XIV.
Bite of a Blade

December 1717

"So, who are we hunting today, Kidd?" Edward asked as The Jackdaw glided into port. Nassau was lively, at all hours of the day. It was just after noon and most men were rousing from their hung over states to go and get another drink at their favorite tavern. There were many in Nassau, but the Old Avery was the favorite of Edward and his ilk. Mary had to say she favored it as well, but only because she knew many who had loose lips that drank there. The Old Avery was a brilliant place to gather a bit of information when wells were running dry.

"I figured you might want a drink first" She stated, a small smile on her face. "Some fresh grog to rouse your spirits before you help me this one last time."

"I doubt this will be the last I'll see of you" He scoffed.

"Never know what tomorrow will bring, Kenway" She reproved. "Let's get a drink and then we'll get some information from the Bureau Leader. You helped him some time ago, correct?"

"Aye" Edward fell away from their conversation for a moment as he shouted some orders at his men. The ship halted and they began preparations to dismount. "Nasty bit of business that was. One brother verses the other brother and a Templar witch besides!" He shook his head. "She was playing the one brother for a fool. Never did tell Upton that, didn't think he'd take it so well all things considering."

"Ah, so you do have a heart in that chest of yours!" She tapped his back with the back of her hand as she walked by him. "I would have thought there would be nothing but an empty cavity"

"I would have thought you knew me better than that, Jim!" They shared a laugh as they began to head towards the square and at that, towards the Old Avery.

Of course young Miss Anne Bonny was working. She hadn't been there long, but she already had plenty of admirers. She was only fifteen however, a fact that many men forgot – or maybe it made her all the more attractive. She was young and full of life yet. She had a pretty face, but she was able to yell at the men and keep even the drunk ones in some semblance of order.

"Anne!" Edward greeted. She gave him a smile and turned to give a man who was trying to reach up her skirt a glare. She was married and had to keep a semblance of dignity. Though, Mary was sure her working her wasn't her husband's idea. She came over to where Edward and Mary leaned.

"Well, don't you two look like you've been through something? You two working on some great scheme?" Mary had met her when she first came here some months ago, last time she was in Nassau. She thought Edward must have met her about the same time. Mary had to say she admired the woman to walk to boldly within the groups of Pirates here. She almost fit in, in her own way.

"Something like that" Mary told her, grabbing a drink from the bar. Edward grabbed his own and gave Anne a smile. He was also trying to look down her shirt and Anne leaned forward a little, giving both of them quite the view. Mary chose to focus on her drink instead.

"You look tense after that time at sea. Do you need help relaxing?" It took Mary a moment to realize Anne was talking to her. Edward had to look away to keep from laughing. He was smirking though; she could see it from his profile. Mary wanted to roll her eyes at him, but instead she gave Anne a polite smile.

"No, I have business to take care of shortly."

Anne pouted a little. "Are you sure…?" Her hand brushed against Mary's shoulder, batting her eyes in that flirty way that most women had. Christ, she was persistent.

"I could use some help relaxing" Edward stated. Now Mary did roll her eyes.

"We have business to attend to shortly, Edward" She reminded him. Anne frowned at both of them.

"Both of you?" She was clearly not used to being denied, twice. Of course she hadn't asked Edward if he needed help "relaxing" but, Mary knew that Anne was fond of the pirate type already. She fought off the advances of most, but there were a lucky few or so Mary had heard.

"Annie! I need another drink!" A voice called and Anne shook her head. She finally strayed away from the pair, grumbling to herself the whole way. Edward watched her walk away, Mary tended to her drink. She knew he was going to poke at what just happened later.

She finished her drink and he finished his and they wandered out of the town and towards the swamp. There was the old manor, built for official visiting Nassau and there were a few who did, but not many stayed. Anne's husband was one who worked in the manor, though he didn't live there. Her target also worked there or at least visited it on a daily basis. Mary didn't know much on her however.

"So, tell me about our target." Edward said as Mary leaned against a tree, hiding herself from the manor's view.

"This time they're a woman" She told him. "A pretty little thing supposedly; her father was Templar before her. That's all I know about her."

