Note ~ Alrighty! Been a while, huh? I was so pleasantly surprised with the reviews for last chapter! You people really know how to brighten a day! ^.^ Well, I want you to know that I really appreciate it! It is such an honor for me that so many different folks are reading my little doogie here. Thank you with all my heart. :D
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I stared after the stable master as he crept towards the window to investigate. We had been awakened by the sound of horses skidding to a halt somewhere outside.
"What do you see?" the man's wife whispered from their bed.
The stable master squinted in the young grey of dawn's light. I was huddled in my own bed, unable to see out of the window, but I could see the man's face. At first, it betrayed a look of utter confusion. Then, it twisted into an expression of pure hatred, of disgust, and of fear.
"What is it? What do you see?" his wife repeated.
The scrawny man pulled himself away from the small window, which was framed in a sickly colored wood. "Templars," he whispered, his voice drenched with worry.
"What?" I almost shouted, an instant wave of anxiety coursing through me. "Altair and Faruq are still in the stable! What if they're seen?"
The man swallowed harshly and I watched as sweat began to skim along his brow. "We know what your friends are," he said quietly. "That woman has been preaching about their kind liberating our village since the day she arrived."
"So you're just going to let them get captured?" I whispered, exasperated. "They're wounded! They can't fight!"
"They could kill us if we interfere. We're just going to sit tight until they get what they want and leave."
"But we paid you!" I snarled.
"Not for protection from Templars, you didn't."
I glared at him menacingly, on the verge of making a break for the door, when a soulless voice sliced through the air.
"Search every home!" it shouted. "Kill anyone who tries to escape!"
I froze, my breath catching in my lungs. There was no question about who they were looking for. Apparently, our escape from Damascus was not as clean as I had originally thought. Before I knew what was happening, I was being shoved from the bed and shepherded underneath it by tough plump hands. I glanced frantically towards the intruder, right into the golden irises of the stable master's wife.
"What are you doing?" I whispered, trying with little success to break free of her force.
"You were traveling with them," she rasped. "They must be looking for you, too."
With this, she shoved me completely underneath the small bed and draped a quilt over the side, leaving me alone in a claustrophobic darkness. I could hear her voice from the other side of the fabric barrier.
"Be still, bintun. Don't try to move."
"What about you?" I asked.
"My husband and I are not Assassins. We will be spared."
My heart fluttered dramatically and my breathing came to a cold halt. Sweat began to pour down my skin as the straw sticking through the bed frame poked at me relentlessly. Dimly, I heard the woman get up and walk away from me. Then, there was the sound of heavy boots pounding on the sand outside as Templars dispersed through the village. Eventually, all sound dissipated beneath the deafening circus of my heartbeat.
All I could think about was Altair and Faruq. I squeezed my eyes shut and imagined them safely hiding behind a rock or escaping from the village on horses. They had to be safe. I couldn't bear the thought of them standing up to a Templar battalion wounded.
Suddenly, my hearing returned with a sharp crack as the door of the house flew open and smashed against the wall. Lead feet clunked along the floor and paced around the small home. I lay perfectly still and prayed as I heard the Templar interrogate the stable master.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Altair and Faruq held their breath as they pressed themselves into the back of the stable behind the horses. The heavy shadows of dawn lent their aid as the two Assassins struggled to stay out of sight.
"What can we do, Brother?" Faruq whispered.
At first, Altair was silent as he listened for approaching Templars. "Nothing," he replied almost inaudibly.
Altair's blood raced as he saw one of the knights stalk into the stable master's home. He hoped to everything holy that Sarah was safe. It wasn't exactly an appealing thought to have to track her down again, especially with his shoulder and calf still unrecovered. It was Faruq who had heard the Templars coming, but both men knew that they had no chance of escaping in the cursed morning light. Templars were good at spotting runaways.
"You think they are from Damascus?" Faruq asked after a few strenuous minutes.
"Yes."
"That was quick, then."
