was I to judge the Hand of God on Earth?
But now I know who he truly is,
here I am sneaking into the Holy Temple
like a common thief.
Stay here.
While the guards change,
there is a back entrance that remains briefly unwatched.
We'll have a window of three minutes - no longer -
where I can secure your passage
and take you to where they keep your father.
You must follow my every command,
so as not to arouse suspicion
and under no circumstance can this slant-eyed brute come along.
This..."brute" has been sworn to protect me.
And if we are discovered within Vatican walls,
how do you propose we explain away a face like his?
It's fine.
We must be very careful.
This man...
..the things he's capable of.
No-one knows that better than I.
The story of Jacob and Esau,
the Biblical tale of two brothers who fought
even in their mother's womb.
I assume you know it.
Of course.
Then let me tell you another.
My uncle was convinced that if he had been the first born,
he would have led a different life.
A better one.
So at a young age, he tried to rectify the situation.
He'd even prepared an alibi, a lie to tell their mother.
But God, in His infinite mercy, intervened.
We're here today because of the oldest of rivalries.
Because my uncle blames my father for the fire that burns inside him.
Before I die, I will see that fire put out.
This is it. We must hurry.
(Melodic whistling)
(Birdlike whistling)
Leo. Leo.
(Whistling)
In case you've lost count, this is, what,
the tenth night you've spent out here.
I'm trying to concentrate.
Everybody on the ship's convinced you're an undead night-walker.
No thanks to you! We had to say something.
He hasn't slept in centuries.
Please go away! Christ in Heaven, you've been busy.
Is that the Jew's map?
Abyssinian's skin. Don't touch.
I recreated them from memory.
But that was just the beginning, Zo.
I'm... I'm charting luminous bodies that we
didn't even know existed.
And Toscanelli's maps... are piss poor in comparison.
"Piss poor"? He's the finest cosmographer in the world.
And he's recorded the stars he's seen with such attention to detail
that I will forgive his hideous sense of anatomy.
But the heavens are bigger than he knows.
Our speed? 11 knots, sir.
11 knots...
(Mutters)
Are we on the right course? We've been at sea for weeks.
Toscanelli also recorded...
..the trajectory of Venus. Do you see?
So that, together with this device,
has enabled me to estimate the length of our voyage.
Are you aware we're half way through provisions?
(Mutters) Leo.
Hello. What? What?
I say, provisions. Half way through. Aware? At all?
We'll be fine. You're wrong. We'll die.
No-one's going to die. I just need to track our path
and to do that, I need a bit more time.
I fear time is running short.
There's something you should see.
Alright... Leave it.
(Whispers) We agreed this would be bloodless.
We must be quick.
(Men praying softly)
Been at it all night. They're pretty spooked.
(Praying continues)
Looks like our new crew aren't as eager to reach the virgin lands as you.
Circassians are an ignorant, superstitious lot.
They probably fear we're sailing over the end of the world.
But they agreed to the voyage.
Easy to do when you're newly freed, but after weeks at sea...
The Captain suspects mutiny.
Some knives are gone from the galley.
We can get the order? Just kill the mutinous dogs.
Don't we need their help?
I can explain it to them. Explain what?
I can show them that the world is round.
I can teach them. You don't teach their sort,
except with the biggest club you have.
Stay above decks. We'll handle it.
One chance.
Please.
(Whispered praying)
Amen.
I haven't seen you do that in days.
The further we travel from our gods,
the harder it becomes to pay them tribute.
It makes tribute all the more meaningful.
And when you pay tribute...
..is it to your God or your father?
I used to believe they were one and the same.
And now?
There is goodness in you.
There is piety.
There is grace. No.
No-one looks on me and sees grace.
I do.
May I ask...
what are you teaching the boy?
What I know best.
How to survive when grace fails.
(PIERO) Oh, would it pain us greatly
to take just one main road?
Perhaps one that won't leave our buttocks
such a ripe shade of purple?
We're almost there, Piero.
Just a few miles before the border of Naples.
Good.
There are checking points along the main road.
If we must ride through the Papal States, it's best we do so quietly.
There is still a version of events
where you remedy this situation from Florence,
where you persuade King Ferrante to break his alliance with Sixtus
from the comfort and protection of your own home.
Florence is excommunicated.
No Italian states will trade with us.
In two months, we lose the bank.
In three months, we lose the people.
By the fourth, there'll be nothing between our necks
and Rome's blades.
