Chapter 6
I didn't know how long I screamed before the man silenced me, by placing a hand over my mouth. I knew that it couldn't have been for more than a few seconds.
"Oh, I wish you hadn't done that. You see now, you have gone and drawn attention to us. I'm afraid my dear, that will change things drastically." He said.
I attempted to struggle once more, but to no avail. Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. A hand was now at my neck and had started to squeeze my windpipe slowly and painfully. I fought for air as I struggled. However, the more I struggled the tighter that the man squeezed. I knew that I would have only seconds before passing out, assuming that my windpipe wouldn't be crushed.
"Haytham Kenway sends his regards." The man said as he managed to secure the key that lay hidden beneath the collar of my dress. My vision was fading but before I completely lost consciousness, I heard the unmistakable sound of the mirror sliding back and the cry of my mentor and the man that I loved. It was then that everything went black.
…
That had been my first real encounter with a known Templar. The man had disguised himself as a patron for the arts when he figured out who I was. With that power, he managed to infiltrate, and nearly kill me in the process. However, the encounter had left me with the first clue to who my father's killer could be. A name; Hatham Kenway.
…
I awoke to voices, one remaining clear, Erik's. I could make out bits and pieces of what he was saying.
"…left her unprotected! She … died!"
"Erik, I … you are upset. But we need to figure … what happened. …wait for now, until Christine wakes up."
I moved slightly to attempt to get Erik's attention. I managed to touch his arm lightly. Erik turned around, seeing me awake, he quickly knelt by my side.
"Christine! Thank God." Erik said, clearly relieved. I couldn't recall the last time, or any time that I had seen him like this. All I knew was that he was more disheveled than normal.
"What…" I tried to speak, but I noticed that my throat was in considerable pain as I winced.
Madam Giry turned to get me a glass of water, while Erik looked at me.
"Try not to speak dear, your throat is still severely bruised. There is no telling what kind of damage has been done. I am so sorry my Christine, I am so sorry. I should never have left you alone. I should have never brought you into this. God why did I agree?!"
I could hear the guilt in Erik's voice but all I wanted to do was reassure him that it was not his fault and that it was my own choice that I decided on my path.
I tried to cling to his arm to get him to look at me to give him reassurance to tell him that I loved him and that he was not at fault. However, Erik refused to look at me and instead just clung to me.
Madam Giry handed Erik the glass which he quickly helped me get to my eagerly waiting lips. I gladly accepted the water and tried to rack my brain to remember what had happened.
"Easy my Christine, not to fast otherwise I fear you will get sick." Erik replied somewhat more gently. I could only nod in response as I took more water in but slower.
I remembered getting back to my dressing room, getting ready for the post-production party. Then as if by lightning, I started to recall everything that had happened. The patron, figuring out my father's killer, and my attempt to fight off … Charles Lee. I felt my eyes widen and attempted to push the water away so that I could speak, but hardly any sound came out. However, I knew that I could write. Looking at Erik, I motioned with my hand for a pen and paper.
"Giry, do you happen to have a pen and ink? Christine is asking to write something." Erik asked.
Madam Giry nodded and left the room, only to return with paper, ink, and a quill pen. Erik helped me to sit up so that I could attempt to write out my thoughts, and explanations.
"The patron. He is not who we all think he is. He is a…Templar!" I wrote frantically.
I then felt my neck and when I found that it held nothing, I started to panic. The key was gone, the man must have taken it!
"They key…" I wrote. Suddenly I started to hyperventilate.
Erik, who was still by my side, tried to calm me down.
"Christine, take a deep breath for a moment, match my breathing." Erik said.
I looked at Erik with wide eyes, and unshed tears. Erik, sensing my distress, was quick to fold his arms around me and hold me as close as I allowed for myself to calm down. I finally managed to sit back and write what I had been attempting to say.
"Erik, he took the key."
Erik went still. Aside from Madam Giry knowing of my double life as an Assassin, Erik was the only one who knew about the precursor temple key, the one that supposedly could open one of the precursor temples that may hold the apple of Eden. I of course knew that this could only mean trouble. Of course, there was the other blaring fact that I managed to figure out as well.
"He—, he works for the man who I think killed my father!" I wrote, and just like that I couldn't hold on anymore and for the first time since I had come to Paris, I let myself cry.
