Dreams and visions
Lillian
Connor and Olivia were gone for three days and during this time, I feared that a messenger could come to my door any time, telling me that they had been arrested or worse. I didn't want to imagine what could happen if their plan failed and Callaghan caught them in his house. Especially because Connor had taken his half of the artefact with him. The templar would possess both and who knew what would happen then? Once again I drove myself crazy with concern until they finally returned in the middle of the night.
I hadn't been able to sleep. First of all, because of my rushing thoughts and second of all, because of the heat that had backed up inside the room during the day. I had opened every window and also the door and so I heard the noises of the approaching horses and finally the front door. I kicked myself free from the blanket which I had only wrapped around my legs and left the room with quiet steps. When I walked downstairs, I could see the light coming from the kitchen. There Connor was leaning against the table and turned, chewing slowly, a bitten apple in his hand. He looked thoughtful and shortly I asked myself, if his trip to Boston had been for nothing. But at least it didn't look like he was injured. When Connor noticed me standing in the door frame, he turned his eyes at me and lowered the apple.
"You are still up?", he asked and watched me stepping to him, sitting down next to him on the table top and dangling my bare toes over the wooden floor.
"I couldn't sleep", I said and reached out a hand for the apple. "May I?" He nodded and gave me the apple from which I took a hearty bite only to screw up my face. "It's sour."
"I know. I like them like this." A smirk flitted across Connor's face and he took the apple from me while I started kneading my jaw.
"Everything's contracting."
Connor chuckled and so I had at least managed it to make him stop looking so serious. At least for now.
"Did everything go well?", I asked quietly while Connor bit into the apple again and made me wait for an answer like that. But he had this look again that made me doubt about a positive answer. At least it didn't turn out to be entirely negative.
"Everything went according to plan", Connor started. "The guards were drugged, we could enter the house, found the artefact and left again. But when we just wanted to get away, a guard appeared unexpectedly. The man saw us and ran off to get help."
"And you stopped him", I added when he didn't speak for a moment. Connor nodded and put the apple back to his mouth without biting into it. It looked like he was thinking shortly, then he lowered the fruit again.
"I had to", he said but there was bitterness in his voice. "Everything would have been for nothing if he had reached somebody. But I would have preferred it if nobody had died today."
You could read in Connor's face that it was troubling him and I could understand him. Assassin or not, Connor never killed thoughtlessly and judged no life less worthy than another. He had told me that his mentor Achilles always had used to say that such sacrifices should never be easy for him and they weren't. But still he had often been forced to make such decisions and although he was now angry about this incident, which he probably saw as some sort of failing of his plans, he would pull himself together again to look forward. If he would sorrow about every life he extinguished, it probably had destroyed him already.
"You did the right thing", I said and put a hand on his cheek. "You stopped Callaghan from getting both halves and abusing them for his purposes. What you did wasn't for nothing."
"I know", Connor said quietly. "But right now it is difficult for me to see it this way."
"And I would question you if it would be different." I smiled softly, following the line of his cheekbone with my thumb. There were enough people who didn't attach importance to the lives of others and who didn't care when they ended one. Connor didn't belong to them and I was very glad about it. In all these years he had spent with fighting, he had never lost his humanity and I was sure that he never would.
"But are you well beside that?", I asked and lowered my hand again. "Do you need anything? There is something left from dinner. I could warm it up for you, if you want."
Connor shook his head and laid his free hand onto mine. "Do not make the effort. The apple is enough and basically I only want to go to bed." He gave me a forced smile and I smirked.
"I don't want to stop you then. I'll go upstairs." I leaned forward, shortly kissed his lips and was glad that he didn't look as thoughtful as before. He would calm down soon, I knew it.
Upstairs in the bedroom, the temperature was more bearable by now which was probably because it had been much warmer in the kitchen, because of the fire in the hearth that had burned the whole day. I stepped to the bedside table, turned on the lamp and carried it to the washstand to prepare it for Connor. I poured water into the bowl, put a towel and soap beside it and went to the bed where I – in an exaggerated touch of care – fluffed up the pillows and the blanket. Then I crawled into the bed, pulled my legs under my body and waited. It took a while until I heard Connor's quiet steps approaching the open door and he came in. He had taken off his weapons and his coat which hang over his arm and he smirked as he saw me sitting on the bed.
