Dobby: Hiya everyone!
Willoffire123: Do you have ANY IDEA what ungodly hour of the morning it is?
Stéphane: I don't think I want to know.
Willoffire123: Right you are, Stéphane. Now then, let's get this over with so I can go to bed.
Dobby: Shouldn't you go to bed now? You do have school tomorrow.
Willoffire123: that is false. It has been snowing all day today and school has been cancelled for tomorrow.
Stéphane: Ah, j'adore le neige, il me souvient de Québec.
Dobby: I hate it when he does that.
Willoffire123: He said 'I love the snow, it reminds me of Quebec.'
Dobby: You speak French, do you?
Willoffire123: I speak enough French to make Stéphane, Arno and Élise speak in french without going to Google translate.
Dobby: Delightful. Now what?
Willoffire123: Je n'ai pas propre d'Assassin's Creed.
Stéphane: Allons-y avec le chapitre!
"Rafiq let us in!" Leonardo shouted at the closed roof entrance of the Assassin's Bureau.
"They won't compromise the Brotherhood, Rafiq," Arno assured the Bureau leader, already panting under the weight of Edward Kenway. Thankfully, Leonardo supported the unconscious man's other side, relieving some of Arno's burden.
"We knocked them out; they couldn't tell you how to get here if they tried," said Stéphane. Thankfully enough, Stéphane seemed strong enough to carry Shay Cormac on his own back. Arno chose to keep his berth. The man still gave Arno a sense of deep unease, but he couldn't deny the connection he felt with the man in the way the two saw the world.
"Rafiq, they found and brought us Edward!" said Dobby, readjusting Élise in her arms. "Let us in so Jamie can take a look at him!"
That did it. With a groan, the gated roof slid open, allowing the party of six to descend into the bureau.
"Jamie?" Leonardo asked Stéphane.
"A friend," said Stéphane, lowering Shay to the pillows scattering the ground. Dobby did the same with Élise.
"A lot of people have shown up from many different places to aid us," said Dobby. "You didn't think we were the only ones here from the colonies, did you?"
A pale man with bright, intense, blue eyes greeted the three assassins and the inventor in the medical wing of the Bureau, introducing himself as Jamie Colley.
"Lay him here, will you?" ordered Jamie. "Dobby, go fetch Clipper. Then the two of you go and draw me two buckets of ice water."
"Clipper?" asked Dobby.
"He arrived while you were out," Jamie said dismissively. "Something about being backup from Achilles. Now go!"
"Yes sir!" said Dobby, jogging off to find 'Clipper', whoever that was.
"You," said Jamie, pointing at Leonardo. "What's your name?"
"Leonardo," said Leonardo. "What do you need me to do?"
"I'm not even going to try and pronounce that right now," said Jamie, dipping two cloths in the buckets of water being carried in by Dobby and a young, skittish-looking man who must have been Clipper. "You're to help cool down his skin. These cloths should do it."
While they worked, out of the corner of his eye, Leonardo saw Shay slink his way into the room, mutter something to Arno, then sit next to him on the other side of the room. To Leonardo's immense satisfaction, he saw Arno scoot ever so slightly away from Shay. It was good to know that Arno, who had the power to see people's true allegiances, did not trust Shay. That way, their foundations of reality, that Templars weren't to be trusted, remained somewhat intact.
Jamie finished bandaging Edward and straightened to his full, towering-over-Leonardo, height.
"That should prevent the burns from becoming infected," he said with a sigh. "But when he wakes he has a lot of explaining to do."
"Yeah, like who is he?" said Clipper. "He looks familiar."
"That's Connor's granddad," Dobby whispered in Clipper's ear. "Edward Kenway."
"Oh…" said Clipper. "That explains it."
"Clipper, was it?" said Arno. "My name is Arno Dorian. You've only just arrived, so I'd suggest listening, rather than speaking. Trust me, it worked wonders when I arrived."
"When you arrived?" chuckled Leonardo, not failing to notice how Shay flinched once again at the name 'Dorian'. "When you arrived, you did all the talking."
"Anyway," said Jamie. "Besides the obvious questions, I'd like to know what the tattoo on his back means. Is it a result of his time spent in captivity? If so, do the others have the same tattoo? These are all questions for when he wakes."
"Is there anyone here for Edward?" Leonardo asked Clipper. "Rafiq mentioned help from all over the world had arrived."
"Let's see," said Clipper, leading everyone but Jamie into Rafiq's office. "There are a bunch here who don't speak English, but I suppose they wouldn't be here for Edward. Rafiq would know more than me about this."