I didn't know how long I cried, but it must have been long enough that any energy I had was used, and I had fallen asleep. I had awoken hours later, only to find myself, tucked into a bed, that was not my own, and I knew that it was also not in the lair. I sat up, trying to gauge my surroundings. However, I didn't have to think long before the door to what I assumed was the bedroom, opened, and in walked Madam Giry. Turning, she met my eyes, and I could tell, that something had happened, in the time that I had been asleep. Growing fearful, I attempted to speak.
"Madam Giry? Where is Erik? Where am I?!" I croaked, suddenly feeling frantic.
Madam Giry was quick to come to my side and placed a hand on my shoulder trying to calm me down.
"Hush Christine, you are safe. Erik and I brought you back to my flat. After you had passed out again, Erik thought it would be best if you be relocated for the time being, since the Opera House was breeched." Madam Giry explained in a softer tone, than what I have heard her use.
My mind was still scattered with the events that had happened in the last few hours. Wait, had it been hours? Or had it been days? My mind was still numb with everything, and I couldn't wrap my head around it. How had I been so weak? Erik had been training me for so long, how could I have not spotted the signs sooner? Perhaps then, none of this would have happened. Yet, there was still a nagging fear that had settled in my stomach. Where was Erik? Surely, he wouldn't have gone after my attacker by himself. He knew what it meant for me to find my father's killer, as that had been the only motivation that had kept me going during the years of my training. And my attacker, whoever he was, was the only one who knew who my father's killer was. Though a name stuck with me. Just before passing out, the man had mentioned a name. Haytham Kenway. I tried to figure out who Haytham Kenway was in relation to the event, but my mind was drawing a blank. Could it be that Haytham Kenway was the mastermind behind the idea of tracking me down? Did he order the hit on me? Was he the one who killed my father?
All of these questions were swimming around in my head, so much so that I was left feeling dizzy. I couldn't figure out who Haytham Kenway was. All I knew was that my attacker was a known Templar and he knew of a man named Haytham Kenway. I sighed; I had trained for so many years, and while I gained strength, skill, and a devotion to the Assassin's, I was still caught completely unaware. I was unprepared, because I was playing the opposite role, of the diva, for the Opera Populaire. If my mind was right and Haytham Kenway was the mastermind behind both my father's death and what had happened to me, he had hit right where I lived and had managed to spook everyone that I cared about. Enough so, that it may have driven Erik out of hiding.
That last thought made my breath hitch, drive Erik out of hiding. What if this Haytham Kenway discovered that Erik was my mentor, and had sent out one of his lap dogs in an attempt to lure him out, by getting to me? What if that had been part of his master plan? Erik had always told me that he had enemies out there. Many who would very much like to see him dead, and if Haytham knew that he was in fact still alive, then what would he do with that information? Would he sell it to the highest bidder? Or would he stash it away and wait until the right time came along to hand Erik over to whatever enemy came knocking?
I had to know where Erik was, and hope that he hadn't decided to leave me behind.
"Madam Giry, where is Erik?" I asked, or rather croaked.
I looked at her, and she tensed. I caught a glimpse of her eyes, and instead of the fierce steely gaze that usually occupied her face, there was sadness within them. Just by reading her eyes, I knew the answer to my question already. Instead of having her speak what I already knew, I did it myself.
"He left and went after my attacker, alone. Didn't he." I said, in a matter-of-fact tone.
Madam Giry cleared her throat and replied.
"I am afraid so. He—, he didn't want you to get hurt any more than you already have. He knows that you would want to track your attacker yourself, but since you hadn't been in the actual field as of yet, at least according to him, he didn't want to take the chance that you could be killed."
I just sat there, trying to understand Erik's reasoning for leaving me behind, but I still felt as though my heart had been shattered into a million pieces, and there was no way to fix and repair it.
"However, he did send someone over that he said, would be perhaps of great help to you." Madam Giry said after I had gone quiet. I looked up at Madam Giry meeting her gaze and managed a small nod. It seemed that that had been enough to encourage her to bring in this new acquaintance. I watched Madam Giry leave through the door that she had come in. After a few moments, it opened again. Madam Giry came back in, and stood by my side, as was proper when accepting an invitation to anyone's request to be seen in a lady's chamber.
Following Madam Giry was an average sized man, about the same height, if not perhaps a foot shorter, than Erik. He had honeyed brown skin, that gave off the look as though he had come straight from out East, potentially Persia. I studied his face and found him to be very at ease considering the situation that we were all here to witness.
"Hello Christine, my name is Nadir Khan." The man said.
