Chapter 15

Ocheeva was swearing at the vampire before Lucien's body hit the ground. "Interfering old man! Now we will never know what wound would have killed him."

"My dagger was envenomed," Teinaava said.

"So was mine, idiot," Ocheeva snapped back, and coughed.

"You were hit," Teinaava said. "Argue later."

"Hrmph," M'raaj-Dar said. He padded forward silently.

Dree took one more look around the room as the light faded from Lucien LaChance. She found nothing but the people she knew. All the Guardians were well accounted for. They'd seen to that as a group. It had been a little odd, working together with so many. Dree had mostly stayed out of the way. I'm still just an amateur. Let the professionals do what they do best.

And so they had. She went back to stand beside Gogron, letting her normal vision become paramount once again. "Is that all?" she said. "Is that really it?" Her voice was no better. She suspected it never would be, though M'raaj-Dar had tried to heal her.

"Nope," Gogron said. He flipped off his helmet, shaking out his black hair. "It never is. Remember, we've still got the Spirit coming after us. Not to mention anybody in the Black Hand who might've been attached to Lucien. They've got a window before we're back in when they can do whatever they want to us."

"I did not think such a small man could throw so hard," the Khajiit mage was saying. "It seems you have had the same ribs broken twice in one day."

"I owe you for that," Dree said, turning back to the others. "He wasn't going to miss."

"No," Ocheeva said. "Not Lucien." She held up her arms so M'raaj-Dar could apply the healing spell to her chest again. Dree noticed that she held onto her dagger. "But the distraction was crucial, as I told you it would be. You played your part well, Dree. I did not mean what I said earlier."

She used my name. She's never done that before. "Oh," Dree said. "I wouldn't care if you had. I know I'm not what you were looking for in a new Sister."

"No," Ocheeva said. "But I am glad it was what I found. I believe Gogron was right, though he did not mean it at the time. The Night Mother did send you to us. Even if it does mean Vicente survived to cheat us of our kill."

"I had my own score to settle," Valtieri said. The anger in his tone was bitter, and deep, and very old. "Vilindriel was not my first offspring, you know. She is simply the last surviving."

Everyone looked at him. Gogron was the one who finally said, "Ah hah."

"We had a difference of opinion," Vicente said. "Lucien was rather against the idea of vampires being added to our little band, particularly those whom he suspected might be more loyal to myself than to him. This was very early in the history of the Sanctuary, you understand. I thought they died by their own foolishness, at first. A failure to heed my warnings, a careless disregard of the sunrise - "

"A push out a doorway at the right time?" Dree said.

"Exactly," Vicente said. "He never spoke of it to me, but I think he let me see him on purpose. A warning, if you will. He would have me share the Gift only with those he thought should have it."

"Sounds like Lucien, all right," Gogron said. He looked at the body. "What are we going to do with him?"

"The same thing we did with Marie," Ocheeva said. She looked pointedly at M'raaj-Dar.

"Oh, yes, we," the Khajiit said. "Always the kill belongs to you, and the cleaning up falls to this one. At least the filthy worthless Speaker is dead, and this one has no more to listen to him." A red-gold aura began to form around his hands as he spoke, and then he turned and cast the fireball. It did not miss this time. The body was vaporized almost on contact. The head and the arm followed soon after. Dree was glad. The smell of burning was far preferable to the stink of death.

"It is far too close in here now," M'raaj-Dar complained.

"We're finished," Ocheeva said. "Have a look around and see if he had anything we can use."

"It is a pity we cannot carry all the books," Teinaava said.

"We won't need them all," Ocheeva said.

"This one hopes so, Sister," said Teinaava, and went to rifle quickly through the shelves.

Dree ended up with Marie's dagger back, and Lucien's old one. It was plain steel. Like Valtieri's's claymore. He was good enough he didn't need any enchantments, Dree thought. Maybe when I'm as old as Vicente, I won't either.

"I'm glad he's dead," she said to Gogron, as they made their way through the now-empty corridors toward the surface. The Orc carried a canvas sack full of books over one shoulder.

"Yeah," Gogron said. "Me, too."

"Do you think we'll make it?" Dree said.

"Everybody's got to go sometime," Gogron said. "Me, I figure on later instead of sooner."

"Me, too," Dree said. "Gogron?"

"Yeah," Gogron said.

"I'm not really sure how to say this..."

"Then I wouldn't," Gogron said. "Always better to wait until you're sure."

