"With the Pope dead, cardinals from all over Italy gathered to elect the new pontiff." "Rodrigo Borgia sent his family away from Rome to prove his commitment to the church alone." "I'm off to Gandia." "Cesare is returning to the Studium in Pisa and Lucrezia is going to the country." "Maneuvers were made by the cardinals Carafa..." "Excuse me?" "Are you suggesting that you could be elected?" "Sforza..." "I would not be able to endorse any candidate who does not support Costa's mandate." "And della Rovere." "Because of this bickering, we have not had a single vote." "My son is the most extraordinary creation on God's earth." "Lucrezia." "Fever." "Worse." "Rodrigo, you spent the afternoon with several women." "Don Gaspare, go away." "I am ill." "You will die." "On the morning I was born, the good cardinal made a sacred and irrevocable pact with God." "My days lived without sin, without lust." "With absolute purity." "And in exchange," "Rodrigo would become Pope." "Della Rovere, four." "Borgia, four." "There is a certain sweet revenge in being tied with della Rovere for last place." "Sforza, eight." "Carafa, five..." "Borgia, four." "Della Porta, four." "Della Rovere, four." "Savelli, two." "Not sufficient for election." "Look." " Black smoke." " No Pope." "Oh, Cesare, I had a terrible dream." "Where is our baby?" "Our son, Cesare, where is he?" "Where is our son?" "Where is he?" "Where is our son?" "He is with God." "Is Lucrezia better?" "Then Michael the Archangel came with his fiery sword." "Saint Petronilla was transformed..." "Petronilla, daughter of Peter, the first Pope." "I must go to Papa." "No, Lucrezia, you must rest." "Lucrezia?" "Who is Lucrezia?" "I am Petronilla." "She is possessed." "He denied Christ three times on the day of the crucifixion." "By the Devil?" "Or by the ridiculous tale of a headless girl?" "I will speak to the deacon." "He must order an exorcism." "No, in Lucrezia's weakened condition, an exorcism will kill her." "Better that than the death of her soul." "I will not allow it." "You have no say in the matter." "I have four votes." "I must get the number up, even by one to show movement." "I must do something dramatic, unusual, a bold step..." "You must calm the Roman Cardinals." "Orsini and Colonna are afraid that if you're chosen, the Vatican will once again be overrun by Borgia." "I will forfeit all I have, including my family." "Will Sforza make the same promise?" "Will he abandon his brother?" "Turn his back on Milan?" "Sforza has made me an offer." "For more or less than I have paid you?" "More." "Double." "I will double that." "And he will double that." "Soon there will not be enough ducats minted." "So, if money is not enough, what is?" "Position?" "As Pope, I can name only one to replace me as Vice Chancellor." "And one to replace della Rovere as Dean of the Sacred College." "Perugia." "I will grant you my title as Legate." "You will offer land in addition to coin?" "That is a bold step." "I have more acreage than Sforza." "But Perugia?" "Why choose to give away such a title, such income?" "The Pope is the servant of the servants of God." "Title enough for any man." "I think you're starting to believe your own words, my friend." "Rodrigo." "Rodrigo, have you heard?" "The rabble outside grows impatient, so we are to receive only a single full meal each day." "Monstrous." "Monstrous." "I cannot survive on that." "A single meal?" "Then I shall be certain to make tonight's dinner a memorable one." "This one is for Cardinal Orsini." "Colonna..." "But who told you to bring these?" "Carafa..." "Cardinal Borgia." "Before he went into seclusion, of course." "He said if the Conclave lasted a third day..." "Cardinal Piccolomini." "I trust you." "You trust me?" "To forgive my past and to embrace my intensions for the future." "And do you trust me not to tell the others about this?" "The Church of Santa Maria Via Lata is most glorious." "The art, stunning." "The real estate, prime, on the Corso, an endless path of wealth and influence." "Then why divest yourself of the property?" "For me, individual streets are of interest no longer." "I care about the city in its entirety." "I have changed, Francesco." "Trust me." "I do..." "Trust you." "Trust?" "Placed in trust?" "Perpetual trust." "An abbey?" "Not just an abbey." "Subiaco has 22 fortresses for which to guard me." "And Cesare?" "Do I guard him as well?" "Cesare?" "He is of no importance." "Oh, but he is." "I want him punished for maiming my nephew." "Cesare