Oh. My. God. My next chapter is finally DONE. Thank the lord! I am sooooo sorry to have been keeping you guys waiting for so long. I have been so damn busy lately! It's unbelievable! Anyways, no more anticipation. Here is the next chapter!
Read, Review, Be Merry!
-Aena Firestar
Chapter 14
Acre
I heard a chirp. "Alario hush. Not now." I groaned. He chirped again and flapped his wings. I groaned and turned over and pulled the covers over my head.
"Alera." "Who the fuck could that be? And this freakin early? No. I refuse."
"No. Just a few more minutes." I groaned.
"Alera, you must get up." I realized the voice. "Damn it Kalin!"
"Kalin please let me sleep." I pleaded. I heard a pause and then a whisper.
"Altaïr left without you." My eyes shot open. I sprung out of bed and ran for my boots.
"I'll kill him!" I snapped. But then, I got light headed and started to fall back. My vision went all spotted. I felt somebody catch me and lay me back on my bed. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. I heard somebody laugh… No, it was two people laughing, quietly. They were guys.
"Easy Alera. I didn't leave." I opened my eyes to find Altaïr standing over me. Kalin walked up beside him. They both had their hoods off. Kalin's amber eyes were shining and Altaïr's green eyes met mine. They were both laughing and looking at me. I slowly sat up. I saw Alario sitting on my window seal. The sun made his brown feathers turn golden.
"That was just a little something to wake you up." Said Kalin.
"Well, it certainly did. And I got a headache in the process." I said, rubbing my eyes. "Maybe I shouldn't have stayed up so late."
"Maybe we both shouldn't have. It was hell for me to get up too." said Altaïr. I smiled. I crossed my legs and leaned up against the wall, still sitting on my bed. I rubbed my eyes and my head again. I ran my fingers through my hair to try to get my bangs out of my face.
"Well, on a lighter side, it's not every morning I get to wake up with two good looking men in my room." We laughed. Pain shot through my head, cutting me off. I rubbed my eyes again.
"Here, let me see your hand." said Altaïr. He sat down beside me
"Why?" I said. I gave him my hand. He took it and stretched it out.
"There is a pressure point between the thumb and first finger, that if you press it or massage it hard enough, it relives your headache. It takes a while for it to set in motion but it really does help."
"Ok, anything to get rid of it. I don't do so well when it feels like I'm being punched in the head." Altaïr smiled. He pressed down on the space and found the pressure point. It hurt at first, but then he massaged it.
"There. That should do it." He said. He let go and I looked at my hand and flexed it some.
"That was weird, but ok. I hope it works." I got up and out of my bed and stretched. I popped my back and my shoulders. "So what time are we planning on leaving?" I said in between sighs and groans.
"Well, we want to make it there at about mid-day or a little after. I would suggest on hurrying up." He said.
"Ok." I opened the door to the washroom and went in. I got everything ready and came back out to grab my clothes. I saw Alario look at me. "Go to the stables. We will be there in a little while." He chirped and I stroked him, and he flew off. I turned around to see Altaïr and Kalin still standing there. "Uh, guys? Are you going to leave or sit here and watch me bathe?" I said. They looked at each other.
"Right, sorry." Said Kalin.
"See you in a little while." Said Altaïr. I smiled and nodded. They went out and shut the door behind them and I locked it. I laughed a little and shook my head, then turned and went into the washroom. I really needed to bathe. I hadn't in about two or three days. We had been hunting for that bastard Tamir and I had no time to clean up so I welcomed a much-needed bath. I washed my hair and my body with some rose-jasmine bath oil I had bought from a Chinese merchant. It made my bathroom and my whole room smell good.
I got done quickly and dressed. I put my tunic on and my black pants, then I put my robe on and my red cloth belt. I put my leather boots on and my forearm bracers and fingerless gloves and lastly my weapons. I brushed my hair and shook it out. I put it in a temporary half ponytail. I made sure I had everything and then I went to put my necklace on, but then there came a knock on the door. I ran over to it and unlocked it.
"Hey, are you ready?" said Altaïr. He had his hood up.
"Yeah, come in. I just have to put one more thing on." I went back over to my necklace, which was lying on my bed. Altaïr came in. *As soon as Altaïr entered her room he was hit with a beautiful smell. "Rose and Jasmine. As beautiful as she is." He thought to himself. When he approached Alera, he could smell it on her.*
"Alera, you smell beautiful. Like Roses and Jasmine." Said Altaïr. I smiled at him.
"Yeah. That's usually the stuff that I use." I turned to my bed and picked up my necklace.
"What is that?" asked Altaïr.
"It's a necklace my father gave me before he died." I said. I unclasped it and put it around my neck. But, every time I tried to clasp it back, it would slip from my finger. "Damn it." I cursed; totally forgetting another person was in the room. Altaïr laughed a little.