I continued to sit there, not making a move, not even bothering to extend my hand to shake. Part of me was still reeling from the fact that Erik had all but abandoned me, and the other part of me was attempting to wrap my mind around the fact that Erik had sent the one man, who he had told me, had once helped him long ago, when he was in Persia. I could have sworn that Erik had said that the man was still in prison for treason, after helping Erik escape, however, it would seem that Erik failed to mention that, said person was now clearly out, of prison, and here in France. I tried to rack my brain for something to say, but I came up blank. All I could think about was Erik, and where he had gone, and what I could do to go after him.
As if the silence had gone on long enough, I finally found the words to speak.
"Monsieur Khan, it is a sincere honor to meet you, I wish it was under better circumstances. You will have to forgive me, I am not feeling quite myself, and I may come off a bit … frazzled. It would seem that Erik was one step ahead of me, as per usual." I replied, attempting to be nice.
Nadir Khan smiled and in a grand gesture, waved his hand to indicate that no offense was taken.
"Of course, Mademoiselle Daae, I can understand that at this very moment, you are likely not yourself. I can also understand that you are probably not the … happiest with Erik's actions at this point either. If I may be so bold Mademoiselle, Erik tends to do these things."
I straightened up a little at that remark, wanting to know exactly what he meant.
"And pray-tell, what things are those Monsieur?"
"He takes on other people's challenges and, in blindness, believes he is helping them, especially if he cares for that person—which is far and few. Nonetheless, he tends to attempt to take matters into his own hands without thinking about things rationally. I am sure that you have seen this at least a few times since you have known him." Nadir replied.
I couldn't help but think of two different times in which I had seen that behavior. It was true, Erik tended to be a little obtuse when it came to thinking about things rationally, especially when it came to me in particular. However, I knew he meant well. I just wished he would have waited for me to wake up, so that we could have talked this out, like civilized individuals, rather than run off to take care of it himself. I knew that I would have to go after him, and I would be damned if anyone stopped me. Taking a breath, I attempted to move out of bed. I knew that he already had a head start on me, but I figured that if I could gather enough intel on where he was headed, I could catch up to him. However, the moment I started to move, two pairs of hands attempted to stop me.
"Christine, what are doing!?" Madam Giry replied, frantically.
"What does it look like I am doing. I am going after Erik. I can't let him fight that devil of a man alone. Besides, you know just as well, that if Erik gets a hold of him, he will kill him without thinking to get any information. That man is the only lead that I have to the person who killed my father." I said briskly. I made the move to stand, however, as soon as I was on my feet, I started to sway. I would have landed on the floor if it hadn't been for both Madam Giry and Nadir.
"Christine, believe me, I know what it is like to want to find someone so badly, especially after they have hurt you so deeply. But you are in no condition to move, let alone travel. I know that Erik didn't do right by you, in just leaving. However, I believe that if given time, you can heal up, and then perhaps, once you have done that, we can start to gather intel, and then start planning to go after Erik." Nadir explained, attempting to convince me to see reason.
"Monsieur Khan, I mean no disrespect, but I don't know you. You and Erik may know each other, and that is fine. But I am not going to sit around here and do nothing, not while Lee is out there. For all I know, he could know about Erik and could be setting a trap for him as we speak. I will not allow another person that I care about be taken away from me, because believe me, I don't think I would survive if he died." I explained, with calm fury, lacing my words.
"Mademoiselle, I above all, know what it is like to want to get your revenge. But you must remember all that Erik has taught you in these last several years. You know that the brotherhood would frown upon killing anyone in an act of revenge. I know that right now, you have been stripped bare and left vulnerable, because someone who works for the enemy, found you first, and caught you off guard. He found you when you were at your weakest and struck, and because of that, you have probably, no doubt lost some confidence in yourself. However, if there is one thing that I can tell you for sure, Erik would not have gone after Lee by himself, if he didn't believe that he couldn't handle him, I also believe that Erik won't be so quick to kill him, as much as torture him enough, to then bring him back to face proper justice. Trust in Erik Christine, because sometimes that is all you can do." Nadir said calmly.
I sighed. I knew that what Nadir was saying made sense. I could barely walk, let alone move fluidly enough to fight. I would need to heal up first. However, the first chance I got, after getting back into perfect health, I would start assembling a crew, purchase a ship, and start my own journey. Not only to go after the man I love, but to finally put my father's murder to rest.
"Fine, I will allow myself to heal, but the moment that I am up and moving again, I will be leaving, and I will be going after him. I don't care what any of you think." I said firmly.
Both Nadir and Madam Giry nodded, knowing that it would be the best compromise that they would get from me.
