The world blurs by, rocky mountainsides then lush forests.
"You've been awfully quiet back there all day long... Is everything okay?" Emmett says to me between his chair and the car door.
"Hmm?" I turn to look at him while leaning my head on the window, "I'm fine, it's..." Nothing.
"And don't you dare say 'nothing.' You do still have facial expressions." He says quieter. Is he trying to be quiet because of Kiyoshi? Did Kiyoshi not tell him that he knows?
"Tch."
"Ha! I knew it was something. Now spill." Emmett shouts before remembering where we are, "Oops. Sorry Kiyo..."
"No, it's fine. But I admit that I also am concerned with how quiet you've been today. At least yesterday you were making snide remarks and sarcastic comments periodically, much like your siblings." Kiyoshi says without taking his eyes off the road ahead even once.
Great. I can't even be quiet around Assassins without them figuring something out. I guess it's the little things I forget... Yusuf and his Assassins also often had an uncanny sense of each other's mental wellbeing.
"I'm fine, I just have a lot on my mind is all... But Kiyoshi, what do you have up next? Vancouver is kind of a dead-end roads wise..." I try to deflect the subject.
"I've been asked to investigate something in Japan by the leader of the Brotherhood there. I'll be catching a plane there at the airport." Emmett, who had looked ready to re-bring up my silence, suddenly looks over to the driver jaw agape.
"Since when did you two get so chummy? Did I miss something?" He adjusts himself in the front seat.
"I really can't believe you didn't say something while I was in the shower this morning." I say to Kiyoshi, "You were both awake when I got out, and thought you would have chatted about it..."
"I thought it would be more fun to let it happen organically, he is amusing when he's left out of the loop. Especially a small loop like this one." I see Emmett's eyes narrow at Kiyoshi while he talks.
Kiyoshi isn't wrong. This is deeply amusing.
"I'm still lost here. What on Earth happened? I've never seen you be so... Chatty with someone new before..." Emmett says to Kiyoshi poking his shoulder in a very not-twenty-eight-years-old fashion.
"That is because I'm not chatty with new people." Kiyoshi states seriously, "She is decidedly not new." He adds, further confusing the poor Emmett. He hides it well, but I can spot the slightest upwards curve of Kiyoshi's lips as he sows further confusion with Emmett.
"And so mean..." I comment, deepening the slowly growing shit-eating grin on Kiyoshi's face.
Kiyoshi continues his mean-streak fueled teasing with Emmett for the next twenty minutes until we stop for a break. Then he goes right on confusing him after we hit the road again for another thirty minutes. With the last ten minutes consisting of Emmett pouting in the front seat looking out the window.
Then Kiyoshi lets up and tells Emmett about how I saved him as a kid and that we sorted everything out last night.
"So you guys already knew each other?" Emmett confirms for the eighteenth time.
"Yes." Kiyoshi answers again, "Although, I admit I hadn't been totally sure until I saw the ring and the scar on your wrist."
"Yeah... I guess anyone would have trouble forgetting that I was more surprised you remembered those details about me..." I say referring to what I had said about the ring back then.
"It did get in my mouth... And my ear... And my nose." Yeah... I remember the expression he had on his face then too... Not that there is a right way to react to having a sword coming at your face one moment then a nice splash of blood across your face the next, "That said... It was better than what I originally saw coming towards my face and had been expecting until... Well."
"Yeah... It was a good swing too. Skillful guy."
"But not skillful enough." I snicker a little at Kiyoshi's comment. Because no. No, he was not skillful enough to face me... I doubt there are many who would be. Even as a team.
"That matching is unfair to ask of anyone..." I shoot back.
"Yeah, a win against you will likely take a team that works like a well-oiled machine and has a perfect strategy to boot." Emmett comments.
"Probably—"
"So what could have such a person so sullen?" Kiyoshi abruptly sneaks into the conversation and Emmett turns to face me grinning expectantly.
God dammit.
"Really, I'm fine. I just have a lot going through my mind. It's not every day in a millennia that I find out that by acting in favour of Assassins I likely perpetuated my own lineage. Thereby ensuring my own existence." I give a little huff hoping that they buy that excuse... Because even though that is a thought that occurred to me, in truth it doesn't bother me much. I've saved a lot of people and likely perpetuated many lineages throughout my years.