"Here, let me help you." He said. He walked up behind me and clasped it together. I turned around to him. We were close.
"Thanks." I smiled. I tucked it behind my clothes. The charm was cold when it touched my chest. I shook the chill off. "My headache is gone by the way." Altaïr smiled.
"Good." He said.
"Well, I'm ready." I said.
"Don't forget this." Said Altaïr coolly. He went to put my hood up.
"Wait," I said. I pulled my hair down and it fell down to my chest, still a little damp. "Ok." I said. I saw a slight smile form on his lips as he pulled my hood over my head. We looked at each other for what seemed like a while. I felt a calloused finger run softly over my scared cheek. He traced the scar with his index finger and it felt soft and gentle to me. I closed my eyes and leaned into his hand. His thumb softly stroked my cheekbone. I opened my eyes and we gazed into each other. I put my hand on his and rubbed it.
"Let's go." He said. I smiled and nodded. We said goodbye to Kalin and headed for the stables. We tacked up our horses and Altaïr led the way. As I was riding, I looked up and saw Alario following us. We were heading to Acre to get some information on a man named Garnier de Naplouse, and like Altaïr said, we made it to Acre at about mid-day. We kept a low profile and tried to blend in with everyone. We stopped our horses at a shaded spot and got off. I looked up and saw Alario coming down to us. He landed on a manger full of hay in front of Àlkimos.
"Head for the bureau Alario. We will meet you there." I said to him. He chirped and I stroked him on his head. He nibbled my finger and then flew off. I turned to Àlkimos and told him to stay put, and then I walked around him to Altaïr. "Alright, what's the plan? See any scholars we could sneak in with?" I asked. I saw Altaïr look around. His gaze stopped at the gate.
"No. But I see someone who needs saving." He said. I looked over at the gate and three guards were harassing a priest. A priest for god's sake! "Are these people insane?" I thought to myself.
"These guards are such idiots! Why would you do that to a holy man? He's done nothing!" I said.
"Yes, I agree. But it looks like this will be our only chance of getting in." he said quietly. "Stick to the shadows. I'll take care of these men." He said.
"Oh alright, but I'm only doing this because I got to save him last time. I only think it fair for you to have a chance on saving them." I said. Altaïr smiled. He walked towards them and I followed. Altaïr kept walking to the guards, but I branched off to the side and stuck to the shadows. I turned around and watched. Altaïr walked right up to the one who was standing and trying to act menacing.
"Leave. This business does not concern you." Said the guard with the English accent. Altaïr just stood there and looked at them from under his hood. "Leave peasant, before I make you." The guard pushed Altaïr. Altaïr slung his blade out, cutting off both of the man's arms. He screamed in agony as blood splattered everywhere and his limbs fell to the ground with a soft thud. Altaïr finally silenced him with one quick cut to the throat. The guard's life blood drained out and stained his white tunic as red as the clothe belts that hung around our waist.
The other guards left the old man and ran at Altaïr. The first one that came too close, Altaïr countered the attack and sliced his stomach. The guard screamed in agony and clutched his stomach to stop the bleeding, but it was in vain. As the man fell to his knees, Altaïr stabbed him in the back. "Man, he looks good when he fights." I smiled to myself. I shook the thought away and paid more attention.
From where I was standing, one guard saw what was happening. I unsheathed my hidden blade. Right as he opened his mouth, I drove it into his neck. I put my hand over his mouth. He sunk down and I threw him to the side. I withdrew my hidden blade and wiped the blood off on the dead man's clothing. I turned my attention back to the fight.
Altaïr cut the other man behind the knees. As he went down, Altaïr chopped at his shoulder. He cut so deep that he got his blade stuck and had to push the guy off of it. The man slid off the blade with a trail of blood dripping into the dust. As soon as all the guards were dead, Altair sheathed his blade. I came up to him. We ran up to the old man who was a little shaken.
"You- you killed them. Thank you my boy. I will tell my sons of your bravery. Maybe they will take your good example and be braver. If there is anything you need, please, do not hesitate to ask." Said the old priest with a thick English accent. Altaïr and I looked at each other.
"Please sir, we need to gain entrance into the city." I said pleadingly.
"We cannot stir up the guards. We are on an errand of secrecy." Said Altaïr.
"It shall be done. I will not ask you what your business is, but it must be very important and it must be for a good cause. A villain would not have helped an old priest. Come, follow me." he said. Altaïr and I bowed our heads and laced our fingers together, as if in prayer. We followed the priest. The guards let us pass and we stayed bowed down. We walked past some more guards and then we were in. The priest turned to us. "If you ever need my assistance again, we will be opened for you." He said.