must be publicly humiliated." "His losing his inheritance is not humiliation enough?" "The harbor at Porto is not enough?" "Hmm." "No, more than enough if land were enough." "We Orsini have a contract with the King of Naples." "Which expired after the first scrutiny." "You are free of obligation." "Ah, to His Majesty, yes." "But not to my family." "My nephew, Orsino Migliorati, for example." "His wife Giulia is..." "A flower one admires in passing." "Will you stop plucking that flower?" "Gianbattista, I am giving away all my earthly possessions." "All." "All of Naples will cheer you." "Bologna is a half day's march to the border of Milan." "You are fantastic, Rodrigo." "If your king decides to launch an attack against the Sforza family," "Bologna is the perfect..." "God, I like you." "Della Rovere, he jumps from side to side like a cat dancing on embers." "But you, you..." "Will be Pope." "Oh, stop, stop this." "There's only so much good humor I can take before I sleep." "Keep your greasy diocese." "Give the chicken to Gherardo." "I like mine without the taste of hypocrisy." "What..." "What are you doing, child?" "I'm going to Rome." "My father, the Pope, needs me." "Why are you up here, then?" "To fly." "On the wings of Michael the Archangel." "No, no, don't." "Stop." "I have received a message from the Pope." "He commands you to remain with us." "But Nero wants to crucify him." "No, Nero has pardoned Saint Peter." "Please, come." "Come, let us say a prayer of thanksgiving, huh?" "Huh?" "Come." "Who are you?" "Your mother." "Oh, no." "My mother died in Galilee." "My father performs miracles." "Why did he not save her?" "Oh, my child." "No Pope yet." "Naples has seven votes, but Milan, eight." "And della Rovere?" "Four, as do Porta and Borgia." "My old friend." "Friend?" "Well, we have known each other many years." "But these past few days I am seeing a desperation in you, which is either new to your character or to which I have been blind." "In either case," "I no longer believe you deserve to sit in Saint Peter's chair." "What you call desperation," "I call passion, for reform." "Only you would try to reform the Church through bribes and intrigues." "So what's next?" "Will you solicit the support of de Medici, Savelli, Gherardo?" "Whisper slurs against my integrity?" "Will that not make you guilty of the very crime of which you accuse me?" "I did not ask for the four votes I received," "I will not ask for others." "I did not even vote for myself." "I do not want to be Pope." "Then who?" "Carafa?" "Sforza?" "If either is elected we have war between Naples and Milan." "Rome, slaughtered." "Or do you prefer della Rovere, who will share the papal bedchamber with Rome's handsomest men?" "I do not want to be Pope, but I will, if the Holy Spirit deems me worthy." "If a person ceased to feel guilt, he would no longer be a person." "He would be a turtle." "When we accept our sins, responsibility for our actions," "that is when we approach the divine." "Professore, may I?" "Cesare." "I once agreed with Remolino, but now I ask this." "Is it possible to commit a sin for the right reason?" "And does that then make the action good, a sin no longer?" "In those circumstances, at what point would one feel guilt?" "I will tell you, when the sin is abhorrent, unnatural." "Unnatural?" "Say for a father to kill his son?" "Yes." "As God the Father did, sending Jesus to us, knowing He'd be crucified." "God is unnatural." "You blaspheme!" "You blaspheme!" "Quiet, quiet." "Quiet!" "We're out of time." "Tonight, you are to take the first step on your path to the priesthood." "Tonsure." "His Excellency, the Bishop, will cut the hair on the top of your head, symbolizing your obedience to God." "Spend the rest of the day reflecting on your worthiness." "Are you worthy, Cesare?" "Are any of us?" "Deliver your eyes from all blindness, spiritual and human, and bestow on you the light of everlasting grace..." "Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost..." "God, world without end." "Praise the Lord." "Praise the Lord from the earth, you kings of the earth..." "I hear I missed a feast last night." "A veritable cornucopia." "I was led to believe you do not eat chicken." "If I was misinformed, I can certainly send you one." "When my late father spoke about evil men in the Sacred College of Cardinals," "I did not think he meant you." "Giovanni..." "Simony is a grievous sin." "What lies has della Rovere told you?" "Do not speak." "I am