"True... But I mean... You stayed away from tragedies you knew about, right?"
"Even if I hadn't, it's not like anyone would even know. But you are right. I did often keep tragedies I knew about at arms length. It was hard a lot... But I know that those tragedies were often a key point for a good change... It was never easy."
The dock is absolutely packed... I'm glad I'm up here looking down at it...
And I knew there had been class differences but... Seeing how different the people entering at the lower decks are being treated really hits differently.
I wonder which of these people will survive...
"Astraea! I didn't expect to see you here." I turn to see Kassandra in a higher-class outfit, "But I suppose it makes sense, this is a huge step for humanity. Just look at the size of this ship!" She sets some luggage down as she stops beside me to admire the Titanic. "Just imagine what Barnabas would say!"
"He would likely say something along the lines of 'man being too arrogant to think they could call a ship unsinkable.'" Which I say in my best 'Barnabas' voice. "Then he would follow up with something about Poseidon's wrath." Kassandra laughs.
"Yes, yes he would say something exactly like that."
"Kassandra... You aren't going on the ship, are you?" I have done my best not to share any of the horrors I hold in my mind and wait for as time passes, but I cannot in good conscience let my friend board that ship.
"Why of course I am! This is an amazing achievement, and I don't want to miss it." She picks up her luggage and I can't help but reach out and grab her arm to stop her.
"Don't." I bite my lip. Usually, I can keep my composure in these situations. I reason using the good things I know come of a tragedy... Like how the sinking of the Titanic ushered in better ship safety rules, especially concerning lifeboats on a ship and other reforms that will come of this. But with Kassandra so ready to hop aboard... What can I even say?
"Astraea? Why not? What is wrong?" She sets her luggage back down and leans down to look in my eyes.
"I..." I cover my mouth, "I can't say it. Not here." My heart aches for all the people bustling around on the dock below.
"Okay... I won't go." I hug her tightly as I watch a raggedly dressed woman point up to the ship with her daughter holding her hand before they walk along the ramp onto the lower decks of the ship.
"Earth to Raea... Raea, do you read me?" I give Emmett a strange look, "Ah, there you are. You totally spaced out for a minute there... What were you thinking of?"
"I was thinking about that time I watched the Titanic cast off."
"Oh." Emmett settles for a moment, "Obviously you didn't stop it."
"I wouldn't have been able to. Cross-dressing only hides so much, and to claim that the unsinkable ship would fail to reach its destination, let alone that it would fail because it will sink? At best I would have been taken to an early twentieth century loonie-bin, which is nothing to scoff at. At worst, I could have been accused of trying to sabotage it myself and been put up for execution or something. And as a woman? My words wouldn't have held enough weight to change anything anyway."
After a few minutes of silence in the front seat I start to hope that they took that to be the weight on my mind.
"That's really awful... I bet there were other things like that too." Emmett pauses for a moment before continuing, "But I feel like that isn't really what's bothering you... Seriously, Raea, I'm worried. What's wrong?" How can he be so persistently right?
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you..." Is it okay to confide in him? In them? It's been so long since I truly confided anything in someone other than Kassandra... I've told a handful of people basic things in preparation to resume my life, but until just last week I hadn't even imagined telling anyone the full truth for another couple of decades...
"Really, I am sorry for worrying you... But... I don't think I'm ready to talk about this just yet." I pause to gather my thoughts some more, "I need to figure a few things out... Then maybe I'll be able to talk about it, but for now..."
"Okay." Emmett says without letting me say anything else, "I guess I need to remember that even though you've had so much time you're still only human, and sometimes you need time to process information."
What?
I feel a little of the weight on my mind lift away, like beams of moonlight breaking through deep, menacing storm clouds.
"And you shouldn't let yourself forget that either." Kiyoshi add from the driver's seat.
"Thank you." I say before looking back out the window.
Could it be that simple?
Could worrying about this and needing time to think it over really make me more human?
We had to say our goodbyes in the car before Emmett and I got out at the departures area of the airport. And even if we see each other inside the airport we have to act as though we don't know each other. Which only makes sense... The less we leave for Abstergo to follow, the better. In theory they know that we didn't get out of the province just the two of us, or at the very least that I didn't get out of the province alone. Which if this Zachariah Moore character is even a little intelligent, he will have thought of the possibility that I am now in the hands of the Assassins.