"Ah. I bet I could find her, easy. What's she look like?" He started towards the Manor. She caught his arm and stopped him.

"Patience, Kenway" She chided gently. He stepped backwards and she let go of his arm. "We should talk to Upton Travers. He may have an idea how to lure her out without putting ourselves in the line of fire. Or if we must step out of the shadows, at least we'll have a bit more information. I have little more than her name."

"Always so cautious! Fine, Kidd. We'll play this your way" He seemed to disagree but he followed her as they walked away once more, towards the Bureau. They found Upton outside, talking to some men that Mary figured were Assassins. She and Edward waited a distance away, waiting for their chance to walk up to him. When the other man moved away, Mary took their place, Edward not far behind.

"Travers!" She said as they drew near.

"Kidd!" He reached out to take her hand and they shook. "It's good to see you, friend! And Edward Kenway!" He shook Edward's hand too, clasping it tightly. "I never did get a chance to thank you properly. You did me a great service."

"It was nothing, mate" Edward brushed it off. Mary noted he looked a bit uncomfortable.

"We came here on business. If we could speak privately?" She motioned to the Bureau.

"Of course!" He led the way inside and they all took a seat. Mary perched herself on a barrel, Edward on a chair and Upton on a crate. She leaned back slightly, looking at the two males before her. "So what's this business about? That letter I received? You were the one who wrote it, correct?"

"Aye."

"Do you have that list with you?" Mary did and she got it out. There were four targets in Nassau, but she had chosen to focus on Shay Driscoll. She had caused the most trouble for the Assassins so far. She was so slippery though, it had been hard to take her down. "We eliminated these three men. Driscoll is the last one who remains"

"And she's the one we want" Mary motioned to herself and Edward.

"Helping you is he?" Upton asked. "He'd make a good Assassin"

"Don't start with that." Edward warned. "I won't hear any of it"

"Save your breath, mate. I've already wasted enough of mine trying to convince him" She shook her head.

Upton and Mary exchanged a look. She realized she had an ally in him if Edward was ever threatened again. He had seen the good in Edward and was convinced he would be a good Assassin if he ever got himself together enough to join them.

"Well…Alright" Upton shrugged and turned his eyes back to Mary. "Now, what is it you're exactly looking for from me?"

"Just information. Anything you have on Driscoll's movements, habits, information she may have…" Mary waved her hand, indicating everything and anything they had on the woman. She was highly dangerous and considered a major target.

"Ah well…The news is grim on that aspect. She has killed five of my best men who I sent to get information on her. One was able to return by it appears she uses poisoned blades so a single nick from her weapon is enough to kill you. We weren't able to save the man as we didn't know he was poisoned until he failed to wake in the morning." He grimaced. "We figure we know how she's been catching us. She has this dog she always keeps with her. Looks more like a wolf than a dog, big brute of a thing really. The thing seems to have keen senses and is always alert for danger to its mistress."

"Really? That's the best we got?" Edward huffed a sigh.

"It's all we got. Driscoll is a sneaky woman, she knows how to keep to the shadows as good as any Assassin. We do know she visits the manor every day. No doubt bribing the people who work there to ignore her activities or perhaps she's establishing contacts for the Templars there. I…That is, we, have noticed that she seems to leave with a different man every night. She's not shy apparently." Upton sighed. "I'm so sorry, I have hardly said anything useful"

"On the contrary, man, you have said a good many things that I find useful" Mary stated. She gave him a small grin. Edward was looking at her, probably wondering what useful thing she could have heard. "I think I know how we'll lure her out. Thank you for your help, Upton"

"Ah…Alright. If you require anymore assistance, please let me know" She jumped off the barrel and Edward stood as well.

They left the building and walked down the street, Mary was silent on her plan, still working it out in her head. They had to be careful. This woman used poisoned blades and since they didn't know if there was an antidote or what kind of poison she used, it was best to be as cautious as cautious could be. They walked until they reached the beach, well away from the rest of the town.

