Test of Faith

Chapter 49

"Sir."

Haytham's gaze flickered up from his journal, and he recognized Charles' voice through his office door. How familiar.... "Yes?" 

The door opened slowly, politely, and in walked Charles, Benjamin and William. Blinking in surprise, Haytham stood up from his desk to confront his companions.

"Has something happened?" he asked, frowning. Charles stepped forward to speak. "The tea has been destroyed," he announced. 

Haytham sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and attempting to hide his frustration. "That is not all." He looked up again when William spoke, and he saw - shockingly - a sorrowful look in his pale eyes. 

"She was there, sir, with the boy," he told him. Haytham pursed his lips, his body stiffening. "Yes...I saw her, as well, before the ordeal with the tea," he confessed, clenching his jaw.

Benjamin cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. "I, too, saw her at Martha's Vineyard with the boy," he said. Haytham straightened out, feeling a heavy weight on his chest. 

Charles spoke again, a mix of rage and dread in his voice. "It seems she's rebuilt the Brotherhood, sir." Haytham's gaze narrowed, and he lifted his head in forced determination. 

"Then we know what we have to do, gentlemen," he declared. The four men exchanged a long, hard look before Charles, Benjamin and William exited the room.

However, once the door closed, Haytham's rigid posture slumped over, and he collapsed back in his desk chair. 

His teeth were clenched as the image of Mirabella's face appeared in his mind. He felt nothing but the regret and guilt that had kept him company for well over ten years.

He was torn between what he's known for his whole life and what he's truly felt for two decades. His companions and the Templar cause...or Mirabella, and what could be.

~~~~

"It is done."

Mirabella and Connor returned to the lighthouse headquarters, and Gianni eagerly greeted them. "Johnson is dead?" he asked, his green eyes wide. 

Connor hesitated for a moment, and Mirabella gave her brother a knowing look. "No...he retreated when we destroyed the tea," he replied honestly. 

Gianni frowned, visibly disappointed. "Only to hatch some new scheme, I'm sure - you should have killed him," he hissed, his glare shifting to Mirabella.

She met it evenly, raising her chin - she will not be intimidated so easily. "There was no need," Connor protested confidently. Gianni merely scoffed in mock amusement. "Time will tell if you speak the truth," he muttered, then dismissed the boy.

Before he could speak, Mirabella cut him off with a sharp glare. "The boy is young, he is still learning. His own father is one of his targets, so his first kill will not come so easily - give him time."

The two siblings shared a long stare, each of their fists clenched as they waited for the other to react. A hint of smugness flared up in Gianni's fiery eyes. 

"And whose side will you be on when it is time for his father to meet the Blade?"

Mirabella was left in stunned silence, her blue-gray eyes wide and her jaw dropped. Gianni held her glare for a moment longer before turning away, and he disappeared down one hall.