An Explosion, a Cave, and a French Accent
"Come on is that all you got, Ponytail?"
"You wish, Rainbow Head!" Connor thrusted his sword forward at me again.
I blocked his blow pushing his blade aside. My first official week here and Achilles was already pushing me to train with Connor in our spare time. When we weren't training or doing little missions, Connor had taken me around to get to know everyone on the Homestead which led to more missions. Though I already knew who everyone was on the Homestead and how Connor came to find them, it was nice to meet them in person. I was already very fond of Mariam, she reminded me of my mother in a way but I thought of her as a friend.
Anyways, back to Ponytail and Rainbow Head. Connor, with his long raven black hair and multi-colored beads, had most of his hair pulled back in a small ponytail in the back of his head. I had gotten into the habit of calling him, Ponytail. It wasn't my fault that the top of my head was a permanent rainbow! The top layers of my mostly pale blond hair, which was parted mostly to the left, starts out in a faded red which blends into an orange all the way down to a light pink that started to grow last year. Unfortunately, Connor found this funny and started calling me Rainbow Head because of it.
I blew a few loose strands of red hair from my face as Connor regained his ground. "This is child's play!" I yelled with laughter at Connor bopping him in the face when his arm was across his chest after I held it down his blade with mine. I could tell he was getting frustrated. So I persisted. "You know what would be really good, is music. I used to always practice with music." Connor's sword came down on me. I tilt mine at a diagonal angle above my head to block the blow. "I'll take that as a, no."
"You bet," Connor said dodging my blow that would have taken out his head. "I do not know how you can listen to that noise you call music. And I am not child's play!"
Connor thrusted his sword forward so fast and so far forward that I'm completely caught off guard, I bend so far backwards that the blade tip nearly misses the top of my black tank top but pulls up the red cord of the amulet from within my shirt and rips it free from my neck. I caught the green out of the corner of my eye as it rolls across the floor.
"What is that?" Connor pointed to my amulet lying on the floor a few yards away.
"Nothing," I say quickly but when I went down for it, Connor was too fast for me and got to it first. I toppled onto the floor dropping my sword when I dove for it.
"Connor, give that back!" I shouted getting to my feet as I ran towards him.
When I tried to grab it from him, he held it high above his head and unfortunately for me, he had the height advantage.
"This isn't funny!" I shouted literally climbing up his side as he holds me back with his free hand and arm.
"Actually it kind of is," Connor said as he laughed.
I groaned, disgusted.
"Just tell me what it is and I will give it back to you," he said laughing harder.
"No!" I protested.
Getting an idea, I came up from behind him and jumped on his back wrapping my legs around his waist as I reached for the amulet.
"Hey!" Connor shouted as he la "Get off me!"
"Never!" I shout, I too was laughing by this point. The amulet was just within my reach...
THUMP!
Connor couldn't take the extra weight but he thankfully was smart and we fell to the side. I rolled off of him and we laid on our backs laughing.
"What are you two doing? You're supposed to be training not horsing around!"
Connor and I stop laughing and snap back into reality quickily getting to our feet standing at attention before Achilles. I caught Connor stuff my amulet in his pocket.
"We... got bored," I said trying so hard not to laugh at Achilles. I saw Connor having the same problem.
Achilles sighed as I heard him mutter under his breath, "Children..." shaking his head.
...
A few hours later, I was in in my room sharpening my knives and other weapons when Connor walked into the room.
"Don't you ever knock?" I asked him in an annoyed tone.
"Nope," he answered. This annoyed me further. "Achilles wants to see us."
"What for?" I asked looking up from my sharpening.
"I did not ask," Connor responded.
I sigh. "Alrighy," I said getting to my feet and tucking my knives where they belonged on my body.
I followed Connor into the living room where Achilles stood in front of the fireplace admiring an area up top there once appeared to be a picture hanging there but then, it was still bare.
"Connor, Riley, come with me downstairs," Achilles said slowly as he began hobbling across the room towards the secret entrance down the hall.
"Should I find something to fill that space?" Connor asked gesturing to the empty wall above the fireplace.
It was as if Achilles knew already what Connor meant, he didn't turn around but simply said, "No rush, everything will find its place in the right time."
"As you wish."