"And you are still up", he said and hang the heavy coat over a chair before sitting down and starting to put off his leather legwarmers and shoes.
"I just want to make sure that you get your well deserved sleep." I silently waited until he finally slipped out of his upper clothes and pants, put on a new pair of trousers and started washing himself then. I kept looking at the blanket in front of me which I only tugged on, until I raised my eyes and asked: "Did you notice anything since you got the other artefact? Did anything...happen?"
Connor, who had just scooped some water over his arms, paused in the movement and looked at me through the mirror of the washstand.
"Not directly", he answered. "While we were searching for the one half, the other started to shine and I was able to find the counterpart. It was as if they reacted to each other but when I had both of them, their lights went out and nothing happened since then."
"And did you put them together once?"
He nodded. "But nothing. No shining or anything suspicious." Connor turned to his body care again but he shortly pointed at his coat. "Look at them if you want to. They are in my pocket."
He didn't need to ask me twice. Now getting curious, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and went to the chair he had hung his robes over. I felt the rough, heavy fabric with both hands until I found said pocket. I grabbed inside and took out two small, blue objects. Both pieces of the key. Carefully, because I was actually afraid of them, I took them, stepped to the washstand and carefully put them onto the top to look at them in the light of the lamp. Right on the first sight you could notice that their broken edges fitted and so I pushed them together. To be honest, despite Connor's telling I expected something special. Maybe a light. Or even a magical merging of their edges. But nothing happened. They just lay next to each other, still separated. A snort escaped my lips. All the effort for a complete key, all these mystical stories about this thing and then nothing happened when you brought the pieces together?
"You expected more, too, did you not?", asked Connor who had watched me the whole time and I nodded.
"Maybe this thing became useless after it broke apart. Which lock is supposed to get opened by a broken key?"
"Who knows what sort of lock it is?", Connor replied and grabbed the towel to dry himself. Thoughtfully I looked at the two artefacts. Maybe it was good that nothing happened. After everything Xaman Ek had told us about objects that were able to control people, this artefact could have developed some kind of dangerous powers after its recomposition. In the end, I only wanted to get rid of it. But how did you destroy something you didn't know anything about? I took both halves into each hand and looked at them as if I could find something special about them now. Something I hadn't noticed before. But apparently this try was for nothing right from the beginning. I sighed quietly as Connor's arm wrapped around my hip and he leaned his forehead against my head.
"Do not think about it now. We should..."
I didn't hear anymore, what we should do, because in retrospect it seemed like my memories about Connor's words and the seconds after them were deleted from my memory. As if my mind had made a huge jump over every passing second. The only thing I could remember next, was that I suddenly didn't stand straight anymore but was kneeling on the floor without knowing why. I didn't feel dizzy neither somehow dazed, but Connor's arms were tightly wrapped around my torso as if he had and wanted to hold me. He was kneeling next to me and stared at me as if I was a ghost.
"Are you well?", he asked concerned and gained a confused frown.
"Yes, but...why are we kneeling on the floor?"
"So you do not know what happened? Or what you said?"
"No. I didn't say anything. You were the one who just wanted to tell me something and then we were sitting here." I didn't understand anything anymore and became anxious in face of Connor's tensed expression. I tried to figure out what might have happened but there was nothing. Only this strange leap in time, or however you wanted to call it. As Connor's eyes moved to my hands, I followed them and froze as I slowly started to understand. I held both artefacts firmly in my hands. So firm that my knuckles had turned white but I hadn't even noticed this tensed posture. Now I slowly opened my hands and looked at the pieces of the key which were lying there entirely inconspicuously.
"The same happened to you as it had happened to Ray", Connor began to explain. "You suddenly collapsed and...started to speak."
An icy shiver ran down my spine as Connor confirmed my premonition. Xaman Ek had said that the artefact needed something like a medium to pass its knowledge. So had I really become the mouthpiece of a tiny object? But if I had acted like Ray, it had to be like that and it was probably the explanation why Ray had been capable of acting so quickly after his trance. He hadn't had any memory of it and had felt as normal as I did. There had never been an interruption of his fight with Connor for him.
Quickly but with shaking hands, I put the pieces back onto the washstand. I never wanted to touch them again and as if I had to stop myself from it, I wrapped my arms around my torso. Connor had already loosened the grip of his arms around me, but still held me tight as if he feared I could pass out again.
