Chapter 8 – Angels and Demons

As Chad lay in the gutter, the band of Templars drew their swords and slowly padded forward.

"Any last words?" the one at the front of the group called out. 'Think of something cool to say!' Chad's brain yelled. All he could do was mutter incoherently. 'Something! Anything! Even if it's gibberish!'

"Fus ro Dah!" Chad bellowed randomly. Somehow, his gabble sent the men flying backwards and they sprawled about street floor. Chad sat up and observed the group, staring in disbelief at the power of his own voice. He checked his left: a boarded up window, a prowling cat, an empty barrel and shattered ale bottles. He checked down the street directly in front of him: a blazing torch, the glowing moon, a shadow, the unconscious or dead (he couldn't tell and he didn't care) bodies of the Templar gang and a tri-horn hat. He checked his right: a series of bent nails and screws scattered on the floor and what appeared to be congealed blood.

"This is definitely a rough part of town." He said. 'Wait, wait, wait, wait. A shadow?' he reflected. He stared down the street again, this time more focused. "That's not a shadow; that's the Shadow!" he told himself. True enough, Shadow was sat patiently on an unused barrel. "Shadow!" Chad called "Did you see the way that I sent those men flying- with my voice!"

"Not with your voice, with these." Shadow replied calmly. It was only then that Chad noticed Shadow spinning a rope dart in his right hand. "You went down too easy. There was only five." Shadow informed Chad.

"I counted ten!" Chad shot back, to which Shadow replied calmly.

"Nope. Five."

"Well the one with the squashed face and the crooked nose, the one that put me on my arse, he has, or rather had, a solid right hook" Chad answered back, laying emphasis by placing his hand on his dully aching lower jaw and shifting left and right.

"Speaking of which-" Shadow said. The next thing Chad's saw was Shadow's left (strongest) fist ploughing straight for his face at lightning speed before his world faded to black. All he could he was Shadow's voice echoing in the darkness 'This is for Jae... this is for Jae... this is for Jae...'


Chad awoke early the next morning with Lauryn and Sohcahtoa by his side. Stretching and yawning loudly, he told them "Damn! That Shadow's punch has some kick to it! HA!"

Not responding to the jest, Sohcahtoa informed him that "Shadow took a chunk out of the wall behind you, not a chunk out of your face. Otherwise, there wouldn't be much of you left for him to carry back here, would there."

"Wait, so you're saying Shadow missed?!" This time it was Lauryn who told him.

"He didn't miss. He planned to hit the wall behind you as a warning shot so you wouldn't continue to make jokes aimed at Jae, but you fainted before he even hit the wall, let alone threatened you." At this news, Chad looked away in shame, but noticed a cake left on his bedside table.

"Ooh!" Chad squealed in delight. And after that moment, all of Chad's aches and pains faded away instantly.


On the opposite side of the mansion, in a small study, Jae knocked on Mentor Connor's door.

"Come in." he beckoned from within. Jae timidly entered and closed the door behind her.

"Mentor Kenway..." Jae began.

"Please. Call me Connor, child."

"Connor," she continued, "I just want to know, why are Shadow and Chad... well... like they are?"

"An interesting question. Everyone had angels and demons inside of them. Did you know this? Most people choose to ignore their demons and embrace their angels, but not Chad and Shadow. Chad tamed his demons and every once in a while he releases them, or so he says. I'm sure you've heard him bragging about that Carnivore of his. Either way, he allows his demons to consume him for the fight, before suppressing them again at the end so he doesn't end up killing all of us as well. But Shadow..."

"Yes?"

"If 'The Butcher' tamed his demons, then Shadow conquered his." Connor gave Jae a moment to process what he had just said. Yet she still has more questions to ask.

"So if Shadow conquered his demons, why does he not use it in battle like Chad, but rather only allows it to defend me."

"Shadow has more demons than most people and he cares about you, child."

"But why-"

"Enough questions. You have classes and I have a brotherhood to manage." With this, Jae said a quick goodbye before walking away and closing the door behind her, timidly. Not once had she noticed Shadow sat silently in a chair in the corner of the room near the door.

"Do you think I should have told her?" Connor asked him. He simply shook his head slowly. "She has a right to know!" Connor countered. Shadow rose in fury.

"If she is going to find out then I will tell her myself! First, let her settle in! She may not take this well!" he roared at Connor, before muttering "You'd know what it is like if you were her godfather..."


Later that day, Jae was stood aboard HMS Firefly, showing off her small 6th rate ship of the line to her newfound friends. They stared at every nook and cranny in awe. "Jae!" the old quartermaster hollered. "Jae, I am old and I don't have many years left. I think you need to appoint a new 1st mate if you plan on using this old bird." Jae nodded in solemn confirmation. "Now go on. Off you go. Carry on bragging to those friends of yours." He grinned, showing his collection of crooked and missing teeth. Jae wandered back to her friend's as one of the 'snooty' ones, Carla Southers, whispered

"...but that one over there is bigger. 'The Wolf.'" Carla was caught off guard by Layla lightly smacking her in the back of the head and then Jae calmly responding to her.

"That as may be, you know nothing about ships when I do. For example, that is Shadow's ship. It's a fourth rate ship of the line whereas mine is only a sixth rate. My ship has twenty eight 'nine pounder' guns on a single gun deck when Shadow's has a total of sixty guns on two gun decks which are a mixture of twenty four-, eighteen- and twelve-pounder guns." Everyone's jaw dropped at Jae's advanced knowledge of ships. They dropped further still when Jae said "But my ship is lighter so is faster and more manoeuvrable. The grisly quartermaster nodded in agreement as he and Jae's parents had taught her all that she knew about ships. For the second time in since she'd been 'adopted' by the assassins, Jae felt proud. She felt at home.