Chapter Twenty-Five:

The Road to Glory

1746

I motioned for Diana and a few recruits to keep their voices down as some guards passed us by. We scaled the walls of the manor and snuck around quietly, keeping the sound of our breathing to a minimum. I pointed to a room where our target was sleeping and motioned for Diana and the recruits to go inside. They went inside for all of two minutes before screaming started. The recruits charged out and ran for the exit. I heard the sound of blades clashing and ran inside the room. Diana was engaging our target in combat, his lover screaming in the bed. I stabbed my hidden blade into his neck from behind and then tossed a shirt that had been strewn about the room to his lover.

"Put some clothes on! You'll want to look sensible for when the guards come, yes?" I told her, and then shoved Diana out the door. She ran for the exit, me right behind her. "Run, dammit!"

We skidded to a halt and ran to a window when the door burst open, and the guards opened-fire on us. The window was locked, along with several others. When we finally found an open window, the guards had caught up with us, and opened fire. I covered Diana's body with my own and took the bullets, yelling in pain as they ripped through my body, but I managed to get her out. A guard held me with his arms locking around my shoulders, rendering my arms useless. I brought my head back and broke his nose, then dropped to the ground as he tended to it. That was when I leaped out of the window, following Diana.

"Sara!" Diana yelled.

"Keep running!" I ordered. "Don't worry about me! Just go!"

I climbed onto the roof of the mansion and gasped in air. Dammit! I really wish I would just die and stop having to go through this every day! I tripped over a tile as I was stumbling about and violently smashed my head against the roof. Great! As if I weren't bleeding from enough places already!

"Stop the Assassin!"

"Didn't we go through this before? Stop saying that!" I roared, and started for the edge of the rooftop. As the guards finally reached me, I fell backwards off of it. "See you later!"

I plunged into the water and started to swim for the other side of the river. Unfortunately, I was followed.

"Shit!" I cursed as one of the guards tried to put my head under. "I thought you guys couldn't swim!"

As I activated my hidden blade, he shoved my head under the water and held it there. Able to die or not, my lungs were burning and I was screaming for air as I shoved the hidden blade into the guard's helmet and into his skull. He stopped holding me under immediately, but my struggles to reach the surface had ceased as well.

1205

The Templar's blade came swinging at my throat. I leaned backwards and then sprang back up, blocking another longsword with my hidden blade. My gloved hand was grasping the blade of yet another Templar, stopping him from slicing my gut open. I held them in place, but with difficulty. The last Templar stabbed at me, but I managed to just barely move out of the way and bring up my leg to kick him in the face. I ducked, bringing my hidden blade along with me as a swing came above my head, and plunged the blade into the Templar whose sword I was holding with my hand. That done, I whirled around and stabbed the other with the blade I was still holding, and then finished the last one off by stabbing him in the neck.

I panted as their bodies fell to the ground. Altair seemed finished with the other Templars, and came to stand beside me.

"They were unwise to attack Masyaf when we are so strong," Altair remarked, rubbing his chin in thought.

"They are testing us, Grandmaster," I observed. "A pre-emptive strike. They wish to know when it will be best to attack us. Who knows? They are probably stopping our supply lines right now. I suggest we send scouts forward and see how our supplies are doing, and stop the Templars if they are doing what I suspect."

Altair nodded. "I shall, but I have no Assassins to spare right now. And you are to help me guard the village, so you are not going either."

I frowned. "Very well, Grandmaster."

"But as soon as some Assassins return, I will—."

"Why don't you go with Darim and Sef?" I suggested. "Give them experience in the best way possible?"

Altair hesitated, but seemed to get my point. "I can. I will go with them. We will ride tomorrow, and I am placing Malik in charge until I return with my sons."

I smiled. "As you wish, Grandmaster." You need to spend more time with them, anyway. I need to get you away from that "Piece of Eden".

1746

"Ugh…" I groaned. "Not good…"

"Seems not, but the damage is actually very good. Too good."

I gulped. Aw, hell. I know that voice…

"And it seems as though you're recovering rather quickly. Though it is strange, I admit I am relieved." The man was sitting on the edge of the bed, and he'd seemed to be reading before I gave away the fact that I was awake. "I almost thought you were dead. What a pity, if you'd died. I wouldn't even know the name of my family's saviour."

I felt my face get extremely red for some reason. Now that we were in the light, I could see his features much better. Jet-black hair, sharp brown eyes, the tiniest hint of a stubble forming on his face, and a devilish smile. What a moment, is he…?

"You're the man from the mask?" It sounded more like a statement, but it was a question nonetheless.

He grinned. "I knew my instincts weren't fooling me when I saw those eyes of yours," he said. "They're far too… unique. Cat-like, even."

I sighed and sat up in bed, and then realised I wasn't in my clothing. He laughed as my face came to its boiling point.

"Don't worry; I did not take off your clothes. My maid, Meredith, insisted I stay outside the room until she'd finished changing you." He poked my chin. "And you're covered in bandages now, so it's completely fine that I'm in here watching you."

"I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with you watching me, especially if the only thing that's stopping you from seeing my female parts are bandages."

He placed a bookmark in his book and closed it, then set it beside my bed. "Oh, please. I'm a Knight saving women from guards, remember?"

"And a Knight whose name I have not had the pleasure of learning." Damn! I didn't mean to say pleasure! Shit!

One of his eyebrows rose, but the smile remained plastered to his face. "Walter Hugh," he told me. "My name is Walter Hugh."

"Nice to meet you," I said. "My name's Sara. Sara Taylor."

"Your accent… You spent some time in the Americas, am I right?"

"And some other places," I answered, smirking.

"A lot of time in Italy."

I laughed. "You noticed my accent, then?"

"Some Syrian too."

"Okay, now that's just creepy."

It was Walter's turn to laugh. "I can't help it! Ever since I can remember, I've been good at detecting things not many people can. It's helped me through my studies, and I'm very grateful for it!"

If he were to say anything else, I would never know. A woman in a white apron with grey beneath it came charging in, grabbing Walter's book and started to violently beat him on the head with it.

"Get out! I told you not to come in until I'd properly dressed her!" the woman screeched.

"B-But Meredith—!"

She shoved him out the door and threw the book after him, and from the cry only a second afterwards, I safely assumed she hit him with it. "Out!" I couldn't control my laughter as Meredith shut the door behind her, mumbling curses towards Walter from under her breath.