The next morning he sought out Malik to confer on where things stood. He found him in the library, sitting at the desk that had belonged to Al Mualim.
"Getting a little practice in for when you are named Master?"
"Very funny," Malik replied dryly. "You certainly seem to be feeling better."
"I slept well," he replied, noticing that Malik had that look about him that told him his friend had something on his mind. "What troubles you, brother?"
"Did you have to kill him, Altair?"
"Abbas?" he asked, surprised.
"He asked for mercy."
"And I showed mercy," he said bluntly. This was not what he expected to hear from Malik, of all people. "Am I to assume from your question that you see it otherwise?"
"Perhaps he did not have to die."
He pointed at Malik and opened his mouth to reply, then stopped and took a breath, trying to reel in the old anger that spiked whenever anyone questioned him. He heard Abbas' voice in his mind. Some habits die hard. He shook his head. The irony was not lost on him. He took another breath before replying, if not calmly, then at least controlled. "I did consider it, Malik. But not only did he leave me to die, he polluted the mind of a novice – a novice whose blood is on my hands, thanks to him. He was most assuredly not deserving of any further mercy."
Malik dropped his eyes and fell silent.
"Would you truly have had me let him live?"
"I wanted to kill him myself when I returned."
"Then why do you question my decision?"
Malik shook his head. "Augh. It's not that I wouldn't have done the same in your shoes. I don't question your decision – not really. I just think the timing is extremely unfortunate. You are close to attaining your vision of a Council, which I've decided is not such a horrible idea, by the way, but there are a few who waver. Something like this could cause them to reject it."
He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Those who support Abbas were unlikely to support the idea, anyway, if only because it came from me." Now that he knew the reasoning behind Malik's questioning, his anger cooled.
"You have a point," Malik said.
"I'm glad to hear that you agree with the idea of a Council. Could you not have just told me you were concerned instead of being such an ass?" He reached out and thumped Malik on the head.
Malik chuckled and kicked him in the leg. "I consider it my solemn duty to take any opportunity to annoy you."
"You are exceedingly good at fulfilling that duty."
"It is good to have you home, even if you do cause trouble."
He shrugged. "I do not cause trouble." Malik shot him a doubtful look, raising his eyebrows. He sat on the edge of the desk and tried to play innocent before breaking into a guilty smile. "Most of the time. It just seems to find me." He picked up one of Malik's compasses and twirled it before stabbing it repeatedly into the wooden desk. "Did I miss anything besides the Conclave?"
"The same petty gossip and intrigue that is life here at Masyaf. Nothing worth mentioning." Malik reached over and snatched the compass out of his hand, giving an exasperated sigh. "That is not a toy, Altair. Do you feel well enough to reconvene?"
"I do. The sooner, the better."
"I will make the announcement that we begin at mid-day, then."
He nodded and walked over to the banister; looking around to be sure they were alone. He spotted no one, save the guards and two Instructors downstairs. He returned to the desk. "I need to show you where I have hidden the Piece of Eden. If I had not survived Abbas' treachery, who knows what would have become of it."
"I wondered about it and prayed that you had hidden it well," Malik said. "You haven't mentioned it since that day. Do you have a plan?"
"Once we have the Brotherhood stabilized, then we can deal with it. I suppose we should try to decipher what knowledge it holds," he replied. It seemed a huge task that may take years to unravel.
"I think it wise to keep its true nature sealed, for the safety of all."
"Yes. I do feel guilt for keeping it from the brothers, though."
"As do I, but the greater good is served by doing so," Malik pointed out.
He walked to the window and gazed out toward the horizon. "There will come a day, possibly soon, that the Templars will come for it again, I'm sure of it."
"They can try, but they will fail," Malik boasted, before adding in a booming voice, "So it is written!"
He smiled at the phrase. It was something they'd started when they were boys, making fun of Rashad and his long history lectures. "I'm going to take my morning practice. Care to join me in the training ring?"
"No. It will take me until mid-day to get the word out to everyone. But by all means, go and enjoy yourself while I work."
He rolled his eyes. "I will return shortly to help you, brother."
"Sure, sure," Malik replied.
He turned and leapt over the banister, landing perfectly in the middle of the staircase below, causing several of the guards to startle.
"Show off!" Malik called after him.
"Just making sure everyone is awake," he quipped before exiting the library.
He made use of the training equipment to practice with his throwing knives. It wasn't long before the Weapon Master recruited him to spend some time sparring and giving advice to some of the younger Assassins.
He waited patiently for his opponents to advance from either side of him. He heard a sharp intake of breath from behind him and spun to avoid the strike from Lepal, then used the momentum to come up beside Kadeem, hitting him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword and sending him stumbling backwards.
Lepal lunged at him. He quickly jumped aside and swung down with his sword, hitting Lepal's back with the broad side. Lepal surprised him, though, recovering quickly, turning and coming at him again with an overhand sweep. He blocked in time, pushing him off with his foot. He momentarily lost sight of Kadeem, though, and paid for it with a blow to his side.
"Getting rusty in your old age, Altair?" Kadeem gloated.
He laughed. "Luck took pity on you for once, brother."
