Rookery ~ Assassin's Creed Syndicate

Chapter Seventeen

My head was pounding and I could barely breathe. A dank, dusty smell hit my nostrils. The smell of coal mixed with human sweat and mould. A strange warmth fell over me and I then realised that, even though laying down, I was moving at a considerable speed. I jerked myself upwards, unable to see through a sack over my head. My hands were bound behind my back and I sat on my knees. I bit back the urge to vomit due to the smell and the pain in my head and crawled backwards until I hit a wall.

Boots sounded on the floor. Clearly, I was surrounded by a wooden structure. I could tell by the echo and the general clacking sound. A train. The sack was pulled from my head, a clump of hair going with it, and my eyes took a while to adjust to this new light. I rubbed my eyes on my shoulder as best I could then looked around.

The room was empty except for a few old crates and a man standing before me. An empty bottle had been discarded on the floor and it rolled about with each movement of the train. Weapons were hanging on the walls. I groaned while looking up to see the man. It was him. That bald man with the moustache. I tried to back further away, but the wall stopped me.

"Miss Faraday... Trying to run?" I tried to reply, but nothing but a mumble of sounds came through. A ball of cloth had been shoved into my mouth. I spat it out.

"Why am I here?" The man chuckled loudly and crouched. He placed his face mere inches from mine.

"We want you dead." His onion breath wafted into my nose and attacked all of my senses. I winced away. "We were planning the best way to do it."

"We?" He stood and stepped to the side. "Jonah!" I yelled. He was hunched over on the floor, his hands and feet bound in the same manner as mine. His face was red and purple from the beating he must have gotten. His bottom lip had burst open, revealing a long trickle of blood down his chin. "What does he have to do with this? Let him go. If it's me you want, free Jonah."

"No, Miss Faraday. We can't do that. He must die as well."

"No. Don't you dare kill him! Kill me if you must, but let him go." I growled through clenched teeth. The bald man hooted, clearly amused. "Who are you working for?"

"The Templars. Mr Starrick would be very pleased to hear that Jacob and Evie Frye's little pet is under our observation."

"He sent you for us?" He nodded. I hung my head slightly. "And why are you to kill us? Why not go straight for Jacob and Evie?"

"Killing you would greatly upset Mr Frye. What good is a leader who is in mourning? It also cuts off one of the Fryes' alliances. Less people are working for them, so less work gets done." He bent again and his mouth pressed against my ear. "Plus, your father would have wanted this."

"Rubbish!" I screamed. "My father may have been a Templar, but he loved his family far more than some silly Order. He would never even dream of having me killed." He stalked over to the door which passed to another carriage. Without a word, he was gone.

Ten minutes passed before Jonah showed signs of waking up. I scrambled over to him as best I could with the little ability I had to move my arms and legs. I looked closely at him. His nose was broken and his eye was swollen. Clumps of his hair had been pulled out. Parts of his skin had been cut away with some sort of blade.

"Jonah... My God... Why were you included in this?" At the sound of my voice, he eyes shot open.

"Carina!" He sobbed. He went to hug me, but was still restricted by the rope. "They have done awful things. Did you come to get me?" I frowned at the hopeful, juvenile look in his eyes.

"I was kidnapped as well." His mouth hung open.

"No. No, no, no."

"Whatever is the matter?"