Deviance

The Menace of Acre

'That man you saw Luca, William here says he saw him kill Antonia last Wednesday. Simply leapt at him and pierced his throat with that wrist-blade of his'.

I had spent the night in the infirmary; an Egyptian doctor treating Renier's and my wounds. The slit along my left-side jawline had been cleaned and dressed in a poultice and clean bandages. I was taking breakfast with those who had also been wounded, trading stories and epics of a humble archer's not-so-glorious happenings, the main topic being the killer hood who had become known in the city.

'There is definitely a menace in Acre'.

It became quite evident that what had wounded me was also responsible for several other incidents throughout the past month.

'They even say he was the one who killed the Grand Master'.

Grand Master Ganier de'Naplouse had been stabbed whilst tending to his patients in the Hospitaller fortress.

'Ganier was an old fool. He was probably stabbed with a scalpel by one of his crazed patients'.

Stories were that guards had seen the white hooded man exiting the scene.

'It's true. It is the Assassins. Old Man Masayaf has sent his swords to slit the throats of those whom oppose him: us'.

Many had heard the fables of the mystical Assassin Order.

'You fool! The Assassins are a myth. A legend. Something we tell the children to stop them from being arrogant and obscene. Threatening that Old Man Masayaf will come down from his mountain with his knives and slit your throat if you don't behave. Not an ounce of truth there'.

'You were not there. It was an Assassin! He moves like a blade through the crowd. You never know when and where he will strike'.

'It is true. And they are so swift. It is like they're possessed by demons when they leap and bound across the rooftops, dodging here and skulking there. Demons I say'.

'Then there is more than one?' I enter the debate, now seemingly quite heated.

The entire table turned and looked at me.

'Of course'.

'Nonsense'.

'There's only several here in Acre.'

'There's only several in the entire kingdom.'

'There's thousands of them.'

'Utter filth! They don't even exist!'

A silence followed this until another spoke up.

'There are many within the city. Their ranks are deep and their agents walk down every hall. They consult amongst themselves as if they were a customer consulting the merchant. They are wily and ever so discrete. We can only pray that each day we do not wake with a gaping red hole in our throats'.

'Aye, that is true. I saw one of them disappear inside the roof of one of the buildings in the central district. When investigated, all I found was an old book-keeper working in the shadows and dust. Talk about a figure of legend'.

'But that is just it. These Assassins work in the shadows and dust, much like the snakes they are; poised, still and seemingly defenceless, until they strike. This is our failing brothers; to assume that they pose no threat to us or the Christendom!'

'Here, here. They walk among us. They may even be in this very room with us, waiting, pretending to heal those whom are sick until they strike'.

There was another silence as the men looked about them nervously.