Chapter Three:

A Ghost's Trail

Vienna, German Empire, 1943

The moment the train stopped Mary and Katherine chucked their suitcases down the bottom hatch of the car and escaped beneath the train, then raced into the war-torn area of the city that was laden with guards and some fallen monuments that Mary would have liked to visit when they were in their prime. The location of the brothers' deaths was near their campsite for the night, where the two women had a fine view of Saint Stephen's Cathedral. It was there that the two young Princes had their bodies discovered, in the catacombs of the nearly thousand-year-old structure.

Mary took first watch that night from the abandoned apartment they'd made their temporary base. For hours she leaned against the window frame that viewed the cathedral and had her eyes closed as she listened to the foreign sounds. The troops, the languages, the cars racing through the streets even in the dark of night... Her senses were better with her eyes closed, especially since she really had only the one to look around with. Mary put her hands on her dual revolvers—Webley Mark VI—when she heard the approach of two pairs of feet, but they passed by without incident, and Mary loosened up.

That was when Katherine had begun to stir. Mary assumed she hadn't slept very much, considering how close they were to where her brothers had died. Nonetheless, Katherine rose and took the next watch to allow Mary to sleep. But Mary laid down in the blankets and simply stared at the roof. She didn't sleep that night, either.

The two waited in their camping spot all the next day and watched the patrols keenly, then as evening came they put together their reports of troop movement to see if the Germans would impair their search. When they saw their window of opportunity as the clock crept closer to midnight, the two women made for Saint Stephen's Cathedral. With their hoods up, the armed pair stole into the ancient monument like wraiths in the night, their eyes seeking hiding places within as the priests finished the last of their duties. Mary and Katherine hid behind a pillar until the very last of the priests passed them by, and much to Katherine's surprise Mary stepped out of the shadows and inclined her head the moment he saw her. Katherine's heart leapt into her throat.

But the elderly priest smiled at Mary. "Mary MacKenzie," the priest whispered. His grin broadened. "It is ye, int it?"

"Aye, Father MacPhee. I admit I dinnae expect tae see ye here."

"Nor I ye. What're ye doing here, lass?"

Mary paused. "Father, some people I knew died here about three years ago. They were murdered by a very strange person that my friend and I are investigating." Mary gestured to Katherine in the shadows. "The dead are her brothers. I'd be very much obliged if ye could help us, Father."

MacPhee's eyes lowered to the guns at Mary's hips, and he gave her a disapproving look. "Mary, ye can't have those on sacred ground."

"I'm sure the big man'll give me a break. My mission is true and I mean no harm here." Mary crossed her arms. "Now, do ye know anything? Any information ye have will be appreciated mightily."

"Naw. I'm sorry, my wee lass, but I dannae have any knowledge of that."

"Thank ye, anyhow." Mary smiled. "I have a request, Father. Is it possible for me and my friend tae get into the catacombs beneath the cathedral? That's where the bodies were found, see."

Suddenly, MacPhee was flustered. "Mary! Ye cannae just come in here and ask to go there! It's sacred ground! It's heresey if ye try!"

"Och, hush, Father. Ye know I'm as harmless as a wee bairn. I wouldnae do anything tae ruin this place. But there's information down there we need. We'll be in and oot, I promise!"

"Absolutely not!" The priest's head was crimson, though Katherine wasn't sure why. "Dannae ask such a thing of me!"

"All right, all right." Katherine shot a glare Mary's way, which she didn't see because it was towards her right side. "Sorry I asked. May we at least stay a while tae pray? We've had a long journey and, tae my friend's dismay, not much time tae pray tae the Lord."

MacPhee's head lightened, clearly glad Mary was cooperating with him. "Very well, Mary. I see naw harm in it."

