XVI.
A Brief Escape

Early February 1718

It had been a long journey but Mary had arrived in Tulum safe and of a slightly sounder mind than when she had begun the journey. She quickly realized she could not allow the guilt to keep bothering her, less she make herself ill with such thoughts. She had to accept she made a mistake with Kenway. Yes, she made a terrible mistake with him. She should not have slept with him but even so, she ached for him a little. She missed him. She didn't realize how attached she had gotten to having him by her until he was gone. She doubted he ached in the same way; she was just another Betty to him. Then again, that look he gave her as she walked away. His face had been full of regret – but for what? That was a question she could not answer and she was not sure she wanted the answer to it.

Though in her journey here, she had remembered…well everything that happened between her and Edward. She had tried not to. She really had. He hadn't lied, it had been her idea and though she couldn't see what possessed her to jump him, she had clearly thought it a grand idea. He hadn't lied either - he had told her no half a dozen times before he had just said 'fuck it' himself. So, it was her own fault she had fallen into bed with him. None of the blame was on Edward. She knew better than to get so piss drunk.

Ah Tabai met her on the path, looking a little grim. He put a hand on each shoulder. "We thought we lost you, Mary"

She bowed her head ever so slightly. "Sorry to worry everyone." She was sorry that she had worried them so. She had not meant to. That had not been her intent. "I just got caught up with what I thought I 'ought to be doing" At least she had sent a bird ahead to announce that she was alright and would be arriving. She could see others, ahead on the path watching. Some of them were very good friends and she knew they'd all want a moment of her time after she was finished talking with Ah Tabai.

"I know, Mary. Come, tell me what happened."

So they walked and she started from the beginning. He did not interrupt once during her story and as they sat in his hut, she made sure to tell him everything – though she did cut out a few private moments between her and Edward. She stopped before the events that led her to fleeing back to Tulum though. She could already see that he was disappointed enough that she had worked with Edward and paid him to help her. She knew he wouldn't approve, so she wasn't surprised but he did seem interested in how he had killed.

"Maybe you are right. He would make a good Assassin but…" he shook his head. "It is impressive that you got him to help you for so long"

"Aye, a little gold goes a long way with him" She sighed at that.

"Are you well, Mary?"

"Just tired" She answered.

"Then go; rest. I'm sorry I kept you so long. We shall talk later" She nodded and took her leave from his hut, heading to get some food.

She rested with some other Assassins, speaking of those she killed and those she didn't. Seemed a few others on the list had been killed as well. It was a long list but it was getting shorter. She took it out to look at it with a few of the others, still trying to figure out what the Templars might want from the other Templars. Why the checks and blanks? No one could seem to figure it out and Mary wasn't pressing it. She'd find out in due time. Too bad Edward had been poisoned else she probably could have found out from the last Templar they had killed.

She even saw Javi though he kept a distance from her. Still sore in the haunches from the beating she gave him probably. It made her think of the beating she and Edward gave each other. How he had almost gored her on his Hidden Blade. How she now missed him, despite the foolishness of that. She saw Javi narrow his eyes at her and turn away, as if he had read her thoughts. She didn't mind it so much. She didn't think he was holding too deep of a grudge.

If he was, she didn't know what she would do.

October 1718

Mary decided that instead of remaining in Tulum, she would rather be out plundering the seas. She had rested there about a month, gone out to do a few contracts and then returned. She had become bored though and decided to take to the seas with her crew. While she only had a small ship and a small crew, she knew what she was doing and could take out bigger ships because of that. She was called twice the devil her father had been, that is if her father had been William Kidd. He had been a fearsome pirate, but she really doubted that he was her father at all. The timeline didn't match up at least.

In truth, Mary had no idea who her father was. She figured her mum did but she had never asked because she had never cared. It had never mattered to her. Who her father was did not mark her worth; she had carved a path out for herself in the West Indies. But even most of her life here had not been her choice.

It still shocked her, when she thought about it, how much her life was forced upon her and how little of it she chose herself. Being an Assassin was her choice, going by the name James Kidd had been her choice too, but it had been a choice she made with a sword at her throat. She closed her eyes gently and she heard one of her men call;

"Sail, ho! Looks like a merchant schooner, Master Kidd! Shall we take them?"

"Let's take 'em for ourselves, lads!" She called back, opening her eyes again.

The men cheered and they quickened their pace to take the ship. The battle was nothing to crow about. Merchants had a few cannons on their ship but nothing impressive. The guards on it weren't impressive too and soon they had loaded their own ship with plundered sugar and rum. The rum would be theirs, the sugar she would sell for an elevated cost. They also found some money and they took that as well. Might as well fill her coffers.

With that done, they sailed off once more to repeat the attack another three times until the ship was bloated with stolen goods that she could take and sell to get even more money. Her coffers would be full for some time. It wasn't that she needed the money; it was her reputation she was stroking. She was leaving survivors and recruiting a few of the better fighters into her own crew, pressing them into piracy. That was until she came upon a familiar ship.

She knew the man who captained this ship; they had been privateers together, some time ago. Their ships pulled up alongside one another. His was bigger as he had a brig, so she had to look up at him as he looked down at her.

