Free Apotheosis of the Immortal by Joshua A. Chaudry

shouldn’t be as difficult.”
    Elijah considered his words for a moment and then nodded.
    “My name is Hassan. I am named for the great Lord of Alamut, Hassan-i Sabbah. Put these on.” Hassan pointed to the dead man’s clothes that lay at Elijah’s feet. “They will allow you to move freely while giving you a certain amount of protection.”
    Elijah bent down and disrobed the dead Muslim soldier. “Where are we going?” Elijah frowned as he donned the dead man’s garbs.
    “We are going to send a message.” Hassan instructed the other men to continue scouting the area for spies while he and Elijah rode towards Toledo on horseback.
    “What about the rest of your men?” Elijah shouted as they galloped.
    Hassan quickly halted and turned to Elijah. “Those are not my men.” Hassan’s tone was firm, if not agitated. “I am an Assassin; I work alone. I broke my journey to speak with the caliph before performing my mission, and he asked me to help these men catch a group of spies that had been seen roaming the paths outside of Cordoba.” Hassan stared at Elijah for a moment, as if he were reconsidering their arrangement, before putting heel to flank and thundering forward.

Chapter 14
     
    It was night by the time the city came into view, illuminated by the faint glow of a crescent moon. Hassan said the moonlight made them vulnerable and insisted they leave their horses behind. Stealth and speed would be their primary weapons as they crawled toward the city wall.
    Elijah watched from a distance while Hassan dispatched a lookout by sneaking up behind him and slicing his throat. He then motioned for Elijah to move forward. Elijah could hear roars coming from within the city walls.
    “I can’t get to these lookouts without the sentries on the wall seeing me. I need you to take care of them. Leave your sword; just a dagger to the throat and then let them fall outside the wall.”
    Elijah thought it sounded easy enough, but his mind was elsewhere.
    “Hassan.” Elijah grabbed him hard by the arm to keep him from disappearing into the night. “Do you hear the cheers?” Elijah looked at Hassan and then at the wall.
    “Of course I do. They are preparing for battle, to fight and die if necessary for their God.” Hassan jerked his arm free as Elijah’s grip loosened. “Now get to the wall!” Hassan pointed with his dagger.
    “Those are the same sounds that were rising from Cordoba as I fled the city. A different language of course, but it sounded the same.” Elijah looked back towards Hassan.
    “What is your point, Elijah?” Hassan was growing anxious; they didn’t have much time.
    “How much land and wealth do these two gods need? What makes it worth sacrificing thousands of innocent lives, as well as the lives of the dedicated soldiers, who risk everything when they fight and bleed on the battlefield?” Elijah narrowed his eyes but continued to hold Hassan’s gaze.
    “Elijah, you are a naïve boy; you know nothing of this. To die in the service of God is the greatest honor one can hope to achieve.” Hassan glanced down. “Now, we have to move!”
    “When your side wins, will your God work the land, the limitless acres soaked with the blood of innocent farmers? Will he tend to the livestock he stole from the starving children of innocent herdsmen? Christian, Muslim, there is no difference,” Elijah growled, willing the Assassin to listen. “These wars are fought to steal from those who are too weak to guard their own goods, and to kill anyone and everyone who stands in the way of what their leaders want—leaders who are not gods nor devils, but mere men, men who want far more than they need and infinitely more than they deserve.”
    Elijah looked back towards the city wall. “I am going to help you with this assignment,” he continued, “but I want something to be clear. I am neither on your side nor on the side of your God. If the gods truly exist, they only bless you in the morning so they can