It may not be pleasant but we have no other option.
Perhaps the day you run an Italian state,
you can do it differently.
Where is he?
Father?
(Chains rattling)
My child.
Look at you.
Do you know who I am, Amelia?
I think so, Your Holiness.
Are you the Pope?
Newly anointed.
But today I come here...
not as the Pope.
Today I come...
..as your father.
What have they done to you?
A temporary hardship. (Chuckles)
How can they keep you here?
A man came through here. A friend of mine.
He offered you freedom. Da Vinci.
He made quite an entrance.
Why did you stay?
I had to.
But if you'd escaped and we revealed who you truly are,
we could right these wrongs.
The most obvious move is rarely the cleverest.
What are you talking about?
Strategy...my child.
Have they driven you mad?
Just the opposite.
Please, Father, we have to get you out of here.
Not yet, Lucrezia. No more strategies.
No more elliptical messages.
Taking the throne will not be as easy for me...
as it was for my brother.
Though in the end...
..it may be as brutal.
Once I joined the Church, I acquired enemies.
So you and your sister were sent to be raised here,
with the Donati family guarding our secret, for your safety.
But in my absence, I can see that your sister has done a fine job.
Better than I could ever have hoped.
(Hoofbeats and neighing)
No-one should know we're here.
Secure the front door. You, guard the rear.
Father? It's nothing, my sweet.
Aargh!
Take her to safety.
All clear.
Bring him in.
I knew your sentimentality would betray you, brother.
How long have I waited in the shadows...
for the right moment of weakness?
God have mercy on your soul.
Then make me a full partner in your plan.
Until I know that this will be over soon...
..I don't have the strength to follow you further.
I need this finished.
Lupo?
As an old friend, I thank you for the...reunion
that you have granted me.
Of course. Please...
leave us.
The information I'm about to impart to my daughter
would compromise you beyond the comfort of deniability.
Even if we fail, old friend, save yourself.
I may take issue with the imposter who leads it,
but I cannot leave you to conspire against the Holy Roman Church.
I am the Holy Roman Church!
I always thought to blame the physic for pulling you out first.
How could our mother not favor you?
She held you before she held me.
This is madness.
In the spirit of righting wrongs, I tracked that physic down.
He apologized...
and then I killed him -
with a vaginal speculum.
None of this was his fault in the end.
No. It was yours.
I shall assume the Papal throne at once.
Since you've always kept my existence a secret,
I will raise no suspicions.
Have the decency to spare my daughters...
from witnessing this.
Witnessing what, brother?
I've no more interest in killing you.
We both know God won't allow it.
Dispose of them at once. No!
Father...
The horrors you and I have endured...
..cannot be in vain.
Have faith...
that every painful moment...
..is part of God's plan.
You speak of the horrors that I have endured?
What of the ones that I have committed?
You must have faith, my child.
(Thunder rumbling)
(SAILOR) Haul away! Haul away!
(Tapping)
I find myself compelled to show you some grace.
I'm somewhat skeptical you will appreciate it but...
I brought you this.
One applies charcoal to paper
to produce a drawing.
I'm not an artist. And yet you follow one.
(Thunder)
The Turk said there would be a storm.
This ship will sink without Da Vinci at the helm.
How intriguing that even out here...
..you allow your Maestro to control you.
You're the first-born son of a lawyer.
You were taught grammar, rhetoric,
came close to completing a course in Latin...
..but you left that home to follow an artist
even though, as you say, you have no creative aspirations.
Curious.
You are the bastard son of a hateful Pope.
You're bedding a slave girl.
You went against Vatican orders, risking execution,
to get your hands on the Book of Leaves.
All because it will give you the same knowledge and power
that my Maestro was born with.
Curious.
It's actually simple.
But like most revelations, this one has eluded us for centuries
because of its simplicity.
This...here...
..is a map of the stars.
But it's not a map of all the stars.
It's just a map of the stars we know.
Since because the earth is round,
there are certain parts of the night sky
that we're yet to lay our eyes upon.
But we're doing that right now.
On this very voyage.
Look. Do you see?
(She explains in Circassian)
(Discussion in Circassian)
He says we should have gotten off with the others at Cape Verde.
He cannot allow you to send us off the end of the earth.
You have nothing to fear. So we were told.
Before the chains, before the whips.
Now all we know is fear.
Give me that.
Look.
Put your head here.