Now it almost becomes a competition of who can be more secretive. Who can keep hidden from whom better? Whether it's us, keeping our presence secret by all these roundabout stops in our travels... Or them, carefully stalking behind us using whatever tracks and trails they can find.
I have been keeping an eye on underground webpages that have people who post about any Abstergo movements they find, and on whatever Abstergo emails I can lay my hands on. Luckily, Zachariah was kind enough to leave his email with me, so I can home in on any emails to, from, or mentioning him.
"Are you ready to go, hun?" Emmett asks as he picks up his cardigan.
"Is it finally time to get home?" I ask; we have been doing very well with keeping the characters. I played off my ring from Yusuf as a promise ring from him to the woman at security as I put it back on my finger. I asked her to keep the other ring 'secret' because I hadn't found the right moment to give it to him yet. Although, the Assassins are just as innovative as they once were... Using ceramic blades in the hidden blades to get them through airport security. With mine, I just removed the blade and stuck it in with a box of graphite sticks and charcoal with my sketchbook. Found out that worked by accident when I once opened up my pencil case after getting to our destination, only to find my utility knife inside. That had been long before the ferry incident.
"Yeah, our flight just went over the intercom, let's get to our gate." He holds out a hand.
"Finally... This has been amazing, but I really can't wait to get back to my bed."
"Took the words right out of my mouth." He replies as we make our way through the crowded Vancouver airport.
As per a suggestion by me, part of our escape is including a flight out of Winnipeg to Vancouver in about a day with two people using the last name 'Lykaios' because it is my mom's maiden name. There was also a flight leaving Grande Prairie, where the bus would have gone, to Toronto, using the last name 'Moore.' So hopefully they follow one of those trails. and not the one with names that sound like they popped out of an internet name generator... With me being one Miss Jamie Nicholsen and Emmett being one Mister Quinten Perry.
We sit down in our seats near the back of the plane and settle in for the first of our coming flights.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAA
"Okay... So, let me get this straight." Emmett says, yet again, from the passenger seat.
"Hmm." It only took four separate explanations...
"You have been hoarding things... This whole time."
"Yup."
"And you have caches... All over the globe."
"Right again."
"And these caches are probably multi-million dollar finds just sitting around?"
"They are not 'just sitting around.' Most of them are in place that people can't easily get to that have been lost by history in unforgiving areas... Hidden by other means in more mundane settings... Or they are in or under places that I own. Therefore, no one will be entering them."
"But how—"
"Plus. I check them usually every decade or so. The last time being immediately before replacing the me that was lost in the Tyrrhenian Sea. I actually also condensed most of them to just a few caches that are all within privately owned spaces. Most of which are modest looking."
"Okay... Okay. I get it. But how much do you think you're worth then?"
"You don't want that answer."
"But..." I look over at him for a few seconds, "Fine... Next." Sweet Jesus... "You mentioned you have a company that you began and own. What did you mean?"
"Well, I couldn't very well put everything under one name and expect that to fly legally forever... Legally, my company has been passed down generation to generation since its founding. Which was a long time ago in Europe. Luckily, I was thinking ahead."
"What about now? A company has more hoops to jump through to be considered legitimate, right? What with the prevalence of fraudulent companies created for the purpose of money laundering." Emmett counters.
"The answer there is two-fold. First, most companies older than three-hundred years do not get that kind of attention, usually. Second, I have entrusted the running of the company to someone I saved a long time ago. I also helped keep their family out of Abstergo's eyes for long enough that their children all grew up."
"Another one? What? Do you literally just run around saving people?"
"Not everyone can be saved. I save anyone who happens to be in front of me. Although, for a long time I did try saving everyone. I burnt out and drew too much attention. I ended up at the bottom of a sea for a while because of it."
I hear the pop of his mouth opening as his jaw drops. Yes... I love when something I say gets that reaction.
"Okay... Then...?" He pushes for more.