Rafiq was locked in deep conversation with two of his men when the group entered.
"None have arrived from England for Edward," said Rafiq.
"He has good ears," Stéphane whispered to Dobby.
"Maybe," Dobby whispered back. "Or maybe Jamie's just really loud."
One of Rafiq's men tapped him on the shoulder and said something in Arabic.
"Interesting," said Rafiq. "My men tell me a woman by the name of Mary Read has arrived from the West Indies."
"Did she say who she was here for?" asked Arno.
"It's hard to say," said Rafiq. "My men speak very little English. They said that if you want to find her, she is with the others in the training area."
Leonardo and his assassin friends turned to leave.
"Wait," Rafiq stopped them. With a few quick orders in Arabic, one of Rafiq's men joined their party.
"Rafiq, we can find signorina Read ourselves, thank you," said Leonardo.
"I am aware, Leonardo," said Rafiq. He pointed at Shay. "However, this one and his friend will not be left unsupervised while in this Bureau."
Shay held up his hands in protest. "I promise you, Rafiq, neither Élise nor I wish any malice upon this Bureau or anyone in it. We wanted to ally ourselves with your order for this mission so much so that we allowed ourselves to be knocked out and brought here."
"Then I am sure you will not protest to having a shadow," said Rafiq with an air of finality. And that was that.
Shay's shadow led the group down a flight of stone stairs to a wide training hall, complete with training dummies, weights, and a shooting range. Assassins littered the hall, trying out the facilities, sparring each other, or simply standing in huddles, studying the hall's other occupants.
"I don't suppose we get to learn your name?" Stéphane asked Shay's shadow.
The man blinked, confused.
"They don't speak English," said the one person in the room who wasn't part of a group, coming to join them. "I've tried. The only one besides Rafiq who knows more than a few words of English is off scouting the west wall."
She extended her hand to Leonardo. "Mary Read. And you are?"
Leonardo grasped her hand, studying her intently. She was an assassin; that much was obvious by the way she studied Leonardo. She had an air about her that Leonardo had come to associate with Ezio, the air that she'd been in the spotlight for too long and needed to return to the shadows to closer study her prey.
"Leonardo da Vinci," he said at last.
"You're not an assassin," she stated.
"No, I am not, signora," said Leonardo. "But everyone here is here to rescue our captured friends. Are you-?"
"Aye, I'm here for that lobcock, Edward Kenway," Mary said in a way so familiar to Edward it gave Leonardo goosebumps. "It took some persuasion, seeing as he left us for the British faction some time ago, but my mentor, Ah Tabai sent me to join the rescue party."
"How long have you been here?" asked Arno.
"I arrived just after young Clipper here," said Mary. "Before I could introduce me'self to the only one down here who wasn't speaking in tongues, he ran upstairs to deal with some sort of commotion. Has something happened?"
Leonardo and Arno exchanged looks.
"You'll want to come upstairs with us," said Arno.
Mary backed up from the group of seven. "Is this a trap?"
"You can relax, Mary," said Dobby. "Everyone in this Bureau is on your side. But you really will want to come upstairs."
"With the Templar?" she asked Dobby, indicating Shay. "Shay Cormac? Word of your arrival with Élise de la Serre spread quickly."
"Trust me, lass, I'm no more pleased than you are to be treated like a misbehaving child," said Shay.
"He'll behave," Arno promised. "But we need your help with something."
"Alright then," said Mary. "Lead the way."
"Before we do," said Shay. "Do you know my babysitter's name?" he asked, gesturing at his shadow.
"For Christ's sake," said Mary, rolling her eyes. She turned to the Levantine Assassin. "Mā ismak?"
"Athar," said the assassin, visibly relieved to hear familiar words.
"His name is Athar," said Mary. "Now, can we get a move on?"
"You speak Arabic?" Shay asked incredulously as Leonardo led him, Arno, Athar and Mary back up the stairs. Dobby, Stéphane and Clipper remained in the training hall, muttering something about being allergic to murdering traitors.
"After being one of the only English speakers here for a while, you start picking things up," said Mary. "I still can't understand the Italians though; no one can."
"I should be able to help with that," said Leonardo. "But for now we have some questions for you."
"Shoot," said Mary.
"Did Edward have any tattoos when you knew him?" asked Arno.
"The man's covered in tattoos," said Mary. "But I take it you're asking about a certain tattoo. I'd have to see him me'self to judge which one you're asking for."
She fixed Leonardo with a pointed look as if she already knew, and if Leonardo were to prove her wrong she would slit his throat. "But Edward's been kidnapped by a psychopath, so fat chance of that happening."
