"Can someone please explain why we have to drag ourselves through a god damned forest?" Jake demanded angrily as he bent down to slip under the branches, only to let out a yelp of alarm as he was whipped in the face by one of the lower hanging ones.
Ezio was laughing quietly. He already explained to me earlier that he spent a lot of time in the Tuscany countryside as a child, when his family visited his Uncle Mario's villa. He constantly sneaked out with Federico, and they wiled away many hours playing in the forests and fields surrounding Monteriggioni. Apparently, once their father accepted the inevitable, he taught them basic survival. So Ezio had no problems with ducking under branches and not getting caught by bushes or tripping over logs.
Which is more than I can say for either Jake or me, I thought angrily as I stumbled again.
We were like magnets. Branches and leaves were seriously trying to injure us, brushing and catching at any loose material at every opportunity. Logs all but jumped in front of our feet, the only things keeping me from falling were my decent reflexes and balance, and Ezio's steel-like grip on my arm. Jake, sadly, didn't have the luxury, and he was pretty beat in about five minutes, cursing me, my sister, the forest and the whole wide world for his sufferings and calling out to God to take pity on him.
Eve proceed in front of us confidently, showing that she walked this way a lot. Having little to no issue with the treacherous landscape, she easily led the way, as if following invisible markers.
"Because we have no where better to go," I replied to Jake somewhat testily. God help me, nature was quickly turning out to be no friend of mine.
"Figures," he snorted, "Can you at least tell me what this Assassin community is?"
I exchanged glanced with Ezio, who shrugged. I sighed. I was planning to tell Jake the full story at one point or another. But I really wasn't sure where to even begin or how he was going to take it- I remember when I found out, my very first thought was that Mario Auditore was an old senile man that talked nonsense. I was not old, and hopefully, not yet senile. But considering what happened in the past few days...I doubt he had the best thoughts of my sanity, and those of Ezio and Eve.
Well, I suppose he could just say we were all nutters and leave. Yet in any case, I trusted him to at least keep it all to himself, so there was not harm in telling him now. "Well," I slowly began, "Assassins are a faction who, as the name suggests, assassinate people."
"And we're going straight into their hive?" Jake raised an eyebrow skeptically, "So they can kill us?" Are you out of your damn mind, Eden? I could almost hear the rest of his question hanging unspoken in the air.
Likely. I replied mentally, but carried on as if nothing was wrong.
"It's not that simple," I waved, "Besides, Ezio, me, and now I assume Eve, are a part of the faction, so-" I was really hesitating in continuing, unsure if he really even wanted to know the full story. He noticed, and grimaced.
"Eden, you dragged me out of New York, made me a traitor to Larry, put my life at risk, and now made me go through a forest that I swear to God is trying to break my legs," he swatted at yet another branch that smacked him in his neck, letting out a hiss of retort. Thank God he wasn't at the end of his patience, as I think he would've gone and shot at the various branches hanging low and littering our path, and we did not need to attract attention. "I think I deserve to know what's going on," he snapped, his voice a bit angrier that it should have been. Mostly because he just managed to almost trip over a fallen tree that was hidden from sight by the shrubbery.
I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Even if it means losing sleep?"
"I can sleep in the morgue."
Ignoring Ezio's smirk of agreement, I shrugged. "You probably wouldn't make it to the morgue. Some ditch is a safe bet though. But you're right, you should know where the hell you're going. Ezio, help me out, since it seems Eve is set on completely ignoring us from now on..."
Together, we managed to tell him the entire story, at least as far as our knowledge even stretched. It was only interrupted by occasional bloodthirsty branches, but other than that, we managed to tell him of Assassins, the Creed, Templars and their general plan that appeared in many ways through the ages. It always came down to one point, though- dominion.
He listened with interest, as if I was retelling a good book. It was a bit of relief that he didn't yell that we were utterly insane. His reactions were actually pretty well-adjusted, showing slight hints of surprise only when I told him that the Knights Templar had not gone extinct, like everyone thought.
Eve actually paused for a second to add a few things, such as various unexplained happenings in the past few years that were carefully covered up, and that had relation to the bad guys. Apparently, she knew a few people that'd formerly belonged to the faction.
It was a strange tapestry we'd created, I realized as we continued to talk and connected the dots. Nearly a thousand years of a war that I had no idea was going on before I appeared in Firenze. And there was likely more of it, in between Altair's time, the Renaissance and the modern age.
"That's one huge conspiracy alright," Jake finally commented at the end, coming to a standstill. Eyes wide, it took him a few moments to let it all in sink in. Wiping his brow, he opened his mouth as though to something, only to snap it shut and wipe his brow again. "Okay…" he moved his lips as if chewing over all the information, but then shrugged, "It certainly explains a few things. I guess I can deal..." he muttered.
"Si," Ezio nodded in understanding, "It takes a bit to…get used to, amico."