trying not to listen to you, but I can still see your mouth move." "Your lips like worms crawling across marble." "I offer you and your brothers my eternal love..." "Which you have offered before." "As did Cesare." "Or was his friendship only a manipulation on your part?" "No." "Cesare loves you, truly, as a friend." "So you say." "But are your words worth the air they fill?" "You are young." "And I thank God for that, because I am not old enough to enjoy the charades these pickled old men play." "I am sick with grief." "I am in mourning for the future." "Which is why the Conclave must end." "My victory is near, but you must..." "Which of your illegitimate children did you father at that orgy?" "Juan?" "Lucrezia?" "Is the mother of Cesare a Sienese whore?" "I have no children." "And if elected, I will banish Lucrezia, Cesare and Juan from Rome." "Of course you would." "Catalan." "I was wrong." "You are not young." "You are a child." "The Medici, they are systematically destroying Florence, my beloved home." "And yet my cousin, Giuliano, wants us to bow and scrape our foreheads on the floor in worship of the young de Medici prince." "Family is important, Rafaele." "You and your three cousins are a powerful voting block." "But you do not, cannot, always agree on every issue." "Brothers, quorum call." "The Riario Palace on the Piazza Navona." "When Pope Innocent confiscated the property from your father, an injustice was done." "A terrible injustice." "One that could be, should be, rectified." "The estate returned, the income compensated for, retroactively." "Oh." "You are asking me to betray Giuliano, to vote for you instead of him?" " Hurry." " We must take a vote." "The Diocese of Imola is a day's march from Florence, from the Palazzo Vecchio." "Piero de Medici's authority rests on the crumbling column of his dead father." "Only a slight nudge is needed to bring the whole house down." "Who wrote your homily?" "Excuse me?" "During the phenomenon of the three suns." "Are the words yours?" "Why, yes." "Hmm." "It was well said." "Since we vote in secret, my cousin need not know whom I choose." "And your other cousins?" "They too have their appetites." "Della Rovere, three." "Della Porta, four." "Sforza, five." "Borgia, ten." "Ten." "Amazing." "Carafa, five." "Not sufficient for election." "Oh Lord, please let my king hear me for he is needed." "Ferrante must bring his army from Naples to Rome." "He must, by force, clear the air of the indecision that infects this Chapel." "Do you hear me, oh, Lord?" "Do you?" "Yes." "Advance on Vatican hill." "Naples!" "Go, go, go." "Slowly." "Damn, too fast." "I cannot..." "Wait." "Ah!" "Oh, Carafa, you fool." "Ah!" "The air is already too humid for your breath in my ear." "You say you do not vote for yourself." "Do you vote for Carafa?" "That is between me and God." "How long has the della Porta family dwelled in Rome?" "Since Augustus Caesar ruled the empire." "What will your ancestors think when you are forced to lick the boots of Naples' king?" "Ferrante's army has invaded the city, occupies the city." "How do you know that?" "We are completely cut off from the world." "Listen!" "Can you not hear the call to arms?" "The moan of a mother who fears for her daughter's virginity?" "I was not born a Roman, but I am one." "My loyalty is not to the French, not to Milan, not to Naples, but to Rome!" "To the Roman Catholic Church!" "In solidarity with all the holy martyrs, who have, since the days of the Caesars, suffered at the hand of a sword, we will not break." "No man, no mere king, will move us from our sacred task." "Only the genius of the Holy Spirit shall lead us." "Good men..." "My king acted in error." "I..." "I was locked in here and could not" "prevent his foolish act." "No matter." "There is nothing I can say to regain your trust." "And so..." "I beg those four cardinals who voted for me..." "Give your love to a strong and pious man." "To a man who would make a blessed Pope," "Ascanio Sforza." "Why?" "Why would you proclaim Sforza?" "Milan is your mortal enemy." "Because he is Italian, from a family with a long and noble heritage." "The Borgia lineage is no less noble." "I hear differently." "I hear you are a Marrano, sired by Spanish Jews..." "False converts to the Catholic faith." "These halls are full of rumors." "Some about Sforza." "I know for certain only this, as of now, Sforza has 13 votes." "One more, he will be Pope." "And you, Catalan, can go to hell!" "I brought some