SIX MINUTES
"Eva!" Connor yells. "Eva!"
He can see the woman amidst the veil of violence — the clutter of destroyed buildings and beings — but he cannot reach her. He is overwhelmingly aware of the blood he is treading as he runs towards Eva; that of his comrades and that of his enemies...and such a slaughterhouse he has never seen.
"Eva!" he repeats, Flood's sword poised as he advances.
She is wrestling two Templars at once, seemingly in vain. The battlefield seems empty in comparison to earlier, and Connor has barely been searching for a minute. Her bright blue eyes meet his in a brief moment; without her having to ask, Connor raises Ziio's pistol and shoots both men dead. Eva nods in thanks, dashing towards where her comrade stands near a broken wall.
"This is plagal," she says distressfully, "massacre!"
"Eva, you have to listen to me." Connor speaks fast and forcefully, grabbing Eva's shoulders. "I have just killed Flood, and he spoke of an evacuation. The Templars have already sunk our entire fleet — obliterated them entirely — and any minute now, Charles plans to flee with the artefacts and —"
"Watch out!" she cries suddenly, dropping into a crouch. Connor has no time to question...but like a hare in a trap he jumps aside, closes his eyes...
No crash. Miss. This round shot, like so many others, sinks into the grass aimlessly. The moment the two Assassins look up, the plain on which they stand is practically empty.
"It's all staged!" Connor continues. "They plan to barricade us in and set the fort alight!"
Eva can do nothing but blink. Her sword drops loosely to her side; she tries to make sense of it all. The fleet is gone. So have the Templars. The gunpowder is split and spread over the field...but what use is it like that?
"What?" she thinks aloud. "But surely then, the Templar ships would not be shooting at their own walls?"
"Look around you." Connor indicates the stained but sturdy walls they stand under. "They have left the outer walls untouched. The towers are safe, but the inside walls! They are shooting without aim. Can't you see? We have to warn the others!"
"Where would they evacuate from, if the walls will be sealed?" Eva shakes her head — not in disbelief — but in trying to understand.
"Most of the soldiers have already gone. Or were you unsuspicious of that, too?"
She looks into the eyes of the younger Assassin...and sees nothing but desperation swimming in a soul of wisdom. And suddenly, a little too late, Eva comprehends. Her skin turns sickeningly white. Her exuberant eyes swirl around the deserted battlefield; her red lips reveal a speechless tongue.
In a husky, tremulous tone: "We need to regroup. Quickly."
"Where are the rest of the living?" Connor demands.
"Beyond the courtyard, in the heart of the battle. Oh, God," she breathes, "I see it now! They led all of the Assassins away from the gate! And I thought I was wise in holding off the remaining men over here!" She darts from side to side, eyes scanning the dozens of dead strewn across the grass like the gunpowder. "Where is Haytham?"
"He went to find Charles."
Eva centres herself carefully, takes a deep breath, and regroups her mind. "Focus on the rest of the Brotherhood first. Haytham should be able to fend for himself, but...help me spread the word of evacuation without attracting too much attention."
"Where should I start?" Connor frets.
"On the West side. It'll be less conspicuous...and I will divert the defences in the other direction."
Ziio's pistol in one hand, Flood's sword in the other...and no armour. This should be no issue for the invincible warrior Ratohnhaké:ton, but he knows that this is different. As another shower of cannonballs land like giant pebbles in green sand, he begins to run in the opposite direction to Eva.
"Hurry!" he warns, turning his head back to shout.
Irrationally, there is only one Assassin on Connor's mind. He knows it is sentiment-based; he knows it is intrinsically selfish of him. But he cannot help himself. He must save this one's life first.
Before anyone else, Connor has his mother in mind.