Broken Soldier ~ Assassin's Creed 4

Chapter Fifteen

Dear Edward

Let dogs delight to bark and bite,

For God hath made them so:

Let bears and lions growl and fight,

For 'tis their nature, too.

But, children, you should never let

Such angry passions rise:

Your little hands were never made

To tear each other's eyes.

Let love through all your actions run,

And all your words be mild:

Live like the blessed Virgin's Son,

That sweet and lovely child.

His soul was gentle as a lamb;

And as his stature grew,

He grew in favour both with man,

And God his Father too.

Now, Lord of all, he reigns above;

And from his heavenly throne

He sees what children dwell in love,

And marks them for his own.

We have been studying poetry in English literature lessons here. That one was called Against Quarrelling and Fighting by Isaac Watts. I think it is lovely. I hope you think it is just as beautiful as I do.

I have also made a friend - Freda. She is the only person who doesn't hate me here. I suppose that's good.

Wishing you luck with all of your endeavours,

Elisa.

I set my pencil down with a smile. I had been at the school a month now, and was already seeing improvements in my violin skills. Freda and I had been caught in the adjoining room off the office once, earning a few lashings on our hands. One large line had scarred itself onto my palm, leaving a nasty, bumpy, pink mark. Originally, it had bled like crazy, but it slowly healed into a huge scar. Freda hadn't suffered the same fate, her hands still staying as clear as they had ever been. Although, she told me she had had lashings before, so perhaps her skin grew used to it.

English slowly emerged as my favourite subject. I loved the way stories and poems flowed together and how reading took away any stress within minutes. The school's library, a completely separate building, had been ransacked a few times as I searched for the perfect book.

Also, just last week, I received a letter from my sister, Helena. She merely wished to tell me that her main studies were over, and that it was decided she would not be going to another school (most likely because she was a dimwit with no sense). She also stated that she was engaged to be married. The wedding wouldn't take place for another three years, until she was eighteen, but a marriage had already been organised because she was delighted to be married. Caroline, her twin, felt the same. She was also set to be married, but not until she was twenty - those were her terms. Delia would not be married for five years, meaning I would be there to witness it. I should think that Caroline and Delia will even have children before I return.

I slipped my letter into an envelope I had asked for after breakfast. On my way to my lessons, I handed the envelope to the woman at the front desk. She threw it carelessly into her drawer full of letters wanting to be posted. It wouldn't surprise me if the letter wasn't sent until very late tonight. However, I was also hoping that there was a letter awaiting me from Edward. I had missed reading his letters.

Today was Thursday. I only had a few lessons; art, English and violin lessons after dinner. I still had an hour before my art lesson began, so I spent some time in the library. From previous letters, I remembered Edward mentioning something under the name of the...Observatory...or something along those lines. I searched for books on ancient artifacts and landmarks. Sitting down with a pile of six books, I began to flip through pages.

The Observatory is a First Civilisation complex in Jamaica, which allows the remote viewing of an individual's vision through the use of a Crystal Skull. It is, in essence, a surveillance center used by the First Civilisation to keep track of certain individuals.

It operates by placing a vial, containing a drop of blood from the person to be observed, into a Crystal Skull located within an armillary sphere. The device will then project what the person is seeing and hearing into the room. Around the central altar, there are rows of seats which allow for a large number of people to view the projection at any one time. In the hallway leading to the main viewing chamber, the Observatory holds a large number of vials containing the blood of numerous First Civilisation individuals.

The Observatory was built more than eighty thousand years ago, in the dense jungle of what one day became Jamaica. Its construction and operation were overseen by the First Civilisation member Aita, who would eventually pass his genetic code on to the humans who became Sages, and have the power to use the facility that their predecessor had built.

Taking notes of what I read, I was fascinated by the extensive history that a simple room could have. What sort of black magic was it that saw through other peoples' eyes?

If the Crystal Skull is removed, the complex activates a lethal security system, which can only be deactivated, in most circumstances, by a Sage. If left in operation, the system will project energy barriers at regular intervals, strong enough to vaporise humans on contact.

It also causes the interior of the structure to shift and separate into several platforms, in order to make traversal of the complex difficult. During such instances, the only apparent way to deactivate the security system is to return the Crystal Skull to the complex's armillary sphere. In order to ensure the security of the Observatory, indigenous Guardians are tasked by an unknown Sage to protect the structure from encroachers.

Additionally, the main door to the complex can only be opened by inserting a vial containing the blood of a Sage, although the Sage Thomas Kavanagh, Jr. managed to open the door simply by pressing his finger into an opening in the facade.

A gasp erupted from my lips, earning me a glare from the librarian. 'Vaporise humans on contact'?! I would have to warn Edward, for his safety. In no way would I want him to be turned to dust because of a crystal skull and a few vials of blood.

The grandfather clock ticked as I looked over. It was time for me to go to my art lesson. I placed the books back where I found them, jogged out of the door and towards the art block. In a few minutes, I had folded up the scrap of paper with my notes on and stuck it into my pouch and even reached my classroom. I took up an easel, beginning to sketch the large vase of flowers in front of us.

An hour passed before our teacher stopped us.

"Now, I would like you all to draw a portrait. The subject could be fictional or non-fictional, you decide, but I want it done by next Thursday. You may continue with your paintings until your next lesson." I was the only student to stand up, my English lesson having commenced around ten minutes prior. I gave a little nod to the teacher before rushing out. Freda was in my next lesson, and I sat at the desk next to her's. Upon arrival, I noticed that the teacher was already reading from a poetry book, so I crept in quietly. For being late, I was sure to get a few lashings. However, the teacher simply smiled at the sight of me while still chanting words from the page. Freda shook her head disapprovingly at me, but broke the seriousness by quietly giggling.