When Assassins Need Fear the Shadows

As I rode along the road to Winterhold, having left Whiterun territory behind by moonrise, I began to feel ill at ease once again. I constantly found myself looking over my shoulder as I sat safely atop Shadowmere's saddle, an unwavering sense of being watched nagging at the back of my mind. Though my great steed was an immortal demon horse- she still could tire- and was slowing with exhaustion after a long and arduous journey. I patted Shadowmere's mane when I realized she could go no further without a rest, dismounting from her saddle and setting up a temporary camp under a large tree. The ill ease only increasing as I sat on the ground, trying to will myself into getting some sleep despite the feeling of being watched. I leaned against the tree, staring out at the growing darkness- shadows that I once had felt safe in becoming dangerous and worthy of caution. I sighed as I leaned my head back against the bark of the tree, a cool wind rushing past me and gently caressing my skin- before bringing that same voice in its wake.

"Watching… run… kill you…" it whispered in my ear, my blood running cold as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end in terror. This voice terrified me… but at the same time the sound of it brought momentary comfort and a feeling that I was not alone besides Shadowmere and whoever was undoubtedly watching me. This feeling giving me strength as I stood to my feet and confronted my stalker.

"I know you are watching me. Reveal yourself and make your intentions known, perhaps I will let you live." I said darkly, that same feeling- the intense desire to kill without mercy- that I had felt in the ice caves only days ago coming over me once again. I fought it back the best I could, but as someone put a hand over my mouth from behind I panicked- like a cornered animal I lost control of my wits and fought with all I could muster. I felt the arms that attempted to contain me unsheathe my daggers and toss them aside as I struggled, my elbow soon finding it's mark deep in the man's stomach just below his ribs where his diaphragm controlled his breathing- sending him into a coughing spasm as he struggled to breath. In my terrified rush to flee, I had not bothered to grab even one of my daggers before running off into the forest- my only thought of getting away from this attacker.

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Meanwhile, in Winterhold…

Zany entered the tavern with his ever present grimace in full force; Alyce had not been seen in almost three days… and the entire Sanctuary was tense with worry for their Listener's safety. Word had been sent to Dawnstar of her disappearance- on the dim hope that she had simply gone to check in with them unexpectedly; this hope being dashed as Babette confirmed that she had not been seen since her original departure. Zany stifled a frustrated growl as he sat down at the bar and ordered the largest flagon of mead the small tavern could offer.

"Still can't find Alyce?" asked the barkeep as he wiped out a glass, Hadranius having asked him to keep an eye out for the unmistakable red-haired woman at the end of the second day and informing him of who he could relay such information to. The Argonian man grumbling before taking a deep swig of his mead irritably, "I'll take that as a no." the barkeep sighed heavily. The name 'Alyce' rousing a stranger in the corner of the tavern from what seemed to be a light sleep, his dark green cloak swishing slightly as he stood and approached the bar and the Argonian man.

"Did I hear you say the name 'Alyce'? Would that be 'Alyce Lachance' by any chance?" the stranger asked curiously, his face well hidden behind his hood. Zany normally would ignore anyone who disturbed him in his cups- but few knew of the Listener by her full name, this fact caught the Argonian assassin's full attention.

"Why do you ask?" Zany inquired gruffly, feigning disinterest in the stranger.

"You could say she is family, my Sister of some sorts." the stranger said warily, a hunch telling him that he was speaking with one of Alyce's assassins. Zany turned to face the stranger with equally wary eyes,

"That's funny… she is my Sister too, I suppose that would make you my Brother as well." Zany said skeptically- knowing that if this stranger knew Alyce and was calling her 'Sister', then he was more than likely a new recruit. The stranger seeming to relax slightly as he realized he had found someone who could aid him- as Alyce had not yet arrived and he was becoming anxious. "Perhaps we should talk elsewhere." Zany stated rather than asked as he paid for his drink and headed for the door with the stranger close behind.

Zany lead the stranger out of town, down the cliff side to stand beside the shoreline.

"So, you're a new recruit; how do I know you're telling the truth?" Zany asked bluntly, frankly not caring either way- he just needed to know if this stranger's information could be trusted. The stranger nodded once,

"I was asked to come to Winterhold by a wispy young woman with hair the color of blood and dark brown eyes, she was quite different from what I assumed an assassin would be like- far kinder." the stranger explained, describing the Listener to perfection. Zany sighed heavily, no doubt in his mind that Alyce had sent this man; not that his lack of doubt showed at all, outwardly he still appeared skeptical- or maybe that was just his perpetual grimace.

"If you saw her, then were the hell is she?" Zany asked, his voice bordering on anger. The stranger shrugging slightly before a smirk appeared on his lips- barely visible from under his hood.

