The Sins of the Father
Chapter 14
'Are you certain you have enough strength for the ride, Miss Kane?' Haytham asks. His swirling grey eyes carefully examine the tightness in the young woman's muscles as he rests his hand on her pale horse's toned chest and holds the beast steady as Adira hoists herself up into the saddle.
'Absolutely not, Master Kenway but I'll be damned if I don't try.' The brief smile Adira manages does little to assuage her mounting uncertainty regarding her current physical capabilities.
The Grand Master nods, unwilling to argue with her despite his concern for her wellbeing. Beneath her intoxicating but brief smile lay a deep and unresolved trauma which fueled her desire to hit harder than her rivals and push on despite the pain it might cause her. A thick and inescapable dread begins to weigh heavily on his heart - he prayed the slither of hope he had given the young woman in her moment of need would not prove to be false - that her faith in him had not been misplaced.
Pulling his gaze from her, he shifts to tighten the leather straps on the palomino's saddle bag and secures the provisions in place. With a final assessment, he hoists himself up into the saddle of his ebony mare and secures his seat without issue.
'Lexington is a few hours' ride from here. So long as the light is with us, we will try and keep moving,' Haytham explains as he adjusts his hold and pats the thick, muscular neck of his mount.
Adira nods as she wraps her scarred knuckles tightly in the thick leather reins. A violent throb spreads like wildfire through her bruised ribs and causes her to bite back a pained gasp as she screws her heavy eyelids shut and cradles her side. With a muffled curse, the painful memories of her last ride through the frontier come flooding back.
Her knuckles blanche.
With his attention snapping immediately to her, Haytham adjusts his position and aligns himself with Adira and her steed.
'It's just my ribs,' she dismisses, gritting her teeth and releasing a tense breath as she tosses her head back and curses again, berating her exhausted mind for plaguing her with irritating and unhelpful recollections.
Without a sound, Haytham releases his hold on his reins and softly slides his fingers between Adira's knuckles and rests his hand reassuringly over hers. His gaze fixes on the drawn expression framed by her thick locks of hair.
'You and I both know it is more than that,' Haytham states quietly, causing Adira's wide gaze to catch the slight quirk of his lips as they offer her a brief but understanding smile.
Her dilated pupils flutter down to his hand as he brushes his thumb over her wrist. A fleck of crimson tints her cheeks as her earthen gaze lingers on his strong hand encasing hers. Unable to resist, she allows her eyes to trail along the cuff off his frock coat and up to his broad chest which steadily rises and falls. Pulling in her lip, her eyes travel up his neck and along his angular jaw before finally coming to rest on the maelstrom grey of his gaze.
His strong fingers squeeze hers reassuringly and he offers her a consoling smile.
'Do not worry - Nudge has seen me through many hardships.'
Haytham's calm assuredness seeps pleasantly into every fiber of Adira's being as he presses his hand into hers. Still wearing his bright smile, she finds her own smile widening as a warmth fills her aching bones. 'Nudge?'
Before Haytham can respond, the palomino inclines its magnificent head towards him and begins to nuzzle and nudge his leg and torso gently, searching the folds of his frock coat for, what Adira presumed to be, food.
'Of course,' she chuckles as Haytham releases an amused laugh and dissuades Nudge from her search with a gentle command. Adira's rich and warm laugh continues to roll from her lips as she rocks back a little and hides her widening smile behind her hand. Haytham feels his entire spirit lift at the sound and he finds himself yearning to pull another laugh from her - a laugh that would crinkle her nose and leave her gasping for air again.
Enraptured by her bright smile, his gaze lingers on the young woman as she slowly regains her composure and wets her lips.
In an attempt to distract himself from his own thoughts and the tingle radiating through his fingers which brush gently against her skin, he clears his throat and reluctantly pulls his fingers away.
'We should be off whilst the weather is with us, Miss Kane.'
Adira's eyes drift briefly to the hefty figure of her father watching from the doorway of the club. Thomas stands at his side, clinging onto the length of red ribbon and the promise she had made him. An understanding smile spreads across John's scarred face as he raises his hand subtly to communicate a farewell to the pair.