"Well, I had been rescuing too many people from disasters, bandits, et cetera... Some of the people got spooked by some of the situations I came out of. Would have been close to 300 BCE, during Alexander the Great's rule... Anyway, a few leaders of the local Greek armies got all spooked by me... They swarmed me, overpowered me, put me in a wooden coffin-like box and tossed me off a ship into the Caspian Sea." Emmett remains silent for more than five whole minutes before asking the next most obvious question.
"Did I miss something, or did I understand that you were dump into a sea... And not rescued? I was waiting for the 'Oh, then such and such person who I saved came along and fished me outta there right after the army people left.' Was this a trick question?"
"While I did save a lot of people in that area, they did not dare move against the Greek armies. Or they directly participated in the affair. So... No. I was left under those waters for a long time..."
"But... How are you here then?"
"Ropes don't last forever in the water and wood does get brittle over time. But when I'm deprived of something essential, like oxygen, I simply go into a sort of hibernation. Drowning takes a long time for me, but it does happen eventually. Then I just fall asleep, until my body is reintroduced to oxygen. Then things get moving again and I wake up."
"Good god... That must have been horrible."
"It definitely wasn't fun, by the time I surfaced, the rule of the area had changed, and several generations had lived out their lives. And the story of a demonic woman from Tartarus had become a folk tale." I continue.
"Damn..." Emmett breaths.
"I suppose that was when my distrust of people really kicked off. Until then I had only had mostly decent experiences with the people... But I also hadn't ever been so active in one area prior to then. Suffice it to say, I learnt my lesson." I conclude.
"Yeah... I imagine so..." Emmett was solemnly silent for the next several hours, only talking when the trip to San Francisco needed it. Yusuf had been the only other person I ever told about that experience... Especially since, even though I play it off easily, it is not easy for me to tell. I remember that being one of the only times I ever felt completely helpless. Not only had I still been hesitant to kill then, even in self-defence, but they had legitimately overpowered me with sheer numbers. And because of it I had avoided people for near on a century after that. I had gone to the mountains of present-day Tajikistan and stayed there for a long time... Luckily, I did manage to follow my gut out of the mountains to Rome, only to stumble over Kassandra there.
Upon our arrival in Bucharest, there is a man with a sign held up bearing our phase two names on it, Emmett as one Jackson Mays, and I as his wife, one Charlotte Mays. Our nicknames naturally being Jack and Lottie, which sounds very twenties to me.
The car takes us to a smaller airport meant for private jets and shipping flights. The dark of a fresh night just settling in as we arrive at the small jet near the runway.
As we get to the small private carrier plane, I recognize the logo on the side of the tail. Recognition happening since I was the one who originally penned it... I watch and see a woman I know step out of the plane to greet us, Silvija Leko. Her deep brown hair having earned a little more silver since I last saw her.
The car stops and we get out, her eyes go over Emmett, she's met him before... Then her eyes settle on me and I see the moment of shock pass over her face.
"Danyka?" She walks over to me smiling.
"You can call me by my real name now... But keep it on the downlow from any Assassins other than this guy and a few others, I'll update you later on that... But I don't need them knowing I have a small private shipping company." I answer her.
"Yes, I can imagine why..." She says sarcastically, knowing that if the greater Brotherhood knew I had access to a small private fleet of jets would make them want to take advantage of it and that would more than likely draw too much Abstergo attention to my little antiquities shipping business. "I didn't realize that this flight was for you though, Astraea."
"Yeah... And I didn't know my whole family are Assassins... But, hey, here we are. Anyway, how are your kids doing?" She chuckles at my comment before smiling fondly over the thoughts of her kids.
"Oh, they're great. No signs of trouble for any of them yet. Tomi just graduated from his doctorate in physics, Ben just got a job at an engineering firm, and Renata just married her girlfriend a couple of months ago. So now I even have a daughter-in-law and they are working towards adopting a child of their own. And they all have gotten to lead normal lives, thanks to you."
"Wait, you know her?" Emmett says as he gets closer.
"Are you talking to me or her? And obviously, yes, we know each other." I ask and then snidely remark as he gets closer with the two suitcases.
"Both, I guess... And I meant 'how.' How do you know each other?" I watch his eyes practically roll into the back of his head in response to my snide remark.
"Well... You remember that company I mentioned?"
"Uh... Yeah. How could I forget that bit among of all the absurd things I heard on this seemingly endless trip?" He snidely jabs at my information dumps.
"Yeah, well..." I gesture to the plane, "Anyway, let's get going... I'm about ready to be done with all this travel..." I walk towards the jet with Silvija, leaving Emmett with his jaw dropped once again.
"So Renata has finished her schooling too, then?" I ask Silvija as we climb the steps into the jet.
"Yeah, she just got a job with a smaller video games company out of Finland, so she and her wife are moving out there for a while."
"Wow! That's fantastic. With Helix out there the video game world is as competitive as ever I imagine..." We get into the jet and I look down the cabin to see someone already sitting in one the seats looking out the window to where the car is sitting. I look to Silvija and make a strained expression because I know exactly who it is... And I am not ready for this.
"Did you know he was in here?" I whisper, she nods and puts her hands in front of her for forgiveness.
"He asked me not to say anything... Sorry." And with that she heads into the flight deck to prep for take-off. Then Emmett comes to the entrance of the plane where I've gotten stuck and he pushes me forward.
"What's the hold up?" He squeezes past me and spots the person waiting for us, "Zeph! Hey, man! Long time no see... How are you doing? And what are you doing here? I thought you were somewhere in Norway?"
"I was for a little while, but they've shuffled all of us since Moore made his move towards Raea." Zephyr stands up and bro hugs Emmett, then walks to the front of the cabin and hugs me. "Hey, Raea... I'm really glad to see your okay." I feel the tension that had been building since leaving my apartment melt away for a moment and I hug him back.
We settle in for the take off and I do my best to find ways of approaching the subject that I know he wants to talk about. Zeph only staring at me from the seat in front of me, his cool grey eyes piercing through the space between us easily, patiently waiting for me to bring it up.
"How are the rest of them?" Emmett asks after looking over at me. He is a good friend. He knows I've been worried about them.
"They're all doing well enough. Aquilo is waiting at our destination, and Venus is fine... I, predictably, haven't heard from Nyx though." He says, and I sigh at hearing at least a little good news.
"So... Zeph... All this... It's why you agreed to that bargain, isn't it?" He looks at me and smiles, but it's kind of a sad smile.
"Yeah... We... All of us... We just wanted to protect you from all of this. We each got told once we were done our first post-secondary degree, or diploma in Aquilo's case. So, the summer of the ferry incident, mom had been agonizing over whether or not to tell you... Then once the accident happened, she realized that it would destroy her to lose you and... she decided not to tell you anything." I see him wringing his hands, he's just as nervous as I am... "I'm sorry... We didn't mean it to hurt you at all, but as soon as we heard that Moore had contacted you... We were all worried that he would tell you everything and you would feel betrayed... We... We were worried you might..." He keeps struggling to continue, but his message is already pretty clear.
"Join them?" I finish for him, and his eyes shoot back up to meet mine.
"Yes... We never meant to betray you and—"
"I don't feel betrayed." I reach forward and put my hand on his two, my sleeve creeping up to reveal the edges of my scars, "I mean... I maybe did for about forty seconds or so... Immediately after Emmett told me... But then, he told me that you had all kept it a secret to protect me..." Lean back again and look at my own hands, "But how could I get mad about that? Especially since it's exactly what I've done... To protect all of you."
"Protect us? From what?" I scoff a little and it turns into a bit of a dry laugh.
"Ironically... All of this. The war between the Templars and Assassins... The truth... About what happened after I fell off the ferry that day. And..." I squeeze my hands together in my lap, "And who... Or rather... What I've become." I feel a hand on my shoulder, and I look over to see Emmett looking at me seriously before smiling.
"I swear. I need to make you a 'what would Yusuf say?' bracelet or something. It's just 'who,' not 'what.' You are just as human as anyone." He sits back in his chair.
"You've told Emmett already?" Zeph asks me, but Emmett answers.
"Well... When someone I expected to be barely competent enough to defend herself makes it possible for us to escape a full blown Abstergo raid... I basically forced an explanation. And... Not gonna lie, man... It's long and it's deep. I don't think we have enough flight time to cover it all..."
"Considering that you don't even have it all 'covered,' no." I add. Emmett just shrugs.
"Well... I'd say just cover the big stuff, but it all sounds pretty... Big." Zeph says.
