Chapter Ten

"Required Accompaniment"

Jerusalem

The sun came up and no one dared to move within the Assassins' building. It was a comfortable moment before the people came out of their homes and shopped or went to work. It was moments like these that Evangeline cherished. The tiles in the other room were slippery, but the water had receded and the pillows began their drying process. Altair's robes had also done a good bit of drying, though they were still damp. Malik glared at the girl when he saw his enemy laying in the pillows, but Evangeline managed a small, guilty smile. Malik shook his head and went to the bookshelf to retrieve another map, laying it across the counter and marking various things across it with a dark charcoal.

Evangeline emerged from the pillows, which she had half-submerged herself under the night before, and went over to a small pot and chest. Taking vegetables and fruits and the knife that wasn't used on people, she began to cook a breakfast in the small cauldron. The other Assassin, who finally introduced himself as Haleem Wasem. He gratefully accepted a bowl of the breakfast, but Evangeline was more worried about when Altair would wake up, so that she barely paid mind to the gratitude. I told him he'd get sick. Evangeline handed Malik a bowl just as Altair started to stir.

"Good morning, princess," Malik sneered. "I trust that you slept well?" Evangeline started to take it as a personal offense when Malik spoke ill of the man, but it was so small that she could only feel it if she thought about it. In time, though, it would grow. The girl offered Altair a bowl, but he refused and put on his robe, frowning at the damp coolness. The man sighed and ignored the comment.

"Safety and peace, Malik." His words just oozed with annoyance. Malik's frown deepened at the saying and slammed a book down on top of his map. Evangeline watched intently as the two stared each other down, a silent war ensuing within the fires of their eyes.

"Your presence deprives me of both, Altair. State your business and tend to it quickly. This meeting is dampening my view of the day." Altair remained silent for a moment. "Oh wait, let me guess! You have come to redeem yourself through another petty kill courtesy of Al Mualim and you require a feather." Altair stiffened and glared at his counterpart.

"Not yet, Al-Sayf. I require information on the man named Talal. What can you tell me of him?" Malik scoffed and looked upon the novice by name with great surprise and distaste. Evangeline inadvertently stopped her actions and paid full attention to the quarrel. So did Haleem, though he couldn't help but smile as he ate. Evangeline, however, was most mortified. Fights had always left a bad taste in her mouth and a sour feeling in her stomach.

"I suppose that you expect me to do all the work for you? I'll tell you what little that I know, but you must find out the rest on your own. Talal operates a large slave ring, which is ignored by the guards of Jerusalem, unsurprisingly. He kidnaps beggars, whores, and thieves from the sewers, brothels, and prisons they live in. He also has some very loyal henchmen that look out for him with their own lives." Altair grimaced and nodded.

"I will do my research today and assassinate him tomorrow, Malik." Malik sneered and returned his attention to his map after placing the book of feathers back on the shelf. Evangeline found that she was still staring and averted her eyes back to the cauldron, finding that most of the vegetables were fully cooked. She placed the last of the contents into a larger bowl and went to the bookshelf, taking a book about Europe and marking its place. Altair glanced once at her and walked out of the room. Footsteps sounded on the roof, running ones, and Evangeline knew that Altair had set off to climb and track and eavesdrop.

"Why was he here last night, Evangeline?" Malik snapped as he looked up from his book. The tone of his voice indicated that this had been bothering him since he woke up. Malik looked in the bowl and found the key returned to its place. "Did you let him in? I know you were up last night." Haleem glanced at Evangeline.

"Malik, I let him in. I didn't know that there was a ban against the man within the bureau. I'll make note of it for next time." Malik softened and glanced between Haleem and Evangeline. Finally, he nodded and placed his eyes back down on the map, creating what appeared to be a circle on the upper left-hand corner.

"Take care that you do, Haleem." Evangeline softened and glanced at Haleem, who met her gaze briefly. As Haleem began to leave the bureau for good, Evangeline grabbed an extra red sash when Malik wasn't looking and pretended that Haleem had forgotten it when he was. Malik permitted her to run and give it back to him. As she climbed the fountain and called to him, he turned. His older face was now hidden inside of the hood.

"Why did you do that?" Evangeline asked. "I am grateful, but what purpose did it serve that you were almost in trouble and not me?" Haleem chuckled.

"I saw the way that you looked at the man. Malik might not see it and you may not either as of yet, but you will and I do. Thank you for the broth. It was quite satisfying." Without another word, Haleem left the rooftops and disappeared into the crowd, lost to the masses in Evangeline's untrained eyes. The girl was truly confused. How had she looked upon Altair that morning? Haleem Wasem was clearly older and seemed to possess another, greater wisdom of Evangeline than she had on her own. Evangeline's gaze, to her, had seemed completely normal and unrevealing. Perhaps it had been more. She wasn't sure, though her heart pounded from being found out of something, even if she wasn't sure of what it was. She wanted this to remain a secret and it would be no easy task.

Returning to the bureau and telling Malik that Haleem already had his sash, Malik nodded and gestured for the girl to place it in the closet. While she was in there, she noticed a pair of robes in desperate need of repair. One was smaller with rips in the sides, many of which were most likely slashes from swords. The other was larger. Faint blood stains covered the left arm, as though someone had tried their best to scrub the past away, yet it lingered despite the efforts. Evangeline looked at the robe some more and finally placed it. They were Malik's. The others were Kadar's. Were. Evangeline emphasized the word in her mind. Were because of Altair. I once was because of the man, yet I can't push myself to have the same hatred that Malik does. I can't force myself to be bitter and though I question why, I know that I see something that Malik is incapable of. Altair changes. Altair is no still man and to place him in stone one day for saving the world will be a disgrace because of this. I see a light and, though cheesy it may be, Altair has it.