"What...did I say?", I asked the question that was dominating my mind at the moment. "The same like Ray?"
"Among other things", Connor answered and took a deep breath before reciting. "The right path is shown through blood. Where this was once banned, you will find the maze's gate in the god's hand. Guardian, step through the gate. Follow corridor after corridor, will get lost in this place. But brave guardian, be sure, the path of death is always the right one to choose."
A riddle? The secret behind the key was a riddle? Ray's words probably had suggested it, but to hear the entire text now was totally confusing.
"I didn't say anything about where the temple is which the key is supposed to open?"
Connor shook his head. "But I guess that the answer is behind the lines. But you said something else and it was much clearer."
I raised an eyebrow as he stopped talking at this point. He didn't appear to be certain about what he had just heard. "You said, I have to find the apple on Mount Vernon first", he finally said, but in contrary to him, who had only frowned with the mentioning of this place, I didn't understand what was behind this request.
"Where is this Mount Vernon?"
"In Virginia. Mount Vernon is the name of the Washington's country estate. George Washington's retirement home."
After the incident with my involuntary collapse, Connor and I hadn't come to rest at first. We had talked for long about everything, the riddle and also the request to get the apple from Mount Vernon. Until now we hadn't known which Piece of Eden could be in the temple the key was unlocking, but Connor had already expected an Apple of Eden behind it and now it was confirmed. But it wasn't explained how it got into George Washington's possession while you couldn't enter the temple, according to Xaman Ek. But in one thing, we agreed to each other: It had to be sure if the Apple was in Washington's possession or if we were misinterpreting the key's...my words. Right on the next day, Connor sent a messenger to Virginia, to ask for a privy conversation with the former commander. I had needed to talk him into writing this message because Connor had been close to travel to Mount Vernon immediately. He wanted to get over and done with this matter as soon as possible and in the face of his opinion about Washington, I could understand it very well. But certainly it wasn't to our advantage to irritate Washington somehow and so we waited for an answer which needed more than a month to reach us. Washington invited Connor warmly and was already looking forward to the conversation.
For Connor, who had kept the Aquila and its crew ready, it was instantly clear that he wanted to set off immediately. Only one day after the invitation's arrival, he was standing at the pier and watched his men's last preparations for the journey. As he heard my steps on the wooden planks behind him, he turned around and frowned deeply as he noticed the small suitcase in my hand.
"What are you planning?", he asked suspiciously as I stopped in front of him, Emily at my other hand.
"What does it look like? We're coming with you." For me, it was an already made and irrefutable decision. I wanted to stand by Connor's side when he met the man who was responsible for his mother's and so many other natives' death. "I don't want you to face him alone. You're already beside yourself when you're only hearing his name."
"Do you think I will attack him?", Connor snorted, but I shook my head reassuringly. As much as Connor was hating Washington, as less I doubted that he could lose his temper.
"I just want to be by your side. I want you to know that you're not alone when you're meeting him."
"I will be fine, Lillian. You do not need to worry."
"I know, but please let me be with you. If not for yourself then...for my own peace of mind?" I smiled and despite the snort Connor uttered, he didn't appear as resolute as before. His gaze shortly moved to the Aquila where the crew was already waiting for him to come on board. Then he looked at me again.
"If this was not only about a conversation, I would leave you here", he made clear and I nodded smirking. I knew too well that he wouldn't take me somewhere dangerous. Connor shortly nodded, too and stepped to me to lift Emily onto his arms and take the suitcase from me. Together we entered the Aquila and set sail shortly afterwards.
"Do I look like a wet nurse?" Faulkner crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at me indignantly why I was giving him my most radiant smile.
"No, you're looking like one of the most trustful persons I know and somebody you can trust with your life if necessary."
Faulkner snorted. "Nice flatteries."
"Please, Bobby. Emily just fell asleep and you only have to keep an eye on her. We're only gone for one or two hours at most and if something should be wrong, you can send somebody for me. Furthermore Caleb is here, too. Please, do me the favour."
The old sailor still looked at me with raised eyebrows and finally looked shortly at Connor, who was standing at the railing, waiting for me. Then he mumbled: "Be glad that I like the little mite so much."