nourishment." "Lucrezia?" "No." "I refuse your food and your drink and your everything." "Why?" "Why has God infested my little girl with this malicious spirit?" "You condemn in the wrong direction." "The Devil rules her, body and soul." "I want her free of this demon." "And yet an exorcism can be vigorous." "She's my only daughter." "She's not your daughter now." "Until exorcised, she is darkness." "Adriana, you have been as much a mother to my children as I have." "And I never thanked you." "I do my duty, nothing more." "Then please, I would like to ask you for one more favor." "I wish to..." "I wish to depart before the exorcist arrives." "I'm not strong enough to bear witness." "Will you, once again, mother my child in my stead?" "Will you accompany her to the room where the exorcism is to be performed?" "Of course." "But she will not be moved." "The ritual will be done here." "Thank you." "Thank you for your life." "I will leave as soon as the exorcist approaches the abbey." "Will you alert my coachman to ready the carriage?" "There is no rush." "The priest does not come until very late." "Then I would like to spend the remaining time with my Lucrezia." "Alone?" "I'm glad that you've seen the wisdom of my decision." "You behave as a true Roman mother should." "Come." "How did you fare with the della Rovere cousins?" "Domenico della Rovere was persuaded to abandon Giuliano in exchange for the fief of Aquaperdente and the diocese of Turin." "Girolamo Basso may be the most honorable member of the della Rovere clan." "He refused all offers." "So you've gained only one more." "A total of 12 votes." "And Sforza has 13." "I must do something tonight or all will be forfeited." "I have given away nearly every benefice I have." "If I don't win tomorrow," "I'll be forced to flee to Spain riding steerage." "Unless you'll return Perugia." "No." "Oh." "Then I must convince Sforza to surrender his votes." "How?" "Bribery?" "Reason?" "Murder." "Oh, not his physical death, but that of his spirit." "I have in my possession a certain dangerous document, which might alter Sforza's mind." "I've hesitated to use it because its release would tip the balance of power between Naples and Milan." "I must speak with Sforza alone and uninterrupted." "For that, I will need your assistance." "Petronio!" "Invite the Cardinal of Milan to join me in one half hour." "Here, Eminence?" "No." "We will meet in a place of absolute privacy." "Oh, Holy Spirit." "Guide me." "It's been a miracle." "What is it?" "Does Naples attack again?" "Savelli." "Savelli is having a vision." "Is it over?" "Can I go home?" "A miracle!" "Are there any more sweets?" "What is going on?" "Something about Savelli and the Holy Ghost." "In the Chapel." "A vision, beautiful beyond imagination." "Speak to me, Lord." "What is it that You would have me tell these people?" "Guide me." "Let me be Your vessel." "This is nothing but theatrics!" "I will be your servant." "Oh, Lord..." "Get up!" "Step away." "He speaks with God." "Savelli is witnessing the Holy Ghost." "Shadows on a ceiling." "Or a ghost, but not holy." "You are a man, but not holy." "I am a man who has learned all the dialects of Italy." "Noblemen, such as yourself, like to hear sounds similar to their own." "The familiarity makes them feel superior." "Twice so with you, who can speak out of both sides of your mouth at once." "Hmm." "I still only have one mouth." "A shrewd one." "A knowing one." "I know what happens inside the Vatican walls." "I know where the ledgers are hidden." "And where the ledgers that contradict those ledgers are hidden." "And where the ones which contradict those..." "Are hidden?" "There's a lot of paper passed around these walls." "And gold florins." "And silver ducats." "Ah, yes." "You are good at moving money." "Like a Spanish Jew." "Hmm." "Or a Milanese banker." "I hear you, Lord." "Yes." "The Holy Spirit tells me, Giuliano, that this is the man who betrayed you." "Traitor!" "Who did I learn it from, Cousin?" "Who, in the last Conclave, joined with Borgia to get Innocent elected?" "You taught me the craft of negotiation, the joy of betrayal." "Face the truth, Giuliano, your time to be Pope has not yet come." "But you could be Popemaker, if you vote for Borgia." "I would rather be a footnote." "You shuffled four mules loaded with coin out of the Vatican treasury." "As a precaution." "Let us rob the bank to save it?" "I do not need to steal." "I have enough gold, silver and rare gems to fill the Sistine to