THE VOID BECKONS
Aventus squeals in glee. "I knew you could do it! I knew you could!" He jumps around like a dang ground squirrel. "Thanks to you, Grelod the Kind won't harm any children ever again! Oh, when I grow up, I want to be an assassin! Then I can help children just like me."
"Yeah, yeah, kid." I wave off another hangover headache. For this, I'll need more blood. "Just tell your assassin buddies it's over and that the notes have to stop."
"What notes?" He smiles with mischief, accentuating his dirt-caked face. "If I knew about the notes, I would have sent one. I told you that already."
"Sure, just make them stop. I gotta go." I fist bump him. "Good working with ya."
The séance behind him pulses. The contract is complete. A whispering voice says. I freeze. It's not Voice. It's not another deity. Sounds like it's coming from the skeleton.
"What?" Aventus looks back at his mess.
"Uh, nothing. I think you have something on your face, better go clean it."
He just sticks his tongue at me and runs off.
Something about the corner of the room beckons. But also repels. I know if I step foot in that circle something strange will happen. All I have to do is leave. When the notes stop, I can go back to Solitude and get back to business.
I tell myself these lies on the way to Candlehearth Hall. Gabriel is upstairs curled up near the fire with a mug of mead and in somewhat deep conversation with the Captain guy. I want to tell him we need to go back to Riften. I know Bryn is absolutely pissed right now. But my driver won't budge, "Girl, give me some time. You look like you need a good rest in a coffin." He motions to my eyes. Forgot I haven't had blood in a few days. That's too long.
"You're right. I'll go drink then sleep it off. Let's go in the morning." Gabriel nods to that and goes back to chatting mercilessly.
I get back to the room, spread out on the bed, and consider. Who to bite? The bartender? Nah, she'll resist compulsion and scream too much. A guard? Would be hard to get their armor off. Maybe someone outside…if Bryn were here, he would offer up his neck now that I can control my bloodlust. I know it. But beggars can't be choosers right now.
The world fades as my grogginess grows. Soon I fall asleep without getting any blood. The image of a handprint branded in my mind is the last thing I see.
The scent of pine is everywhere. Pine and the sweet smell of blood. I open my eyes and blink out the haze. I shouldn't drink alcohol like that again, emotional distress or not. The rooms swerves sideways before righting itself. Only problem is, it's not my room.
I jolt up and am met with a dingy little one room shack. My surroundings show me a glowing fireplace, utensil covered tables, and a row of prisoners with black bags thrown over their heads. All of them are moaning.
"Now, now. Not so fast." Purrs a sultry voice from above.
She's sitting with one leg dangled over the edge of the tall bookcase. Her body is muscular and defined, how I know this? She's wearing the black and red skintight armor that Cicero and the others wore. A lump forms in my throat. Her sharp eyes, lit by the candles nearby, watch mine with intensity.
"Who are you? Where am I?" I feel my fangs beginning to poke out.
"Does it matter? You're warm, dry…and still very much alive. That's more than can be said for old Grelod. Hmm?" She waves a leg, lazily.
"How would you know that? Did someone tell you? Were you watching?" If she's with the Brotherhood, and she knows, then maybe Bryn was right.
She laughs, "Half of Skyrim knows. An old woman gets butchered in her own home? Things like that tend to get around."
My hand moves to the Ebony Blade, but she interrupts, "Oh don't misunderstand. It was a good kill. Old crone had it coming. And you saved a group of urchins, to boot. But… there is a slight problem."
I bare my fangs, if she wants to be predatory, I can be predatory right back. "What's that? Last I saw I got all of your notes, so it sounds like you have me right where you want me."
"Notes? That is quite…interesting. You see, that little Arentino boy was looking for the Dark Brotherhood. For me, and my associates. Grelod the Kind was, by all rights, a Dark Brotherhood contract. A kill…that you stole. A kill you must repay." She tips her head down.
"Maybe a little birdy never showed up, but according to the notes I've been getting, I was told to see Arentino. It was marked on the last one." I shoot back.
She just watches me, much like I'd imagine a hawk would watch a squirming mouse in the underbrush. A very stubborn and stupid mouse. "Is that so? I never heard of that. No matter, you should not be the one stepping in for the Dark Brotherhood." She says with slight amusement, but I can tell it's getting close to a growl. Her patience is waning.
"According to Maven Black-Briar, you aren't listening." I remember back to those notes I found from Mercer. She wrote that the Black Sacrament was performed but without an accurate reader the Brotherhood never answered.
"Her. I remember her. She calls on us often. I would not be surprised if she's lying. No matter, this quibbling won't get us anywhere…If you turn around, you'll notice my guests. I've 'collected' them from…" She pauses, scours their covered heads, "Well, that's not really important. The here and now, that's what matters."
A chill skitters down my spine, I hear the three beating hearts behind me, along with heartbeat of the woman above. My fangs stay out, I forgot I never fed before bedtime…
The woman continues, unperturbed by my new problem. "You see, there's a contract out on one of them, and that person can't leave this room alive. But…which one? Go on, see if you can figure it out."