"Thank you, you're such a sweetheart!" I stepped to him and kissed his cheek which at least elicited him a chuckle. I grinned and turned to Connor. He looked terribly tensed. We had arrived at the small pier on Washington's property after a week and the conversation with the former commander was imminent. No one of us knew what was awaiting us, but I knew that Connor just wanted to get over and done with it.
"Are you sure you do not want to stay here?", he asked me, looking at Faulkner. I nodded.
"They will be fine. Emily doesn't need me as much as someone else at the moment."
Connor didn't say anything. He just looked at me and offered me his arm. When I linked arms with him, he shortly embraced my hand with his and squeezed it gently, a silent sign of his appreciation for my decision. Together we went down the Aquila's plank and entered the pier where a dark-skinned man was already waiting for us and bowed as we stopped in front of him.
"Master Kenway, I assume? And...?" He gave a questioning look into my direction. Obviously he had been told about only one visitor.
"My wife, Lillian", Connor simply said and immediately the man nodded hectically.
"Of course. I welcome you on Mount Vernon, Sir, Ma'am. My name is Frederic. If you would follow me? Mr Washington is already awaiting you."
Quickly he left the pier and led us over a broad, trodden path which was winding up a hill past several houses. Curiously I looked around and was amazed by the bustle here. It almost reminded me of Davenport.
"Does all of this belong to the estate?", I asked Frederic, who gave me a short glance over his shoulder and nodded. "Everything you see belongs to the property of the Washingtons."
Again I regarded my environment with amazement. I saw extensive fields and even a plantation in the distance, but it was impossible to see what was growing there. I had never seen before that someone was owning so much land.
"It is very impressive", I said while we approached a small group of trees and a high stone wall behind it. Probably it was separating the main residence from the property. Frederic nodded again.
"It is indeed. This land belongs to the Washingtons for generations. Since he inherited Mount Vernon from his brother – may God rest his soul – Mr Washington invested much money and heart to expanse and embellish everything. The gardens, the outbuildings, the manor itself. He let everything renovate and isn't finished with it yet."
From now on we were silent while passing the iron-gate and approaching a huge, green-panelled house. It probably had twice the size of our house in Davenport. Window-frames, doors, veranda-posts and decorations were shining in a spotless white and everywhere around the house were blossoming flowers and bushes. Everything was so neat and – as I had said before – impressive. It was unmistakable that George Washington had spent a lot of money here and although I couldn't hold back my amazement, I could also understand Connor sceptical gaze with which he was looking at everything. Washington owned so much land while he had taken the same from people somewhere else. Also the land Connor's people had lived on. Now seeing all this had to be a bitter irony for him. I laid my hand on his and our gazes shortly met, before Frederic led us up the stairs to the front door, where an elder man in a dark-blue justaucorps with golden fittings was already waiting for us. His waistcoat, breeches and shirt were perfectly white, his black polished shoes were shining, his white wig likewise neat. I knew that this man was George Washington before he was even introduced to me. His appearance and straight posture alone told about his military past and his high rank in society. He was aware of it, but I found the smile he was giving to us friendly and pleasant. But still I didn't forget who he was for Connor. Frederic pointed at him now.
"Master Kenway and his wife Mrs Lillian Kenway, Sir."
"I already know the young Master Kenway, Frederic. But what an unexpected pleasure to meet you, Mrs Kenway. My belated congratulations on your wedding." Washington walked to us and bowed his head into my direction. I did the same and replied politely: "Thank you, Sir. It is also a pleasure to meet you."
He smiled and now stepped to Connor, reaching his hand out which Connor only stared at before taking it. Washington's smile had shortly wavered and I was sure that I had seen uneasiness in his eyes. But you could hear nothing about it in his voice. "I'm really glad to see you after all these years. I have to say that I was surprised by your message."
"I have to talk to you about something urgent and confidential and we should not waste time." Connor's voice sounded firm and neutral, but there was a coldness and hardness in his eyes that didn't escape Washington's notice either. He nodded slowly. "Of course. As you wish."
He indicated to us that we should follow him and led us into a huge, lavishly decorated entrance hall. Apparently the expensive work outside had been continued inside.
"Mrs Kenway, I will send for my wife. She can show you the gardens while Connor and I talk to each other", Washington said to me, as he stopped at a broad staircase. But before I was able to answer, Connor already did it for me.
