Ship:
When the Captain's cabin door opened again and Arthur was pushed inside, Harriet and Timothy got up from their chairs and John helped him to get up.
"Dad..." John said.
"I'm ok, son..." Arthur said, getting up.
"Did you find something?" Harriet asked.
"Not very much..." Arthur said. "Just that we aren't going to France..."
"No?" John asked and his father shook his head negatively.
"Are we going to die?" Timothy asked, scared.
"I don't think they are going to kill us, son…" Arthur said. "The France King knows that he has an advantage with us alive..."
"Where are they taking us?" Harriet asked.
"I don't know Hattie, but I have a plan..." Arthur said.
X ~ X ~ X
It was already dawning when Altaïr and Maria left the windmill where they were hiding, where they said goodbye to Vivien and Umar. Both couple made some promise: Vivien and Umar were going to take care of June and Altaïr received from his father the hidden blade, with the promise to use only when it was time or if it was extremely necessary…
Now, with some safe distance, Maria turned her head to Altaïr and asked.
"Do you think someone will be there?" She asked.
"I don't know... maybe some thiefs or looters..." He said, kissing her shoulder. "Either way I'll protect you..."...
Maria sneered a little.
"It will be more probable that I'll save you ass...
"Oh, yeah? If we weren't in such a hurry, I would stop this horse right now and have my way with you..." He said.
Maria smiled.
"Is this a promise?" she asked.
"You doubt it?" Altaïr asked, lowering the horse trot.
"I know you're capable of doing it..." Maria said. "And I do not doubt of anything, but remember? We can't compromise a mission…"
Altaïr nodded. They had always to remember that...
"Besides, where is Masyaf anyway?" She asked.
"Masyaf?" Altaïr asked, raising his eyebrows.
Maria nodded.
"Well..." He tried. "Do you remember the histories of the Crusades our parents told us about?"
Maria nodded. She loved theses histories...
"It is on the Holly land?" She asked surprised.
"My father told me Masyaf is in the same region..." He said. "One or two day's trip... but I never went there, so I can't say…"
Maria nodded. They would see others places after all...
X ~ X ~ X
When they finally arrived back at Leicester, both Altaïr and Maria found a ghost city…
"Where is everybody?" Maria asked.
"They must be hiding..." Altaïr said.
"Or they fled because of the attack..." Maria finished.
Altaïr put the horse on the direction of the house once called home by the Thorpe's. Once there, they get off the horse and looked around, into the destruction of the place... half of the house and the courtyard were destroyed by the fire or was into a pile of broken wood... on the table, broken in two halfs, there was no towel and the dishes were broken also, spreading food on the floor and the table...
"It was to be a day of celebration and instead..." Maria said.
Altaïr nodded.
"I want to catch, whoever did this..." She said, turning to her husband..
"Me too..." He said. "Let's start..."
Maria nodded and they started looking around for some clues. She noted that Altaïr was avoiding a space on the west and knew right away that Fa'iz corpse was there…
"Do you think that log will hold my weight?" Altaïr asked.
Maria looked at him, then at the log and nodded.
Altaïr then jumped and got up on the log. He proceeded carefully the rest the way because the structure of the house was compromised. He stopped and went to the front of the log and crouched there. Concentrating, Altaïr activated his eagle vision, one of the things that made him so special, and tried to see or hear something…
Soon, he heard a small noise coming from near him. Altaïr looked at the place and saw a man and Maria followed his gaze. Quickly, he got down without doing any noise and ran towards the man, who was robbing the corpses.
Walking stealthy behind him, Altaïr quickly picked him by the shirt and punched him and picked him again. The man looked frightened to him...
"I – I'm so - rry..." The man said.
'It'll better for you if you stop whatever you're doing…" Altaïr said. The man nodded in a hurry, afraid. Altaïr took the chance and said: "I'm going to ask you something and it will be better to answer me…"
The man just cringed and nodded when Altaïr pulled him forward roughly.
"Do you know something about yesterday's attack?"
"N - no..." The man said. "Bu – t i k – now so – some – one who knows..."
"Then who is it?" Altaïr asked.
Hearing voices, Maria appeared running. The man went silent as he saw her.
"I asked who?" Altaïr asked again.
"A wo - man ca – lle - d Ber – nice..." The man said.
Maria, who was looking down, looked at the man when she recognized the name.
"Did you say Bernice?" She asked.
The man remained quiet and Altaïr shook him forward again. The man was shaking, by fear...
"Answer her..." He said.
The man nodded vigorously.
"Don't come back here..." Altaïr said and released him.
The man lost his balance, but soon recovered it and went away running. Altaïr turned to Maria then.
"Bernice?" He asked.
"She was one of the maids..." Maria answered. "Before hiring her, my father told me he had two sisters and her mother was sick... her father is in jail. Do you think she 's involved? "
"Maybe..." Altaïr said, crossing his arms on his chest. "We don't have many options, just this small clue..."
Maria nodded.
"Do you know where she lives?" He asked.
"She lives with her mother and sisters just outside the town..." Maria answered.
"Let's go..." Altaïr said.
X ~ X ~ X
Altaïr and Maria were crouching in the middle of the wheat plantation, looking to Bernice's home... until now, there was no sign of the maid...
Maria moved, restless... she didn't want to be waiting...
"Do you think it will take long?" She asked.
"Why the hurry?" Altaïr asked. "Don't you like to be here, with me?"
"It's not that..." Maria said. "I just want to know about my parents and brothers quickly…"
"I know..." He said.
Maria moved once more and. Altaïr looked at her, angrily.
"You are going to alert everyone if you continue doing that..." He said.
"Sorry, but I can't be quiet..." She tried, but he interrupted her with a shhh...
Maria just looked at him.
"What is it?" She asked.
Altaïr waited a few more seconds, before answering her:
"Someone is coming..." He said, hiding himself more.
Maria followed him and they saw one of Bernice sisters exit home. The woman looked around and as she didn't see anyone, put her hood and went away…
Altaïr got up, without making a noise and turned to Maria.
"Come… I think she will lead us to Bernice…" He said.
X ~ X ~ X