With a dip of her head and a contented smile, Adira clicks her tongue and straightens as Nudge begins to trot alongside the velvet black mare and her rider.
Tugging the cuffs of her frock coat down a little further, Adira braces herself against the familiar chill of the rapidly approaching winter season and navigates Nudge swiftly through the sleepy streets of Boston. Guilt tugs at her as she and Haytham press on into the increasingly wild and rugged frontier - she had promised to take Thomas to Beacon Hill and now she was on her way to Lexington with the small hope that someone there could illuminate the uncertainty surrounding her dark and devastating dreams. Her thoughts wander to the man they were going to see - Haytham had only said he could help and Adira did not wish to spend the journey asking irksome and repetitive questions she knew she'd have the answers to if she practiced a little patience. Biting her lip, she instinctively rubs her forearms beneath her black sleeves and grimaces at the painful recollection of the symbols searing her flesh.
Thrusting the thought aside, she begins to admire the vast wilderness of the frontier - a world away from the hustle and bustle of the colonial cities and towns. Rising a little in her seat, she focuses her senses on the wonderful abundance of silence punctuated by the gentle whip of wind and the tuneful call of bird of prey - an eagle. Adira smiles to herself as she finds her gaze drifting back to her travel companion.
A young eagle.
Her dark eyes soak up his powerful form as his hips rock fluidly with each of his horse's confident trots. Ripping her riveted stare away and wishing her dry mouth wasn't, she desperately searches for an environmental stimulus to spark a conversation focused on anything but Haytham and his natural riding ability.
She fails spectacularly.
'What of your mount, Master Kenway? Have you named her as well?' She internally curses herself but patiently awaits his response.
Haytham smiles to himself beneath his tricorn and exhales softly, appreciating Adira's question as an opportunity to quell his thoughts and divert his entirely preoccupied mind. If he gazed at the way Adira's slender body rolled so naturally with each of her own mount's movements for any longer, he was certain he'd lose his grasp on reality completely. His expression shifts a little as he mulls the thought over in his mind.
Every horse he had ever owned was called something and though he knew very little about the ebony creature now supporting his weight, he settled on a name which reflected her simple and striking majesty.
'Sable,' he says to himself before committing to the thought in its entirety. An approving smile curls his lips as he runs his knuckles softly down the creature's strong neck. 'Aye - Sable.'
'Sable,' Adira repeats approvingly, admiring Haytham's contemplative process for naming his steeds, no matter the brevity of the relationship between man and beast thus far.
Haytham's gaze flits up to the quickly shifting sky just visible through the swaying branches and dense canopy of the towering evergreens. Inhaling deeply, the fresh scent of untilled earth and pine fills his lungs. He pulls his reins taut and comes to a considered stop along the worn path.
'I fear this pleasant weather will not hold for much longer, Miss Kane,' he assesses concernedly, acutely aware of the increasing bite in the breeze and the scent of a storm brewing.
'Then let us make haste, Grand Master,' Adira remarks as she trots a little ways past Haytham and inclines her pale face towards him. A playful smile curls her lips and gives him pause enough to feel the knot in his stomach tighten.
'Can you keep up?' Adira raises a daring eyebrow and savours the sight of Haytham already preparing to give chase.
'Just try and stop me…' he replies, his voice a little deeper and huskier as his grip tightens and he tilts his head in challenge.
With a snap of her reins, Adira matches Nudge's movements and rocks her hips as she picks up the pace. Adrenaline surges through the fighter's veins and she risks a fleeting look behind to see Haytham spurring Sable on, his lips curling into a half smile as they gallop through the sunlit frontier together towards Lexington.
Slackening her grip on the reins, Adira lowers her body and feels the breeze whip wildly as Nudge powers through the undergrowth. Shifting her weight and rising, she presses her thighs into the horse's flanks as her galloping mount clears tangled tree roots snaking across the path.
