Chapter 24

"Khasir, you have to leave soon," Maria gently reminded.

"Yeah… I better prepare then."

"I have something for you. Follow me!" Maria said before Desmond could leave her chamber.

She waved him to follow, to which Desmond immediately complied. Maria lead to into a more secluded area of the fest. The corridors were slightly covered in sand and it was obvious that they weren't used often. Maria however went on, without hesitating once, until they reached a locked and heavy looking wooden door. She quickly unlocked it and stepped in, causing the dust to swirl around them both. Desmond had to cough at that, but Maria seemed unaffected, she just continued towards a covered object at the back of the small storage. With one swift movement, Maria removed the blanket and after the dust had settled, Desmond was greeted with the most beautiful crafted assassin armour he had ever seen.

"It is yours," Maria mumbled next to him.

Desmond swirled around and fixed his ancestor's wife with a shocked and confused stare, "What?!"

She chuckled, "It is yours! It was supposed to be a gift for Altair, but you need it now more than he does."

"Maria, I… I can't take this!"

"You can and you will, because I will be very mad otherwise."

Desmond gulped and looked back at the armour. Maria beckoned him forwards and the brown haired male hesitantly stepped forward and ran a hand over the cold metal.

"I'll leave you two alone," Maria winked and left the room.

Desmond ran with his hand one last time over the fine crafted metal and quickly discarded the robes Altair had given him. The new robes and armour suited him perfectly and he silently thought that the black fabric suited him more than the white one. With one last deep breath, he left the room only to be greeted by Maria, who had waited patiently for him. Her eyes roamed his body and Desmond felt slightly uncomfortable under her gaze.

"You look great… like a true assassin."

"And I didn't look like one before?" Desmond inquired.

"You did, but this is different. I fear that I do not have the words to describe it."

Desmond smiled reassuringly at her apologising look, "I now what you mean."

She smiled in return when Desmond hugged her and thanked her for the gift.

"It is my pleasure, but now you better hurry! You don't want to be late, do you?"

"No, I don't. Thanks again Maria, for everything!"

"Safety and peace Khasir!"

With that Desmond departed, but not before borrowing Altair's horse. The new armour was light, but would defend it's wearer for sharp swords and heavy axes. Desmond could move freely and without any problems, it almost felt like a second skin to him. Way more comfortable than the robes Altair had offered him.

Desmond huffed. He couldn't wait for the stupid look that would surely appear on Altair's face, when his ancestor would spot him. He just hoped Malik would be able to draw it then. Amused the young assassin shook his head and urged his horse onward.

Desmond could make out the sound of marching people a few metres before him and he carefully slowed his horse down until it stood perfectly still. It wouldn't do Desmond any good, if Altair spotted him before the actual fight, so the young assassin looked for a place where he would be hidden from Altair's eyes as well as his eagle vision. He had the best chances on success if Desmond were able to hide until the battle raged or until both parties were standing across each other. He could make a great entrance as well then.

Desmond urged the horse on again, much slower this time. He carefully followed the traces of the assassins until he crossed a path that was bordered by rather large cliffs. He doubted he would be spotted there, but Desmond would have to leave the horse behind. The stallion may have been one of the best horses, but he doubted that it could climb steep cliffs. So he quickly unsaddled and made his way up the cliffs, the gloves of his new outfit protected his hands from the ruff rocks.

The further he moved on top of the cliffs, the louder became the voices. Apparently Altair and the assassins had stopped their march and had reached their destination. Desmond wondered if he should try to make contact with at least Malik, but he became the answer, before he could make up his mind. Malik and a few other assassins, whose names Desmond didn't know, were positioned on the very cliff he was. They stared across the field, clearly trying to locate the enemies, before they were spotted.

If Malik's robes hadn't moved in the wind, he could have been a stature, while his companions carefully climbed the cliffs to get to other spots and to have a better view.

"I kind of wonder how you got up here," Desmond said, causing Malik to spin around.

With ease caught Desmond the thrown knife and he smiled cheekily at Malik.

"By Allah, Khasir! Never sneak up to an assassin!"

Desmond silently laughed at that, "You mean: Never startle an assassin."

"I wasn't startled!" Malik protested, causing Desmond to laugh. "You are sooner here than I expected."

"Is that a problem?" Desmond asked uncertain.

"Definitely not. You can help me look out for enemies with this vision of yours!"

"It would be my pleasure."

He walked up to Malik, making sure that the older assassin stood in Altair's line of vision so that his ancestor wouldn't spot him, and handed him the throwing knife back.

"It is a good thing that you are as talented as Altair, maybe even better," Malik complimented Malik while he accepted the knife back.

"Altair seems to have another opinion on this matter!" Desmond replied bitterly.

"Altair let's himself be blinded by fear," at Desmond's raised eyebrow he continued, "He fears losing you and therefore he said those things."

Desmond frowned, "What's spoken in fear and anger tends to be truer than what is said under normal circumstances."

Malik hummed, clearly thinking about Desmond had said. "If that's true, you should show him otherwise… on the other side you already did by saving his life and by fighting him. Well, Altair had always been a little dull…"

"That is why he has you at his side."

"Probably."

They continued to watch over the provisionally camp in comforting silence. Desmond would sometimes glance at his ancestor to make sure the man wouldn't spot him and to look what he was doing. It seemed that everything was in order, yet the tension was clear in the air.

Eventually Malik broke the silence, "Interesting robes you are wearing."

"They were a parting gift from Maria. She wouldn't have taken 'no' as an answer."

"Of course she wouldn't!" Malik chuckled in amusement, "They suit you."

Desmond gave Malik a small smile, "I definitely stand out."

"Then you better make sure you are fast enough!"

"Fast enough to dodge attacks?"

"To dodge Altair!" they shared a private laugh at that.

"When I survive this, Altair is going to kill me!"

"Don't worry, I protect you," Malik promised.

"Thank you, Malik. I definitely feel better now!" Desmond laughed. Before Malik could reply anything, Desmond said, "They are here!"

"What? Where?" Malik asked, looking around.

"You can't see them without eagle vision… they should be in your line in sight in about… 10 minutes."

Malik nodded determined. He clasped one of Desmond's shoulders tightly, "Stay safe and be careful!"

"You as well!"

"I will!"

With that the one-armed assassin quickly scrambled down the cliff to inform Altair. Meanwhile Desmond hid further in the shadows.