Hello everyone. ^^

Please check the end of the chapter for notes. There you will find the translation of particular sentences in this chapter.

SynthesisSurge: To be fair: It's only Stephane who dislikes Lillian. He's very resentful. :D But I think Connor knows, while Lillian doesn't mind.


Xaman Ek

Shortly afterwards, I was sitting at the table in the dining room with Connor and Olivia and seemed to be the only one who felt uncomfortable in this silence. Connor and Olivia were sitting directly in front of each other, while I was sitting at the head of the table and kept looking back and forth between them, my fingers drumming uneasily on the table top. Olivia appeared to be entirely relaxed. Like she had been during our first meeting in Stephane's storage room, when Connor had asked her about Ray. This situation was almost similar although Olivia was sitting in front of Connor willingly and was far more talkative.
"Well, what do you want to talk about with me? Or am I here to admire your furniture? Not quite my taste, but…"
Connor raised a hand and interrupted Olivia's random talk. The blonde cocked her head and smiled smugly, waiting for Connor to say something. He folded his hands on the table top and gave Olivia a disapproving gaze. I didn't understand why he had delayed this conversation until now anyway, but at the moment I could see that he disliked how Olivia had started it.
"At first I want to know where you have been over the last weeks after you disappeared", he said seriously and straight forward.
Olivia's smile froze. "Although I apologized for my disappearance, I do not have to justify myself. What I'm doing is none of your damn business."
"Not when I cannot be sure how you are dealing with your loyalty", Connor replied in the same cold tone. Both of them were sitting in front of each other tight-lipped and I already had the feeling that this conversation was going to fail. Olivia didn't seem to be willing to tell anything about her at all, while it was Connor's term to trust her. But in the end, we were the ones who wanted something from her and that was why we had to show our good will to Olivia. When she leaned back in her chair as a reaction to Connor's words and stared at her person opposite with narrow eyes, I leaned a bit forward as if this action alone would include me in this conversation.
"What Connor wants to say is that we know too little about you to trust you", I started and hoped that my friendly and calm tone would propitiate Olivia. At least Connor looked at me shortly and added with a nod of his head: "You said for example, that you had inhibitions to kill Ray when you had the chance. What did you mean with it?"
Now Olivia's gaze moved back and forth between us and obviously, she was still reluctant to tell us something about herself. But after some minutes of silence, the young woman pursed her lips and lightly shrugged her shoulders.
"Basically, I don't know anything about you either and could also say I couldn't trust you. But I understand your concerns and I'm not in the position to say something against it. So, I will explain myself."
And she explained herself. In short words Olivia told us that she was born and raised on Cuba. Her mother was a whore, her father some drunken sailor who had made use of the brothel's service. Olivia had spent most of her childhood and youth in the brothel but also on the streets of Havanna. She had never had great future perspectives as the child of a prostitute. As soon as she was old ennough, Olivia would have had to work in the brothel, too but in the age of fourteen, she had fled. She had smuggled herself on a ship without knowing where it had been sailing to and so she had ended up in New York. There she had lived on the street. Her childish naive dream for a better life soon had turned out to be unrealizable. Only eighteens old, Olivia had seen no sense in her life anymore. Until she had met my brother. He had convinced her of his vision of an America, that was still under the British Crown. Although she had no imagination of England and its monarchy herself. The only important thing for her had been to have something to hold on to. A sense in her life. An aim.
"If I hadn´t met Ray back then, I wouldn´t sit here in front of you", Olivia explained, after she had told us her story in an almost emotionless way. As if she wouldn´t talk about herself. She appeared to be causual while drawing invisble circles on the table top with her fngertips. "He practically saved my life and although he wanted to kill me in the end, I'm a woman who knows in whose debt she is and take that very serious. I could have never raised my hand against Ray, even if I wanted to." She raised her eyes and looked at Connor. "That's why I told you what I knew when you captured me. I wasn't able to kill Ray but I knew in an instant that you could do it and when Ray punsihed me for my betrayal, this was the only place that came to my mind when I needed help and you helped me. You saved my life, more than Ray could ever have done it and so I'm in your debt from now on. So if you ask yourself, if you can trust me, Ratonhnhaké:ton, you should know that I will do everything to fulfill this debt."