Her heart hammers against her chest as she breathes heavily, inhaling the searing cold laced through the air. Nudge inhales deeply and snorts heavily with each stride - her long, powerful legs colliding with the earth as she and Adira finally emerge from the tree line.
Pressing herself back into her saddle, Adira's eyes wander to the scattered dwellings beyond the steadily flowing expanse of water before her and to the bridge which lies upstream as Nudge slows and bounces her head contentedly.
Visually following the snaking path back through the foliage, she smiles triumphantly as she reaches down and runs her knuckles along her steed's thick neck rewardingly.
'I should have given him a head start, right girl? He is the Grand Master after all...'
'On the contrary - watching you ride with such spirit was reward enough,' Haytham states admiringly as he emerges from the tree line, his own steed snorting with equally laboured breaths as Adira's. The brawler briefly turns her head and lifts her gaze to meet Haytham's as he approaches. Her heart still hammers in her chest, though now she cannot discern the precise cause as she digests his words and desperately tries to calm the heat rising in her core before he appears alongside her.
Adira continues to run her knuckles along Nudge's coat with a thoughtful smile. 'You are a fortunate man, Grand Master. To be able to call such a magnificently spirited creature your own.'
Halting alongside her, the Grand Master's gaze remains fixed on the slender and powerful form of Adira as she continues to lean forward, running her fingers under Nudge's bridle soothingly.
'...magnificent,' he repeats quietly to himself.
Pulling his lingering gaze from the young woman, he clears his throat and indicates to the bridge ahead. 'Lexington awaits us, Miss Kane.' Snapping his reins, he sets off at a slower pace to allow Sable time to recover and his nerves time to settle.
Adira's eyes linger on Haytham for a moment. A flattered smile begins to form and as her gaze shifts skyward, she feels the first bead of rain run down her thoroughly reddened cheek. Exhaling with a deep sense of satisfaction, she pushes forward. The thick grey clouds looming beyond the dense canopy begin to roll more violently and dump their watery burden onto the parched earth below.
Each heavy droplet explodes against the sprawling canopy and plummets earthward, seeping into the woven garments of the pair as they approach the narrow bridge. With a series of echoing thuds, Haytham guides Sable across the complaining wooden slats and turns. Holding his reins taut, he watches Adira carefully through the heavy downpour as she navigates a slightly uneasy Nudge onto the first wooden slat.
Adira rests a reassuring hand on the palomino's muscular neck. 'We'll take it steady, girl.' With a soft dip of her head, Nudge places a hoof gingerly onto the bridge. With every step, the smooth stones and piles of silt shift beneath the babbling surface of the river. Loosening the reins, Adira reassures Nudge as the number of wooden slats stretching behind the pair gradually exceeds the remaining slats stretching towards the far bank.
Haytham watches intently, admiring the patience and skill of the young woman before him. The rain continues to seep into her clothes and bead through her thick locks of hair. Smaller drops roll from her furrowed brow and slip gently over her lips, which suddenly curl into a smile as Haytham's gaze lingers.
That knowing and intoxicating smile slips from Adira suddenly. Haytham's expression darkens and he inclines his head, tightening his grip on his reins instinctively and making to approach the bridge once more.
A set of obsidian orbs flicker dangerously from the thick foliage behind the Grand Master.
Adira's eyes widen and frantically flit from the emerging beast to Haytham, who continues to spur Sable towards the bridge.
'Haytham!' Adira shouts, desperation and concern exploding from her lips as she thrusts her hand forward to indicate the danger.
Haytham rapidly draws his flintlock and turns Sable on the spot.
With hackles raised, the fiercely salivating wolf skulks from its hiding place with a deep and fear-inducing snarl. Snapping its jaws menacingly, it lunges…
...straight for Haytham's throat.
Adira gasps.
With a deafening pull of the trigger, the bullet from Haytham's pistol snakes along the creature's side, ripping open its flesh before embedding itself in the thick trunk of an ancient tree.