"It was a foolish decision to stay the night…"
"Well, it was your foolish decision, Brother."
"I am aware."
"Should w-"
Altair held up a hand as a burly-looking Templar stomped towards the stable. His armor clinked with an unbearable tension as he stalked closer, unnerving all of the slumberous steeds. They brayed at the approaching abomination and shifted their hooves in the sand.
"Shut up!" the man hissed, leaning towards the animals with the full menace of his being.
Altair watched him move closer and closer to the suffocating Assassins. With every step, he paused to crane his neck and observe each crevice of the shambled stable. His ears, though concealed by his helmet, were perked to listen for the slightest noise. In this attempt, the horses were a great hindrance as they neighed and stomped at his presence.
Faruq tried to press himself further into the waning shadows when a rebellious wall board moaned and cracked. The ever observant Templar twitched at the noise and flung his gaze in its direction. Altair fell still as death under the knight's squinting gaze. He could hear Faruq's breath hitch in his throat as the shadows seemed to abandon the two injured men.
The Templar need not ask who the strange villagers were and why they were hiding in the stable. He had been told what to look for and they fit the bill perfectly. He had found the Assassins.
Time seemed to melt as Altair's mind reeled with options, which he found to be few and far between. They could try to silence the Templar as quietly as possible. But where would they go from there? As far as he knew, Sarah was still in the stable master's house. They could just abandon her and come back later, but that risked her being kidnapped again anyway. Besides, a dead knight would be noticed. Unless…
Without any further delay, Altair lunged at the smirking Templar before he could announce his discovery. He rammed his forearm into the heavy man's chest, ignoring the pain that flared up in his shoulder. The knight heaved for breath as Altair wrapped his right arm around his back and pulled him close, his left wrist busy with the silent blade it held. In one swift breadth of time, the thin metal had found its home in the Templar's carotid artery. He managed to choke out one last gurgled breath before his life withered into the approaching dawn.
Altair followed the man to the ground to prevent any unnecessary noise. He looked over his shoulder at a barely breathing Faruq. He could tell that Faruq had already anticipated the knight's death, but he did not know what Altair was planning to do with the body. Such ignorance seemed to frighten him as his muscles locked in a nervous pose.
"It's alright, Faruq," Altair assured. "I have a plan."
Faruq stared at his Brother blankly. "Then let's have it."
Altair nodded and set to work unbuckling the Templar's armor beneath him. "You are about this man's build, I believe."
"What? Oh no. That's your plan? But there's only one set of armor."
"I know and I want you to wear it."
"But Al-"
"Come here and help me with this. We don't have much time."
Faruq stared down at his Brother anxiously for a minute before he sighed and knelt to assist him. "They will not spare you."
"They will long enough to interrogate me. I can hold my own, Faruq. Don't worry about me."
"I won't abandon you, Brother."
"Yes you will," Altair snarled. He sent a sovereign glare straight into Faruq's soul. "Take Shabah and get back to Masyaf as soon as possible."
Faruq fidgeted uncomfortably. "How will I break from the group?"
"Leave that to me."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"And you are sure you have not seen any nobles of Damascus dress?"
"Yes, we are sure. This village rarely attracts men of such social standing."
"You dare to mock our orders?"
"No, no! I intended for no such thing!"
"Mhmm. I shall spare you this time, peasant."
I opened and closed my mouth in a desperate attempt to suck in air little bits at a time. My lungs were beginning to sting and my chest felt like there were bricks being pressed against it. I wasn't going to last much longer. But the stable master and his wife were enduring much more than I. The Templar had been flinging suspicious questions at them like fireworks and every response they gave was deemed utterly inadequate.
My ears buckled with the sound of the knight's boots clashing against the ground again. He was searching the home. I tried to scoot closer to the wall, but it was nearly impossible with the hay above me threatening to crackle and split.
"You do not mind if I have a look around." It was not a question.
