Chapter 52: Revelations

"I want your promise you will stay true to me after this, Ma'Thjizzrini Qa. Will you give it?" Fathis tried to look deeply into my averted eyes.

"Aye, if we are together I'll have no need of another. I thought it was over between us, Fathis."

"Then come to me." He held out his arms.

The tension in him was palpable, like taut wires rippling below the surface. Oh dear gods he is still going after Gils.

When Fathis left to buy the armor I ran to the window, pressing my face to the glass. He was walking slowly down the main thoroughfare, his head swiveling like an owl. Fathis suddenly seemed to freeze in his tracks, then almost in slow motion turned to stare at the front of a dilapidated house…Oh no…dear gods no…please don't let him kill Gils…

"NOOOO!" I screamed through the closed window, then tried to lift the sash but it wouldn't budge. I pounded my fists on the glass but it wouldn't break.

It seemed he stared at that house an eternity before moving on. My breath came out in a loud gasp as he finally began walking again. I slid to the floor under that window sill, my knees like jelly…I was crying too hard to see now anyway. But with everything in me I prayed he would not find Gils.


Fathis was gone what seemed like hours. The sound of the key in the door jerked me to my feet. In an instant I was hyperventilating with loud whooping gasps that I couldn't make stop. My body seemed almost to be convulsing it was shaking so badly. I had to look, but dreaded the thought of seeing the evidence if he had found Gils. There was no blood on his armor…Fathis's bearing spoke of frustration rather than victory. I exhaled in relief, then found myself struggling to keep the nausea from rising in my throat.

He stared at me, anger…and devastating pain in his eyes…but then without a word he helped me to the urn to vomit. A glimpse in the looking glass as I washed my face afterward showed bloodshot eyes with bright red rings around them from crying. They looked sunk in, my face ghostly pale even for an albino. I looked like a vampire except no fangs.

Fathis was staring at my hands, they were bruised and swollen from beating on the window. Without saying anything he healed me, and rallied me with a spell. I saw him inspecting the bloody marks on the window and sill before he turned to me and spoke.

"We're leaving, Ma'Thjizzrini Qa, get ready."


Fathis lifted me up on his horse and mounted behind me. He left the stables and headed west.

"Where are you going?"

"I stopped in and talked to the jailer. The Orc had no proofs on him. We are going to see if there are any to be had."

"Lord Lovidicus is an ancient vampire, can you fight him?"

"Yes Ma'Thjizzrini Qa, I wouldn't risk having you with me if I couldn't."

Fathis didn't have to kill Lord Lovidicus, he was in pieces all over that vault. I have never seen so much gore and became physically ill from the sight. Fathis scoured around till he found a journal that revealed Lord Lovidicus was Agronak's father….and an insane vampire. He tucked it in his pack.

"What will you do with it?"

"I'll give it to Hassiri and leave it up to him what to do. Unfortunately the Orc can't go to jail for killing his father since it's lawful to kill vampires. I saw many remnants in there, you incinerated quite a few vampires. Do you know what they were?"

"They were all feral, Lord Lovidicus was the only ancient. I have a sack full of vampire dust to give Hannibal."

"Was this your first time seeing one?"

"Yes. I wet myself when it made that horrible hissing and that blood curdling death scream. And its face looked like an inside out butt hole."


Fathis smiled. "Believe it or not you get used to the sound after you kill enough of them. How did you know they were feral?"

"Fixed fangs."

"What professor did you have?" Fathis asked.

"Oh, I learned nothing from my professor. I guarantee he never saw one in real life. He droned on and on till he even put himself to sleep."

"Was it that pompous boar Ilmiril?" Fathis looked stunned when I nodded. "How could he still be alive? He was decrepit when he taught me! He put me to sleep with his lectures over 50 years ago!"

"You slept in class?"

"His class, yes. Someone needs to shake that Arcane up. They need new professors, younger ones. And classes in things that will really prepare the students, make them fit for the dangers they'll face outside school walls. The mages coming out of there aren't up to snuff. And Jarol!" Fathis snorted to indicate his opinion of Irlav Jarol.

"Don't remind me of him! He always kept a list of all my ill deeds on his person so it would be handy to add to. He even slept with it. It was quite large. Whenever I got in trouble he would reach inside his robe and pull it out. Everyone thought he was extremely well endowed till they found out it was just a giant scroll filled with my ill deeds….are you okay Fathis?"

Fathis nearly choked laughing.


"He wrote me the whiniest letter, said you were biting other students on the neck claiming to be a vampire, do you remember getting in trouble for that?"

"We were all biting each other on the necks and saying that. Delphine took a chunk out of one boys neck by accident. She didn't get in trouble for it, but I did because Jarol caught me doing it."

"How did you learn about vampires then?"

"The majority of my time at the Arcane was spent confined in Hannibal's quarters for my ill deeds. I eventually got tired of pulling pranks on him…"

"Like what?"

"Short-sheeting his bed, switching his sugar and salt, creasing his loin cloths with potato starch…well, I only did that once. Please don't ever remind him of that one, Fathis. I think he's forgotten it. Anyway, I started reading his tomes. He has an excellent one on vampires, it's huge. It has everything about them, even the spells they use. Delphine and I memorized the love slave spell and tried to cast it on all the boys. It didn't work, though."