"Until you find something who is able to kill me", Connor replied with raised eyebrows and a sceptical voice. He mentioned the main crux in Olivia's explanations about her loyalty. It sounded understandable and believable. But that she had practically used Connor to get rid of her debt towards Ray was a great drop of bitterness. But Olivia stayed relaxed.
"Don't betray me and I will never have the wish to end your life."
"The same goes for you."
They stared at each other like two wolves, determining their borders. I wasn't quite sure if Connor's reply meant that he was accepting Olivia's kind of loyalty or if he still decided not to trust her. Whatever he was thinking, his face was entirely motionless and there were also no noticable gestures that could have given me an answer. The silence in this room was almost oppressive and I caught myself, how I started to slide uneasily back and forth on my chair. I felt like the wittness of a fight that was entirely without words and at the same time, I was angry about it.
"Do you want to tell her now or is this meeting over?", it finally broke out of me and I gave Connor a pleading look. He finally should make his decision without delaying it any longer. Either he trusted Olivia and told her about the stone, or he sent her away.
Connor looked at me and I heard him taking a deep breath before he turned to Olivia and mumbled: "Well then." He grabbed at his neck and pulled the stone at the leather ribbon out of his shirt. I saw how Olivia's eyes widened while Connor pulled the ribbon over his head and put the stone on the table.
"It seems familiar to you?", Connor asked, when he noticed Olivia's gaze, too. She was still staring at the little blue object as if it was some kind of natural phenomenon, before she nodded slowly.
"Of course. This thing caused some trouble. May I?" She reached out her hand for the stone but Connor's hand laid over it. He tensed his jaws for a moment, but then he lifted his hand again and nodded. Olivia took the stone, lifted it and turned it so that the light from the window broke inside of it.
"You found it at Ray, didn´t you?"
Connor nodded and Olivia put the stone back on the table. She folded her hands and began kneading her fingers, as if she wanted to distract herself from taking the stone again.
"I don't know where this thing is from. It was with many other glass stones in a box some men brought with them. They thought they were jewels and Ray himself checked every stone. He found them not special but there was one man among us who saw it differently." Olivia's gaze became thoughtful. "If it is with you, it must be true", she murmured unclearly but still clearly enough to be understood by Connor.
"What do you mean?", he asked and the blonde looked at him.
"If you expect me to say something about it, I have to disappoint you. But I know someone who can do it."
"Who?"
"His name is Xaman Ek. He was a slave once, but could escape and affiliated with Ray, too. He originally belongs to the Maya and he was the one who uttered concerns about two stones, this stone included. He was it who told Ray to sell them but Ray kept this one, only to show Xaman Ek that he didn´t take him for serious."
"And which concerns did he have?"
Olivia shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't listen close enough, to be honest. He spoke about some powers nobody is able to control. Some superstitious gossip, if you ask me. But if you are really interested, you could talk to him. He retreated into a cabin near Lexington."
"So you could lead me to him?" Connor had already laid his flat hands onto the table to sit up, but Olivia shook her head.
"Xaman Ek is very introvert and distrustful. He would never allow me to bring someone to him. But I could probably make him come here. I'm sure he's interested in telling you more about this thing."
Connor's gaze sought mine and found it. He was silently asking for my opinion about everything but I didn't know why he was hesitating at all. If this Xaman Ek really knew something about the stone and was talking about supernatural powers, we probably should talk to him. I didn't care if he came to us or Connor to him. So I nodded lightly and Connor looked down at the stone again.
"Well then", he said. "Ride tomorrow morning and bring him here."