"You don't say?" Jake snorted, shooting Ezio an expression of disbelief. "But, uh, what does it have to do with the gang? Did Larry know your old man was a, well, Assassin?"
"I have no idea."
"He did always seem to be keen on the idea of you taking care of those contracts though," he remembered, "Sometimes, he even overlooked more experienced members just to send you out on the jobs. I never asked, obviously, but it did surprise me at first."
"Maybe he knew what was in my blood and wanted to awaken this...inherited talent of mine," I shrugged.
"More like he wanted to take full advantage of you, the figlio di puttana," Ezio growled, eyes narrowed and glowing dangerous gold as he clenched his fists at his sides. I quickly placed a hand on his arm, gently running my fingers along it. My touch seemed to calm him down slightly.
"In any case, he didn't miss his mark. I don't mind the assassin part too much now, I just wish he used...different methods."
"Do they take anyone who's willing? The Assassins, I mean," Jake suddenly asked. I furrowed my eyebrows, looking at him with curiosity.
"I have no idea," I repeated. "Do you want to join or something?"
"If there's a conspiracy going on, I want to be a part of it. I'm not exactly a novice when it comes to the profession, and I'd rather be on the good side for once. You know, actually making a difference, instead of shooting innocent people? I'm done with all the bullshit. You know what it's like," he nodded. I smiled bitterly - I did. "I don't exactly have birthright or anything like that, so it would probably take a bit of convincing."
"You're a good guy, Jake," I chuckled quietly, though I doubt he heard. I was used to speaking with Ezio, who could pick up on the tiniest whisper. "I don't think it'll take that much convincing. From what I understand, the Assassins are still low in numbers, no matter the level of skill."
And really, where else would he go if we managed to get rid of Larry? He was good with cars and computers of course. But his criminal record was worse than mine, as he was not anywhere as careful and subtle in his jobs. The Assassins were the best place for him to put his skills to good use, though I couldn't claim to know what their standards were. Perhaps it really wouldn't be that-
"We're here." Eve suddenly stopped, and the three of us looked up at the same time.
From the outside, the community nicknamed Farm and Fortress looked like a mash between the two, if subtle. The fence surrounding it was dense, wooden on the outside, but somehow I knew that it was better enforced on the inside. A few barbed wires ran along the upper edge, discouraging adventurous climbers. The gates were shut tightly, small watchtowers flanking it from both sides, shadows of men looming inside. Perfect for snipers to easily take out anyone who didn't take the hint that trespassers were unwelcome.
I had to admit, it was impressive with the simple brilliancy of design. If anyone stumbled across it by accident, it was just a village that was not rebuilt yet, the owners of which liked privacy. Or perhaps a military facility of some sort, which was forbidden to civilians. I also noted that the roof of the towers were a deep, forest green color. Likely to make it harder for satellites and airplanes to spot it from above.
Eve approached the gates with confidence, stopping beside them. To my surprise, she opened a small niche where a keypad could be seen, pulling out a card from her pocket and swiping it over it before typing in a code. "Someone will be with you shortly," a monotone voice sounded, and Eve crossed her arms to wait. I blinked at Jake and Ezio, who shrugged in response. However, he looked more closely at the key pad. Making sure not to touch it, he waved his hand over it, a bit surprised that there was no further response.
"More magic?" he whispered to me.
"Electronics," I whispered back, "Though to be honest, to most people, it is like magic. We take for granted that it works."
"And when it doesn't?"
"People loose their minds…we've gotten a bit lazy in modern times, admittedly. I got off easy, as I didn't get too far into any of the technologies, though I did miss hot showers for a while," I smiled. I didn't turn on my TV much, barely used the phone, and used the computer only for basic research. All the other devices were simply more primitive in earlier eras; candles instead of light bulbs, carriages and horses instead of cars and so on. Not to mention, all my vaccinations were up to date when I left (as staying healthy was part of my job of survival. Thank God for free clinics…), so there was little chance of catching disease in the Renaissance.
"Ah," he nodded, quickly stepping away from it.
I'd only come across this many layers of defense in perhaps one building in my entire life. And that belonged to a very rich, corporate company.
Assassins really didn't like unwanted guests, it seemed. Not that I blamed them. However, while the gates were heavily defended, I doubted that the walls themselves were that big of a challenge. Especially if there was some sort of escape route, which I could bet good money there was, and someone found out about them...
In a moment, the gates creaked. Definitely something other than wood- the sound was more metallic and sharp. They didn't open fully, just enough for a man to walk through it.
He looked about forty years old, fit and tall, with pitch black hair and a thick stubble that suited him. His dark eyes looked mildly familiar. Thankfully, they weren't cold and empty like Larry's, but rather, somehow a welcoming, mild black velvet. Something about them made me immediately like the man, whoever he was. Even despite the semi-automatic rifle that was slung over his shoulder.