Perfect.
Now...
there's a mountain in the distance.
Which part do you see first?
What? If the world was flat...
like this table... you'd see all of it at once, wouldn't you?
Yes. However...
the mountain in the distance...
Which part do you see first?
The top.
(They speak Circassian)
He says this ship strays too far from where our ancestors died.
Our loved ones.
It's a globe.
Every step you're taking away from home...
..you're actually going back.
See?
(Speaks Circassian)
This device...
This enables me to study the night sky.
These are lenses.
They bring images closer. Right. Good.
Now, this is Venus.
Venus circles the earth
and makes appearances in crescent shapes, like the moon.
Now, this shape - the left side crescent of Venus -
will appear tonight, proving that I can read the stars correctly.
Proof that we're headed in the right direction.
Proof that we will not die at sea.
Now...
in order for that to happen,
I need four hours... and your trust.
We will give you four hours.
But do not underestimate us.
We are willing to die here,
before we let our souls disappear into the unknown.
In times as turbulent as these,
times of sin and temptation,
times of tempestuous political unrest,
who will guarantee your safety from the horrors of Hell?
From the sharp, recalescent sabers of Lucifer himself?
Who else but the Holy Roman Church?
What's more, today and today only,
I am qualified to release your loved ones
from eternal torment.
And that's two for the price of one.
As soon as the gold in the casket rings,
the rescued soul to heaven springs.
Let's be having you. Come on, brothers.
Their gullibility astounds me.
Let it astound you quietly
and let's use this distraction to move along before they notice.
You there! Weary travelers.
Surely your mortal souls are not above Church-sanctioned repentance.
Well, we are more devout than most, thank you.
You fancy yourselves Godly men? All the better.
The Holy Father has licensed me to grant pardons
for sins not yet committed.
Move.
We never know what our bodies might fancy down the road.
Prearrange your salvation while you can, brothers!
Before it's too late.
What do you know about the Book?
His Holiness believes it was written by the Nephilim,
the offspring of angels and men.
I find this notion romantic but um...
..unlikely.
No, I believe it was transcribed
by the elders of an ancient civilization in Crete...
9,000 years before Christ,
in a place that later became the legendary
lost City of Atlantis.
And their descendents,
the Minoans,
brought about the end of their civilization trying to reclaim it.
And that sounds more likely?
Whoever lays their hands on the Book of Leaves
will rule all of Italy...
if not the world.
My father doesn't see this yet,
but Da Vinci does,
as do his precious Sons of Mithras.
However, the most ancient of all the agencies searching for the Book -
and quite possibly the most powerful -
exists only between whispers in dark corridors.
During your tutelage,
did Da Vinci ever mention The Labyrinth?
The what? Count Riario!
Captain wants you.
What is it? Storm on the way.
We're not up to it. Could push us into the rocks.
Told you. We're all gonna die.
I'm surprised you can stomach such a peasant's repast.
(Chuckles) Reminds me of my adventurous youth.
I'd rather we eat from the feedbag.
You've a sense of humor in there somewhere, don't you?
Much like your son's.
Ah, that's where our likeness ends.
Well, in the end, Leonardo's aid was instrumental
in saving my life.
And all of Florence.
I'm grateful for that, Signor,
but for all the boy's talents, he leaves only misfortune in his wake.
Had he remained in Florence,
he might have become one of the most celebrated artists in Europe.
In Christendom.
And Lord knows where he's off to now.
Indeed.
So, with all the work he's produced so far...
..there isn't one painting, one invention,
that fills you with some shred of pride?
Pride in Leonardo?
I've never even considered it.
(Twigs snap) Thieves.
I told you this was a bad idea.
Who goes there? Whoa, my good man.
We mean no harm.
No, of course not. You are men of God.
My associate and I wonder if you'd lend us your ears.
Well, we are simple merchants, Signor, and we must be on our way.
Um, prepare the cart, Vero.
A stingy lot indeed.
Second Corinthians, ninth chapter, tells us,
"Every man according to as he purposeth in his heart,
so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity,
for God loves a cheerful giver."
"Woe to you, scribes, Pharisees and hypocrites.
For ye are like unto whited sepulchers,
which indeed appear beautiful outward,
but are within full of dead men's bones,
and of all uncleanness."
Mm.
Matthew?
Maybe.
But I am not the expert.
But you're no merchant, either.
Quick you were to dismiss my offer of indulgences.
