8: "Wait, I'm your brother?" Altair asked in shock.
"No!" The man said vehemently. "I am your brother, not the other way around!"
"Dude, it has to go both ways." Altair stated bluntly.
"Does it now?"
"Unless you have a really twisted family, then yeah."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure?" Altair said, scratching the back of his head.
"Ah, I'm just messin' with you little brother." The man said. "My name is Ezio."
"Ezio?" Tali asked. "Cool name."
Ezio pulled off his hood and smiled at her. "I suppose so."
Ezio looked a little like Altair. They were both tall, and had the same hood that they always seemed to wear. But Ezio had brown eyes, and his hair was slightly longer than Altair's, but not by much. He did have some scars though, too. A slash beside his left eye, and a newer looking scar on his arm, which was revealed when he moved.
"What were you doing here?" Eric asked him.
Ezio replied, "I was paid to assassinate her."
"Why?" Rae sounded surprised by the thought.
Ezio shrugged. "They wanted her dead. They paid me a lot. I asked no questions."
Evanna raised her eyebrows. "Who paid you?"
Ezio smiled broadly at her. "Ask me no questions miss, and I tell you no lies."
Evanna's eyes narrowed. "Fine then."
Altair laughed. "Careful with that one, Ezio. She doesn't look like much, but she will shoot you in very sensitive, ah, places…"
"Sounds like you speak from experience!" Ezio chuckled.
Altair sniffed, and Tali said, grinning, "He is."
Ezio promptly stopped chuckling, and adopted a somber expression. "Oh. I see."
Then he continued, saying, "You know, I was paid to take out more targets, but they were already gone. Some group called, ah, Discordant Harmony. Some sisterhood trying to take over the world or something. Crappy name, if you ask me."
The group exchanged looks.
"How… interesting." Yue said pensively.
"Really? Why?" Ezio asked them curiously.
"We were sent to capture them." Altair said.
"Oh… wait, capture?"
"Yes, that's why I jumped on you. Because we need them all alive."
"Oh. Sorry. But I have something for you!"
"What is it?"
"A note from my employer."
Altair raised his eyebrows and took the note.
When opened, the note read:
Altair,
This man is your brother. I am sure he already told you this, though. He is paid to assist you throughout the rest of your journey. He knows this. He is a loyal servant to his country, and a close friend of mine.. Your mission is daunting, and I know that is has been difficult for you and your friends. But remember, I will always be on your side. Make sure to capture all the sisters. Ezio will be a valuable asset and friend. Make sure he returns. I like him. Good luck on your mission and travels. Carter of course will be waiting at the cave for when you return with each sister. Give any other information you receive to him as well. He will make sure it reaches me. Even if it involves… well, anyway, good luck.
Sincerely,
Percival Rallis, The Crown
Altair folded the note up and put it in his pocket. "A sense of humor, that one." He said.
"A very nice man. He liked me quite a lot. Said I could charm paint off the wall." Ezio said proudly.
Altair rolled his eyes. "I'm sure."
"Who was it?" Peter asked.
"Your King." Altair answered.
"I found something." Tali said.
Everyone looked around at her.
"What?" Rae asked.
"Whatever this is, it's important." Tali said, holding up the folder she found.
They spent at least half an hour on the roof, examining the contents of the folder. They found other notes, from Sara, and to Sara from someone who never signed their name. The notes however, were very useful, because it was always talking about money and messengers and so on.
"So," Rae began, "I guess it's time to head back to the cave."
Everyone else agreed, so they put everything back in the folder and picked up their weapons. Ezio threw Sara over his shoulder, and then together they headed down and out of the mansion, or as Ezio called it, the palazzo. Ezio had to split away from the group to find his horse, so he gave Sara to Eric and then headed off into the city calling, "I'll meet you outside the main gate!"
The rest continued on to their horses, which were in a small barn just inside the city. Altair had asked the people who owned the barn if they could use it, and they had said yes. So, for possibly the first time, Altair achieved something without threatening someone.