"Here's what I'm thinking" She said to Edward. "When you was working with them Templars, you got a ring, right? Do you still have it?" Edward dug around in his pockets and pulled out the ring. "I'm surprised you kept this. I would have thought you would have pawned it off for some money"

"I kept it to remind me what the symbol looked like" He answered, motioning to the ring and the symbol of the Templars etched on the front of it. She looked up at him, her brow furrowing. "When I left home – that is when I left Bristol…A man attacked me, a man who had a ring with this symbol. He…" Edward's voice faded off, Mary saw anger flicker in his eyes. "He helped others burn my family's farm"

"Edward…"

"He told me, if I ever went back to Bristol he'd kill my family – my mum, my pa, my wife. The only way I can return is if I have enough money to pay him off"

"This ring means he'd be a Templar, Edward. If they're against you, not all the money in the world will make them leave you alone." She played with the ring in her fingers, feeling a little scared. Why were the Templars against Edward before he even knew of them? Did the Templars in England have a score to settle with him or his family? She so desperately wanted to know the whole story, to help Edward somehow. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner? I'll send contact to our Assassins in England; I'll make sure they keep your family safe. I'll-"

"No! Ma- Kidd…Jayasus. No. It's my family, it's my problem. I don't need the Assassins to take care of my problems" She looked at him for what felt like a long time. His blue eyes were filled with a heated passion of a man who wanted to do something himself. She nodded silently, closing her fist around the Templar ring. His eyes cooled as he realized she was going to let it go. "What's your plan?"

"One of us wears this ring, marking us as a Templar. It'll at least allow us to get close. We lure her a bit away from the manor and kill her." It was a simple plan really. She just didn't want them going in the manor in case something would go wrong. The other would never be able to help.

"How do we lure her away?" Edward asked.

"Flirting, lying, whatever works." Mary crossed her arms. "You'll have to change though to do it, she knows our robes"

"Or you could go and speak with her" He had an amused smirk on his face. "Anne seemed interested enough when we arrived."

"Tosh." She cursed. "That's because…" Well that was an obvious fact to Edward. It was because Anne didn't know she was a woman. Neither would Driscoll. Still, it was a risk for her to walk up to her, though Mary knew this was part of the risk in dressing up like a man.

"Come now, Jim. Their Order knows me too well. I killed how many of their Templars in search for those keys already? Including the Templars here in this town here. They no doubt are wary of my face and my name"

"Then don't use your actual name" She retorted.

"Or you could do it" He shot back.

"Fine" She hissed. "Christ, Edward. Why is everything a battle with you?"

"It's only a battle because you lost" He gave her a grin. "Now, I'll be hiding in a tree on the edge of the swamp. Close as to the manor as I dare." Mary began to turn away; Edward grabbed her sleeve, stopping her. She turned back to glance at him. "Be careful." He became so solemn at that moment, Mary could only stare.

"Uh…You too." She wasn't really sure what he wanted her to say.

"Seriously, if this woman can kill so many Assassins, she's dangerous. Please be cautious" He was scaring her a little with his sudden change in attitude.

"I will Kenway, I will." She muttered, feeling like a disobedient child. "I'll see you soon. Make sure you aren't seen with those robes of yours."

They hurried their separate ways and Mary had to worry because Edward was worried. Was he really worried about her? Well, perhaps…They were friends after all. And they had almost shared so much more than a kiss. Ah! Now she wasn't supposed to be thinking of that anymore! That was nothing more than a moment of weakness on her part. It was just a fluke and it would never happen again.

She made her way to the manor, hoping that Driscoll was there. They had no way of checking beforehand so Mary just had to hope. She slipped the ring on her finger, made sure her hidden blade was well hidden and strolled onto the manor's porch. She had walked around maybe once, standing closer to the back end of the manor where she could see the swamp in a distance when she heard a growl of a dog. She turned to look at a woman with long curly blond hair, tightly back behind her. She had a young face and a flirty way of dress. Beside her was a large, grey dog that was baring its teeth and growling.

"Who are you?" The woman asked. The dog took a threatening step closer. The woman held a dagger in her hand and her eyes narrowed slightly. Mary had a feeling this was not going to go as plan. "Well, lad? What do you have to say? You one of them pirates from that rat's nest of a town?"

