Chapter 32: Innocence
Mentor Kenway,
Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent. Do the Assassins no longer hold steadfast to their Creed?
Philip Hamilton committed no crimes. He was not a Templar. He died without ever knowing of the war he was murdered for. He was innocent of any misdeeds, save that he was a Templar's son.
If our children are no longer safe, then neither are yours.
As I recall, those who violate the Assassins' Creed are executed. If this foul deed was not by your orders, then deliver Eacker's head to the Morrigan. But if these orders were yours, then I will ensure that you are alone and isolated – and, from this point on, your children will be my prey, even as ours are yours.
Shay Patrick Cormac
Grandmaster of the American Rite
Mr. Miles,
This letter can be dated to 1801, as Philip Hamilton died that year. By 1802, the American Templars, led by Hamilton, had embarked on a harsh campaign to destroy the American Brotherhood. The death of the elder Hamilton, in 1804, put an end to that for a time.
Per our records, Philip Hamilton was killed by the Assassin George Eacker. Some of the things Philip said, especially when considering his father's status as a Master Templar, led to the conclusion that Philip was a member of the Order. We were wrong, as it turned out.
Eacker died in early 1804. Well, I say 'died' ― he was murdered, of course. It seems someone discovered a rather nasty Borja concoction; it took two years to kill him. It seems Eacker's death finally gave Connor the push for the go-ahead on Hamilton.
The more problematic result was the decision on the part of the American Rite to consider every Assassin child over fourteen a combatant. This wasn't especially reasonable in the 1800's and it's considerably less now but try telling them that.
Cormac was, unsurprisingly, angry when he wrote this; his pen cut deep into the parchment. Why does he always use parchment? It's rather odd.
Shaun