"If she is missing, then allow me to track her. Few know the landscape of Skyrim like I do." the stranger offered, his posture and proclamation oozing confidence in his skills.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you." Zany grumbled, absently placing his hands on the pommels of his scimitars- a silent and subtle warning that if this was some kind of trick, the Argonian assassin would gut this stranger like a fish and hang him out to dry.

"I prefer to work alone, but I can see your Listener means much to you." the stranger said with a teasing tone hidden in his words. Zany simply growled irritably as he shrugged off the stranger's implications. "My name is Arren, might I ask your name Brother?" the stranger, Arren, asked as he watched Zany begin returning to town.

"Zany Vazzaras." the Argonian assassin said reluctantly, simply wanting to get this search done and over with; having Alyce back home meant he could actually enjoy a cup of mead in peace without Phoenix or Johnny harassing him about 'not caring that she is missing'.

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Back with Alyce…

I ran through the forest, jumping over fallen logs and scattered stones in an attempt to put distance between my pursuer and myself. The sound of a bear scuffling along making my hammering heart drop, behind me I had my pursuer of unknown intent- but before me I now had a bear, who soon came into my view. The bear regarded me with what felt like calm understanding in my frantic rush to get away- the wind whispering to me once again,

"help you… keep running." the wind whispered, though I was puzzled by this for only a moment as I could feel my pursuer getting closer, before I took off once again- cautiously skirting around the bear who paid me no mind as it watched the woods behind where I had once stood. I ran swiftly, dashing full tilt and nearly tripping over myself when I heard the bear roar and a fight ensue where I had left the animal behind. My heart once again hammering in fright, but it felt heavier as I thought about the bear seemingly giving its own life to save mine.

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Meanwhile, with Zany and Arren…

Zany and Arren had left Winterhold behind, following the road Alyce would have taken both to and from the town; and it wasn't long until they found her recent tracks on the road, leading to the side where they found the very irritable Shadowmere and her master's weapons lying on the ground unsheathed with Alyce nowhere to be found.

"There is no blood, that is a good sign- though the ground is trampled in a way that says there was a struggle. She ran off this way, a man pursued her." Arren observed as he kept his eyes on the ground, occasionally bending to one knee to get a closer look at the tracks. Zany saying nothing before storming off in the direction Arren said Alyce had ran, Arren following him swiftly. It did not take the pair long to find the corpse of the bear lying butchered in the forest,

"What manner of man could do this? Let us hope it is not the man pursuing our Listener." Arren said with a breathless sigh, the cloaked man feeling a nagging sense of dread settling in that told him such luck was not likely as they continued their pursuit of Alyce and her attacker.

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Back with Alyce…

I had no idea where I could run to; I was miles away from Whiterun or Winterhold- the only places close enough where I would be safe… though for different reasons. As I thought about where to run to, my foot slipped on a patch of thin moss and I fell to the ground in a panicked heap.

"About time you fell, that was a neat trick with the bear- but you will soon join it anyway." came an unfamiliar voice, cold and unfeeling to my ears- my heart feeling like it was about to burst from my chest in terror. I had only experienced fear like this once before in my life- a moment I could never forget- nor could I forget the sound that filled my ears from a high boulder not far from where I lay on the ground propped up on my elbows. My eyes darted to the source of the sound and I had to fight not to scream… the one thing I feared more than this mysterious pursuer- a sabre cat. I was frozen in terror as the beast leapt from its perch and approached me silently, regarding me without harmful intent- closer to indifference- and turned its massive head to face my pursuer. The man showed no fear of the massive cat, his blood red eyes locked on me with murder clear as a cloudless sky in his intent. I tried to calm myself, the cat growling menacingly as the man took a step towards me. Now there was no doubt in my mind… the cat was protecting me. The same type of beast that had haunted my nightmares for years… was coming to my aid. The wind whipping up around me- not moving a single leaf in the trees around me in the process,

"Protect… with your life…. My Sybil…" whispered the voice on the wind, calming me slightly as I suddenly felt safer despite the dangerous man only feet away from me. The sabre cat rose its massive head to the wind, as if it too heard to voice, before roaring loudly at the man as a final warning. The man grinned maliciously before lunging at the cat with a steel sword in hand, the cat sinking its claws into the man's shoulders- but he simply shrugged it off as if it was nothing before stabbing the sabre cat clean through the chest with his sword. The beast falling to the ground as he withdrew his blade and turned his attention back to me.

