THERE IS A LOT OF DIALOGUE IN THIS CHAPTER, SO JUST BEAR WITH ME. IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT CHAPTER, SO DON'T SKIP!
Silvanus entered the sanctuary two hours later feeling very pleased with himself. He'd fulfilled his lusty wishes, and was even feeling less bloodthirsty than usual. Vassago was irritating, perhaps, but at least it gave him someone to irritate. If he'd been at the sanctuary for two days and Scarlett hadn't annoyed him so much he'd left, then he was tougher than he looked. Silvanus would enjoy breaking him down. Also, there was the other two new initiates... What were they called again? Diablos and Andromeda... He chuckled. Good names. He wondered if they'd be any good: most of the new initiates were dead in a ditch within the week. He'd make sure that Vassago was, but the other two might be alright. He hadn't met them yet, and hadn't had time to ask anything more than their names before jumping Astrid. They were going to kill some people in Falkreath together later... He smiled at the thought. Blood, death, and sex. Lovely. Silvanus chuckled, remembering killing Arnbjorn. Finally, the furry bastard had got what he deserved... And Cicero, too. That was equally satisfying: hearing the jester sob as he ripped his throat out. And then pushing him backwards into the brazier so the smell of his roasting flesh filled the air...
He jumped down the last few steps like a child. He was in a good mood. The room was full of people, and everyone seemed to be in a companionable mood. Scarlett had told them, apparently, about both Arnbjorn's and Cicero's demises, and, oddly, they all seemed very happy. Silvanus almost missed the sound of Arnbjorn hitting the forge, but shoved the thought out of his head. He didn't have time to feel remorse. He certainly didn't feel any remorse for Cicero: he was already thinking of the things he could do with the severed tongue... Maybe he could leave it as a calling card for his next contract. He laughed at the thought, and felt small arms around his waist. Looking down, he saw Scarlett hugging him. It felt... nice. She was small, and young, and he liked children, even if she was almost 14 and not really a child anymore. She looked up at him, and said, "Thank you for killing Cicero. And cutting out his tongue! He won't even be able to sing in the Void anymore!" they both laughed, and Silvanus noticed all of the other assassins were gathering round... With two new faces. A boy who looked a few years younger than him, and an elven woman who looked a few years older, maybe 20 or 21. The Nord boy wasn't looking at him, his eyes were on Scarlett, but the elven woman was... in a strange way. He looked coolly back at her; he knew that kind of look. Astrid looked at him like that, and there was no way in the Void that this elven woman would ever replace Astrid to him. Nobody would. Silvanus was more interested in the boy. And the way he was looking at Scarlett.
He wasn't particularly tall, more average than anything else, but still managed to be lanky. He had pale skin, although not as pale as Silvanus' own, and high cheekbones with an almost regal look to them. He had large, brown eyes, that looked like they might belong to an elk or something in another life, and his lips were full; he had a well-cared for look about him. The boy was reasonably good-looking, although too childish to match Silvanus' own looks. But what confused Silvanus the most, was the way that Diablos was looking at Scarlett. He had an appraising look in his eye, attentive, curious. Silvanus didn't like it. The Breton felt more like a big brother to Scarlett than he had realised before; he felt protective of her in the extreme. He didn't want some no good rich boy stealing her away. He felt an instant dislike for the boy. But he was cut off, when Veezara took his arm.
"How have you been, lap-bat?" Silvanus grinned, and hugged his friend again. "Fine, just fine. Cicero wasn't nearly as tough as all that. Even did a little dance for me before I killed him." "Really? Well, he was very wounded. When he went for Astrid, he was very dangerous looking. Thought he was going to kill me, for Sithis' sake. If Scarlett didn't jump in the way... We'd all probably be dead. We all owe our lives to her."
"It was bloody luck." Scarlett had emerged from the crowd, and both the Breton and the Argonian turned to look at her. She sounded bitter. "I didn't know what I was doing. I just saw him stabbing at my mother... I just instinctively leapt in the way. And went for his eyes. Softest thing I could see." she grinned. "I wasn't sure if he had a dick." The three of them chortled. Festus came up from behind them, an eyebrow raised. "Who doesn't have a dick?" he said. That only served to make the three laugh harder. The old man threw his eyes to the heavens, and walked off to complain at Nazir. However, it seemed that Silvanus, Veezara, and Scarlett couldn't get a moment of peace to converse together, because yet more people barged into the conversation. Babette was welcome, however, in Silvanus' opinion, the boy who's arm she was pulling, wasn't.
"Pollux, meet Diablos. I don't think you've met?" The boy smiled, showing irritatingly white teeth, and held out his hand. Silvanus reluctantly took it; he could tell that, unlike Vassago, the boy didn't know he was being vexing. "Pleased to meet you Pollux."