Achilles talked to Connor as he pulled the candelabra to open the secret door to the training room downstairs. "There's a chest in a cave on the edge of the property can you and Riley go retrieve it for me? I would go myself but theses old bones prevent me from getting to it."
I saw Connor open his mouth in protest.
"Take Norris with you," Achilles interrupts. "The cave entrance is blocked with heavy stone that will need to be cleared one way or another."
"We won't let you down, Achilles," I said with a confident smile before glancing at a pissed off Connor.
"I do not need a tag along," Connor said as we left the manor.
"Neither do I but you don't see me complaining," I retorted. That shut him up.
We walked the rest of the way in silence which gave me time to take in the view. It was cold. Snow was coming soon, but it would be another few weeks, probably. Though the air smelled fresh and not at all polluted compared to the grimy streets of Boston. There were tall mountains and rock formations that surrounded the Homestead and wildlife dashed in and out of the green trees and brush. It reminded me so much of my home in Texas. That made my stomach tighten at the thought of home.
"Where can we find Norris?" Connor asked.
"Probably in one of his mines," I replied as we walked towards a long narrow tunnel. And of course I was right, we found Norris mining in one of his tunnels.
"Hey Norris!" I called to him as we walked into the mine.
He turned around to face us. "Hey, Riley, Connor. What do I owe this pleasant surprise?" he asked in his adorable French accent throwing his pick-axe over his right shoulder.
Connor was the first to speak, "Norris, we are going to fetch something for the old man and he told us there might be some stone that requires clearing."
Norris looked excited. "Yah? I will bring my explosives."
Once we begin to follow Norris to the mine, he brought up a conversation that I always looked back and smiled upon.
"Mariam is interesting."
"Certainly not your typical colonial woman," Connor added. "A deadly shot."
"She brought down that cougar!" Norris added. One of my first few nights here, Mariam asked Connor and me to help her bring down a white cougar. I ran for it and chased it into one of Norris's mines. Connor when inside to scare it out and Mariam shot it when it ran killing it with one shot. "She is strong, capable, she has no husband?"
"Not that I am aware of," Connor answers.
"I have never met a woman like her before," Norris continued. "I would like to know her better."
"You should speak to her then," I said.
"I might try," Norris stepped carefully in the water. "Hey! Don't splash you don't want to get the powder wet." Connor walked slower and does so looking like a big clumsy ox. "Do you think she likes Frenchmen?"
I giggled a bit at Norris's question.
"I can see why the old man encouraged me to enlist your services," Connor said when we got to the mine as Norris sets the explosives he was carrying down in front of it.
"No problem," Norris says. "You blow it up, Connor. Be my guest."
Connor nodded pulling out his gun.
"Duck and cover," Norris pulled me behind the rock with him covering his ears.
I looked over the rock just as Connor shot the explosive that shook the ground blowing rocks in every direction.
"Ha! That's a nice one!" Norris shouted getting to his feet.
"Thank you," Connor said reloading his gun.
"You're welcome," Norris replied. "Doesn't look safe in there. You two be careful. I'll be at the mine. What you said about Mariam is interesting..." with that he walked off.
"Thanks, Norris," I called after him.
"No problem!" he called back.
"Ready to do this?" I asked Connor turning back to the mine.
"Let's go."
We walked in together. It's quite cramped so I have to walk behind Connor. The rocky walls are moist and covered with green moss while water drips everywhere. But suddenly, the entire cave seemed to rumble as small rocks fall from the ceiling. Connor holds a hand out for us to stop.
"This is a bad idea," I said a little uneasy.
"Come on," Connor said. "We cannot let Achilles down."
When the rumbling stopped, we moved on. We only got a few meters before a pile of rocks comes crashing down right in front of Connor causing him to lose his balance and fall back.
"Connor!"
He fell on top of me causing me to press my hands into his shoulder blades to keep from falling to the ground.
"Sorry," he said after he regained his footing. "You go under first this time," Connor gestured to the small opening under the pile of rocks. "Ladies first, after all." He smirked at me.
I rolled my eyes as I crouched down and slid under feeling the ground shift a little again.
We kept walking until we came across a small entryway where sunlight poured in and there are a few inches of water at the bottom that caught me off guard as I stepped down. The rumbling continued.
"What's the matter? Can't handle a little water?" Connor teased me.
