CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Ah Tabai's POV "Gather everyone into the village at once, and send forth messengers to the rest of the Brotherhood!"
I made my way quickly towards the center of the village, preparing my speech. Mary had been used by the Templars, and chances were that they were hot on our trail now. I needed everybody on their toes and ready to attack at all times. From what was presented in the message I had received, Edward and Mary were on their way to join forces with me. With the Templars being so close, I'd be able to send Edward, Mary, and a select few recruits with them to track down the Apple of Eden. If we could get it in our possession, then we'd have an equal chance of facing the Templars with minimal casualties.
Standing upon a raised platform, I gazed upon all the men gathering below me. Taking a deep breath, I explained to them the letter I had received from Edward and Mary.
"We can win this, for the sake of humanity. I realize that I am asking a lot from many of you. What I am asking is for you to put your lives on the line in order to maintain the peace we have fought so hard to obtain. I am asking you to sacrifice your life for this cause. Many of you may seem hesitant, as you all have families to care for. However, I am determined to see through to the Templars' demise. Many of them have harmed your families, dehumanized you, and even slayed some of your comrades. If you will, unite with me so that we can end this. Not only for the innocent out there unbeknownst to this war, but for your own freedom."
Many of the men cheered proudly while others boasted about their bravery. Some of them wore looks of anger, but it was clear that they were on my side. I turned away from the crowd and stepped off of the platform. Walking over to the cliff, I gazed out at the sea.
'We await you now, Kenway. Guide us home.' Edward's POV "Pull up here and lay anchor!"
We had just arrived at Tulum to meet with Ah Tabai. Hopefully, we'd be able to end the war within the week.
Mary lifted Oliver up from the deck and held him close. She walked up beside me, smiling.
"You ready for this, 'captain'?" I chuckled at her.
"As ready as I'll ever be. Mary," I paused, looking over at her.
"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow at me.
"When the final battle starts, I want you to take refuge elsewhere."
Mary gawked at me, staring at me in disbelief.
"I am not running away, Edward. I'm just as involved in this as you are. This is my fight too, you know."
I sighed and faced her.
"I know it is. However, you have a son to care for. Should anything happen to me, I want you to take Oliver and Jenny somewhere far from this place."
Mary glared up at me before scoffing.
"I almost lost you once before, Edward. I am not running away, not without you. I am fighting, and you can just deal with that. I'll ensure that Oliver and Jenny are taken care of. Anne has James; I'm sure she wouldn't mind taking our two children far from here."
I sighed at her but didn't press any further. However, try as I might, I couldn't stop the small smile from spreading itself onto my face at her ambition. My, how I loved this woman.
"Fine. Just make sure you can keep up with me, mate."
Mary smiled crookedly at me before nudging me with her shoulder.
"I can outlap you, dog."
We docked the ship and left the ship. Walking up the forest path, we were greeted by several assassins, cheering for us it seemed. It was strange, but I figured Ah Tabai had told them about the letter. Passing the row of assassins greeting us, we came to Ah Tabai at the head of them. He faced us with a smile, giving a slight bow to us before speaking.
"Welcome home. I trust your trip home was smooth?" I nodded before following him up towards the large bonfire near the old Mayan ruins. We took our seats on the ground around the fire, his tone changing to more of a business stature.
"We've heard your news. I'm afraid things are going to be much more difficult now that the Templars know what we're after. Your lives are about to become much more hectic and crazy. Mary, I'd prefer it if you didn't stay here."
"Mentor," Mary started.
"She's staying here," I interrupted. "I already tried to convince her to leave, but she's a stubborn one. If Anne is near, we'd like to send our children with her somewhere farther away from the midst of battle." Ah Tabai nodded and sighed softly.
"Anne is taking a walk with James."
I looked behind me only to see Adé walking up to join us. He sat beside me and patted my back.
"I'll see to it that she doesn't see battle."
I nodded before looking at Ah Tabai.
"I take it you have conjured up some sort of plan for how we go about getting the Apple?" He nodded.
"So far, I have dispersed many of my skilled men throughout the lands in order to obtain the Apple. As for the rest of them, chances are that with the Staff, the Templars will come here to kill many of us off. I plan to have as many men as possible holding them off while you, Mary, and a few of my Master Assassins escape. You two must survive in order for the task to be completed."
"But Mentor," Mary cut in, concern laced through her voice.
"Should anything happen to me, Mary, you need to finish the task. You are my only hope."
Mary wanted to say something, but she bit her tongue. Her and Ah Tabai were very close. He was practically a big brother or father figure to her. I may not have known much about Mary's past, but I could tell that she was thinking he was the only family she had left. It pained me to see that look of anguish on her face as she contemplated Ah Tabai's demise, but there was nothing either of us could do. Much like Mary, Ah Tabai was a very stubborn but loyal man.
