*I must say that chapters will be coming randomly now. I try so hard to get a chapter written weekly and posted on every Sunday but that's difficult. I hope that school won't feel like a zombie apocalypse anymore so I can get these chapters out with some clarity to them. Heh... I love science so you may find some corky references to the lovely anatomy. I'm taking genetics... so prepare to face my endless (terrible) jokes about that subject! *evil laughter*
Chapter Fourteen
I had slid my way past the archers protecting the entrance to Talal's sector in Jerusalem with no qualms along side I had the shadow's gloom riding on my back. I pulled up my hood and tucked my hair neatly underneath it as I walked around the deserted streets to find Talal's entrance. I stopped hearing whispers in a darkened exposed doorway. My feet inched me towards the noise that sounded like mutters of many people. The moonlight glinted off the tan walls as I felt a hot breeze disturb the dust at my boots. The voices beckoned me in to what I did not know, but you see this was the fun of it all. Nonchalantly I was drawn to the mutters in the darkness passing through the doorway. I must have triggered something because the moment I stepped in, a stone wall sprung up from the ground and concealed me in the unknown. The old warehouse was so poorly lit I couldn't see my own hand in front of my face. It creaked inside and metal bars, contained with moans altered the silence to a disturbing atmosphere.
"Help me..." a dehydrated man called from the right side of where I was standing. I couldn't reach him because I was shaking myself not even in a cage. I took one step forward and my boots clinked on a metal surface, even though I was blind itself, I looked down as a reaction.
"Somebody give me water..." A hand shot up from the floor between the metal bars and grasped onto my leg. At this current moment I shrieked yanking my leg free from the desperate hold. I fell back with my elbows knocking over some crates and collided with another small metal cage. The slaves began to groan and moan as I eventually succeeded chucking utter stealth out my possibilities. Another door slid open creating just a crevasse of moonlight to light my way. I felt my way around the room to the sliver of light that lead me into another room. It wasn't as dark as the last room but I heard the feet scuttling above me like rats.
"So you finally came Altair," a man's laughter broke the stillness.
"You did not call me here, I came on my own," I pulled out one sword growling in a low voice in my best attempts to sound like a man. Evidently is was passing for Talal or he was just an idiot.
Talal laughed, "did you have to raise a blade against one of my men? The doors were open for a reason Altair," he paused for a response; some noise but nothing was shared. Talal chuckled, "I have one favor for you," just then a shudder happened and a window from the ceiling filtered in dewy moonlight. "Step into the light Altair," I only saw a faint outline of a man moving in the darkness above me. I did what he wanted me to do regretting every bit. I stepped into the light. Five of his men dressed in blue and yellow stripped uniforms poured down from the top. They made a circle as I unsheathed my other sword in hand. Talal stepped forward into the light arms open safe at the top for a view.
"Come down here and fight for honor," I lifted my swords to Talal but he just laughed like a coward that he was.
"Must blood be spilled assassin?" he waved off my challenge, "then blood will be spilled, kill him," with the order his men began to circle me from all around. I waited to see who would make the first move. The one behind me stepped forward trying to slash me but I countered it with one blade whipping around as his blade and mine crossed. He used two hands and I used only one to hold the blade steady. With the other blade I countered more attacks coming at me. I kicked one man in between the legs and hacked at his shoulder ripping my blade out. Blood started to fly decorating the gray lifeless floor.
Immediately I glared at Talal as he crossed his arms getting rather worried already. I felt a foot knock me down painfully onto my knee caps. I spun around to block an incoming blow with my swords. One man forced my head to the ground causing me to land on my back. I coughed up the flying dust hardly able to see the four men until one slammed his knee into my stomach. I opened my palms dropping the sword in my left hand and the hidden blade struck him in the thigh. With my right hand I swung my sword at the side. The blade went in snuggling between the gap of two ribs. He fell on top of me dying as I wiggled the deeply embedded blade out from his side. As I pulled I felt his ribs cracking as I jiggled my sword out from side to side. I pushed the body off me rising to my feet.
"Come down and fight me," I said to Talal who had been quite observant over the last few minutes. I still had three more men to kill to get to Talal and even then he would probably run before I killed the last of his men. The remainder of Talal's men stretched out from the shadows of their homes snatching my wrist forcing my arms behind my back. One pried the weapons from my hands holding a dagger up to my neck. They dragged me along the dirt into the moonlight so my true face could be advertised. There were mutters along Talal's archers as I did not resemble a man at all. Talal ordered one of his men to bring forth a cage. Slowly they backed me up into the cage until I had cooperatively went into the cage. Great Natasha... a sigh, you have to get yourself locked up into a child's cage in the center of the room. "Afraid that I'll bite?" I barked at Talal who still was on the second floor looking over. He snapped his fingers and a hand wrenched my hood back. Talal stretched his neck as if he couldn't believe who he thought was standing in Altair's place.