"You're not wrong..." I admit, "Well... First off, you guys were probably right... The me before the ferry incident would not have handled all of this very well. I likely would've been some level of catatonic for a while."
"While I'm glad to hear that... I think. What exactly do you mean?" Zeph asks.
"All the scars you saw last time?" He nods, "Some of them are well over a thousand years old." Zeph slumps back in his seat his mouth slightly open in disbelief.
We only end up having time for an extremely basic rundown of everything before we are landing at a small airstrip outside of a town that Silvija calls Bitola. Apparently, this trip was mostly paid for by a wealthy antiquities dealer who had purchased a lot of pieces from an estate sale in Bucharest and hired Silvija to bring them to him.
After I say goodbye to Silvija, we all pile into a small car and Zeph drives us away.
It doesn't take long for us to get to a building that he pulls in behind of where the dark is pretty complete.
"Woah... I never noticed your eyes do that before..." Emmett says as we step out of the car into the darkness between a few tall, old buildings, "Can you see in the dark?" He gets right up in my face moving left to right to see the sheen of my eyes, not unlike the glow of a cat's eyes in the dark, but definitely less pronounced... Thankfully.
"Yeah, pretty well actually."
"It's not like you can't use Eagle Vision, Emmett. Now let's get inside mom and Aquilo should be there." Zeph remarks.
"In other words... 'Prepare yourself...'" I say to Zephyr's back.
"Yes... Mom has been beside herself not being able to contact you. Although, she approved highly of Emmett's thought to put your phone on a bus going way north of you."
"Actually... That was her idea." Emmett says and Zeph stops for a second before continuing.
"That... Actually makes more sense. Even if it were soft Raea." Zephyr says thoughtfully.
"Ouch. That hurts, Zeph... That's hurtful." Emmett slumps a little as we enter the building.
"I'm back!" Zeph shouts to the space. This is followed by stomping on the floor above us as a couple of people come down to greet us, first mom then slightly behind her is Aquilo.
She flies past Zephyr and pulls me into a tight squeeze.
"I was so worried about you! When I first heard Emmett's report that there had been at least a dozen agents that raided your building... I just didn't even know what to think. I can't believe that Atreus would do something like that..."
"Honestly, I think he was trying to take advantage of the fact that we never told her anything about the Assassins and Templars... I think he probably was banking on Raea feeling betrayed enough to go to him; the one who told her the truth." Zephyr says as he comes over and wraps his arms around both of us. Once he releases us Aquilo comes over and gives me a quick hug.
"Do you? Feel betrayed by us, I mean. I wouldn't blame you." Aquilo steps back a little, I grab his hand to stop him from backing away and look between him and mom.
"No. I don't feel betrayed. I felt a little hurt to begin with, but I understand why you did it... And honestly, you were right to do it." I answer him as carefully as I can.
While his face is similar to Zeph's I can always see the differences. And of course with how Aquilo has always preferred his hair shoulder length in contrast to Zeph's locks that reach his ears at best. How his eyes are a soft, comforting storm grey compared to Zeph's piercing slate grey. And Aquilo has always prided himself on his ability to retain muscle. Therefore, where Zephyr has a leaner muscled look to him, Aquilo often looks like a gym junkie. But they do stand at the same six-foot height, giving them at least a head over all but Emmett.
"Well... That isn't what I was expecting... But I'm beyond thrilled to hear you say that..." My mom wipes her eyes a little bit while commenting on my reaction.
How long can I go without telling them before this becomes a betrayal on my part?
"Mom, are you sure you're an Assassin?" Aquilo nudges her with his elbow.
"Oh hush. Now you all go get something to eat, while I send a quick note out to Bill. He'll be glad to hear the good news." Emmett's stomach growls loud enough for the whole entrance to hear and we all laugh into the dining room.
"You mean that his last niece is now entering the fold? Shouldn't' you tell dad first? I mean if you tell Uncle Bill, he is definitely going to tell dad... They are brothers after all. Even if it's only half brothers." Aquilo jokes. And now I have another uncle too? Who is apparently also an Assassin. Mom makes a face at him before she hustles down the hall and into a room at the end as we go about halfway down the hall into a small kitchen and dining space.
We eat together for a while and then drink a little wine, the entire moment the truth weighing in the back of my mind... I know I have to tell them, but I just want to stay like this a little longer.