"Thank ye." Mary gestured for Katherine to join her, which Katherine did very reluctantly, and the two found a pew to sit in on the left side of the cathedral, in full view of the artistic pulpit that overlooked the whole of the area. Mary bowed her head immediately and began muttering things Katherine didn't understand, which she assumed must have been the Celtic language, but as Katherine bowed her head as well she caught Mary winking at her, and as MacPhee approached and then passed them by, Mary's hand found the priest's keys and she deftly and silently plucked them from him.

Katherine shook her head, and then Mary gestured to the south tower as she handed the younger woman the keys.

"There's a trapdoor inside the tower," the Scot explained. "Be swift, be silent."

Katherine nodded, took the keys and moved like a shadow towards the indicated tower. Father MacPhee began praying at the High Altar, and a few moments later Mary announced she would be leaving. She assumed he'd known Katherine had "left" the vicinity, and Mary left the cathedral.

But once outside, Mary began scaling the Romanesque towers and giant's door at the front of the building until she reached the roof, and from there she made her way to the southern tower where she found a hatch to lower herself into. After landing on her feet, Mary waited for any tell-tale signs of someone having heard her, but when none were revealed Mary hurried down the staircase to the base of the tower and found the trapdoor Katherine had gone to unlocked. Gladdened by the progress, Mary slipped inside.

The catacombs were, of all things, dark and musty. Dust hung in what available light there was from candelabras fastened to the walls. Mary wondered if it had been Katherine who'd lit them or one of the priests. If Katherine had it was to light a path, else Mary realized there might still be living souls in the Austrian tomb.

"Katherine?!" Mary hissed down the hall. "Lassie? Where are ye?"

From around the corner, Katherine stepped out of the shadows and beckoned to Mary. "Hurry! And keep quiet! There are voices ahead!"

Mary caught up to Katherine and followed the American past the resting place of the bishops and the clergy, then they turned right down a narrow hall which opened into a wide space, but held nothing within. Mary took in the sights of mosaics and artwork hundreds of years old, but her goal was to assess the candles again.

"Did ye light all these?" whispered Mary.

Katherine shook her head. "It was like this when I got down here." She looked back at Mary. "Who was that man?"

"Father MacPhee?" Mary asked. Katherine nodded. "Och, he was the priest who tended me back tae health after those rogue Assassins attacked my home. He tried tae have me join the convent when I recovered, since I had nothing else. After I killed those men I learned he had left for the Vatican tae learn more of his craft. I suppose he wanted tae serve here instead of back home."

"Or he's being held prisoner here." Mary raised an eyebrow at Katherine. "Well, he's a Scot. Chances are because of his religion he knows Latin and Italian, as well, especially if he was studying at the Vatican. Italy joined forces with Germany in the beginning, so it's likely MacPhee was placed at the centre of German power to ensure he wasn't a spy, and bring back reports of the German front when officers and soldiers come here to confess."

"Aye." Mary agreed with Katherine, though she hoped MacPhee's situation was otherwise. That would mean stealing MacPhee's keys had a steeper price than she'd initially thought.

Deeper and deeper they trod into the catacombs. Mary let Katherine continue to lead to where the voices were coming from because of her advantage of two eyes while Mary tried to focus on what they were saying. It was a secret Templar meeting. Father MacPhee turned her request away not because he thought it heinous for her to try to find answers, but because his church was hosting the Templars.

Mary reached out and grabbed Katherine's shoulder to pull her to a stop, then Mary quickly began to extinguish the candlelight in the crypts.

"What are you doing?! We need it to see!" exclaimed Katherine in a moderate hiss.

The Scot shot Katherine a look. "Ye heard the voices, aye? We'll be spotted for sure if they come this way!"

"And they'll know we were here if the lights are out!"

"Naw, Miss Prince! They won't! We'll kill them before they realize it!"

"After we find evidence."

"Aye, lassie. If it's here."

The lights extinguished, Mary used the voices to help guide herself and Katherine through the catacombs ahead. Then they discovered a narrow, winding hallway that led straight to a room stored full with preserved foodstuffs and drink. Katherine rolled her eyes when she noticed how quickly Mary could find the barrels of wine (The Blood of Christ, Katherine thought with a tone of sarcasm).