Shortly after our conversation, Olivia had walked to the homestead to take a room in the inn. Evening had fallen already and the sun was sinking more and more towards the open sea. If she had left now to get Xaman Ek, she would have needed to ride through the night and because he wanted to give her Aldah, Connor hadn't wanted to risk it for the horse's sake, who already had a long ride behind it. So we had to control our curiosity until tomorrow, which seemed to be easier for Connor than it was for me. My mind was only half with the things I was doing, when I prepared dinner and even when Connor, Caleb, Emily and I were sitting at the table, I was silent although my thoughts were louder than ever. I was curious to learn what this Xaman Ek could tell us and I was sure that we were close to reveal the stone's secret. It would mean that Connor could try to get the other stone from the templars soon and probably we could get rid of both then. I wouldn't need to rack my brains about some shining objects made of strange material anymore.
In this night, I slept restlessly again but when I woke up shortly after break of dawn, Connor was still lying sleeping next to me and the stone lay untouched on the bedside table. I caught myself staring at the blue object for quite a while. I was already looking forward to never see it again one day. I tore my attention from the stone, as Connor began to move. After he had lied with his back to me, he turned on his back now and without noticing it, a warm smile slid over my lips when I saw how he lazily opened his eyes and blinked several times. I could practically watch his consciousness rising from sleep and only after he had uttered a quiet sigh and had run his hands over his face, he seemed to be really awake.
"Good morning", I said quietly and Connor's gaze moved to me.
"And you", he murmured and rubbed his eyes again. "What time is it?"
"I don't know", I answered while I rolled onto my belly to lay my hands on his shoulder and to bed my chin on them. "But the sun hasn't risen yet. I'm sure Olivia will come in one or two hours."
"Mhm." Connor's gaze moved to the ceiling and I saw how he shortly pressed his lips together. As if he was just thinking of something he didn´t like and I believed to know what it was.
"You are worrying about this Xaman Ek, don't you? Do you think he could be no help?"
"No. I am even sure that he will be." Connor pushed his arm, which I wasn't using as a pillow, under his head while he was still looking up. "I am rather thinking that I do not like the thought of bringing a stranger here to talk with about things which are somehow concerning the templars, too."
I frowned. "What do you mean? The other assassins come here, too so that you can talk."
"You said it already. They are assassins. We do not know this Xaman Ek. Who knows what kind of man he is and how he will be minded towards us? I do not want that everybody who could probably harm us, can find their way here."
"But you can't delete Davenport from the maps. Strangers will always come here. Travellers, salesmen…"
"You do not understand what I mean."
Connor carefully pushed me off his shoulder and turned onto his side to look at me. There was an unfamiliar concern in his eyes and I cocked my head questioningly while he was struggling for words.
"It is not about that I do not want strangers to know about Davenport. I do not want them to know about me. The templars do not know where I live but if they did, they could come any time and endanger everyone. So if I talk to someone I do not know about my business in my house, who can assure me that this stranger will not go to the templars and tell them everything?"
It was a rhetorical question, because it was clear that no one could. But now I understood Connor's concern but I didn't know how to take it from him or ease it. It was a problem that would always be present.
"But you're not thinking about this since today, don't you?", I asked and Connor shook his head.
"I am thinking about it since the beginning of my training. I always have to take care of whom I trust, but back then I just could have left the homestead if necessary. Now I cannot do it anymore." With these words, he had laid a hand on my cheek and ran his thump over my cheekbone while I looked at him thoughtfully. To be honest, I had never thought about that nobody was allowed to learn where Connor lived. At least nobody who was an enemy of the assassins. It had been a matter of principle that I hadn't run around and told everybody. For me it was a matter of course but for Connor it was obviously something that concerned him. I understood him. Davenport's land was his property and not only because of this he felt responsible for everybody's safety. Even if he wasn't the homestead's patron, he would do everything to protect it. I didn't envy him for this self-imposed duty but I would do everything possible to take a part of this burden off him.
"Everything will be alright", I assured him and took his hand, that was still lying on my cheek, into mine. "I believe Olivia that she doesn't want to harm us and that's why she would never bring somebody here who could be a danger for us. We decided to trust her and we should do it. Furthermore we are the ones who want something from Xaman Ek, so we should approach him if he doesn't want to welcome strangers."
"Do you really think that?" I could see in Connor's eyes why he was asking this question. He still remembered my attitude towards Olivia. But what I was basically thinking about her character didn't change that I believed her and with that, trusted her somehow.
"Yes, I do", I answered honestly and Connor's eyes closed for a moment as he took a deep breath.
"Well then", he murmured. "You are certainly right."
"Of course I am", I smirked. I crossed the last distance between us and gave him a gentle kiss before sitting up to stand up and start this day of whom we didn't know what it was bringing to us.


