Chapter 4: Unarmed in the Frontier
Kira was in some part of Boston. She didn't know quite where exactly, but she would find her way, eventually, once her head stopped swimming and she could vaguely hold onto her bearings.
Nearby, the guard who had escorted her from her makeshift prison watched warily as she lingered, suspicious of whatever her motives were for hesitating. She gave him an appreciative nod, erring on the side of caution, before stepping reluctantly onto the street ahead. She glanced back. Took another step. Glanced back again.
It all felt a little too easy- not needing to make a more hasty or dramatic escape. She prickled with anticipation, expecting to be stopped at any moment, though the sensation waned with each second that passed. She couldn't understand why, of all things, she was simply being allowed to walk away.
Whatever the reason, she realised she had better seize the opportunity to get as far away as possible before Haytham inevitably came to his senses and changed his mind.
Once she had reached the first building on the street, she darted around the corner of it and continued on, making a few turns, until she was sure she was not being followed. Content, she slowed to a more comfortable pace, walking on in the hopes of finding somewhere familiar. It was difficult; her mind was hazy, and every street she crossed was somehow the same.
The dark was settling rapidly across the city, and Kira was soon swamped by it, frustrated as it obscured what she was already struggling to recognise. The crisp, cold air seemed to hang around her, crawling through her clothes and drifting across her skin. It was much too cold. She shuddered and wondered if this had been Haytham's plan all along: leaving her to wander the streets in such a state was hardly mercy.
Finally, she stumbled onto a familiar road, and from there, began the long journey back towards the frontier. She wanted to go home. She could go home, but if she was unconscious for as long as it appeared, then Connor and Achilles would by now have realised something was wrong; they might even be out looking for her.
She didn't want them to worry. She could make it back to the homestead, she reckoned.
Her feet ached as walked. Boston was a different place at night. The daytime hustle and bustle of the streets had ebbed to silence and stillness. There were no town criers screeching of current affairs, nor market-sellers frantically plying their trade. The town seemed empty, even though Kira knew that the lives of the absent citizens continued beyond her sight, behind the multitude of windows and doors she passed.
It was charming, usually: these lonely hours in the dead of night, when Kira could pretend the city existed for the sole purpose of allowing her a place to stalk the shadows and clear her head.
Now, though, she longed for the sounds and sights of life again.
…
The Frontier was a different place entirely. Though- like Boston- it had its appeal, it possessed a certain darkness that the city could not. It was nature at its finest and inconceivably most dangerous. It was untamed and unpredictable, and every living thing within it reflected such volatility.
Connor had taught Kira to appreciate it. He had helped her find the calm within the chaos of it- to even learn from it. It was beautiful, but it was never to be underestimated. Especially at night, when it was impossible to guess what each dormant shadow could conceal.
It was this understanding that kept Kira alert and wary of her surroundings as she passed through the dense landscape. She was still a long way from the manor, but with every footstep, she knew she was getting closer. The fact spurred her on, despite whatever perils might be lurking in the dark, and she pushed on for what felt like hours, despite only being minutes.
She was in the middle of reflecting on her experience as a Templar prisoner when she was interrupted by a low growl, which came from some short bushes ahead up of her. She stopped immediately, backing away a few tentative steps whilst her eyes scanned over the foliage before her. Her breath caught in her throat as she spied a pair of eyes, glowing like small moons in the darkness.
The growl was repeated, this time louder, closer, as a wolf prowled from its cover. It bared its teeth, eyes glaring, as its fur shone in the dappled touch of the silvery moonlight. Wolves hunted in packs- Kira knew that- but she couldn't see or hear any others. Swallowing hard, she conceded they were probably nearby.
She reached slowly for one of the daggers she kept sheathed at her side, and her hand closed around air. She didn't have it. Of course she didn't have it. She cursed to herself; it had been a foolish decision to come here in the first place, armed or not.
Looking around, but still tracking the proximity of the animal confronting her, she considered her options. She could run- or try to, at least. But she couldn't outrun a wolf on an ordinary day, let alone in her current ordeal. Having discarded that idea, she contemplated climbing a nearby tree. The chances of her successfully climbing out of the wolf's reach in time were small, if non-existent. She was still weak: she wouldn't have the strength required to escape that way.