"Ahoy, Kidd!" The man called. "Would you like to come aboard and talk? I take it, from the way I saw you tossing those merchants, that you haven't heard the news."

"News? No, I've been at sea for a few months, I haven't seen another friendly soul for quite some time."

"Aye. Straight from the mouth of a greasy Jamaican captain I heard some smart rumors we best take heed of. I wouldn't much think of such things, but old Thatch was there and seemed to take it to heart. If old Thatch listens…"

"Keep your trousers tied. I'll be on board in a moment and we can talk in comfort" She called up. She gave some orders to her helmsman and her quartermaster and first mate and then she boarded the other man's ship. "So tell me Captain Young, what has you so up in a ruffle?"

"Who needs to keep their trousers tied now? C'mon Kidd, let's sit and let's talk." He led her into his navigation room and they each took a seat and a cup of rum. "There be rumors of a pardon going round. Worse, them rumors are true, from what I hear. I'm happy I wasn't in Nassau that day" He spat.

"Why? What happened in Nassau?"

"The British took it." Young said, anger making his already deep voice rumble. "Took our home right out from under us! I hear they blocked the port, keeping everyone in until they took the Pardon. I think it was led by some man named Rodgers."

"Rodgers?" She knew that name. He was a Templar. Ever a thorn in the Assassin's side. He seemed to take it upon himself to clear out the pirates.

"Aye. "

"And how do you know all this if you wasn't in Nassau?"

"I heard it from the blooming mouth of Charles Vane, between cusses and vulgar words about someone's mother. He, Rackham and some youth called Kenway hauled ass out of there with their ships and crews and managed to make it to some semblance of safety. Just less than a week ago I think." He nodded to himself. "Aye, I heard he was going after old Blackbeard. He had plenty to say on Thatch, cursing his name too."

"Thatch flew the coop? Or was he captured?"

"Retired – they say. He retired from being a pirate. Hiding up in the Carolinas or something of that sort" He snorted. "So what have you been up to, Kidd? Rumor was that you got marooned after a raid gone wrong. Ha! I'd love to see your face with that one"

They spoke a little bit longer, though it was clear that Mary was distracted by the gossip he delivered her. It had been months since she seen Edward, but she still missed the bastard. She hated how he seemed to have a hold over her and for what reason she couldn't guess. Why should she care what happened to Edward? Why should she care about him at all?

It was clear though, she needed to be heading back to make sure he was fine.

Well she was sure that he was, but maybe she was searching for an excuse to see him once more. It made her feel sick that she needed to see him again. It was like a terrible addiction. She had met men with similar feelings for rum; couldn't put the damn stuff down and they literally drank themselves into the grave. Was she putting one foot in the grave with her care for Edward? Sometimes she couldn't help but feel that she was standing in her grave. She was an Assassin after all – her work was dangerous. One slip and she could find herself with a ruined throat, choking on her own blood.

She bid her goodbye to Young and jumped back down to her ship. She had to roll to soften the blow to her body but she came up quick and brushed herself off. She heard a laugh from Young, as he must have seen her jump and roll.

"Tricky, Master Kidd! I always knew you was a tricky one!" Young called as his ship pulled away. "Good fortune to you Kidd! May we meet again in better times!"

"Thank you for the information, Captain Young! Fortune and luck to you as well!" His ship pulled off and they began to sail away into the gentle breeze. The wind was slowing today and soon she knew it would die altogether. She could feel it. They had a long way to go though. A very long way. She looked at her crew. "We're heading to the Great Inagua, lads!"

They corrected their course and they were off. It was no simple thing, going against even a gentle wind but they found a current that they could ride some of the way there at least. They weren't far from it, to be truthful and they would be passing by Nassau on the way there. She wouldn't stop there – not if what Young said was true, but she'd at least get a good look with her spyglass. She didn't know what she hoped to see, but she didn't want to see the town she helped build go to shit. She hadn't spent the most time there, not since becoming an Assassin but she did want to see it grow into something good, something powerful like it deserved. Instead she feared this was the end of it. It would turn into some British run town and fall into ashes.

All that work…

She shook her head. She wondered what Hornigold thought of it all. He might very well support it as he was still very loyal to the British. A loyal pirate. Ha! The thought was laughable. Still, she could understand. It was as if he never wanted to be a pirate. He was cautious about what ships he took, never taking British ships, preferring only the Spanish stuff. Sometimes she wondered if he wanted to be a pirate at all. Actually, who of them wanted to be a pirate? She hadn't when she had been forced into it. It was become a pirate or have a nice swim with that hole in your throat. Actually, those that forced her into piracy hadn't even been that kind.

It was, okay, everybody into the drink. She had been sparred because of quick thinking and a few honeyed words. It sometimes made her think that she was only living on borrowed time. She could count plenty of times that she should have died and yet she lived. One foot in the grave indeed...

Her thoughts turned back to Edward, as they often did. She frowned at herself, upset that she would be thinking of him once more. She would reach him before long. She would get the Great Inagua and…Well she didn't know what she wanted to say to him. It would depend on what she found when she got there. She sighed to herself. One never knew with Edward.

A/N: Methinks Mary is in denial. Anyway, heres yet another chapter. As you can see, I was busy writing this past week. Bad weather means I spent a good amount of time inside, writing away. Hope you enjoyed!