One hour later, Olivia had left for Lexington on Aldah and from now on we had nothing left but to wait for her and our visitor. I had decided to spend this day as usual. I did my work in the house and Connor also searched for task he could attend to. While I was tidying up the kitchen, I could hear the regular and muffled sound of an axe hitting wood through the open backdoor. By now it was midday and the sun had turned the air into a burning heat. But still Connor seemed to have decided that he wanted to chop the whole firewood for the next winter. When he was still working after quite a while, I eventually took a carafe, filled a glass with water and handed it over to Emily on my arm. Carefully and concentrated she grasped it with her little hands. I left the comparatively cold house through the backdoor and crossed the lawn and the courtyard in front of the stable to go to the barn, where Connor was working in its shadow at least, but had actually chopped a respectable amount of wood by now.
"Do you fear a sudden onset of winter?", I asked him and he threw the two slices of wood aside which he had just chopped, before turning around and shrugging his shoulders.
"I thought when I am already doing it…I cannot do much at the moment after all."
"But please have a break in this weather at least and drink something." I shortly stroked over Emily's head, who was still clasping the glass in her hands. "Do you give it to your father?"
She looked at me with big eyes but finally stretched out the glass to Connor, who took it with a warm smile.
"Nía:wen, Tsiktsinenná:wen." He put the glass to his lips and emptied it with only a few, deep pulls. His gaze moved over my shoulder and he lowered the glass again.
"I fear the break is over already", he murmured and as I followed his gaze, I also saw the two riders coming up the path to the manor. Olivia and a man who could only be Xaman Ek.
"Do you want to go inside and wash yourself?", I asked, looking at Connor's sweaty chest. But he only shook his head, carefully gave Emily the empty glass back and took his shirt from the pile of wood at the barn's wall. Buttoning up his shirt, he went to the stabled where our guests just stopped on the yard. I followed Connor and tried to look the strange man carefully over. I guessed he was about fifty years old. His black hair, which he wore in a hip-length braid, was permeated with grey strands and his bronze-colored skin seemed to be leathered by the weather and years of work in the sun. He was tall and it was clearly noticeable that he was a man of hard work. The clothes he was wearing, especially the ankle-length coat, were worn out but he was wearing them with pride, as if they were the finest robes. He was standing upright next to his horse and looked around with his dark eyes. Olivia had mentioned that Xaman Ek was a Maya and despite his skin tone, I believed that you could tell it from his appearance. Connor was the only Native I had ever seen closely and even though they belonged to different tribes, I noticed that you could see their origin in their faces. There was something about Xaman Ek's features that reminded me of Connor. Both of them looked each other over and I could feel Connor's tension while he was scrutinized by Xaman Ek.
"Rubia, ¿dónde es el guerrero, de quien me has narrado? Este es un mozo." He turned to Olivia, who tied Aldah and uttered a snort.
„¡No está un cabezón! ¡Confía en mí!"
Xaman Ek snorted. I had only understood a bit of their conversation, thanks to my knowledge of French, but even without them it was clearly visible that our guest came here with a great amount of scepticism. Now he approached Connor, who instinctively straightened up a bit more and looked at Xaman Ek unmoved. They were right on eye level.
"What is your name?", he asked with a strong accent which sounded as if he had to concentrate on every English sound.
"They call me Connor."
"They call you? The colonists called me Lucas. My slave name. Do you have to hide behind a slave name, too?"
Connor knitted his eyebrows. "I am nobody's slave and the man who named me Connor did not intend to treat me as one. As well as everybody who call me by this name. My birth name is Ratonhnhaké:ton."
"So I will call you like this. Maybe you do not mind to be called Connor, but if you spend almost thirty years of your life in slavery and are forced to adapt to your masters and to forget your origin, you will sanctify everything that is left."
"I will not forget."
"I hope it for you." Xaman Ek's gaze shortly moved to Emily and me and he added. "And I hope it for your child. It should know which blood is running through its veins."
Our guest looked me over like he had looked Connor over before, but he didn't say anything. He just turned to Connor again and asked: "And you have the stones?"
"One of them." Connor took the leather ribbon with the stone and reached it out to Xaman Ek, but he shook his head.
"Do not give it to me and you shouldn't wear it. This artefact has more power than you could ever bear. You should get rid of it as soon as possible."
"I cannot. Not so soon. If it is so powerful, I have to find the other…artefact, too. It is in the hands of dangerous men who would only abuse its power."
"You cannot abuse it. You have to learn how to understand it and even then, it is impossible to control it."
"Can you teach me how to understand it?"
Xaman Ek looked at Connor with serious eyes. I saw doubt in them while he scrutinized him again.
"There are legends about this object which are beyond human understanding. Would you stand in front of me as European, I would certainly doubt that you have the ability to understand them. But you are no European and people like ours know legends like these. I will tell you what I know. But then I will never hear something about you or this artefact again. Then it is on you to decide how you want to deal with the knowledge I gave to you."


Nía:wen, Tsiktsinenná:wen - Thank you, Butterfly.

¿Rubia, ¿dónde es el guerrero, de quien me has narrado? Este es un mozo. - Blonde woman, where is the warrior you told me about? This is a boy.

¡No está un cabezón! ¡Confía en mí! - Don't be stubborn. Trust me.