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doesnotkneelWith Kidd's help, they explored the secrets of the island and charted their way 'round it. Edward was certain by now that he wanted to keep it: the cove, the island. Perhaps even run a fleet of his own from here one day, if he managed to capture enough ships.
"Now this has the makings of a mystery," he called to Kidd, as the man leaped down into a small corridor. The rocks curved just so, like a natural awning.
"Just you wait until you see what lays at the end!" Kidd returned, as stone arches turned to cave walls, and then, to brick under foot.
A dungeon of some kind. Edward judged it had to lay right below the manor at Inagua's apex. He saw little of note in there right away, just some crates and old bottles and whatnot. But the existence of this place at all...
"Here we are. What do you think?" Kidd looked to him expectantly, his arms crossed.
"I think monsieur Du Casse was a man of many secrets."
"Aye," said Kidd, "and look here: a solid staircase leading God knows where. What do you suppose lies at the top?"
He took off into another run, some explosion of youthful energy. Edward lagged on behind him, a bit more reserved. Careful. "From what I knew of Du Casse, wouldn't be surprised to find eclectic instruments of torture and villainy. An iron maiden, or a collection of thumbscrews."
At a top sat a bookcase, halfway tilted. A secret door of sorts, sat on hinges.
"Or a pear of anguish!" Kidd said, grinning, as he stole into the room hidden behind it. It drew a chuckle out of Edward, who paced himself up the stairs. As he had guessed, it was an entrance into the manor he'd been eyeing from Inagua's shores.
It was beautiful: tall windows that nearly reached the ceiling, well-kept plants and ornate wood everywhere. Some more boxes here and there, but also some chests that smelled of treasure, and--
A withered corpse, all bones, displayed behind a large grate. Off its bones hung an impressive uniform, with weapons to match.
"Not a nice way to kick off. But that is some damn fine gear," Edward mused.
Kidd threw him a glance. "Try the key you took off DuCasse."
Five locks lined the grate. The key didn't fit the bottom four, but it slipped easily into the one at the top. Several iron bars drew back as he turned it. Interesting. "That's one. Only four left."
"Aye."
Young Kidd had gone wandering again, poking and prodding at papers with a determined look in his eye. Was he searching for something in particular? Once again, Edward realized he knew little of his new friend.
"It might be that these four Templars have them," Kidd said, pressing his finger to a collection of papers on the desk. "See the names here? They've been sent to kill these four targets."
He threw a glance down at what had captured Kidd's attention. His eyes grew huge. "Hang me. That's the map I sold to Governor Torres in Havana." He leaned over, studying the red markings and the words scribbled on top. "He said it marked the locations of 'Assassin' encampments."
The look in Kidd's eye had grown distant again, judgmental. This time, some of the words the man was clearly thinking slipped out of him. "You think maybe you owe them a bit of a warning then? If you have any kind of heart beating in that chest?"
"S'pose I could," said Edward, casting another glance at the corpse put on such gruesome display. "If it leads me to the other four keys."
Kidd snorted. "A bad excuse is better than none at all."
---
It seemed that Kidd had accomplished whatever his purpose was after that moment. Soon his crew was moving supplies back on board his vessel, fresh fruit from the jungle and water for the journey ahead.
Edward found he was disappointed. Kidd was a good man, strange as he could be - though Edward's men would likely not miss having all the extra mouths to feed.
"Leaving already?" he asked as he strode onto the dock. Kidd stood aboard with his arms crossed again, imperious in some way, but at the sight of Ed his posture relaxed.
"I think this cove suits you best, Edward," he said, his brows lifting. "Better than that costume does."
Was Kidd judging his sartorial choices now? He'd taken this off of Duncan Walpole, the turncoat who had hoped to join the Templars in Havana. He still quite liked the look of it, with its fancy blue and white fabrics covered by firm pirate leather. It moved so easily with him.
"Oh, come on now," he said.. "We're pirates, Kidd. We take as we please and become who we like. Self-made men!"
Kidd put his foot down on a crate and leaned on his knee. "That look ain't you," he said. "It's not who you are."
"Who am I then?" Edward asked, pausing in place, amused and bemused both.
"Hard to tell some days. All I know is, you like dangerous prizes."
The crew was done. The last lines were cast off. Kidd's men pushed their ship away from the dock, raised the sails, and Edward almost let the man go on that last note.