"You too, initiate. Done any contracts yet?"
"One. Very fun, most fun I've ever had. I'm not used to the life of an assassin yet, though. I was surprised to learn that you don't serve the Night Mother anymore...?"
"What are you, a journalist?" They all laughed again, apart from Silvanus. He hadn't meant it as a joke. Finally, when Diablos replied, Silvanus was beginning to lose his temper. "No, by Sithis, no. It's just, where I'm from in High Rock, the Dark Brotherhood is seen as a cult, as well as a league of assassins. Scarlett tells me that you're the Listener...?"
"Yes, but the Night Mother has no power over us here. You'd do best to remember that. We don't worship corpses. We save that for the Arkay worshippers. Anyway, I don't think I am the Listener anymore. I'm not worthy... Don't get any ideas. I'm going to destroy the Night Mother's body... I don't care about the consequences."
Scarlett gasped, and grabbed his arm, a look of horror on her face. "What?" "You heard me. I'm going to destroy the Night Mother's body." Scarlett's green eyes opened in terror. "What? You aren't going to be the next Cicero, are you?"
"No! I just mean... Pollux, haven't you gone far enough? Isn't it... I follow my mother till the ends of the earth, and you know that. I tried to die for her, and I'd do the same for you, or any member of my family. But... Aren't you worried about what'll happen in the Void? The eternal punishment? The Wrath of Sithis?" Silvanus sneered at her, and raised his eyebrows. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned around, and saw Astrid. He put an arm around her, and she moved forwards to stand next to him, looking down at Scarlett together.
"I haven't done anything that'll invoke the Wrath of Sithis. I killed the jester, because he broke the tenets, technically." smiled Silvanus. Then, he sighed. "I love those little technicalities." "Aren't you going to far? Destroying the Night Mother's corpse... I mean... I don't know. I'm no coward, but..." she struggled for words, desperately trying to get herself across. "That's going against our God, Pollux. That's going against Sithis. I don't care about the Night Mother; where was she all these years, anyway? But Sithis... Different matter. We never abandoned our worship of Sithis." Astrid was wrestling with her inner conscience. She could see her daughter's point, but... Silvanus couldn't. Something had happened to him...
"Then maybe it's time." the room was silent now. "Maybe it's time to abandon worshipping Sithis! What's he ever done for us? When we were struggling for contracts, what did he do? Nothing!" "Pollux..." Astrid's voice cut him off. Silvanus turned to face her, his eyes passionate. "Pollux, I don't believe in the Night Mother, either. The New Ways are better. But it isn't just your ideals that count. We have to think about this."
"There isn't time to think!" "Hot-headed boy." he heard Festus mutter. Looking around, he could see the assassins were looking at him strangely. When he spoke usually, they all looked appreciative, almost in awe. But now, it was different. Festus and Nazir looked thunderstruck, Babette, Andromeda, and Diablos looked confused, Gabriella looked curious, Scarlett looked horrified, and Astrid... There was something on her face. Something hurt and... something angry.
"Listen. I am still the leader of this sanctuary," her voice was metallic. "And you don't have a right to decide what is right and what is wrong. You may be the Listener, but I am in charge here. Got that? And I say that we talk about this." "For God's sake, Astrid!" But everyone else was agreeing. Silvanus hissed, and then, slowly, nodded his head. Astrid was a better leader than he'd originally thought. "Alright. I understand... I'm sorry." Astrid looked at him keenly, then opened her mouth to speak again.
"Alright. We're all calmed down. That's good. So far, we've decided to stop our worship of the Night Mother so we can survive better as assassins," Astrid loved bossing people around. "But Pollux, who is our Listener, says we should abandon our worship of Sithis, too. That's the situation. But what we need to decide, is should we? We've followed him for so long... In the seven years I've been in charge here, we've always worshipped Sithis as our God. I don't know if I can leave that. The Dark Brotherhood has always been under him... But it isn't my choice."
"But for as long as we can remember, we've lived under Sithis!" Babette replied. "When we die, we go to the Void! We'd have to face Sithis' wrath!" "Exactly. Which is why we can't abandon Sithis, and why we can't destroy the Night Mother's body." Nazir cut in, giving Silvanus a nasty look. "If we do that, surely we'd bring Sithis' wrath upon us..." "But we don't even know that Sithis exists!" "You heard the Night Mother's voice." Scarlett spoke up, looking accusing. "We have proof! You are the Listener, you have the proof!"