"I suppose it is," Dree said. She walked beside him, skipping nimbly over the occasional booby trap as Gogron went ponderously around them. Teinaava and Ocheeva went on ahead, making no sound but their heartbeats. Dree heard M'raaj-Dar's soft footsteps behind her. Valtieri left not even a heartbeat to track his passage, but she knew he was there. Oh, yes. I know he's there, even without the sight. I wonder if he knows where I am, too. How did he and Ocheeva know what was happening in the Living Quarters? It certainly wasn't by the noise. The walls in there have to be two feet thick.

Maybe I won't kill him, Dree thought, albeit grudgingly. I never knew my father.

It was still night when they reached the surface again. The entire set of harrowing events had taken less than two hours, and most of that had been travel to and from the chamber. Marie was right, Dree thought, and to her surprise, she felt a little sad. Knife fights are short.

"Gogron," Dree rasped, as they stood in the ruined courtyard looking at the moon. Teinaava and Ocheeva were busy trying to find Lucien's horse, possession of which they seemed to be quietly but vehemently debating. M'raaj-Dar circled the court restlessly. One or two scorched bones were all that remained of his first sweep. Dree had gained a great deal more respect for the Khajiit's abilities in the course of the evening. Vicente Valtieri stood beside the fallen gate to the courtyard, saying nothing.

"Yes," Gogron said.

"Is it wrong that I miss Marie a little bit?" She was starting to hate the sound of her own voice.

"No," Gogron said. "I'll miss her, too. Being crazy didn't make her less of a Sister."

Dree nodded. "And Ocheeva was right," she said. "The god will still take her, won't he? She loved him more than anything."

"Yeah," Gogron said. "I think he will."

"So how are you feeling?" Dree said after a moment.

"I can just about walk straight," Gogron said. "If I work at it."

"I'm sorry," Dree said.

Gogron set down the sack of books and turned to look down at her. "I'm alive," he said. "That's better than I hoped for."

"Are you angry with me?" Dree said. Was it even possible to get a lump in your throat, if you were a vampire? Maybe it's my imagination.

Gogron shook his head. "Maybe I didn't know what I was doing, but I'm glad I did it. And you traded me for your voice. I'm not going to forget that."

"Can you stand to listen to me?" she said. "I wasn't exactly a nightingale to start with."

Gogron looked at her without saying anything for a long minute. He opened and closed his hands, apparently decided against that, and went slowly to his knees instead. This put them roughly on eye level. Gogron put his gauntlets carefully on Dree's shoulders.

"I'm not much of a talker," he said. "So I'll try to make this as clear as I can. I don't care what you look like. I don't care how you sound. And I wouldn't trade you for anything you want to name. It's not just that I need somebody. It's that you're you."

"I still don't know exactly how to say this," Dree said. "So I'm not going to."

She leaned forward and kissed him. It was not a lingering kiss – that was impossible, given the logistics of Orcish lips and Bosmer – but it was enough. Gogron wrapped both arms around her and pulled her in against his breastplate. Dree returned the embrace with enthusiasm. The armor dented with an audible crack.

"Sorry," she said.

"Not to worry," Gogron said. "A steady diet of Orc will do that for you."

"At least you're not going to break me by accident," Dree said. She pulled back far enough to smile at him, not even trying to hide her teeth. "If anything hurts, I'll just bite whatever's closest." The smile widened. "Maybe I will anyway. Get up before somebody sees us, will you?" She offered him her hand. He chuckled, shook his head, and got up slowly on his own. He shouldered the books again as the two Argonians came toward them, leading a black horse.

Well. To call it a black horse was straining credibility just a little.

"Is that horse on fire?" Dree said.

"This is Shadowmere," Ocheeva said, as if that explained anything. "She would starve if we left her tied up here."

"I would prefer to keep her, but she is too conspicuous," Teinaava said. He slapped the horse lightly on the flank as Ocheeva let go of the bridle. The mare cantered off. "Perhaps we will find her again one day. I doubt there are many who can ride her."

"Not unless they really don't burn easily," Dree said. Vicente Valtieri came toward them as the light from the horse dwindled into the middle distance.

"Are we all ready?" he said. "It's rather a journey back, and I would just as soon not be burnt to ashes when the sun rises." M'raaj-Dar came back to the group, muttering something that sounded very much like just sent off the only horse within miles.

"It's too far to the Sanctuary for that," Gogron said. "But I know a place not far from here. Actually, it's a cave. It's not too big, but it's big enough. Probably smells pretty bad."

"Beggars can't be choosers, I suppose," Vicente said, his voice eloquent with fastidious distaste.

"Lead the way, Brother," Ocheeva said.

Gogron started off, his gait uneven on the weedy ground. Dree went lightly and silently beside him. She would never be able to sing, but that was all right. No song ever written could describe what she felt, setting out into the waning night with her brothers and sisters all around her.