Chapter Eighteen:

Black Clouds

2012

I secured the bandages around my stomach and upper-chest area, wincing at the tightness. Damn… I'll have to be more careful.

I sighed and quickly replaced my under shirt. It was lucky that Jared had a few spares that were my size. I didn't want to walk around with bloodstains all the time. Speaking of which, I had to clean out my robes. After about an hour of furiously scrubbing at the stains, I was sewing up the rips from being stabbed.

The door started to open, so I grabbed a throwing knife and tossed it at the door, where it embedded itself into the door. "Knock, dammit!"

Jeremy (or his body, as I didn't know what the hell to call that guy) poked his head in and glanced at the knife, smiling faintly. "You could have killed me, you know."

"You've died already. There'd be no difference."

He made a face. "Isn't that a bit cold?"

"Look—you just took over the body of someone who was barely into their life. I don't have much sympathy for that." I sighed. "People like us shouldn't be here…"

"Hm? 'Us'?"

I slammed my mouth shut and mentally slapped myself repeatedly. "Never mind! Just go away!"

Jeremy still came inside and pulled the knife out of the door, and then he handed it to me. "I've remembered my life," he told me.

"Good for you."

I knew that he knew I was making it difficult for him. But he still smiled a devilish smile and sat on the bed with me, where I was working. I ignored him and continued to work at my robes, but I pricked my finger with the damn needle and ended up getting more blood on the robes.

"Goddammit!" I snapped angrily. "I just got the bloodstains out!"

"Not very good with a needle, are you?"

"I never learned how, so every time I repair things, I do what I can. Usually, I send it in to get repaired, but we're flying right now…" I grabbed a rag and furiously scrubbed the blood out.

I jumped when Jeremy started to finger the scar on my left shoulder. "Hm… Is it still sensitive?"

"Of course it's sensitive! It was a bad wound!" I finally got back to sewing and started muttering curses under my breath.

Jeremy leaned in close, so much so that it was uncomfortable, but… still sensitive? Wait, did I know him?

"Why're you in here? If you have questions, ask them, or leave me alone!"

He chuckled and grabbed my hands, forcing me to look at him (or, rather, glare at him). "I must take offence to that."

My eyes widened as I looked at him. I hadn't noticed any of the similarities before, only because I was still fixed on him, and Jeremy was…!

Oh God no. God no God no God no God no God no God no!

"It looks like we got our second chance, Sara Taylor."

1512

"Ezio should be back soon," I assured Sofia. "It's only been a few months. I'm sure his business is done."

"I hope so…" Sofia muttered. "Ezio is… well, he's important to me."

"Capisco."

We sat there in silence for a time, before the door slammed open. Yusuf stood in the doorway, covered in sweat.

"Sofia! Get her out of here!" he ordered.

I looked at Sofia, and she was looking back at me. I shrugged, not knowing which one of us he was talking to.

Yusuf understood. "The short one! Sofia, get the taller Sofia out of here!"

"Why?" Sofia asked, standing from her seat. "What is going on?"

Yusuf didn't have enough time to explain, as Byzantine soldiers shoved him through the doorway. "By order of Prince Ahmet, you are all under arrest! Surrender, or die!"

"Sofia! Run!" I roared, grabbing her elbow and leading her to the back as Yusuf started his battle with the soldiers. Unfortunately, the area under the Polo's old trading post could only be opened with a hookblade. "Cazzo!" I swore. "Is there another way out?"

She shook her head frantically. "N-No!"

Yusuf ran into the room, his sword drawn and blood coating it. "Hurry! We have to—!"

Yusuf fell to the ground as a dagger lodged itself into his back. He died instantly. Sofia screamed as he did.

I drew my shortblade as the Byzantines came into the back. "Bastardi! Die!"

"Poco Sofia!"

I held them off, using everything I had learned. I had to keep them away from Sofia, or else Ezio…!

My thoughts distracted me, and a Byzantine slammed the pommel of his axe into my head. My brain jarred unpleasantly, and I blacked-out.