Anyway, they had also brought a pack horse to carry Sara. Evanna had tied Sara's hands and legs, as usual, so now she and Tali worked to make sure Sara could not escape while tied to the horse.
The pair created an elaborate set up for Sara, tying her feet to the stir ups, and cleverly tying her hands together and holding on to reins. Since the horse was being led by Peter anyway, it didn't matter if Sara's hands were tied to the reins. The horse would obey and follow Peter.
When everyone was ready and mounted, they left the barn and the city. They waited just outside the gate for about ten minutes, then Ezio clattered toward them, on a powerful chestnut colored horse. According to Ezio, the horse's name was Valoroso.
"What does it mean?" Tali asked him.
"I have no idea." Ezio said cheerfully. "Now, lead on!"
So Tali lead the way back to the Cave.
… … …
The group came traipsing through the entrance of the cave, Sara draped over Ezio's shoulder, while Ezio exclaimed over the brilliance and magnificence of the cave.
Carter, meanwhile, dragged Evanna and Tali off to the side and said, "I assume because the new guy has Sara over his shoulder he's on our side, but please tell me who he is."
Smiling, Evanna responded, "That is Ezio."
"Altair's older brother, and apparently a good friend of our King, Percival Rallis." Tali added.
Carter's jaw dropped, and peered around Tali to look at Ezio again, who was now laughing with Peter, Eric, and Altair. Carter looked back at Tali and Evanna. "Well…" he began, "well… that is most interesting. Put Sara with the others and regroup at the table for the debrief."
Sara was taken away to the others (where ever Carter put evil leaders), and then everyone sat down at the table. Peter and Eric mostly told the story, with Evanna jumping in with comments like, "Yeah, that was surprising," and "I should have shot him faster." Which of course, referred to Ezio.
Ezio did not say anything, but sat and smiled throughout the whole thing. Tali took a few minutes to describe the folder, and its contents. Carter was fascinated by it, and spent at least five minutes staring at the pages and notes.
When the story had been finished, Carter looked up and told the group, "Ezio will be an excellent addition. So long as he does not kill the next leaders, I'm fine with him going with you. Altair, here's your small crossbow, for capturing Sara. Rae, you take it from here." Carter pulled out a map, and then nodded at her.
Everyone turned to Rae, who began, "Our next target is La, but her real name is Abby. Her base is difficult to locate, because it's hidden in the Woods of Set."
Evanna huffed. "I hate those woods. Everything is dark and hard to see."
"Exactly." Rae told her. "That makes it a great place for a secret base."
"But, we don't have to go in there," Tali broke in, "Because the notes I found in Sara's folder told us Abby was headed to Camborne, a village just down the road from us, practically. It's a small village, but flourishes because of trading opportunities in Agra."
"The problem," continued Rae, "Is that we've figured out Abby is headed here."
There was a pause, then Evanna said, "You can't be serious."
"She is." Carter stated sadly. "I have no idea how, but Abby and Sara seem to know where our base is. From the notes, Abby is apparently bringing quite a substantial force right to the cave." Carter took a deep breath, and then continued, "According to the notes, Abby was planning on bringing a force of at least forty trained warriors with her here."
There was a moment when everyone simply sat silently, absorbing this horrible fact.
"So." Peter said, drawing out the "o" for a several seconds. "We have to take Abby out before she reaches the Cave."
Carter, already thinking along these lines, nodded quickly and agreed, "That seems to be the best course of action at the moment. Unfortunately, we have no plan of action on how, exactly, we are going to do this."
"That complicates the plan." Altair said breezily.
"Indeed." Carter said, raising his eyebrows at Altair.
"Do we know if Abby has anyone else with her? Is it just her and the warriors?" Tali asked Carter.
Rae answered her, though, "We think so. The notes don't mention anything but the warriors."
Curious, Altair asked Carter for a map. "Rae, where do we think Abby is now?"
Rae frowned. "It's hard to say. I believe Carter sent out a man to find their position, but he hasn't returned yet. Carter and I made an estimate though, that Abby is about here." Rae pointed to a spot a few centimeters north of Camborne. "We're guessing Abby will make a stop in Camborne, then head on to us." As she spoke, Rae traced the supposed route with her finger.