The full power and weight of the wolf collides with Haytham and forcefully wrenches him from his seat. With a pained yell, he topples over the back of Sable and into the sodden earth below with a sickening thud.
Sable rears frantically and bolts up the path, abandoning her rider and escaping from the wolf's deadly bite.
Grunting with effort as he stabilises himself, Haytham engages his hidden blades with their signature click. Thrusting his arms up defensively, he wrestles the wolf away from his jugular and attempts to slide the steel into the creature's exposed throat.
Pressing its full weight into its prone prey, the wolf continues to bear down and snarl viciously, desperate to sink its teeth into any ounce of flesh.
With the wolf clawing at his abdomen, Haytham cries out as his scar erupts in violent spasms. With gritted teeth, his defense falls and the wolf's powerful jaw finally clamps down.
Teeth tear through woven wool and cloth and sink deeply into the unprotected flesh beneath. Hot, thick blood soaks through layers of fabric as Haytham lets out a bark of anguish. He forces the wolf's jaw open with as much strength as he can muster.
With her heart hammering violently in her chest, Adira swings her weight from a frantic Nudge and barrels towards the fiercely clawing wolf. Slamming into its side with all her energy, she yells as she grabs fistfuls of its soaked fur and sends them both sprawling into the slick and muddied ground away from Haytham with a piercing yelp.
Pushing her weight from the ground, Adira's eyes shoot to the wolf which rolls and writhes to right itself. With splayed paws on sodden earth, it snarls and barks ferociously before lunging at the still prone brawler.
Gasping for breath, Adira instinctively hunches and scrunches her eyes closed as she hides her face and throat behind her forearm - preparing for the wolf's fangs to sink in and draw blood.
A wounded yelp snaps her eyes open and causes her defense to drop.
Her frantic eyes fix on Haytham as he pulls up from the lifeless body of the wolf before her and, with a grunt of effort, retracts his hidden blade from its bleeding throat.
Adira's eyes widen as the fixed determination on the Grand Master's face fades and he begins to slump forward over his knees. His hand presses firmly to the deep laceration running the length of his bicep as he cradles his bleeding arm tightly. Crimson liquid bubbles relentlessly through his fingers and drips onto his lap and the grass below.
Straightening, Adira scampers towards him as his head dips, his tricorn now obscuring his drawn and pale face.
Feeling her now knelt before him, Haytham allows his eyes to flutter open as he combats the effects of the fading surge of adrenaline.
'Are you - are you alright?' Haytham breathes heavily, his head gradually lifting to look at the young woman before him. Her warm, earthen eyes search his grey gaze, touched by his concern for her and his disregard for his own substantial injuries.
'I will be when you are,' she replies honestly, feathering her fingers across his jawline before caressing his pallid cheek with a firmer, more reassuring pressure.
Her gaze briefly snaps to Nudge, who trots around them and, with a gentle snort, lies only a short distance from Haytham's back, sheltering him from the barrage of rain and protecting him as best she could.
Rapidly assessing the gaping wound on his bicep and the bloodied tears down his forearm, Adira's eyes flash and she retracts her fingers gently. Throwing her weight back, she begins to unlace her boots - grunting with frustration as the laces catch and misbehave several times before she frees her feet from their tight clutches.
'What are-,' Haytham clutches his injury and inhales sharply, aware his breaths were shortening. 'What are you doing?' When his eyes finally open, they are entirely transfixed on the drenched young woman in front of him as she pulls her stockings off and exposes her toned calf muscles and bare ankles.
Despite the deep throbbing in his arm and the searing pain running from his shoulder to his fingertips, Haytham's heart begins to hammer wildly as Adira presses her knee into the soaked grass before him and leans in. His blood-soaked fingers currently attempting to stem the interminable rush of blood brush lightly against Adira's torso as he releases his grip to allow her to run the length of one of her stockings under his arm.
'I need to stop the bleeding,' she whispers, her lips feathering his ear as she wrestles her makeshift tourniquet in place and ties it a few inches above the deep bite through his muscle tissue.
