Emilia and Connor darted along the Boston rooftops towards the Adams Tavern. Jeremiah Blackwell rode on a horse in between a horde of guards below them. Connor could see the tavern a few blocks down and he and Emilia kicked up their speed. They leaped over the gaps between the houses like they were a step in distance.
They ducked behind a chimney and watched Blackwell dismount his horse and stroll into the tavern. "And now we wait." Emilia said settling herself in the slates.
"Now we wait." Connor repeated getting into a good position to see the tavern entrance.
The minutes ticked by slowly. Emilia and Connor's eyes blurred staring at the tavern door after a couple of minutes. They had to huddle together to keep themselves warm as the air around them chilled and frost licked the roof around them. After what seemed like hours waiting in the cold Blackwell emerged only a little tipsy judging by the way he walked out. His black hat was ajar and he straightened his cuffs. He jumped onto his horse. "Move on men." He ordered. Blackwell nudged his horses' sides and they set off again.
"Are you ready?" Emilia asked Connor.
"I am." Connor said. He glanced at her. "Are you?"
Emilia exhaled and nodded, "Yes. Let's go."
The pair jumped to their feet and continued sprinting across the rooftops. They managed to get ahead of Blackwell and his convoy to get into place. "Once I give the signal." Emilia said while Connor climbed down a ladder.
He nodded, "Then we strike." Emilia smiled in conformation.
Connor continued down the ladder and sprinted to his hiding place under the bridge as Blackwell approached. He could just see Emilia preparing her pistols for the first shot. He reached for his tomahawk and got ready; he bounced on the balls of his feet.
Bang was the signal. Thump dropped a body. Connor burst into action jumping onto the bridge. Blackwell's grey horse reared and knocked him off before galloping away. Emilia shot again. Again. Connor sliced at the guards with his tomahawk. He made through the commotion to Blackwell who lay in shock on the ground. Emilia shot an officer approaching Connor from behind and more while Connor reached Blackwell. The man saw Connor and smiled at him. Connor titled his head at him, what was he smiling at? Blackwell removed his hat. Connor's eyes widened, his face paled and his head snapped to find Emilia. She had vanished from her shooting position. Someone screamed. Connor buried his tomahawk in the imposter's skull and rushed towards the source of the noise.
While he reached the end of a nearby dock the real Blackwell stood at the aft of a ship, grinning widely. He simply pointed down before sailing into the winter fog leaving Connor bemused. Then it hit him. It hit him like a piano landing on his head. There, in the distance beside a docked ship, was Emilia, though see didn't look like she was in trouble but Connor had a gut feeling something was wrong. It looked like she was trying to climb an invisible ladder. He noticed her gasping for air when her mouth was above the surface of the cold water. She was trying to call out but couldn't. Her head wasn't above the water long enough to before she sink below the surface of the water. Without thinking Connor ran forwards and dived into the cold ocean.
The freezing water nipped at his exposed flesh. He swam towards her. She sank below the water. Connor paused. Then dived. He did be best not to breath out as he swam to find Emilia but it was harder than he thought. His lungs screamed for him to exhale and breathe in. Every inch of him shivered trying to raise his core temperature. Eventually he had to resurface for a breather. He calmed his racing heartbeat before diving under into the murky water again.
Connor swam harder this time to reach her. His clothes weighed him down while he swam by the bottom of the harbour. The water felt colder this time and he had an even harder time not breathing. His extremities numbed. He saw her lying on the bottom beside a ship's hull. Connor swam for her. He was close enough to notice a large gash on her forehead that was bleeding into the water. He grabbed under her arms and swam up with his might.
Connor broke the surface of the water gasping deeply and holding Emilia above the water. He swam to the dock and hauled her onto it. Someone tossed Connor a blanket and he tossed it over her. He made sure her head was higher than her feet and he put pressure on her abdomen.
"Breath, Emilia." He said quietly.
Emilia hacked coughs and rolled onto her side. She coughed up water, and blood from her gash rolled down her wet forehead. She shivered violently.
"Are you ok?" Connor asked kneeling next to her.
Emilia coughed up more water before answering with a nod. "Yes, I think so." She wiped her mouth and pulled the blanket around. "But I'm really cold." She glanced up to see that a crowd had formed during the resuscitation. She sighed, "Let's go home."
Connor helped her up and they walked home leaving the crowd to disperse. "Your head-"
"It's fine."
"What happened on the roof?"
"It was a trap," Emilia said running a frustrated hand through her dripping wet hair, "he bloody knew. I don't know how but he did. He bloody did."
"If it is any consolation I did not tell anyone." He shivered and teeth chattered.
"I know you didn't." She said through chattering teeth.
"Who do you think informed him?" Connor asked.
"I doubt Betty and Jake did and Tom has barely left his room. I never told Philippe, only my adoptive name." Emilia said wrapping her arms around herself. "The only thing I told Patrick was that I needed his tavern for a meeting to help me solve a problem. I met him before through Halon, he's a friend."
"That makes sense about Patrick, he did mention that you had a 'little problem' that you needed solving."
"Did he elaborate?"
"No, that it all he said."
Emilia rubbed her chin, "Hmm."
"Do you think he is behind this?"
Emilia shrugged. "I don't know... I don't know who, if anyone, told him."
