Alright. Double update!

Chapter 6: Waiting

The bad feeling didn't go away once Altair, Malik, and Kadar had left on their mission. It only got worse. I could hardly focus on anything. I didn't go to any of my haunts hidden in the castle or go watch the training in the courtyard. I waited by the village gates pretty much all day every day. The only other things I did were eat, sleep, train, and visit the women because they made me promise to come back when I had to leave. It wasn't nearly as fun or entertaining as the first day because I was so distracted.

I made sure to put an extra effort into making sure the women didn't see how out of it I was. I tried my best to push that bad feeling aside and enjoy the women's company. They taught me games and we talked and I learned more than a few secrets of the inhabitants of the castle. I was still very self-conscious around them and kept my hood up despite their begging and asking and pouts. One day we spent our entire time together talking about me, much to my horror. I deflected most of their questions with vague answers about my past, my training, my thoughts, pretty much my life. Though it was a bright spot in my day when I walked into the gardens and have all the women call an excited greeting to me and have Aneesa almost tackle me to the ground as she latched on to my arm.

I kept to my routine and trained every morning, but it took me longer and longer to clear my mind. It began making slip ups that infuriated me. I took more hits form the dummies, had a knife or bolt a few inches from the center, and I almost even fell out of a tree. It was ridiculous. This worry was going to kill me if it didn't go away soon. If I had to go to battle right now it would be chancy at best if I would get away unscathed or even alive.

And I was always depressed as I sat by the gate, my heart racing in relief when someone walked through the wooden gates only to have it drop with disappointment when it wasn't Altair. I wanted him back here in Masyaf where I could make sure he was alright. I recognized it as I stupid urge, but it was what I wanted. I was really worried and got more worried as the days passed.

It didn't help my worry when I would come in from my training, look up, and see Al Mualim watching my from his huge window just above the castle door. And I no longer thought I was seeing things when I looked at him with Eagle Vision. The red had grown to cover made a fifth of his body. I watched him more sharply than before and felt him watching me in return. He had never watched me before and it concerned me as to why he was now.

It felt like a storm was coming to me. A big and long and devastating storm. And it was killing me to wait for it. A very small part of me wanted to run and flee the storm. I put that one down as my bird instincts. The other part wanted the storm to show up already so I could fight it.

I really hated it when I was divided between two sides.

It was on the seventh day, as I was walking through the courtyard after leaving the women to go to the gates for my daily watch, that I saw Abbas talking to someone. Abbas has always been an unpleasant person. He was bitter and conniving and just plain…mean, for the lack of a better term at the moment. He was always picking on those below him and sometimes above him. He always had a problem with someone. I'm actually surprised Al Mualim let him join the Brotherhood. It was obvious that he cared not for his Brothers, as he should, but only for himself. He was worse than Altair in the self-centered category! He could not work with anyone on missions that required a partner and was more of a burden to the Brotherhood than anything else.

My eyes wandered to the poor soul he was belittling and widened.

It was Altair.

I strode up to them quickly. Just before I reached the two I pushed away my anxiety of talking to a stranger. "Be on your way, Abbas," I ordered with a forced steely voice. "You are delaying information to Al Mualim and he has been most concerned about Altair's mission. Should I tell him that you are keeping Altair from him or shall you move aside?" I had no clue if Al Mualim was concerned, but it was anything to get Abbas away.

Abbas whirled and snarled at me. "Who do you think you are to order me around?"

I motioned to the mark on my robe that told everyone I was a Master Assassin. "Your superior and that's all you need to know. Now be on your way." He snarled and glared at me before turning on heel and stalking away. I turned and smiled at Altair. "Safety and peace, Altair. I'm glad your back. Was your mission a success?" I asked when I noticed he wasn't carrying anything. May be the 'treasure' is in one of his pouches, I thought. "Where are Malik and Kadar?" I noticed they weren't with him.

Altair was stiff and cold as he said, "I must see the Master. Excuse me." He walked by me and I looked after him.

What was wrong with him? He's never been this… unfeeling before. Perhaps he is tired from his journey. I looked down the hill and didn't see Malik and Kadar coming up. I began to descend to the hilly roads, looking for the brothers. I figured Altair left them to put away the supplies and care for the horses while he reported to Al Mualim. But as I walked my bad feeling began to increase ten-fold. I unconsciously sped up my pace and stood in front of the gate.

There was no one on the road and I was about to turn around, thinking I'd missed them, when a horse came galloping around the corner in the road. My heart raced when I saw the blood covering the riders left arm. The horse was pulled to a stop and the rider looked up briefly and I saw the pale, tired, worn face of Malik. I sprinted forward and helped him come down from the saddle.

"Malik, what happened? How did you get hurt? Why didn't Altair take care of you?" He didn't answer and I saw what he was clutching to his chest. It looked lik ea head piece of some sort, but I knew it wasn't used for that since it was made entirely out of gold and there wasn't a place to fit it over your head.. It's the treasure, I thought. Malik had the treasure.

I felt my heart sink when I realized that Altair did not have the treasure and Malik had come with it injured. The meaning of it all hit me like a freight train.

It meant that Altair had failed. Malik was hurt and Kadar was nowhere to be seen.

My bad feeling nearly chocked me in dread.

2 out of 3. I'm shooting for 3 out of 3 and this next chapter is where the action starts.