II
Of Bets And Blood

Mary Read was an Assassin and she had taken her training seriously. While Edward was off doing who knew what, she was sitting high up in a tree where no one would care to look. She was drowsy and the hot Kingston sun almost made her want to curl up and go to sleep. In one hand, she held herself steady in the tree and in the other hand was a half-eaten apple. Below her, resting in the shade of her chosen tree, were three guards. Their clothes were hot and sweaty she was sure so that was why they sought the shade. They never bothered to look up however and that was their mistake.

"Bloody fucking bastard" One cursed "My daughter's birthday is next week and he knows it. He expects us to flee town with him and be his bodyguards because some assassin is after him" The one guard was in a foul mood and was filled with curses and anger for her target.

"It'll be alright, Adam" Another guard comforted, and Mary thought he sounded sincere, "Perhaps you can find someone to take your place"

"Good luck with that one. He's so paranoid anymore, if he finds someone he wasn't expecting on his ship, he's likely to cut them down and then when he returns cut down the man he was to replace. That man is crazier than a well shaken sack of monkeys." It was the third guard speaking now. His shoulders slumped and he walked a few feet away from the tree. If he'd look up, he'd spot her but it didn't worry her too much. She took another bite out of her apple, listening carefully as she chewed. She could hear the one guard was muttering something.

"I don't even know where he plans to flee" It was the second guard again. The third one stalked towards the other two.

"Havana probably" His voice was lower but Mary heard it "I heard he has friends there. Powerful friends." The other two looked at him and the first rolled his eyes.

"That's a load of shite"

"It's not!" The third claimed. They began to argue about things that Mary didn't care about. She finished her apple in thought. He was probably fleeing to Havana and she had already figured out which ship was his. It was busy making preparations to set sail. If he was sailing for Havana, he was clearly seeking shelter with the Governor there. He was the current Grand Master of the Templars. So he had to be killed before he reached Havana, else he might fall out of reach and there was nothing more that Mary hated than failing twice in a row.

She finished her apple and gave it a good toss. The three guards looked to see where it came from and at that moment she leapt from the tree into a nearby pile of hay. It was convenient and to anyone watching, the jump probably looked impossible. She had been trained to make such jumps though and she did it with an unnatural ease. Or perhaps it was just well practiced ease. She popped out of the hay and brushed it off her as she walked quickly towards the beach. From there she began to make her way to the port.

She knew Edward was probably waiting for her already – she was nearing her three hour mark. Or maybe he was going to be late. That seemed like him. As she got closer to their meeting spot, she saw it was empty. She leaned back against the brick, arms crossed over her chest and her head down as if she were just listening to the people around her. She was just listening for one. It was quite a few minutes before she heard his voice.

"Oi, James!" She lifted her head. Edward made his way over and stood near her. "What did you find out? I know his ship is named The Frontier and its docked here but she's prepping to leave. Soon and on a long journey. Couldn't find out where"

"Havana. Looking to see shelter from the Grand Master himself" Mary stated a frown on her face. "We can't let him reach Havana, if he does who knows when I'll have another chance at him"

"I thought women were patient" Edward stated and she shot him a baleful glare.

"Up your arse, Edward" She hissed. She pushed off from the brick and rolled her shoulders. "We'll take your ship. Go and make your preparations. I have some things to attend to"

"What am I? A dog?" He called as she walked away. She smiled, though he didn't see it and shoved her hands in her pockets, quickening her walk. She did have a few things to tend to – getting bullets for her gun and gunpowder as well. She also got some other items she might find useful, such as a few more smoke bombs. They were one of her favorite escape methods and when everything else failed, they were always her go-to. Who knew what trouble she'd get into with Edward at her side?

She also checked in with the Assassins, making sure they knew what she was doing. It was mostly just a safety precaution. If things didn't work out for them, at least someone would know where they were going and where to look. Also, she checked in with her crew, telling them where she was going and that if she didn't return within a month that they were to go right to Tulum and wait there for her to return or a message of her status to be given to them. She trusted them to do that much. They knew, sort of, about her affiliation with the Assassins. They just thought them a group of eccentric monks though.

That was probably for the best though.

As she walked back to meet up with Edward again, she pondered the wisdom of working with him. He was known only to work towards his own causes. Of course, she was forcing him to help her out. It was only fair – he had distracted her. He had caused her to lose a kill. Then again, he was sure to gain something from this. He had a bet in mind after all. That did worry her a little but she wouldn't say that out loud. He had an evil scheme in mind – if not evil, it would at least be unpleasant for her, if she lost. She certainly had no plans of losing to the likes of him no matter what.

She walked back to the port, thinking of the voyage ahead. They didn't know what route The Frontier would be taking and that did matter. They could either sail by Nassau or by Tulum. Sail by Pirates or Assassins. Either way, she might be able to take advantage of that or turn it to her advantage at the very least. As she got closer, she saw Edward waiting for her near his boat. He appeared impatient and when he spotted her, he jogged towards her.

"There you are! Took your bloody damn time didn't you? We're ready to set sail but before that, we have to settle our terms of our bet. Well, I'd like to settle my terms at least" She let him grab her shoulder and steer her towards an empty part of the dock. Whatever it was, she knew she wasn't going to like it.