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Meanwhile, with Zany and Arren…

The pair easily heard the Sabre cat's roar, at first they thought nothing of it- but then they realized how close it was and became wary of the beast's ire- oblivious to why the cat was angered. They followed the tracks of Alyce and her pursuer, Arren drawing his bow and firing off a shot at the man when he and Alyce came into view- the arrow sinking deeply into the man's lower neck, where it met his shoulder. He yanked the arrow from his skin with no regard for injury as he raised his sword to strike at the Listener who still partially lay on the ground paralyzed with fear. Arren fired another shot as Zany dashed out ahead of him, this time the arrow landed in the man's wrist- the blade falling from his hand in surprise rather than pain. Zany tackling the man to the ground with his scimitars crossed at the man's throat, thoroughly willing to kill him

"Wait! I wish to know why he wanted me dead- perhaps someone hired him." Alyce said quickly as she began to rise to her feet, her courage returning with her trusted friends now by her side. The man laughed,

"Beautiful, but stupid as hell. No one hired me, I just like killing attractive women." he said with a dark- almost salacious- tone as his red eyes fell on Alyce; her eyes widening with shock, just before Zany pressed his blades closer to the man's throat.

"Say the word, and I can shut him up real quick." Zany said, practically asking for Alyce to tell him to kill her attacker. As Zany kept the man in check, Arren scanned the area with his eyes- looking to see if the man was working alone; instead, his attention fell on the corpse of the sabre cat. His eyes widened slightly, surprised to see yet another large and dangerous animal dead in the path of this murderous man… yet Alyce had no wounds- from an animal or otherwise. "No, let's have the Night Mother pass judgment on him." she said simply, Zany grumbling as he got off the man and roughly rolled him over to bind his hands with a strong strip of leather from his knapsack before hauling the man to his feet.

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About two hours later, at the Winterhold Sanctuary- Alyce's POV…

We returned to the Sanctuary with each family member eager to see me safely home.

"ALYCE!" Phoenix shouted as he practically tackled me to the floor, his exuberant antics bringing a warm smile to my face. The rest of the family crowding around me for an explanation as to my disappearance; all of them falling silent as Zany dragged my pursuer into the main hall.

"And who might this be?" Hadranius inquired curiously, his expression blank until Arren entered soon after, "And this?" he continued, raising an eyebrow in confusion. I sighed as I pried the still clinging Phoenix from around my waist,

"This man is the reason I was delayed on my return home, he attempted to kill me." I explained as I motioned towards the man Zany had dragged inside, pausing for only a moment before motioning towards Arren, "And this man is Arren, our newest Brother; who aided Zany in locating me." I finished, my attempted murderer glaring at everyone in the room before sneering at me.

"Stupid bitch, I WILL kill you if it's the last thing I do. I'm gonna enjoy spilling your blood all over the place." he taunted with a malicious grin, though I knew with the entire family present he wouldn't be able to even get within arm's reach of me before one of them would strike him dead. Phoenix bolding stepping forward to kick the man in the shin,

"Shut it ya creep!" the boy grumbled, Johnny scoffing with a shake of his head.

"Kid, I could think of many things to call this guy. 'Creep' is nowhere near the top of the list." Johnny said as he glared at the man, watching him as if he would break free any second. I was about to suggest we lock my attacker in a spare room until judgment could be passed… but then I felt the cold numbness that often foretold the dizzying pain of the Night Mother's voice entering my mind.

"This child is lost in the darkness- a darkness that is vile and unloving… bring him to me." She whispered, my head spinning once again to the point where I had to brace myself by placing a hand on Zany's shoulder; being the only person within arm's reach of me besides Phoenix, whose height was minimal in comparison to my own.

"Take him to the Night Mother, she wishes to see him now." I said, my voice bordering on gaspy as I shook my head to clear the fogginess. Zany nodding as he shoved my attacker towards the stain glass door and into the Night Mother's chapel. The chapel was dimly lit by candlelight, giving it an eerie glow as Zany hauled my attacker before the Night Mother's coffin; Cicero opening the large iron doors to reveal the mummified corpse of our Unholy Matron. After a few moments I began to wonder if she might speak through me, bracing myself for her to intrude on my mind once again- but she did not. Instead I watched as the man dropped to his knees, wrenching his head back- his eyes having gone black as night.

"Go away you foul hag. I will not give up this vessel." muttered the man to an unknown speaker, his voice seeming… distorted. I looked around the room, receiving questioning glances from everyone- Cicero shrugging in confusion as I looked to the Night Mother's Keeper for answers; even the fool had no idea what was going on.

Unbeknownst to Alyce and the others in the room, a battle of wills had begun inside the man's mind; to the victor would go his soul. A Daedra- his infernal form nothing more than a shifting mass of cold and unfeeling darkness- attempting to keep the hold he had on the man, the vessel he currently inhabited. In the depths of the darkness within the man's mind, a woman began to take form- tall and slender with raven black hair and shining red eyes wearing a long elegant dress the color of a moonless night; her skin the bluish ashy color of a Dunmer, which was a fact hardly noticeable in the withered corpse her soul inhabited.

