Chapter 1
A trip to Roma
The light reflecting off his white mask seemed to glow, despite the darkness. The groves narrowing into dark curved shadows somehow made the twisting grin on his mask more intense than in daylight. He sighed, his breath heating up the walls of the mask, looking over at his sister, who was standing on the roof of the building adjacent to him. She nodded, her gold mask glimmering in the moonlight as well, placing her hands on her hips in a dainty pose. He flexed his fingers, the material of his gloves grazing his skin tightly, cracking his knuckles. They had been hired recently by The Borgia and scattered across Roma to search and kill any members of the Assassins. This worked to their advantage; after all they were new members of the Templar.
He grinned beneath his mask, and with a nod to Caha, they dived down fearlessly. Brushing off any stray strands of straw, the siblings stretched like the well nimble acrobats they were, strolling quietly into the streets. They walked together silently, entering the heart of Roma. To any other average soul, they would appear as the typical traveling actors, part of a troupe or some wild carnivale. This always made them smirk beneath their masks, for it was the opposite of their intentions. There were still a surprising number of people stumbling about the streets, even for night. Cahin turned his head to his sister, the mask somehow providing a casualty.
"First off, we must find a place to stay." He nodded, involuntarily scanning the area. "Just what I was thinking brother." Caha responded, her mind beginning to weigh options. "The Borgia didn't provide us with anything?" Cahin thought out loud. "Of course not" Caha smirked, "they want us to remain discreet and incognito." She finished, her eyes shifting at a plain courtyard in the distance. "Right, so we must appear..." "...as usual." Caha finished, climbing up the wall in seconds, Cahin joined her. She tapped her fingers on her golden belt, looking around for a few minutes and then glanced at her brother with a smirk. "I have an idea." She nodded surely. "No tents or shabby sides of town Caha." Cahin jested, skipping along the roofs with her. "Too predictable Cahin."She winked under her mask, grabbing onto a wooden beam holding a lantern. Steady, she kicked her foot in the shutters of the window and snaked her way inside.
Breaking an entry was no challenge for the duo. They completed the task so effortlessly due to their heightened skills and flexibility. After scouting out the building and making sure they were alone, the siblings settled in the upstairs hall on a plain wooden bench. "They must've abandoned this place." Cahin said with a sigh as he sat down, resting his feet. "Really? That's obviously not why I chose this house!" Caha retorted. "Careful sister, you know I'm sharp like you." Cahin teased back at her with a smile. Caha laughed and sat back, crossing her legs. "So, since we have a moment of rest brother, we'll stay here in Roma, even though this is a big city I trust we can make it back here." She nodded. "Of course Caha." Cahin nodded, reaching for his mask.
"The Borgia said the Assassins have an underground here. It may not be big but people are beginning to believe in them, so we should definitely track down at least one of their bases." Caha too reached for her mask, pulling it off gently. "We'll get to know the city tomorrow. Tonight we rest from our journey." Cahin concluded, looking at his sister again, their faces were now readable. "For now we're traveling troupe." Caha grinned, her gray eyes burning into Cahin's identical eyes with sadism. "Indeed! The finest street performers that have ever lived!" He nodded sheepishly, grinning. They laughed once more at their twisted talk, even in their grimmest moods they behaved like children around each other. It was a natural reaction, coming from their family.
The siblings were silenced when a snapping noise echoed through the empty house. They both paused automatically, their eyes darting in the opposite directions. Cahin raised his brow before putting on his mask once more; Caha shook her head as she was doing the same. With a finger to her wine colored lips, she cautiously crept into the room closest to her; Cahin did the same the opposite way. They weren't going to take any risks this time, not for this mission. Cahin peered around the corner of the archway and as he and Caha suspected, there was a man. Standing with his back to Cahin, in front of the window they'd come through. He was rather short, small, perhaps a young man, cloaked with a black hood over his head. Cahin was surprised at this. He couldn't be an Assassin, they wore white and given the estimate age based on his size, he probably wasn't a part of some bigger scheme.
Cahin bit his lip, and with one glance upwards at Caha who was hiding silently in the rafters, he reached for his decorative daggers, jumping up with a starting run and piercing one into his neck. The hood ripped and there was a clinking sound to metal and as Cahin rolled over the man's back, he was stopped from darting his second dagger into him by a sword. Cahin took in a breath and grinned; he enjoyed someone who wasn't easy. The man's face was impossible to see in the darkness but somehow he could feel their hatred radiating. Cahin grunted in a panic suddenly as his first dagger wouldn't pull out, he fumbled with it wildly with it and in that split second, the man punched him dead into the stomach. Cahin fell with a thud, both his daggers scattering randomly to the ground.
He couldn't breathe; Caha yelled out of anger and pounced down from the rafters. The cloaked man was swift and rolled out of her way. Caha leapt to her brother's side, pointing her daggers at the mysterious figure. "You come any fucking closer and I swear it'll be the last thing you do." She spat at him instinctively, it seemed to intrigue the man. He glanced at Cahin on the ground and at Caha who was protecting him so fearlessly. In a flash, the man darted out the window into the night. Caha stood still and ready for a few moments, letting out a huff as she kneeled down to Cahin. Cahin coughed madly, the wind knocked out of him. She hurried to pull his mask off, letting him breathe. Coughing a few more times and sitting up slowly, his stomach muscles ached. "Are you hurt?" She asked, looking him over. "Ugh, yes. He just punched me dead in my stomach." Cahin said, attempting to stand.
"Do you think he'll come back?" Caha asked while turning her head to the window, the night sky contrasting the glint of the stars. "He didn't seem like he had a plan, just looking around." He spoke while climbing into bed, a simple frame and mattress left by the owners. Cahin disliked this; he always believed you should be grateful for what you have. "I'll keep watch." Caha said with a brutality in her voice. "Caha you need slee-" "Hush Cahin. I'm mad at the bastard for making you vulnerable." She trailed off slowly, thinking. "Sleep tonight brother, you can take care of me tomorrow, I'll sleep at dawn." Caha said, throwing a blanket over her brother's head with a childish grin. "You're the lady in distress now." She poked fun, he glared, as expected. "Man Caha! Man." He laughed his voice raspy for a short moment. "Barely." She stuck out her tongue and with a smile, exited the room.
Cahin lay back, placing a hand on his stomach. He grimaced and turned his head to the side where a peeling vanity was rotting next to a shuttered window. He shook his head in disapproval, meanwhile poking at his stomach absentmindedly. "I can't believe people just leave things around like this." He trailed off, not wanting to get into his memories at that moment. He readjusted himself, moving around under the blanket and decided to lay flat on his back, staring at the white ceiling. He placed his hands under his head, his stomach pulling as he did so, he winced. "This is going to hurt so much tomorrow." He shook his head, shrugging. With what last strength he had he pulled off his vest, hat and hood, tossing them to the ground recklessly. "I hope Caha will be okay." He thought, his thoughts fading into sleep.