…
After that night I had slowly allowed myself to heal. While the damage that I had sustained on my throat hadn't been permanent, it still didn't hurt any less. I had ended up being bedridden for nearly 2 months before I was allowed to begin my training again. During that time, I had ended up staying with Madam Giry, as both she and Nadir had told me that they would much rather I recover above ground rather than underground. I allowed them this small thing, even though I craved wanting to be back in Erik and I's home. Once I was given a clean bill of health, I often would go through the several training techniques that Erik had instilled in me over the years, and I often would spar with Nadir when he came around, to help me get back into shape. As far as my alter ego of the young soprano Christine Daae, she was on a permanent leave of absence, and there was no telling when or if she would make an appearance again. To say the least the managers were not pleased, however, after finding out that there had been an accident regarding their 'new' soprano and the patron, they backed off, knowing that perhaps it was best to leave sleeping dogs lie.
Even though I wasn't performing, I did end up taking on Erik's persona as the Opera Ghost, or at least tried to. However, I instead opted to do things differently. Knowing that the Opera House would hurt for money without the backing of a patron, I opted to allow for monthly contributions to be made on behalf of the Opera Ghost, but only if part of the earnings made were given back in turn. Both Nadir and Madam Giry had helped me with this, as we knew that if the Opera House went under with Erik being gone, he would not be happy to see that the place he called home had ended up closed after all he did to ensure that it remained open. For nearly 6 months after my recovery, I had done that, and everything was kept somewhat normal. However, in the late summer of 1769, Nadir had come around, but this time with a letter in his hand.
…
Flashback – Summer 1769
Madam Giry, Meg, and I had just sat down for tea when there was a knock at the door. Madam, having just sat down quickly got back up and went to answer the door. Upon opening it, we were all met with Nadir who looked out of breath and beyond that a worried look on his face.
"Nadir?" I asked, questioning why he seemed so inept.
"Ladies, I apologize for interrupting your tea, but there is an urgent matter that I must discuss with Christine. If you would allow me to speak with her in private."
My heart started to race. The way that Nadir was speaking, it seemed that something must have happened, and if my hunch was correct, it had to do with Erik. My mind started to wander to the worst possible outcomes. I tried in vain to keep my breathing under control, but until I knew what it was that Nadir needed to tell me, my heart would only continue to beat faster.
Madam Giry, to her credit, simply nodded and then both she and Meg stepped out of the living area and meandered to the kitchen. I looked at Nadir, and rather than asking outright, I simply just looked at him, hoping that it would convey for him to proceed. Nadir seemed to pick up on the silent queue and started to speak.
"Christine, I just received a letter from Erik," Nadir said, point blank, "and it's not good."
My breath hitched at that. For some time, I figured that Erik and Nadir had been corresponding, otherwise, I doubt Nadir would have been around as often as he was. I will admit that it hurt to know that Erik didn't correspond with me. But I could understand why he didn't. If ever he would become compromised for any reason, any and all forms of communication could easily fall into the wrong hands and could ultimately lead right back to the people that were innocent.
"And? Nadir, you are scaring me. What did Erik say?"
Nadir took a long breath and sighed. I could tell that whatever it was that was written in that letter, it clearly must have shaken Nadir.
"Christine, Erik has been compromised."
And just like that my heart stopped. No! My one and only form of communication with the man that I had grown to love and was my mentor had now been cut, and there was nothing to be done other than wait, hope, and pray that he would be ok. But in my mind, I knew that for me it wouldn't be enough. It was then that I decided that enough was enough. It was high time that I gathered myself together and set out from Paris. Erik needed me and I would be damned if I allowed him to suffer alone. With my mind made up I turned to Nadir.
"Nadir, I must ask something of you. I will be needing your help, for I will be needing to spread the word out to ladies around the area who are eager for a little adventure. I will need supplies, food, and weapons. I also will need a ship. A good strong one." I said, with a determined look on my face."
…
That had been the start of when I prepared for my first voyage. Nadir helped me to spread the word that I was looking strictly for a lady crew to run a ship, any lady was welcome, so long as she was ok with working around a ship. Many ladies, turned away at the thought of such, but we were lucky to find a few good women who knew how to work a running vessel. I also was one of the rare few that knew how to work a floating vessel. My father had taught me years ago, and since then I had always liked the thought of sailing away and never returning. Soon after the recruiting was finished, we moved on to finding a ship. We had seen many ships, but none of them seemed the right fit. However, nearly 4 months after starting preparations, Nadir and I stumbled upon a ship fit for a queen.