At the centre of the room were four men dressed in either army-standards or Templar robes. Mary and Katherine watched from the darkness as one of the men dressed in Templar robes ran his finger down what looked to be a list. Names, Mary realized, although she couldn't be certain if it was Assassin, Templar, or otherwise.

The man nodded solemnly. When he raised his head, Katherine noticed Mary stiffen a bit. Was he the Assassin-hunter? The question lingered in Katherine's eyes, but Mary shook her head. So he wasn't, but Mary knew him.

"Send this to our asset," the Templar drawled to one of his subordinates. "More Assassins we'll put to the blade."

Katherine saw Mary reach for one of her pistols. Katherine reached for her own—a Colt 1911—and primed it. The moment Mary tensed the Scot leapt from the shadowed hallway and fired two shots at the second robed Templar. The two officers reached for their guns but Katherine fired her own weapon at their hands, and the men screamed and clutched their wounds, their guns having flown from their grasp to lay useless on the floor. The second Templar hit the ground and gargled his death throes as blood gushed from his wounds and rose from his mouth like a fountain.

Meantime, the only remaining robed Templar glared at Mary with gun in hand. "You," he snarled. "You goddamn thorn in my side...!"

"Ach, is that any way tae speak tae a lady, Mister Cole?" goaded Mary with a lecherous grin. "And here its been so long since I last saw ye! How long? At least five years, must be!"

"Not long enough," growled Cole as he fixed his eyes on the two Assassin and his pained comrades.

"Ye've still got my sword, I see." Mary took a few steps to the side to keep Cole in her sights as a wounded officer stumbled in front of her barrel. "Now, I'll give ye a chance tae return it."

Cole grinned. His barrel followed Mary all the same. Katherine kept her eyes on him and the officers. "But its served me well, Miss MacKenzie. So much Assassin blood spilled... No wonder you want it back so badly."

Mary, nonchalantly, shrugged. "All right then," she said, and then leapt to the side and lunged at Cole.

Cole fired some shots at Mary but they missed just in time for Mary to get close to Cole and unleash her left hidden blade, which cut upward from his pelvis to his chest. Even from where she stood, blocked by the recovered officers, Katherine saw the strike was shallow and wouldn't do him in, but it did well to cut his belt in half. Another quick strike with her hidden blade and Mary had Cole leap backwards to avoid it. With a victorious smirk Mary used her foot to catch the falling blade and toss it upwards, where she deactivated her hidden blade and caught the sword.

"Thank ye for returning it so promptly!" exclaimed the Scot. "Always knew deep in my heart ye Templars had a soft spot for a bonny lass!"

"I have to say Miss MacKenzie, the bandages certainly improve your looks!"

"Well, I'd lend ye some Mister Cole, but I'm afraid it wouldnae help as much as ye'd wish!"

Cole threw a punch at Mary, which she ducked as she jammed the sheathe of her sword into her belt. The grip stuck into her stomach uncomfortably but she could bear through it. She backed away as he fired his gun again, and quickly found cover behind one of the officers attacking Katherine. Using them as living shields, Katherine and Mary charged forward, towards Cole, but his larger mass crashed into them and sent the women flying with the bodies. Cole fled through the tunnels Katherine and Mary had yet to explore.

Mary began her pursuit of him while Katherine hesitated in the room and grabbed what papers she could. The Scot followed Cole, and turned the corner she'd seen him run down when a knife suddenly cut through the darkness towards her. She only barely managed to block the weapon with her right arm to retreat before Cole advanced on her, a killer's glint in his eye.

With blood leaking from her wound, Mary holstered her revolver and activated both her hidden blades. "So it's going tae be like that?"