Everyone sat in silence for a moment again.
"Let's stop her before she reaches Camborne." Ezio suddenly broke in.
"Excuse me?" Rae asked him.
"Well, you guys have horses, and you're good at sneak attacks. Attack Abby at night, before she reaches Camborne. Head out and hit her first."
"Why before Camborne?" Tali leaned in curiously.
"I'm guessing if Abby reaches Camborne she'll stay the night in a bed at the inn. If she does, that will make it much harder to reach her. If she's out in a tent at night, it'll be easier to break in." Ezio told her.
Seeing a possible plan here, everyone leaned in to help.
… … …
That night at dinner, Carter's spy returned.
Damian was out of breath, and bearing interesting news. When he regained his breath, he told Carter and all the others, "You were right Carter. Abby is several leagues out from Camborne. She has forty strong marching with her. They can walk a fair distance quite quickly, but it will still take another night for her to reach Camborne."
This was excellent news, and Carter told Damian and the others so. "This means we can use Ezio's plan tomorrow night!" Ezio nodded enthusiastically. "Sure!" he agreed.
… … …
Early, so early it was still dark, the next morning, everyone was awake. Ezio and Altair, looking excited and ready were talking and brewing coffee.
Rae and Yue were chatting while they fixed each others' hair. They both started braiding their hair before battles now.
Peter and Eric, looking like the zombies they were before coffee, simply stared straight.
Tali and Evanna were practically falling back asleep. Yue or Rae occasionally reached over and slapped either Tali or Evanna to keep them awake.
Carter alone of the Rangers seemed awake and active. Damian was coming with the group as well. He had trained with knives briefly with Tali, and was quite good with them. He had also learned some swordplay, so Carter figured he could be a valuable asset.
Carter clapped his hands just as the coffee finished brewing. Altair and Ezio served it out while Carter grinned and said, "Good, everyone will be awake for this."
The Rangers came to life with more drinks of coffee, and when Evanna finally looked up from her cup and said, sounding like a favorite pet had just died, "There's no more left." Everyone laughed, and Altair gave her more.
"Alright, we all know the plan. If anyone has any questions, speak now." Carter announced, bringing everyone back to the mission at hand.
Damian looked nervous as he asked Carter, "Are we all going?"
"Yes." Carter answered cheerfully.
"But, what about the leaders of Discordant Harmony? What if they escape or something?"
"Damian, no need to worry. Evanna tied them up. I highly doubt any of those sisters can so much as twitch a finger." Evanna nodded, smiling as Carter assured Damian.
"So, no other questions?" Carter asked the group. "None? Alright. Finish up breakfast and then we'll head out."
… … …
It was when they had almost reached Abby's camp that anything exciting happened. Both exciting, and helpful for our now very large group of ten.
The excitement started when Ezio spotted a man riding as fast as he could from Agra to their destination, Abby's camp. Carter sent Evanna and Peter to "bring that man in for a serious talk about the dangers of riding at fast speeds." Also known as, Carter wants to interrogate someone.
Mere minutes after they left, Evanna and Peter returned leading the horse the man was on. He had been tied Evanna style, and looked nervous. Carter noted that he was young, around Evanna's age. He had short, dark hair and hazel eyes. His name, they discovered, was Alan.
"You're a messenger." Carter stated. That much was obvious, Alan was wearing the standard messenger uniform; all white with the messenger crest on the chest. The crest was very simple, just a hawk holding a scroll in one of its talons, and olive branches in the other. The hawk faced forward, showing that messengers came in peace with their various messages.
"Where were you headed?" Carter asked.
Alan glared at him silently.
Carter raised his eyebrows at Alan. "Really now, this would be much easier and faster if you just told us."
Alan continued to glare.
Carter sighed, and asked Evanna, "You checked for weapons?"
"Removed." She replied, holding out two small knives to Carter.
"What about a message?"