Except...
"Like the Observatory? I think you know more about that than you let on in Nassau."
"You noticed that, did ya?" Kidd set his foot back down on his ship's firm wooden boards. "Meet me at twenty degrees, three minutes latitude, just off the coast of Yucatán. I'll have something to show you there in a few weeks time."
Well.
That was promising, Edward thought, as he watched the ship sail out of the cove. Perhaps he had an ally in this, after all.
---
And so it was that Edward found himself at sea again a few weeks later, Adé at his side. The winds were favorable, and the skies were blue as they always were. He felt confident. Optimistic, even. The future looked brighter by the day.
"What's our course today, captain?" Adewalé asked, a firm presence by his side as he stood at the helm. "It's a fine day for any kind of mischief."
"What's your feeling?" Edward asked jovially. They weren't in such a rush that they needed to get to Tulum right this moment.
"I'll make no secret of wanting to see the British brought to heel," Adewalé replied. "If we can take some their gold and put it to use ourselves, I'd be a happy man."
Edward smirked. "Spoken like a true Welshman, Adé."
Any day where he could draw a laugh like that out of his somber quartermaster was a good one.
Adé shook his head with amusement. "And what's your aim?"
"Master Kidd hinted at a prize he was eager to show me down in Tulum. Quite some distance, mind. On the Yucatán Peninsula."
"You trust him to play it fair?"
"I can't be sure," Edward said slowly. Those blasted cards Kidd held against his chest. "But he has a way of picking away at my conscience that gives me pause. I should go see him. Soon."
He waited for some hint of disapproval from Adé - the man wouldn't be the first - but got none of it. "So long as we take some prizes along the way, I'm sure the crew will understand," his quartermaster said instead.
They set their course. And yet, as they continued onwards, the sea turned greyer, and so did the skies. A few hours, and the open ocean had closed on one side with recognizable geography.
As the island appeared before them, Edward heaved a sigh.
"Suppose we'll have to break the new boys in about my alma mater," he said, and squeezed Adé's shoulder. Then he hurried down the deck to help guide the Jackdaw into its waiting slot, right beside that large metal ship and its smaller twin.
[[ can be open! everything under the cut adapted from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag cinematics. ]]
"Now this has the makings of a mystery," he called to Kidd, as the man leaped down into a small corridor. The rocks curved just so, like a natural awning.
"Just you wait until you see what lays at the end!" Kidd returned, as stone arches turned to cave walls, and then, to brick under foot.
A dungeon of some kind. Edward judged it had to lay right below the manor at Inagua's apex. He saw little of note in there right away, just some crates and old bottles and whatnot. But the existence of this place at all...
"Here we are. What do you think?" Kidd looked to him expectantly, his arms crossed.
"I think monsieur Du Casse was a man of many secrets."
"Aye," said Kidd, "and look here: a solid staircase leading God knows where. What do you suppose lies at the top?"
He took off into another run, some explosion of youthful energy. Edward lagged on behind him, a bit more reserved. Careful. "From what I knew of Du Casse, wouldn't be surprised to find eclectic instruments of torture and villainy. An iron maiden, or a collection of thumbscrews."
At a top sat a bookcase, halfway tilted. A secret door of sorts, sat on hinges.
"Or a pear of anguish!" Kidd said, grinning, as he stole into the room hidden behind it. It drew a chuckle out of Edward, who paced himself up the stairs. As he had guessed, it was an entrance into the manor he'd been eyeing from Inagua's shores.
It was beautiful: tall windows that nearly reached the ceiling, well-kept plants and ornate wood everywhere. Some more boxes here and there, but also some chests that smelled of treasure, and--
A withered corpse, all bones, displayed behind a large grate. Off its bones hung an impressive uniform, with weapons to match.
"Not a nice way to kick off. But that is some damn fine gear," Edward mused.
Kidd threw him a glance. "Try the key you took off DuCasse."
Five locks lined the grate. The key didn't fit the bottom four, but it slipped easily into the one at the top. Several iron bars drew back as he turned it. Interesting. "That's one. Only four left."
"Aye."
Young Kidd had gone wandering again, poking and prodding at papers with a determined look in his eye. Was he searching for something in particular? Once again, Edward realized he knew little of his new friend.