"Eve! And there I thought you made another run for it just to get out of helping your sister." His voice was friendly, accented with some sort of European dialect, though I couldn't put my finger on it. Likely, it was even a mix of different languages.
Eve grinned, leaving me a bit shocked, as that was the first time I saw her happily smile at someone, her eyes lighting up in recognition. "Some things have to be done, Diego."
"Ain't that the truth! Come on inside, a few people want to say hi to you. I'll fill Eden in meanwhile." Eve smiled again, disappearing into the gates as Diego turned to us, his face still friendly. It was a strange feeling - like finding family that you didn't even know of. There was no mistrust in his gaze, just sincere pleasure at the meeting. "Eden?" He gave me a cursory once-over, evaluating, though without malice. More as though trying to place me. "Last time I saw you, you could still walk under the table. Your dad used to talk about you all the time...and I have to say, you've grown into a beautiful woman, despite the, well, everything." He was smiling mischievously as he lifted my hand up to his lips.
I almost groaned; lovely, another womanizer in retirement.
Ezio certainly didn't seem to like the greeting much, either, his breath hitching in his throat behind me as he suddenly appeared at my side. "I think we should at least get an introduction before you put you mouth to places it's not welcome, signore." The jibe was smooth, but steely, like silk over a blade. I felt his hand immediately fly to small of my back, warm and secure as he nearly hauled me up against his side. Jake quickly flanked my other side, his eyes trained on Diego as I felt him drop a protective hand on my shoulder.
Well, at least those two were longer bickering back forth…except I was not sure whether or not I liked this whole new joint-effort protectiveness.
Diego immediately dropped my hand, and I took it back to the safety of my pockets. I hid a smile; though I didn't really appreciate Ezio's defense and Jake's over-protection, I wasn't going to fight either of them at the moment. "Safety and peace…no need for that, brother, we're on the same side." Diego didn't seem phased at all, but retreated respectfully. Really, I think he showed interest more out of habit than anything, considering he looked old enough to be my father. Or, by his word, was friends with him. "Come on inside so we can introduce each other formally, without fear."
With that, he turned around, and gestured for us to follow him inside.
The inside of the fence reminded me of an actual farm, though somewhat unorthodox. It was not a huge clearing, but rather the village was integrated with the forest, so that patches of trees were everywhere, hovering over our head. There were fields to the left, and houses spread to the right, a few huge barns standing in the distance. It was harvest season, I guessed, because people laced through the tall crops, collecting them and preparing the land for next year. A self-dependent farm. Admirable...
A few workers stopped to look around at us, curious to the new faces, but not alarmed. A few called greetings to Diego, who grinned back.
On the other side, life was boiling, too. Women were washing clothes and cooking on the fires, men chopped wood and just hung around, playing cards or dice, laughing. There were plenty of children, too, playing and helping their parents with chores. Farther away, I could see a ring of fences which I could guess the purpose of. I also noted that all the roofs were green, a similar shade to the crowns of the trees. This place must have been standing here for some time now. And it was going to stand for a few more years, unless something drove them out. I somehow imagined the communities to be smaller, but perhaps this was simply one of the big ones. I estimated there to be around fifty to a hundred people living here, not quite enough to draw attention.
While we walked, I caught up with Diego, asking the question that was buzzing in my head. "You knew my father?"
"Of course! We were on the same squad for years when we were young. Or, younger. We've been around the world a few times and back. Name anywhere, we've been there. Once, we even came across a little town that worshiped a dragon! Can you imagine? We weren't so cruel as to rid them of their delusions, but we did take care of the noisy rich bastard that had nothing better to do but make echoes in the valleys. Anyway..." We'd crossed over to the barn by now, which I realized stood in the very heart of the Fortress, "My name is Diego, though you likely caught that from your sister already. I'm one of the Masters in this community."
"Masters?"
"A master assassin. I'm one of the teachers here now, who trains the younger generation."
I glanced at Ezio, who returned my gaze with surprise. "So this is like Masyaf?" I remembered Altair's chronicles from his codices, his descriptions painting vivid pictures of the fortress in the Holy Land he called his home.
"It's exactly like Masyaf," Diego nodded enthusiastically, needing no explanation of what I meant. "Except the communities are smaller. They're far easier to move in case of an emergency, very well hidden and entirely self-dependent. There are many of them scattered through the world now, all following the example of our ancestors."
"So- those families-"
"Half are hereditary assassins and their spouses and children. Then there are some that are refugees, and even some recruits, though those seem to be rarer and rarer with each passing year." I could feel Jake tense by my side, though it quickly passed.
"Then…why did my dad settle in the city instead of here?"
I had absolutely no idea that there were communities like these so close to New York, hidden in plain sight. I mean, I was never out of the city much, but somehow I think someone would notice an unregistered compound in the woods. I had a feeling you couldn't find this place unless you knew where to go. Or if someone purposely brought you here.
