XLIV.
The Observatory

They sailed as fast as the wind would take them towards where The Observatory was hidden. The ocean spray felt good on her sun fevered face but Mary's stomach twisted into deep knots with every mile they crossed. She worried, for herself, for Edward, for everyone. Ah Tabai was coming soon too she knew. He was going to see The Observatory for himself and record its location so it could forever be protected by Assassins. Legend had that it had its own guardians though but Mary didn't know how true that was. She hadn't asked Edward and he had said very little since leaving Havana's ports. The waters were a little rough, as were the winds but they were making good time.

Edward shouted his orders and she echoed them, making sure the men hopped to it. He didn't try to make conversation though and she could see the dark worry in his eyes. She knew it wasn't only her who was anxious. This last kill meant so much to Edward, it was the right to a wrong long past. It was the beginning of the end for him. It was the last thing he might do as Edward the Pirate. Perhaps it wasn't the very last, but she knew he was ready to hang up that mantle.

Was she?

Was she ready to return to England and face the music? Was she ready to tell the world 'Mary Read didn't die. She lived! She still lives!'. Was she ready to try and convert to a "normal" woman? Was she ready to try and live her life as plain as any other Jill or Jane out there? She wasn't sure she was and to be quite frank, whenever she thought of living a normal life, marrying once more and even raising one child…it chilled her, it sickened her. How could she live that life – that simple, easy, tea sipping life – when she knew something so great and adventurous awaited her on the sea?

And if she forwent marrying again, having that brood, would she just be an Assassin for the English lot? How would they feel about Mary Read being among their ranks? Probably well due to the fact that she was already a well-established Assassin but would that be the adventure her blood needed? Or would her blood cool and would she want to retire? While the thought didn't seem appealing now, perhaps in time it would grow on her…

And Christ, she forgot about Edward's wife. He had sent her a letter saying if she wanted to meet him at his cove, she could. She might come here – here to the West Indies. Mary closed her eyes and had to take a deep breath. While she loved Edward and he may have returned her affection, he was still a married man. Mary didn't think she could handle meeting her. She was probably sophisticate and lovely with an unscarred face and a fondness for beautiful dresses – the opposite of Mary herself.

"Are you alright Mary?"

Edward's voice stirred her and she opened her eyes and glanced at him. How did he do that? How did he know? It didn't matter; he had done her a favor by drawing her out of her own thoughts. She gave him a tight smile.

"Fine, fine, Edward. Rot, you worry too much." She tried to play it off and then she changed the subject. "So why is Torres going to the Observatory if you have the device?"

"He doesn't know I have it" Edward gave her a cocky smile. She gave him a sharp frown.

"So you're taking it right to him then?"

"I want him to know I have, right before he dies" He spoke with the anger of a man scorned by the Templars, a man who wanted a little bit of revenge. She couldn't say she approved of his plan, but…She could understand. He had lost a lot at the hands of the Templars. He motioned to the cove before them with his chin. "Here we are"

"A good size fleet is blocking the cove we want" She stated simply.

"Rouse the boys, Mary. That'll be Torres and his armada, trying to keep us at bay"

Mary smiled a little. "And what do you propose we do about them?"

"Sink them. Call it!"

"Sail, ho, lads! Buckle down and belly up, we're going to take those Spanish duffs by their wigs!" She yelled to the men and there was a roar as the men ran to their positions. She could see Edward grinning from the corner of her eye and then the first ship was bearing upon them. They did not want to take the ship, they were just planning on sinking them all.

The mortars boomed and the cannons sparked. There was a cry of dismay as a cannonball hit the main mast in the Spanish Brig. Mary watched as they fired back, cutting holes into their ship as well. Wood snapped and men screamed. Mary yelled orders to the men over the noise and they hopped to it, scrambling to reload the cannons and aiming them at the other ship's hull. The air quickly grew dark and thick with gunpowder and smelled of sulfur. She saw the yellow coats streaking through the air as several Spanish soldiers jumped onto the Jackdaw.

