May 10th, 1865
Baltimore, Maryland
The Assassin hideout
Margaret marched through the halls of the hideout angrily.
The men that lingered around the foyer quickly parted for her as she headed towards the entrance. The guards didn't even stop her, noticing how thoroughly angry she was and figured it would be more trouble than it was worth to intervene.
"Oh, hey Margaret." Henry greeted, clearly getting out of a meeting. He stopped when his sister didn't greet him back and looked beyond pissed. He quickly followed her, his quizzical gaze not leaving her. Seeing how he knew her better than anyone, Henry sensed that something was up. "What's going on?"
"I have to speak with our Mentor."
"She's in a meeting with the international leaders." Henry stopped in front of her, blocking her path. "What's wrong? You look pissed."
"That's because I am." She shouldered past him and made her way to the meeting room usually reserved for meetings with other mentors from other places around the world.
Margaret was happy that she had an audience.
With a groan, Margaret shoved the heavy oaken doors. She didn't even flinch when the doors slammed against the wall, startling the members of the meeting. Mentor Kellan, her dark hair now completely grey, glanced up from where she was in the middle of a speech. The Mentor's eyes were panicked for a second as she whirled around, but it disappeared when she made eye-contact with Margaret.
"Ah." The older woman stated, smoothing her robes. She collected herself before saying, "Mrs. Lealan. I wasn't expecting you. As you can see, I'm in the middle of a meeting."
"Exactly why I'm here." Margaret stated. She stepped forward, nodding in greeting to the French and Italian mentor. Margaret glanced around her, making a show of twirling around the show floor. "Mentors from around the world, as you know, there has been a war in this country. A war that has taken many lives, including my husband, Lionel Lealan. And I'm sure you are all aware of the fact that President Lincoln had been assassinated only a couple of weeks ago. Prior to the assassination, Mentor Kellan had informed us that no one would be so bold to assassinate the most powerful man in the United States, yet my spies had clearly stated that there was a plot before this."
There were some murmurs among the mentors. Margaret glanced over at Mentor Kellan who was keeping her face neutral, but her eyes showed anger. The raven-haired woman smirked.
"I chased down the assassin and one of his co-conspirators. Upon being mortally wounded, Mr. Booth, a former Assassin himself, had informed me that there had been a plot among the Assassins and Templars."
There was a gasp that echoed throughout the crowd.
"Are you insinuating that we started your war?" the Mentor from the former nation of Prussia, now named Germany, declared from where he was seated.
"I'm not." Margaret said. "But I do think that Mentor Kellan had something to do with it."
Mentor Kellan stood there, her eyes wide and face now flushed with anger, in shock before she hissed, "How dare you?!"
"This is a serious accusation, Mrs. Lealan." Ambrose Arnaud declared, the French Mentor adjusting his spectacles as he leaned forward. "You have proof, I hope?"
"I do." She held out the pages she had torn from Booth's journal. "These are eighty-three pages from Lincoln's assassins' journal. They detail multiple meetings between the Templar Grand Master and Mentor Kellan, all of which he took part in. They date back to several years before the war, and John mentions how they decided to manipulate the politics in order to fulfill a promise they made years ago."
"Why you little…I would never do consort with the Templar Grand Master." Mentor Kellan declared. Gesturing to the pages that Margaret slammed down on the table, she said, "These are clearly the ravings of a mad man. I cannot see the future, and everyone made mistakes!"
"Mistakes that cost a man his life!" Margaret shouted. "A mistake that took hundreds of men and boys from their families! A mistake that maimed countless others on both sides! And this wasn't a mistake. You knew what you were doing when you met with the Templar Grand Master. You willingly gambled the lives of a thousand Americans to play your little power game."
The Council was muttering among themselves, leaving Mentor Kellan to glance around. Margaret glowered at her former teacher, noting the panicked gleam that the woman held. She held the gaze, giving the same amount of heat that the older woman was giving her as the council deliberated. After a moment of tense silence, Monsieur Arnaud stood, drawing all eyes to him.
"It has been the decision of this Council that an Inquest be conducted into Mentor Kellan's actions from the time of 1860 to the present." He glanced around. "Is there anyone who seconds the motion?"
Margaret held her breath, waiting for what seemed like an eternity. She knew that if no one seconded the motion then the charges would be dropped. And Margaret herself would be expelled from the Brotherhood, vilified. And that would the best-case scenario.
Worst case scenario would be the charges would bounce back to her.
No, the Council Members hold no alliance to the Mentor but to the Creed itself. Margaret thought hopefully.
One hand, raised by the overseer of the Ottoman Brotherhood, shot up. Margaret sighed as seven more hands rose, carrying the vote in favor of the majority. Monsieur Ambrose nodded.
"The motion has been carried. Mentor Kellan, you shall be held in a holding cell until the Inquest is completed. Guards! Take her away."
Mentor Kellan was becoming increasingly panicked. And as Margaret learned over the years, a panicked person is far more dangerous because they had nothing to lose. Much quicker than what could be believed in a person her age, Mentor Kellan rushed the door. Margaret tried to move to block her path, but the woman slammed her fist into her stomach. Wind knocked out of her; Margaret collapsed to the ground while the Mentor Kellan dashed out of the room with the guards following after her. Margaret was hauled off the floor, but instead of being taken to the infirmary, she pushed forward. She dashed after Kellan.
"DON'T LET HER GO!" She shouted to the gaping members that stood in the distance. "STOP HER!"
That spurred some of them into action. About three Assassins jumped in front of the accused Mentor. Unfortunately, Mentor Kellan flicked her wrist and released her Hidden Blade. Two of the Assassins fell dead beneath her Blade, while the other fell away, clutching his bleeding side in pain. Margaret pushed her body to its limit as the guards stopped to help those wounded.
The woman refused to let this monster go.
Before the Mentor Kellan reached the top of the stairs, Margaret launched herself upward. It was poorly timed, but the raven-haired woman managed to grab a hold of Kellan's legs. The older woman collapsed through the doors; her fingers splayed over the threshold. With adrenaline pumping through her veins, Margaret yanked Kellan back through the doors and tossed her back down the stairs. Kellan hit a few going down, and some sick part of Margaret felt joy at seeing the older woman hitting a couple of stairs.
When Kellan hit the bottom of the stairs, the guards were on her instantly.
"NO!" The woman screeched as she was dragged away. "NO! I DID THIS FOR US! I DID THIS FOR THE ASSASSINS! NOOOO!"
Margaret sighed as she met with Monsieur Ambrose and her brother at the bottom of the stairs, holding her sides as her bruised ribs throbbed.
"Are you okay, Maggie?" Henry asked gently.
"I'm fine." Margaret didn't mean to sound harsh.
"Mademoiselle Margaret, we appreciate you for bringing these serious things to our attention." Monsieur Ambrose stated as Mentor was dragged away, still screeching and kicking. "We would be very much grateful if you would remain in the city while we Inquire about the charges that you have brought forth."
While she wanted to go home, to finally, be with her children, Margaret knew that she and her spies would need to be here if the trial was going to off without a hitch.
"Very well." Margaret didn't miss how her brother all but lit up at her answer. She sighed. "Alright, Henry. Looks like I'll finally be able to visit your townhouse."
"That's all I wanted." Henry stated with theatrics.
"But you'll have to promise to visit Aunt Cordelia."
"Do I have too?"