Was that what dad meant when he instructed mom to tell me where to find "it"? Find this Diego and get an explanation? Or maybe train...? Then why didn't mom tell me anything?
"I'm not sure what he was thinking, but he was always lenient on making sure you girls were safe." Diego continued smiling. I could see that the memory of my father in his mind was still light, not rolling into grief. "Now then, you two are welcome to explore if you'd like," he told Ezio and Jake, who didn't interfere with the conversation. "There're just a few things I'd like to discuss with Eden. It's getting dark, anyway, so you might want to find Eve. She can find you a place for the night."
"Oh, lovely," Jake rolled his eyes. "So I suppose we have to ready ourselves for a wagon of glaring?"
"She's not that bad. Just a little... mistrustful of males. Understandably." I licked my lips as I realized what Diego was saying. Eve was raped at the age of thirteen, shortly after she left me for the first time. It could have been far, far worse that it was just mistrust, as some women never recovered from the trauma. In some subtle ways, such was the case with Eve.
"That and the fact that she doesn't like us," Jake snorted, though his voice softened slightly.
I looked to Ezio, feeling a bit lost. The entire story reminded me of a roll of yarn after it was locked in a room with a playful kitten, and I didn't even know where to begin to follow the thread. Ezio didn't offer many answers, either. Just gave me a reassuring smile.
"Can you wait for a moment?" I asked Diego. He shrugged, and I took a few steps away so that I could talk to Ezio. "I'm getting really confused."
"It's no better from my perspective, mi creda."
"Larry is still out there, and I have a feeling the only way to stop him is to kill him," I muttered thoughtfully, "But for that, we'll need to at the very least get rid of Millie and Garrett - they'll defend him blindly, and they are a fairly good force together."
"This is a good place to regroup, so we can think up a plan," he suggested. "And we can go out to meet them before they arrive. There's no need to drag these people into it."
"Si, I thought about that." I nodded. I was a bit absent, so the Italian word rolled out before I could even stop it. Strange, I thought the Apple made everything seem like English. I'd have to try talking to an Italian from this time, maybe I'd actually feel the difference between tongues. "There are a lot of children and possibly innocent people here, and it's exactly in Larry's repertoire to take hostages to draw us out. I'm pretty sure this entire situation breaks that one tenant to not compromise the Brotherhood."
"Are they still kept to?" he asked with genuine surprise.
"Probabilmente. I have a feeling the only reason we're here is because Eve is my sister and this guy was friends with my father. Otherwise they'd probably just let us deal with our own problems."
"Or maybe there is something they know that we don't?" Ezio retorted, and quite fairly. I thought about it for a moment.
"I'll talk to him and try to get some answers, and then…I guess we'll just have to see."
"I will look around, access the location."
"Wow, you two are really a secretive pair," Jake finally interfered with our quiet conversation. He seemed a bit displeased. "I really have no idea how you learned Italian so fluently, but it's getting annoying. Though I see now that you two are used to working together."
We stared at him for a moment, and then shrugged at the exact same time, summoning a smirk from him. I looked somewhat sheepish. "Three years and counting," I counted on my fingers. Jake shook his head in disbelief, though he clapped me on the back in reassurance before following Diego.
"So do you know the situation?"
"I have a general idea, yes," I crossed my arms and legs, looking up at Diego from where I sat with a rather stony expression. "Though I really don't see why you bothered sending out Eve to collect us. We could have taken care of it, and it would have been nicer to hear she was still off the radar."
He sighed, looking very focused as he searched for something through the drawers of the heavy, wooden desk he sat behind. "I thought you'd be a bit more trusting of your own sister."
"It appears a closed circle then. We wouldn't have come looking for her if Larry didn't want to hunt her down. But, he would not know where to look for her if she did not resurface, just so we could find her. And yet, I still don't understand what the purpose of it all is."
"Larry Grale has become a bigger issue than you might think." He sounded serious now, all traces of a carefree man now gone, only a light frown in place. "We need to eliminate him."
"Aspetta. Larry is a gang leader who stepped into something bigger than he can understand," I leaned forward, furrowing my eyebrows. Something was not adding up. "He would not be a danger if you didn't bring us here, something that you did on your own."
"Ah, but of course, you don't know." He seemed to only now realize something that must have been an obvious fact to him. "The thing is, he is a part of this."
"Are we going to beat around the bush all day?" I nearly sneered, "Or will you just tell me everything from beginning to end?" I was steadily loosing patience.
He left the drawers alone for a moment, and leaned his elbows onto the desk, connecting his fingertips. "Larry grew up in this very compound."
Whatever I was expecting, this sure in the hell wasn't it.
"Wait one minute," I snorted with disbelief, "Does that make him a-"
"He is not an Assassin," Diego cut me off before I could finish the bewildered comment. "Calling him that would be an insult to us. He was meant to be one, yes. Sadly, he didn't like our ways."