"Here's the thing though," said Arno, revealing Jamie and a very much awake Élise standing over Edward's bed, immersed in deep conversation. Another of Rafiq's men stood watch over Élise from the corner.
"Bloody hell!" exclaimed Mary, rushing to his side. "Edward!"
"He escaped somehow," said Shay. "Élise and I found him passed out in an alley somewhere on the outskirts of the poor sector."
"Thank you," said Mary, and she meant it.
"Besides the burns across his back, he seems to be perfectly fine," said Jamie, making a very visible point to put as many people between himself and Shay as possible. "But there's a suspicious-looking tattoo on his left shoulder-blade that I want you to have a look at. It looks quite fresh, but I had to be sure."
"You mean that one," said Mary, indicating the tattoo of an eye, 'Subject 5' written underneath it. "I've never seen that tattoo before on Edward. I doubt he'd get it willingly; it looks like a brand mark."
"Who gave it to him?" pondered Leonardo.
"And if he's subject 5, are the others subjects 1-4?" added Arno.
"This is very serious indeed," said Rafiq, coming into the room with two more assassins flanking him. "If he has been branded, there is a chance they could be on our doorstep looking for him."
"Isn't that good news?" said Arno. "We can lure them away from the Bureau first, obviously, but this is our chance to find out where the others are."
"Let me guess," said Élise. "By using yourself as bait?"
"Well, I was hoping Shay would volunteer himself as well," Arno said sheepishly.
"You're forgetting Edward, boy," said Mary. "There's still a chance he can tell you where he's been held the past month."
"And even if he can't," said Leonardo. "He must have at least some information on the place."
"If you insist on coming up with plans on getting yourself captured, my child, I have no choice but to assign you a guard," said Rafiq. "Since you seem so entranced by young Élise, Khayal will watch over both of you. Neither of you are to leave his sight, understood?"
"Yes sir!" Élise smirked.
"All of you hush!" ordered Mary. When the room went quiet, Arno heard a groan from the bed.
"He's waking up," Leonardo said lamely.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," Arno quipped, earning a smack on the shoulder.
"Hush," said Leonardo. "You're about to meet another man who sees the world the way you do, only this one's on your side."
With another groan, Edward opened his eyes.
"Edward," said Mary. "How do you feel?"
"Mary?" Edward croaked. "Why…"
"I've only just arrived to rescue you," said Mary with a tender smile. "Though it would seem I wasn't needed."
Edward scanned the room, searching for a familiar face. "Leonardo."
"It's good to see you, Edward," said Leonardo, clapping him on the leg.
"Mary, help me up, will you?" asked Edward.
Mary obliged, slowly helping Edward into a sitting position.
"The others?" he asked, not daring to hope that maybe…
"Still trapped," said Shay. "We found you passed out in an alley by the poor district."
Edward locked eyes with Shay and snarled at him.
"You," he hissed with such venom that even Mary flinched.
"You have a problem with him too?" asked Leonardo, attempting in vain to lighten the mood.
"Leonardo, stay back," Mary warned. "Edward, stay down; you've been hurt."
"Damn it, Kidd!" Edward swore at Mary, struggling weakly against her firm hands holding him down. "Let me go!"
"Not until you calm down," she said calmly. "Shay may be a Templar, but he and this red-haired girl are here to help us find your brothers and your son and grandson."
"Why must everyone here try and kill me?" Shay mourned. "Look, Edward, we found you and brought you here. Shouldn't that count for something?"
"YOU KILLED ADÉWALÉ, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Edward roared.
Shay went pale. "You-you knew him?"
"HE WAS MY BEST FRIEND, YOU BASTARD!" Edward roared again, slamming Shay against the wall. Mary had long since stopped restraining Edward and advanced on Shay herself.
"Did you kill Adé?" she said coldly. "Think very carefully on your answer; my friend's response depends on it."
Everyone else in the room had gone very quiet. Arno knew that sooner or later, someone would come to blows with Shay, or even Élise, but most likely Shay. Because of his history with the assassins, and his role in the Great Purge of the colonial rite, Shay would never truly be welcomed in their group.
That didn't mean they didn't need him though. Arno hoped that both Mary and Edward would realize that they needed Shay in order to find the others.
Élise watched closely, poised to grab Shay and flee, should the need present itself. She'd never really trusted the man, but he, like her beloved Arno, seemed earnest in his desire to do what he believed was right. How could she possibly find fault in that?
Shay took a deep breath. "I've regretted it every moment since it happened, but yes, I killed Adéwalé."
