the-secret-crusade-oliver-bowden

The priest shrieked as Sibrand drove the blade into his gut, twisted,
then removed it and wiped it clean. The old man writhed on the dock,
then died. Sibrand’s guards picked up his body and tossed it into the
water.
Sibrand watched it go. ‘Stay vigilant, men. Report any suspicious
activity to the guard. I doubt we’ve seen the last of these Assassins.
Persistent bastards … Now get back to work.’
Altaïr watched as he and two bodyguards made their way to a
rowing-boat. The priest’s body bumped against the hull as it cast off,
then began to float through the debris in the harbour. Altaïr gazed out to
sea, seeing a bigger ship further out. That would be Sibrand’s sanctuary,
he thought. His eyes went back to Sibrand’s skiff. He could see the
knight pulling himself up to scan the water around him. Looking for
Assassins. Always looking for them. As though they might appear from
the water around him.
Which was exactly what he was going to do, decided Altaïr, moving
to the nearest hulk and jumping to it, easily traversing boats and
platforms until he came close to Sibrand’s ship. There he saw Sibrand
make his way up to the main deck, eyes raking the water around him.
Altaïr heard him ordering the guards to secure the lower decks, then
moved across to a platform near the ship.
A lookout saw him coming and was about to raise his bow when
Altaïr sent him a throwing knife, mentally cursing himself for not having
time to prepare the kill. Sure enough, instead of falling silently to the
wood of the platform, the sentry fell into the water with a splash.
Altaïr’s eyes flicked to the deck of the main ship where Sibrand had
heard the splash too, and was already beginning to panic. ‘I know you’re