"I will give you one last chance to release this child." the woman spoke- the Night Mother in a form from long before her mummification- her words evenly measured and holding the promise of death… one that even this Daedra could not return from. The mass of darkness laughed cruelly,

"Do your worst, wench. This mortal is mine." the Daedra growled as he launched tendrils of shadows towards the Night Mother, she smiled lovingly as she materialized a familiar dagger of black and gold to slice the tendril in mid-air; though her expression was a façade, as she despised this creature for keeping the man whose soul hung in the balance from a mother's affection.

"Sithis desires this boy's soul, it is no longer yours to do with as you please." she said coldly as she suddenly leapt elegantly forward towards the Daedra- her blade ready to strike. The Daedra cackled as it summoned a sword of pure malice from within the man's heart, wielding it as a weapon of dark blue-black flames. The Daedra deflected the Night Mother's attack, parrying with one of his own- the Night Mother dancing to the side as she evaded the attack, slashing her blade across the Daedra's mid-section. The Daedra howled in pain as it clutched its side, lashing out with nearly a hundred tendrils as he forced the Night Mother away from him. The tendril's pursued her, the Night Mother standing her ground and slashing her blade across the palm of her hand before slamming her bloodied palm to the ground- the emblem of Sithis appearing before her to block the attack, her dark lover aiding in this fight in his own way.

"You hide behind your magic of the Void, but death cannot truly touch a denizen of Oblivion. You cannot kill me." the Daedra laughed coldly, pausing for a moment as he charged forwards- confident that the Night Mother could not stand against his attacks for much longer. "Prepare to die… wrinkled old bitch." the Daedra taunted, pushing the Night Mother to the limits of her patience; her darkly ethereal form beginning to reflect her irritation with this stubborn Daedra; her hair beginning to whip about behind her as if a powerful wind had cast it alive. The Night Mother's eyes glowed with rage, her dagger shifting as it absorbed her anger and the anger of the soul's that her Listener had gathered for the Dread Father with this very blade- the metal shifting and elongating into a full length sword… the Wrath of Sithis, invoked within the mind of a mortal; even the Night Mother had no idea what this could do to the man's psyche.

"You have been a bad child… bad children are to be punished." she murmured, and in one fell swoop of her new blade the Daedra was struck down- cut in half as the connection between him and the man was severed for good.

I watched as the man muttered to himself for several moments, cautiously asking that everyone stay back as he screeched in pain before lurching forwards- his breathing heavy and labored as if he had just run from Hammerfell to Morrowind in a single day.

"Xenos? Xenos?!" the man grumbled as he caught his breath, and I cautiously began to step forward. "He's gone… I'm free." he continued to mutter, his tone that of disbelief. As I neared him I began to feel strange, almost as if my lungs had begun to fill with water- like I was drowning- everything going black after a few moments. My last thoughts before blacking out were odd… the fact that I was speaking confused me; but not as much as the fact that the voice did not sound like my own. My mind drifted in blissful silence for several moments- or was it hours? I couldn't tell the difference until I began to awaken. I opened my eyes to find myself lying on my bed, the covers drawn over my formerly sleeping form. I sat up to see that my room was empty and silent for a change, whatever had happened- someone had remembered to restrain Cicero while I slumbered. I lay back against my pillows, debating with my sense of duty whether I should get out of bed or take the day off- though my internal argument was cut short by my door opening.

"Listener?" said a familiar voice- though this time the voice that had been spewing vulgarities was now calm and collected. I looked to the door and watched as the man who had attacked me entered the room, my hand immediately going to the dagger I kept under my pillow in case of emergencies. "Stay your hand, I mean you no harm!" he said hastily, showing me his hands and keeping them far from any place he could have stashed a weapon.

"What business do you have in my room? After attempting and vowing to kill me, no less." I said coldly, wanting nothing more to do with this man who had terrified me into becoming nothing more than the pathetic girl I had been once before in my darkest time, when all I could do was run. The man smirked,

"Think of this as a truce. I still want your beautiful blood on my hands, but the Night Mother asked that I be civil with you as her Listener." he said with a chuckle, as if he couldn't believe he had agreed to such a thing. He paused for a moment before sighing, "My name is Nikita Contortus, figured you would want to know." he said simply before turning to leave. I was shocked to hear that the Night Mother had spoken to him, confusion racking my mind as I tried to wrap my head around it.

"How could the Night Mother have spoken to you?!" I said in alarm when I realized the implications- perhaps I could give up the position as Listener to another? Nikita laughed- sounding more like a bark- "She spoke through you, Sister." he said darkly, leaving and closing the door behind him. I sat dumbfounded. He had just called me 'Sister' and the rest of the family was not here watching him like a hawk… the Night Mother had accepted my attempted murderer into the family.