1205

"Are you sure you will be okay?" I asked, my hand squeezing her shoulder.

Ahdara nodded. "I will, cousin," she answered confidently. "I think it best if I leave here. I do not wish to bring anymore trouble with me."

"But you do not bring any trouble—!"

"You heard what the Templars said," Ahdara cut-in. "It was because of me that you were all attacked. I will find a way to redeem myself and repay you."

"Do not be a stranger," Maria said. "You will always be welcome in Masyaf."

Ahdara smiled. "I appreciate that, Maria. I will visit when I can." Ahdara turned away and took a few steps, but turned back. "Suna, I was right, it seems."

"About what?" I asked.

"Assassins are better than the Templars. Now that I know this, I can move forward without doubts. Thank-you all."

My family and I waved as she left, and she waved back. It was strange to see her walking away with a satchel on her shoulder, when I felt that she belonged in Masyaf with me and my family.

"Well now, maybe we can have some peace," Malik said with a smile.

"Oh please," Altair said. "We still have an angry army coming at us in a few days' time. We might as well prepare."

1512

I was shaken awake, my head spinning and hammering like a drum. I peeled my eyes open and groggily regarded Ezio and a few of the Turkish Assassins.

"Salve," I greeted. "Now, who was the bastardo who knocked me out?"

"Are you all right?" Ezio asked.

I nodded and sat up. "Si. I am. Let's not waste any time then."

"Mi scusi?"

I grinned and stood up, using the wall to help balance myself until everything stopped spinning. "We have to get la tua bella donna!"

Ezio nodded and stood up. There was a note in his hand, and after reading it a few times he crumpled it up and left it on the floor.

"Take care of Yusuf," Ezio told the Turkish Assassins. "There is something I must get."

At first I thought he was talking about Sofia, but we soon found ourselves at the Assassin Headquarters.

"I'm trading the Masyaf Keys for Sofia's life," Ezio explained as he put each one into a bag carefully.

"But you will go after them again, si?"

"I do not know," Ezio admitted. "If I have the chance, I will take it. If it means Sofia dies, then I forget about the keys."

I nodded in understanding. "Bene. I admit, I am curious about what Altair hid in his library, but I wouldn't trade an innocent life for whatever he left."

"Haven't you been in there before?" Ezio asked.

"Si. I went there to be by myself, read, or go with the other Master Assassins and strategize. We were constantly under attack by over-ambitious Templars back then. That's actually how I met my cousin and uncle."

"I wasn't aware that you had."

"Ah. Did I forget to tell you?"

"You barely tell me a thing, as it is. I've learned about Altair with his keys, and I've only ever seen you twice. You weren't hard to recognize, amico. Though you seemed quite grouchy, to be honest."

"Well, from what I know, the scenes that were revealed to you were not the best times of my life. Not the worst either, but I didn't have much to compare. You saw me stand beside Altair as he killed Abbas, and as he escorted the Polo brothers to safety. Like I said; bad times."

"Capisco," Ezio said.

We climbed onto the broken battlements and faced Ahmet. Two Byzantines flanked him, their swords drawn.

"Ezio Auditore," Ahmet greeted. "It is hard to call you a friend when you have so much bloodlust."

Ezio ignored that comment. "Where's the girl?"

"The keys," Ahmet said, holding out his hand.

"The girl first."

Ahmet motioned upwards. On the tower, a Byzantine was holding onto a struggling Sofia, though she had a bag over her head.

"Sofia!" Ezio exclaimed.

Ahmet, once more, held out his hand. "The keys." Ezio tossed the bag containing the keys to Ahmet. With a smile, Ahmet said, "She's all yours."

Ezio sprinted faster than I'd ever seen to the tower and started to climb like a madman. I struggled to keep up with him, but Ezio had beaten me to the top by the time I was halfway up. When I finally reached the top, Ezio was leaping off of the tower.

I looked at Sofia—or, rather, Azize, an Assassin who had been kidnapped by the Templars. She pointed to Ezio, who was gliding with his parachute towards the real Sofia, who was about to be hung.

I nodded to her and leaped off of the tower, landing in a bed of hay. I popped out and started to sprint the way there, letting the other Assassins take care of the Byzantines who got in my way. I reached Sofia first, just barely ahead of Ezio. I activated my hidden blade and jumped on top of the Byzantine soldier who was in the process of hanging Sofia. He released the rope, and as he did, Ezio slid underneath the falling Sofia and caught her in his arms.

Ezio quickly released Sofia, and she started coughing in an effort to get air back into her lungs. Ezio affectionately rubbed her back, in hopes to make her feel better. I decided to keep an eye out, just in case more Byzantines showed-up.

"Are you hurt?" Ezio asked.

Sofia shook her head. "No, not hurt. But very confused."

"I did not mean to drag you into this. I am sorry." Ezio took her arm and helped her to stand.

"You are not responsible for the actions of other men."

"All this will be over soon," Ezio told her, an edge of urgency touching his voice, "but I need to recover what they have taken."

"I do not understand what is happening, Ezio. Who are these men?"

I ducked, and the gunshot missed me by inches. The bullet imbedded itself into the tree that Sofia was to be hanged upon.

"Run!" Ezio quickly led Sofia to a carriage and helped her onto it, following her as soon as she was set. As Ezio grabbed hold of the reigns, I leapt onto the back of the carriage.

"You weren't going to forget me, were you Auditore?" I asked with a smirk.

Ezio looked back at me and smiled, but then put his full attention to the horses. A few minutes later, Ezio spurred the carriage on.

"We are close! Keep steady!" Ezio said.

I looked to my right and saw Ahmet, his own carriage matching our speed. He noticed us and tried to get the horses to run faster, but I could see how tired and abused they were, even from how far away we were. Behind him was another carriage, though not as large as Ahmet's.

Ezio broke through a fence and nearly pulled-up beside Ahmet. The Prince smiled at us, as if he believed we would surely perish in an instant.

"Well, well! You have come to see me off!" he quipped with a smirk.

Ezio slammed our carriage into the one behind Ahmet. I tried to balance myself, but ended up on my arse anyway.

"Watch where you're driving, idiota!" I snapped, both to Ezio and the Byzantine manning the other carriage.

Horses pulled-up beside us and were taking aim. Before I could steady myself to use my throwing knives, they fired, and one of them clipped Sofia in the shoulder with a shot.

"Sofia!" Ezio exclaimed. "Are you all right?"

"I just got hit in the shoulder!" she snapped forcefully. "It hurts, but I will manage."

Ezio hesitated, but nodded and then continued the fight against the horsemen and the carriage. He slammed into the other carriage, again and again, and finally forced it onto the rocks. The carriage ripped apart and instantly killed the Byzantine driving it. Another carriage came up beside us, so Ezio rammed into them as well, while I tossed some throwing knives at the gunmen on horseback.

We finally made it beside Ahmet. He slammed his carriage (which was twice the size of our own) into ours. Sofia was jarred from her seat, and hung on for dear life onto the carriage.

"Hang on, Sofia!" Ezio released the reigns to help her.

"Look out!" Sofia exclaimed.

We hit the rocks and flew into the air. Ezio grabbed onto the beam connecting the horses to the carriage, and I managed to stay in the back of it. I tried to grab Ezio, but he slipped. My heart stopped as I looked back to try and find Ezio, but I found him holding onto a rope connected to the carriage. Ahmet took his chance and pushed his carriage towards Ezio, but the Mentor was one step ahead of the Prince. Ezio deployed his parachute and connected it to the rope, and so I breathed a sigh of relief.

I grabbed onto Sofia's arm and pulled her into the driver's seat. Ezio would take care of anyone behind us, while I would attack any who got too close, that way Sofia would be free to focus on following Ahmet.

I hope we do not make a habit of this, I thought as I clenched my teeth. These two are going to give me grey hairs before I even reach that age…