"Lucky for me, I'd have to slay the whole graduating class."

"Not the women. Did you know Hannibal is friends with an ancient vampire?"

"Yes. I've met him."

I turned in the saddle, staring bug eyed at Fathis. "I want to hear everything!"


"I can't tell you who it is, of course. But he is quite friendly and benign."

"What line is he from?"

"He is an Immortal."

"Oooh!" I breathed. "They are the rarest! Fathis this is exciting! Tell me everything."

I kept a constant chatter up to distract him from searching for Gils, and swished my tail in his face incessantly till I was sure he couldn't see where he was going. The whole time we rode I watched intensely for Gils, silently praying we wouldn't come across him.

Fathis did stop the horse and kiss me a few times. Although he seemingly enjoyed the kisses, his passion never roused from them, nor did mine in spite of all the new sensations he evoked. I quickly added praying Gils hadn't started me to the prayers for his safety.


******* Gils

Gils' hope of patching things up with Maxical on the walk back to the Imperial City was shattered by the sight of Fathis Aren stepping through the gate. The suns rays glinted off his armor creating a halo effect around him. He looked every bit the heroic vision Gils was sure Maxical thought he was.

The timing couldn't have been worse. His fight with Maxical had been over Gils' lack of protection of her...and Aggie. In one punch Fathis covered both aspects just minutes after his arrival, and did it as smoothly as if he was brushing off a mosquito.

Dunmer instinctively know their rivals, Gils wasn't surprised Fathis had singled him out for the challenge. Had it been anyone but him Gils would have fought for her, but Maxical made it clear from the beginning that Fathis was her intended. Gils had to honor that unless she told him different.

Maxical said that if Fathis ever showed she would choose either to stay with him or keep her promise to Fathis. If that whole Crowhaven fiasco hadn't happened, Gils was sure she would have picked him.

Everything Maxical spoke of being romantic Fathis gave to her…including the Inn with a view of the beaches. That was Gils' own fault.

Maxical said outright that the truce was off, she wanted to get a hotel room together instead of going to Crowhaven. Everything he'd waited for since day one, bound to him for life…his. What idiot would have turned her down? What maggot got in his brain to push onward to Crowhaven with an offer like that made? She was right, it was obvious he had made Aggie a priority over her…but why? Why didn't he realize what he was doing at the time?


This wasn't the first time he had found himself losing something important over Aggie…and not knowing why. Walking off from the height of his musical career that meant everything to him…and never understanding how those decisions could have been made by him, but they were.

As if on cue Aggie showed up each time, just as he did today. Through the years Gils repeatedly wondered if Aggie had a way to control others thoughts and actions. The idea was always discarded as ridiculous, paranoid…until now. Maxical said these ancients had extraordinary powers. An expert like Hannibal might know if such control over another exists…and could be passed on to the offspring.

Gils' father had said the same thing. Everyone thought he was going senile, blaming a child for actions he obviously had done himself. He could barely tolerate Aggie, but changed his will to add Aggie as the primary heir, then denied he ever would have done that. That was just one of many incidents before he became ill. Neither Gils or his father had such episodes before Luktuv and Aggie came.

The superhuman strength…Owyn always said it was inherited from something, not someone…and Owyn said Luktuv had been murdered with poison. Gils' father had been green too. Aggie was there with both the nights they died.

Gils found something chillingly familiar between Aggie's delicate mental balance and Lord Lovidicus today.


Gils watched from the window of an abandoned house as Fathis scouted around, seeking him. At one point Fathis stared hard at the very window he was looking out of, coming to a full stop in front of the house. Gils backed from view, but Fathis continued staring…glaring.

Gils glanced around, the only escape if Fathis entered would be out that window. There was no doubt Fathis was seeking his death. Finally, after what seemed an interminable time Fathis moved on. Gils let out his breath loudly, not even realizing he had been holding it.

When Fathis and Maxical stepped out and headed for the main gate, Gils was surprised to see them carrying their packs. Fathis wasn't staying overnight with her? Why?

Maxical was glancing around nervously. She may have called an end to their relationship, but it was obvious she didn't want Fathis to kill him either. That may be reason to hope they could patch things between them.

Gils slid through the gate and followed them. To his shock they turned toward Crowhaven. He followed at a distance, keeping ducked low in the high grasses and brush. Maxical didn't want to come back here…she wouldn't have. Fathis must have insisted, but why?


When they went inside Gils climbed to the top of the enclosure, crouching on the highest parapet amongst the pieces of charred skeleton that littered the thin walkway...evidence of damage from Maxical's fire spell. With a pang Gils remembered how close they were still at that point, teasing her with the bony hand of the other skeleton.

The creaking of the door caught Gils by surprise, they hadn't been in there long at all! He honed his ears to catch their words as they emerged and mounted up. Drat Fathis speaking in Khajiit, Gils couldn't understand a word, only that they seemed in good charity with each other.

Gils balanced on crumbling wall of the parapet and watched them ride away, the horse picking its own path down the hillside from Crowhaven. Fathis pulled his horse to a stop at the bottom and kissed Maxical…that said it all.

With a strangled yell Gils picked up the charred skull of the skeleton and threw it as hard as he could, half hoping it would bean Fathis and end that kiss…even if it meant they would draw swords right afterward.