"I can't believe you didn't want to use that Animus! Man... I was all over that when they first told me! Running over the rooftops of Renaissance Italy was a thrill!" Aquilo takes another swig of his wine.
"I admit... Renaissance Italy was cool, but I really liked the set of memories in Istanbul... Man, those Assassins had the rooftop travel really figured out with those hook blades." Zephyr counters.
You have no idea. I begin drown the thought with the rest of my glass of wine.
"Yeah, it's still hard to believe that we're related to one of the most famous Assassins... Ezio Auditore." A fountain of wine spews from my mouth and all over Emmett, and I am left in a coughing fit.
"Raea? Are you okay?" Zephyr asks putting a hand on my back.
"Yep!" Cough, cough, "Peachy..." Sweet Jesus... I'm related to Ezio... Now that is going to be an awkward conversation.
"You do know that wine isn't for breathing, right?" Emmett jokes and I just narrow my watering eyes at him.
"Emmett..." I hear him sharply breathe in as my mom begins to ask him a question, "Did you not tell her that she is related to some of the most famous Assassins?"
"Well... I... Uh... No. No, I did not..." He grabs a napkin from the table and wipes his face off.
"It's fine, it's fine..." Cough, "I'm okay..." I croak out... Zephyr leans in really close.
"Did you know him or something?" He whispers in my ear. While everyone else is ragging on Emmett for leaving out that detail.
"Something like that... Yes." He sits back and I look at him. Then as if it all clicks his eyes go wide.
"Wait... Did you...?" He raises his eyebrows. The rest of the table begins to settle down, I give the tiniest nod and look back at Zeph whose expression is growing to look more mortified than over any of the other things I've said so far...
"Well... I'm pretty tired... I'm going to go get some rest..." I announce to the table.
"Hey, if you're not going to use the Animus, you should let one of us get you up to speed on some self-defence moves at least... I'll get you started in the morning." Aquilo volunteers before I can even object, then mom weighs in.
"I agree, I think all of you should help her out tomorrow while I'm out with the rest of the team at the site." She stands up, "I'll take up to where you'll be sleeping." She leads me out of the room, where Aquilo is looking excited to train me, while Zephyr and Emmett have gotten a couple of shades paler.
"I know that the quarters here aren't exactly glamourous, but they'll do the job..." She says as we climb a few flights of stairs, "There are a whole bunch of us all working on the site in the mountains nearby, most of this block is all Assassin occupied for the time being. It was once a hide out for rebels while this area was Nazi occupied during World War II... It had been a whole bunch of the neighbours who had agreed to help each other save fleeing Jews. So the basements of five of the nearby buildings are connected and there are six tunnels that lead in varying directions away, in case of emergencies. Naturally, that makes it perfect for us. The basements have all be equipped with tech being hidden underground and the tunnels make for the perfect fall back if the Templars find us. There are six buildings we are occupying here and one person out of each building has the location of one safe house in the vicinity should it become needed. Having only one person know each safehouse can be risky, but that way if a safehouse's location is compromised..."
"There are less places to point fingers." I finish, and she looks at me as she opens a door to a modest room with a small bed and my bag on top. The window looking out into what appears to be a small courtyard.
"Yes. This building is only being used by our family and Emmett. The person with the location at this building is Aquilo. So if something happens find him first. He'll protect you." If only I could have told her why that isn't necessary...
How long can I go without saying anything before it becomes a betrayal on my part?
"Alright... I'm really tired, and have a lot to process still... So, I'm going to sleep now. Night mom." I say instead of what I maybe should say.
"Goodnight, my dear Raea." She puts her hand on my cheek, "I'm glad I don't have to keep secrets from you anymore..." The comment jabs me like an arrow to the heart, "But I'm afraid for you now... This is not a vacation, please be careful."
"I will mom... I'll see you tomorrow sometime."
"Absolutely, I'll be leaving early to work on the dig site, but your brothers will be around, along with a few of the more technologically inclined of our group. I love you."
"Love you too, mom." Then she walks down the hall and into one of the other rooms, and I close the door. I sit down on the bed and fish out the old hidden blade, and then I just lay on the bed in the dark... Holding the hidden blade while all my worries surface and pester me all night long.