Before she could make a decision, the wolf lurched forward, growling viciously. It pinned her to the damp ground, and she wrestled with it, pushing desperately to keep it away from her. It was stronger than her, and its teeth began to close in. They shone like small white daggers, sharp and lethal- now only inches away from her face. The animal snapped at her, bearing down with its hot breath, closer and closer, and forcing her to close her eyes.
She inhaled sharply, waiting for the moment that her strength would fail her. Her arms shook violently under the weight of the wolf; they were numb with pain.
Suddenly, the animal yelped painfully and the weight above her shifted. It was still there, but the wolf was no longer fighting her. Opening her eyes, she was met by the sight of its own: dull, and bereft of the hunger they had previously burned with. It was dead.
Pushing it aside, Kira scrambled to her feet. She took a moment to find her breath as she studied it. The animal looked peaceful, almost asleep- though the notion was offset by an arrow, lodged firmly in the side of its head. Before she could turn to face the direction from which the arrow had come, she heard movement in the bushes behind her.
"Kira?"
The voice rang clear, and she recognised it immediately. Spinning around, she watched as Connor emerged from his cover, barely visible in the darkness. He approached her, noticing her obvious condition, and took her arm supportively. "Are you alright?" he asked.
She nodded, staring at him, almost through him, as she steadied herself with his help. "I… I just…" her words failed her as she tried to describe the extent of what she'd been through. "Thank you," she settled for. "I have so much to tell you."
"It's alright. We are not far from the manor. We should return, we can talk there," he reasoned.
She nodded again and allowed him to lead her away from the wolf that had almost taken her life.
…
"So, they let me go." Kira finished her account of the past two evenings as Connor listened, eagerly. They sat before the portraits of the Templars which Achilles had mounted on the wall of the basement, Connor on a chair, and Kira on the wooden table which stood below them. She had recovered from her ordeal, and stared curiously up at the pictures.
Connor followed her gaze, equally intrigued by why she had been let go. If there was one thing he had been certain of, it was that the Templars were the last people to show mercy to anyone, let alone an Assassin. "I do not understand," he mused quietly. "If they knew you were an Assassin, why didn't they kill you? Like they have always killed others?"
"I wish I knew."
They were interrupted by footsteps as Achilles trod slowly down the stairs to join them. It was early morning now, but it had been late when Kira and Connor had arrived; they had decided not to wake their mentor. Now he was awake, and he had stumbled upon the conclusion of their conversation. "The Templars think that you will be of some use to them, Kira," he said, as he came to stand by them. "That is why they let you go."
The woman hopped down from her seat on the table, straightening defensively. "Then they are fools. I would never help them- nor could I ever be persuaded to."
Achilles shook his head in dismissal. "I know. But Haytham is intelligent. Manipulative. If he freed you, he will no doubt be seeking ways for you to repay the debt. If he approaches you for something- anything, no matter how trivial- you must say no, regardless of what he tells you."
Connor listened of his father, wondering whether or not Haytham would truly be able to deceive Kira into helping him. He knew his father to be a dangerous man, and he'd experienced first-hand what the Templars were capable of. Still, Kira would never help them- that was surely one of the few things of which he could be certain.
Of the same mind, Kira disregarded Achilles' warning with a wave of her hand. She pushed past him, offended by his lack of faith, and made towards the stairs without so much as a glance back. "Morning or not," she grumbled over her shoulder, "I am going to rest. Please do not disturb me."
Achilles and Connor watched her go; both had known her long enough to think better of trying to stop her. The youngest Assassin shrugged off her icy exit, making a warmer one of his own as he bid farewell to his mentor and departed to practice some early morning hunting. Left alone in his wake, Achilles took a moment to consider all that he had heard.
He looked up at the portrait of Haytham. Raising a hand to irritably rub at his forehead, he replayed the events of Kira's story in his mind. He knew what sort of game the man was playing, and he didn't like it; he'd never been surer of something in his life.
Author notes:
Hi, everyone. Thanks for taking the time to read my story so far. Please review, follow, or favourite my story, as I appreciate all feedback, and I'd love to hear what you think. :)
Sorry this chapter is late, I've been ridiculously busy with lots of things recently. I'll try and get the next chapter ready for Thursday, but it may be a bit later.
Thanks again,
Kittycat312
