Evie was keeping well out of her brother's way after the fiasco that was attempting to steal Lucy Thorne's documents.
Really, she should have expected him to not stick to the plan - plans were not Jacob's thing - and basically make her fail the mission. But no, Evie had let him help, and all she had gotten of Lucy's research was a notebook.
When Evie dropped down into the carriage reserved for her and the research for the Piece of Eden, she was soaked. Of course it had to rain.
Kai was over in a matter of seconds, flinging a blanket around her, and Evie was immediately thankful.
She liked Kai and his sister, Amara, a lot. Both were nowhere near as extreme as Jacob and, if she dare admit it, more on touch with their emotions than herself. She had a feeling Amara was reigning Jacob in, as there had been no reports of destruction to public property since they had arrived...apart from the fiasco when the younger girl had attempted to drive a carriage.
Evie hated to admit that she was impressed by how much destruction a single carriage could cause, but it was easily remedied by never allowing Amara to drive. Ever.
Kai, on the other hand, stuck with Evie and Henry. Also, he could drive without leaving destruction in his wake.
Evie had never had someone to mother her before, and it was unexpectedly nice. Which was one reason why she didn't protest when Kai led her to one of the armchairs in the carriage. Another was because she was absolutely exhausted and really couldn't find the energy to protest to Kai's treatment.
"How did it go?" He asked her, taking the other armchair and Evie sighed.
"Not well. I got this." She withdrew the notebook from her coat pocket, handing it over to Kai.
"Better than nothing, I guess." He murmured, flicking through the pages. Not slow enough to read anything, but enough to know that it was full of notes and loose sheafs of paper. The crinkling of the older sheets made Evie cringe slightly - what if they got damaged? Kai's hands were gentle, and Henry was a researcher first and foremost. But they shared a train with the most reckless man in London and his right hand.
Evie would have to put her faith in Amara, and hope she would prevent Jacob from destroying the only piece of research Evie had retrieved.
"Where's Mr Green?"
"Henry's checking up on a lead. I told him I'd go with him - he said he could deal with it on his own." Kai sounded slightly petulant and Evie had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from commenting or laughing at that. It looked so out of place on the larger man's face, it was almost comical.
"Well, at least I have a blanket." Evie tugged it further around herself. "Put the kettle on, please. I am sure we can work some of this research out without Mr Green's help."
XoooX
Henry came back with food.
They were meat pies and, although Evie was always skeptical about the meat actually put in the pies, she was starving. She tucked into her pie easily, watching Kai as he bit into his tentatively. For a bigger man, who could stand the sight of broken bones and bloody cobblestones, he was terrible when it came to eating street food. The first time Evie had bought him a meat pie, he muttered something about cats.
He refused outright when she made a show of considering buying him bloater. She couldn't blame him, really. Bloaters were disgusting.
Henry waited until they were finished to ask Evie about her recent mission and it was Kai who held out the book to Henry. He had a crumb stuck to the corner of his mouth and Evie leaned over to brush it away with her thumb. Henry tracked the movement with his eyes, smiled slightly when Kai wrinkled his nose, before leafing through the notebook.
"This is invaluable." Henry murmured. "It says the the Assassins found a Shroud."
"Rumoured to heal the greatest of injuries and maybe bring people back from the dead." Kai had, fortunately, swallowed his food before contributing. "Although I doubt the last bit - sounds a bit iffy to be honest."
"You think most things sound a bit odd. Especially when it comes to Pieces of Eden." Evie pointed out and Kai shrugged.
"That's because they are."
"I find it odd that no one else seems to know about the Assassins finding this." She pointed out.
"There has to be something we're missing." Henry frowned in mild annoyance and Kai perked up, as though realising something.
"Evie, do you have that second sight thing?" He asked her. "You know, with the different colours and all that? I don't have it - not the right genetics - but -"
"- There may be something hidden in there that only we can see." Evie realised, taking the book out of Henry's hands. She allowed herself to focus, to let her second sight take over.
She could see sketches - of trees and a manor house and a gateway arch with a ship. A sort of map she assumed, to where more information on the shroud would be - or even it's actual location. "It's a map. At least, it looks like one."
"Kai, you are a genius." Henry decided, and Kai looked flustered.
"It's nothing. Are we going?" He asked and Evie nodded, excited and hyped up. They were another step closer.
"Henry?"
"Field work isn't really my speciality…" Henry said, voice awkward, and Kai flung an arm across his shoulders, leaning down slightly to look at him with an excited gaze.
"We have found a clue, Henry. Come on, you have to be curious." Kai grinned at the look Henry shot him - a mix between amused and fond and resigned. "So?"