"Not at all," I heard the stable master say. There was a hint of nervousness in his voice that the Templar no doubt picked up on. They were an attentive bunch.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Faruq buckled the final piece of the Templar's heavy jointed armor on his forearm. He jumped a little to test its fit and suppressed a smile when it clinked perfectly in place.
"Right. You know what to do," Altair said in his matter-of-fact way.
Faruq stared at his injured Brother through the rusting slit in his helmet. He felt so much bigger than him now. And yet, he knew who was the braver man. Tired, wounded, and alone, Altair would have to face the Templars. Knowing this, he still managed to stand upright beside his disguised Brother.
"Safety and peace be upon you Altair," Faruq whispered.
Altair lay his hand on his Brother's shoulder. "On you as well."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I heard the small man's wife gasp slightly as the Templar moved closer to the bed I was smushed under. If I never knew the meaning of the word 'frozen', I did now. Every last one of my muscles came to a screeching halt as the knight's knee met the floor. A lustrous gauntlet reached beneath the quilt that concealed the underside of the small bed and armored fingers curled to pull it away. I squeezed my eyes shut and drowned in my ripping heartbeat.
"What is this?" the bellowing voice outside rang again.
The Templar that knelt barely a foot from me immediately retracted his hand. I heard his armor scratch against the ground as he lifted himself back into a standing position. He marched from the house and joined a commotion that was growing outside.
I did not dare to speak, for fear of my ears betraying me and the Templar's presence still lingering in the air. Nevertheless, my heart had found a tender rhythm again and the sweat that smeared across my neck lost its metallic weight.
"What is going on, now?" I heard the stable master's wife ask.
"I can't tell," the small man answered. "Looks like they have one of the Assassins, though."
And just like that, my frantic state churned back up in my stomach. They had one of the Assassins. But which one? And why was there only one? Had the other escaped? I clinched my jaw with the full force of my frustration. I had to stay put. I could not help either of the two men even if I tried. But a part of me protested against such inaction. How could I just abandon them? How could I lie safely underneath a bed while they are taken by the Templars?
"Do not move, bintun," someone whispered. "They are not done with us yet."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Faruq knew exactly who he was after. The Templar of interest stood in the center of the town and glared over his subordinates as they ransacked homes and interrogated villagers. He was the leader of this troupe of traveling terrors.
The now-armored Assassin held Altair by the arm and was practically dragging him along the sand.
"What is this?" the leading knight spat when he caught sight of the approaching duo.
Apparently, he was the man who had been promoted following the death of Husam. This new commander looked twice as brutal as his predecessor. Dark circles dug through his eyes and followed long trails of missing or shredded flesh along the grooves of his face. His nose and mouth were equally protrusive as they hung heavily to his jaw. And yet, he possessed an unfamiliar air of rationale. He seemed much more capable of considering consequences than Husam.
"I have found one of the Assassins," Faruq announced, securing his grip on Altair. "He says the other two fled the village during the night, sayedy."
"Ah, and you have decided to come quietly then, Hashishin?" The commander eyed Altair with a weighty smirk on his lips.
Altair said nothing. He avoided eye contact and chose instead to stare at the sand beneath him, counting his heartbeats.
"But what is this?" the Templar mocked. "An Assassin without words? I did not think it possible! After all, that is your strongest weapon, is it not?"
"What use would you have for my words, Templar?" Altair asked levelly. His calm seemed to distress the knight.
He leaned in close to the Assassin and took his chin in his hand, forcing Altair to look him in the eyes. "You are alone, my friend. No one is coming to save you. It would be unwise to deny me what I want."
"No Assassin stands alone," Altair lied. "My Brothers are everywhere."
"Hah! As I hear it, your friends have already departed! But do not worry, we will find them soon."
"And how do you plan on doing that?"
"Simple. You will tell us where they went and we will not have to hurt you."
"What makes you so sure that I will break?" Altair whispered darkly.
"Everyone has a breaking point, Assassin. There is only the matter of finding it."