"At least I can walk through water not looking like a clumsy ox," I said sticking my tongue out at him.
We walked along the tunnel as the water got deeper and deeper until we were swimming towards the other side. Rocks fell into the water all around us and I felt like I was in a Jurassic Park movie with all the rumbling. When we finally got to a hard rocky ground away from water, I was almost thankful to climb up and over a ledge though my wet clothes weighed me down.
Connor led the way as we climbed the top into a clearing where there were few places to walk and climb. As we got closer to the edge, several large rocks fell causing the place where Connor was about to place his foot crumble and fall into the dark foggy abyss below. I was thankfully thinking fast when I pulled Connor by the arm back towards me before he could fall again.
"Thank you," he said turning his head a bit to look at me out of the corner of his eye.
I gave him a nod before turning to look at how we were going to get across. "Looks like we'll have to go one at a time," I said.
Connor nodded as I pushed past him to take the lead.
Hopping from one tall pillar of rock to next, I jumped and grabbed a branch growing from one of the trunks and landed on another pillar then hopped to the other side. Connor was not far behind me. Once he was across we walked along the trail single file. Suddenly, the rock was crumbling beneath our feet.
"Riley, Jump!"
I ran and jumped grabbing another branch then using my hands to hoisted myself over the ledge, once I got to my feet, I turned around to help Connor up giving him my hand. He took it and hoisted himself up and to his feet. He nodded a simple thanks. The next time, he took the lead towards the large brown wooden chest sitting on a small ledge.
Connor knelt down in front of the chest and began to pick the lock. "Damn," he muttered.
"What is it?" I asked peering over his shoulder.
"Achilles, you clever bastard. I do not think I can pick this lock," Connor said. "You try," he handed me his tools.
As I picked the lock, I noticed it had the Assassin symbol surrounding it in a shiny metal. When I unlocked it, I heard Connor laugh in surprise. Once I opened the box, Connor crowded next to me to look in.
Inside was something wrapped in a white cloth.
"What do you think it is?" I asked continuing to look down.
"Knowing Achilles, it could be anything," Connor replied. "Do you think you can carry it?"
"What, I thought it was the guy's job to carry the stuff," I teased.
Connor rolled his eyes. "Just take it."
"Fine," I mutterd taking it in my arms. "Now let's get out of here."
As we walked to the edge of the rock platform, the rumbling becomes so strong that both Connor and I struggled to keep our balance.
"We need to get out of here, now!" Connor shouted over the roar of the rocks crumbling everywhere.
We jumped from the edge where we have to shimmy across a rock wall to get to the other side. We had to jump and grab so fast to find foot and hand holds as rocks crumbled all around us and the rocks only became more slippery. Then it happened.
It was harder for me to shimmy and climb because I had to carry a large bulky... thing under my arm the entire time. I got to the last foot hold before I have to make the big jump to the other ledge. When I released, I grabbed the ledge but it suddenly crumbled under my hand, then I was falling.
"CONNOR!" I screamed his name, terrified that I was going to die.
Just when I thought he will be too late, I saw the flash of his white and blue robes and he reached out and grabbed my outstretched hand and I then dangled in the air for a moment before Connor pulled us up to the top.
Once we're both on our feet I said, "Thanks, Connor I-"
"You can properly thank me later, but right now we have to go!" Connor tugged my arm to pull me down the tunnel.
We jumped off the ledge we climbed earlier just as me made our way to jump into the water to swim; huge boulders came down from above catching us both off guard as we fell back into the ankle-deep water.
Getting to our feet, we ran down the opposite tunnel. We began to swim and I had to go slower because I had to keep the cloth over my head until the water became thigh deep. Just as we ran through the tunnel, another round of large boulders got in our path but this time, Connor grabbed my free arm and pulled me into the opposite tunnel.
We ran down multiple wet tunnels running in thigh deep or swimming in water mostly hitting dead ends or finding large rocks barely missing them crushing us.
Once we got back to the tunnel we came from, we went in a dead sprint out with Connor in the lead jumping over and sliding under fallen rocks until we make one final push dragging ourselves under a tight opening under the rocks as we fell rolling into the dirt together.
"That was close," Connor said as we laid on our backs breathless in the grass and dirt.
"Too close," I finished.