Chapter Sixteen:

The Traitor, Resurrected

1511

"Cappadocia?" I repeated, taken aback. "Ezio, you're going to Cappadocia?"

Ezio nodded. "Si. Prince Suleiman is granting me a ship that will me manned by Piri Reis, and we are leaving tonight."

I bit my lip. "Would you like me to accompany you?"

"No. I need you to do something else for me…" Ezio smiled. It reminded me of how he used to smile when he was younger. "Sofia needs to be protected while I'm gone. I will ask Yusuf to keep his eye on her, but since you already know her, I would like you to stay close to her. Palaiologos may attack her to get to me, and I want her safe."

I smiled at Ezio. "Idiota. You really feel that strongly for her?"

"W-Well…"

I held up a hand. "Ezio Auditore, it's about time."

With a look that was almost relief, Ezio embraced me tightly. "Grazie, Sofia. For all you have done, and all you will do. Buona fortuna."

"Good luck in your travels," I replied as we let each other go. "And try not to kill yourself, old man."

"You are the old lady here!"

I smirked. "No one else knows that, amico mio."

1205

Two full days passed while I waited for Ahdara to awaken. What could the Templars have done to her while I was in Masyaf? I was only… unconscious… for a few hours, and then a few more to get to the camp!

"Do not worry, Suna," Altair told me as we walked through the keep. "I spent a little time with Ahdara when A'hd was in our custody before. She is just like you, so she will no doubt be fine. Just give her time."

The emotions on my face did not change, however. I was still worried. "It seems that I am still a child, Grandmaster. I don't have the hold over my emotions like you do."

"You think I have hold over my emotions?" Altair smiled and laughed, then patted me on the back. "Suna, you must remember that I am still disciplining myself as well! I rush into things and it is sometimes hard for me to think. That is what Maria is for: she keeps me in line."

I chuckled. "She does a good job of it. Sometimes I even doubt you're the one running the Order."

Altair laughed at my tiny joke and then took me to his study up the stairs. His expression changed from before and instantly turned sad. "We… need to talk, Suna."

He gestured to a seat across from his desk, and as I sat down, so did he. "Of course, Grandmaster. What do you wish of me?"

"We must speak of what will happen, now that we've found out what the Apple—." Altair gulped, though I'm sure he didn't think I noticed. "—What I did to you." I was silent as Altair cleared his throat. "It was Maria, Ahdara, Malik and I who saw you get stabbed through the heart, as well as A'hd and the Templar leader. I can tell by your lie to our Order about A'hd missed your vital organs that you wish to keep this quiet."

I nodded. "Abbas is already trying to put you under suspicion for holding that thing," I said. "If anyone learned that you used it to keep me alive, and now I cannot die by means of a blade, then you would surely be in a bad position against Abbas."

"You are an idiot."

I was caught by surprise. "Pardon?"

"You are thinking of my position instead of yourself. You should be angry with me. You should be furious. You should want to hit me over the head with a chair, but still you wait for my orders as if nothing has changed." He rubbed the stubble on his face. "Don't you regret it?"

"Regret what, Grandmaster?"

"My bringing you into the Order," he answered simply. "Things may have been different. You probably would have found your sister, and maybe she wouldn't have died."

"I would be dead now if you hadn't saved me that day, twelve years ago." I smiled. "Grandmaster, how could I regret the only life I have ever known?"

Altair looked distant, as if he were recollecting a memory. "In time, you may come to."

"I'll die of old age before that happens."

2012

"Liar!"

Diana attacked me ferociously, her hidden blades barely missing my body. I remained calm and deflected her blows, keeping my face like a stone.

"Why would I lie? What have I to gain?"

I grabbed Diana's wrist and twisted. She cried out, but attacked me with her other blade, forcing me back. "Jeremy! You have Jeremy to gain! You want to confuse me so I may fall onto your blade!"

"What I'm curious about is why the guards haven't gotten here yet," I told her.

She was panting, obviously because she'd over-exerted herself already. That was always her problem, I thought with a frown. All brawn and no brains.

"I switched the tapes when you escaped from them," she admitted, regaining her breath. "I wanted to fight you alone."

"Like when you gave me that note, letting me know that you'd be by the Big Ben to fight me."

Diana clenched her fists. "How did you…?"

"I told you—I'm the person who killed you. I drove a blade through your throat and fell into the river with you."

"And I say you've done your research well! But everyone knows that no one can live forever!"

"Says the idiot who just got resurrected, in a manner of speaking." I grinned. "You know, these days we have blonde jokes. I can imagine all sorts of jokes coming into my head, since I know who you are, and what you're like."

Diana ran at me, screaming a battle-cry. I grabbed her right wrist and flipped her onto her back, using only her momentum. I knocked the wind right out of her.

"I'm guessing by your reaction that you've heard a few already," I observed with a smirk.