They went a few more rounds before he broke off the session. He loved training, but he'd been out here for a while now and Malik would think he'd forgotten his promise. "You both have improved since we last sparred. Lepal, you still give yourself away with your breath."
"His breath is enough to kill without a sword," Kadeem interjected.
"And you left yourself wide open," he said to Kadeem as he left the ring. "Safety and peace, brothers. I look forward to humiliating you both again soon."
"Still arrogant as ever," Lepal muttered.
"When you are as good as he is, you can get away with it," Kadeem replied with a chuckle.
There were many warm greetings from his brothers when they reconvened at mid-day. Abbas' closest friends avoided him, as expected. After everyone settled in their seats, he stood. "Please forgive my absence, brothers, it was… unplanned," he addressed the assembly and took his seat. There was a round of laughter in reply.
"Let us get underway, then," Malik began. "When we last met, Altair had put forth the proposition that we elect a Council to lead us."
A couple hisses rang out, but not the level of protest he'd faced when he first put the idea on the table. He was cautiously optimistic.
As ever, the Elders were the first to speak. Saleem stood, leaning on his cane for support. "When Altair introduced this radical idea, my first impulse was to resist. We are nothing without our traditions, our rituals."
"Which is why this idea is wrong for us," Rashad interjected, initiating a flurry of comments on both sides of the issue.
Saleem raised his hand. "Yet we cannot enslave ourselves to it. Remember the teachings of our Creed. Laws arise from reason, brothers, not tradition. Reason tells me that this idea has merit; that it will serve us well and see us prosper." With that, Saleem sat down.
He couldn't have asked for a better argument, or a more powerful ally.
The discussion went on until evening, when Malik adjourned them. "I will call for a vote after our mid-day break tomorrow. If any of you wish to speak in the morning, I suggest you see me this evening to secure your spot."
"Malik's head is swelling, I think," one of the brothers joked.
"No, I simply feel the time has come to put this measure to a vote. Should it pass, we will have hours more work hammering out the details and who will serve. If it fails, we still have to elect a Master," Malik replied, gathering his papers. "Safety and peace, brothers."
Later that night, he visited the baths. As expected, he found lively debate among the brothers. Sometimes heated, but civilized, for the most part. Of course, as the night wore on and the wine flowed, the seriousness gave way to mirth. When he left he felt more confident that the Council may be approved, though several influential brothers stubbornly refused to sway their opinion that it was practically heresy.
As he was approaching the gate, Naima's voice called to him from the gazebo. "Not by blade alone, Altair."
He smiled and turned around. "I appreciate your concern, Naima. My mind is rather occupied with the Conclave at the moment. Perhaps tomorrow." The sound of conspiratorial female giggling followed him out of the Garden.
The time seemed to move at a snail's pace as he sat in the assembly hall the next morning listening to his brothers speak for and against the Council. The arguments all began to sound the same, the same points for or against being presented again and again by different brothers. It was important that all have their say, but he couldn't help but wish that Malik would intervene and call for the vote. He absent-mindedly drummed his hands on his legs until Raoul reached over and stilled them, giving him a look of consternation.
He retreated to the far edge of the Garden at the mid-day break for a little solitude and centering to help quell the anxiety he was feeling about the upcoming vote. As he sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the terrace, he spotted two eagles circling, riding the updrafts from the valley below. It was a beautiful sight; an easy way to unburden his mind for a few minutes. He'd tasted flight, both in visions and in his waking life, as close as a man could come to it anyway. It was an incredible feeling of freedom, exhilaration and a bit of fear from the knowledge that any jump could be the last. It always left him wanting more.
When the bell tolled calling the brothers back, he took a deep breath and went to discover the fate of his revolutionary idea, as Saleem had coined it.
Once all were seated and settled, Malik called for a show of hands in favor of the Council. He closed his eyes briefly, then forced himself to open them and scan the hall. A small number raised their hands immediately and slowly, others started to rise until there was an undeniable majority. He exhaled the breath he'd been holding.
"Brothers, today we begin a new chapter," Malik said, nodding toward him with a smile. Applause broke out, and soon the hall reverberated with it. He noted that a few brothers walked out, angry with the results. The insult was slight, however, given that the overwhelming majority were celebrating.
Slowly, heads began to turn his way and the din died down. He stood, a slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Let us waste no time in electing those who will sit on the Council. I propose five…"
"May all the gods that ever were help us," Malik said, raising his cup for a toast.
He tapped his cup to Malik's. "We're going to need all the help we can get."
"Indeed, especially with Rashad on the Council," Malik agreed.
The election had been quick, with those who already had support being named to the Council: Himself, Malik, Saleem, Ghassan and Rashad. It was a fair balance of age, wisdom, knowledge and skill, one that he thought would work well. There were still details to decide, but the major task was done.
"I am tired, brother. I think I will retire to my bed," Malik said, getting up from the table. He went to leave, but suddenly paused. "I don't have to call you Master now, do I?"
"I do not know. Perhaps you should ask Rashad for the protocol involved," he answered, standing up. "I still outrank you, though."
"I could beat you with one hand tied behind my back," Malik shot back.
"I will take you up on that challenge tomorrow, brother. Right now, I go to heed the advice of a friend."
Malik looked at him curiously. "And what advice is that?"
He smiled. "A man cannot live on blade alone."