Altair had heard enough. He got what he needed to know. Sarah was still hidden, which left him plenty of room to execute his plan. He nudged Faruq in the hip as the Templar released his jaw and began to carry on into a threatening rant, envisioning Altair's torture. Faruq nodded ever so slightly and waited for the knight to turn his back before toppling himself into the sand and crying out in pain. The commander whirled back around and gasped loudly as his mind registered what had happened.
"Get him! Get the Assassin!" Altair heard from behind him as he sprinted away from the village.
The wind whipped past his ears as he ran to the best of his ability. His left calf was screaming as his wound reopened and smeared against the leather of his boot, but he had to keep moving. He needed to get the Templars away from Sarah and Faruq. It did not matter what happened to him now, only that they get out of the village alive.
Faruq stared after his fleeing Brother and cringed. The Templars were going to catch him. And when they did…Faruq shook his head. He had to focus of finding Sarah, whom he assumed to be in the stable master's house. He feigned disorientation until most of the Templars had abandoned the immediate area and joined their leader in his pursuit.
Confident that no one would see him, he scrambled to his feet and headed for the small home beside the stable.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"He's running away!" I heard the stable master rasp. "What is he thinking? They'll kill him!"
My eyes snapped open, the man's words playing over and over again in my head. Neither Faruq nor Altair were in good enough shape to run, much less outrun. Whichever one it was would never survive!
Suddenly, the familiar sound of plated boots barged into the house. And once again, I stiffened, becoming one with the shadow that cradled me. Did they know I was here? I held my breath and waited, waited to be pulled from underneath the bed and thrown back to a Templar master.
I would experience no such trauma.
"Shabah!" I heard someone call.
That name. It was like honey, sweet sweet honey on my wounded ears. And I knew that voice.
"F-Faruq?" I choked, spitting hay from my mouth.
"You are the other Assassin?" I heard the scrawny man ask. If he was surprised, he certainly wasn't showing it. "She is under the bed."
Heavy boots rushed over to the bedside and lifted the quilt, flooding me in a pool of newborn light. I strained to see the figure before me, to confirm that he was really there. He was just as I remembered him. The only difference was his armor.
"Faruq!" I wheezed. "What's going on? Why are you wearing-"
"No time, Shabah! We need to get out of here, now!"
I winced when he reached for my arm and started to drag me out from underneath the bed. His gauntlet was cold and sharp, more like a sword than armor. When I was completely emerged, Faruq wasted no time in pulling me out of the house and into the stable.
"Wait, Faruq!" I tried to yell. "What's going on?"
"Later!" he growled.
He let go of my arm to unhitch a steed and mount it hastily. I stared after him blankly. I had never seen Faruq so…intense. Something was wrong. Something was terribly, terribly wrong.
"Faruq," I stammered. "Where's Altair?"
He didn't have to tell me, really. I already knew what the other Assassin was up to, and I already knew why we had very little time to spare. But I just couldn't get myself to function. All I could do was stand there and stare at Faruq, my mind racing.
"Come on!" Faruq shouted, his eyes fiery.
My body numbed as I heaved myself over the back of the horse and scrambled desperately for a foothold. Faruq did not wait for me to get situated. He immediately kicked the horse in gear and soon we were galloping back up the cliff towards Masyaf. I clung dangerously to his torso as he flew through the morning sand. There was no time to look back, no time to think. But worst of all, there was no Altair.
I glanced back at the shrinking village and spotted the horde of Templars who had been chasing him. They had not noticed Faruq and me. No, they were much more concerned with their new chew toy, which had crumpled to the ground in its exhaustion. The slimy knights circled around his body like vultures and a strangled cry of pain echoed through the cliffs.
"Faruq!" I sobbed. "We can't just abandon him!"
Faruq was silent.
"Please!" I continued to beg. "Turn around! They're going to kill him!" My voice cracked pathetically and I buried my face in Faruq's ever silent form. "Please!"
"Safety and peace, Altair," he muttered quietly.