"Keep your hands on the wheel!" Mary shouted to Edward and she ran at the men, her sword drawn. The first one she came upon from behind. She stuck her sword in him, protruding it through his gut, and then threw him to the ground. She finished him with a shot to the head with her pistol. With it spent and useless to her now, she dropped it on his body and drew his. The new solider came running at her, sword held high. She didn't bother to parry it and just jumped to the side and used her sword to cleave off his arm at the forearm or that was the intention.

She found her sword stuck in the thicker bone of his upper arm. He had dodged and well…now she was a bit stuck. Of course the man was screaming and cursing in Spanish, yanking himself away, taking her sword with him. A third solider fell upon her but she used her wrist blade and met him steel for steel. She slashed at his wrist, which he managed to dodge but on the black draw she caught his throat. She turned back to her screaming man and put a bullet in his lung. Then she wretched her sword out of his arm and turned to meet the three remaining soldiers. They didn't stand a chance against her. She spilt their blood and guts on the deck of the Jackdaw and then hurried back to her usual position, sword and skin splattered with gore.

By this point the busy crew of the Jackdaw had broken the first ship and it was already sinking below the surf. The second ship was on fire and Edward was pulling away, towards the cove. There was an explosion behind them and Mary ducked, her eyes widening. She looked back and saw the second ship was sinking, cracked in half from the explosion. Several other ships had been caught in it and he had managed to punch holes in four other ships beside with that explosion.

"Got their magazine to go up" Edward told her and she couldn't help but laugh. Of course he did, the cunning bastard that he was. He docked the ship and had another man to come up and watch the wheel. He walked towards the edge and he looked at Mary, who came right behind him. "Are you sure you want to come?"

"I won't let you go alone" She said simply. He nodded, accepting that. He took his pistols and wrapped them in cloth and put them on his back. She did much the same, hoping to preserve her powder. Else, she might be able to find some on shore at least, perhaps off the dead body of a Spaniard.

They swam to shore and climbed up on the beach and Mary looked about, expecting soldiers and lots of them. The beach was empty, as was their first walk into the wilderness. She looked around, wondering where they all were. She looked at Edward.

"Where are they are? I figured they would be waiting for us. Have they gone?" She followed Edward along the path that he seemed to know. They came across a dead man, a native by the looks of it. He had been shot twice in the chest. Edward leaned down and closed his eyes.

"No, they're here" Edward told her, his voice soft with anger or some other emotion Mary couldn't place. "Deep in the jungle, waiting"

They went on and soon she saw yellow and the two of them hid behind a large tree. Edward pointed up with a single finger and she motioned for him to boost her up. He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up and then let her step on his shoulders and finally his hands to put her up in the tree. She hung upside down, gripping the lowest branch with her legs and reached for Edward. He still had to jump to grab her hand and then she swung him up and pulled herself up. The two of them crouched among the leaves and looked at the soldiers and their guardian hostages.

"Jaysus…" Mary cursed softly. "Look at this rot! There are corpses for miles!"

And it was true, there were dead Spaniards and dead guardians everywhere. Red and green were the brightest colors in the jungle that day, green for the plants, red for the blood. There were other splotches of colors, mainly brown and yellow but Mary was nearly overwhelmed at the death and violence that had occurred here – here of all places, a place that should have been nearly sacred!

"They brought all their menace to bear" Edward agreed softly. "Look!"

She followed his motion and saw the Spanish dragging a dark skinned woman, a native and barely older than sixteen. She was bleeding and hurt but fighting. They were laughing cruelly, clearly having dark intentions for the young girl. Others brought other hostages behind her, some fighting and some hopeless. In total there were ten soldiers and five hostages. Edward motioned her to take the first two and he would take the last and together they'd slaughter them.