"I suppose it is a once in a lifetime opportunity." He admitted and Kai let out an over exaggerated cheer. Evie rolled her eyes - these boys, honestly. They would be the death of her.
They headed off the train and onto a carriage, Kai taking the reigns and Evie sitting next to him, Henry in the actual carriage.
"So, any information on the London Assassins who may have found the shroud?" Evie asked and Henry hummed.
"I'm assuming it is Edward Kenway."
"...The pirate?" Evie hazarded and Kai let out a laugh.
"Yes, the pirate turned Assassin. He worked alongside Blackbeard, Jack Rackham, Mary Read - that lot. Oh, and Adewale was his Quartermaster before he joined the brotherhood."
"Since when did you know so much about the brotherhood?" Evie asked, voice amused. Kai snorted.
"Since I read up on them, Miss Frye." Kai retorted.
"Anyway, if our suspicions are correct, the map should lead us to Kenway Manor." Henry added. "It was left to Edward's son, Haytham."
"Grandmaster of the colonial Templar order. Killed by his son, Connor, at the age of fifty five. I know this because I read. As previously stated." Kai grinned at Evie, who considered pushing him off the carriage. That would be irresponsible, though.
"Yes, I know who Haytham Kenway was, Kai." Evie sighed. "The house was passed onto his sister when he died, correct?"
"Correct." Henry nodded. "Jennifer Scott. But since then it has changed hands so much and we assumed that Haytham would have brought everything with him when he moved to America. If there was anything there...well, you'd think it would be long gone."
"Let's just hope this isn't for nothing." Kai hummed, pulling the carriage to a halt. "And what do you know? It looks like it won't be."
Lucy had beat them there, it seemed, the red headed Templar stepping out of the carriage and giving orders to one of the Blighters with her.
"Well, that'll make things problematic." Evie hummed, frowning slightly.
"The windows are open." Henry pointed out and Kai laughed to himself.
"Their security is terrible." He decided, grinning at the two of them. "See you on the inside, I guess." And he was off, scaling the building with his rope launcher and dropping down into a window. He was gone from Evie's sight in a few minutes.
"We should probably follow him." She said. Henry nodded.
"You're probably right."
XoooX
The room was mostly empty besides a grand piano. Kai shot Evie a look with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you sure your second vision is right?" He asked her. Evie rolled her eyes.
"Yes I am, Kai." She answered, looking around the room. Henry was inspecting the piano as though that would hold some sort of clue. Evie frowned, before allowing her second sight to take over again, bathing the room in a new set of colours. Kai and Henry were both a startling green, a comfort almost, and Evie looked around the room. "There are notes on the walls."
"Notes? Like, piano notes?" Kai asked, making his way over to the piano.
"Yes. Exactly like that." Evie said. "You play?"
"I dabble." Kai grinned. "Go on, then."
Evie read off the notes and Kai played them. As the music filled the room, a panel in the floor drew back, revealing a hole with steps leading down. Henry raised an eyebrow.
"That's subtle."
"Edward Kenway was a pirate." Kai responded. "I don't think the word 'subtle' was in his vocabulary."
Evie did not snort loudly. Not at all.
"So...who wants to go down first?" Henry said, determinedly ignoring Evie's snorted laughter, or the way Kai's lips kept twitching in amusement.
"Ladies first." Evie smiled charmingly, and lead the way, Henry and Kai following her.
The hidden room was huge, full of old books and papers and relics. Things from a time gone by.
"This...this stuff must be from the Jackdaw." Kai said, voice full of awe. "All this stuff, hidden for decades under Kenway Manor...wow."
"And I have found what we came here for." Evie announced, pocketing the disk in her coat, and reading over the note. "It's a history of the London Assassins...something about a key."
"Something to unlock the Piece of Eden?" Henry asked and Evie shrugged.
"Most likely."
"Shh!" Kai held up a hand, and Evie and Henry stopped their conversation.
"You said you heard music?" Evie cursed mentally - of course Lucy Thorne would be alerted to their presence. Henry darted over to a lever on the wall, pulling it down as Lucy exclaimed that the hole hadn't been there before.
It closed before Lucy could reach the stairs.
"Alright, so how the hell are we going to get out of here?" Kai asked. Because Kai was sensible and Henry, by doing the sensible thing, had trapped them under the manor house.
"There has to be a secret door or something." Henry ran a hand through his hair.
Evie's eyes landed on the ship's wheel. It was obvious, almost too obvious…
But, lo and behold, it opened up part of the wall, leading into a passageway.
"Evie Frye, you are a genius." Kai announced and Evie laughed.
"I knew that. Come on - let's get back to the train and hope Jacob hasn't destroyed London in our absence."
He hadn't.
But the picture of John Elliotson had a cross through it.