Mary Read

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Mary Read (unknown – 1721) was an English pirate and member of the Assassin Order, trained by the Mentor of the Caribbean Assassins, Ah Tabai.

She posed as a male pirate under the name of James Kidd, an illegitimate son of the late William Kidd, and was one of the founding members of the pirate republic at Nassau.

Biography

In 1715, Mary, under her James Kidd alias, met with captains Edward Kenway, Edward Thatch and Benjamin Hornigold of Nassau to discuss how to better protect their "Pirate Republic" from British recapture. Thatch proposed they capture a Spanish Galleon, which Edward accomplished by assassinating the Templar Julien du Casse, allowing Thatch to commandeer his ship. Edward then took the island of Great Inagua for himself.

There, Mary led Edward to a Mayan Stela in the jungle, asking him to complete the puzzle and goading him into using Eagle Sense, which she described as a "kind of Shimmering" and "the light of life." After confirming her suspicions of Edward's abilities, she showed him a set of tunnels leading to du Casse's manor, where Edward discovered the maps he handed to the Templars pertaining to Assassin bureaus throughout the Caribbean. Mary, perturbed by Edward's claim, suggested he go and warn the targeted Assassins.

As she was about to leave port, Edward claimed that she knew more about the Observatory than she had originally suggested, and in response she advised him to meet her in Tulum.

Tulum and the Sage

Several weeks later, Mary rendezvoused with Edward near the Assassin stronghold on Tulum, where Edward angrily berated her for forcing him to sneak through hostile territory, past the Assassin sentries. Though the Assassin Mentor, Ah Tabai, was furious with Edward for his ignorant collaboration with the Templars and killing the Assassins in Havana, Mary calmly informed him of Edward's possession of "the Sense" and requested Edward be allowed inside an important Mayan temple. After claiming he would recognize the Sage, Bartholomew Roberts, if he saw him, Edward was permitted into the ruin. Mary led him to the central antechamber, explaining the nature of the war between Assassins and Templars, and the Creed. They eventually unlocked a bust of Sage, which Edward confirmed exactly resembled Roberts.

Returning to the compound to confirm their discovery with Ah Tabai, Mary and Edward discovered that British soldiers had taken the compound, capturing many Assassins and Edward's crew. After fighting off the British, Mary spotted Laurens Prins, a Dutch slaver and an elusive Assassin target, leaving the area by ship.

Pursuit of Laurens Prins

The next year, Mary ran into Edward in Kingston, both of them following Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Templar Grand Master, and Prins. Mary was prepared to assassinate her two targets, but Edward restrained her, urging her to wait until Prins led them to Roberts, who Prins held prisoner. Mary reluctantly consented to go along with his plan; however, Prins detected them, forcing the two to run. Mary attempted to assassinate Prins against Edward's wishes, but he forcibly prevented her from doing so, insisting they try to use Prins to reach Roberts again. Enraged, Mary nonetheless agreed to meet with Edward at Prin's manor.

They two met that night atop a windmill off Prins' property. Surveying the manor, Mary noted that if would take more than stealth for them to reach Prins. She suggested that she distract the guards, giving Edward a chance to neutralize them. She then removed her bandanna and reddened her lips with her own blood, revealing her identity as a woman, much to Edward's surprise.

Mary approached the estate's gates, feigning injury, and killed the guards that came to her aid. She then found infiltrated the manor and found Roberts, only to discovewr he was working for Prins. He held her at gunpoint at the same time Edward assassinated Prins, but escaped after Roberts revealed his true allegiance to Edward. Roberts then shot the alarm bell and made his escape, followed shortly thereafter by his two would-be rescuers.

After reaching safety and regrouping with Edward, Mary confessed her true name at his request. However, warned him not to tell a soul, or she would "unman" him.

Interim Period

In 1717, Mary arrived in Inagua to find Edward recovering from a wild party he had hosted, reacting with disgust to his continued indifference to finding a greater purpose. The two did not meet again until after Edward escaped Isla Providencia, where he and Charles Vane had been marooned by Jack Rackham; he returned to find that Rackham had but barely lasted a few months as captain before Adewale and Mary overpowered him.

Edward then returned to his search for Roberts in hopes the man would lead to the Observatory and sell its location to the highest bidder. Mary pleaded with him to forget about the gold and instead work with the Assassins, but he ignored her.

During Edward's search, Mary became better acquainted with Anne Bonny, a barmaid in Nassau, with whom she struck up a lasting bond. Anne's partner, Rackham, threatened by Mary's attentions, attempted to start a brawl with her, compelling Mary to reveal her true gender.

Capture and Trial

In October of 1720, while she was sailing as a part of Jack Rackham's crew, their ship was attacked by a "King's Ship," a sloop that was commissioned by the Governor of Jamaica with the intent to take out Rackham. Being that most of the crew were drunk, many of the pirates provided little resistance, with only Mary, Anne Bonny, and an unknown man fighting to their full potential.

Eventually, the crew was imprisoned and sentenced to be hanged. Bonny and Read escaped execution for a time by claiming "benefit of the belly," a temporary pardon for pregnant women, since British law prevented them from being executed. They were moved to a prison in Kingston, and four months later, Mary gave birth; her child was taken away, and due to the prison's unsanitary conditions, she became ill.

Mary and Anne were soon rescued by Edward and Ah Tabai, who successfully infiltrated the prison and took out the guards stationed inside. However, Mary was too ill to leave, despite Edward's insistence. With her dying breath, she asked him to redeem himself for her sake, and said she would always be with him. Refusing to leave her behind, Edward carried her body to Ah Tabai's boat.

Subsequent Appearances

Following Mary's death, Edward descends into a drunken delirium, wherein he fruitlessly pursues Roberts through various dream-like locations. In the final portion of the dream, Mary stands on the Jackdaw with Edward as he steers it toward an island, shouting at him to change course "before it's too late."

During the epilogue, as Edward is about to leave the Caribbean for the final time, he sees an image of his friends from the West Indies seated around a table together; Mary is there, in her disguise as James Kidd.

Reference

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag