Test of Faith

Chapter 13

It had only been a couple of weeks after the event when Haytham reached out to Mirabella once again. He was rather surprised his men - or most - agreed to her help, so he did not hesitate to send word.

Now, he stood at the door of the Green Dragon tavern, awaiting her arrival. The morning was rather crisp, with a sharp wind blowing, but thanks to the many layers Haytham wore, he was safe for now.

The citizens before him visibly trembled from the cold as they trekked on, and for a moment, Haytham felt a sense of superiority - or perhaps arrogance - as he stood tall.

Suddenly, a loud, distressed cry made him jump in fear, and a large shadow was casted over him. He looked up as a mighty beast reared back angrily, but its rider soon calmed it down, and it lowered its powerful front legs back down to the ground.

"Ma, che stai facendo?!" The familiar, outraged voice of Mirabella rang in his ears, and he watched her step down from the giant horse. "I -" She cut him off quickly, her eyes blazing.

"I could have killed you! Armino is trained to charge and trample the enemy! What were you just standing there for?!" she yelled, furious. Haytham stood still, baffled as he stared at the smaller woman before him.

He had never seen her so angry before, and seeing her standing next to the incredible horse, he had to admit he was slightly intimidated. But he would never admit it out loud. She then sighed, composing herself. "Are you alright?" she asked gently.

Seeing her patient gaze made Haytham stumble over his words. "Y-yes, my apologies. I must have been distracted and did not hear you arrive," he explained.

She merely giggled, taking her horse's reins and hitching it to a post. " is very powerful, strong. He focuses on his task and he does not know the meaning of 'stop'," she said, patting the black stallion's neck.

Haytham held the door open for her, eyeing the horse before following. "He...certainly is an impressive steed, although I do not recognize this breed," he remarked.

He walked up the stairs behind her, and he did his best to keep his gaze on the ground. "That is because he is one of the first of his kind. Bred from a mare from Holland and a stallion from England to create the Shire horse," she explained animatedly.

Haytham admired her passion, smiling softly as she removed her hood and mask to reveal the joy on her face. With that, they approached the table, but the only man present was a drunk Thomas, making Haytham kick his chair.

"I recall telling you to remain sober for today, Thomas," he scolded with a glare, his jaw clenched. He didn't miss Mirabella's amused expression; Thomas groggily lifted his head, groaning. "And I don't give a fo-"

He cut himself off when his gaze fell on Mirabella, and almost immediately he sat up straight. "Why 'ello, love. Didn't know you would be joinin' us," he greeted with a grin.

She sighed, straightening out. "Si, and I understand now why my help was requested," she shot back. Haytham smirked at Thomas' disgruntled expression, and Mirabella turned to look at him. "So what is the plan for today? And how do I fit into it?" she asked curiously.

Haytham led her to the table, unfolding a map and lying it down. "We have been trying to track down a Native woman we freed at the fort. Unfortunately, all of our leads turned into dead ends, and we've been struggling since," he explained.

She moved forward, taking the map from Haytham. "You've narrowed down the search area, yes?" she asked, pointing on the paper. "Yes, to approximately three or four areas, but it is a lot of ground to cover in each area," he replied.

Mirabella nodded, handing the map back to Haytham. "I will send for my brother and have him meet us in the forest. Come along, ubriaco (drunk), it appears you will be useful today after all," she instructed, then turned to leave. "No time to waste, signori."