its rafters." "Shall we see who can fill which room with what?" "Perhaps I have not mastered the Milanese dialect as well as I thought." "I speak not out of pride, but in friendship..." "As Vice Chancellor, you can become rich." "Richer than you are, richer than you know." "Yes, but there is a problem with that." "You would be Pope." "Do you understand my dialect now?" "Yes, Lord." "I can hear you." "God speaks through Savelli." "Guide us, Lord." "Tell me who should be the next Pope." "I am one vote away from being Pope." "Why should I submit to you?" "After 37 years, Italy remains an enigma to me." "Each city independent, muscular, defiant." "Having to deal with you all, is like wrestling a dozen snakes." "You wrap around each other, you bite, you pull away and bite again." "In Spain they are united." "They have one king." "And here we have one Pope." "Who is ignored." "If Neapolitan, by the Milanese, if Venetian, by the Florentines." "I am neutral, I serve God alone." "As Pope, I will bring the kingdoms and duchies of Italy together." "Oh?" "I fear della Rovere will stop you, as he did with Innocent." "I will banish him." "And have King Charles with his huge French arsenal attack Milan?" "Your brother will lose his court." "No." "Your family its city." "And you, one night, alone in the Apostolic Palace, with a sip of wine, will feel your life slip away." "Della Rovere knows the Vatican wine cellar very well." "You Spanish have morbid imaginations." "If I can imagine such deeds, so can Giuliano della Rovere." "And what would stop him from doing the same to you?" "Cesare's suffering grieves me." "I will speak with him." "He has done the unspeakable." "He is our friend." "And we've both, in our short lives, committed our share of misguided acts." "But we did so knowing they were wrong." "He believes he has done good." "You cannot sit forever in abeyance, awaiting judgment." "I wait for word from Rome." "Has my sin brought forth virtue?" "Or has a child died in vain?" "You are doing what you always do, old friend." "You act impulsively, then endlessly punish yourself." "But God will forgive you, Fiametta will forgive you." "Even if they do, I cannot." "I pray and pray for peace of mind." "No more prayers for now." "You must act." "An act of contrition arising from your love." "Not of yourself, but of God." "Soon, the sun will rise." "As my act of contrition, I will climb Monte Serra to learn his fate." "If dead, my child deserves a proper burial." "A sight no man should witness alone." "Boil 12 breccia stones and bring them hence." "Move." "Yes, ma'am." "Della Rovere says that I'm a Marrano." "But King Ferdinand has signed an edict testifying to the purity of my bloodline." "Is that the document?" "No." "This one comes from Carthage." "It reveals the history of a different family." "Your family." "Tainted by Muslim blood." "A lie." "Forget the votes you will lose in the Conclave." "A Muslim dynasty ruling Catholic Milan?" "The peasants will riot." "They will tear the Ducal Palace down, they will rip the arms off your brother." "The same trick over and over." "Worse still, this scrap of paper gives the King of Naples cause to satisfy his hate." "And to justify his war." "Like a dog, like an old dog." "Do you not know any others?" "Ferrante will seize the throne of Milan, which he believes belongs to his granddaughter through her marriage to the legitimate heir, your nephew." "Did Gian Galeazzo make these charges?" "Is he the source of this drivel?" "Once Gian Galeazzo is freed from the prison in which your brother has locked him, what will be the boy's revenge, I wonder?" "I say again, this is a lie." "An incendiary lie is more potent than a boring truth." "Common men always choose to believe the worst about the noble class." "Our transgressions give the poor a sense of cosmic equality." "I can forge evidence, too." "Do so." "If Rome believes I'm a Jew, all I will lose is my position." "I will go back to Spain a wealthy man." "If this is believed, the Sforza family will disappear as quickly as an autumn snow." "Savelli's vision will soon end." "And the spirit which moves me, gone." "I will be Vice Chancellor." "Agreed." "I take ownership of your palace." "Agreed." "Your niece, Lucrezia will marry my cousin, Giovanni, to bind us in blood." "She is already promised to the son of the Count of Aversa." "A minor inconvenience." "Agreed." "This will make a sturdy walking stick." "What are you doing?" "I go with my feet uncovered, like