"She will stay with us. It also affects her. Furthermore I do not intend to deprive her of information."
Something about his voice made me believe that this wasn't only about me for a moment, but nothing had changed about Connor's cold attitude. None of his feelings came to light. Washington appeared confused but he nodded slowly and pointed upstairs.
"Follow me then. Frederic, make sure that nobody disturbs us in my study."
"Of course, Sir." Frederic bowed shortly and disappeared through one of the many doors in the entrance hall.
Washington led us to the upper floor and through a long hallway into a spacious study, where he pulled an additional chair to the desk and offered me it. Gratefully I sat down and after Connor had taken a seat beside me, Washington sat down in front of us. He propped up his arms on the armrests of his chair, put his palms together and looked at Connor expectantly but very friendly.
"Well, what is it you want to talk to me about so urgently?"
"I received information that you got into possession of a certain object", Connor began, forthright as always. "It is called Apple of Eden and it is an artefact of unusual origin. It is dangerous and if you have it, I would ask you to give it to me so that I can defang it."
It seemed like these words were too forthright for Washington. Now he appeared totally confused and looked at Connor as if he wanted to ask him if he was joking about him. But of course he didn't and Washington quickly realized it. An uneasy laugh escaped him.
"I've never heard of such an object", he said, but there was an undertone in his voice that made me doubt his words and not only me. Connor leaned a bit forward, propping his forearms on his knees and giving Washington an intense look.
"This time you have to tell me the truth. It is very important. Do you possess an object that is almost round, made of an unusual metal, probably decorated with some engravings? Maybe you even noticed something strange about it. Tell me the truth."
Washington seemed to know very well what Connor was hinting at when he asked him for the truth this time. He wasn't stupid and although he had never lost a word of apologize until now and certainly never would, he seemed to be very aware of his betrayal. He appeared troubled, probably remembering who he was talking to. Connor had accompanied him for a long time during war and so Washington knew what he was capable of. For some silent seconds, his eyes were focussing the polished table top before he rose from his chair and stepped to a commode on the other side of the room. He opened one of its drawers and took out a wooden chest of the size of a hatbox. He appeared to be unsure as he turned to us again.
"And this conversation is confidential? No word gets outside?"
"You have my word and I guarantee for Lillian's secrecy."
Washington nodded, although not quite reassured. Nevertheless he opened the chest and I audibly gasped as he actually took out a round object. It had about the size of the leather ball Caleb and his friends used to play with, but it was made of a solid, almost copper coloured metal. Deep engravings winded over the whole Apple. It was no object of special beauty but I believed that its power was noticeable. Connor regarded the Apple, too which Washington laid onto the table now, before sitting down again. But I saw some kind of recognition in Connor's eyes.
"I bought him from a merchant for artwork who bought it from another merchant. I thought it was only unique. But it's in my possession for a year now and since then I'm having...dreams. I didn't know if they were coming from the object, I thought I was becoming crazy. But after what you've told me..."
"What kind of dreams?", Connor asked without raising his eyes from the Apple.
"I don't know how to describe them, but...they're terrible, totally abstruse but at the same time, they feel incredibly real." Washington leaned a bit forward and pointed at the Piece of Eden. "If these visions are coming from this thing, I will trustfully give it into your hands. I'm sure you can defang it."
"I do not know if this will be so easy." Connor raised his hand and reached it out for the Apple of Eden, but at the same moment I tore my own hand up and wanted to stop him. All this talking about scary visions had made me afraid of these unknown powers and their consequences which were coming from these objects. The memories of the events about the Shroud were still too clear in my memory so that I just wanted to stop Connor from getting closer to this Piece of Eden than it was necessary. But I wasn't able to.
As I touched Connor hand and the Apple of Eden with it, it felt like the floor was torn from underneath my feet. My vision blurred, faded and left me in total darkness until images flared-up all of the sudden. They were memories. I saw Emily, walking at Connor's hand towards the stable and to Cherry. Then I saw Connor, lying in bed with his broken ribs. Then Ray, talking to me in front of our house. Emily's birth, Connor's and my wedding, my travel to America...all these images appeared and disappeared as quickly as they had become visible. They were torn away from me into the darkness. As if my life was passing by and disappearing in front of my eyes. But then it became dark around me once more. When I woke up again, everything had changed.