Surely you must know some soul in need of a little guidance.
A relative, perhaps, recently moved on from this world to the next?
A brother?
(Chuckles) Lorenzo Il Magnifico himself.
The First Citizen of Florence.
An honor to be in your company, Signor de Medici.
And my condolences on the sad news of your recent excommunication.
No, Golo. No.
There will be no need for bloodshed tonight.
For while I am a loyal servant of the Holy Roman Church,
I'm also a man much like yourself -
primarily interested in business.
100 ducats and be on your way.
(Laughs) 100 ducats?
Do you know what will befall you if I let the nearest town know
that Lorenzo, the Church's own enemy,
has set foot upon their countryside?
(Chuckles)
No doubt you're traveling on a mission of diplomacy.
Hm?
Perhaps to curry favor with King Ferrante of Naples?
And we all know how the Medici approach matters of state.
Golo, how much gold do you think they've hidden under those barrels?
The rich may travel light, my friend,
but they never travel poor.
I agreed to let you see him, that's all.
I never agreed to this. It won't take long.
I give you my word.
And what good is your word when I'm burnt for heresy?
Here it is.
Study it quickly.
The Sword of Osman Gazi.
Gallant leader of the Turks.
Founder of the Ottoman Empire.
In Constantinople,
they mislead their people
by proudly displaying a counterfeit sword in their palace.
This is the original.
I've studied it at length.
It's a humble weapon.
If there is a coded message in these glyphs,
I cannot decipher it.
I am not here to decipher it, Cardinal.
What? I'm taking it with me.
Nothing leaves these archives.
What if he notices the sword's absence?
It is a vital part of my father's strategy.
Don't push me further.
It would be a blessing to end your sinful life here.
Now you know why my father is behind bars,
do what is required to release him.
You must serve God's will.
I grow weary of interpreting God's will.
Too often it leads to death.
Let it lead to the imposter's, not yours.
Cardinal.
I heard voices.
Why is the harlot here?
Stand aside.
Let's see what His Holiness might have in mind for you.
Declare yourself now!
Argh!
Cardinal. Who do you serve?
Captain, take her away!
This way, harlot.
Argh! Oh!
I will dispose of him.
But you...you need to run.
Open it. Let me feast my eyes.
Leave us enough to get home safely with.
Open it.
Hm.
(Groans)
(Groans) Oh, please, Signor.
Show some mercy.
Remember, when Venus rises, you will see a crescent on its left side.
Yes. I will see this shape.
Precisely.
And when Venus appears, peacefully orbiting the earth,
you can tell your people I know what I'm doing...
..we're headed in the right direction,
and that I can lead us all to a land filled with opportunity.
Don't suppose anyone's got any jokes?
Follow these instructions precisely.
I've plotted every turn our course must take.
Here he comes.
No, just...straight ahead and up ever so slightly.
That's it. That's it.
What?
It's right-sided? It's the wrong phase.
No, no, no.
Leo!
Shit, you're a feisty one.
Stop!
I gave you one job.
Listen...
Aargh!
All hands below deck!
(Coughing) Take them on deck.
We'll toss every last bastard overboard.
What? You do not coddle mutineers. You kill them!
When we get to new land... When men turn on you at sea,
you can't keep them on board.
There's no arguing it. Get rid of them.
No, wait. Wait. Wait.
What if we kept them in chains?
What did you just say? You've seen their strength.
Who better to lug our spoils back to the ship
when we make landfall?
Come on.
Put them in the hold.
Tighten their bonds to their skins.
I'll talk to the Captain.
That'll do, Piero.
They don't deserve a better grave.
We are not that far from Naples.
By tomorrow I shall buy you a glass of the finest wine.
Florence asks much of us.
It must stand...
as a city destined to lead the world into a new age.
No matter the cost.
That's what my grandfather, Cosmo, believed.
And so too, in his own way, did my brother.
Giuliano would have made a better partner for this adventure.
You're doing fine, Piero.
The boy's work. You asked if I had a favorite.
When he first followed me to Florence,
when he was still but an apprentice,
he left a parcel on my doorstep with a note.
They had just progressed from charcoals to oil paints.
He was so excited.
Verrochio had taken him aside, told him he showed great promise.
Leonardo wanted me to have his first canvas.
Small. Simple.
A bowl of fruit.
It doesn't matter how small it is, I'm sure it's marvelous.
I threw it away.