"I know that! But it's all wrong! Don't you understand? Where were Sithis and the Night Mother when we had nothing? They were nowhere! They didn't do anything! We prayed to them, we worshipped them... And nothing! Until now! Why should we worship them?" "Because we're the Dark Brotherhood! It's all we've ever known!" "Then it's time for a change!" Silvanus raged, anger filling him from head to toe. Didn't they see? Didn't they understand? Then, he realised something that made him fall over backwards in terror. A man stood in front of him... a ghostly man. With blood pouring down his face. Silvanus screamed, as he felt a hand grab him by the hair, and he was pulled from the world by ghostly hands...
He awoke in the white, misty place he knew to be the Void. Slamming his hand on the floor, he cried out in rage. They had torn him from the world, simply to take him HERE? His mind was full of chains and fury; he wanted blood, he wanted to tear apart everyone who stood in his way, who called him wrong, who...
"Stop screaming, and get up." he heard the voice that he knew all too well. He whipped around, then saw the man he'd been hoping never to see again. Arcturus. He grimaced in anger, and, staring the man in the eyes all the while, stood up, feeling his legs go a little shaky, and stood nose to nose with the man. "Why did you do that?" "You stupid fool." Arcturus was shaking his head at him, eyes full of pity. "You stupid, stupid fool. You've lost so much... Why did you do that? You killed Cicero. You killed Arnbjorn. You wanted to kill the Night Mother... Your own mother."
"She's not my mother! She's a filthy corpse!" A fist hit him hard in the face, and Silvanus fell backwards, mouth full of blood. Swallowing some, and the rest dribbling down his chin, he looked up at Arcturus. "I don't believe it. Sithis chose YOU to be the Listener? If only he'd chosen Scarlett, or even Astrid! Either of them would have honoured the tenets, even Astrid would've if she'd heard the Night Mother truly. Did you see how Astrid, Scarlett, and all of them looked at you when you suggested that you abandon Sithis? You've lost their respect, Coppercroft."
"Then it's all stupid!" "You sound like a child." Arcturus looked at him, with an almost disgusted look in his blue eyes. "By Sithis, you sound like a child. You know that Sithis is real, you've been in the Void, the hell, you're in the Void right now. You're more ambitious than you think. You just want to be in charge, and feel special." Silvanus didn't like how he said the last word at all. Arcturus had said it patronizingly, and Silvanus felt foolish. "You angered Sithis enough by killing Cicero and Arnbjorn... So why oh why did you have to be a heretic too? Come with me." he held out his arm, and Silvanus took it, feeling a little awkward. Then, he cried out, as the floor melted away, and he and Arcturus were flying, flying through dark, cold air. He could hear screaming, crying, wailing, as torn hands felt at his body and face... And he screamed too, as pain filled him, as he felt like he was being ripped apart...
Finally, after what felt like years, they emerged in a terrible place. It was a large room, full of people, covered in chains. From head to toe, some of them, others with just their hands tied at the wrists by thin pieces of thread. "This is the waiting room." said Arcturus, gesturing at the people. "Where the people wait for their respective tortures... The ones with the hand ties, they'll be alright. Nothing too bad. The people with chains all over them... They'll be in the same amount of pain you were just in for ever and eternity. But more. You want to know who's getting what? Well, out of all of you currently in the Brotherhood, you are the only one who is going to be chained... Astrid has redeemed herself in the eyes of Sithis, as has Scarlett, and you are the only one in the wrong. Follow me." Silvanus followed him again, and after the breathtaking pain, found himself in a tiny room... Full of chains. Arcturus gestured around it, and the chains clinked, and moaned in human voices. Silvanus winced. "These are your chains, Silvanus. When you die, they will all be fitted onto your body."
"I don't fear you." "Good. I know that. But you're no fool, Coppercroft. I know you could face the pain... But you wouldn't like it. And you'd never see Astrid again." Silvanus moaned. "Exactly."
"Please." Silvanus said, quietly. "I... I see now. I understand. What should I do?"
"First, you must accept your duty as Listener. Second, you must honour the Night Mother. Third, you must tell all of your family who you truly are. And finally, you must honour the tenets... Do this, and your chains will be destroyed."
"I don't know if I can... Astrid..."
"She will understand. I have talked to her, as well as Scarlett. Both of them redeemed themselves through that... Their chains are still here, but they will soon be gone. You must do the same as them; work together to rebuild the Brotherhood, and you will be forgiven. Continue down the path you have created for yourself, and you will be tortured here forever, and as will they. Sithis has no mercy." "I... Yes. It will be done. I'd... I'd do anything for Astrid. And for my family. To make them happy, and to make Sithis happy... I was a fool to oppose the tenets."
"Yes. But now, if you follow the dark path I am giving you, you will be forgiven, as will all your family... So long, Silvanus."
And with that, Silvanus felt himself melting back into the world. And knew exactly what he had to do.