"We understand, Mentor. Thank you." I shook his hand before rising to my feet.
"I will go find Anne and tell her of the plan." Adé also stood.
"I will gather the top assassins and inform them of the plan so that they may prepare their weapons and defenses."
I nodded at them, giving Mary a fleeting look. I could tell she was struggling with Ah Tabai's plan. I sighed before walking through the jungle, searching for Anne. I didn't get far before I heard a shriek. Grabbing my pistol, I raced towards the scream and made it to the scene. Anne was covering a crying James, guarding him from a large jungle cat. I slipped into the nearest bush and shot at it, killing the beast just before it could pounce on them. Anne quickly looked over at the bush just as I rose to my feet, smiling at her. She smiled, lifted James into her arms, and charged at me. I embraced her gently, holding her close.
"Thank God you're safe! I've been so worried about you and Mary. Wait, where is Mary?"
I chuckled before pulling away to look at her.
"She's with Ah Tabai. Come; let's leave before more cats crawl this way." She nodded and followed me back towards the exit, rejoining all the assassins. She set James down after he had calmed down, letting him walk around and play in the grass.
"You returned later than I expected. What took you two so long?" Anne looked at me curiously, arms folded across her chest.
"We ran into some trouble, and unfortunately, may have brought it back with us."
"Well, I'm ready to fight by you!" Anne grinned mischievously. I shook my head at her.
"No, Anne. We came up with a plan, and we all decided that you can't fight with us. We actually need you to take Jenny and Oliver away from this place. We trust you enough to let you raise our children, should anything happen." Anne gaped at me, eyes wide in shock. I could only guess at what was going through her mind.
"But Edward-"
"I'm sorry Anne. I realize this is a lot to ask of you, but you're the only one we trust with this task. Mary and I are too involved in this to run away without circumstances. We will fight the Templars. Please, take our kids and live a good life far from war. We're begging you, Anne." She stared at me, wanting to dispute me, but she quickly resolved herself. She sighed and nodded solemnly, succumbing to her new path. I smiled softly before hugging her.
"Thank you, Anne. I'll do whatever it takes to ensure that Mary and I make it back to you. By the way, where's Jenny?" Anne pointed at the Mayan ruins temple.
"She wanted to rest on the rocks in there."
I nodded and walked over to the ruins, stepping inside and following the path until coming upon Jenny. She was resting soundly on a rather flat and smooth rock, curled up into a ball. Her curly locks framed her face delicately. I knelt beside her small frame and gently ran my thumb along her pale cheek. Her eyes fluttered open as she gazed at me happily. She practically squealed before sitting up and flinging her arms around my neck. I held her close to me, kissing her head.
"Did you rest well, sweetheart?" She nodded and smiled at me.
"I'd thought something bad happened to you, or that you left me." I quickly shook my head.
"I'd never leave you if I could. Speaking of leaving, we need to have a big girl talk." She nodded at me before staring at me.
"Jenny, bad people are coming here. They want to get rid of everyone here. They want to rule the world and make everyone their slaves."
"I'm not scared. I have you to protect me. You're strong and brave." I smiled softly before petting her head gently.
"That's sweet. However, I am scared." Her eyes widened slightly in shock.
"You're scared?" I nodded.
"They're very bad people, honey. They want to take you away from me. They want to kill me. They want to kill you too." She frowned.
"Well, that's rude. We can't let them do that." I nodded and took her hands in mine.
"That's why I'm sending you with aunt Anne. You, James, and Mary's son Oliver are going to go on a vacation far away from here. If you go with them, then I can beat the bad guys. You have to promise to go with them though." She shook her head slightly, a pout forming on her face.
"No! I don't wanna go, daddy! Don't leave me again. We can beat those bad guys up easily!" I pulled her into a tight hug, closing my eyes. I hated hurting her like this, but I had to.
"Sweetheart, you have to go. You'll be fine. As soon as the battle is over, Mary and I will come back and take you home. We will go back to London and live there as one big family. No more bad guys would bother us. But we can't do that if you don't go with aunt Anne for a bit. Promise me, dear. Promise me you'll go and be good for her." She sniffled into my shoulder, clinging to me.
"I-I promise…" she mumbled, crying softly. I kissed her head gently before looking at her, wiping away her tears.
"Good. It won't be too long this time, I promise. Mary and I will take care of the bad guys, and then we will rush to you and take you home." She nodded before pulling away just as Anne walked up to us. She carried James and Oliver in each arm.
"Come, Jenny. Our ship is here. We will be in Nassau, Edward. Find us when you're done." Without another word, Jenny followed Anne towards their ship. I sighed heavily as I watched them leave.
This was going to be a long battle.