"That sounds just like him," I sniffed. "Bastardo," I muttered, though Diego didn't seem to mind.
"Even at the young age of twelve, he managed to form a solid opinion. Though I suppose that is understandable, considering both his parents and older sister died while on a job. After that, he insisted in a change of tactics."
"Which was?" Knowing Larry, nothing good, of course.
"He claimed that we should drop the passive, 'from-the-shadows' approach, and go on the offensive. When countered that we didn't have enough men to just perform open, head-on sweeps, that the idea was utterly foolish, and that none of us would ever ask anyone to be sent to their sure death, he then said that we were the idiots, and that we needed to push our students to become better killers and murderers. Rather than keep to the old principles that are supposedly way out of style, apparently."
"So at the age of twelve, he already wanted to raise an entire army of bloodthirsty monsters?" I chewed the thought over, and was left very displeased. "And seeing as you wouldn't tolerate the idea, he left."
"Yes…I'm starting to think that we shouldn't have allowed him to." Diego sounded somewhat sad. "But we didn't get a choice. I don't know how he managed to escape the Fortress, but we didn't bother giving chase. We really didn't know he'd start a gang to fulfill that little 'dream' of his, Eden, believe me. We would have acted much sooner if we had known, prevented it."
I stayed silent for a moment. "But you found out. What stopped you then?"
"He knows how to hide. And you probably didn't even know it, but he was shielding you from sight, as well. And this situation is not entirely about you, though god knows I'm glad to see you out of his grip. You see, it started with a commission that Larry received about two weeks ago."
"A commission?"
"Yes. From a Templar, we suspect. They turned their attention to Eve and the Talisman. They want it, and they offered your gang more money than they could refuse. To them, it was also a way to get to you in case you showed up. While Larry is not a Templar himself, and likely still hates them with a burning passion, he likely doesn't even realize that he's being used as a pawn."
"The irony is staggering."
After a few moments, I sighed, really unsure how to react to any of it. "How did you find Eve?"
"She found us, actually," he smiled in remembrance. "We were pretty shocked when she just stumbled inside. I knew Max made arrangements for the artifact, but I had no idea that it would be passed on to his own daughter. He was very close to Tyler Beck, the previous guardian, who mysteriously died shortly after your dad did."
"I know. I killed him." I twisted my lips. Diego didn't seem all to shocked by the news, as if he was already suspecting that to be the case.
"Like I said, he planned everything out. Here, he wanted me to pass this on to someone in his family," Diego suddenly brought out a package from his table, pushing it towards me. "Eve refused to take it, said that it wasn't meant for her hands. And we couldn't find you."
Numbly, I took the box, cradling it on my lap. Dad wanted me to have something? But they couldn't find me.
Something inside of me snapped.
"Planning it out was not enough, it seems," I almost growled.
"What do you mean?" he asked, taken aback.
"He wanted mom to tell me how to get here, I assume. And yet she told me absolutely nothing?" I doubtfully replied, swallowing down my rising ire.
"Alice was only human," he quickly said, "She likely didn't want to be this close to his grave."
"And yet you had my sister, who you took in with open arms because she had a Piece of Eden. What, was I not important enough for you?" I grit my teeth. I wasn't sure why I felt so angry all of a sudden. But the idea that I could have been on the good side from the start, instead of slowly wasting away in New York set me off. Diego watched me with slight confusion, but I hardly cared. "She knew where I was, and likely told you. All it would have taken was a phone call, a visit, a damned letter," I furiously gestured, feeling my control starting to sap away. "Hell, you could have saved mom, too, if you just acted a bit earlier-"
"Eden, I told you, we were not given the chance to-"
I jumped up to my feet, my fists clenching. "What, highly-trained assassins couldn't deal with a gang of teenagers who were given sharp objects? You knew perfectly well where my family was located! You could have done something to help us instead of just ignoring us until you wanted to use us! That's what this is all about right?" I waved around us, "Using me? Using us? As tools for your little mission? I'm so tired," I breathed heavily, feeling my head begin to pound, "Tired of people seeing me a means to an end!"
"Eden, sit down." His voice was low, but it carried a dangerous undertone. But I was far beyond mere intimidation. Not with all this fabulous new information people enjoyed waiting nearly a decade to bother to tell me.
"So what do you want from me now? Information on Larry? Or maybe you think I know a weak spot of his? Or maybe you're only telling me this so that I'd have better motivation to kill him myself?"
"After what I'm about to tell you, I bet my right arm that you will want to kill him with your bare hands," Diego flatly countered.