"They're annoying and worthless!" she spat viciously.

I accidentally forgot, just for a moment, that we were enemies. It felt like we were sparring again, to be honest. Diana took that chance to grab my leg and bring it out from under me. My head slammed against the ground and blurred my vision. I closed my eyes to stop it, but I felt Diana on top of me. I blindly reached out and grabbed her biceps to stop her, and rolled. She got the same idea, and so we were rolling around like idiots for a while. I swear, I heard Jeremy laughing!

One of her hidden blades were pressing up against my throat. At the last minute, I adjusted her arm. She sliced the side of my face, just underneath my eye, and stabbed harmlessly into my hood. I kicked her off of me in retaliation and raised my head. My hood wasn't on my head, so I reached for it, but all of a sudden a huge light blinded my eyes.

A flash-bang? I covered my eyes and heard Jeremy scream all of a sudden. By the time my eyes adjusted, I saw him lying on the floor, holding his head in his hands as if a giant migraine was rendering him helpless. I'd had them before, so I probably wasn't that far-off.

"Jeremy!" I ran to him, hoping and praying that Diana had gotten caught in her own trap. "Are you okay? Talk to me, dammit!"

His eyes squeezed shut. "I… It feels like I'm dying!"

"How would you know how that feels like?" Diana snapped as she appeared behind me. "You're nothing but a child!"

I brought my hidden blades up to defend us both, but where I'd anticipated blades, I met with a foot to my face. I hit the ground again, the wind knocked out of me.

"But what you're experiencing is you ancestor," she said, smiling. "I'm not sure which one of them it's going to be, but they'll have to be strong. And since you're a child, you won't be able to fight back. I suggest you just lie down and be melted from existence like a good little boy."

"Goddammit Diana! He belongs in this time! It's wrong for you to be here! It's wrong for me to be here! He's the only normal person in this room, so leave him alone!"

"You don't get it, do you?" Diana smirked. "With people from the past coming to the future, we'll have a better idea how to defeat our enemies!"

I leapt to my feet. I could still help Jeremy! I could! But first, I needed Diana out of the way.

"I'm not holding back any more, Diana!" I roared. "This time, we'll settle this for good!"

"You're still going to pretend you're my old friend? Fine! Let's see how you fight!"

Our blades locked again, but I pushed hard and scratched her face easily. I brought my leg up and kicked her hard in the gut, then pinned her to a wall. She pushed back, slicing at every spot that she used to, knowing they were my hardest to defend. It seemed she recognized my fighting style.

The next hit I got in was at her hip, where I sliced after missing her abdomen. She backed-off, probably to gauge her next move. I took that chance to crouch beside Jeremy, while keeping my eyes on Diana.

"C'mon, Jeremy! You can kick your ancestor's ass! I mean, you sent that one guy flying a few feet with just your thick skull!"

For some reason, Jeremy relaxed. Was his pain getting duller? Was he winning?

"Heh… Maybe because… of how stubborn I am…"

Oh God, I thought desperately, taking a second to look at him. Paler than usual, and almost sickly. Jeremy! Goddammit! Stay with me!

"T-That's what I was implying," I said, smiling down at him. "Look, you've got to get through this!"

He chuckled. "Nah… I won't."

"Don't say that!"

With a smile, Jeremy flicked my forehead. "I'm glad… that I know who I am… and where I come from… You helped with that… I won't forget it." His smile broadened. "And I… got to see… who was under the hood."

"You sound like you're ready to die."

"I am." Why are you smiling you goddamn idiot? "I guess… I'll see you on the… other side."

I grabbed his shoulders and started to shake him, just as I glimpsed Diana grabbing another flash-bang. "You idiot! Don't say that! Don't say that!"

The flash-bang went off. I released Jeremy, just as his body went limp. Did he die? Was his ancestor actually there, or did they both perish? I was so confused and angry, but as soon as the flash-bang was gone, it was replaced by a smoke-screen. I couldn't see anything, and I was coughing. As if it would help, I brought up my hood while I gritted my teeth.

It looks like my efforts were for nothing, I though absently as I tried to watch out for Diana. I'm such an idiot!

I saw her blades before I saw her. The flash of steel in the smoke as they were brought down. I realized that my hidden blades were in their stationary position, since I hadn't wanted to wound Jeremy. With no time for me to react, as if in slow motion, I raised my arms to shield my face.

But the blow never came.

As the smoke died out, I saw Jeremy holding Diana's blades, blood slowly dripping from the wounds on his hands. She looked just as surprised as I was.

"J-Jeremy?" He didn't seem to hear me.

"My apologies," he told Diana. "I don't enjoy hitting women, but I'll make an exception for you."

He brought his leg up and kicked Diana hard in the chest. She slammed into the wall and held her head as it started to bleed.

"I remember you," he seethed, "and so I'll show you no mercy!"

Uh-oh. Now what?