Both Athar and Khayal jumped in between Shay and Edward and Mary, shielding the Templar from harm.
"Enough, you two," said Rafiq. "Mary, help Edward back to his bed."
Rafiq was the only one who had noticed Edward start to sway on his feet. Mary could have kicked herself for not noticing sooner, but she helped one of her oldest friends back down to his bed.
"I didn't want to kill him," Shay said earnestly. "To me, he hadn't done anything wrong. He was an icon, a symbol of everything the Assassins stood for, and needed to be eliminated. At least, that was what Haytham insisted on telling me. I was following orders. In his dying moments, Adéwalé told me I had become a monster in my pursuit for redemption."
"Adé always did have a way with the truth," Edward told Shay, his words filled with hatred.
"I don't think you're processing this, Edward," said Mary. "Your son ordered the assassination of your best friend."
Edward paled. "Haytham?"
"He's a Templar; what did you expect?" piped up Jamie. "While Shay was responsible for most of the exterminations of our colonial order, he carried them out on Haytham's orders."
"Haytham Kenway is responsible for the deaths of countless assassins," Jamie continued. "As well as the failed execution of his own son, Connor."
"Maybe this should be something to discuss later, yeah?" said Mary, giving Edward a concerned look. "For when Edward's better rested."
"It's alright, Mary," said Edward, his jaw set in determination. "I need to hear this."
"You know," Leonardo said feebly. "The fact that Connor even exists is proof that Haytham isn't a completely heartless bastard."
"Haytham loves his son," Edward insisted. "I wasn't sure of it before all of this happened, but I am now as sure as I am that I love my son."
Edward locked eyes with Shay. "You're red, you know that?"
Shay nodded. "I wouldn't have expected anything else."
"They did something to me," said Edward. "They experimented on me, made me relive moments in my life when I noticed that I was different."
He took a deep breath. "They made me find countless hidden guards and fight them. Then, when I was too tired to use my Eagle Vision anymore, they injected me with something."
He stood to his full height, coming within an inch of Shay's face. "Now my Eagle Vision will not turn off."
"And you want to know if I can go through with this?" said Shay.
Edward chuckled harshly. "No, lad, you have no choice. You will help me rescue my son, my grandson and my brothers, but make no mistake, Adé's blood still stains your hands. You will always be red, understood?"
"What he means is, you will never be redeemed," said Mary. "Now get out."
Shay left, knowing he couldn't salvage the situation.
"Shay," said Élise, coming to join him. "Khayal, could you leave me with Shay and Athar, please? I must discuss something with him in private, without Arno."
"Of course, madam," he said in heavily accented English.
"Élise, I can explain-," Shay started as Khayal left the room.
"No, you really can't," Élise cut him off, regarding him with a certain degree of scrutiny. "Shay, I've only trusted you until now because we are brothers in arms, but I can see that you're keeping something from me, something that has to do with Arno."
Shay paced harder in circles around the side chamber, refusing to look at Élise. "Tell me, Élise, when did you meet Arno?"
"When we were children," she said immediately. "One day, our fathers had business at Le Palais de Versailles."
She smiled fondly, paining Shay even further. "We played together the whole time our fathers were off taking care of their respective businesses." Her face fell. "Then we returned to where I'd found Arno to see his father dead on the floor. My father took him in that day and raised him like his own son. When my father was killed, Arno vowed to help me track down his killer, who is still somewhere in Paris. But what's my past with Arno got to do with you?"
"I think you know already," said Shay, wringing his hands in anxiety.
Élise's heart sank. "Mon Dieu…"
"Yes, Élise," said Shay. "I killed Arno's father."
Arno: Wait, WHAT?
Leonardo: Wow…
Shay: Why must everyone hate me?
Edward: Because you killed Adé.
Arno: AND MY FATHER?
Dobby: We
Stéphane: told
Clipper: you
Jamie: so!
Willoffire123: haha, very clever.
Athar:…
Khayal: Athar says he does not know what is going on, but a lot of people are shouting, so he is interested enough to keep watching.
Athar:…
Khayal: Athar also says to give out the Arabic, French and Italian translations
Khayal-ghost
Athar-shadow
Mā-ismak?-What is your name?
Signorina-miss
Mon Dieu-my god
Le Palais de Versailles-Palace of Versailles
Willoffire123: And there you have it! A nice, fat chapter for my loyal readers. Let me know what you think! I'll be out for spring break on Friday, which means you can expect the next chapter, featuring either Ezio and Altaïr, or Connor and Haytham, (or both!) to be coming out soon.
Leonardo: Until next time!