Evanna pulled out a scroll and handed it to Carter. Carter unrolled it and read it. "Well. This is an interesting turn of events." Then Carter shot a glare at Alan and said, "I assume you're in on their plan?"
"I deliver messages wherever they need to go." Alan retorted.
"What does it say?" Eric asked Carter impatiently.
Carter nodded to him and read,
"Abby, here is the exact location of the Ranger base, like you wanted. It's in the meadow by Hawk Forest, beside a cottage and stables. You'll see a waterfall, there's an entrance behind it. Good luck, signed Senator Mark Harris."
"But… Mark Harris is like, one of the most important and notable senators. Why is he telling Abby where our base is?" Peter asked.
"Probably," Tali said with a sigh, "For the same reason he gave Altair a seemingly impossible mission."
Comprehension dawned on every face but Damian's and Alan's, who, for his part, was still glaring furiously at Carter, as though hoping Carter would burst into flames.
Meanwhile, a confused Damian asked the group, "What mission?" Eric answered, saying, "Altair was given a mission by the senators to prove his worth and loyalty. They sent him to capture all the sisters of Discordant Harmony and bring them in alive. But now we're thinking the senators are in league with Discordant Harmony."
Tali snapped her fingers suddenly and exclaimed, "The notes at Sara's base! They must have been notes between her and the senators! She handled money!"
Yue broke in here, with, "Well, this is all fine and dandy, but we're losing time. We have a mission, and we still need to complete it, so everyone get in the saddle before we waste more time."
Realizing, to their horror, that Yue was right, and daylight was fading fast, everyone mounted and took off. Even Alan was brought along, Peter guiding his horse, Eric staying in the rear of the group to keep watch.
Up in the front, Carter was talking to Ezio, Tali, and Altair. With this note, they saw an even better plan. If it worked was an entirely different question.
… … …
Night had fallen by the time they reached Abby's camp. The camp spread over a substantial area; there were forty people in this group, after all. Small fires were dotted here and there, casting its light on people's faces as they sat near it, or passed by it. Pots hung over some of the fires, and as the group drew nearer, they could begin to smell a stew.
Carter stopped the group and looked around at them all. "Everyone knows the new plan, right?"
Looking around the group at their determined faces as they nodded, Carter felt very proud of all of them.
"Great. Damian, Rae, and Yue, you stay. Eric, Peter, come with me. Evanna, Tali, Ezio, and Altair. You four have a hard job ahead of you. Be careful."
Ezio slapped Carter on the back and said cheerfully, "You worry too much. I'm more worried about the rest of you."
Yue rolled her eyes. "We're all going to fine. But you all need to leave. Right now, or I'm going over there and breaking into Abby's tent. It won't be pretty if I do that."
Grinning, Eric, Peter and Carter slipped off. Altair led Ezio, Evanna, and Tali off to Abby's tent. Damian, Rae and Yue were guarding Alan and acting as backup if anyone needed it.
There was a moment of silence when everyone left Damian, Rae, and Yue. It was broken when Damian said, "Let the betting begin."
+++ === - _ … … … _ - === +++
Abby was sitting serenely in her tent eating stew when one of her guards brought in a man wearing the messenger uniform of Kagari.
She set her bowl down carefully and looked at the man, who had his head bowed, waiting.
Abby was an imposing person who commanded a lot of respect from her guards and soldiers. She nodded at the guard, and he stepped back out to join his companion guarding the tent.
Abby's long black hair was braided right now, and she was sitting cross legged on a cushion. Her tent was nothing special. She had a cot in the back corner, a chair and table off to the left and some other cushions lying scattered in the room.
"You are a messenger. What is your message?" Abby asked the man in front of her.
Slowly, he looked up. And what Abby did not realize was that the man wearing the messenger uniform in front of her was not a messenger at all.
Altair had switched clothes with Alan.
Altair now stood in front of Abby.
(A/N: Gah, evil fanfiction won't let me use the dashes, and I want it to, and I'm angry, and… yeah. Still working!
Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter!)
