"Then I will make my greatest effort not to be overbearing," Altaïr answered, his answering look gentle and understanding. He could see the knives this man turned in on himself, how he tended to give blame and pain instead of calm. And Altaïr could neither judge nor advise him on that. He knew what it was to blame himself. He still carried so much and he knew he would never let it go.

What he could do was refuse to let any more pain come from him. And that was what he did now, saying, "At least I can assure you that none of the artifacts I sought to secure were coloured as a rainbow. Most were simply gold or silver, so the things that haunt you are not the same as the ones I knew."