The fighter's pale face brushes gently against the side of his as she releases a steady breath and searches the ground for natural debris. Maintaining her precarious balance, Adira reaches for a thick length of twig and begins fitting it as a windlass.
Haytham's eyes dart to the young woman's rapidly shifting fingers as she finishes attaching the soaked twig and offers him a brief smile which is soaked in apprehension and regret as she wipes her brow of the trickling water running from her hair line.
'Forgive me,' she mutters quietly into his ear and proceeds to twist the windlass in place.
Before Haytham can question her on what exactly required his forgiveness, a sudden, unparalleled pain erupts across the width of his arm and he gasps and releases a pained moan, splaying his hand across Adira's side and pressing her more firmly into his chest as the fabric stocking tightens around his bicep with each rotation. His head dips, low enough to brush against Adira's and close enough to find comfort in her damp locks of hair and the lavender laced through it.
Adira mutters her heart-felt apologies as she feels Haytham press himself into her, doubled over in fresh waves of pain and discomfort. Assessing the significantly reduced blood-flow, Adira commits herself to one more turn - one more and then she'd tie off the tourniquet.
The final turn and tie off with her second stocking causes Haytham to grunt through clenched teeth, his tensed hand now wrapped around Adira's waist beneath the sodden fabric of her frock coat as his laboured breathing spills his hot breath onto the quickly prickling skin of her damp neck and cheek.
Holding him steady, Adira allows him to settle against her as she catches her own breath through her bruised ribs. Haytham's own ragged breaths begin to regulate and his grip on her gradually relaxes.
Sitting back a little, Adira stretches her fingers and brushes them along Haytham's clenched jaw and down to the curvature of his neck. His head rises a little way, and he offers her a weak, thoroughly exhausted but grateful smile. His eyes flutter shut and she inclines his head gently, pressing her forehead to his with a warm and unbridled tenderness.
'I'm not sure if - if I can forgive you… that really hurt,' he manages to announce breathlessly through the melodic patter of rain on the surrounding canopy. Resting her palm on top of his heart, Adira exhales deeply and allows herself to smile a little as she glides her hand to the side of his face and feels him incline his head into it gently.
Pulling away a little, Adira watches the beads of rain roll from the brim of Haytham's tricorn and for a moment, she loses herself in his soft and silvery gaze. Those maelstroms held such beauty - such trauma - such clear and present pain. And now they held her gaze with all the fear and hopefulness of a man balanced precariously on a ledge, desperately trying to leap and hoping to be caught.
His grey eyes widen and wander down to her full lips which are wet with moisture. The rising heat in his core threatens to consume him as she draws in her bottom lip and releases it - teasing him. Daring to reciprocate, he feathers her side with the tips of his fingers before resting his hand a little lower and drawing her closer - close enough to taste the citrus on his breath and inhale his very essence. Haytham's pupils dilate and the heat in his core rises rapidly as Adira's breath hitches in her throat and she presses into him.
'We should rectify that,' Adira breathes, leaning so tantalisingly close that the space between their bodies is barely perceptible. Her earthen eyes search Haytham's for a moment longer, her breath fanning across his lips as his hand slips beneath her shirt to softly caress the warm curvature of her waist.
'Absolutely…' Haytham mutters quietly. His words are lost. The heat between him and Adira intertwines as their lips finally connect with a soft and longing tenderness.
Their eyes remain closed as they breathe one another in, hungrily catching each other's kisses. Adira smiles, biting her lip as the warmth and taste of Haytham lingers pleasantly on her lips. Catching their breath, the pair press their foreheads together gently and savour the feel of the other.
'I should get you to the tavern,' Adira reasons quietly, her eyes fluttering open as she resists the overwhelming urge to press her lips to Haytham's again. His fingers gently trail a little above her waist and brush fleetingly against her side.
'By all means,' Haytham breathes, his lips ghosting Adira's as his words escape from them. His warm timbre resonates down the length of her spine, causing her to melt into him as he catches her lips once more…
...both completely oblivious to the pair of piercing eyes watching their every move through the lashing rain.