"Oh, this I've got to hear! What more do I need?" I sarcastically retorted, gripping the edge of the desk and leaning forward, my gaze snapping to his. "I think there's been enough that, considering that because of your inaction, I was living under his thumb, learning how to be the mindless killer that he wanted to raise an army of! And all of it was for nothing! Because my mom still died, Eve still got hurt, Alex died, and until three weeks ago, I was nothing more than a fucking tool!"
The fact that I managed to make a Master Assassin recoil from my furious glare would have made me proud on any other day. But he handled himself very well, controlling his emotions with ease, and staring right back.
"And why do you think all those people got hurt?"
"What?" I said in a completely different voice, all but dropping back into the chair. I felt as though the wind was suddenly knocked out of me, exhaustion swiftly settling in. Diego took a calming breath, seeing as I'd stopped yelling, and continued. "Larry wanted to make his students into, like you said, mindless monsters. And for that, he needed to forcefully cut away all the emotional ties that held you back."
I was speechless.
"Can you stop staring at me, please?" Eve finally addressed Jake, trying to hide the fact that she was unnerved by the way the stood with his shoulder leaning onto the wall of the small house, his eyes glued on her.
"I'm just waiting for you to be done with this kindergarten class, and show me where I can dig a burrow. Or should I start gathering garbage for a nest?"
Eve looked away from him and to the three kids that looked close to holding onto her legs and whining for her not to leave them. Her face immediately lit up in an angelic smile, as she leaned down to look the two boys and a girl in their eyes. "See, the mean man is getting impatient. For all I know, he eats children for a light snack, so you better run along now before your moms will put up wanted posters."
They all looked at the "Mean Man", who bared his teeth in a cannibalistic smirk to play along. As if in a choir, they all let out musical screams and ran away. Eve had to really struggle to keep in her laughter contained, and Jake just chuckled.
"Fine, let's figure out some place for you to sleep," she smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "I believe there's a kennel nearby. The last occupant just died yesterday, so I take it you're interested?" she raised an eyebrow, her mask firmly in place.
"That's cold. Even Eden is warmer than that now," he rolled his eyes.
She was sure there was something underlying in his voice. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"The fact that she doesn't deserve your bullshit."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Please, you might not notice it, but she's changed. And you know what the best indicator of that is?" Jake stretched, and then fixed her with his stare again. "The Eden I knew from three weeks ago would never risk her ass trying to save you. She'd much rather join in the hunt, and wouldn't stop until she finished you off. Even if it meant setting this entire compound on fire."
"So what's your point?"
"The fact that at the moment Larry even suggested that he was trying to find you, she attacked him, and then turned her back entirely to the gang."
"Coming from you, that's rich," she waved in dismissal.
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
~The blood on him is not spilled on free will.~ the Talisman whispered. It was a strange voice. It didn't really have a language or intonation - just a breath through Eve's mind, a revelation. But she'd worn the artifact long enough to be able to separate its speech from her thoughts.
~It's still spilled.~
~Everyone around you has or will spill blood. You have, too. Don't judge him. He doesn't mean harm.~
"You're zoning out," Jake's voice interrupted her thoughts, breaking her conversation with the artifact.
"You're an idiot, you do realize?" she snapped back, covering her rising unease with a bristling retort. "For wanting to join the Assassins, I mean," she finally proclaimed the thoughts that she harbored on the subject, ever since she'd overheard his desire to join the merry ride.
"And why not? I have the skills, might as well put them to a good cause. Traveling around the world getting rid of the bad guys? Yep, that sounds like a nice deal to me. Why do you think I'm not up to it?"
"Well, for a start, you've likely never even saved anyone's life if you had the choice!"
"That's harsh. And so untrue."
"I don't believe you."
Jake just shrugged, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it up. "Frankly, I couldn't care less. I was just pointed in your direction by that Diego guy." Before he had the chance to put it into his mouth, though, she plucked it out of his fingers. "If you wanted one, you could have just asked," he rolled his eyes as she took a drag, and began to walk away from him. "Hey! About that burrow...?"
"Ask around. There's got to be someone around who is willing to take a stray in."
"I wonder, will you show the same hospitality to your sister?"
"I doubt she'd care, as long as she's with her betrothed," she called over her shoulder.
"You obviously don't know her very well," he snorted, pulling out another smoke. Suddenly, it fell from his hand as his eyes widened.
"Her WHAT?"
He could have sworn her shoulders shook with laughter. He ground his teeth, and broke into a run, catching up to her with ease. She was indeed silently laughing, her smile shining beautifully, flashing an even set of white teeth and small dimples in her cheeks. A diamond to take any man's breath away. And Jake was a particularly greedy one...
"Did you not know?" She showed completely false shock at his expression, "I guess she didn't tell you yet."
"Where are the love-birds, anyway?" he growled, ignoring her mocking remark.