"She'll make a fine price sir," one of Talal's archers poked me at the side removing his cowl from the lower half of his face. "But she's got one impure mouth of hers," they laughed collectively cocking their heads to the side.
"You laugh while I'm still behind bars idiots!" I frowned squinting my eyes at them. They appeared to be extremely offended as they unraveled their arms from their chest as they stopped the laughter. At first they glared at me in silence being tested by their dignity and masculinity.
"What's to say we don't just kill her right now. Clearly she's not who we thought she was," he gave me the stink eye. "Only a woman about to know exactly how low her place is." Talal stroked his chin contemplating for a crease between his eyebrows appeared.
"Poor child," he smiled, "I can save you," he said coming down and inspected me like an exotic, wild tiger. He circled around the cage tugging back on my hair tie with my hair unfolding by itself out from the braid. "What is a woman doing under these conditions?" he made it back around to the front of the cage. I spat at his shoes and he clicked his tongue in shame. "I can save you," he insisted venturing closer until he was only inches away from my face.
"No," I slammed the bars of the cage hard he leaned away. "You kidnap these people for profit and sell them for trade bastard!" His men snickered and sneered at my sharp tongue.
"I'm surprised a woman knows such words. Do you even know what they mean?" he asked coolly.
"I'm not uneducated, for didn't I wield blades like a man you know to fear?" Talal stumbled in response but only laughed some more to ease this dis-ease.
"I know no woman who speaks so freely and sinfully," he paced with his hands behind his back.
"Because you sold all of them," I growled.
"I am saving these people!" Talal howled lashing out his hands smacking them against the bars of my cage. "I am not kidnapping people but rescuing the beggars, people who have sustained famine for far too long. I send them away to help them reach a better place than Jerusalem! You merely do not know with what you meddle with Assassin!"
"Then let the angel of death commence, on collecting the souls that need to repent," I rattled the bars in fury. Talal did not laugh but his men did. He walked away for a moment of composure allowing his men to come forth and shake the cage from side to side, rocking it back and forth as if I was a flag. The cage was so tiny my sides ended up bruised every time I was slammed into the bars; the side of my head would hit the metal as well. Each time a man would tip the cage left and right they plucked a weapon out through the bars. In the end I was left weaponless with a pounding headache and the feeling like I was about to throw up.
"We must get going," Talal instructed calling his men. They instantly stopped what they were doing like dogs and a dinner bell. They flung the cage back with a clank as I felt the shock run through my back. I winced and coughed as the dust flew up and the moonlight blinded me with the claustrophobic feel of being imprisoned within bars. My headache was at its prime and what I saw were flashes of red blinking and white numbers dancing across my vision. I hate these headaches for they are not even normal to have these kind of symptoms. Isn't it people talk of stars when they get migraines and headaches?
A hidden hatch opened exploding the dank, cold, dark, musty room with colors of another day. One of Talal's archers standing by the thrown up hatch was fished out thrashing and kicking. But I saw his legs go limp and the body thudded to the ground. Talal shifted his feet knees bent about to sprint but assuming that was his exit plan he had nowhere else to go. "Who is there?" he jumped down standing in the only other spot in the room that had light. His men were being picked off one by one being carried into the shadows then slumped over dead in the light. "What have you done?" Talal knelt next to me shaking the bars. My eyes were only slits as I stared at the pig's sweaty face.
"Beg forgiveness from your god," a menacing gnarl warned as if sewn through air. I couldn't even find which direction the voice was coming in. Talal stumbled to his feet looking left, right, up and down panicking. He pulled out his bow strapped to his back and strung an arrow aiming it at me.
"I'll kill her," Talal bluffed, "show yourself," his eyes were bulging with sweat forming on his temples. His sleek, pulled back black hair starting sticking at end as he smelled the bodies of decay growing. All his men were dead but not a sound was produced, not a figure that gave itself away, not a tingling sense of hope that would later form into a smile. As if a hallucination or fabrication of fear there was nothing there, or so it seemed. "Your loss," Talal pulled back on the bow until his three fingers were all the way to his cheek. I shrank in the cramped cage ready for the sting that was worse than burning my nerves off at the end of my ring finger. "Ah!" I blinked to see Talal being impaled straight through the chest that the blade of the sword extended out like a third arm. Talal's body slid off the end of the blade to his demise as he crashed to the dirt floor, blood oozing and bubbling out of his mouth like sea foam. I closed my eyes petrified laying on my back when the angel of death loomed over the cage and unlocked the cage with a click. The rusty hinges wailed open then a calloused hand ensnared my wrist yanking my whole body out of the cage. My chest slammed into a beating heart and arms twisted around me, with my head thrown over someone's shoulder. I peeled back my eyelids not knowing what to expect now other than the fact the gears in my head were dysfunctional at this point.