Cole leapt forward, his knife slicing through air as he tried to cut into Mary, but the Assassin held her own and parried any of his attacks that she couldn't dodge, though not without some degree of difficulty. Cole's speciality was blades, not guns.

He'd managed to push her into the hallway when Katherine came sprinting around the corner. Cole ground his teeth together, gave Mary a hard and quite unexpected shove right into a wall, and then continued his retreat.

"Come back here, ye boggin bastart!" hollered Mary as she hopped to her feet. "I'll tear yer goddamn arms oot of yer sockets and use them as my paddles! If I ever get my hands on yer skull I'll use it tae get blootered!"

"Maybe screaming those profanities is the reason he's running!" Katherine quipped as she caught up with Mary. "Hurry! We can't let him escape!"

They tore after Cole, but reached the escape route too late; he was long gone, but without whatever he'd left in that room. Still, Mary had she and Katherine escape through a grate two streets over before they dared slow. Once they reached their campsite Katherine grabbed the papers from her coat and excitedly sat down to read while Mary slowly crossed to her small suitcase.

Katherine grinned widely. "This is brilliant! We've probably saved all these Assassins from that murderer! And we have some locations of Templar activities!" She lifted up a page, and her eyes brightened. "And this! This is Henry's writing! There are so many places here we didn't suspect... And people!"

"Ach, that's good." Mary sat down in front of her suitcase and grabbed the bandages inside. The moment she shed her overcoat Katherine finally noticed the wound seeping with blood on her arm.

"Mary!" Katherine quickly abandoned the wealth of knowledge and hurried to the other Assassin. "Damn! I'm sorry, I didn't notice!"

Mary smiled. "Och, that's all right, lassie. I had my hand on it tae stem the flow. It's really not a big issue."

Katherine took the bandages and rolled up Mary's sleeve to get a better look at it. It wasn't serious, from what Katherine could tell. Then again, it was apparent to her now that Mary's bandages did not end with just her face. Her entire arm was wrapped up, as well. Katherine had assumed Mary had wrapped her hand in bandages for a better grip, as many Assassins did back in America, but Mary's bandages had absolutely everything to do with her wounds.

The younger Assassin wrapped the bandages over the wound and then left to find a needle and string to stitch it up, but that wasn't until a few hours later. By the time she returned, Mary had organized each paper Katherine had found into an order Katherine wasn't sure she could decipher, but Mary's eyes snapped to each paper meticulously, searching for connections. Once the wound was stitched up, Mary grinned.

"Found ye," she said, and pointed to the name on the Assassin hit-list.

Katherine looked at it. Andrew Lee, London, England.

"What about him?" asked Katherine.

"The Assassin-hunter turned up around 1940, and yer brothers were some of the first tae fall to their blade," explained Mary with a triumphant glint in her eye. "In 1938, this man was supposed tae be part of a strike team tae kill Hitler and recover a possible Piece of Eden. Everyone died, but Andrew Lee never showed up. If he's on this list, he may know something about the Assassin-hunter—something he wannae supposed tae. Or, better yet, he may be working close with the Assassin-hunter and is on the kill list tae cut off some ties."

"Either way, Andrew Lee looks like our next little tangle." Katherine looked up from the papers. "Who was that man from earlier? Cole, wasn't it?"

"Richard Cole, an American Templar the Assassins believe transported a possible Piece of Eden tae Germany a few years back, which was what the strike team was for. Tae make matters worse, he has the Sight."

"The Sight?"

"What people like tae call 'Eagle Vision', meaning his genes are a bit more concentrated in the First Civilization department, lassie."

Katherine hung her head a bit at that to process the new information. "Did you know him?"

"Och, we encountered one another a few times and ended up in a scrap, but he always finds a way tae slip away like a bleeding git!" Mary rolled her sleeve down and shrugged her overcoat back on. "I'll pack this up. Ye get some shut-eye. We leave in the morn."

"For where?"

Mary sighed. "Cannae ye read, lassie?! London! We're headed tae London!"