"Well, one of them is right behind you," Ezio's calm voice came from...well, surprise, behind them. Both of them turned sharply, Jake's gun out and pointing at Ezio's head reflexively, only to be swiftly intercepted. Ezio batted away his wrist with a sharp slap, the weapon taken out of his loosened grip and in turn, pointed at him. All in the matter of a few seconds, and without so much as a breath of effort from Ezio. Eve arched a brow of rare surprise, Jake rendered speechless, his mouth hanging open.
The two stared at each other for a long moment, and then Jake rolled his eyes, holding out his hand for his weapon. "Reflex."
"Stesso."
Ezio's lips twitched into a smile.
The next moment, both men broke into loud, hooting laughter, scaring away the stray sparrow that was pouncing on the ground. Once they calmed down, Ezio flicked his wrist, handing the gun back handle first, still grinning broadly.
"Idiots," Eve muttered, turning away from the jokers.
"Ah, don't be so cold, sweetheart." Jake was going to swing his arm over her shoulders, but her glare told him plainly that that was a bad idea, "We're just having fun."
"I'll take this to mean I'm forgiven?" Ezio's smirk showed that he hardly needed forgiveness, but nonetheless, Jake played along, pulling on a grim expression.
"Oh, we'll see. Don't know what Eden sees in you, but my previous threat still holds."
"Speak of the devil- isn't that her over there?" Eve suddenly said in a strange voice. Both men turned around in the direction. The said "devil" was almost totally on the other side of the compound, walking away from Diego's office. Though she was not heading towards them, but rather, out the gate. "She's rather pissed off-"
"Eden got angry?" Ezio almost couldn't believe his ears, "What the hell did he say to her?"
"I'm not sure, but I think I know the gist of it."
"I'll go to her before she decides to massacre something."
Eve caught up with Ezio quickly, leaving a somewhat surprised Jake behind. "I'll come with you. I know where she's going."
"How?"
She snorted, "I haven't seen her in years, but think I know my own sister. She is going to the exact same spot that I did when I first arrived to this place."
"For the last few days she's been anything but stable. If she's angry already, your presence might send her into another frenzy," he told her with disapproval.
She just shrugged, brushing off his hand and turning to face him with a raised eyebrow. "And what would happen if we left her alone right now?" After a moment of thought, Ezio visibly shuttered. "Exactly. Besides, Eden is at an edge anyway. I remember she could not stay depressed or even angry for too long."
"Things have changed," he insisted.
"Not by much. All she needs right now is to blow off some steam."
"Even if she does, she'll still have to at the very least hurt something to calm down completely." Ezio knew of the little tick of hers. As even when she got a hold of her emotions, they were still there, at least until her next kill. A rather unhealthy habit that she developed through the years. But so far, it did a good job in letting out her emotions before they became a storm, considering they killed so often in the line of work.
"And luckily I know exactly the target for that purpose. Now let's go."
Admittedly, I liked this graveyard better than the grim fields of crooked crosses and gray stones and obelisks that I saw sometimes. The grave I sat in front of was exactly the same as the next one, and the next; marble white, smooth and baring the symbol of assassins right below the edge, where others would have put a cross.
There were flowers on this one, too, just like the rest. Red tones only, poppies, roses, orchids and peonies. All a deep scarlet color that reminded me of fresh blood. They pleasantly clashed with the milky white stone, I assume keeping to the traditional color scheme of the order. The only thing that was different on this gravestone was the inscription and epitaph. There was no date of birth or death, strangely. Nor were there any on the graves to either side of it either.
"Maxim Cleare
Fate prevails."
A strange epitaph, I mused. Simple, to the point, and very true. Perhaps in such a blunt way that he meant to say that no matter what, death is imminent. Or maybe he thought of something completely different?
I guess I'd never know.
When I thought he was alive, I wondered where he went. When I accepted his death, I still wondered where his body was buried. Now that I was in front of it, I was not sure how to react. My hand delicately traced the name carved into the stone, and the words below it, wondering what he'd say to me if he could see me. Would he be proud? Or would he just shake his head at my stupidity, and scold me as if I was a five-year-old stealing cookies before dinner? Not that he ever scolded me- just pressed a finger to his lips, glanced towards the room where mom was, and lifted me up to the highest shelf so I could grab the cookies.
A small smile appeared on my lips without me even realizing. My hand fell back to the box in my hands that I still didn't open, as if dreading the contents for some reason.
"You know, I don't think I ever hesitated this much before opening something. Which is strange - I doubt it's going to explode. It should be no problem, right, Dad?"
The slight change in the wind was my only answer. I smiled bitterly.
"I never thought you left me anything. After all, you didn't even tell me who you really were. Or that I could have had a completely different life if I just knew to look for this place all those years ago..."
My fingers slipped under the string binding the package, and with a quick slice of my knife, it fell off. I tried not to think of it as something that belonged to my father, but rather, like a harmless birthday present.
