Chapter 11

Max slaps the feather down on the counter with an open palm. Rafiq actually smiles at her behind the counter.

"Word has reached me of your victory, Maria. You have my gratitude, and my respect." Max nods and smiles to herself. His praise makes her insides clench in satisfaction.

"Thank you."

"It is a shame that the other Assassins continue to hold you in such poor regard." He says lightly, and she smiles bitterly. She knows that most of the others in the guild hold her as lower because she's started training so late, and because of Al Mualims favoritism of her.

"Rafiq, I do not care what the others think of me." She mutters, taking the few bronze coins he slides across the counter.

"As you wish, Maria. You should bring news of your victory to Al Mualim. I'm sure he has more work for you to do." He turns away from the counter, and Max leaves, climbing up the fountain with ease and taking off across the rooftops with the midday sun beating down on her head. She's headed back to Florence, and it would be best if she got there before before the sun set. She stays hidden until she reaches the edge of the city, mounting a horse and riging back in the direction of Florence.

Her body still remembers where Fang touched her, burning like a popped callous. Max's mind is blank as she rides back, letting the horse have it's head and run as fast as it wants back to the city. Where did he go after that, what was he even doing in Limassol, and why did he need to kiss her? Her cheeks burn and she stiffens, pressing her left calf into the horse's side. She'll forget that happened, Nudge told her so many times that there's no space in an assassin's life for love, she knows that well.

At the gates of Florence, she dismounts hastily and speed walks towards the gate. The guards there notice her, but let her pass. Thinking of Fang has made her agitated, and if one of them was to confront her right now, she couldn't say she wouldn't draw her blade and kill him. She doesn't bother sneaking on her way back to the church, she just walks and lets the guards see her and watch with wary hands over their quivers of arrows.

At the church, Al Mualim stands facing away from her, looking out the windows when she comes in. She's surprised that the church is still serving as a sanctuary after what happened, but she's not high enough a rank to ask questions.

"You've done well, Maria. And I'm confident this is but the first of many successes." He says, turning when she clears her throat.

"Tamir spoke as if he knew you well. He implied my work had a larger meaning." She says. She's prying, shamelessly, and Al Mualim sprouts a small smile at her defiance. None of his other students have had the guts to speak to him the way she did, but she amused him, instead of angering him.

"Significance comes not from a single act, but the context in which it is performed. The consequences borne of it." Max wants to sigh and roll her eyes. She's too tired to try and unravel his riddle, but she stands at attention respectfully.

"Then is there more I need to know?"

"Maria, your greatest failure was born of knowing too much. If I choose to withhold information, it is only to ensure you do not make the same mistake a second time." He says, and Max balances on the balls of her feet, cocking her head to the side and thinking to herself. What mistake did she make this time? Does Al Mualim know that Fang took her kill, and that in all technicality, she failed her assignment?

"I see." She says stiffly, one of the first lessons she learned when she first was initiated was to not start spilling information as soon as Al Mualim started asking questions.

"No you don't! And it will remain this way until you've learned your lesson! Still you have performed competently, and as such I restore a rank, and will return a piece of your equipment. Go now, either to Acre or Jerusalem. There are men in both cities who require your attention. The Bureau leaders can tell you more of what needs to be done." Al Mualim spits sternly, and gathers a full set of throwing knives from the desk. Max steps forward to collect them, and Al Mualim turns away from her to release two carrier pigeons out the window. Max smiles as she silently weighs each of the knives before hiding them in their respective places in her belt. She wants to play with them now, but Al Mualim would have a whole new lecture for her is she did that. She leaves without saying goodbye, and climbs up to the lofts with a sinking feeling. Would Nudge and Iggy be here? Or would they have cleared out after Dylan and the governor came around, and still be out on their missions?

"Max!" An arm darts out from behind Nudges door and pulls her into Nudges old room.

"Nudge? I'm so glad you're here!" Max pulls Nudge into a hug and squeezes hard before pulling away.

"Did you get out okay? Iggy and I were so worried about you the whole time we were in Jerusalem!" Nudge says, and Iggy clears his throat from behind Nudge where he's lying on the bed, rolling an orange between his hands.

"Yeah, let's just ignore me, I didn't miss you either, Maria..." Iggy grumbles, and Max trots across the room and flops down on Iggys stomach.

"Aww...Don't call me that. I missed you Iggy. I thought you guys wouldn't be here when I got back." Max croons, and Nudge curls up against Iggys side, tugging on Max's hair for attention.

"We thought for sure none of us would be back. The governor came here looking for you, His son must really like you." Iggy says, and winks at her, but she rolls her eyes and climbs off him and sits by their knees, her heavy belt digging into her stomach.

"Nah, they're probably looking to turn me in. They wouldn't marry me to him with a bounty over my head." Max quips, picking at a hangnail, and Nudge sits up with a mischievous grin.

"Max is the only assassin who came with a bounty. You're so lucky, the rest of us really had to work for that recognition." Nudge jokes, and Iggy gives her a shove. Max laughs at the memory now, and how scared she had been back when that bounty was first placed.

"To bad Maximum and Maria are two different people, or I would really be quite the executioners dream." Max says, rocking a few times before standing up and wandering over to where her and Nudges clothes are stashed in a wooden wardrobe with only one door.

"Iggy, out, I'm tired." Max scolds lightly, and Iggy smiles and sits up. Nudge kicks him squarely in the back and he rolls out of the pile of cushions with a groan.

"Fine, sleep until midday, Max. Wake up early and make breakfast Nudge!" Iggy says, and sprints towards the door.

"Hey! I cooked this morning!" Nudge hurls a pillow at the door and he slips through the threshold just as the pillow hit's the wall where he was standing just a second ago.

"Ugh, that kid." Nudge groans, pulling a blanket over her head and nesting down while Max strips off her dirty robes and belt, and changing into the old, soft, ones that were handed down to her. Max yawns, and blows out the candles around the room, leaving the three by the bed lit so she can make her way back to the pile of cushions.

"I'm so dirty. Want to take a bath tomorrow?" Max asks, and climbs into the pile of cushions next to Nudge, who turns to face her and takes a whiff of her hair.

"You smell fine."

"I don't feel fine." Nudge blows out the last three candles and snuggles into Max's side.

"Kidding. You don't have to wrestle me down to the bath." Max smiles and rakes her fingers through her hair. In the dark, Max feels more tired than she has in months. Her back is sore, her hands are blistered, and her eyes feel like they're full of salt.

"Good. At this point I don't know if I would be able to." Nudge quips, but Max knows Nudge isn't kidding. She's put on serious muscle, and she doesn't doubt taking on Iggy wouldn't be too hard of a match up.

"Go to sleep." Max says, and Nudge snuggles into her side. When Max manages to fall asleep, the backs of her eyelids remind her of the lives she's taken, the family's she's destroyed, and the parents who sold her.