"Altair?" I gasped at his clutch that squeezed the air out of my lungs like juicing a fruit. I inhaled the scents of rain primarily, sweat, and blood stained by his blades. His robes were lightly powdered with rain not so much sweat. "Altair!" my voice was feeble as I began to consider he was strangling me at the waist intentionally. My head felt numb as I fought to get out of Altair's grasp shuffling my feet out from under him. But nothing I imagined subdued his anxiety for he couldn't bring up any sounds. Fine, let him have his arbitrary, illogical sense of manners if it will spare... He squeezed harder... Me the extensive pain. I stood there limp with my legs and arms bruised all around and he was easily giving me more. This pain was measured by a petty gasp.
Then a ghastly flashback of the night in blood made me tremble. It was by Altair's touch it reminded me of that dreadful night. I convulsed desperately trying to detach myself from his robes. I felt his grip slacken and I didn't even realize how much I used Altair as support, for I collapsed to the ground coughing. I breathed in such foul air but to my lungs, it was sweet. Altair cranked his injured shoulder with the feather in his right hand. I patted down my sides for my pouch and found that he had taken it right out from under me. He made his way to Talal's body with a new, odd stride coming from his shoulders. I was compelled to see him down on one knee to respectfully close the eyelids of Talal.
There wasn't a need for words for I conveyed his intentions and followed a respectful distance from him. He opened the hatch with my eyes being greeted by the hostile heat. I took my steady pace treading over the rooftops because the streets were not safe enough. All the guards were alerted somehow of Talal's death, their brains ingrained the image of what an Assassin looked like this time. The surface of every rooftop was slick coated in morning rainfall. We reached the Bureau and dropped down into the resting room. Dalal did not greet me when I walked through the doorway. Malik's critical gaze sticking to me like lipids clotting the flow of an artery. Also known as arteriosclerosis- God why do I know this?There is no need to express what I was feeling as I twiddled with my thumbs and forefingers seeing how marvelous the dirt patterns really were. Altair nudged passed me presenting the feather to Malik written in Talal's blood.
"It is done," Altair rested the feather on Malik's desk.
"Yes I know," he cherished sarcastically, "and the whole town knows!"
"I did what was need to be done and so it is," Altair bitterly drummed his fingers on the desk obviously scourched by his long time friend's comment. Malik resembled a man who was going to slap the scar right off of him.
"You truly have accomplished nothing! Al Mualim's tender kindness for his favorite student shall prevail to Hell!" Malik's sharp tongue slashed the Assassin a new scar. But not one that anyone could see. Altair contained his fury, lower lip parted like a snarl. "Ask how the town knows? One of Talal's men got away and rid the city of peace! Or at least the lies," the Bureau leader jabbed his index finger in the Assassin's face very temptingly to test him again.
"If you must know," Altair raised with a notion about me, "I conclude that on the account, I saved other lives than slaves today," Altair gave me a cruel side glance to me. My neck failed to give me support with my head shot down in the ground again.
"You mean the people of Jerusalem, because I have no time to play semantics with you? Sure, you rid them of their peace but save them for their safety," Malik punched the table. "Be off with it back to Masyaf. I am done here," he returned to his books and ink stained fingers briskly leafed through the pages of old volumes. Altair grumbled out all the way to the exit. I asked of Malik forgiveness through stares about my desertion, but his expression was impassive. I hoped for Dalal but her look was not what I wanted. Her lips tugged up then down as it was a habit of her when things got awkward. We hugged and I was off into the resting room while Altair had packed the last of his new throwing knives in his belt. Though my eyes could not tear from the fact he always had two more daggers in his belt. They weren't short blades from what I could tell but not small enough to be well wielded throwing knives. The handles were those of smooth crafted silver at this angle. And was it that they were decorated with rubies right there?
"Does Malik hate me even more now?" I pictured his sacastic benevolence towards me next I would see him in Jerusalem to fill out another assassination. My lips went cold. Altair did not respond so perhaps he was waiting for gratification. "Thank you," it was expressed vaguely and almost nonexistent to begin with.
"He never has the cruelty or the passion," Altair scratched the growing stubble of his neck. I resided to the thrown pillows on my rug neatly placing them for when I would return. Clunk. I felt under one of the pillows to find the glass bottle of my cherry blossom perfume hiding from me. I checked seeing that Altair had climbed out of the rooftops like an average day I would have with him, to store the bottle in my pouch. Coldly conceded, contemptuous Assassin he was but the lines of dialogue I had with him before only frazzled me. Maybe he wasn't just all these things that I describe him to be. Yes, I forgot the detail that he had much internal conflict beginning to evolve in that thick head of his.
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*Forgiveness on some cheesy stuff but how do you like the progression so far? : D I want a hug from an assassin now T-T but you guys are enough! Love you all for reading my story this long in my Beautiful Souls ~MissKayoko*