Evangeline sighed and buried herself back into the book for another day, making it another reference book that she had torn through within her couple of weeks of being in the bureau. Due to different sizes, she could officially say that half of that bookshelf was complete. "Haven't you grown tired of history, yet?" Malik asked at one point during the day. Evangeline could only chuckle.

"I can't seem to get tired of something that I have never been taught. I lived in a jar, Malik. A sandy, dust-coated, charmed little jar full of other people who were choking on their own air and were too oblivious to see it or feel it. I'm not sure I'll ever get bored with it," Evangeline said as she grabbed another book and sat back down.

Through the small windows, she could see the darkness enveloping the city once again. Days fluttered by uneventfully and Evangeline started to lose count of exactly how many had passed. And she noticed that things only ever happened at night as well. It could be noticed that the girl began to live for the nighttime as time went on. No longer did good things happen to her during the lighted hours, so she wasted those and dreamed of the night.

Malik stayed up later that night as well, late enough to witness Altair's return to the strange little building. He had retained enough energy to hate every minute of the eagle's presence as well. Altair crossed his arms and glared at the Dai for a moment before saying anything. "Talal takes his victims in hopes to heal them with the help of the late Garnier de Naplouse and lingers in the daytime hours at a warehouse in the Rich District here in Jerusalem. At night, he scours the streets, looking for new 'patients' to cleanse for his cause of a world free of will and poverty." Malik nodded at the new information.

"And your plan of action?" Malik hissed.

"I will strike during the day when his guards have dispersed into the area, protecting the city gates instead of the building itself. I will enter through the back entrance and attack from behind once I'm inside. The only catch is that Talal will be back from a delivery in two days and I will not be able to strike tomorrow," Altair retorted.

"I'm not satisfied, but time is very restricting. As for now, the bureau is yours to do whatever you require to do in preparation and I will need you gone after these two days. Do whatever you need to, but you will leave me out of it." Malik turned his messy-haired head back to the counter, stalking the same map from before and making little progress on it.

"I do not require you, Malik, but I do wish for Evangeline to accompany me for a moment." Evangeline stiffened and glanced up with only her eyes, wondering what the Assassin could possibly want from her considering the events of the night two days prior. Malik visibly fumed as well in her defense. Altair turned his eyes to the girl and leaned in the doorway, not attempting to look menacing or angry. Evangeline saw it as the fact that he simply wanted to talk. Of course, the fear that she had convinced herself that she did not possess began to rise. What if he did kill her? He could leave her somewhere where no one would ever suspect him of it and take down Malik afterwards. All could be blamed on the guards and no one would ever assume anything.

"I do not believe that she consented to going anywhere with you, novice." Altair didn't look at Malik. His gaze was unwaveringly set on Evangeline and it felt almost disturbing in the girl's thoughts. She was right about one thing: Things only happened at night anymore; when it was dark and her thoughts were unstable. It had been mentioned before that Evangeline hated the dark and she even remembered telling that to Altair. Altair was dangerous and, perhaps he was right even about himself. Evangeline was afraid of the unknown and the 'what-if' situations that were flooding her head.

"It wasn't a question and even if it was, I would expect an answer from a girl named Evangeline, not an ass named Malik." Malik grimaced and slammed his charcoal down, ready to start screaming. Evangeline still hated fights and had yet to see Altair and Malik go beyond their bickering. She wanted to keep it that way.

"Malik, stop! Both of you!" Evangeline screamed. Malik immediately halted, his finger that was pointed at Altair slowly drifting back down to the counter as he stared at her. He looked as if he were confused. "I'll just go! I hate it when people fight and if you are going to settle out your differences, at least keep it to the slight bickers and jibes that it has been! My sanity is already mostly gone and it's going to fly out the window with your tolerance for each other!" Altair stood upright again and, with a last glance to the Dai, started to lead Evangeline out of the bureau. The girl looked back to Malik apologetically to tell him that it wasn't him. Malik seemed to understand that she was just keeping peace for the sake of all of them. Then, satisfied with the look on the man's face, she looked forward to the fountain where Altair held down a hand, ready to help her up onto the rooftops.

Disclaimer: I only own Evangeline Harper, Azusa Kanaan, Yasir Halabi, Abd al Rashid (PONY!), the spirit of Dalphine Babineaux, Haleem Wasem (I GET IT NOW!), and... uh... I think I covered everyone for now. Wow... I can't even keep track of my own OC's... That's sad. LOL.

THANK YOU! I need to say it because so many people reviewed for the last two chapters, PM'd me, rated, followed, favorite, to both the Experiment and me! I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH! You guys are great readers and I used to be scared of this site, but being new has been so enjoyable thanks to you guys. I wish I could send you presents, but that may or may not be creepy, so... yeah... ANYWAY! I got told off by a toddler today. We argued and I lost. It was very demeaning. :( This is totally not important. Please continue to be lovely readers and do whatever you feel is necessary. Until next time!

-Violyss