Of all the work he's produced, that's the one I'll not forget.
That he's a genius, I have no doubt.
But my relationship with the boy - with his mother -
will always be complicated.
I didn't want to have feelings for her.
I couldn't help myself.
She was extraordinary.
Then one morning I awoke and it was just me...
..and the boy.
Who the fuck are you?
After all they've been through, you put them back in chains.
It was either put them in chains or throw them overboard.
What was I supposed to do? All your talk about freedom was what?
They tried to kill me! They thought you were trying to kill them!
I think that at least once a day in your company.
Look, this journey...
it's been difficult enough without superstitions
ruining it when we are this close.
This coming from a man following the Book of Leaves?
The Book of Leaves is real. Says the Turk, Leo!
You've seen these maps.
Do you know how many maps I've sold that lead to buried treasure?
I mean, have you stopped to think
that your land across the sea is as much a fantasy as their afterlife?
What if you do kill us out here?
You said that you would follow me.
The man I follow is an artist.
He's a virtuous genius who wants to free the future.
Right now, I think we left him back in Florence.
You know, I understand...
..why they don't trust me.
But you should.
Because you're a great artist?
Because you have this way with inventions?
It counts for shit, Leo...
..when you start putting people...in chains.
Nobody ever knows better than you, do they?
But you can't get mad, Leo, when the stars don't move as quick as you do.
Fuck me.
The orbits.
The speed of them.
That's the answer. We're not heading in the wrong direction.
The crescent of Venus was different because Venus...
it doesn't circle the earth.
None of it does.
It all moves around the sun.
Oh, shit! What?
We've been trying to navigate the world as if it's a fixed point.
As if the sun and stars are circling us, but...
but they're not!
(Gasps)
Now I see it.
And now I can more accurately calculate our position
using the celestial bodies all around us...
..as they move...
..and as we move with them...
Oh...
..on our path through the heavens.
Shall I get the Captain? No.
First...
..let's free them from the chains.
Let's show them some reason.
Ahh!
(Laughs)
(MAN) Over here!
Tell me I'm hearing things.
Lorenzo, the armor. These men are border guards.
Welcome to Naples.
Where's the guard?
Shit.
Look at the wounds. They did this to themselves.
(Gasping)
Hey.
Are you harmed? We each agreed to take the life of another...
..before you made our souls disappear into nothing.
Mihail and I, we... we were the last.
But...he had a wife once.
He... He had a daughter.
I sent him to them first.
Please. Here.
We're gonna get you out.
Zo, wait!
What are you doing?
Take my life or I take his.
Don't you dare do it, Leo.
You... You said we'd go home.
We will.
We are.
You just...
You have to listen to me.
Not only is the world round,
but it revolves around the sun.
Now we have that knowledge, nothing stands in our way.
No! No! Shh.
No.
Shh, shh, shh, shh.
(She weeps)
Put it away. I come alone.
Ready the horses, the strongest you can find.
We're going to Constantinople.
We will endure this, my friend.
I've endured worse.
Dispose of them at once. No!
Father...
Would it not be more advantageous to keep them alive?
Sparing them would make him easier to manipulate.
Not worth the risk.
I will assume the risk.
If either of you can prove your value,
perhaps you will leave this place.
If not, you'll die.
Oh, please. Please.
Spare my sister.
Surely God would value an innocent in all of this.
You make an interesting argument,
but from now on, God values...what I value.
Come here, child.
And while innocence is a rare quality these days,
as Girolamo will tell you,
it's utterly useless to me.
(Snap) No!
(Screams)
We're finished here.
She will not take the harness easily after today,
but feel free to make of her what you will.
I tried, cousin.
Your story will be simple.
There was a struggle.
Bandits took your sister's life.
If you breathe a word of this to your adopted family,
they will suffer the same fate.
You are Rome's chattel now.
Further instructions will be forthcoming.
(She sobs)
Let me out! Please!
(Shouting and thunder)
No!
You have to go. No. Don't leave me.
Get her off the ship! No.
No!
(Shouting)
Let me out, please!
Anyone. Anybody, please let me out.
Please!
Your Turk's prophecy.
I fear he was right after all.
We're one spinning orb...
..in a chaos of spinning orbs...
..just floating through the cosmos.
It'll be even harder for her now,
realizing there's a larger world than she dreamed.
Her people died before they got to see it.
We must protect her from herself.
Who protects you and me?
*