Jesus to the cross." "I do not aspire to such divine heights." "I will keep my shoes on." "Della Rovere, two." "Savelli, two." "De Medici, two." "Fregoso, three." "Della Porta, four." "Borgia, 13." "That is only 26 votes." "And one blank." "You are still one short, Catalan." "Who votes for no one?" "You were expected to vote for me." "You and Sforza, your pact, excreted in the toilet." "A vote for you puts my soul in danger." "If this Conclave goes on much longer, you will die on that cot." "And as you die, I will keep the others out." "You cannot do that." "I have no contagion, I..." "You'll go to your tomb without the last rites." "Damned to the fires of hell." "In which circle of Dante's Inferno will you spend eternity?" "Where they eat shit instead of sweets?" "No, Rodrigo, I'm so hungry." "I cannot think." "For me?" "Let the word go forth, the throne of Saint Peter can be had for two pieces of marzipan." "Della Rovere, two." "Savelli, two." "De Medici, two." "Fregoso, three." "Della Porta, four." "Borgia, 14." "The will of God is revealed." "I ask all to stand as a gesture of unanimity." "We have fallen into the mouth of the wolf." "He will swallow us all." "I am the Pope." "I am the Pope, the Vicar of Christ!" "I am sorry." "I am so sorry for my want," "for wanting this so..." "Oh..." "I trust in the wisdom of the Holy Spirit." "Giuliano, you are the Dean of the Sacred College." "Do your duty." "Remember, tradition dictates you must refuse twice before accepting." "I shall be called "Alexander."" "Like Alexander the Great," "Borgia now thinks he cannot be conquered." "Yes, I shall eat now, a feast." "Write my family's name on many slips of paper and drop the papers out the window." "For I want it to snow "Borgia" in Rome this summer." "Borgia!" "Open the door!" "You dare to question my judgment as a mother, when you make a cuckold of your own son!" "Whore, while you lie here in your little villa on the outskirts of Rome," "I will soon sleep in the Apostolic Palace." "Your old lover is your new Pope." "Rodrigo?" "Pope?" "And when I inform the Holy Father of your disregard for the soul of his darling Lucrezia, his wrath will come crashing upon you like a thunderbolt." "I am here because of you." "Do you comprehend what you have done?" "Oh, yes." "What will you tell your brother?" "That Borgia will wear the tiara, but I will rule." "It's very hot in here, will you hurry up." "Why so slow?" "Come on." "Move it, please." "Vice Chancellor?" "Holiness." "Don't touch me." "Alexander VI." "What have you found?" "Nothing." "He's not here." "My son." "No body, no remains." "The Angel of the Lord was listening." "He has rescued my boy." "It is still possible that he might have been taken." "For you are God, O Sovereign Lord." "Your words are truth and you have promised these great things to me, Your servant." "And now, may it please you to bless me and my family..." "So our dynasty will rule forever before You!" "Cesare!" "Alessandro!" "Remolino." "The bells ring Borgia." "Borgia!" "My sweet girl." "My mouth is dry, Mother." "Yes, I am here." "I have had amazing visions." "Michael the Archangel." "Saint Petronilla." "The Holy Spirit." "And now I know..." "What do you know?" "The purpose of my life." "God wants me to devote myself to His service." "I am to be a nun." "Shh!" "Never say that again." "Never tell your uncle, the Pope." "Petronio, your payment in full." "Doesn't seem to be enough." "This is the amount that was agreed upon." "Yes, but I entered the Sistine as naive as Adam did Eden." "You were never naive, boy." "Buy yourself a cannoli." "We are to be married." "How much does your fiancee know?" "Nothing." "Yet." "So, I want more ducats." "And a title." "Or I will reveal the secrets of the Conclave, the truth behind our new Holy Father's unholy election." "You gave your word." "I've seen men of God cheat and lie." "I live by their example." "So do I." "Any last words?" "Tomorrow I will schedule a meeting to discuss redecorating these chambers." "No." "I will build new apartments." "We will build new apartments." "You and I?" "No." "You are "We" now." "Yes." "I am "We."" "I speak for the souls of mankind." "That will be all, Herr Burchard." "And now, may it please You to bless me and my family, so that our dynasty may continue forever before You." "For when You grant a blessing to Your servant, O Sovereign Lord, it is an eternal blessing." " Fiametta!" " Fiametta, our child!" "He is alive." "I give you my word, I will..."