A/N: here goes nothing. Now starts the beginning of the end.

...

(AltairPOV)

Something was wrong. There were no people milling about, no children kicking rocks in the streets. The sun shone, but somehow it was still grey and morbid-looking. This was not good.

So I walked up to the only man present, who was standing under the fig tree. "What happened here? Where is everyone?"

"Gone to see the Master."

"Was it the Templars?" I asked, worry spiking my tone. "Did they attack again?"

"They walk the path." Amai stepped up closer when he said this, her face as confused as I felt.

"What path? What are you talking about?" This mindless blathering was beginning to annoy me.

"Towards the light..."

"Speak sense!" Amai finally snapped, snarling the words and stepping forward.

"There is only what the Master shows us. This is the Truth."

"You've lost your mind," was the first reaction that came to mind.

"You too will walk the path," he continued, "Or you will perish. So the Master commands."

After muttering a curse Amai asked, "It was Al Mualim, wasn't it? What's he done to you?"

But instead of answering her question he just called out, "Praise be to the Master for he has led us towards the light!"

Amai, feeling that he had nothing more of relevance to say, began to walk away. I followed, looking a question at her.

"When I killed Robert, he told me that there was one more who knew the secret," she explained. "Al Mualim was who he spoke of."

Eventually we came upon the guards who stood at the base of the path to the fortress. I don't know why they attacked us - they'd seen us many times before - but they did. I drew my sword and heard Amai do the same.

A few grey-clad guards were killed on both of our parts when a certain grunt of pain reached my ears.

Amai.

My blood ran cold with rage. The four guards facing me lay dead in seconds, and I was going to kill the others when they began to run. Something silver crossed my vision and stuck into a guard's back.

"Altair! Up here!" I had never been so happy to see Malik. I helped Amai stand and slung her arm around my shoulders. She had a long, scarlet line across her stomach, right above the belt. Together we made our way up the hill to Malik and his men, but she was unconscious by the time we reached them.

"You picked a fine time to arrive," I said jokingly.

"So it seems," he didn't get it. "Is Amai alright?"

One of his men gestured to take her. "I hope so. Guard yourself well, friend. Al Mualim has betrayed us."

"Yes, and betrayed his Templar allies as well."

Why was he so calm about this? "How do you know?"

"After we spoke, I returned to the ruins beneath Solomon's Temple," he explained. "Robert had kept a journal there, filled its pages with revelations. What I read there broke my heart, but it also opened my eyes. You were right, Altair. All along, our master has used us! we were not meant to save the Holy Land, but deliver it to him! He must be stopped!"

"Be careful, Malik," I warned, "What he's done to the others, he'll do to us, given the chance. You must stay far from him."

"What would you propose?"

I didn't have to think about it. "Stay here and look after Amai. I'll see if I can reach him."

"...All of us?" he almost sounded disappointed. "My blade arm is still strong, and my men remain my own! It would be a mistake not to use us!"

I sighed. Malik and his stupid ambition. "Distract these thralls, then. But their minds are not their own. If you can avoid killing them..."

"Yes. Just because Al Mualim has disobeyed the Creed doesn't mean we should as well."

"And please take care of Amai," I added, "If she dies, the one responsible will pay dearly."

This surprised him. "But you said yourself that their minds weren't their own."

"This is different." I muttered darkly, pushing past him.

...

A/N: Grrrr, Altair's gonna torture somebody.