After a moment of shock, I shut my eyes tightly, and chuckled, shaking my head. "You know, most dads give their daughter's presents in shape of money, cars, jewelry...but this is rather original. It's like you knew!" My hands slipped over the rough leather and metal construction of the hidden blade, grazing it gently. "Easily concealed, hard to break, no one expects it. Where have you kept it all those years, I wonder?"
The bracer slipped onto my arm, adding unfamiliar weight to it. It was definitely lighter than I expected. I tried it out, cautiously, keeping my hand out of the blade's way. I shouldn't have worried, though. It extended with a click, and locked into place, the metal lying in my hand almost like a dagger.
"Interesting," I muttered, tracing over the mechanism. It lacked the pistol that Ezio's had, but I noticed the thin needle used for delivering poison. It seemed a bit more defined, light and precise. But still of the same construction that I watched Leonardo fix so long ago. I concluded that it was heirloom in essence, perhaps passed down father to son, mother to daughter, which would explain why it was not more technologically advanced than Ezio's blades. For the sake of legacy, no doubt.
I smiled suddenly, letting the blade silently slide back into the bracer. "Really, I'm not sure it can go without a purpose though. Who's heart would you want me to stab it into?"
"How about the reason our mother is dead?"
I smiled. "So you decided to start talking to me again?"
"In a sense. Mostly I just want to know why you're falling apart so easily. I don't ever remember you being this weak."
"If you were someone else, I'd probably punch you by now," I sighed. "I'm not weak." I quickly moved to my feet, definitely feeling a lot more calm than I did ten minutes ago, though a lot of my emotions were still compressed by the strange, soothing atmosphere of this graveyard. "I know what to do now."
"Yell it out for me then. I did the same when I found out, and I felt much better."
I looked at her strangely, but realized she wasn't kidding. She was right; right now, I wanted to yell. Calm or not, I wanted to throw all of it up into the air, and scream my lungs out.
And I did. I took a deep breath, and-
Jake was slowly finishing his last cigarette while sitting in the shade of the nearby tree, finally taking a breather for what seemed like the first time in a few days now. He leaned his head back, and closed his eyes. He felt very safe inside the compound, though his experience has taught him that nowhere is safe. Just safer, mostly. Yet being surrounded by walls, people, and assassins somehow put his mind at ease.
"Hey, are you new around here?"
He looked around at the man with surprise, but nodded.
"You're welcome to our fire if you want. We're cooking pork today, and you look hungry."
Slowly, almost disbelievingly, Jake smiled. "So there are good people in the world!"
"You're from the city, aren't you? All those who come here from there say that," the man grinned. "I guess we show a bit more hospitality than they do over there."
"I'll say!" He stood up, still smiling at the revelation and fell into step with the man.
All of a sudden, an entire flock of birds rose into the air at the earth-shattering scream.
"-I'M GOING TO KILL THAT BASTARD FOR WHAT HE DID! THAT DOUBLE-CROSSING FREAK, I'LL SKIN HIM ALIVE, I'LL MAKE HIM WISH HE WAS NEVER-"
The man beside him jumped slightly, but Jake, recognizing the voice (which began to swear in Italian at that point), just asked, "So, pork, huh?"
I was breathing heavily, leaning onto my knees under the slightly amazed stared of both Ezio and Eve. Then I straightened out, stretched, and smiled to the setting sun.
"You're right, I do feel better."
"Any time."
"Are you okay?" Ezio asked, his voice slightly hoarse, and I nodded enthusiastically.
"Hell yes! Let's take on the world!" Then, in a slightly apologetic tone, added, "Sorry for your bleeding eardrums and the fact that I've been a wet blanket for two weeks now. And Eve? Well, I get it if you don't want to hear this now, but I'm sorry…for everything."
"Apologies will all be accepted as soon as Larry is dealt with." She still sounded a bit stunned as she turned around and walked back to the gates.
I, meanwhile, grinned broadly at Ezio, who suddenly returned the smile and even began to chuckle.
"I don't think I have ever seen your mood change so quickly, bella." He swept me into a hug, still laughing so hard his entire frame was shaking.
"I haven't either. But the day is turning out much better than I thought at first. Aside from the fact that I just found out Larry was behind my mom's and Eve's incidents, and Alex's and Dani's accidents," I took a breath/ "But now, all I want to do is cut that son of a bitch into pieces and go home. Enough is enough. No more running, no more fear, and no more childish sulking."
"I like the way you think." The malicious tone of his voice was unmistakable. Especially as his hazel gaze glittered with anticipation at the bloodletting that would soon follow in Larry's wake. Without question, the assassin's instinct was awakened, prepared for what was to come. It was in his blood, after all. His inheritance, for better or worse.
Such was the case for me as well, even 500 hundred years later. Certain things did not thin out with generations...
"Yes, I'm quite proud of myself, too."
Larry would rue the day he ever crossed me, or any of those I'd loved. Assuming he even lived that long, of course…