"Thank you father." I said. We bowed to him and then left. "God, that was close. I'm glad he is on our side." I said.
"Yes. The bodies will probably be discovered so lets get to the bureau."
"Right." We ran down a back alley and climbed the walls. We were in the poor district of Acre so the bureau was not far. We jumped a few roofs and ran a ways, and then we found it. We both dropped in and not far behind us, Alario swooped in and made himself a place on a bookshelf. We walked into the room were the Rafiq was. The old man looked up from his book.
"Ah! Altaïr and Alera. A little bird told me you two would be paying a visit." He said. His voice was a little rough. He closed his book and placed it back on the shelf. We walked up to his desk.
"Al Mualim has ordered the execution of Garnier de Naplouse, so here we are. What can you tell us about him?" said Altaïr.
"He is the Grand Master of the Knights Hospital. He surely keeps his quarters in their district. Beyond that, I cannot say. I suggest you search the city, see what you can learn from it." Said Rafiq.
"Can you tell us where they gather?" I added.
"The public gardens north of here. What's left of them is as good a place as any to begin. There's an abandoned market northwest as well that merits watching, and Maria of Johesephet's Church to the west remains a popular meeting place. These three locations should be sufficient for your needs." He finished.
"We appreciate the information, Rafiq. It will be put to good use." Said Altaïr.
"Make sure that it is." Said Rafiq. We turned and went out of the bureau.
"Alario, you are free to fly about the city if you wish. If not then you can stay here." I said. He chirped and stretched out his wings. He then put his head under his wings. I looked at Altaïr who was smiling at Alario. "He disserves some sleep. He's been flying pretty much all day." We walked out onto the roof. "Alright, where do we go first?" I said.
"Lets start at the abandon market place. Maybe there is something there." He said. We ran across the roofs and eventually found two Hospitalier guards. We dropped down from the roof and sat on a bench near them.
"You hear about Alen?" said one.
"The archer that guards the eastern wing?" said the other.
"Poor bastard's brother caught an arrow in his throat. Doubt he'll last the night."
"How can he continue to work knowing what's to come?"
"He visits his brother often, though I cover for him when I can."
"You aren't there now."
"No, I've family business of my own to attend to."
"Then he'd best hope the Doctor doesn't hear about his desertion."
"You aren't gonna tell him? As long as you stay silent…"
"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." and with that, they departed. Altaïr and I got up.
"Okay. So some of the guards have abandoned their posts. We should be able to sneak in with out causing too much of an uprising. Or, if that's not the case, either I can clear a path for you, or you can clear a path for me." I said. Altaïr nodded.
"So where to next?" he asked.
"Lets try the gardens." I said. We went to another ally and jumped up on the roof. We walked in between two apartments. I was leading the way. I turned a corner and stopped. I saw something that turned my blood to ice. I turned back around to Altaïr and he ran into me. I lightly pushed him back.
"What's wrong?" he whispered.
"There is a Templar right on the other side! He's hiding in the shadows between some crates. What would a fucking Templar be doing on the roof?" I said. We both looked around the corner and we saw him. He had his helmet on and had one hand on his sword. He started to look this way. We shot back behind the corner.
"Oh come on. We can take him. Two of us against one of him." said Altaïr.
"I don't know. They always seem to be one step ahead sometimes." I said. I had to admit, I was a little scared. I hate Templars. One of the reasons is because one killed my father and another is because something is so… off about them. I just don't like it. "Besides, we are wasting time. If we want to kill Garnier today, then we gotta hurry."
"Yeah, your right. Picking fights with Templars isn't the best idea, and I would like to kill Garnier today." Said Altaïr.
"Good, then lets drop down and leave." I said. So we dropped down. I couldn't help but feel relieved. We found a man arguing with a boy about replacing some ropes. "Your turn." I said. I nudged Altaïr forward. He looked at me. I shrugged. "It's only fair. By the way, your targets getting away." I said. He turned and ran a little toward the boy that was walking away. I leaned up against the wall and watched him. He swiped a map of candelabra and Garnier's patient positions.
"This is perfect." He said. He showed me the map.
"So once we infiltrate, we can use the rafters to hide and follow him? Sounds easy enough." I said. We headed to the church lastly and I swiped a letter from one of Garnier's messengers. It talked of all the different medicinal herbs he used on his patients. "This… This is horrible." I said.
"He performs experiments on them. Well, I knew there had to be a dark side to this." Said Altaïr.
"Yes. Something always has to be out of the ordinary. I was actually beginning to wonder if our target was a normal doctor. Apparently not."
"Tamir was his supplier, but he has another person in Jerusalem. Talal supplies him with patients, so he can test these things on them."
"Good. We have enough info, now we can kill him and get this over with." I said.