Edward fixed his hood and Mary made sure her hair was up and they jumped at the same time. They landed at the same time as well, blades sinking into their intended victims. She pushed the hostage away and she stumbled, hands bound towards the tree she and Edward had hidden in. Mary's hidden blade had the next man's throat before he could shout and she shoved her other blade between the next's eyes.

She saw Edward's movements, just as quick as her's, as they took down the Spanish. Before long, they all lay dead and the natives were freed and fleeing to find safer ground. Mary and Edward pressed onward, knowing the sooner they ended this, the better.

Soon enough, after freeing many more captives and slaying many more soldiers, they came across what Mary could only call black boxes in the ground. She touched the material as she passed and thought it felt like marble, but wasn't sure that was what it was. She would have stopped to ponder over it but there was no time. Edward was walking quickly towards…well…What the hell was that?

Mary had no idea what to call it, a temple perhaps? It looked like no temple she had ever seen. It was all dark and cold, but it struck her an ancient and mysterious. She knew it could only be the Observatory that so many had sought for so long. She approached in wonder and looked about her.

"Edward…this….this place…"

"Later, Mary, when we have the luxury of time" She followed to what had to be the entrance and Edward stopped her. "Mary, it's…it's going to be dangerous in there. Please, allow me to go on alone"

"Edward, I've been at your side all this time and you don't trust me?" She asked.

"I trust you with my life, Mary, and that's why I want you here. If I fail…someone's got to finish this old sea dog's work." He kissed her forehead. "Please, Mary, let me do this"

She sighed, her heart aching. "I'll give you some time, aye, but if I think you've ought to have returned, I'm racing in there to save your arse" He chuckled and squeezed her hand. "Guard the entrance"

"Don't worry, no one will get past me" Then he was gone, racing into the sanctuary.

She stood there and she could feel and hear rumbles coming from within. She was nervous, standing there by herself. She wanted to race into the mysterious building as well, race after Edward and make sure he was alright, that he wasn't hurt or worse but she couldn't find it in her to move. Something told her to stay put, if only just for a little while longer. For good reason too, for as she stood there she heard rustling in the bushes. She drew her sword, ready for yet another fight when Ah Tabai and Ade came walking up, being led by a few of the guardians that she and Edward had rescued.

"Mentor!" She called.

"Mary, where is Edward?" He asked as he got closer. The guardians lingered, casting nervous glances towards the open door. She glanced backwards and Ah Tabai understood at once.

"We will route out the rest of the soldiers, go and see if he need assistance" And that was all it took. She turned on her heel and dashed into the Observatory.

She didn't take much time to gander about, though what she did see of it was all queer and strange. She had never dreamed of such a place, let alone think she would ever see it. She hurried along the path, watching the walls glow and flash, listening for the sound of a blade or the yell of a man. She found herself in what had to be the center chamber, Edward and Torres in the heart of it. Edward was standing over Torres, who clearly had been struck down. She had arrived just in time to hear his last words.

"Does my murder fulfill you?" Torres was asking Edward.

"I'm only seeing a job done, Torres. As you'd have done with me"

"As we have done, I would think." Torres spat back. "You have no family anymore, no friends, no future."

"That ain't true. I have someone very important to me yet, someone who you can't take away – who I won't let you take away." Edward crouched by him and he looked up, right at her. Torres looked over too and his eyes widened, as if he had not known she stood there. Then his face grew bitter and he looked up at Edward.

"No matter, your losses are far greater than ours"

"That may be" Edward told him, a strong conviction in his voice, "but killing you rights a far greater wrong than I ever did"

"You honestly believe that?" Torres laughed.

"You would see all of mankind corralled into a neatly furnished prison, safe and sober, yet dulled beyond reason and sapped of all spirit. So, aye, with everything I've seen and learned in these last few years, I do believe it"

Torres laughed again and he looked towards Mary once more as if studying her. His eyes went back to Edward and he smiled, as if at an old friend. "You wear your convictions well. They suit you…" And then he died, his spirit leaving and Edward stood straight up. He looked towards her as well but then the temple shook, sending Mary and Edward to their knees.