Just don't lose then! She reminded herself.

"Now, originally I was just going to have you shed your breeches –"

"You old-!" she didn't even get to curse him out for even suggesting that before he held his hands out. She shut her mouth and pressed her lips together. She narrowed her eyes at him, ready to snap at him if she was given a moment.

"I realized that you might kill me for that and the last thing I want is poisoned tea." He grinned now.

"When the hell do you ever drink tea, Edward?" she scoffed. He raised an eyebrow as if he had proved a point.

"Either way, I don't need you to prove you're a woman. No, if I win, I want you to prove you know how to be a woman" He was still grinning. She gave him a blank look, not understanding where he was going with this. Sex? Was that what he was looking for? She didn't know if she wanted to stab him, drown him or if she'd feel better by cursing him out. "Ha, I can see you're trying to figure out what I want. No, no, I just want you to dress up. Like them"

He motioned at the streets behind him, where in plain daylight stood some women of leisure. Their blouses were pulled low, showing their full chests and they wiggled and shook their breasts at passing men. They made faces at them and blew them kisses, twirling in their skirts. Some wore shorter shirt to show off their legs, while others wore bustles for the same effect, though they were longer in the back. Some had fans or shawls but they were all working to get the attentions of the men on the street.

"In my cabin, for me alone. I think a dress like one in red has would suit you. You are a little flat in the behind but the red would look good with the front you have. What do you think?"

"I think you better be ready to bloody loose" she growled through her teeth.

The thought of dressing like that! She could kill him for suggesting it. It wasn't the worst thing that could happen to her, should she lose a bet but there was no way that she wanted to lose now. She glanced over at Edward who was wearing a smug smirk.

"And I want you to doll yourself up too. Hair, makeup, everything. I want a show" He went on, clearly enjoying himself.

"You're an arse." She growled and she turned to stalk towards his ship. He caught her arm and tugged her back, too easily for her liking.

"Come now, it'll be for my eyes only. Can't be that bad, can it?" Before she could reply, they heard the snap of sails opening. Both of them looked up to see which ship was leaving. They heard men yelling as they prepared to be taken by the wind that was blowing in. Damn, it was the ship they were following! The Frontier! "We'll chalk your terms up to pillow talk later"

She would like to tell him exactly what he could do with his terms but she bit down on the urge to call him names. No, they had to get going. She followed him onto his ship and jumped on straight after him. He began to order his men around and she watched as his Quartermaster, Ade, made the men jump to. He was a good man; he had a good head on his shoulders. Now he would make a brilliant Assassin.

Edward would have her balls (figuratively of course) if she even thought of bringing up anything Ade though. It was a good thought and one she just shoved to the back of her mind for now. She would have to talk to Ah Tabai when she returned about Ade. If another Assassin recruited him, it wouldn't be her fault.

The Jackdaw's sails snapped open and the wind filled them, pushing the ship out of the port. Edward stood at the wheel, Ade to his right and Mary to his left. She watched the ship some distance in front of them. Using Edward's telescope she made sure that it was indeed the ship they were chasing down.

"Do you have a plan, Master Kidd?" asked Ade.

"Yes. Take them upon the open sea and break them. I do need to board the ship though and make sure one man dies" She crossed her arms and fell silent, feeling the wind battering against her back. It was strong today and she suddenly grew worried about a storm rolling in.

"Are you sure this man is on this ship?" It was Ade again.

"I am" Edward imputed. "It was my fault that Master Kidd here lost the man to begin with. I would have taken him down for the lad, but he was surrounded by guards" She wanted to roll her eyes at him but she kept her eyes straight ahead.

"And we're taking down that brig for just one man?" Ade's voice was what could be described as confused – perhaps irritated.

"It's all part of the bigger plot, mate" Edward reassured him.

"More to do with your Observatory?" His tone was bitter with that last word, Mary noted. Did he not believe in the place? She wouldn't be surprised to hear that. Most didn't. Then again most pirates only wanted gold they could count, not mythical places worth who knew how much or little. To the Assassins it was priceless – it needed to be protected. The Templars thought it was priceless too – but only because with its power it'd be easy to keep the world safe and sober.

Safe and sober. What an ill-fitting world for a pirate.

They were sailing in open water now and Edward motioned for them to call it. There were no other ships near enough that they might see this ships distress and help them. That was a good thing. While The Jackdaw was a well-equipped ship, Mary didn't want a long, drawn out battle.

"Sail ho!"

The unlashed the bigger sail, gaining more speed. The ship ahead of them seemed to be watching them with wary eyes but when they saw The Jackdaw gaining on them, a panic seemed to set among them. They tried to get away, but the Jack was right behind them.

"Introduce them to our mortars, boys!" Edward called.

"But don't sink them!" Mary added.

"Aye, we have need of what's on that ship. Toss them, but don't sink them!" Edward agreed. The men on the ship gave out a cheer. The boom of the mortars was nearly deafening. She couldn't imagine what it'd be like to stand near them and fire them. The mortars didn't hit them spot on but they scrapped against the sides of the hull, doing quite a bit of damage. The other ship swung around now, opening fire with their cannons.