I want to argue, begin to open my mouth for another verbal flaying.
Turn around and do as she says. Voice commands, her whispering is as hollow as it was the day I first heard her. I begin to shake.
"Where were you?" I nearly shout at her. I'm not mad she was gone, far from it, but I have been worried about what she's been doing this whole time.
It doesn't matter. Make the kill.
"Alright down there? It must be the lack of blood." The woman above purrs.
Voice snarls, a very disgusting noise. Kind of like the sound you get if a vampire and werewolf were mashed together. Looks like she's not best buddies with this woman.
"What will you do if I don't kill?" I ask.
Bookshelf woman mistakes my question. She just shrugs and flips a pocketknife in the air, catching it gracefully by the hilt and without any problems. "I don't think you understand, you don't leave this room until someone is dead."
You will kill. I will make sure of it.
I make my decision. I break for the door, it's only feet away. If I can just smash it open, I can get out of here and back to Bryn soon. But something stops me in my tracks before I can get close to the threshold. My legs quit working and I stand two feet from the door. The woman above chuckles.
Not by my own will, I turn and begin to stalk up and down the line of captives. All of them quiver and beg, each with their own explanation for what they did and why they weren't supposed to be there. I ignore them all as I pull out the Ebony Blade. Crimson red lines pulse around the sharpest edge like its own heartbeat. The power thrums through the room, lighting up the immediate area in a red glow, and I see the woman on the bookshelf take notice. She sits up straighter then leans forwards to get a better view.
"Ebony Blade." She whispers, "Magnificent."
I can't say anything even if I wanted to. Inside, I want to curl in a ball and cry. Last time my body was taken over, I lost all consciousness when Voice fought Potema for me. If I watch these people bleed at my own hand…I won't soon forget it.
"You." I growl, or Voice growls through me to the Khajiit.
He shakes, says something about kids. Looks like he was a pervert. I don't think. Just watch as I pull the weapon back. The Blade slides clean through his neck and his head bounces before his body falls. The other two scream. I smile with it; this is the sound of life.
I feel the woman holding her breath behind me. She's waiting for something…and I comply. I fall to the ground and drink from what's left of the Khajiit. His blood coats me but the armor I wear keeps it from showing. The other captives scream and plead. I stand with the Blade when I'm done. I could have two more. Drink them completely and utterly dry.
Bryn's face flashes before my eyes. Then my parents, fallen in the embrace of death and bleeding out. They were just as helpless as these people in this room. If I could ask their murderer one thing, it would be why he didn't stop himself. Could he have? Could their tragedy have been prevented if he was a little stronger? That is, assuming he was acting not on his own accord.
Voice clamps down harder for control. I feel it. If I let her, the two remaining captives will be beheaded, then their blood will fill my veins. The Blade hovers over the woman. I know one swift move and she'll be gone. The Blade pulses with power from a fresh kill, begging for more. I scream, my own voice, and throw the sword clear across the room. It stabs clean through the wall and wavers with momentum.
I fall to my knees panting. Her invisible hand still grapples. But, without the Blade I still have my fangs. I try to hold back, but my control is so fragile. My body lunges forwards by its own hunger. I feel my fangs tear into the woman's throat. Her blood coats my teeth, enveloping me in the warmth I always long for when thirsty. When her blood runs cold, I go for the man. He's gone in minutes.
Her presence backs off. I fall to the ground in a heap, my breath quickening. If I cry will the assassin pity me or turn me away in disgust?
"Are you finished?" She asks.
I blink. The room changes and I stand over the two captives, who are still alive and complaining. The Khajiit is dead. What the hell was that?
Voice is seething. It slowly sinks in, she showed me…a hallucination of sorts. The path she wanted me to take. I drop the Blade right there on the ground and swiftly run to the other side, near the bookshelf. The woman above watches my every step, her head turns slightly as I approach.
"The conniving Khajiit. Cat like that was sure to have enemies. It's no wonder you chose him." The woman gazes on to the decapitated form on the ground. "And you got a meal out of it." I can hear the smile in her voice.
"Was that the contract?" I pant. Looks like she didn't see that internal struggle I had.
"Indeed. For you, my friend, seem to understand what's truly important. When I give an order to spill blood, you follow it. No questions. No remorse." I'm sure she's smiling, but it's hard to see behind the mask she has on. Only her eyes are showing.
"You'll let me go? And stop sending me those letters?"
She laughs, "The letters, I cannot say. But you are free. You've repaid your debt, in full. Here's the key to the shack. But why stop there? I say we take out relationship to the next level." She leans back.
"Thanks, but no thanks." The man and woman are still screaming so I make way to retrieve the Blade.
"I would like to officially extend to you an invitation to join my family. The Dark Brotherhood." She calls over their baying voices. "In the southwest reaches of Skyrim, in Pine Forest, you'll find the entrance to our Sanctuary. It's just beneath the road, hidden from view."
Her words enter one ear and leave the other. I fumble with the key. "Thanks again."
She continues, "When questioned by the Black Door, answer with the correct passphrase: 'Silence, my brother'. Then you're in. And your new life begins."
I slam the door shut before she can get out another word. Loud enough to rattle the pots and pans and whatever else is inside the shack. I hear her laughter thanks to my heightened senses.
The shack looks like it's in Morthal, if anything, the never-ending swamp is a good clue. I take one last look at it. If I really wanted them gone, I could burn the shack to the ground. Instead, I turn and walk away.
The sound of her voice pierces the somewhat calm night. If you don't follow her orders, your love, Brynjolf will be no more. Voice sneers.
"Same old, same old. What the fuck else can you taunt me with?" I snap, "Why won't you leave me alone? The past week was like living in Sovngarde compared to what you put me through!" I kick a mudcrab out of the way that was going for my toes. He flies and hits a nearby tree. Strike.
I am not goading you. Go to Falkreath or I will make you.
"You know, mom was good to me. She loved me and never belittled me. I said I got the best parents in Nirn because they weren't arrogant assholes. I never knew what kids of those kinds of parents were dealing with but thanks to you, I see I wasn't missing out on anything!"
Electric power filled with rage engulfs me. I fall to the ground and writhe. The fire licks up and down my body faster than ever before. I scream. It might have been minutes or hours. I don't know. But soon the sun is setting. I move my head and see them. Bryn. Gabriel. Penny. The Thieves Guild members. All dead and piled high on one another right next to me. All of their eyes are open, gaping, vacant, and looking straight at me. The smell of their blood and personal scents mingle with the stench of decay in the frozen marsh.
Listen to me, or this will be your reality.
I blink and the scene is gone. No bodies of those I love. I sit up in the waist high water and remove a glove, no holes in my skin. I suck in a shaky breath with the realization. If I go home, she'll do something even worse. I remember Vorstag, clear as day…
His shining beautiful eyes watched mine, even though they were filled with frustration and anger.
"Their will isn't the only will in the universe." He spits.
His words are like a slap in the face, he sees the hurt but instead of consoling me he stands his ground. "You're calling me weak?"
"No, Eve, you are quite strong. But you do have a weak will. You can fight this."
"I can't I've tried," I plead.
"Yes, you can. You have to try harder and be smarter than them." He moves forwards.
"I can't! Don't you get it? She owns me!"
"No one can own a person, Eve. You have to fight harder, didn't I teach you anything? I thought that-" His voice is cut off by my scream of terror. I look down and find the Ebony Blade in my hand, piercing his stomach clean through. Vorstag gives me a look of pure disbelief before he crumples to the ground.
I crawl on to the bank nearby before I collapse. His words haunt me. They always have. I've cried over him for so long. I know if he were here, he would tell me exactly what he did before he died. I have to fight her. But if I go home, my friends deaths will be on my conscience. And I can only defy for so long…
Falkreath. She commands.
I slowly crawl to my knees, then stand on shaky legs. The sun is just setting but if I run or find a carriage, I can be there in no time.
"Show me."
She's pleased as a cat in a canary cage. I forgot how easy it was to read her emotional reactions. Her anticipation is maddening. The directions take me south and I avoid most obstacles and enemies. People too. I don't see a soul for miles. Mountains basked in winter slowly transform into mist covered forests. When night is fast upon us, I find the door.
It's a skull, a giant skull bathed in red and with a bloody handprint smacked on his forehead. The door pulses with power. My emotions are withdrawn when I approach. Will the woman from the shack be here? Is this all an elaborate prank and Voice is leading me to my premature death? I can't shake the feeling that if I walk through this door, I won't be able to walk out.
"What is the music of life?" The breathy, dead guy voice asks from the skull. Voice is tense. Her presence is all consuming in my mind. This is my chance: I can lie to the creepy door and run.
Yeah right, even if I wanted to, Voice is still watching. Crouched like a wolf in wait, with her ignorant prey inches from her snapping fangs. I take in a deep breath. Pull off my Nightingale hood. If I do this just this once, maybe my friends will be safe for good.
"Silence, my brother."
Cicero's Journal Entry
9th of Evening Star, 4E 201
She did it! Astrid took her and sent her somewhere! What matters, Mother, is that she showed up! She's willing to take new ones in who might threaten her! Oh, Cicero watched in glee as she was carried from the Candlehearth Inn. He tried to follow them but didn't want them noticing so…Cicero let them go on their way.
In the meantime, why not send Astrid a letter of our arrival? It reads:
"Dear Beloved Astrid,
My name is Cicero, Keeper of the Night Mother, you must remember us. Her home was desecrated in Bravil and we are searching for a new Sanctuary. We heard the Skyrim Brotherhood is falling on a bad time…so we are here to help! We will be in Falkreath soon… can't wait to meet all of you.
-Sweet Cicero"
Was that good? Was that enough to convince her? I hope so…but we won't know until we are there, will we? Off we go down to Falkreath, Mother! How exciting, how invigorating!