"It might be that these four Templars have them," Kidd said, pressing his finger to a collection of papers on the desk. "See the names here? They've been sent to kill these four targets."
He threw a glance down at what had captured Kidd's attention. His eyes grew huge. "Hang me. That's the map I sold to Governor Torres in Havana." He leaned over, studying the red markings and the words scribbled on top. "He said it marked the locations of 'Assassin' encampments."
The look in Kidd's eye had grown distant again, judgmental. This time, some of the words the man was clearly thinking slipped out of him. "You think maybe you owe them a bit of a warning then? If you have any kind of heart beating in that chest?"
"S'pose I could," said Edward, casting another glance at the corpse put on such gruesome display. "If it leads me to the other four keys."
Kidd snorted. "A bad excuse is better than none at all."
---
It seemed that Kidd had accomplished whatever his purpose was after that moment. Soon his crew was moving supplies back on board his vessel, fresh fruit from the jungle and water for the journey ahead.
Edward found he was disappointed. Kidd was a good man, strange as he could be - though Edward's men would likely not miss having all the extra mouths to feed.
"Leaving already?" he asked as he strode onto the dock. Kidd stood aboard with his arms crossed again, imperious in some way, but at the sight of Ed his posture relaxed.
"I think this cove suits you best, Edward," he said, his brows lifting. "Better than that costume does."
Was Kidd judging his sartorial choices now? He'd taken this off of Duncan Walpole, the turncoat who had hoped to join the Templars in Havana. He still quite liked the look of it, with its fancy blue and white fabrics covered by firm pirate leather. It moved so easily with him.
"Oh, come on now," he said.. "We're pirates, Kidd. We take as we please and become who we like. Self-made men!"
Kidd put his foot down on a crate and leaned on his knee. "That look ain't you," he said. "It's not who you are."
"Who am I then?" Edward asked, pausing in place, amused and bemused both.
"Hard to tell some days. All I know is, you like dangerous prizes."
The crew was done. The last lines were cast off. Kidd's men pushed their ship away from the dock, raised the sails, and Edward almost let the man go on that last note.
Except...
"Like the Observatory? I think you know more about that than you let on in Nassau."
"You noticed that, did ya?" Kidd set his foot back down on his ship's firm wooden boards. "Meet me at twenty degrees, three minutes latitude, just off the coast of Yucatán. I'll have something to show you there in a few weeks time."
Well.
That was promising, Edward thought, as he watched the ship sail out of the cove. Perhaps he had an ally in this, after all.
---
And so it was that Edward found himself at sea again a few weeks later, Adé at his side. The winds were favorable, and the skies were blue as they always were. He felt confident. Optimistic, even. The future looked brighter by the day.
"What's our course today, captain?" Adewalé asked, a firm presence by his side as he stood at the helm. "It's a fine day for any kind of mischief."
"What's your feeling?" Edward asked jovially. They weren't in such a rush that they needed to get to Tulum right this moment.
"I'll make no secret of wanting to see the British brought to heel," Adewalé replied. "If we can take some their gold and put it to use ourselves, I'd be a happy man."
Edward smirked. "Spoken like a true Welshman, Adé."
Any day where he could draw a laugh like that out of his somber quartermaster was a good one.
Adé shook his head with amusement. "And what's your aim?"
"Master Kidd hinted at a prize he was eager to show me down in Tulum. Quite some distance, mind. On the Yucatán Peninsula."
"You trust him to play it fair?"
"I can't be sure," Edward said slowly. Those blasted cards Kidd held against his chest. "But he has a way of picking away at my conscience that gives me pause. I should go see him. Soon."
He waited for some hint of disapproval from Adé - the man wouldn't be the first - but got none of it. "So long as we take some prizes along the way, I'm sure the crew will understand," his quartermaster said instead.
They set their course. And yet, as they continued onwards, the sea turned greyer, and so did the skies. A few hours, and the open ocean had closed on one side with recognizable geography.
As the island appeared before them, Edward heaved a sigh.
"Suppose we'll have to break the new boys in about my alma mater," he said, and squeezed Adé's shoulder. Then he hurried down the deck to help guide the Jackdaw into its waiting slot, right beside that large metal ship and its smaller twin.
[[ can be open! everything under the cut adapted from Assassin's Creed: Black Flag cinematics. ]]