Mary ducked down, hearing a scream as someone was thrown into the deep by a cannon ball. She straightened, looking at the other ship. If they got in closer… She threw herself onto the nearby ropes, climbing to get a better view. Edward paid her no mind, too intent on steering his ship and directing his men. She drew her gun, wondering if she could hit anyone from this distance. She was good with a gun, but she wasn't a sharpshooter. She just waited instead.

She would get her chance.

The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and smoke. Both ships had fired several times now but The Frontier was struggling in the water. Another volley from Edward's ship and their mast broke. They were sitting in the water, knowing what was coming next. Their ship was broken and they could no longer run. Edward brought the fight to them, bringing his ship in close so the men could board it.

Mary swung herself on board with the first wave. She knew Edward wouldn't be far behind. She had heard tails how he always boarded with his men. That was one admirable trait. Not every Captain would do that. He was putting him at risk to rally his men.

She had to push those thoughts aside though as she landed on the deck. She drew her sword and blocked a slash from a man who looked like he was about to piss himself in fear. She cut him down easily. He wasn't much of a swordsman and had nowhere as much experience as her. Trained by the navy, by the Assassins and by fight after fight after fight, Mary was a fearsome swordsman. Perhaps she did not fight with the sword as often as she used to, but she remembered how to fight as if she had just freshly gained that experience.

She wasn't a showman when fighting, but there was a certain grace to how she fought. She was smaller than most men, both thinner and shorter, so she was able to attack much lower and dodge much quicker. Her clothes made her look bulkier than she was, like she weighed more than she did, causing many to underestimate her speed. They paid the price; again and again.

The men spilled onto the deck like rats, valiantly trying to defend their ship. She could hear Ade shouting from the other ship to not let them be boarded. She slashed down a man in her way and slipped under the deck. She had not seen her man up there, meaning he had to be down here. She had to find him first. She had to kill him before Edward even had the chance to set eyes upon him.

She crept below deck, hiding in shadows and slaying those she came across, trying to be both swift and efficient. It was a little hard, because she was trying to rush but she didn't want anyone to sneak up behind her either.

Soon she crept into what looked to be a sort of private sleeping quarters. There was a small desk pushed up against the wall and curiosity enticed her to take a look. She trotted over and peered at the papers on the desk. They were names of Templars and it seemed it was some sort of list? There was a location next to each name and some there were checks by and others had nothing. A few names were crossed off and she remembered the names. They were Templars they had killed.

So what were the checks and blanks about?

She pondered over that for a moment. Suddenly she felt someone's arm wrap around her, yanking her back into their chest. She gasped as a knife headed straight for her throat. She moved her arm, hoping to impale them on her blade and stop them from slitting her throat but too slow…she was moving too slow…

"Mary!"

The knife dropped harmlessly before her feet. She stumbled back, landing on her ass, staring at the knife. She slowly lifted her head to see Edward, his blades deeply embedded into the man who had been about to kill her. He ripped his blades out and turned to look at her, the blades on his wrists dripping blood.

"Are you alright? He didn't get you?" He actually sounded concerned and she chided herself. She was his friend after all – or so she assumed. It was hard to tell with Edward. She supposed she was much the same way.

She touched her throat, rubbing it as if making sure it was in one piece. "Yeah. I'm fine" He offered her his hand and she took it. He pulled her up and clasped her shoulder.

"I thought he was going to get you for sure." She could only nod in agreement. She had been so sure in that moment her life was over. She had been afraid, not at all how she thought her life might end. She was just lucky that Edward had come after her when he did. She moved over to the man he had killed and her eyes widened.

"Edward…" She growled. "This isn't our man"

"Hell! Are you sure?" He stormed to her side and looked down at him. He pushed his body over, so they could see his face better. He didn't have the cut on the cheek that Mary had given him earlier that day. Edward let a stream of impressive curse words fly. "And here I thought I won."

"Oh for hell's sake!" Mary turned to Edward. "Is that all you're thinking about?"

"Can't blame a man!" He was grinning again. She rolled her eyes and kneeled down to check the dead man's pocket's hoping for a hint. She found a letter, already open and crumpled. She read it over once and read it again to make sure she was reading it right.

"Bloody hell, we've been had!" She handed it to Edward. He frowned sharply after he had read it.

"Let's get back to The Jackdaw. This isn't over yet" He gave her the letter back and she stuffed it in her coat. For good measure she grabbed the list of Templars and then followed Edward above deck once more. The sky was beginning to darken. A storm was moving in. If they wanted to catch the man, they had to do it soon.

Mary grimaced; they had to end this now before he reached his destination.

A/N; I'd like to thank everyone who read the first chapter. I really didn't expect this story to be off to such a good start. I quite enjoy writing for Mary. She's quite the character. I should also put some other notes that I failed to put on the last chapter. Sometimes my writing is obviously going to go off the game/book storyline and sometimes I will be basing off research I have done on the actual Mary Read; as well as some of the other pirates that will eventually show up. Anyway, thank you for reading and I hope to see you next chapter.