Ah Tabai and Ade ran in. Ade helped Mary back to her feet and to stay steady. Edward hurried down the steps and handed Ah Tabai the device. "Torres awakened something fierce!" He said as he did "Are we safe?"

"With the device returned, I believe so" They waited with baited breath as Ah Tabai returned the device. The temple calmed and they breathed a sigh of relief. Ah Tabai turned back to their group and gave Edward a small smile. "We will seal this place and discard the key. Until another Sage appears, this door will remain locked"

"This place is so strange…" Mary muttered, mostly to herself. "The ancient ones were a queer race themselves I suppose"

"Yes and they kept vials of their blood here, there were shelves of them when me and Roberts were here. They're gone now though"

"Then it's up to us to recover them as well before the Templars catch wind of this. You two could join us in that cause" Mary nodded, knowing as an Assassin it was her duty. Edward hesitated though.

"I will" He said but again he hesitated. "But…only after I fix what I mangled back home"

Mary's heart dropped. That's right, after he finished Torres, he was going home, back to England. Well, at least she had a purpose here. She'd help recover the blood vials until her luck ran out. That would keep her busy with Edward was with his wife. With any luck she would forget about him in ten or so years. Or she'd be mourning over him the rest of her life, either way at least she had a reason to keep living. An Assassin's reason, but a reason all the same.

Ah Tabai suddenly handed Edward a letter, muttering "This arrived last week" before patting Ade on the shoulder. The two of them left, giving a mournful look to Edward and a sad one to Mary. She watched them quizzically but she waited with Edward as he read over the letter.

First his expression was filled with joy; this was clearly an answer for the letter he sent before he killed Rogers. Then his eyes widened and she saw him finish the letter. He lowered it, a look of horror overcoming his features. She looked at him, worried and gently touched his shoulder.

"Edward?"

He blinked rapidly and a shuddering breath left him. Then he turned and walked out of the room at a pace she nearly had to jog to keep up with. They exited the temple and saw Ade and Ah Tabai along with several guardians waiting. No one tried to stop him or her as she hurried after him. They reached a beach, though not the one where the Jackdaw was docked, and he stood staring out at the water, the letter clutched in his hand.

"Edward? What's wrong?" She asked. "Has…has you wife…left you?" She didn't want to say that, because he was looking forward to going back to her, he was looking forward to returning to a loving wife and starting his family. If she left him…well no wonder he looked so grief stricken.

He kept his back to Mary and so it took her a moment to realize he wasn't just staring out to sea, he was crying. She walked around, stepping in the surf to see his face. She put her hands on his cheeks and he looked down at her. A tear ran along her hand.

"She's dead" He choked. "She's dead, Mary. Caroline is dead"

The words washed over and then she felt her own face pinch with grief. She had never known Caroline and now she never would, but she had to be a damn strong woman to deal with Edward, to have loved him and to have dealt with him leaving to sail while she waited at home. She just stood there with him for a long moment and then he pulled away from her, trying to get his breathing under control.

"There's more…" He said softly and he held the letter out to her.

She read it over and her eyes widened at the name scrawled at the bottom.

Jennifer Scott Kenway.

She looked at Edward and though the letter had explained it all, she just needed to hear the words out loud. She had to say them because they didn't feel real otherwise.

"You…you're a father Edward." To a daughter he never knew he had. "And…and she's coming here, in some months' time. She's coming to meet you"

He nodded. He looked at her and he was scared and sad and unsure, she could see that easily. She clasped his shoulder, knowing he was at a loss for what to do, for what to say. He just gave her a long sad look and the clasped her shoulder in return. Then he took her other hand in his.

"I'm leaving the West Indies, Mary" She knew that was coming. "And so, there's something that I – that we – need to do before Jennifer arrives. Before I leave." She just nodded, not knowing what to say yet, not trusting her voice.

So, still holding her hand, Edward led her back towards the Jack, softly telling her exactly what yet needed to be done.