"Ah…I'm…I'm Mark Read. I was new inducted into your Order. I'm a pirate no longer, ma'am." She tried to act shy and unsure, as if she were new. She didn't think the woman was buying it. Her hand tightened on her blade. The dog took a step closer.

"I never heard of you" She snapped. Shite she wasn't going to believe him. "Give me proof or he'll be upon your throat" She motioned to her dog. Mary was trying to think fast, trying to come up with something to save her own skin. If only she could get to the trees. She knew Edward had to be hiding in one of them. She backed off the porch and the dog's body lowered, ready to pounce. If only Driscoll would step off the porch too.

The dog dove at her at last. Mary stumbled back, drawing her gun. There was a shot but her gun never discharged. Edward jumped down from a tree, his gun smoking. Driscoll screamed.

"How…How…How could you?" She charged and Edward went to meet her. His hidden blade flashed in the sun but he was suddenly stumbling back from Driscoll as a cruel grin lit up her face. His hand was pressed to his side. He pulled it away and there was blood. He stumbled against a nearby tree and slid to the ground soundlessly.

"Edward!" Mary cried, drawing Driscoll's eyes back to her. She drew a new dagger, dropping the used one on the ground. Mary barely was able to dodge her stab, aimed at her throat. She used one hidden blade, trying to disarm her. Her aim slipped, but not for the worse. As Driscoll tried to counter her move, she overshot and Mary's blade slit her wrist. She dropped her dagger, grabbing at the gushing wound.

"Son of a whore!" The woman hissed at her, backing away, clearly intent on fleeing. Mary charged, jumping even as the woman turned to run. She landed on her back, stabbing her in between the base of her shoulder and neck. She flipped her over, grabbing the collar of her shirt.

"Where is the antidote to your poison?" She growled.

"Antidote…?" She laughed weakly. "I will not tell you." She spat blood at Mary's face. It splattered on her cheek. Mary angrily wiped it away.

"Tell me where the antidote for the poison is! Now!" She shook the woman, not caring that she was dying. She just wanted to know how she could save Edward.

"Go to hell." She hissed right back, her eyes narrowing. "I die knowing that there is one less Assassin in the world and that's good enough for me" She went limp in Mary's arms and she dropped the woman. Panic set in as she glanced up at Edward. He looked stunned. His hand was still pressed against his wound, which was good but if that blade was indeed poisoned…

"Don't die yet, shanker!" She called over to him, but he made no reply. She frantically searched Driscoll's clothing for an antidote and she found…well it was a liquid of some sort. Was it the cure or the poison? She had to take her chances and she hurried to Edward's side. She moved him so she was supporting his weight in one arm. He was breathing but his eyes were closed. She shook him gently. "Edward! Edward, please!" He opened his eyes a little, looking so annoyed Mary wasn't sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

"What is it…Read…?" He gasped.

"…Just talk to me. Let me know you're still drawing breath"

"Kind of…in a lot of pain…here…" He wheezed. She made a face and looked down at the wound again. She looked at the bottle she had in her other hand. She was going to take the chance. She had to.

"Here, just….just drink this" She tilted his head back and had him drink the liquid. He coughed afterwards and she just tried to make him as comfortable as possible. "I'm going to do something about your wound okay Edward? Okay?"

"Aye…"

She lay him down in the grass again and had to strip him of his robe and shirt. She looked at the wound, a nasty thing but she thought it missed anything important inside. She hoped. She was no doctor but she knew enough to stitch up a wound well enough. She had some supplies with her, luckily. She was ever prepared.

"This is going to hurt" She told him but he didn't reply. "Edward?" She leaned up and saw he had appeared to have passed out. "Please don't die on me!" The desperation in her own voice surprised her.

Talking to him isn't going to save him, Mary she told herself. So she quickly searched through her pockets, digging until she found the things she needed and began to stitch his wound. She hoped, she hoped with all her heart, that she wasn't too late, that she wasn't stitching him up for nothing and that Edward was going to be alright. Annoying he might have been but she wouldn't be able to stomach it if he died.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. c: Reviews are met with much love.