Assassin's Creed: Gang Leaders |Assassin's Creed Fanfiction|

Chapter 4 Jacob

   Thankfully, after Evie had so kindly taken my new toy, I found another one just like it in one of the drawers in Alexander's desk. Henry was so busy talking to Arno that he didn't notice me take it and put in one of the pouches on my belt. When I looked up Archer was smirking at me. I sighed and hoped that he wouldn't tell Greenie. For some reason I got the feeling that Archer knew exactly what I was thinking. He grinned and shook his head slightly before walking out the door.

   Curse my curiousness, I thought as I followed Archer out. I was just in time to see the tip of a brown-gray robe disappear around the edge of the door just before it closed. I opened the door and stepped onto the street. I looked around. Archer was nowhere to be seen, but I could see Evie turning a carriage down a street to Big Ben. I debated following them when I remembered why I had come out. Where's Archer gone? 

   "Even an assassin forgets to look up," an amused voice came from above my head. 

   I looked up to see Archer perched on a metal rod sticking out of the side of the building. The way he was sitting I couldn't see above his mouth. "That was always Evie's specialty," I said. "She thought father's lessons were fascinating." 

   "And you didn't?" Archer grinned mischievously. "Well then, I challenge you to see how much you learned."

   I groaned. "You're kidding."

   "Nope," he tensed. "Catch me." He dropped from the rod and used it to swing to a sign a few feet away, and from there to a window, and on up.

   I learned that much from father, I thought, leaping after him. At first I assumed it would be easy, Archer was never very far ahead and he kept making sure I was following. I still couldn't see higher than his longish nose. He led me all the way to the Southwark Station. He stopped at the edge of the tracks as a train shot towards us. He glanced back and grinned when he saw me. I was about to jump on top of him when the train shot by and Archer vanished. I cursed. No way! I can't even move that fast! When I looked toward the front of the train I could see Archer hanging onto the side. I needed to wait until the last car before I was able to jump on. I landed at the back door. I pulled myself up and stood, with my balance low, on top of the train.

   I ran as fast as I could manage to the front of the train. Archer was still hanging on the side. He looked up in surprise as I landed on his car. He instantly looked down and leaped off. Diving gracefully into a cart of leaves, leaping out almost as soon as he landed. I followed, hitting my hand on the edge of the cart. I quickly pulled my hand to my chest with a hiss. I pushed myself out of the leaves and brushed them off my robes. I took a moment to look at my hand. The knuckles were bleeding, making my glove uncomfortably wet.

   "You alright?" I whipped around to see Archer standing to the side of the cart. "Let me see," he stepped forward and I grinned.

   "I'm fine," I said. "Just a scratch."

   Archer stopped and studied me suspiciously. "What's that grin fo-" he stopped and dove to the side as I lunged at him. He rolled and came up laughing. "Clever," he said. "Now really, let me see your hand."

   I held out my hand and he approached slowly. He was tense and I knew he was expecting me to leap at him again. He pulled my glove off and studied the cut closely. He pulled something out of a pocket. It looked like a glowing gold orb. It pulsed and little tendrils of gold light spun around it. He touched it to my hand and the cut started to close and the pain subsided to a dull ache. "I wish I'd had this when I was with the others," Archer murmured. I don't think he realized that I heard him.

   "What others?" I asked carefully as he pulled the orb away.

   Archer's head shot up. "What?"

   "You said, 'I wish I'd had this when I was with the others'. What others?"

   "Oh, uh..." Archer pushed the gold orb back into his pocket. "I'll, ah, tell you later."

   He was so distracted with my question that he didn't notice what I was doing until we were both laying on the ground with me pinning him down. Almost instantly his reflexes kicked in and he rolled, sending me into the wheel of the cart full of leaves. He jumped to his feet before he stopped. He knelt next to me with a worried look on his face. "Sorry," he said. "Are you okay?"

   I laughed and sat up. "I'm fine. I... didn't realize that would happen." I ran my hand over the cracked spoke on the wheel. "I don't think the owner of this cart is going to be very happy with us."

   Archer sighed in relief before he smiled. "Yes, we should... probably get out of here." He held out a hand to help me up. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. He eyed me suspiciously. "You're not going to do that again, are you?"

   I shook my head. "No. I didn't mean to make you do that." 

   "I know," Archer looked up at the sky. The sun was nearing the western horizon. "We should head back to Henry's shop."

   "No," I said. "That's not where they'll go. Follow me." I had a pretty good idea where Evie at least would be headed. Nothing like a hideout on rails!